Page 98 of Racing Heat

“You just want to have sloppy sex with Cassie,” he replies.

“Sloppy sex with who?” August asks.

I turn to him and shake my head. “We were talking about him and Mac.”

He watches me, pauses for a beat longer than normal before saying, “Well, that’s a given.”

I just nod. It is a given.

Danny claps him on the back. “You going to take Hendrix home?”

We all laugh—except August. “Fuck all the way off,” he says.

“Come on,” I say. “Give him a break.”

“Fine, I won’t mention it again. I have so many things I’m not mentioning that it’s hard to keep track.” Danny walks away and joins Mac at the table that the girls have taken over with their tray of shots.

I move over to the table, standing between Amelia and Cassie. My arm snakes around her waist and sits lowly on her hip. No one should be able to see where my hands are from this angle. I raise my shot glass with the others and listen to the giggles coming from Mac and Hendrix as they try to figure out what to toast.

“Let’s toast to sex!” a drunken Cassie calls out.

“But you’re not getting any,” August reminds her.

“I could be. But I don’t think you’re supposed to know that.” Cassie leans back into me for a brief second before holding her up glass. “Cheers.” The glass touches her lips, and she drinks the liquid down.

I look over at August. He’s watching her and me. I shrug my shoulders like I have no idea why she’s acting this way. August just nods but says nothing. Our little party breaks up shortly after that. Amelia and Hendrix end up taking Cassie with them in their Uber, while I scheme to pick her up from her place.

Jase:Let them take you home, but I’m coming for you. Come to the back entrance of your complex.

I lean down and whisper in her ear, “Check your phone.”

Cassie giggles and looks. “You got it.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

~CASSIE~

“Wanna go to dinner tonight?” Jase asks me as we’re moving through the halls of the stadium.

“Really?” I ask. “I thought we talked about just lying low at your house tonight. At least that was what you said when I left you this morning.”

I’ve been spending a lot of time with Jase. It’s been great. I’ve enjoyed this time with him. We’ve developed a new attitude toward Mac and Danny knowing.Fuck ithas been the name of the game. There isn’t anything we can do about them knowing, so it’s easier to just roll with it. It’s almost like playing a game of chicken with Mac. She dances around it but doesn’t really say the words out loud. I just do my best to ignore her or divert the conversation. She doesn’t push, which is great. I’ll tell her eventually; I just have to find the right time.

“I thought it might be nice,” he says. “There’s this new restaurant I’d like to try. Thought maybe we could try it together. Do you like sushi?”

“I do. I really do, actually.” I stare at him for minute. “I hadn’t pictured you as someone who would eat sushi, Mr. Fish and Chips.”

He laughs and I decide it’s one of my favorite sounds of his, the other one being when he moans my name as he drives into me.

“Yeah, I like sushi. Are you in or what?”

“You bet I am. I look forward to our date tonight.” I wink at him.

He smiles wide. “Yeah, I guess it’s a date.”

I laugh and look over at him. “Would you rather I not put a label on this? Or on our evenings in? We really haven’t talked about what we are…”

“Hey, stop. I like that you’re calling our little evening tonight a date. I consider the time you spend with me dates. I know this is complicated, but I like spending time with you. I don’t want you to worry about everyone finding out. We’ll figure this out.”