Love's Slow Burn [Southern Heat 2] (4 page)

Jake immediately kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth as she climaxed atop the blanket.

After lovingly lying in each other’s arms, they regained their composure, got dressed, and drove off. Headed back to town, they spoke few words in the car. Each knew what was on the other’s mind. The sex was so satisfying. No mere words could describe it, so they chose instead to let the subject rest and bask in the moment. They would visit Wilson’s Pond again, but the next time there would be another to share in the couple’s outstanding performance.

After Jake pulled into Jenna’s driveway, Casey turned to him and said, “I had a wonderful time. I must say, it was a lot more exciting than I expected.”

“I have to see you again real soon,” he replied, gently squeezing her left thigh.

“I think I can arrange that,” she assured him with a big, bright smile.

“That’s my girl. That’s what I wanted to hear. Why don’t I stop by on Friday after work?” he asked, his eyes begging her not to say no.

“I’ll find out if Aunt Jen has any plans, but I know I don’t. I can’t wait.”

“You better go now before I turn this car around and take you home with me,” he said, seriously considering the idea.

“What about your buddy? Our first encounter was a bit unfriendly, don’t you think?” she asked. “You two seem pretty close. I’d feel better if we could somehow make amends.”

“Dean’s a big boy. He’ll get over it,” Jake explained.

“I don’t know. I think we rubbed each other the wrong way,” she responded with a wrinkle in her brow.

“I’ll tell you what, why don’t we stop by the house before we go out on Friday? He’ll be there. We’ll do a rewind and see if we can’t patch any lingering wounds.”

“Sounds good to me,” she agreed.

Jake stared into her eyes with sincerity. “Goodnight, Casey.”

She quickly kissed his lips. “Goodnight to you, too, Jake.”

When Casey entered the house, she found Jenna asleep in front of the TV.

Slowly approaching her, Casey gently tapped her on the shoulder. “Auntie, wake up. I just got in. You need to get in bed.”

“I wanted to wait up for you. How did your date with Jake Martin turn out?” Jenna asked, rubbing her eyes and stretching her arms above her head.

Not wanting to divulge too much information, Casey simply said, “It was nice.”

“Humph, from the look in your eyes, I think it was much more than that,” her aunt replied, looking quite curious.

“I have no idea of what you’re talking about. He was a perfect gentleman.”

“That’s good, because you are a wonderful girl, and you deserve the best.”

“Let’s call it a night. I’ll tell you all about my wonderful adventure in the morning,” Casey told her, knowing she would leave out all the most super juicy details.

“Sounds good to me,” Jenna said. “We’ll talk in the morning…goodnight, sweet pea.”

“Goodnight, auntie,” Casey replied, climbing the stairs to her bedroom.

* * * *

The following Friday, just before Jake called Casey around 4:00 p.m., she found out Aunt Jen was about to embark on an adventure of her own.

“Casey, sweetheart, you’ll be OK here on your own, right?”

“Will I be all right? What are you talking about?”

“I know it may be short notice, but the girls and I have decided to hop a plane and head for Sin City this weekend. Don’t worry. We’ll be back on Monday. Will you drive us to the airport?”

Casey was taken aback. “What? When did you and the
girls
decide this?”

“Oh, it wasn’t a spur of the moment decision. We’ve been planning this trip for over a year.”

“Why didn’t you say something to me about this before?” Casey asked.

“Well, to be honest, I decided to wait. I was worried about you. I didn’t want to leave you here with nothing to do. Quite frankly, if you hadn’t hooked up with Jake, I would have probably dragged you along with me,” Jenna explained with a subtle smirk and a smile.

“Auntie, I can’t believe you. I would’ve been perfectly fine here on my own. I didn’t need to meet someone in order for you to take a trip to Vegas with your friends.”

“Yeah, well be that as it may, I’ll enjoy myself more knowing that you’ll be preoccupied while I’m gone. He’s a good man, Casey, I can tell. You’ll be in good hands with Jake. You just make sure he behaves himself,” Jenna said, shaking a finger at her niece.

