CHAPTER THREE
Whatever it takes.
Ana felt Jack’s hand tangle with hers as he drove through her small neighborhood and wondered if the gesture meant anything. Looking into his stormy green eyes, their gazes locked for a second and she wished she could name the feelings flying through her body.
Desire, curiosity, and something warm that was indefinable and mysterious.
Maybe primal.
Which added panic to the mix since a professional athlete wasn’t someone she saw herself with. Despite what his smile was making her think. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore the way he filled out his jeans and T-shirt with his solid thighs, high round ass, and broad chest. Add to that his thick corded forearms, and he was the whole package.
One that was hard to resist, no matter what her brain was telling her.
Jack lifted their entwined hands and glanced over. “How many arguments have mounted against anything happening between us?”
“Honestly?”
“Please.”
“Five.”
“Not as bad as I thought.”
Feeling herself relax, she rolled her eyes. “I’m just a challenge, and after tonight, the thrill will be gone.”
“If that’s what you need to tell yourself, then please go ahead. Just know that I’m going to change your mind about football players, alpha men, and anything else that is going to prevent you from giving me a chance.”
“Why?”
“Because when your hand is in mine, it feels like a key fitting into a lock. Perfect and indescribable.” He tightened his hold and grinned.
“That’s so…”
“Crazy?”
“Yes!”
“I’m okay with that.”
“Jack, you have to know that I’m kind of boring. I don’t want you to think that underneath my shyness is a funny personality waiting to get out. Pretty much what you see is what you get.”
“The fact that you’re trying to talk me out of being interested just proves that my instincts are spot-on. I like you, Ana, and what I see is what I want.” He kissed her hand and then nodded. “I just want a little of your time; I don’t want to change your life. I’m sure a lot of men are after you, and I plan to be at the front of the line and make sure I’m your best option.”
“Let’s just see how tonight goes and then decide if hanging out together makes sense.”
“Nothing about how I feel makes sense and whatever time you want to give me is good.”
Nodding, she watched him pull on to the freeway and knew it was time to let go of her preconceived ideas and prejudices and get to know Jack. Not just because he was clearly interested, but because no one had ever stated their intentions so clearly.
And that meant something, regardless of what they ended up being for one another.
“How does dinner on South Beach sound?”
“Great,” she replied as she looked out the window. “I’ve only been in town for a month and haven’t made it out much. I’m sure whatever you have in mind is going to be perfect.”
Whistling, he glanced over. “I’ve got a lot of things in mind, so that’s damn good news.”
Laughing, she turned in her seat and raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”
“I saw those boxes of furniture in your house, and I’d be happy to put them together.”
“Oh, that’s not what I thought you’d say.”
He smirked and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “You have a dirty mind, Ana, and I’m shocked.”
She pushed her hand into his arm and rolled her eyes. “Doubt that.”
He mouthed the word shocked and then winked. “I’m very handy and would love nothing more than to show off my skills.”
“That’s very generous, but exactly what is the daily rate of the highest-paid defensive end in the league?”
“I see that you Googled me.”
“I did and holy moly you get paid a lot of money for crashing into other men.”
“I know and please don’t think that fact is ever lost on me. My brother put his life on the line every day for over ten years in defense of this country, and I know what he got paid, and it was a travesty. I think SEALs, and for that matter, anybody in the military should be paid what guys in the NFL make.”
“That’s a great idea, and I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or make you think I’m judging you.”
He retook her hand and shrugged. “I’m a little embarrassed by my paycheck, but not enough to turn it down.” Laughing, he glanced over. “Truth be told, I have a shark of an agent, and make sure he does his best in negotiations. So in truth, I may be a bit of a hypocrite.”
“Making less money is not going to make someone else more, and I don’t think there’s any hypocrisy in making as much as you can.”
“That’s nice of you to say and, considering I’ll be lucky to have a ten-year career, that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“Makes sense.”
“What is it you do at the university, Ana?”
She let out a breath and decided not to hold anything back. “I have a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Neuropsychology. I’m a resident in the program and have a chance at training in several disciplines.” Staring out the window, she studied the passing landscape “I hope to decide what I want to focus on once I complete the program.”
