“You’re the only one I want,” he says, his blue eyes boring into mine. His cell phone rings, and he ignores it.
“You gonna get that?” I ask.
He sighs, pulls his phone out of his pocket, and hits Ignore before tossing it across the room where it lands on the couch. “There is nothing more important than spending time with you.”
“You make it hard to resist you when you say things like that.” His words melt me, and I want to believe him, but it’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Jase Andrews wants me. I’m just me.
“Good.” He leans in close. “I don’t want you to resist me.”
I don’t want to resist him either, but I also need to feel as though he’s giving me his attention for the right reasons. “Why me, Jase? I don’t understand.”
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. You’re funny as hell, and I know without a doubt you’ll be a partner. I want someone not afraid to call me on my shit. I also know that if I ever get this”—he places his hand over my heart—“it will be because of love, not the number of zeros in my bank account.”
I close the distance and press my lips to his. Acting fully on instinct and the way the man makes my heart hammer in my chest. Our lips touch and goose bumps break out across my skin, just like every other time he’s near.
Jase breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against mine. “Does this mean you’re going to stop fighting me?” he asks softly.
“I’m not sure.”
Jase chuckles, his hot breath fanning against my face. “I’m not giving up, Sam.”
“I don’t think I want you to.”
“Good.” He places a chaste kiss to my lips. “Now, I think I promised you dinner.” Pulling away, he reaches into the picnic basket and removes paper plates and napkins and gets to work unwrapping our sandwiches and placing them, and a hefty amount of fruit, on our plates. “Oh, I almost forgot.” His arm disappears back into the basket, and he produces a bag of Garden Salsa SUNCHIPS, which are also my favorite.
“Thank you, Jase,” I say when he offers me a plate.
“Tell me about your day.” He settles back on the blanket and begins to eat, and I begin to tell him about my day. This is a side of Jase I’ve never seen before. Then again, maybe I’ve just been too blind to see. I’ve turned him down more times than I can count to protect my heart. After tonight, I don’t know if that’s possible anymore. He went beyond my wildest expectations and made this night special. He didn’t even know if I would end up here with his phone. He did all of this on the chance that tonight would work out the way he hoped it would. Not only did he convince me to have our first date, but he stole a little piece of my heart too.
“Thank you for tonight,” I say as he walks me to the door a few hours later. The stars are shining bright in the night sky. I didn’t realize how long I was here, but once we started talking, time just seemed to pass in a blur. We have more in common than I ever realized. We have the same taste in music. I also grew up watching football with my dad, making conversation easy. And tonight, there was nowhere that I would have rather been.
“When can we do it again?” he asks, stopping in his foyer.
“This is going to be hard to top.” I smile up at him.
“Is that a challenge?” he asks.
“No. I don’t need the theatrics. Just the pleasure of your company.”
“When?” Jase asks, his voice husky as he leans in close.
“Whenever you’re ready,” I confess. I had such a good time with him tonight, and I’m tired of fighting this connection we have. It’s too late anyway. My heart is already invested. I’ll just have to deal with the pain if this doesn’t work out.
“Tomorrow night?” He’s quick to ask.
“Tomorrow is the Christmas party at Lena and Stanley’s. She’d never forgive me if I missed it.”
“Shit, I forgot about that. I’ll pick you up.”
I don’t say anything to that. Instead, I think about how it’s going to look showing up at my boss’s family’s Christmas party with his best friend. Royce can be broody at times, and I don’t want me being there with Jase to cause problems.
“I’ll handle Royce,” Jase says, reading my mind. “I’ll be at your place around five thirty.” He leans in and kisses me softly. “Give me your keys. I’ll go start your car while you’re putting your coat on.”
“You don’t have to do that. It will warm up quickly.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.” He reaches out and runs his index finger down my cheek. “I want to take care of you.”
I don’t know what to say, so I hand him my keys, and he grins. Sliding into my coat, I let the night wash over me, considering the last few hours. It’s funny how things can change in the blink of an eye.
“All set?” he asks, coming back into the house.
“Yes.” I stare up at him as he wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a hug.
“How’d I do?” he asks.
“Not bad for a player.”
“Yeah? Well, lucky for you, my playbook is full.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “I have no doubt, Jase Andrews. Of that, I have no doubt.”
“Come on. I’ll walk you out.” He leads me to my car with his hand clasped in mine. “Text me when you get home?”
“Okay.”
“Drive safe, babe.” He kisses me one more time, just a soft press of his lips against mine before opening my door for me.
As I drive away, I glance in the rearview mirror. My face is lit with a smile, and then there’s Jase. Standing with his arms crossed over his chest, he watches me drive away. My smile grows.
What started as a favor to my boss turned into a night I will never forget.
Chapter 3
Jase
I’m fifteen minutes early. I couldn’t stand another minute staring at the clock watching as each minute slowly ticked by. I needed to see her. So, here I am. Climbing out of my SUV and making my way to her front door. I raise my hand to knock, but the door swings open before I get a chance to.
“This another play in your book? Impress me by being early?”
I smile at the beauty before me. She’s wearing a sweater, with black leggings. Her hair hangs down around her shoulders, and she literally takes my breath away. “No,” I tell her honestly. “But I wanted to give you time to put these in water, and for us to not be late.” I hand her the bouquet of flowers I’ve been holding behind my back.
Her eyes soften. “Well played.” She grins, taking the offered bouquet and smelling them. “Thank you, Jase.” She steps back. “Come on in while I put them in water.”
This is the first time I’ve ever been to her place. I should be taking this opportunity to look around to learn more about her, but I can’t tear my eyes away from her. I’ve wanted Sam for so long, and for the first time in over a year, I feel as though we might be making some progress.
“Ready?” she asks, walking toward me.