My Texas Sweetheart (book one)

by Acheson, Pauliena

  Amy and I both stand up. “Hey, Jase, good game tonight.” Amy grins.

  Jase shakes his head at her and laughs. “Yeah, gotta say that you girls got the best of us.” He walks over and wraps his arms around me. “Hey, baby. Have fun?”

  I grin at him. “Hell, yes! Most fun I’ve had in ages. Your dad had a ball. I never knew he was so funny.”

  Amy and Jase laugh. “Dad is a pretty fun guy when he wants to be. Hell, both old men got to act like kids again. Really? The sparkplugs?” Jase laughs.

  “That was their favorite part of the night,” I say.

  “I bet.” Jase lowers his lips to mine for a quick kiss.

  “So where’s Adam? We figured he’d be with you,” Amy says. “As far as I know, he’s still at Nana’s with everybody else.” I raise my eyebrows. Wow, that’s a first.

  Just then, we hear Jase’s cell beep. “Adam will be here in ten minutes,” he says with a crooked smile.

  Yeah, I knew it wasn’t gonna last long. Oh well, maybe we can get rid of him fast. “I know that look. Don’t worry. He’s not staying long,” Jase says. Thank god!

  Wait, what if they have plans for getting us back. Looking over at Amy, I see she is thinking the same thing. “So, sexy, are you boys planning on throwing us in the water or something?” I ask him warily.

  Jase laughs. “No, not tonight. It’s gonna be when you least expect it.”

  A few minutes later, Adam and Jake show up. “Hey, Dad said that there’s a bonfire going.”

  I nod. “Yeah, we had it planned out earlier.”

  Jake just stands there, glaring. “What’s wrong, Jake?” Amy asks.

  “Oh, Jake is still pissy about today,” Adam says.

  “Seriously, get over it. There’s always another night for you to prove you’re better than we are,” I said.

  “Were you two planning on going swimming tonight? Because I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Adam says.

  “We were thinking about it, but I guess not,” I grumble. Laughing, he pats me on head, then ran away. “Screw off, Adam,” I growl at him.

  Amy walks over and pushes him towards his truck. “Time to leave, big boy. Your sister and Jase need some time alone.”

  “Thanks. Amy!” Jase yells. She nods, but keeps the two boys walking.

  “Finally, it’s just the two of us,” I sigh.

  Jase smiles at me before he leans down and presses his lips to mine. We get lost in the kiss, then Jase rips his lips away from mine. He’s breathing hard. “We gotta stop, baby. I don’t want to end up doing something that you’re not ready for yet.”

  I’m pretty sure I want to, but not tonight. By the look on Jase’s face, he isn’t ready yet, either. “Alright, but I want to take that next step with you soon.”

  I know we can’t keep going like this, but I want to do this with Jase. I love him and I know he loves me. I can’t let what Christian did to me keep me from making love with Jase. I won’t let him stop it from happening, either. “Soon, baby. I promise. Just give yourself some more time,” Jase says.

  I look at him like he’s crazy. Damn, I do not need more time. I have had enough time to work through it. I really wish everybody would stop telling me I need ‘time’ because I don’t. I know what I need and that’s this next step. “No, Jase, I don’t need more time,” I grumble.

  Jase looks taken aback. “Okay, maybe you don’t.”

  I am starting to get pissed and I am really not sure why. “Wanna go back for the bonfire?” I ask, not looking at him.

  He puts two fingers under my chin to get me to look at him. When I do, he gives me the sweetest kiss. “I’m sorry, baby. I just don’t want to push you and end up losing you. When you want to make love, we will.”

  I think my heart just melted a little more. “Okay, I can deal with that. I’m sorry, too.”

  He nods and starts pulling me towards his truck. “Let’s head back, roast some marshmallows, and bug your brother about what happened today,” he laughs. I giggle.

  Jase opens the passenger door for me, then runs around and slides into his seat. “I love you, Jase.” I smile over at him.

  He grabs my hand, kisses the back of it, and laces our fingers together. “I love you, too, baby.” The love shining in his eyes has me on the verge of tears. We both fall into a comfortable silence on the way back to my parent’s ranch.

  As we pull up to the house, I can see that everyone is here. Jase pulls in and turns off his truck. As we are both getting out, Jade runs over and grabs me. What the hell? I look over at Jase, who looks just as shocked. “Baby girl, we’re playing hide-and-seek, and I call dibs on you.”

