Chapter Six NC-17
© 2003
The sun set along the riverbank as Courtney looked out
across the vast water before her. It was breathtaking.
Suddenly a pair of strong arms encircled her waist.
She didn’t have to look, she knew immediately who it
was. She settled back against his chest, sighing at
the warmth she felt in his arms. It was the only place
she ever wanted to be.
“I love you Courtney.” he whispered.
“I love you too.”
Courtney woke with a start. She had never had a dream
like that before. It felt so real and so right. She
couldn’t help but wonder who the man was in her dream.
Courtney mentally shook herself, threw back her
covers, and headed to the bathroom to shower. When she
got downstairs, everyone was waiting for her. The
kitchen was decorated with red, white, and blue
ribbons and a huge ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ sign hung over the
doorway.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY COURTNEY!” they all yelled as she
entered the kitchen. Courtney’s mouth dropped. She
couldn’t believe they did all this for her.
“Oh my gosh. You guys are amazing. I can’t believe you
did all this for me.”
“You deserve it sis.” Sonny smiled as he hugged her
tight. “Happy Birthday.”
“Thank you.” Carly and her grandfather each took their
turn hugging her as well. Then she turned to Jason. He
pulled her to him, holding her body close to his,
feeling her breath against his neck. Something stirred
inside him, something he hadn’t felt in a very long
time.
“Happy Birthday Courtney.” he kissed her cheeks,
letting his lips linger for a moment longer than
necessary. She pulled away slowly, her blue eyes
meeting his own. A small smile tugged at her lips, one
that sent shivers down his spine.
“Thank you Jason.” They all sat down for breakfast.
Grandfather made Courtney’s favorite, blueberry
pancakes. After they ate breakfast they decided to
give Courtney her presents. Carly was first in line.
She bought Courtney a beautiful charm bracelet. On it
was a heart shaped charm that said ‘Friends Forever‘.
Sonny gave her an antique silver picture frame with a
photo of them together as children. Her grandfather
had something special for her. He had disappeared into
his bedroom, and emerged a few minutes later carrying
a small red box.
“This belonged to your Grandmother, God rest her soul.
She loved you very much. I’ve been holding onto this,
waiting for this day to come.” He handed her the small
box. She looked up at him with questioning eyes.
Grandfather smiled and nodded his head for her to go
on. When she opened it, she saw it was her
Grandmother’s engagement ring. It was a beautiful gold
ring, with a square diamond. Courtney gasped when she
saw it.
“It’s so beautiful.” she fought the tears that
threatened to fall. She hugged her grandfather
tightly. “I can’t believe you’re giving this to me. It
means so much to me.”
“There’s no one your grandmother would have wanted to
have it. You can pass it on to your children. I hope
when you wear it you will always remember just how
much your grandmother loved you.”
“I will Grandpa. I promise.” That night they all
planned on going to the 4th of July Carnival in town.
Emma met them there. She gave Courtney a charm for her
bracelet that said ‘Best Friend’. They hadn’t been
there long when Emma got a special surprise. Lucky had
been able to make it after all. After a little
convincing, Courtney managed to talk Emma into going
off to spend some quality time alone with Lucky.
Before long, Carly and Sonny managed to sneak off as
well, leaving Courtney and Jason alone together.
“Well, it looks like it’s just you and me.” Jason
laughed.
“That’s okay with me if it’s okay with you.” Jason
smiled and took her small hand in his. They walked all
over the carnival and finally decided to take a ride
on the Ferris wheel. “You’re not afraid of heights are
you?”
“Of course not.” That sat close together as the wheel
began to move slowly around and around. “You know, up
until now I never imagined anything as beautiful as
this could exist.”
“It is beautiful. I’ve been so lucky to grow up in the
two different worlds. I love the city life, but this
life is just so simple and uncomplicated. I sometimes
think that this is where I’d like to live and raise a
family. Do you think that’s stupid?” she looked away a
blush creeping into her cheeks.
“I think that sounds nice. Sometimes we forget just
how simple life can be. I was raised in a very strict
and confrontational world. Coming here has showed me
what a real and loving family could be like. Don’t get
me wrong. My grandmother Lila, my mother Monica, and
my sister Emily are wonderful, but the rest of my
family I could do without.”
“I think that’s so sad. I can’t imagine growing up in
a family like that.”
