Needing Him (Him Series Book #3)

Three

An hour later Katie climbed back into the passenger seat of Jase's truck.

"Feel free to adjust the air or the music," he said, tossing a smile that made her stomach dip. "You comfortable?"

"I'm good." She swallowed hard, nervous. Ridiculous. She'd spent more time alone with Jase over the past year than she had with anyone else. Only that was before she'd shamelessly begged him to make love with her and he'd responded with a polite but firm thanks but no thanks.

Jase shifted his truck into gear and pulled out of Ava's apartment complex. Several beats of silence followed.

"Are you good, Katie?" he asked quietly.

"You say that like you think I'm not." She buckled her seatbelt, needing something to do, feeling edgy. "I haven't been sitting at home crying over you if that's what you're thinking."

His lips twitched with a smile. "I wasn't, but—" He tilted his tawny head. "Now I'm wondering."

"Have you ever known me to cry over a guy?" She threw the question and added a glare.

"No, but none have been worth crying over."

"You said you liked Tim."

Jase shrugged his broad shoulders. "The dude's pants were so high he looked like he was walking around with a permanent wedgie—"

"You're exaggerating—" Katie stopped, remembering the pants that were well over Tim's belly button.

"Even you agree," Jase said, seeing her expression. "He was also a germaphobe."

"I agree to nothing." She stiffened. "Personal hygiene is important."

"He didn't wear deodorant!"

"What?"

Jase's chest moved with deep laughter. "You never got close enough to him to notice?"

"He said he favored natural scents."

"Yeah, body odor."

Having no comeback, she stared out the window. "Do you want to make fun of all my dates?"

"I'm more interested in how you are," he said, his deep voice rolling over her like caress.

She folded her arms over her middle, still not looking at him for fear he'd see just how much she'd missed him. "I told you, but you don't believe me."

"Tell me again, Fiddle. It's been a long time, and I hoped for more than a standard response."

Fiddle. The name was both soothed and shredded her heart.

"I'm embarrassed," she blurted, not holding back. "I threw myself at you, and I wish I could go back and redo the whole train-wreck, but I can't and it's hard to be with you."

She felt him tense, his big hands gripping on the steering wheel. "I can't stand you feeling that way."

"Which is why I haven't told you." She glanced over at him, and saw his chiseled jaw tighten. "You'd want to fix it, but you can't."

"We can start over. Move forward. I never wanted to remove you from my life."

"I know that Jase."

"I've been waiting for the right time." He released a deep breath, more serious than she'd seen him in a long time. "To make things right between us. You don't know how many times I almost went to your place and..."

"Why didn't you?" she asked softly, knowing he heard the hope in her voice.

"I know you, Katie. When you're afraid, you need time and space."