She’s flirting with him to make a sale, and even though I know it means nothing to her, it eats at me.
“Hey, can I help you with anything?” I ask, coming to a stop next to the man who’s probably old enough to be her father.
She has a thing for older men, I remind myself, then bite the inside of my cheek since I’m now pissed off thanks to my own insecure thoughts.
“No thanks. I think this beautiful young lady here answered all my questions.” He looks at her with a smile and a wink. “I’ll be back next week.”
She nods. “Okay, Jeff. See you then.”
“Have a good afternoon,” he says, waving at her as he pushes through the door.
“What was that about?” I ask, looking at him.
“He’s coming into some money and needs some new equipment. Why? What’s up?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. I just felt like I was interrupting, that’s all.”
She scoffs and I can practically hear her roll her eyes. She’s quiet for a second then says, “Dad left for the day.”
Finally, I tear my eyes away from the man’s back to see her wide smile. It’s only been one day and I’m already willing to throw away our deal. The image of bending her over in the restroom comes to mind.
I grab her wrist. “Come on,” I say, dragging her toward the restroom as she giggles behind me.
Chapter 9
Aria
The following evening I’m just stepping out of the shower when I hear someone knocking on the front door. Tightly wrapping my towel around my body, I walk through the apartment and look out the peephole. It’s Ethan.
I pull the door open with a smile. “What are you doing here?”
The next thing I know, I’m in his arms—legs wrapped around his hips with his lips on mine. “I don’t know what you did to me, but you won’t get the fuck out of my head, Aria,” he says against my lips.
I kiss him deeply as excitement swells inside me. I pull away. “What happened to only in our place?”
He shrugs as a grin plays on his lips. “Well, this is your place. Why can’t it be our place?”
“I can’t argue with that logic,” I agree, pulling him back in for a long kiss I can feel in the tips of my toes.
My phone begins ringing and I push against his chest until he puts me down. He sits on top of the counter while I answer my phone.
“Hello?” I answer, watching only him and getting hotter the longer I check him out.
“Ari, we’re going out. Amy and I are almost on our way,” Ves says.
“What? Going where? I just got out of the shower. I’m not even dressed!”
“I got back early, and we haven’t hung out in forever. So, girls’ night out! Get your ass dressed. We’re heading your way shortly.”
“From where? I need time to get ready,” I argue.
“We’re leaving the ranch in five minutes. That gives you an hour. Now, get to work and look hot. We’re finding you a man tonight,” Ves jokes before hanging up.
I roll my eyes and set the phone down. “You have to go.” I grab his wrist and pull him from the counter. “Ves and Amy are on their way right now.”
“When will they be here?” he asks, spinning around and pulling me against his chest.
“One hour, and I have to get dressed. Apparently, Ves got back early so it’s girls’ night out.”
“On a Monday?” He pulls me closer, landing a kiss on my lips.
I nod, needing to pull away, but not wanting to. Instead, I deepen the kiss, knowing it will have to last me the rest of the night, and probably the rest of the week.
I pull back. “We have to stick to our word, remember? You don’t want anyone to know what we’re doing. If we keep acting careless like this, everyone will know. Do you want that?”
“Right now, I only want you,” he mumbles, pulling me back in and picking me up. He spins us around until he can place me on the edge of the kitchen table—his hands pulling my towel away and exposing all of me to him.
“We don’t have time, Ethan,” I whisper, lying back so he can have his way with my body.
“I’ll be quick,” he whispers back, his mouth landing on my needy clit.
Before I know it, I’m spiraling out of control and he pulls away, only to slide deep inside me. All I can hear is our loud breathing and the sound of my wooden table sliding back and forth on the floor.
Finally, after several long moments of being lost together, he lets out a deep moan and his dick twitches inside me. I feel him explode and fill me with every last drop.
For only a second, we take a moment to enjoy our high together, but the moment ends all too soon. It has to, or we’ll be caught by our sisters. He removes himself from me and holds out his hand to help me to my feet.
He turns his back to me while he positions himself back in his jeans and I wrap my towel back around my body.
“So, tonight…are you going to be coming home alone?” he asks, and I can hear the nerves sinking through his usually cool exterior.
“Yes,” I tell him, completely sure.
He falls into my kitchen chair. “What are we doing, Aria?”
I lean against the counter. “Whatever you want to do, Ethan. But if you don’t leave soon, everyone will know what we are and aren’t doing. And right now, we’re doing more than we aren’t, if that makes sense.” I feel my brows draw together from confusing myself.
He lets out a laugh as he stands and steps up to me. “Okay, a conversation for another time then.”
I nod once and lean in to press a kiss to his mouth. “Bye,” I whisper against his lips.
“Good night, Aria,” he says quietly. He gives me one last kiss, then pulls himself away with a groan, like leaving me is killing him.
When he leaves, I head to my room to get dressed. I’ve just pulled on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve shirt when I hear my door open.
“Ready or not, here we come!” Amy yells.
“Back here!” I holler back from my closet as I slide my foot into a boot.
They both walk into my room. “Time to celebrate!” Amy says, fanning her face with her left hand.