“Please don’t pity me Courtney.” he laughed softly,
trying to lighten the mood. Courtney placed her hand
on his arm.
“It’s not pity Jason.” He looked down into her eyes
and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but this
wasn’t the time or the place for it. He figured he’d
waited long enough a little while longer wouldn’t kill
him. He smiled down at her and took her hand in his
once more, never letting it go for the rest of the
ride. After riding the Ferris wheel, they found their
way to one of the game booths.
“Knock the bottles off the table and win a prize!”
yelled the vendor. “Step right up. Come on and win
your pretty girl a prize.” He smiled his crooked smile
at Jason. Jason looked down at her and laughed. He
handed the man his money and received three balls.
With one throw he managed to knock all three bottles
off the table, much to the vendor’s dismay.
“Congratulations! Which prize would the lady like?”
“Go ahead and pick one.” Jason nudged her. She looked
at all the stuffed animals and decided on the stuffed
white tiger. “So, what’s his name?”
“His name?” she laughed softly.
“Of course he has to have a name.”
“Okay, ummm” she paused for a moment. “How about
Tigger?”
Jason laughed, “But Tigger was orange.”
“What do you suggest?”
“But he’s your tiger.” he argued.
“I picked a name, but you decided you didn’t like it.”
“Tigger is fine.” he laughed.
“Good.” she smiled, pulling him away from the booth
and further into the crowd. A few hours later, they
began to close everything down. “Should we look for
Sonny and Carly?”
“I’m sure they can find their way home.” They walked
in silence for a while. “Do you want to take a walk
down by the river before we head back?”
“Sounds wonderful.” she smiled, leaning her head on
his shoulder. When they got there, Courtney saw a
blanket laid out over the riverbed. “This is my
favorite spot in the world.” she grinned as she sat
down on the blanket. Jason followed suit, sitting down
beside her. Courtney took her sandals off, sighing at
the feel of the cool sand beneath them.
“I bought you a present. I just wanted to wait until
we were alone.” he pulled out a flat black box and
handed it to her. “I really didn’t know what to get
you. I saw this and I thought of you immediately. I
hope you like it.” Courtney took it from him.
“Jason, you didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I wanted to. I know we haven’t known each other that
long, but I just….I just wanted to show you how much
you’ve come to mean to me in such a short period of
time.” Courtney smiled up at him, taken aback by his
words. Her hands shook as she opened the box. She
gasped when she saw what was inside. It was a
beautiful sapphire heart shaped pendant.
“Oh Jason…it’s beautiful.”
“May I put it on you?” She nodded and handed the
necklace to him. Courtney lifted her long, blonde
hair. Jason clasped the necklace, then allowed his
hands to linger at the nape of her neck. He leaned in
closer, so close she could feel his breath on her. She
shivered as his lips gently brushed against her. She
let her hair fall, and turned to look at him. What she
saw in his eyes was longing and passion so bright she
felt as if the light would burn straight through her
soul. “You’re so beautiful Courtney.” he whispered as
his hand caressed her face.
“Jason…” she managed to whisper before his lips found
hers. The kiss was soft and gentle, but it slowly
began to build in passion. Courtney quickly deepened
the kiss, darting her tongue out to play with his. She
moaned softly as his hands began their exploration of
her welcoming body. He paused when he got to the
buttons of her blouse, breaking their kiss long enough
to look into her eyes. “Please Jason….please don’t
stop.” Jason’s hands quickly rid her of her shirt,
revealing her white lace bra underneath. He gently
cupped her breasts, driving her wild.
“Courtney…we have to stop.” he said breathlessly. “If
we don’t stop now, I don’t know if I’ll be able to.”
“I don’t want to stop Jason. Make love to me, please.”
“Are…are you sure Courtney?”
“Yes, please….” she whispered as she pulled his lips
back down to hers. Her small hands found their way
underneath his shirt, quickly pulling it off him.
Jason unclasped her bra, sending it to the pile beside
them. He looked down at her, taking in all her beauty.
His lips kissed a trail down her neck until they found
the peak of her breasts. Courtney gasped as he took
her flesh into his warm mouth. His hands found their
way to her shorts, pushing them down her long legs,
her panties soon following. Soon there was no barriers
left between them. Courtney could feel his large
member pressing against her opening. Her heart pounded
in her chest with a mixture of excitement and fear.