“Oh, trust me. I have every intention of doing just that,” Casey replied as her phone rang.

“Hello. Hi, Jake, what’s up?”

“I can’t wait. I need to see you tonight.”

“Me, too,” she replied. “But first, I’ve got to drop off Aunt Jen and a few of her friends to the airport. Can you believe it? They’re jetting off to Vegas.”

“What? Are you serious?” he asked.

“Uh huh, she just told me about it not five minutes ago. It makes you wonder, what this world is coming to?” she asked.

“I don’t know, but after the time we’ve spent together, I’m sure it won’t be coming alone,” he said, pausing after eagerly awaiting her next words.

“OK, I guess,” Casey responded with a laugh.

Shaking her head slightly, she glanced at Jenna, and her cheeks began to sting with embarrassment. Jake could be shameless in his pursuit of her. Although her aunt couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation she was engaged in, it made Casey awkwardly uncomfortable. “Anyway, I’ll be back by six. Should I meet you, or are you going to pick me up?” she asked.

“I’m about to leave the station now. I need to stop past my house. Why don’t I pick you up around seven?”

“Sounds good to me,” Casey agreed. “I’ll be ready.”

“I’m sure you will. I can’t wait to see you,” he whispered.

“Same here,” Casey confirmed.

“Jake and Casey, sitting in a tree…”

Casey couldn’t help but laugh. “Aunt Jen, stop it.”

“She likes me with you. That’s good,” Jake said.

“Apparently so,” Casey answered.

“I’ll see you soon,” Jake told her before hanging up.

“Speak of the devil,” Jenna said.

“I thought you said you were happy about Jake and me.”

“Oh, but I am, dear. It’s always good for your man to be a gentleman on the outside, though I can sense a bit of a bad boy in him,” Jenna explained. “Am I right? That’s OK. It keeps things interesting.”

“I’m sorry. Every time I think I’ve got you all figured out, you throw me a curve ball. Well played, auntie.”

“I’ve got to keep you sharp, on your toes, my dear. Let me grab my bags. I’ll be with you in a minute.

Watching her aunt walk off to retrieve her luggage, Casey was pleased to know Jenna approved of Jake, for like her feisty relative, she was also about to embark on a most exciting adventure.

* * * *

Being a man true of his word, Jake pulled up to Jenna’s a minute before 7:00 p.m. Casey was sitting on the front porch dressed in an embroidered lace baby-doll dress and a pair of beige ankle-strapped sandals. Sitting in the porch swing, she watched Jake step out of the car wearing a crisp white dress shirt and a pair of boot-cut Levi’s and tan cowboy boots. She spoke not a word, but her eyes were locked on him. The firefighter looked gorgeous, like he had just stepped off the pages of a beefcake calendar.

“Good evening, Ms. Prentice,” he said with a smile. “You look lovely.”

“Well, thank you, Mr. Martin. You’re looking quite dapper yourself,” she replied.

“Did you see Ms. Jenna off safely?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah, and let me tell you, she and her crew are off the hook when they get together.”

“You’re kidding?” Jake questioned with a smile and a surprised look.

“No, I’m not. They were all pumped up and so rowdy. Mark my words. They’ll outlive us all,” Casey said, shaking her head as if she still couldn’t believe it.”

“They’re in for a good time. Sounds like they’re about to live it up,” Jake said.

“I hope they have a great time. Have you ever been to Vegas?” Casey asked.

Shaking his head, he asked, “No. Have you?”

“Yes, it’s a great place. There’s so much to see and do. It’s a lot of fun. Maybe we can go there together someday?”

Reaching out for her hand, he asked, “With you on my arm? How can I turn down such a tempting offer? Let’s do it.”

