To Claim His Girl Read online

  Chapter Five

  Eli had hoped to keep that a secret. “Why do you want to know?”

  “You smashed his face into a table, Eli. Something he must have said set you off. I’ve seen you fight, and mess around with Chris and Branson. Nothing was like that. You were so angry. What was it about?”

  He sighed. “If you must know, he talked shit about you.”

  “About me?”

  “Yeah, calling you names, asking what it was like to bang a bitch with a fat ass. Let’s say he got what he deserved.”

  “Ew.”

  “Yeah. Wayne has a way of pissing me off without even trying.”

  “That’s not good. You need to learn to control that anger of yours.”

  “I’d never hurt you.”

  “I know that, Eli. I would never question that.” She leaned forward resting on her knees, rubbing her hands together. “You know people will laugh at us in school. They’ll think you’re using me to get laid quickly.”

  “I don’t give a fuck about what other people think, Aria. I never have.”

  “I don’t want to be laughed at. Look at the Joannes of this world, the Tiffanys. I know you’ve screwed them. I’m not in their league.”

  “You’re in a complete league of your own,” he said.

  “Ugh, you’re not listening.” She climbed off the bench, and spun to face him.

  “No, you’re not listening. I don’t give a shit about anyone else. You’re the only person I care about.” He stood from the bench. “You’re the one that helped me to focus, that helped me get back here.”

  “We’re not matched.”

  “We’re matched. You’re just too busy listening to everyone else to see what is right in front of you.”

  “What is right in front of me?”

  Eli knew it was now or never. Stepping right up close to her, he cupped her face, and tilted her head back. “Me.” Pressing his lips against hers, he sank one hand into her hair, holding her in place as he finally kissed her. This was what he’d been dreaming about, what he wanted more than anything. Stroking her cheek with his other hand, he closed his eyes, loving the feel of her against him. Her hands moved to his shoulders, holding him tightly.

  She hadn’t pushed him away yet, and he was going to use that to his advantage.

  When he slid his tongue across her lips, she moaned, opening up to his kiss, and he plundered inside, sliding across her tongue.

  His cock thickened, and the pleasure was better than he could have ever imagined.

  The sigh that escaped her lips turned him on, and when he pulled away, he rested his head against hers.

  “Tell me, was that your first kiss?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “How did I do?”

  She chuckled. “I’ve got nothing to compare it to.”

  “Compare it to what you’ve seen in the movies.”

  “Then it was pretty special, and I think you only did that to shut me up.”

  “I want this, Aria. I want you, but if you’re not ready, I understand.”

  “What will you do?” she asked.

  “I will spend however long it takes, to prove to you that you’re mine.”

  “My dad is going to throw a fit.”

  “I don’t care.” He stroked her cheek, and she didn’t fight him or try to push him away. “Do you want to head back to school?”

  “What? And risk getting caught sneaking in? Not a chance. We can stay here, and just talk.”

  Eli pulled her in close, and turned her so that her back was against him. “I love coming here.”

  “Me, too. Everything is always so calm, and it’s not touched by the crazy crap happening out in the real world. It allows me to think.”

  “What about?”

  “The future. College. What I want out of life.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I don’t know. It’s really hard to think about what I really want. I mean, I know I want to be around you guys, and college of course is there. I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Who does?”

  “I’d say you were pretty grown up already.”

  She laughed. “Thanks. I think.”

  “I’m just saying. If anyone can figure out what you want to be, then I know you can.”

  “What about you? Do you have any plans?” she asked.

  “I’m taking over my dad’s company.”

  “You’re finally going to do that?”

  “I was always going to do that, I just wanted him to think I wouldn’t. The guy did send me away to military school.”

  “I like your dad. Whenever I saw him while you were away, I did say hello to him. He’d smile, and say hi back. You know, normal stuff.”

  “Have you noticed our parents always try to keep up appearances? It’s like they’re afraid if someone knows the truth about us, we’ll crack.”

  They were rich families, and with wealth came a certain level of behavior.

  She shrugged. “I’m hoping when I have kids, I’m with a much better guy than who my mother married.”

  “Your dad.”

  “I know. He’s just obsessed with image, with getting everything right. It’s like he’s a complete law unto himself.”

  “We probably own the law, Aria. He’s not afraid of what he does because we can all afford to buy them.”

  She sighed. “There are days I wish he’d just give me a hug, or even a smile. I find going home exhausting.”

  “Come home with me.”

  Aria turned. “Yeah, go home with a boy. I’m sure my folks would be happy about that.”

  “Tell them you’re having a sleepover with Rachel and Mary. They’ll believe you.” He stroked her cheek. “My dad will understand.”

  “He will?”

  “You know my folks aren’t like everyone else. I’ve told them what you’re going through. The whole marriage thing. They’ll help you to have some space.”

  “I don’t know what to think about this guy you are, Eli. He’s different.”

  “More grown up?”

  “And mature. You used to be a real goofball. This is weird.” She moved out of his arms, folding hers beneath her tits, pushing them up. “I’m used to you being different. I don’t know what I expected,” she said with a smile.

