“I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I just can’t seem to wrap my head around what you see in me. You can have any woman you want, yet you’re chasing me.”
“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.”