In It to Win It (5 page)

What the hell had gotten into her? Had she forgotten that she hated Grayson Pierce?

Yes. Yes, wrapped in his arms, she had.

But now she did remember and with a graceful side step, she eased out of his hold. It felt oddly comfortable being around Grayson.
Way
too comfortable. Her insides warred; wanting to push him away and pull him close all at the same time. As she inhaled the scent that was exclusively Grayson, she decided to just go with her gut. If she ended up crying a river, so be it.

He glanced down at her for only a moment, his smile fading. “Nice shirt.”

“
Thanks. I got it at the Team Shop.” She rubbed a hand over the snake logo on her chest and didn’t feel quite so haughty now. The disappointed look on his face made her rethink her reason for wearing it. She’d wanted to make a point of not supporting Grayson, but now she saw it as the insult he’d obviously taken it for.

Would anyone notice if she just whipped it off and continued dinner in just her bra? Surely that would at least divert Grayson’s attention.

His eyes dropped to the motion on her hand, he frowned but didn’t comment. He waved an arm toward the crowd and took her hand in his other one. “We’re right through here.”

Even though she felt bad for dissing Grayson with her ill-conceived t-shirt choice, Jane couldn’t resist the urge to look over her shoulder at the snotty hostess and smile.

Okay, she was gloating. Only a little.

Grayson led them past a bouncer, through a door into what looked like a banquet room, only smaller. Six tables lined the perimeter with a wooden dance floor in the center. Only one table was set—for three. They were the only ones here, the only ones expected.

“
I hope this is okay,” Grayson said.

“
This is awesome,” Nate said, pausing for Grayson’s indication of a seating arrangement.

Grayson stood behind one chair and motioned for Jane to sit. She did and he took the seat across from her. Nate then sat next to her. All three of them flipped open their menus and began perusing their choices.

A girl appeared—this one with dark hair—dressed in the same short skirt and tight top as the hostess, notebook poised in his hand. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“
Water’s fine for me,” Grayson said without pause.

Her black brows pinched slightly. “I would have thought…”

“
Don’t go dry on my account,” Jane said.

Grayson looked at Jane like she’d slapped him. His eyes didn’t leave hers as he said once again, “Like I said, water’s fine.”

“
Sam Adams for me,” Nate said. Somewhere in the back of Jane’s mind she recognized that Nate was easing the prickly, awkward situation she’d created. But in the moment, with Grayson’s eyes on hers, she hated herself for being so callous.

The waitress nodded and looked at Jane, who couldn’t stop looking at Grayson. She was such a jerk! Chagrin ate at her. Grayson could order whatever he wanted. He was a grown man and didn’t need to be reprimanded for ordering
water
for hell’s sake. Good grief, what was wrong with her?

“
And you, Miss?”

“
Oh, um…” She glanced down at the menu, not that she really needed to, but it gave her something else to look at besides Grayson. “Diet Coke with lemon, please.”

“
Sure thing. Be back in a minute.” And then she was gone.

Jane pretended not to notice the uncomfortable silence in the room, focusing on the black and white letters scattered across the menu.

“
Which way to the bathroom?” Nate asked.

“
Back out the door and off to your right,” Grayson answered.

“
Thanks.”

Jane glanced up to see Nate’s retreating back.
Damn him!
She couldn’t believe he’d left her alone. But at the same time, she was grateful not to have an audience for the apology that needed to be offered.

In the uncomfortable silence, Jane peeked at Grayson over her menu. He sighed and closed his menu, pushing it away. His hands—his strong, long-fingered hands—rested on the table in front of him, his fingers weaved together. His head was tilted down, his eyes on his hands. He sighed, a dramatic rush of air leaving his lungs.

She softly began her apology. “I’m—”

“
Jane—” he said at the same time.

They both smiled and he waved for her to go first.

She dipped her head in submission and said, “I’m sorry. It’s really none of my business what you drink. And I had no right to give you a hard time for drinking
water
.”

“
It’s okay.” He rolled his head on his shoulders then scrubbed a hand over his face, his fingers smoothing the hair on his chin. “Geez, I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous on a date.”

“
Is that what this is?” she croaked. “A date?”

He shrugged and grinned. “I don’t know what else to call it, but if that terminology makes you
nervous then, by all means, call it whatever you’d like.”

Fifteen years ago, she’d have given her eye teeth to be sitting across the table from Grayson—and not be tutoring him.

Her palms were sweaty, so she briskly rubbed them on her thighs, and couldn’t believe what she was going to say next. She almost edited it, but instead confessed, “I have to admit I’m a little nervous, too.”

She was grateful she’d wiped her hands when he reached across the table and took one, giving it a gentle squeeze. He smiled. “Why don’t we both take a deep breath and promise to relax and enjoy our non-date.”

“
Deal.”

Their drinks arrived. But Nate hadn’t. Later she would note that the Sam Adams he ordered hadn’t made it to the table either. Jane knew she should probably wonder where he’d gone, but with a white flag now flying, she couldn’t bring herself to care. Especially when Grayson kept looking at her the way he was now.

His eyes sparkled as he took a long gulp of his water. He put the glass down on the table and lounged back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. He was perfectly at ease. And very sexy.

She hoped that she looked as comfortable. Or at least not as freaked out as she felt.

Their waitress showed up again. “Ready to order?”

Jane and Grayson both looked at Nate’s still empty chair. Grayson shrugged. “Um, well, we’re kind of waiting—”

“
I can get his order when he gets back,” she said, both statement and question.

“
Okay,” Grayson said, “I’ll have a burger, medium well, American cheese, no onion.” His eyes met hers and her toes tingled. “And can you throw some cheese on the fries, please?”

