Dating the Defensive Back (The Nash Brothers Book 1)

Overanalyzing the Ass Grab

I’m exhausted when my alarm wakes me, but the second half of the night was some of the best sleep I’ve had in a while.

When I was with Colin, I didn’t want to cuddle. We rarely shared a bed, anyway, especially since he moved to Chicago.

But somehow, having Grayson’s arms around me made me feel safer than I’ve ever felt in my life, and hearing his voice hum from his chest as he told me about the last time he was with his family lulled me into a deep sleep filled with much happier dreams.

I’m careful to slip out of his grasp so I can go shower, and he groans his displeasure when I get up—but he doesn’t move from my bed.

I take a beat to stop and stare. I could really get used to seeing Grayson Nash asleep in my bed. What a lovely sight to behold…and even lovelier that he didn’t want me to get up out of his arms.

Maybe last night was a breakthrough. If everything happens for a reason, perhaps my nightmare was to push us closer together. He was so sweet in the moment, making sure I felt cared for and safe, and as embarrassing as it was, he even got up to bring me my bunny.

It’s those little details that make me feel like this could be the start of something really, really special—if I could just get him to trust me again. Oh, and, you know—that other hurdle called my brother.

I get ready quickly and figure I’ll just let Grayson sleep in my bed. I head over to let him know I’m leaving, and I stare at him sleeping for a beat.

God, how I wish this was real.

I don’t have the heart to wake him, so instead I lean down to press my lips to his forehead. As I straighten to leave, he reaches up and pulls me back down.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I giggle. “I have to get to work.”

“Are you okay after last night?” he asks softly.

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

“Let me walk you out,” he says, finally relenting as he lets go.

I don’t want him to let me go. Ever. But I straighten and turn to leave. “Don’t be silly. You stay and sleep.”

“I should get back to the hotel anyway since I’m paying to stay there.”

“Then stop paying and just stay with me until your place is ready.” The words are out before I can stop them, and I nearly slap a hand over my mouth at the random outburst.

Instead, I wait to see what he’s going to say. I can’t really see his face to get a good gauge on his reaction since the sun is just starting to rise and it’s still dark in here, but he freezes for a beat.

Is he contemplating it?

“That’s a nice offer,” he says.

That’s a nice offer.

He doesn’t say yes…but he also doesn’t say no.

I head to the kitchen to fill my water bottle, and he follows me out there.

“What are your plans for the day?” I ask.

“Checking in with my agent, giving that publicist a call. Maybe finally calling my dad to let him know I’m in town.”

“Why don’t you stay with him?” I suggest, and I could kick myself for suggesting it.

“Yeah, that’s a no.”

I chuckle. “Is he really so bad?”

“For one thing, I’m a thirty-two-year-old man who really doesn’t want to revert back to living with my father. And for another thing…Asher is living with him.”

“Is that a bad thing? Are you not close with Asher?” I ask.

“No, we’re close. It’s just…we’ll be playing on the same team, so a little separation won’t hurt anybody, you know?” He shrugs.

I really don’t know, but just the thought of living with a colleague—say Cora, for example—is fairly taxing.

I screw the lid back onto my bottle and turn to face him. “Thanks again for last night. You were—”

He cuts me off as he shakes his head. “No need for all that.” He takes a step toward me and pulls me into his arms, and I settle there on his chest for a beat.

We both hear the door on the other side of the house open, followed by footsteps.

He leans down and presses his lips to mine.

It’s a warm, sweet kiss, and I want to bask in it, but I really do need to head to work. I pull back first—reluctantly, but I have to.

“Have a great day, baby,” he murmurs, and he hugs me once more just as Austin clears his throat behind him.

“Morning,” he says.

I recall Grayson’s words from last night about Austin, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s up to no good with my best friend. I’ll have to warn her, but I’ll have to be careful about how I go about it, since from the look on her face last night when she walked in with him, she is one smitten kitten.

“Morning,” I say brightly, moving out of Grayson’s arms. “Gotta run to work. Have a great day!”

Grayson reaches down to squeeze my ass, and between the kiss, the baby, and the ass-grab, I’ll definitely use the rest of my day to overanalyze whether all that was sincere or just for Austin’s benefit.

My heart is trying to convince me he was being sincere—that something changed last night when I woke him crying in the middle of the night after my recurring dream.

But my brain is fairly convinced it was just for show.

I ponder it on my drive to work, and it doesn’t get pushed to the back of my mind the way it should when I’m at work. Part of me wants to talk about it, but the person I’d talk to about it is Kelly—not Cora. Kelly’s not here, though. Cora is.

I keep my trap shut. It’s the wisest move considering we don’t want it getting out that we’re not really in a relationship even if I really want to be in one.

But how exactly does one level up with a pro football player? How does one move from the little sister of the friend zone up to banging against the windows overlooking the Strip?

With any luck, time will tell, and eventually I’ll have an answer to that question.