My father had it all planned out. I was going to the University of Texas like he did and getting my degree in marketing, but I had other dreams. Will was going to Texas A&M to get his degree in agribusiness, so he could help Jeff and my father run the ranch. I’d been accepted into both schools, and my parents were just waiting on me to say yes to Texas.

It was Luke’s, Colt’s, and Will’s dreams to take over the ranch someday, and I had no doubt in my mind that they would be great at running it.

If only Luke and Will would stop fighting…about me.

Luke hated that Will and I were sneaking around, seeing each other, and he’d threatened to tell my father on more than one occasion. The fights that Luke and Will had been in always drove me insane. Each time, one or the other would end up with a black eye and then would blame it on a football game.

It wasn’t like my father didn’t like Will. He loved Will…like a son. Daddy had dreams for me though, and those dreams didn’t include a boy who would be working on a ranch. His dreams were of me moving to the city and getting to experience all that city-living would offer. Then, I could decide if I wanted to come back to Mason or not. Colt wasn’t being told what he should do, and Luke was already at Texas A&M.

I didn’t think it was fair. I wanted what my mother had. I wanted to live on the ranch, waking up every day to work in the garden. I wanted to see my husband off to work with a kiss every single morning. I wanted the life my parents had, and I couldn’t figure out why my father didn’t want me to have that life. He and my mother were so happy.

Will moved his lips to my neck, and his hot breath on my skin caused my stomach to drop.

God…just being around him makes my body do such crazy things.

Grace had said I was just horny and that Will and I needed to at least move on to a little bit more than kissing. She’d said we needed to cop feels here and there. Will was such a gentleman though, and he’d never once pushed me into doing anything I didn’t want to do. There had been so many times I’d wanted to tell him to touch me, to just ease the tingling between my legs, but I’d known that wasn’t what either one of us wanted…at least not yet.

I could hear Grace’s voice in my head.

My god, you’re eighteen. Stop piss-assing around about it, Alex. I swear, y’all have liked each other since, what…we were ten years old?

I was eighteen years old, and Will was seventeen. He would turn eighteen in August.

I had to smile though because Grace was all talk. She liked Michael Clark, but she was too damn afraid to even look at him.

“What are you smiling about, Lex?”

Will was the only one who called me Lex, and I liked it that way. It felt special, like it was something that was just between the two of us, something only we shared together, and we could do it in front of everyone. He had called me that since we were about ten years old.

“Us.”

He pulled away and looked at me. “Us? What about us?”

I felt my cheeks turning red, and I was almost positive Will could feel the heat coming from them.

“You’re blushing, Lex. Why, honey?”

I looked down and away, but he brought his finger up to my chin and forced me to look at him.

“Alex? What about us?”

“I’m tired of hiding. I want to tell our parents that we’ve been dating. I want to tell my dad that I’ve decided on A&M, and I want…I want…”

His smile was from ear to ear. “You want, what, sweetheart?”

Oh god. His voice alone sends me over the edge.

“I want more…” Damn it. I can’t bring myself to say it.

“More of what?” he said with that stupid smile of his.

When he tilted his head and gave me that dimple smile, I knew he was teasing me.

I took a deep breath and quickly let it out. “I want to make love.”

Will’s smile faded, and he took a step back.

Oh no. What if he doesn’t feel the same? What if my feelings for him are stronger than his feelings for me? Oh. My. God. What if that’s the reason he’s never pushed me into anything more?

I instantly felt like a fool. I pushed past him and started to walk away.

“Wait, Lex…please just wait a second.” He reached for my arm.

I felt tears burning my eyes as I looked everywhere but at him. “I’m…I’m sorry. I should have just kept my mouth shut. Obviously, you don’t feel the same way, so…”

I was cursing Grace inwardly for even planting this in my head, and I was already hatching a plan to bitch her out the next time I saw her.

Before I knew what was happening, Will was backing me up until I came to a stop against the wall of the barn. I looked up into his eyes. He had the most beautiful blue eyes. His hair was wavy and light brown.

I want to run my hand through his hair so bad.

He looked just like his father, and he was probably the sweetest guy I knew—besides Luke and Colt, who were both hopelessly romantic.

He ran the back of his fingers down my face and smiled. My cheek almost felt like it was burning where he’d touched me. He bent down like he was going to kiss me, but then he stopped just short of my lips. His eyes darted down to my lips and then back up to my eyes.

“Lex, I love you,” he whispered.

I sucked in a breath of air and fought like hell to keep the tears from falling. It wasn’t the first time he’d ever said it to me, but this time, it felt so…different. I felt a tear fall, and he quickly brushed it away with his lips.

He let out a low, soft moan. “You have no idea how hard it is for me not to make love to you every time I’m with you. I want nothing more than to be with you, but I want it to be right. I want it to be perfect for you, and we won’t be sneaking into a barn or doing it in a car. You deserve so much more than that, honey. I want to make you feel special the first time we make love.”

Wow. Oh…just wow. I felt my breathing getting faster. I looked at his lips as I licked mine.

He closed his eyes. “You drive me mad with desire, Alexandra. You have to know that.”

Oh dear God…I think I might have my very first orgasm…right now…right here.

When he opened his eyes, they were filled with something I’d never seen before. The intense feeling of need I had for him grew about a hundred times.

I tried to talk but nothing would come out, except for a whispered, “Will…”

When his lips touched mine, I let out a moan. I opened my mouth to him, so our tongues could explore each other like we had done a hundred times before. I brought my hands up and ran them through his hair. When he pushed himself into me, I felt his erection, and I wanted to wrap my legs around him so badly. He pulled his body away some, but the kiss started to turn more passionate…until I heard someone clear his throat.