“Should I call you Dr. James or can I stick with honey?”
“Maybe just Ana, since no one addresses me as doctor unless I’m at the university. Somehow, I get called Ana Banana a lot more, and I’ll answer to either.”
“You seem too normal to have such an extraordinary brain.”
“Thanks, I guess. You seem too normal to have such extraordinary physical abilities.”
“Just think if we had kids. They’d be super-humans.”
“Probably not. The chances of having children that fall within the typical range are much greater.”
“I’d be happy with whatever kids we’re blessed with.”
Laughing, she covered her mouth and decided his outrageous comments were just for effect. There was no way he was serious about kids or even a second date for that matter, so all she had to worry about was getting through tonight.
Which didn’t seem as daunting as it had thirty minutes ago.
***
Jack moved his plate to the side and heard the click of a camera shutter. Turning, he scanned the patio and tried to determine who the hell had invaded his and Ana’s privacy. “Someone just took a photo, and I bet we see the picture in the tabloids in the next couple of days.”
“I doubt anyone is interested in me and whoever buys it will just crop me out of the photo.”
“Ana, I don’t get pictures taken with women very often, and there’s a lot of speculation about me.” Moving closer, he bent his head. “I might’ve just put you in the eye of the storm.”
“I saw a lot of pictures of you with beautiful women, so the only reason the picture of the two of us would become interesting is that I’m so clearly not…your usual flavor.”
“I don’t have a damn flavor, and those photos that are plastered everywhere are not real.”
Holding up her hands, she sat back. “It’s not my business.”
“It is if you think I’m whoring around town.”
“Jack, lower your voice because people are starting to look our way.”
Taking her hand, he nodded. “Sorry, I just don’t want anything to get in the way of you liking me.”
“One of my best friends from school is Alex Martinez.”
“The pitcher for the Miami Piranhas?”
“Yes and I’ve seen how much crap is written about him and how often he struggles when fending off enthusiastic fans. So don’t worry about me. I’ve been photographed a ton with Alex, and I’m used to people speculating about our relationship.”
A commotion started on the street, and Jack twisted to see what was causing it. “Shit,” he muttered as he saw a pack of paparazzi jostling people who were waiting to get into the restaurant. “Let’s hope there’s an A-list actor inside the restaurant.”
Ana leaned over and shook her head. “Those photographers just shoved a woman who had to be over eighty. What’s wrong with them?”
“They’re animals, that’s what. They don’t care who they hurt or what laws are broken, as long as they get paid for the picture.”
“Don’t turn around because they’re here for you. Several of them have their lenses pointed at us, and they’re very intent on getting a shot of you.”
Moving his chair, he did his best to block their view of Ana. “I guess dinner on the patio of a restaurant in South Beach wasn’t a great idea.”
“I don’t envy you, Jack.”
Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone and texted the head of security for the team. “I’m going to see if he can get a couple of guys down here to clear them before we leave.” He took her hand under the table and squeezed. “Sorry about this.”
“You didn’t do anything, so there’s no need to apologize.”
“I try not to live my life according to what the paparazzi are going to do, but I don’t want to put you in danger.”
The waiter approached and started speaking to Ana in rapid-fire Spanish and Jack didn’t know if she could understand a word. When she replied and spoke just as quickly, he knew she was a native speaker. He’d never heard someone speak so fast and waited for them to finish so she could clue him in. When the man departed, he raised an eyebrow. “That was interesting.”
“He figured I spoke Spanish and thought it would be better if the people surrounding us didn’t hear what was going on.”
“This is Miami; more than half the population speaks Spanish.”
“Apparently not the people sitting around us, though.”
“Did your parents speak Spanish at home?”
“Just my mom, she’s second generation Cuban and wanted my brothers and me to have the language.”
“That’s very cool. So, what’s going on?”
“The manager called the police, and they’re going to come down and clear the photographers. If we want to go out the back, they’ll get us a taxi, and we just need to let them know.” Patting his leg under the table, she winked. “When I have the chance, I like to watch crime shows, and I have a couple of exits mapped out if you don’t want to go out the back.”
Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek. “I had no idea I was on a date with an operator.”