  “I thought I’d find you two here,” Chris said, coming down the clearing with the rest of their friends following.

  Aria pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and Eli turned to watch their friends join them.

  “How did you know we’d be here?” Aria asked.

  “This is our spot. Of course we’d know,” Rachel said. “You ditched us without a word.”

  “I told her,” Eli said.

  “You did?” Chris asked.

  “Yeah, he told me that he wanted me. Kind of freaked me out, you know?” Aria said.

  “How is that possible?” Mary asked. “A guy you’ve known all of your life tells you he wants you, and you freak?”

  “Not to mention he’s hot. He’s got tattoos, and he’s probably the hottest guy in school,” Rachel said.

  “Hey.” Chris shot a glare toward Rachel.

  “Of course I don’t think that. You’re my hot one.”

  “Good.”

  Eli rolled his eyes. “Why did we remain friends with these people?”

  “Because we like them, Eli. They understand us.”

  “Exactly. So are you guys together or what?” Branson asked.

  Eli looked at her, waiting.

  She bit her lip, and he released a groan.

  “You’ve got to stop doing that in front of me. Are you going to put me out of my misery? Are we together?”

  “Yeah, we’re together.” She wrapped her arm around his waist. “I still don’t know what that really means. We’ve always hung out.”

  “Yeah, but now it means I can do this.” He pulled her close, slamming his lips down on hers.

  In the background he heard his friends che
ering, and he ignored it, focused more on his woman, and her beautiful body pressed against his. When he pulled away, Aria’s eyes were still closed. Slowly, she opened them. “I could get used to this.”

  “I know I could.”

  They didn’t linger at the lake for much longer. After he dropped her off home, as she’d changed her mind about staying over, he made his way back to find his father already waiting for him.

  “You cut school?” his father asked.

  “I had some stuff to deal with. It’s no big deal. I’ve got the work. I’ll study hard.”

  “I threw a lot of money for you to come back home. Even your class sergeant was impressed by your transformation. Don’t make me regret this decision.”

  “You won’t.”

  His father folded his arms. “Where were you?”

  “If you must know, I was with Aria. Okay. There.”

  “Is she the reason you decided to make this work?”

  “Larry, please, leave the boy alone,” his mother, Tania, said.

  “I pulled a lot of strings here, Eli. I mean it. I expect you to uphold your end of the bargain. I want good grades, good behavior, and you exploring college.”

  “I will.” Eli would do whatever was needed to stay with Aria.

  ****

  “I’m not going to get used to this, am I?” Aria said, climbing out of his car.

  Eli moved toward her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, and pulling her close to kiss her temple. Even though she was excited about being with Eli, and it was a dream come true, to her it was still pretty surreal.

  “What’s that?”

  “The kissing. The hugging, knowing that you’re wanting it to lead to something else.”

  He held her close, and tilted her head back. “You don’t have to worry about me pressuring you.”

  “I don’t want to have this talk right about now. I’m still a little … confused.”

  “Well, well, well, how are you two lovebirds this morning?” Chris asked.

  “Doing better than you,” Eli said. He leaned against Chris’s car, and held onto her hips, pulling her back against him.

  She was finding it a little difficult. They had been friends for so long, and that allowed for a certain level of touching. This went beyond touching. They were exploring, and his touch was awakening a need inside her that was so strong, she struggled to fight it. Rachel and Mary knew what she was going through. She’d talked to them last night, and had explained it was the same with them when they let go of their feelings for Chris and Branson.

  “What are we doing this weekend?” Branson asked.

  “I’ve got to study,” Eli said. “I promised my dad I’d stay ahead of the game, and in doing so, it means putting the hours in to study. You coming to my place, or would you like me to go to yours?”

  “I’ll come to yours. Anything I can do to get out of the house.”

  “Your dad got you on some kind of watch again?” Chris asked.

  “Not really. I just don’t want to be around right now.”

  Her father had gone ballistic at her last night for cutting school. He told her she needed to either take her education seriously, or he was going to make sure he found a suitable husband for her.

  Glancing around the parking lot, she saw they were attracting a lot of attention, and she really didn’t like it.

  “Hey, Eli, looking good,” Becky said. She was another girl on the cheerleading squad, and she looked right past Aria, straight to Eli.

  She didn’t let it bother her. His hands were on her, no one else.

  “Go away,” he said.

  “Is that any way to talk to me? We did date for a little while.”

  Chris and Branson started laughing. “You called hooking up ‘dating’?”

  Aria hated it. She could pretend that she didn’t, but she really did. Eli had slept with everyone who would give him the time of day.

  “Still, I know how special I was to him,” Becky said. “I can make him feel so good.”

  Eli leaned down, kissing Aria’s neck. “Guess again, Becky. I’m taken, and there’s only one girl who can make me feel good, and she’s in my arms right now.”

  The look of shock on Becky’s face would have made her laugh any other day of the week, only it no longer seemed funny to her. This was her life.

