Page 24 of Racing Heat (The Forbidden Heat #2)

~CASSIE~

Jase is going to be here any minute. I look myself over once more. My brown hair is straight, my makeup is light, and I chose a navy-blue flowered maxi dress for the occasion. Slipping into a pair of tan wedges, I glance at the time. He’ll be here soon.

We talked about meeting somewhere first. Well, I talked about it, and he said no. I told him that I could just drive to his house, but that was also met with a stern no. He wanted to pick me up. He wanted to do this right. So, I gave in and we’re doing it his way.

My phone dings and pulls me out of my thoughts.

Jase: I’m here, love.

I grab a small purse and place my wallet and phone into it, then rush out the door.

The sleek black Audi is parked right beside my Jeep.

He must not be too concerned with anyone from the Blaze seeing him.

The only people who live in these buildings are the team.

August wanted to make sure we had a place to stay and that everyone was together to strengthen are team bond.

We can move out of the housing, but we won’t be given any funds toward our new place.

Team housing is almost all taken care of by the Cromwell’s, so it just makes the most sense to stay here.

Mac, however, has talked about moving in with Danny on more than one occasion.

As I pass her door, I wonder what it will be like once she’s not living right next door to me.

A soccer ball with her number and a C for captain is on the outside of the door.

It kind of reminds me of college and how we always had the dorm doors labeled on campus.

As I get closer to Jase’s car, he gets out and walks over to the passenger-side door. He opens it and watches me come toward him. His smile grows the closer I get to him.

“Hello,” he says before leaning in and kissing me on the lips. “You look beautiful.”

I flush at the compliment. “Thank you.”

I fold myself into the car and he closes the door, then he strolls around the car lazily, like we’re a normal couple and not hiding whatever it is we’re doing from the team.

“You don’t think you should be a little more discreet about coming to get me?” I ask him once he’s joined me in the car.

“Nah, it’s almost six, and no one is out here paying attention to you and me.”

He’s not wrong. The rest of the girls are probably either relaxing or out with plans of their own.

“Is it always that quiet there?” he asks me as he eases out onto the road.

“For the most part. Sometimes the girls are hanging out on balconies, or we get together in the courtyard—the middle of the complex. Some of them might be there.”

“It’s not like when I lived in team housing. It reminded me of a frat house,” he says with a chuckle. “A lot of music, partying, and booze.”

I shake my head. “I guess that’s the difference between us girls and you wild boys.”

“I guess so.” He turns the music up a bit, and that ends our conversation.

The windows are rolled down and I stare out at everything passing us by.

I’ve been in Tampa for about six months, but I haven’t really explored much.

This is a nice chance to sit back and watch the world go by as we head to dinner.

I can smell the salt in the air as we get closer, but maybe it’s the humidity making everything take on that wet and musty smell.

Jase reaches his hand out for mine, pulls it off my lap, then places our hands on the center console.

He gives it a squeeze before looking over at me and winking.

I swear this man has winked at me more times than I’ve ever been winked at in my life, and he makes me feels so unbelievably giddy each time.

I want to wink back, but instead I just watch him.

Jase’s eyes are back on the road. He’s wearing a lazy smile while he guides us to the restaurant.

Glancing over at the GPS, I can see that we have about twenty minutes more until we’re there.

Time seems to fly by when we’re together.

I return my gaze to him—his strong jaw, his chocolate eyes that always go molten when he’s turned on.

It’s weird how easily I’m able to notice those things about him.

There’s a bit of stubble from where he hasn’t shaved his face in a day or two, and I instantly imagine what it would feel like on my thighs.

They clench together in anticipation. His eyes dart my way as if he can read my dirty thoughts.

He releases my hand and turns down the music.

“What’s on your mind?” he asks, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Nothing really, just enjoying watching you like this. It’s nice to have some time alone with you.”

“It is. I thought it might be nice to get away somewhere where we’re not worried about running into anyone from the team.”

I nod. “That’s going to become a real worry for us, isn’t it?”

“I don’t want to think about that tonight. I want this to be about you and me. Let’s just get to know each other and see where this goes before we worry about hiding or having to come clean at some point.”

“And if it’s nothing, at least we have that one night,” I add in.

He looks over at me for a brief second before turning his eyes back to the road. “You will never be nothing to me, and that night will never just be some night. If or when we end, I’ll always look back on it as one of the greatest nights of my life.”

My throat goes dry at his words. No man has ever talked to me like this or made me feel as special as he has in this short amount of time. The difference between dealing with a boy versus a man, I suppose.

“You aren’t like I thought you would be.” The words slip out before I can stop them.

“How did you expect me to be?”

I turn my attention back to the road, like he is. I think it’ll be easier to say what I want to him this way—not having his eyes peeking over or make him feel a bit of pressure under my stare.

“Honestly, the first time I met you, I was sure you were just this broody and injured goalie who was here to coach and train Hendrix. I thought you would never speak to me, or her really. You gave off this vibe that said you were off-limits to us. That you had a job to do, and it certainly didn’t involve socializing with us. ”

“Wow,” he says. But I’m not finished.

“But then I saw you out a few times with Danny and August, and I realized that it might not be true. It’s like I saw you relax. A different side of you came out, and I’m glad it did.”

“When I first got here, I was incredibly homesick. I don’t think anyone realized that except for August. He pulled me out of my shell.

Scheduled our meetings in bars or restaurants so that I got out around people.

At first, I didn’t realize what he was doing, and I resisted.

I wanted him to meet with me during business hours and treat it like a meeting, not as a chance for us to get to know each other.

But then I figured it out and stopped fighting him or asking for meetings during business hours.

I enjoyed his company. And then Mac decided to butt heads with Danny, so then he came into our little fold, and it was nice.

I had this little found family who was interested in making sure that I was truly okay over here.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget what August did for me.

He gets a bad rap, sure, and some of it is earned.

But he’s a good guy deep down. You just have to find his deep down. ”

“Do you still feel homesick?” I ask him softly.

He shrugs. “Sometimes. But being around you certainly helps things.”

“Why is that?”

I catch him sneaking a glance at me, and when we pull up to a red light, he turns his full attention to me.

“You’re going to miss it when it changes.”

“I don’t care. The world can wait. That’s what it feels like when I’m with you. The world can wait. And it will.”

I smile at him, unsure of what to say to that. A horn beeps behind us, breaking the spell, he’s cast on me. I sink farther back into the seat and sigh. I like being here with him like this. It’s nice to have him so unguarded and say whatever is on his mind.

We pull into the restaurant, and he turns to me before getting out of the car. “I’ll be right over for your door. Don’t get out.”

“You don’t have to…” But the words die on my lips. He’s already rushing around to the other side, opening the door for me.

He gives me his hand and helps me extract myself from the car. It’s certainly an adjustment from climbing out of the Jeep.

“You look so beautiful. Have I told you that?”

I flush under the heat of his stare. “If you keep looking at me like that, we’re not going to make it into the restaurant.” He opens his mouth to speak, but I place a fingertip over his lips. “And if you keep on treating me this well, I’m not going to ever want to let you go.”

We don’t say another word as we make our way into the restaurant. He gives the host our name, and we’re whisked off to a table outside on the patio with an amazing view of the ocean. Dealing with a man, and not the boys who I’m used to, definitely has its perks.