“
No problem.” She nodded and turned to Jane. “And for you?”

“
Um…” Jane was still enamored by Grayson and she had a hard time thinking. The fact that he could order a cheeseburger shouldn’t have her hanging on his every word, but she was. “I’ll have the same. Thank you.”

When they were alone again, Grayson smiled at her, making her insides go liquid. This was very dangerous territory. Every defense mechanism she had was screaming at the top of its lungs for her to get up and run away. Yet it was her damned traitorous heart, nearly pounding out of her chest that seemed to be making the decisions and kept her sitting exactly where she was.

“
Geez! It’s been forever. When was the last time we saw each other?” Before she could answer, he said, “When you blew me off for prom?”

All her warm and fuzzy feelings froze solid, as though an iceberg had floated into the room and settled under her chair.

She frowned and just stared at him. All of the progress they’d made was dashed. She knew it had all been too good to be true. He hadn’t changed at all. He was still a jerk. And she still wanted to cry.

“
I blew
you
off?” Her voice was quiet but strong. She made herself look into the golden brown depths of his eyes. With a heavy heart she told him, “This subject is totally off limits. I didn’t want to discuss it then, and I sure as hell don’t want to discuss it now.”

ANGRY COLOR RUSHED INTO HER CHEEKS AND Grayson knew he had some serious damage control to do. Not that he blamed her for being ticked. He needed to remember that he didn’t have to front with Jane. He’d been stupid to bring up a subject that was sore for both of them. Not that he understood why—on her part.

One thing he did know, if she walked out of the room, she was never coming back. And she would never, ever give him another chance.

As she rose to her feet, his hand flew out and grabbed her by the arm, his fingertips touching on opposite sides just above her wrist. “Please … don’t leave.”

She shifted from one foot to the other and glared at him. Her fingers pushed the straps of her purse further up onto her shoulder and he thought she would leave him forever.

He stood and motioned to her seat. “Please, let’s finish our dinner.”

The debate went on in her head; he could almost see the arguments going back and forth behind her eyes. Finally she let out a sigh and dropped her purse to the floor.

He waited while she sat. She took a sip on her drink and kept her eyes from meeting his gaze. The sweet camaraderie they’d shared only moments ago was gone, thanks to his thoughtless comment.

“
Look, I’m sorry. I know it was stupid.” He shook his head, plowing his fingers through his hair. “It was a joke, Jane. A really poorly executed joke, but … yeah. Forgive me?”

Her gaze met his and she smiled tightly. She sighed as if she were exhausted. “Listen, Grayson, I don’t need, nor do I want your macho, I’m-king-of-the-world crap. Be straight with me. That’s all I’ve ever wanted from you.”

“
Okay. I’ll be straight with you, if you’ll offer me the same courtesy.”

“
I always have.”

They both nodded as if an agreement had been made. Tension still swirled in the air around them and he was afraid his next question wasn’t going to help things. But, hard as he tried, he couldn’t keep from voicing the question that had been racing around in his brain since the second she’d stepped back into his life.

“
Do you have a boyfriend? Fiancé? Husband?” He actually cringed as he said the last word and she smiled.

That smile had always made his heart melt. When he knew her before the second tooth on the right had been twisted a bit, now it was straight and he kind of missed the endearing flaw. As he waited for her to answer his question with regards to her availability, he hated that Jane was witnessing him this way. He’d never felt so vulnerable … and he didn’t like the feeling.

“
No. No. And … no,” she said with a laugh.

He let out his breath, surprisingly relieved to hear that she was unattached. He was relieved until she turned the tables on him.

“
What about you?” she asked. “How many girlfriends do you actually have?”

That made him laugh too, although it sounded strangled to his ears. He shrugged and gave her the honesty he’d promised. “Would you believe there’s not a single special girl in my life?”

“
Not a
single
special girl? So there are what; ten, twelve, a baker’s dozen?”

Her words were a slap, taking all the humor from the moment. His laugh cut off abruptly and he felt his smile morph into a grimace. “I’m not the guy the media wants to make me out to be.”

He would have thought that, of all people, Jane Alexander would understand how the media could manipulate things to fit into any box they wanted. He hated that that was the man she knew.

“
Sorry.” She stirred the lemon around in her glass with her straw and chewed on her bottom lip. She looked adorable and, absurdly, he suddenly wanted to kiss that lip. He realized he was leaning toward her when she asked, “If they’ve got you so wrong, who are you then?”

He was just about to answer, had even opened his mouth to do so, when they were interrupted by the waitress delivering their burgers. “Can I get you anything else?”

Jane’s eyes shot toward the door then to Nate’s chair and he imagined her thinking,
Yeah, you can bring Nate back
.

He knew he should probably care that Nate had abandoned her, but he couldn’t find one single ounce of remorse. Grayson was glad to have Jane all to himself. Their first few moments had been a little weird. He hoped that given a few minutes alone they would fall into the easy friendship they’d shared all those years ago—until life blew up in his face, for reasons he still didn’t know.

Grayson glanced at Jane and she shook her head. “No, we’re good. Thanks,” he said, dismissing the waitress.

JANE COULDN’T HELP BUT WONDER WHERE the hell Nate had disappeared to. It didn’t take
that
long to use the restroom. Least of all for Nate. He was a speed-pee’er.

Trying not to make the situation more bizarre, she opened the bottle of ketchup and dumped a huge glob next to her fries. She double-fisted her burger and took a huge bite.

Grayson was also chewing on his burger. He groaned softly and Jane giggled. He grinned.