  I laugh, shaking my head. “Alright, big guy, if that’s what you want.”

  He nods, then looks over at Jase. “Sorry, Bro, but I need her.” He grins.

  “It’s alright, Jade,” Jase laughs.

  We all walk over to the group and Jade yells out, “I called dibs on baby girl!”

  “Well, let’s get this game started then!” Chase yells.

  For the next few hours, we play hide-and-seek. Jade and I are the last to be found. Our parents and Jase’s parents play with us, too, so it was even better.

  By the end of the night, everyone is exhausted. Soon, people were either leaving to head home or heading inside. “Hey, girlie. I’ll meet you upstairs in your nice warm bed.” Amy grins at me.

  “Okay, I’ll be there. Leave room for me.”

  I turn back around to face Jase. He smiles slightly. “Amy gets to sleep with you, huh?” I nod, smiling shyly. He strokes my face. “You look tired, baby. Go get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you, Maggie.” My heart melts every time he says that.

  “I love you, too,” I say. Jase bends down to give me a quick kiss, but I wrap my arms around his neck and I kiss him deeply.

  After a few minutes, I pull away. “Damn, baby, you’re gonna be the death of me.” I giggle, and he jumps in his truck and pulls away.

  When I get inside, I say goodnight to Chase and his buddies, and head upstairs. Amy is already asleep so I change into my pajamas and crawl into bed.

  ****

  The next morning, Amy and I help mom out with breakfast. “Do you girls want coffee?” Mom asks.

  “Yes, please,” we both answer.

  “It feels nice making breakfast in my PJs with my girls,” my mom says.

  “I love this, too, Mom.” She beams at me.

  When it was all done, Amy and I set the table while Mom called for the boys. Chase and his buddies were at Nana’s for breakfast so there wasn’t as many people to feed. Dad and the boys walked in, smiling. “Look at this. My girls still in their PJs, making breakfast,” Dad laughs. Mom slaps his arm.

  “Hey, Mom, are Mark and Gabe coming home this weekend?” I ask.

  “I believe so.” Dad was thinking about getting a football game started this weekend, and having a picnic with Jase and his family so he wanted everyone here for that.

  After everyone was done eating, Amy and I did all the cleanup, telling mom to go relax. As soon as we are done, we go into the living room.

  ****

  A few hours later, Adam comes walking in. Taking one look at me, he smiles. “Jase is here.”

  Shit, I haven’t even showed, and I look like crap! Adam, Mom, and Amy laugh at the horrified look on my face. “Don’t laugh at me!” I snapped.

  “But the look on your face is priceless,” Adam says.

  I glare at him and was about to run upstairs when Jase and Creed walk into the room. Damn it, why didn’t I move faster?! “Still in your jammies, baby?” Jase smiles. The three behind me are still laughing.

  I turn around to glare at them. “Seriously, it isn’t that funny.”

  I hear Creed clearing his throat. “What isn’t funny?” he asked. I look back at him and Jase. They both seem to be holding in their laugher, too.

  “You should’ve seen her face when I said Jase was here!” Adam snickered.

&nb
sp; “Baby, I think you look great. Cute jammies.” He winked.

  Amy walks over and grabs my arm, pulling me towards the stairs. “We’re going to shower and change.” At least one of us was thinking.

  Amy and I run upstairs and gather clothes together. “You go first, sweets,” I tell her. She nods and heads off to the shower.

  While she is in the bathroom, I go over what we’re going to do for the day and, later on, what I want to do with Jase. I just hope he is ready because I am. We’ve waited a long time. Amy comes back into my room, interrupting my thoughts. “Shower’s all yours.”

  Heading to the bathroom, I pass Jade. “Finally getting dressed?” he says, laughing. I stick my tongue out at him and close to bathroom door. I can still hear him laughing.

  After I’m done showing, I throw on my bikini and put a sun dress over it. I towel dry my hair before I put it up into a ponytail, then put on some make-up. Amy is sitting on my bed when I get back in there, and she hands me my flip flops. “Thanks, sweets.” I smile.

  We head downstairs, grabbing blankets and towels to take with us. Mom says, “There’s a picnic basket with food and drinks for you all in the kitchen.”

