Page 6 of Racing Heat

“Just tired is all.” I try to shoot him a reassuring smile, but I’m not sure I succeed. I hate lying to August; he’s been great since I got here. Making sure to set me up with a place to stay and becoming my instant friend.

He nods, then answers a question Danny asks.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be running so hard,” Cassie says lowly, like she’s trying to keep her voice from being heard by August.

I turn to face her. “But then you would be denied the pleasure of my company, and we both know you don’t want that.”

She blushes, and I swear it makes my chest puff out a bit with pride. I feel dirty and wrong for flirting with her. She’s easily ten years younger than my almost forty years. I wonder if she realizes that, and if it would matter to her.

“I feel like I’m doing just fine out there on the trail. How are you doing with the double workouts? Are you going to be ready or burnt out from your choices?”

“Oh, I’ll be ready.” Her voice dips an octave lower, and I swear it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.

“I have no doubt about that.”

She watches me for a bit, mouth lightly parted. I swallow audibly, my eyes zooming in on her lips. I wonder what she tastes like. I have since the morning I ran into her at the beach. She was all sexy and sweaty. I wondered if she’d taste salty or sweet. She quickly turns her attention back to her friends, while I sit in silence.

“We should play darts or something,” Amelia says fidgeting on her stool between August and Hendrix. She never really can sit still. I’ve noticed that even when the team is standing around listening for directions, she’s moving side to side. Or bouncing on her heels.

“I’m not sure we’d be able to move in here,” I tell her, “as crowded as it is tonight.”

“We could just head over and see if people will let us play,” Mac says with a shrug. “I could use some movement instead of just sitting here all night long.”

“Are you so fidgety that if we don’t, you’ll head home to that rebounder of yours?” Cassie asks her.

“Rebounder?” I ask.

Cassie turns to me, her eyes shining brightly. “Oh, Mac has had this rebounder since she was a kid. It’s in her backyard.”

“Wow. That’s cool,” I reply, more enthusiastically than I should for such an item. I’m just happy to have a reason to have those eyes aimed at me.

“Yeah, it helps me work out some of that aggression. And it clears my head,” Mac adds.

“Danny doesn’t help enough with that?” August asks.

We all laugh, and Mac grows red.

“Leave her be,” Cassie replies, bumping her leg with mine.

“Is that an order?” I drain the rest of my beer while I watch her.

“Might be.” She winks at me.

The rest of the group has gone back to talking or having their own side conversations. I take advantage of that and start up a conversation of my own with Cassie.

“You running tomorrow, or are you going to be too hungover?” I ask her.

“We have an early one tomorrow. Don’t you and Henny have an early practice too?”

I shake my head, laughing. “I forgot we were getting started at seven thirty tomorrow.”

“Yeah, something about it being too hot to practice at the normal time.” She shakes her head and takes a long pull of her drink.

“You look like you need a refill. Want to go to the bar, love?” I ask her. The word ‘love’ just sneaks out, and she leans just a bit closer to me.

“Yeah, let’s do it,” she says, cheeks tinged pink.

We get up and head over to the bar, waiting to be noticed. It’s gotten a little better in here than when we arrived. It’s no longer two deep at the bar, which I’m silently cursing. A larger crowd would mean more time away from the table, where it’s just me and her leaning into each other so that we can hear the words the other is speaking before the noise of the bar eats them up.