  “I’m going to head on in. I’ve got to get some things out of my locker.” Aria left her friends, heading inside without waiting around to talk. One day they had been an official couple, and already she felt like shit. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, and she didn’t understand what the hell was wrong with her. Eli meant everything to her, and even though she’d never thought their relationship would take the next stop, it had. She loved it when he touched her, put his arms around her, and the way he looked at her, she was growing addicted to that alone.

  Going to her locker, she unlocked it with the right number code, and dumped her large bag inside. There, she changed the books that she would need for that day.

  “What’s wrong, Aria?” Eli asked, moving in behind her.

  People were starting to filter through the halls, and she really didn’t want to have this conversation where others could hear.

  “It’s nothing. Forget about it.”

  He closed the distance, and in the mirror she had in her locker, she stared into his troubled blue eyes. “Talk to me. You could before. What’s the difference now?”

  “Before you were just my friend. Now, it’s different, and we’re not friends.”

  “We’ll always be friends, Aria. Always. I don’t want this to change us.”

  “How can it not? You heard Becky. You hooked up with her, and probably a gazillion other girls. I’m not your type. I’ll never be your type.”

  She gasped as his hands landed on her hips, holding her in place. “You’re more my type than you realize.”

  “If it isn’t fatty and the crazy,” Wayne said, and Aria closed her eyes. This was the last thing she needed right now.

  Putting the last of her books in her bag, she slammed her locker closed, and pulled her bag onto her shoulder.

  “What the fuck did you say?” Eli asked.

  “I think it’s cute. You banging the fat chick now. Is this because you can’t get anyone else, or have the other bitches gotten bored of you?”

  The anger rolled off of Eli, and she knew she had to get him out of the way before he did something he’d regret.

  “Screw you, small dick. Come on, Eli, he’s not worth it.”

  “Go, Eli. When you’ve fucked her fat ass, maybe you can tell us what it’s like to screw a tub of lard.”

  She let out a scream as Eli rushed Wayne, grabbing his jacket, and slamming him against the nearest wall.

  “Eli, stop!” She moved forward, grabbing his arm, and trying to yank him away from Wayne.

  “You think you’re so fucking smug, do you?” Eli asked. “You think I give a shit about all of this, asshole? You mean nothing to me. You don’t get to look at her, or even breathe in her direction.”

  She saw Redgrave walking down the long corridor. “Eli, I mean it, stop.”

  “What is the meaning of this?” Redgrave asked.

  “Nothing, sir. Just a friendly joke between … friends.”

  “Wayne, is that what is happening?”

  “Of course, sir. You don’t abide fighting, and Eli wouldn’t want to get expelled again.”

  Slowly, they parted, and Aria, grabbed his arm, moving him away from Wayne.

  “What the hell is the matter with you? Wayne hates your guts, and the last thing you should be doing is letting him get to you.”

  “I don’t like when he talks shit about you. It’s going to stop.”

  She snorted. “You think he’s the first person to say bad stuff? Believe me, he’s not the first, and I doubt he’ll be the last.”

  They made their way to homeroom, and as usual took a seat in the back.

  “No one is going to sa
y shit to you while I’m around.”

  Running fingers through her hair, she turned toward him. “What about when you’re not there? Eli, you can’t threaten every single guy or girl that doesn’t like me.”

  He raised a brow.

  “If you really want to stick around like you said you did, you’d agree with me, and not start fights that are going to get you kicked out. Wayne’s doing it on purpose. He doesn’t like that you’re back after he got you expelled last time. Please, try, for me, to be normal.”

  She placed her hand on his arm in the hope of trying to reach him.

  “Fine, but if he starts anything, I’ll finish it.”

  She blew her hair out of her face, and turned toward the front of the class.

  Eli cleared his throat, and she glanced back at him. “Those girls, before you, they meant nothing.”

  Staring down at her hands, she found it hard to not be a little upset. “We’ve always been friends, so I’ve known what you’ve been like before.”

  “I’m not that kind of guy anymore. I’m changing,” he said. “You, us, it’s what kept me going. Tell me you don’t feel something.”

  “I do. I mean, I care about you. I’ve known you my whole life. I know that you love coffee, hate spirits, and enjoy beer. You get bored easily with everything in life, and you want to make your father proud. Fighting is something you try to avoid, but you enjoy it. I know you do. You always look happy after fighting.”

  “And I know that you like homemade pizza compared to the shit we buy in the supermarkets. You’re allergic to cats, and you hate running on the best of days. You love soppy romances, and action, hate horror. I know you, Aria. Please, trust me with this.”

  She did trust him. It was just hard when every other girl he’d been with was looking at her with a gloating smirk because they knew how good he was.

  “Let’s not talk about this right now.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll never give up on you.”

  Chapter Six

  “What are you getting her for her birthday?” Chris asked.

  It was late, and while all of the girls were having a sleepover at Mary’s house, Eli was hanging out with the guys. School, life, had been going by pretty quickly. He was into his third week of school. He and Aria had been dating for three weeks, and even though they didn’t spend every available moment with each other, he was happy with how their life was going.