  “Thank-you, Mom. I love you.”

  She smiles at me and says, “Love you, too.”

  As Amy and I are heading towards my jeep, Jase runs over to us. “Are you heading to the water hole, baby?” I nod my head, while I put my arms around his neck. “Alright, I’ll meet you there in a few hours. You two be careful,” he tells us, then kisses me. Amy makes gagging noises behind us, which only makes Jase kiss me harder.

  “Hey, enough of that,” Amy teases.

  Jase breaks the kiss and smirks at her. “Nah, deal with it. I like kissing my girl.”

  She rolls her eyes at him and grabs my arm. “We gotta get going so you need to stop kissing MY GIRL.”

  Jase quirks up a brow at her. “Yours, huh?”

  “Alright, you two. Enough. We’re gonna head out. I love you and I’ll see you later,” I tell him and give him a quick kiss, but he pulls me into him and deepens it.

  “Dude, really. Let’s finish the game,” Adam says from behind him.

  Jase lets go of me and heads back to the game with Adam, turning around about half-way there. “I love you, too, baby!” I smile at him and jump into my jeep.

  When we get to the swimming hole, both of us jump out of my jeep and grab everything. Walking over, we put the blanket down, setting the basket on top of it. ”So, should be swim or tan first?” Amy questions.

  “Swim first, then tan,” I say. Shrugging out of our dresses, we put them on the blankets and walk towards the water. Amy jumps in, but I just walk in. We swim around for a while before we get out and dry off, then settle on the blankets to tan.

  ****

  A couple of hours later, I wake up to someone kissing my neck. I try slapping the person away, but he just laughs and keeps kissing until I open my eyes and see Jase smiling down at me. “Hey, baby. Looks like you need less sun and more water.”

  I smile at him and look over to see where Amy is. “Both of you fell asleep,” Adam states.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” I say and sit up, Amy sits up next to me.

  “You girls ready for food? Lily told us what she made,” Jase says.

  I roll my eyes at him. “Of course you boys are ready to eat. You know that there’s pumpkin pie in there,” I say and Jase smiles.

  I grab the basket and start pulling out sandwiches, veggies, and fruit. “Where’s the pie?” Adam asks, pouting.

  I glare at him. “No pie until you eat your sandwich,” I tell him, which makes them all laugh.

  After we are all done eating, the guys go for a swim while Amy and I tan some more. Suddenly, both Jase and Adam throw us over their shoulders. “Babe, put me down!”

  Jase stops as if debating on what to do. “Nah, I think you need to cool off.” Dammit, I am going to kick his ass.

  I can hear Amy cursing out Adam just as I am being thrown into the water. Holy hell, it’s cold! I wipe the water from my eyes to see where Amy and the guys are. Just then, I see Amy popping out of the water, too. “Oh, my god! It’s freezing cold!” Amy hollers.

  Where are those bastards? Looking around, I don’t see them, but I hear their laughter. “You two look pissed,” Adam laughs. Let’s see how funny he thinks it is when I get my hands on him.

  “You both suck,” I hiss out, which makes them laugh even more.

  Jase wraps his arms around me from behind. “Aww, you cold baby?” he says, as he kisses my neck.

  “Yes, it’s freezing in here, but I can think of some ways that you can warm me up,” I tell him, turning around in his arms.

  Jase groans. “Don’t talk like that. Adam’s still here.” I smirk at him and shrug. I could really care less if Adam is here or not. I am getting what I want tonight, dammit.

  I start to run my hands up and down his chest, but he grabs my wrists, holding them still. “Come on, Jase. He isn’t even looking this way,” I whine.

  Jase shakes his head and pulls me in close. He lowers his head to whisper in my ear, “You’re just gonna have to wait, baby, because there’s no way that I’m doing anything with Adam ten feet away from us. I promise it’ll happen tonight.” I nod and give him a quick kiss.

  “Hey, Jase! We gotta go pick up Jake and Pete!” Adam yells.

  I look back at Jase, who looks a bit pissed off. “What? Really? When are we gonna have time alone?” I ask him.

  He looks down at me with a frustrated look on his gorgeous face. “I’m sorry, baby, but we told them about coming here and they wanted to join us. Please don’t look at me like that. We’ll sneak off later, just the two of us. I swear.” He leans down and kisses my forehead.