Jason positioned himself at her entrance and quickly
thrust into her. Courtney gasped loudly at the pain of
the invasion. Jason remained still for a moment,
allowing her to adjust to him. When she started to
writhe beneath him, he slowly began to move. He
started off slow and easy, both trying to find their
rhythm together. It wasn’t long before they did and
Courtney met him thrust for thrust, calling out his
name from the intense pleasure he was giving her.
“Jason…yes…please…don’t stop…”
“Oh Courtney…..you’re so beautiful….so beautiful….” he
mumbled against her neck as he continued to love her.
Their bodies seemed to fit perfectly together as if
they were made for each other. Jason knew he was
close, he moved his hips faster and faster, wanting
her to fall over the edge with him. He felt her
tighten around him and she screamed out his name.
That’s all it took for him to find his release. He
came, spilling deep inside her. Jason rolled off her,
pulling her to his chest.
“Wow.” she whispered against his chest. “I never
imagined it could be like that.”
“I….I know this was your first. I hope you don’t
regret it. I can’t bring myself to.” Courtney raised
up on her elbow and looked down into his eyes.
“I could never regret this Jason. This was the best
birthday present I could have ever gotten. I’ve waited
so long to find someone to share this moment with. I’m
so glad I waited for you.” she leaned down to kiss him
once more. “I just hope I didn’t disappoint you.”
“Never,” he whispered as he brushed her hair from her
face. “Being with you was more than I ever could have
imagined it could be.”
She smiled softly, “You’ve imagined this?”
Jason laughed, “Well, I’ve been fighting my attraction
to you since the moment I laid eyes on you. That day
Sonny and Carly walked in on us here at the river I
was so close to kissing you. But I’m sure you already
knew that.”
“Yeah, I figured it out. After that day you started
avoiding being alone with me.”
“You did too.” he sighed. “I guess we were just
fighting the inevitable. Sooner or later it was going
to be too much for us to fight.”
“Well, obviously we stopped fighting it.” They were
quiet for a moment. “Thank you Jason.”
“For what?”
“For making this birthday so special for me. From the
beautiful pendant, to this amazing moment together.
It’s really been the best birthday ever.”
“You’ve made this moment perfect for me too. I’ll
always remember how it felt to hold you in my arms and
make love to you for the first time.”
“Does that mean we might do this again?” she grinned
down at him.
“I KNOW I’d never be able to stay away from you now.”
he grinned back up at her, pulling her lips down to
his.
“As much as I hate to leave this spot, we really need
to get back before Grandpa sends a search party.”
Jason groaned softly.
“Yeah, I know.” he gave her one last kiss before they
pulled apart to get dressed. They walked back to the
house with their arms wrapped around each other
neither one knowing where with was going to lead, but
both content with being in each others arms.
Chapter Seven
© 2003
Jason and Courtney made it home just minutes before
Sonny and Carly. “What happened to you guys? We turned
around and you two were gone.” Sonny asked innocently.
“Oh please. We all know you and Carly deliberately
left us behind.” Courtney laughed.
“What did you guys do anyway?” Carly asked. Courtney
and Jason looked at each other and laughed.
“This and that.” was all Jason would say. Carly eyed
them suspiciously but decided to take that as her
answer….for now anyway. That night as Courtney laid in
bed her thoughts drifted back to Jason, remembering
the way it felt to be in his arms as he made love to
her. Courtney could feel a blush creep into her cheeks
when she thought of being with him once more.
“Courtney? Courtney are you awake?” Carly whispered.
Courtney thought about staying quiet, but she decided
against it.
“Yeah.”
“It’s only me and you now. You can tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.
What’s going on with you and Jason?” Courtney lay
there wondering if she should tell Carly the truth or
keep it to herself. The need to tell someone how
wonderful her birthday had been made the decision for
her.
“Swear it doesn’t go past this room.”
“I swear.”
Courtney sighed, “Okay. Well we walked around the
fair, and then we decided to take a walk by the river
on the way home. We sat down by the river and that’s
when he gave me my birthday present.”
Carly gasped, “Really? What did he give you?”
“He gave me a really beautiful sapphire heart-shaped
pendant. He said he thought of me when he saw it.”
“Awe. That’s so sweet,” Carly sighed.
“Then….we kissed.” Carly stifled her squeal of
excitement by burying her face in the pillow. “Carly
it was so amazing. He made me feel so alive.”
