Page 35 of Racing Heat (The Forbidden Heat #2)

~JASE~

Iwalk into the bar and find that Mac and Danny are the first to arrive.

Danny waves me over and I sigh deeply, hoping this wasn’t done by design.

They arrived first just so they could pounce, and Mac could ask me my intentions with Cassie.

I smile thinking about how I would answer that, explaining all of the ways I would like to defile the center-back’s body—both before and after it gets us both fired.

I make my way over to the table. There’s a pitcher of a light-colored beer between them, with some extra glasses to the side. I know immediately that I’ll have to order my own. I prefer my beers a bit darker than they do.

“Guys, how are we doing tonight?” I wave at both of them, taking the seat beside Danny. I imagine Cassie taking the one beside Mac, so I should be safe.

“Hey, man, how are you?” Danny greets me with a pat on the back, and Mac gives me a small wave.

“Where is everyone else?” I look around. “I thought I was running late.”

Mac shrugs. “I don’t know. I was with him, so I’m not sure about the girls. August is always late, though, so who knows.”

I nod. “I’m gonna go get a darker beer, if you don’t mind.”

“Told ya,” Danny says, laughing with Mac.

“I thought maybe he’d try it,” she defends.

“Sorry. Darker beer or whiskey,” I admit with a shrug. I look over at the bar, happy to see it’s not too busy. “Be right back.”

I watch them from the bar while the bartender works on my beer. Their heads are angled together, and Danny is smiling. I try to think of it as just a nice moment between the two of them.

I think back on my conversation with Cassie.

I hate how worried she sounded. I made a joke out of it because there’s not really anything we can do if Mac does know.

It’s a matter of who else she’ll tell that worries me.

My thoughts are disturbed by a commotion over by our table.

Hendrix and August have arrived. Not together—just at the same time.

Which means that Cassie and Amelia probably aren’t far behind.

I have no idea what the deal is with them. We’ve all teased August about the amount of tension there is between them, but he just laughs it off.

I grab my beer. “Thanks.”

I get ready to hand her some cash, when she says, “Does that go on the tab for the table? Cromwell, I believe it’s under.”

I shake my head, laughing. I’m sure August has no idea that the tab is under him. “Yeah, sure.”

When I reach the table, Hendrix is by Mac and August has taken up residence beside Danny. I sit beside August, hoping Amelia ends up by me. As much as I want her near me, Cassie shouldn’t be.

“Hey, man, how are you?” August says, clapping me on the back. “I haven’t seen you in freaking forever.”

“You saw me at the stadium the other day,” I remind him.

“You hiding out with a chick?” he asks.

Mac coughs into her beer and Danny rubs her back. He leans in and whispers something in her ear. She’s careful not to look at me, so I know something’s up.

Yeah, she knows. I just can’t tell Cassie tonight. It’ll cause her to be too paranoid.

“Hello, all,” Cassie announces her presence, Amelia beside her.

Cassie comes right up beside me while Amelia quickly claims a spot beside Hendrix.

The center-back is so shy. She’s a hell of a player, but she doesn’t do a lot of talking until she gets a good buzz on.

Kinda the way that Cassie used to be when she first started hanging out with us.

But she’s been comfortable long before her, and I became a thing.

“Are we drinking beer?” Amelia asks, looking around the table like she’s counting the glasses to see how many there are.

“Well, we are,” Danny tells her. “But you’re welcome to grab something from the bar. August has already started a tab apparently.”

“How the fuck do I have a tab?” August booms. “Did you fuckers do that?”

Danny just chuckles. “Pay back from when you put all the drinks from the club on my tab.”

“He did?” I ask. I hadn’t realized that.

“Yeah, you were outside, um, or something…when that all went down,” Danny stumbles over his words. His eyes go from me to Cassie and back again. Mac is watching Cassie.

“Oh, when Cassie wasn’t feeling well.” I turn to her. “Did you make sure to eat this time?”

“Yeah, I ate. I’m gonna go grab a drink at the bar. Hendrix, Amelia, you need anything?”

