Page 37 of Jase

I sat straighter, swallowing hard. I understood exactly where he was coming from, but just the thought of asking opened doors I wasn’t sure I could handle.

“J…”

“Jase.”

I nodded. “Jase.” Weariness turned to interest as he scanned my face.

“You’re blushing.”

“I am not.”

“You are. What were you going to ask?”

“If I’m blushing, we can both agree it’s not going to affect our lives. I think we’ll be fine without having to talk about this.”

“No. Now I’m distracted. I can’t be distracted, Kody.”

I grabbed the fork, stuffing my mouth with fried rice. Jase’s forearms came to rest on the table as he waited for me to swallow.

“We have all the time in the world. I’m waiting.”

“Your food is going to get cold.”

A smile tugged back his lips as he reached for his chopsticks.

I glanced up, wishing I could disappear. It was a thought. Not even an actual question I wanted to ask. So why was I curious? Was I crazy? Jase was way out of my league. We weren’t even in the same realm on looks.

“Kody?”

“You really want to know?”

“Yes. What were you thinking? I watched your morning. I wanted to check your brand of tea.”

The heat was back in my cheeks.

“Why do you still watch me? You couldn’t have predicted someone would come. You’re just as surprised as I am. Why?”

It was his turn to take a bite to avoid the question. And like him, I waited.

“I watched you for days before I could save you. Hour after long hour. Hit after hit. I almost didn’t continue watching at all. Ultimately, I crossed a line. One I can’t come back from.”

“I’m sorry.”

His brow furrowed. “Sorry? This isn’t your fault. I knew what I was doing. I wanted to do it.”

“You wanted to kill David?”

He paused. “Truth is, I wanted to kill. The identity of the bad man didn’t make a difference.”

For seconds I couldn’t move. I wasn’t even sure what to think. Did I run? Did I try to escape? He wanted to commit murder?

“You’re terrified.”

My mind raced. Bad men. He’d said bad. Did it really make a difference? The broken part of me knew the answer before I could finish the thought.

“Jase, I’m not sure I understand.”

“You wouldn’t. Or…maybe you could relate on some level, but let’s not talk about that now. We have plenty of time. Let’s get to the part where you tell me what you were really thinking.”