Page 29 of Racing Heat

I flush. I can’t stop it from happening, so I cover my face.

“It was!” he yells.

“Stop yelling so loud. Topless Jeep here, remember?”

Jase leans on the console, coming into my personal space. I can smell his sweat and the musky scent of his cologne. I inhale and smile at him. He smiles back.

Tapping my nose, he says, “Just tell me what you were thinking about, Cassie. I really want to know.”

The low timber in his voice and the fact that he’s invading my space heats my body. I shiver in the Tampa heat, watching him, wishing I was one of those girls who could be bold and close the space between us and kiss him. But I can’t.

It’s not me.

Instead, I admit the boring topic that was running through my mind. “I was thinking about the pep talk you gave me before our last game. How nice you were to me when I was freaking out.” I shrug. “We should get our coffees or whatever.”

I move to spin back in my seat so that I can get out. He stops me, placing his hand on my knee.

“I knew you were nervous before away games, but I didn’t realize it was that bad. You seemed so unsure of yourself in that moment. I’d never seen you like that.”

Kind of like now. “There was just so much pressure, and I told you that I hate away games.”

“Get used to it, kid.” Jase gets out of the Jeep and effectively breaks the moment.

I sigh loudly and watch him make his way to the back of my Jeep. He’s standing there waiting for me, his back to me. I canlook in the rearview mirror and get a peek at the way his muscles flex in that tight shirt.

Fuck! Why couldn’t I have lied and made that moment so much more interesting? I get out and join him. “Let’s go get some coffee. Looks like it’s not too busy in there.”

We make our way into The Sandbar. It’s a cute little beach-themed shop, with comfortable couches that are a deep blue. Pillows that look like seashells adorn it. There’s netting on the walls, with pictures of the staff and owners woven into them. I like it here. Sometimes, I come in here to sit and read a book. It’s calming and I enjoy the strong smell of coffee that wafts in the air, even though I don’t drink much of it.

“I like that they have protein coffee here,” I say lamely. “I wish more places did.”

“What do they use as the protein?” Jase asks me as he studies the menu.

“It’s a premade protein shake that replaces the creamer. Or they have some kind of milk that has protein in it.”

“Milkisa source of protein,” he says with a laugh.

“Well, yeah, but this one is like Muscle Milk or something, so it’s more than the normal amount.” I shake my head with a giggle. God, why do I always feel like such an ass around him?

Neither one of us says another word until after we’ve ordered our coffees. He gets a mocha cold brew, and I get my caramel protein coffee. The silence stretches on while we wait for them to be made.

He’s humming along to the song playing in the background. I try to make out what it is, but I can’t. All I can hear are the sounds of coffees being made and the staff talking.

“Cassie and Jase, coffee is ready,” the barista calls, placing our cups onto the counter.

Jase is quicker than me. He makes it to the counter and picks them up. Turning toward me, he winks and hands it over. Ourfingers brush and a shot of electricity rips through me. He felt it too. Jase’s brown eyes look like molten chocolate.

“Guess we better get going.”

“Yeah.” I reply. It takes me a minute to make my legs start moving.

Jase turns and makes sure that I’m following him.

“What?” I grin at him, picking up my pace a bit so I’m right alongside him again.

“You okay back there?” His tone is teasing, making my chest feel warm and my steps even lighter.

When we reach the Jeep, he stays at the back looking at his phone—it’s probably about his car. I hesitate to climb inside, just as I feel the heat of him standing behind me. He’s in my space. If I take even the smallest step back, I’ll be up against him. I want him to do it.