“Yeah, I want something with some liquor in it.” Hendrix grabs Cassie by the hand. “Let’s go grab something on August.”

“Fuck you all!” August yells.

Everyone just laughs at him.

“Thanks for the drinks, fucker!” Hendrix calls as she makes her way to the bar with Cassie and Amelia.

“That girl cannot stand you,” Danny says with a laugh. “What the fuck did you do to her?”

“Why does it have to be me who did something?” August rebuts.

“Because it’s you, and she calls you fucker,” Danny points out. “That has to be because you did something.”

“Yeah, and Hendrix is usually a reasonable woman,” Mac teases him.

“Have you met her?” August throws his hands up in exasperation. “She dives on fucking balls for a living!”

“Hey! I used to do that!” I remind him.

“Well, no one claimed you were sane either,” Mac says with a laugh.

“Oh, sod off!” I tell her, which earns me a bunch of laughs and mockery. “And once again, I’m reminded why I try so hard not to use any English terms around you fuckers.”

Cassie comes back and brushes against me as she navigates the full bar. I lean back into her as she attempts to get around me. It’s a cheap way to get some contact, but fuck it, I’ll take whatever I can get tonight.

“What are we talking about?” Cassie asks, sipping on the glass of wine she’s holding.

“Look at you drinking wine,” Mac says, her eyes a bit glassy.

“I didn’t want a mixed drink,” she says with a shrug.

Hendrix and Amelia have what looks like the tiki punch that the bar is famous for. I’ve enjoyed my share of it too, but then I’ve also been rewarded with a hangover. That stuff will creep up on you. It tastes like candy going down.

“You have the punch?” Danny comments. “We’ll have to keep an eye on you tonight.”

“We’ll be good. But we can play a fun game…” Hendrix’s voice trails off at the groans from the other girls at the table.

“What?” I ask, looking around. Clearly, Danny knows what they’re talking about, because he’s laughing along with them.

“Hendrix likes to see if she can get us set up with random guys,” Amelia says with an eye roll.

“Oh, kind of like August,” I say, which earns a big laugh from Danny.

“You two are so much alike,” he says. “Maybe that’s why you can’t stand each other.”

“That’s not why we can’t stand each other!” Hendrix cries out.

“Then why?” Mac asks, looking between the two of them.

They stare at each other, like they’re both daring the other one to say it.

“Just drop it,” Hendrix finally says through clenched teeth.

“Okay, dropping it.” Mac places an arm around Hendrix’s shoulders. “I won’t bring it up again tonight.”

Hendrix just nods. “Thank you.”

“I mean, we could work on getting Cassie some action or something,” Mac throws out there, staring at me.

I do my best to keep my features schooled.

“Um, no. No, we’re not doing that.” Cassie sighs like this conversation has been had before. “I’m not looking for anything right now, okay?”

I wish I could reach underneath the table and hold her hand. But her hands are in sight, and someone would definitely make a comment at any attempt I made to touch her.

“I think it would be nice if you met someone,” Mac tells her.

“Stop,” she says a bit too forcefully. “We’re not doing this tonight. What about Amelia? We haven’t picked a guy out for her in a bit.”

“Uh-huh.” Mac looks over at me. “What do you think, Jase, should we find Amelia or Cassie a man?”

Danny chokes on his beer, elbowing her. August stares at me and then back at Mac. Cassie is pretending the table is the most interesting thing she’s ever seen while chugging her wine.

“What am I missing?” he asks.

Cassie has gone ramrod straight beside me. She’s probably freaking out the same way I am.

“Nothing, man,” I say, hoping that closes the topic. “The girls are just trying to have some fun tonight.”

Hendrix and Amelia are none the wiser as they look around the bar.

“Did you see that email I sent you on the new kits?” I ask August.

“No work talk tonight,” Danny scolds.

Fuck, he’s not going to make this easy on me.

“What color did you choose?” Hendrix asks, and I couldn’t love her more for it.

“I was looking at some fluorescent yellow ones, or purple. You’ll have two just in case we play someone who has the same-colored kit, you know?” I explain.