“Is that all that happened?” Courtney was silent for a
moment, but Carly continued. “Oh no girl! You can’t
leave me hanging like that. Did…..did you go all the
way with him?”
“Yeah,” she whispered, earning another squeal from
Carly.
“Oh my GOD! That’s so amazing Courtney.”
“It really was. He was so sweet and gentle. I never
imagined it could feel so…I don’t know, so right.”
“I’m so glad you had a wonderful experience with your
first. Let me tell ya though, it gets better and
better….well at least if you’re with someone who knows
what they’re doing.”
“I can’t wait….” she said before she realized it. She
could feel another blush creep into her cheeks.
“I think he’s created a monster,” Carly giggled, and
Courtney couldn’t help but giggle too.
“Oh Carly. I’ve never felt this way about anyone
before. To tell you the truth it scares me.”
“Love is a scary thing sweetie, but when it’s with the
right person it’s a truly wonderful thing.”
“Love? I’m not in love with Jason.”
“You’re not?”
“Well no,…..of course not….I mean….it…it’s too soon,
right?”
“You feel what you feel Courtney. It’s never a
question of time.”
“I’ve never been in love before Carly. How do you know
when you’re there?”
“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just something
you feel deep within your soul. You feel like you’re
more complete because this person is in your life.
Every time you think of that person your heart beats
just a little faster and you can’t help but smile. You
just feel…..love. I’m sorry I just can’t explain it
any better than that.” Courtney thought about what
Carly said, trying to figure out just how she truly
felt about Jason. She cared for him…very much so, she
knew that for certain. She just wasn’t sure it was
love, but in her heart she knew the possibility of it
turning into something more was definitely there. That
excited her.
“Don’t apologize. You explained it well, I just don’t
think the feelings I have for Jason have gotten there
yet. I believe that they do have the potential to grow
to love, but only time will tell.”
“You and Jason have the rest of the summer to spend
together to figure you’re feelings out.” Up until
then, Courtney hadn’t given any thought to the end of
the summer. Suddenly she was scared, scared that once
the summer was over she’d never see Jason again. Carly
noticed her sudden silence, “Did I say something
wrong?”
“It’s just….I hadn’t given much thought to what would
happen at the end of the summer. Now, when I think
about it, it scares me. What if I never see Jason
again once the summer is over?”
“Sweetie you can’t think like that. You have to remain
positive. No one knows what the future will bring.
Enjoy the time you have with Jason, forget about
tomorrow.”
“How am I supposed to do that Carly?”
“How do you feel when you’re with him?”
Courtney couldn’t stop the smile that spread across
her face. You could practically hear it when she
spoke, “He makes me feel like I’m the only person
around. He truly sees me, and that’s important to me.
When I’m with him I feel like I can do anything, be
anything. No one has ever made me feel this…..special
before.”
“Concentrate on those feelings, and try to put the sad
thoughts out of your mind. If you keep dwelling on
them, you won’t be able to enjoy the time you do have
with Jason. Besides, like I said. You never know what
the future will bring. I have a feeling about you two.
I think God has a plan for you both, and I think the
plan includes the two of you being together.”
Courtney laughed, “You can be so dramatic sometimes
Carly.”
“Hey, it’s true. I really feel like you two are really
meant to be.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.”
“God and I have an understanding you see. He always
let’s me have what I want.”
“Oh really? And how did you manage this arrangement?”
“I can’t tell you all my secrets, Court. I’d loose my
advantage then.”
Courtney giggled, “Go to sleep Carly.”
“Goodnight Court.”
“Night.”
Over in Sonny’s room, Jason lay awake trying to decide
just how to tell his best friend that he wanted to be
with his sister. Would Sonny be angry, or would he be
happy that his sister was with someone he trusted?
Would Sonny feel betrayed by his best friend? Jason
really didn’t know how Sonny would react. He knew
Sonny loved his sister a great deal, and would do
anything in his power to protect her. Jason also loved
Sonny like a brother. He didn’t want Sonny to feel as
if he had gone behind his back to deliberately
disrespect him and his family. He couldn’t stand it
anymore; he had to tell Sonny the truth.
“Sonny, there’s something I have to tell you, but I
don’t know how you’re going to react to it.” When
Sonny didn’t respond, Jason simply continued. “You
see, I like your sister. I mean, I know you know I
like your sister, but I like her as more than a
friend. I don’t know how to explain it. There’s just
something about her that I can’t seem to resist. She
draws me to her like a magnet and I’m helpless against
the power of it. I swear I didn’t plan for any of this
to happen and I….we fought the attraction as long as
we could. We just can’t deny what we feel anymore.