  I let out a little sigh. “Okay, I understand.” He smiles at me, heads over to the riverbank, and climbs out.

  I feel something touching my arm so I look down. Looking sad, Amy says, “I’m sorry, Maggie. I know you wanted Jase to yourself tonight.”

  I turn around to give her a hug. “It’s fine. Jase said that we’ll sneak off later to be by ourselves.”

  She smiles. “So, more tanning?”

  I nod and both of us head out of the water to dry off and get back to tanning. “So, babe, you still planning on this being the night with Jase?” Amy asks.

  “Hell yes, and I can’t wait.” I laugh.

  Amy laughs at me. “Damn girl. I’m happy for you.” Amy has a huge grin on her face. I wink at her. Jase better not try talking me out of this tonight because it is happening.

  Chapter 27(Jase)

  Fuck, why in the hell did I agree to pick up Jake and Pete? Damn, I’m a moron. What I really want is to spend time with Mags, but here I am, going to get Jake and Pete. “Damn, Bro, what’s got you looking so pissed?”

  I take my eyes off the road and look at him. “I can’t believe how stupid I am.” He raises his eyebrows at me. Hell, I can’t tell him his sister wants to make love tonight. He’ll kill me. “Mags wanted to spend time alone tonight, and now we’re going to pick up the guys so, unless we sneak off later, I can’t see us spending time alone.”

  Adam sighs and says, “Sneak off then.” Wow, does he know what we’re planning to do?

  Pulling into Jake’s driveway, we see them standing beside his brother. “Hey, Bro. I was just wondering where you two were,” Jake says. I tell them to get in so we can head back to the swimming hole.

  When they’re in, Jake’s brother asks, “So when are we gonna play some football.”

  I look over at Adam. “Maybe this weekend. Jake will let you know for sure,” he tells Shane. We say goodbye to him and head back to the girls.

  “Boys, Jase is sneaking off on us later to spend time alone with Maggie. Don’t say anything when they do or I’ll beat your ass,” Adam warns.

  As soon as I park the truck, I jump out and head over to Maggie. “Hey, baby,” I say, but she doesn’t answer me. That’s when I notice they are both
asleep.

  I put my finger to my lips, letting the guys know to be quiet, but Pete has this look in his eyes and it’s telling me he is up to something. Adam looks at me and I shrug. We watch as he goes to the water and fills up a bottle. I jump up and head over to where Adam and Jake are standing. “They’re gonna kill him,” Jake points out.

  “No shit,” I mutter.

  Just then, we hear the girls scream and watch as they jump up. Pete is laughing his ass off…until he sees the look on their faces. Holding his hands up and backing away, he says, “Oh, uh…shit. Don’t kill me.”

  The girls share a look with each other, then start towards Pete. “Aww, Pete. What’s wrong? Are you scared? Do you need your back-up?” Amy asks.

  Pete looks about ready to run and the girls look like they are having way too much fun. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Pete that worried about what those two will do,” Adam whispers.

  Just as I am turning towards Adam, I see the girls running towards Pete. Then we hear a scream and a big as splash. Pete pops out of the water and yells, “Fuck! It’s freezing!” Amy and Maggie are laughing so hard. They help him out and he gets a towel to dry off, while the rest of us get comfortable on the blankets.

  Around seven o’clock, I grab Maggie’s hand and pull her up. “You ready to sneak off, baby?” I whisper.

  “God, yes,” she laughs.

  Before we can say anything, Adam stands. “We’re all gonna take off so we’ll see you two later.” He winks at me. Thank god for Adam…at least this time.

  “Bonfire later on at the ranch!” Jake yells as they are all getting into Maggie’s jeep.

  As soon as they are out of sight, I pull Maggie into my arms. “Are you sure this is what you want? You know I’ll wait as long as I have to until you’re ready.”

  She stands on her tiptoes to kiss me. “Yes, Jase. This is what I want. I’m more than ready.”

  I pull her closer to me and kiss her, moving my hand into her hair. It’s slow at first, then she deepens the kiss. As soon as my tongue meets hers, she moans. Her hands start to move under my shirt, but I stop her. I want to make this about her for a while. I need to show her that making love can be a beautiful thing. “Jase, I want to touch you.”