Page 27 of Racing Heat

“I need help again,” I call out. “My car won’t start.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll rescue you. Again!” Hopping out of her Jeep, she comes over to me. “What do you want to do?”

Chapter Ten

~CASSIE~

“I’m going to need a ride home. Do you mind?” Jase is glancing down at his phone when he asks me the question.

At first, I’m not sure if he’s talking to me or if he has someone on speakerphone. “Huh?” I ask.

“Can you give me a ride home?” He says the sentence slower, like I’m recovering from a head injury.

“Sure. You don’t want to wait for triple A or something?”

“I don’t have that,” he admits with a shrug.

“What are you going to do about your car?”

“I just texted my mechanic. He’s going to come get it. He’ll tow it and let me know what the damage is.” He gets out of the car and stands very near me. I want to back up—the smart thing to do would be to back up. Instead, I inhale the musky, sweaty scent that is Jase.

I don’t want to move from this spot. This little fixation I have with him is getting out of hand. And now I have to give him a ride to his house.

“Yeah. Okay, sure. I can do that.”

“Well, if you don’t want to, I can always wait for him, and he can take me home. I don’t want to inconvenience you.” His smile disappears from his face, and he begins to study the ground.

I’m a bitch. I shouldn’t have said it like that. Now he thinks that I don’t want to help him.

“No, I can take you. If you don’t mind riding in the Jeep, that is,” I say lamely.

“I knew what you drove when I asked you.” He laughs. “Do you need some oranges? Now you seem like the one who’s dehydrated or something.”

I shake my head. “Just need some coffee, maybe. Should we stop for some on the way home?”

“Yeah, coffee would be nice,” he says with a shrug.

“You don’t just drink tea?” I tease him.

He laughs, and it sounds like a real, hearty laugh. His head dips back and his eyes close. I’ve never heard him laugh so fully before, even with the guys. There’s always a light chuckle, and you can tell he’s enjoying himself by his wide smile. But I’ve never heard the sound of his laugh quite like this. It sounds a bit like he’s cackling. I smile, deciding I like the sound of it.

I study the hard lines of his body. He’s built. He has broad shoulders, strong arms, and a chiseled chest. I try to imagine what it might be like if he pulled me against him. I’m thankful that he’s wearing a tight compression shirt so that I can enjoy the view. I smile in appreciation.

“What?” he says.

“Sorry, just…I don’t know. Need some caffeine.” By the stammering of my voice, there’s no way he’ll buy that.

“I didn’t think you drank a lot of caffeine.”

He really has been paying attention. I get the occasional coffee, but mostly it’s water and electrolytes during season.

“I don’t,” I say with a shrug. “But I haven’t been sleeping the best lately.”

“Someone keeping you up?”

“Why is that always the first thing guys think when a girl says she can’t sleep?” I ask him.

It’s his turn to shrug at me. We stop walking and pause in front of the Jeep.