Courtney and I really care about each other. We want
to be together, but we also want to know that we have
your blessing. You mean so much to both of us. I know
it would devastate us if you were to disapprove.” He
waited for Sonny to respond, but nothing ever came.
“Sonny?” Suddenly he heard Sonny beginning to snore.
Jason chuckled to himself, “Sure. You pick a great
time to decide to fall asleep.” He rolled over onto
his side and went to sleep as well.
 
The next morning was an awkward one, at least for
Jason and Courtney. Their first instinct when they saw
each other was to greet the other with a kiss, but the
moment they heard Sonny descending the stairs they
quickly parted and sat at their usual spots across
from each other at the breakfast table. Once breakfast
was finished, they all separated to do their morning
chores. Courtney turned to grab another bundle of hay
for the horses when Jason appeared out of nowhere,
scaring the crap out of her.
“Jeez Jason!” she laughed nervously.
“I’m sorry,” he grinned. “Did I scare ya?”
“Yes you did and you know it.” she smiled up at him.
“I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to give you
something.”
“What’s that?”
“This…” his voice trailed off as his lips descended
upon hers in a sweet kiss. Courtney felt her heart
flutter in her chest as he pulled her closer to him,
his strong hands drawing slow circles over her back.
He slowly pulled away from her, a lazy smile on his
handsome face. “I’ve been thinking about that all
morning.”
Courtney laughed, “Me too.”
“I hate to bring up a serious subject, but what are we
going to tell Sonny and Carly. I mean it’s going to be
pretty much impossible for us to be alone together at
all without them being suspicious.” Courtney looked
away from his gaze. “What? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I just…I told Carly what happened
with us last night,” she winced, waiting for Jason’s
response expecting the worst.
“How did she react?”
“She’s thrilled.” Courtney was pleasantly surprised
when Jason didn’t blow up at her.
“I guess that just leaves me to tell Sonny,” he
sighed.
“What do you think he’ll do?”
“I honestly don’t know. I mean, you’re his baby sister
and I’m his best friend. I think it could go one of
two ways. He could be happy about it, or he could be
very unhappy about it.”
Courtney frowned, “Do you want me to be with you when
you tell him?”
“No, I think I should do this alone out of respect for
him.”
“Okay. When are you going to tell him?”
“There’s no time like the present, right?”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks,” he smiled. “I just might need it.” He leaned
in to give her one more kiss before disappearing
again. Courtney hoped Sonny would accept her and Jason
together, but she too was unsure how her brother was
going to react to the news.
Jason found Sonny moving haystacks behind the barn.
For a moment Jason thought twice about confronting
Sonny while he held two hooks in his hands, but he
knew in his heart that Sonny would never hurt him that
way. Punch him, yeah, but gut him with a hook, nah.
“Hey Sonny, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure, anything to take a break,” he grinned his
dimpled grin.
“You know how much I respect you and your family
right?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re more than just a best friend to me, you’re
like a brother.”
“I feel the same way about you Jason. Where is this
going?” he asked confused.
Jason sighed, “I care a lot about your sister.”
“Yeeeeah, so….”
“I care about her as more than a friend. I’m attracted
to her and she’s attracted to me. We’ve both been
fighting it from day one, but neither of us wants to
fight it anymore. We want to be together Sonny, and
out of respect for you we wanted to come tell you the
truth and not go behind your back.”
“So, you’re saying you want to be with my baby
sister?” he asked solemnly, not showing any kind of
emotion on his face.
“Yes.”
“I have to be honest with you Jason. I don’t think
there is anyone out there who is good enough for my
sister, even you,” he paused for a moment. “However,
she could do a lot worse.” A grin broke out on his
handsome face. “I’m not saying I love the idea of you
and my sister, but I’m glad you had enough respect for
me to come to me about it. Out of respect for you, I’m
not going to stand in your way. Just remember this, if
you hurt my sister you’re a dead man.”
Jason laughed, relieved “I’ll remember that.”
“Good, now help me with these damn stacks.” Jason
gratefully grabbed a couple of hooks and helped Sonny
move the stacks, feeling so much better about his
relationship with Courtney.

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