“So, where are we off to?” Casey questioned, grabbing her purse and a tan tote bag she had stuffed with additional clothes, although she wasn’t quite sure why. She tried to convince herself that her actions were completely innocent.

“We’re headed out to my place. I’ve got a surprise for you,” he answered.

* * * *

Twenty minutes later, Jake pulled the mustang up to his house, a 3,000 square-foot country-style two-story. It had a beautifully landscaped garden and was virtually isolated, providing just the right amount of privacy.

“This place is simply awesome,” Casey said, exiting the car to get a better look.

“You sound surprised,” he commented.

“I really didn’t mean it like that. It’s so beautiful, so peaceful. I just love it,” she replied, her blonde hair blowing in the breeze.

He wanted to resign that moment to his memory. She looked so pretty, standing there with the setting sun highlighting her locks like strands of gold. She looked like she had always belonged there.

“Hey, are you all right?” she asked, approaching him quickly.

“What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I was a little distracted.”

“It’s lovely out here, Jake, but are you going to show me inside?” she asked.

Smiling at her, he said, “You know it. Are you ready?”

“You bet. I can’t wait. So this is all yours?” she asked as they walked onto the front porch.

“Uh, not quite…You see…”

“Well, Ms. Prentice, I must say, you look like an angel. How nice it is for you to join us,” Dean Stark greeted after swinging open the front door.

Casey was caught off guard, stepping through the main door into the foyer. She turned around with her arms crossed, waiting for an explanation from Jake.

Dressed in a charcoal-gray dress shirt, black jeans, and loafers, Dean spoke again. “I guess he didn’t mention I live here, huh? Leave it to Jake to save the best for last. We co-own this property. We bought it two years ago. So, what do you think?”

“It’s breathtaking. You two have great taste,” Casey said.

“Thank you, I think so,” he added, handing her a glass of white wine. “You might even say we have excellent taste when it comes to picking the right things to fill those empty spaces in our lives.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked suspiciously with a raised brow, as Jake took her by the arm, leading her into the Great Room.

“Well, if you two will excuse me for a second, I’m going to check on dinner,” Dean said, stepping into the kitchen.

After emptying her glass, speaking in a low tone, Casey stared at Jake and said, “What the hell is going on here? Why didn’t you tell me he lived here with you?”

“I wanted to wait until we got here, Casey. After the cold exchange you two had back at Jenna’s, I figured if you knew, you would have never agreed to my invitation,” Jake replied reluctantly, filling her glass again.

“I cannot believe this. You charm your way into my life, and just when I think we’re headed in the right direction, you—”

“Dinner is served,” Dean interrupted, re-entering the room, wearing an apron imprinted with the message “Kiss the Cook.”

He looked so adorable and proud of himself that Casey decided to play nice. Both Jake and Dean were excellent hosts, and she didn’t want to come off like a total bitch, so she pushed her anger aside for the time being.

The three-course meal, including fresh garden salad, barbecued shrimp, grilled rainbow trout, and a vegetable medley, was absolutely delicious. For dessert, Jake unveiled his specialty, Key lime pie, topped with whipped cream and a slice of lime on the side.

Spending time with the two firefighters, Casey gained a new perspective and greater appreciation for the men and women who risked their lives daily to save others. She even began to warm up to Dean, in spite of his seemingly cocky, reassured attitude. Sitting across the dining room table from him, she realized he wasn’t just extremely handsome, but he was quite charming and funny as well. She always gave points to a man who could make her laugh.

As Dean poured another round of Pinot Grigio, Casey said, “I want to thank you both for such a scrumptious dinner. Everything was perfect, and this dessert is to die for.”

“Hey, don’t say that. We’d like to keep you around for a long time. But that being said, thanks for the accolades,” Jake replied.

“Casey, I bet you didn’t know Jake was so handy in the kitchen,” Dean told her. “Living with this dude is like having your own personal chef.”

Smiling at Jake, Casey said, “No, I had no idea, but I think a man who knows how to cook is a valuable asset.”