Page 99 of Racing Heat

I smile. “I wish I could touch you right now.” I look around the hallway at the training center. “But I’m afraid.”

“I know. One of these days you won’t have to be.”

I stare at him, wishing he would explain what he means. “Are you leaving? Because Hen will kill me if she loses you.”

He chuckles. “No, I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. There has to be a way around this. I’ll figure it out,” he promises.

I just nod. I like what he’s saying, but I doubt it’s that simple.

He raises his eyebrows. “You look like you don’t believe me.”

I lean toward him so that we are almost touching. “Careful. You might be making promises you can’t keep. I’m gonna head out so that I can shower and get ready for our date. What time should I be ready?”

“See you at seven.” Jase runs a fingertip over my forearm. “But I meant what I said.”

I just nod and turn on my heel to leave.

“Have a good night,” he calls after me.

Rolling my eyes, I turn around to face him. “You’re crazy.”

“Maybe” is all he says.

Later that night, I’m walking out of my apartment so that I can sneak around the back where he should be picking me up. As I start down the stairs, I hear a horn honking.

There he is, parked right beside my Jeep, waiting for me. I look around and hurry over to the car. Jase gets out car and rushes to open my door for me. I move quickly, but he’s quicker.

“Have you lost your ever-loving mind?” I hiss as I climb into the car.

“It’s our date night. I wanted to do it right.” He winks at me before heading back around to his side of the car. He’s dressed nice tonight—black dress pants and a navy-blue polo. The darker colors accent his dark features, making him look sexy.

“You look beautiful tonight,” he says when he makes it back into the car.

“Thank you.”

“And this is for you.” He reaches behind him and pulls out a single purple rose. “I know they say that red ones are nicer, and that purple isn’t as romantic, but I happen to like purple roses.

I grin at him. “They’re easily becoming a favorite of mine too.”

Jase starts the car and eases out of the space. “I have to get you out of here before I end up just carrying you back to your place.”

We drive out of the complex. Mac’s car is here. Same with Hendrix’s and Amelia’s. I wonder if any of them noticed his car or me leaving with him. My phone has been switched to silent mode, so I won’t hear or see any of the texts from my friends who might be asking me if I want to do dinner. I hate to avoid them,but I don’t want to lie again. So, avoidance seems to be the best route forward.

A comfortable silence falls over the car. All I can hear is the soft sounds of music playing. I look over at the display. It says Picture This. I make a mental note to look them up later. I haven’t heard of them before. Every once in a while, Jase hums along to them, so they must be one of his favorites. I relax into the leather, watching the city of Tampa pass us by and listening to him hum.

The trip to the restaurant is closer than it normally is. Usually, he takes me far out of town so that no one will see us. But I recognize the area. It’s a few blocks over from the stadium, I think.

“Are you feeling cocky tonight?” I ask him as he slows to a stop in the valet line.

“Why would you say that?”

“Normally, we drive so much farther than this to have dinner.”

“I thought we’d be safe. Don’t worry, we’re going to be fine. Wait here.” He hops out of the car and hand the keys to the valet. Taking his ticket, he comes around to get me out of the car. “Let’s go enjoy our night.”

I place my hand in his and let him lead me into the restaurant. “Wow, this is so nice.”

It’s modern and sleek. The lighting is dim, and all the tables are booths with high backs to give you and your dining partner privacy.