Page 9 of Caged Heat

“More exciting? Did I mention I haven’t dated anyone in twenty years?” she asked, her voice growing higher. “Meeting a stranger on a dating app is pretty exciting for me.”

I stopped my battle not to touch her, failing as I cupped her cheek. Her gray-blue eyes seared into mine, panic swirling around in them. She wasn’t lying about this being her first date. Shit. Fuck. Damn. Why did that make me want to go all caveman on her?

“Just listen to what they say, and if you don’t want to do it after that, then we’ll go inside the bar. But I think you’ll like this if you give it a chance. Plus, I kinda want to share this with you.”

Her hand reached up and cupped the one I had on her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed for a second as she took a deep breath. When she opened them, they were calmer and focused on me. Hitting me with a look of trust, she nodded.

“Okay, Jackson.”

She had to go and say my name.

Fuck, I wanted to kiss her.

Don’t kiss her!

Dropping my hand, I turned and took my own breaths as we finished the rest of the walk to the entrance of the track. Cars zoomed past, their engines humming as their tires hugged the corners. My blood pumped faster as adrenaline raced through me. I loved doing things like this, and I did want to share it with her. But if she didn’t want to, I would never force her.

“Go-karts?” she asked, relaxing slightly.

“Not exactly. Have you ever heard of Formula One racing?”

“Uh, yeah.” Her brows creased. “It’s different from NASCAR, but that’s about all I know.”

I smiled, moving my hand up to the small of her back so I could pull her closer. “God, you’re perfect. I’d kiss you right now if it weren’t weird.” I took in a breath. “Yes. Formula One is a different type of racing. These are considered K1 karts. So, while they’re go-karts, they’re not the typical ones.”

“What’s the difference?” she asked, glancing around like the answer might be on the wall.

“These are all-electric, for starters. They go faster and give more of a real-life experience in driving a race car.”

“That sounds dangerous.” She gulped.

“It can be. But you wear a helmet and a protective suit, keeping you safe. They’ll have you do a test-drive first so you can get a feel for it. If you hate it after that, we can leave. No problem.”

“You sure? It sounds like you want to do it.”

This time, I furrowed my brows. Her answer rubbed me the wrong way. How many times had this woman done something simply because others wanted to? I didn’t like that idea. I’d meant what I said earlier about her oozing an assuredness younger girls didn’t have, but right here, at this moment, it seemed to disappear, and I wanted it back. I’d rather her tell me no a million times than ever sacrifice what she wanted for the sake of making me happy.

“Hold up. I want to make something clear. Just because I want to do something doesn’t mean we have to if you don’t.” I stared at her, trying to assess what she was thinking. My hands gripped her elbows, her body melting into mine in such a natural way. “No one should ever make you do something you don’t want to, Ella.”

She dropped her eyes, and I worried I’d pushed too far. But I was already committed at this point, so there was no backpedaling.

“Do you know the first thing I thought when I saw you walking up?”

She shook her head, peeking up at me.

“I thought, there’s a woman who exudes a sense of self. Someone who knows what she wants and goes after it. So, where is she now?”

“I…” She shook her head. “You really saw me that way?”

“Absolutely. You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. My dick has been hard since you stepped out of your car. And it’s not because of your looks, though you are drop-dead beautiful; it’s to do with everything you are. Your mind, your confidence, your presence. It spoke to me, making me want to uncover every little detail about you and open up your head so I could know your thoughts.”

“Um.” She gulped. “That’s kind of intense and a little creepy, if I’m honest.”

I shrugged. I’d already said it, and I wouldn’t apologize for being honest.

“But it’s also genuine and authentic. You’re not how I thought you’d be, Jackson.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” I teased. “But back to what I was saying. Where did that woman go?”

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