She liked the feel of his touch, and how he couldn’t seem to stop.
“I won’t let your dad marry you off.”
Aria chuckled. “You know he probably wouldn’t do it. He comes across as being an asshole, but he’s actually not so bad.”
“Still don’t like him.”
“Your dad is an asshole. He sent you off to military school when he could have made a simple donation to Redgrave’s,” she said.
“Yeah, well, we all have issues with our parents. It’s why we cover for each other.”
The drive was over too soon, and he was pulling up outside of her home.
“Thank you for the ride, Eli, and I’m so pleased you’re here.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be picking you up.”
“You will?”
“Yep. Be ready.”
“I will.” She climbed out of the car, and walked toward the door, giving him a wave before entering her home. It was a large home with ten bedrooms. Her father was wealthy. All of her friends’ parents were wealthy, and it was one of the reasons her father hadn’t sent her away.
“Was that Eli Waters I saw in my driveway?” Harvey Dean, her father, asked.
“It was. He’s back.”
“That must have cost a fortune. Wayne had to go through plastic surgery after what that boy did to him. You ever find out what happened?”
“I don’t know, Dad. He’s not a bad guy, and he made sure I was back on time.”
Her mother made her way out of the sitting room. “Eli’s back.”
“Lisa, I don’t like him around our girl.”
“Harvey, some things you can’t control,” Lisa said, glaring at her husband.
Aria looked between her parents, and decided not to get involved in whatever argument they were having that day.
“I’m going to bed.”
Chapter Two
“Your father doesn’t like me,” Eli said.
Aria tossed her bag into the back and put her seatbelt on. “He doesn’t like anyone unless he’s getting something from it. I’m sure it’s what pisses him off about me.”
“How does it piss him off?”
“First, I’m not a boy. If I was a boy he’d have the heir he wanted to take over his company. I’m not interested. Also, he wishes he could marry me off. I think he’s hoping I’ll marry one of his friends.”
Eli gripped the steering wheel tightly. He didn’t like the thought of his girl with anyone else. She was his, and he’d been waiting for her for the past year. That was what kept him going, his memories of her, and the pictures he had of her.
“We’re going to get a lot of stares,” she said.
“I don’t give a fuck. They can all look as far as I’m concerned.”
“You’re a rebel.” She chuckled.