“Oh my God!” I jump up and down when I see her sparkling engagement ring. “You’re getting married?”
She smiles and nods. “Yep, that means you’re the only single one left. Time to find you a husband,” she jokes, but takes my hand and pulls me toward the door.
“Wait a minute.” I jerk my hand away. “I’m twenty-one years old. No way am I even thinking about a husband right now.” Unless, of course, that potential husband is Ethan. I think my eyes glaze over when I think about all the ways he controls my body.
“Duh, Aria. We know you’re not going to find your husband tonight, but what’s the harm in looking?” Ves says, picking my towel up off the floor and hanging it on the hook on the back of my bedroom door.
I snort and turn to face the mirror to add a touch of makeup. I add some lip gloss and a bit of mascara to make my eyes pop. I don’t have time to do my entire face, but I never leave the house without something.
“Looks like Aria has already been playing with her future husband,” Amy says, pinching my neck.
“Ouch!” I cry as I pull my hair away and see the bright red hickey on my neck.
Ves laughs and covers her mouth. “Aria! Who gave you that?” Already, she’s reaching for me, pulling my hair back and rubbing the hickey back and forth in a futile attempt to wipe it away.
I smack her hands away. “Don’t worry about it. You guys don’t know him.”
I grab the tube of concealer and attempt to cover it up. “There—that’s better, right?” I turn to face both of them.
Ves agrees, but Amy just rolls her eyes and laughs.
Once we’re all in the car, our first stop is a fancy restaurant a few towns over for dinner and drinks. After we all order, Amy turns in my direction.
“So Aria, are you going to tell us who you’ve been spending all your time with?
” Amy asks, picking up her cocktail and taking a sip.
I wave my hand through the air. “It’s not worth mentioning, okay? It’s just this guy I’ve been hooking up with for a while now. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just,” I take a deep breath, “hooking up, I promise.” I show them my palms.
Ves points her finger at me. “You’re being careful, right?”
I scoff. “I’m not a child; of course I’m being careful.”
Ves’ eyes grow in size. “You’re my little sister. I just wanted to make sure. If you’re not ready for marriage, then you’re definitely not ready for a baby.” She picks up her glass of water.
“God, I know. You’re my sister, not my mom.” I lean back in my seat, turning my head so I’m no longer looking at my sister.
“Ves, I’m sure she’s got everything covered. You know what you’re doing, right, Aria?” Amy asks.
“I’m not saying that she doesn’t. I just wanted to make sure. I mean, we both know how responsible Aria has been in her life. She almost dropped out of high school, then almost flunked out of college, and now, she’s working for our dad at the dealership instead of putting his money to good use by getting a job in the field she actually studied. That sounds completely responsible to me.” Sarcasm drips from her every word as she rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest.
I take a deep breath to release the anger I’m feeling. “Well, I’m sorry I’m not as perfect as you!” I cross my arms over my chest and shake my head. “I knew I shouldn’t have come. We do nothing but fight and argue because you feel like you can tell me how to handle my life. When are you going to accept that it’s my life and I’ll live it how I want?”
“Probably the minute you decide to grow up, Aria. I mean, who is this guy you’re randomly fucking? What do you know about him? Is he clean? Do you make him wear a condom? If you get pregnant, and I hope to God it doesn’t happen, but if you do, will he man up and take care of you and a baby?”
“Did I ask you all this shit when you and Liam were just hooking up?” I throw back at her.
“That was different.” She points her finger at me.
“How? How was that different?”
“Because I’m older. And I tried to have a random fling with one guy. It wasn’t my pattern. I didn’t do it over and over with a line of men. It was one guy, Aria. And you see how that played out. We’re married now.”
I shove away from the table. “I’m out of here.”
“Aria, wait!” Amy says, chasing me to the door. “I’m really sorry. Ves is going through a hard time right now. Liam is gone a lot. And I think they got into a big fight because she came home and he didn’t. Just don’t hold it against her, okay?” Her eyes are pleading with me.
“I’ll talk to you later, Amy.” I push the door open and walk through, leaving them both in the restaurant.
I’ve walked for what feels like a mile, and the anger has in no way settled. What gives Ves the right to treat me like I have no say in my life? I’m not doing anything she hasn’t done. And of course I’m on birth control—and have been since I got my first period! I can’t believe she’d think otherwise.
I’m kicking rocks as I’m walking down the sidewalk. Finally, I pull my phone from my pocket and call Ethan.
“Hello?”
“Hey.”
“What’s the matter? I thought it was girls’ night? You don’t sound like you’re having any fun.”
“I got into a fight with Ves and I’m walking home. Can you pick me up?”
“Where are you?”
“Want to tell me what you and Ves got into a fight about?” Ethan whispers in my ear as he pulls my bare back to his chest and wraps his arm around my stomach.
“I don’t even know. She just…she acts like she’s my mom sometimes.”
“I’m sure she’s just looking out for you,” he coos in my ear.
“They saw the hickey you left on my neck, and they freaked out and wanted to know who I’ve been hooking up with.”
“You didn’t tell them, did you?”