“I like the idea of purple. But not so much yellow.” She cringes.

I shrug. “I can look some more. But what color would you wear?”

“Pink!” Cassie squeals from beside me.

“Not pink,” Hendrix stresses.

“Pink it is!” August cheers.

The table erupts in laughs, but Hendrix isn’t laughing.

“Fuck you all!” she yells.

“I won’t make you wear pink if you don’t want to,” I promise her.

“Look at you being nice,” Cassie says before taking another big gulp from her glass.

“I can be nice,” I remind her.

“I’m sure you can be. I just haven’t seen it,” she quips.

“Really?” I turn my full attention to her, and I’m rewarded with her megawatt smile. I forget for a moment about what’s at stake or the fact that August might be suspicious.

“Should we dance?” Mac calls out, but she shakes her head at me.

I roll my eyes and look back to Cassie. She either hasn’t noticed or has started to get a buzz and doesn’t care. Either way, I try not to let it weigh on me.

The girls leave to dance in the small area The Backwoods has for dancing. I think it’s just so they can talk, because the only one really moving is Hendrix. The other three are talking quietly together. Cassie has shaken her head so many times, and I’m sure it has something to do with me.

“What’s up with you lately, man?” August asks me. “Anything new?”

I take a sip of my beer and watch him carefully. “No, nothing really. How are things going with the office? I saw your dad’s out of office again, on another trip or something?”

“Yeah, he is. I’m doing fine. Handling things. I just haven’t seen you around in a while. Did you finally meet a woman? Are you getting some?”

Danny chokes on his beer. I shoot him daggers.

“Nah, none for me. But I do need another drink. I’m gonna go and get it,” I tell him without waiting for him to answer. I hop up and make my way over to the bar. Once I’m there, I look back and see August has gone off to bother the girls and Danny appears, grinning beside me.

I playfully punch him in the arm. “Could you please knock it the fuck off? You’re going to get us caught.”

He chuckles. The light blow I landed on his shoulder didn’t even affect him. “I don’t think August is that smart.”

“The fuck he’s not. Come on, he keeps looking from me to her. It’s not going to take much for him to put it together. He’s not stupid,” I remind him, glancing again in August’s direction.

“Yeah, he’s not, but I think it’ll be okay,” Danny says with a shrug. Leaning over the bar, he orders another pitcher.

“Mac knows?” I ask.

“She does indeed.”

“Did you tell her?”

“I kind of did, yeah. She was feeling guilty about spending so much time over at my house. Worried she was leaving Cassie alone too much. I might have let it slip that she’s not all by herself.” Danny smiles like he’s proud of himself.

“Really, man? Come on.”

“It’ll be fine. She’s not going to say anything.”

“What did she say when she found out? Was she mad?”

“She wasn’t sure what to make of it, but she’s definitely worried that Cassie’s going to get fired.

I think she said that it’s not possible that August would let you go, since you guys are bros.

” He puts quotes around the bros. “She thinks Cassie would be the one who’s cast away, and when that happens, she’s going to castrate you.

So, I’d be careful around her when she’s holding sharp objects. ”

I want to ask more about Mac’s reaction, but I decide against it. Grabbing my drink, I say, “Let’s go back to the table.”

He nods and slaps me on the back. “It’ll be okay. I’m sure no one else will figure it out.”

For most of the evening, that would be the case. The girls have had far more than we have. I drink less than Cassie in hope that when it’s time to go home, she comes with me.

But then the shots are brought over. Hendrix is carrying a big tray of them.

“Bitches, we’re doing shots!” she calls out.

I sigh and shake my head. I think it’s time for me to head out, while I can still drive myself, but a glass is thrust into my hand.

“We toast,” cries out Mac.

“Yes!” yells an enthusiastic Cassie.

I really want to take the liquid from her now and throw her over my shoulder. She should just come home with me, but I’m not sure she sees it that way yet.

“Toast,” Amelia calls out.

“Oh, fuck, you girls have gone and gotten sloppy drunk again.” Danny laughs.

“I guess we should get them home soon, huh?” I say quietly to Danny.

“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.”