Love's Slow Burn [Southern Heat 2] Read Online Free Page B

“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