“No! Of course not. And that made her all pissy. She wanted to know if we were being safe, if you’re clean, and if you would man up if shit went south.”
I feel him freeze against my back.
With a deep breath, I roll over to face him. “I’ve been on birth control since I was twelve. We’re covered. Nothing to worry about,” I assure him.
“I can’t believe I didn’t even think of being safe,” he breathes out. He releases me and pushes himself up. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulls on his boxers and stands to pace the floor of his bedroom.
I sit up, watching him go back and forth. “It’s okay, Ethan. I get the shot every three months. And with other guys, I’ve always used a condom, so I’m clean. There’s nothing to worry about.”
He shakes his head. “I think we’ve been moving a little fast, Aria.” His hand comes up to run through his short dark hair. He’s obviously panicking.
I get up and stand in front of him. “Ethan, there’s nothing for you to worry about. I promise.” I close the distance between us—my hand cupping his cheek and directing his lips to mine. I kiss him softly, but deeply. “Take me back to bed?” I whisper.
His forehead rests against mine, and our eyes are locked together, watching the emotions change in each other. Slowly, he nods. His lips find mine again, and he lifts me up against him to carry me back to bed.
Chapter 10
Ethan
It pisses me off that we haven’t even been together a week, and already our world is starting to come crashing down. Nothing is out in the open yet, and if it’s up to either of us, it won’t be. Why can’t the universe just let us be? We’re both adults. We know what we’re doing and we’re happy. Why complicate things by throwing our families in the mix?
To be honest, I have no idea how Amy will react. She’s always been protective of me. She didn’t like any of her friends paying attention to me growing up. Back then, it was like I belonged to her, and I guess since I was the one keeping her alive, that made sense. But now, she’s all grown up and living her own life. She’s getting married and will probably be starting a family of her own soon. Would she really care about Aria and me?
But what about Ves? I’ve known Vesper since she and Amy became best friends in grade school. In a way, I was her older brother too, but there is such an age gap between Aria and me that I wasn’t around her when we were younger. Would Vesper hate that the guy who watched over her growing up is now banging her little sister?
With Aria asleep on my chest, I hate to think about the people in our lives finding out our little secret. In moments like these, this is exactly how I want the world to end: just the two of us together. I could die a happy man right now. I have no idea how she’s gotten under my skin so much in just a few days. I guess it started weeks ago when I walked into the dealership. She was annoying, flirty, and downright mouthwatering. She wouldn’t back off, even when I snapped. She knew what she wanted and didn’t stop until she got it. Those are all admirable qualities. But how can we stand against all that’s stacked against us?
I squeeze her tighter and press a kiss to the top of her head, enjoying this moment with her and knowing that it will end too soon. I drift off to sleep—a place where we can be together like anyone else in the world without having obstacles in our way. I can see myself marrying this woman one day. I can see our children and how our lives would play out. But deep down, I know it’s all a daydream. It’ll never happen. Eventually, she’ll see that she can do better than me, or our families will find out, and we’ll end. We have an expiration date, but what I don’t know is when we’ll expire.
Over the next week, we’re careful about being seen together and how we act around each other. The only person who even sees us together is her father, and that’s because we can’t not be around each other at work. But while we’re there, there’s no flirting or touching. And as it turns out, it’s a major tur
n-on, especially when we meet up at night and spend the rest of our time wrapped around each other. Vesper and Aria haven’t made up yet, but Amy tries keeping the peace between the two of them. Aria has told me a few things that Amy has said, but as far as I know, no one has gotten to the bottom of what’s really wrong with Vesper. In the meantime, Aria says she’s fine keeping her distance. She wants Ves to apologize, and I understand that, but I also understand having to step back and learn your new place when the sibling you raised is all grown up.
It’s a Thursday night and Aria and I are cuddling together on the couch, watching a movie. I scarf down a pizza while she politely eats a salad. Her phone rings, pulling my attention away from her long, sexy legs that are crossed at the ankle.
“Hello?” she answers, grabbing the remote and hitting pause.
She’s quiet while the other person talks, and now, the room is so quiet I can make out Amy’s voice. “I’m coming to get you. Where are you?” she says on the other end of the line.
Aria’s eyes dash over to mine. “I’m having dinner with a friend. What’s up?” She sits up and sets down her salad on the coffee table in front of us. She then leans toward me and holds the phone between both our ears so I can hear more clearly.
“Something is going on with Vesper. She’s been acting weird since she got home. And don’t you think it’s weird Liam didn’t come with her?”
“I mean, yeah, she seems a bit off, but Liam is always on the go.”
She breathes deeply. “I don’t know, Ari. I was with her today, helping her out at the clinic. She’s training a new receptionist and I volunteered to help since I still rock at that job. And while I was there, she got sick—like, she got pale and sweaty and nearly fell off the stool from being so dizzy, then ran off to the bathroom to puke.”
“Since when did she need a new receptionist?” Aria asks.
“The one she had up and quit last week. I’ve been filling in over there. Why?”
Claimed By Him: (Contemporary Romance Box Set) Page 35