“If I weren’t a scientist, then I would definitely be an agent of some sort. I love spy stuff and covert ops, and the only real barrier for me joining the CIA is that I’m a big chicken and get scared easily.”
Leaning over, he kissed her cheek again and inhaled her scent and decided that he wasn’t going to hold back his feelings no matter what pictures the animals behind them were snapping. “I think you could do whatever you set your mind to.”
“That’s a lovely thing to say, but I know my limits, and like to stay within them.”
The waiter brought over two large plates of flan, and he watched Ana clap her hands.
“I love flan.”
“I’m going to remember that since your face lit up when it arrived.” He watched her take a big bite of the dessert and enjoyed the hell out of her blissed-out look and silently groaned when his body reacted immediately.
Gritting his teeth, he moved around in his seat until he felt adjusted enough to be comfortable and decided the next time she looked contented it was going to be because of him.
One way or another.
***
By the time they were done with their meal, most of the sidewalk had been cleared by MPD, and Jack checked his phone. “Looks like Roland has no one available, so we’re going out unescorted. Since I crash into people for a living, I want you to know you’re in good hands.”
“I have no doubt, just don’t do anything crazy since you don’t need bad press.”
“Ana, I don’t give a damn about that, and your safety is my first priority. When we leave, I’m going to wrap my arm around you, and I want you to stick to me like glue. I will only ask once for someone to move, and after that, I’ll show them why I get paid so much money to move through the offensive line.”
“All right, let’s do this.”
Standing, he wrapped his arm securely around her and snugged her close as they moved through the patio and out onto the sidewalk. Seeing phones being lifted as they stood next to the valet stand, he knew that if the pack of paparazzi at the corner didn’t get a picture, then someone else would.
He handed the attendant his valet ticket and held Ana against his side. “Are you smiling, honey?”
“I’m trying. Are they taking pictures of us right now?”
Looking down, he nodded and felt a smile break across his face at the same moment hers did, and he knew they had just given away the money shot.
There would be no mistaking that he was half in love with the woman, and for the first time in his life, he didn’t care about schooling his expression and masking what he was feeling. He was nuts for Ana and was going to show her and whoever else cared to look because holding back and being cool was not going to get her interested.
Unfortunately, though, that meant she was going to become the woman everyone wanted to know about. God willing, it wouldn’t get out of control and give her a reason to deny him a bunch more dates. “They sure are, honey, and I’m betting everyone will soon know who’s captured my attention.”
Patting his chest, she nodded. “I doubt it since we’re just going to be friends.”
“We’ll see,” he replied as his truck was pulled up to the curb. Helping her in, he kissed her lightly before he closed her door and knew he’d never settle for just friendship.
They were eventually going to become everything, and he couldn’t wait.
Pulling out, he navigated through the heavy traffic and took Ana’s hand. “Thanks for having such a good attitude about this.”
“I bet I won’t even show up in the pictures since I’m not the one they’re interested in.”
“Possible,” he replied, even though he knew no way in hell it was. “I was wondering if you would you like to come to the game this weekend?”
Turning toward him, she shook her head. “Thank you for inviting me, but I can’t make it. There’s going to be a couple of brain autopsies this weekend, and I don’t want to miss them.”
“That’s not something you hear every day, and I guess a brain autopsy definitely trumps a football game.”
“The autopsies are going to be particularly informative, and I’m really looking forward to them.”
“The next home game isn’t until the end of November, so why don’t I fly you out to the game the following week?”
Laughing, she leaned forward and moved the vents of the air-conditioning. “I’ll just wait for your next home game.”
“Okay but let me know if you change your mind. Will you have any free time on Saturday?”
“I might have a break in the middle of the day.”
“I’ll stop by then and take you to lunch.”
“Is this you taking things slowly?”
“Sure is, honey, and it’s only going to ramp up from here.”
“Oh, goody,” she replied as she rolled her eyes and leaned back against the seat.
Smiling, he threw her a wink and knew he wasn’t going to let up until they were on the same page in the same book in a house they shared.
It might be a crazy idea, but he loved nothing more than making them a reality.
In fact, it was his damn specialty.