My face reddened at the rejection.

“That was one of the hottest fucking things you’ve ever done, Princess.”

“And you turned me down,” I said glumly.

He smiled that heart-stopping smile. “You know I love you when I turn you down.”

“How?” I asked, hating that I sounded small. My body was traitorous in its desire.

“Because I love you so much that I want to make the right impression. I want to be good enough for you. I want your parents to like me.” He tucked a loose lock of hair behind my ear. “Something tells me sleeping with their daughter in her bedroom might not help matters.”

“It might help something,” I said, leaning toward him and planting another kiss on his lips.

His hands landed on my ass. “Restraint is not my forte. You’re playing dirty.”

“You like it.”

My hand traveled down his front and toward his jeans just as the door burst open.

As the door swung inward, Aribel and I sprang apart as if we’d been electroshocked. Aaron stepped into the room.

He looked between us in silence for a moment before shaking his head. “Dinner is ready.”

Then, he turned and left.

Aribel sagged against me. “Oh my God. I can’t believe he saw that.”

“Could have been worse.”

“You keep saying that.”

“Still true.” And it was. We could have been fucking when her brother walked in. It wouldn’t have been the most compromising position I’d ever been in but close.

She nodded. “Okay. Time to meet my father. Are you ready?”

Was I? Fuck no!

Her mother and brother already seemed to despise me. I wasn’t sure that I was ready to take on the man of the house. But I’d do it. Apparently, I’d do fucking anything for Ari.

So, I followed her down the huge-ass staircase to the first floor. The place was a fucking mansion. I’d never seen a house this big, let alone stepped foot in one. It showed me again that Ari and I were worlds apart. The only place we found our middle ground was when we were alone.

I’d never thought much about my future. I’d figured if the booze didn’t kill me, then my reckless behavior would win out one day. The motorcycle accident was proof of that. But being here with Ari changed everything. She changed everything.

She made me think maybe middle ground was possible.

Ari walked into the dining room first. Her father was an imposing man in a crisp black suit. He was talking to her mother, but when he saw her, he broke off his conversation.

“Baby girl,” he said, pulling her into a hug.

“Hey, Daddy.”

I held my arms loosely at my sides and waited to be introduced. Aribel pulled back and then stiffened.

“What is he doing here?” she demanded.

My eyes shifted from Ari and her father to the person standing behind them—Henry.

That motherfucker.

I glared at him, but he only had eyes for Ari. This had gone from having potential to being potentially fucking disastrous. With the look in Henry’s eye, it was leaning more toward completely fucking catastrophic.

“Aribel,” her mother said disapprovingly.

“I thought this was a family dinner.”

“It is,” her father said.

“Then, what is Henry doing here?”

“He’s here because I asked him to be.”

Ari rolled her eyes. “Well then, you can ask him to leave.”

“I’m not imposing, am I?” Henry asked.

He was playing the victim, and I could already see that it would work.

“Of course not,” her mother crooned. “Aribel is happy to have you here as a family friend. Aren’t you, Aribel?”

“No,” she said, looking Henry straight in the eyes.

I saw this going south from real far off, so I slowly reached forward and took her hand.

Who cared if Henry was here?

He wasn’t with my girl. We were about to show them that it didn’t matter that he was fucking here. I’d beat the shit out of this douche bag before letting him near Ari again.

Her eyes met mine, and I saw she was fighting to remain calm. I tried my best to let her know it was all right—even though it wasn’t fucking all right for her parents to pull this shit on her.

She nodded understandingly and then took a step toward me. “Dad, this is my boyfriend, Grant.”

I reached my hand out to her father, and we shook. It was a challenging hard handshake, but I gave it right back. I wasn’t fucking afraid, and I wasn’t fucking backing down.

“Mr. Graham, it’s nice to meet you, sir,” I said, dropping back into my military upbringing.

“Grant,” he acknowledged me.

I could tell from his stare that he wanted me to feel about two feet tall, but I was used to intimidation factors from my old man. At least this guy wasn’t going to come after me with a gun.

I hoped.

“Well then, let’s all sit down at the table.” Ari’s mother rounded us up and deposited us into our assigned seats.

Her father was at the head of the table with her mother across from him. Henry sat at his right, and Aaron was on his left. That left Ari and me sitting across from each other. I moved to take the seat next to Henry, so she wouldn’t have to be near him, but her mother shoved her toward the seat as if it were life and death. I tried to remain calm. It wouldn’t do any good to blow up now. So, I took the seat next to Aaron.

Wait staff appeared almost immediately with food and drinks. It felt more as if I were at a fucking restaurant than at a family dinner. At my aunt and uncle’s, dinner was a loud, messy affair with friends over all the time, scooping out lasagna onto paper plates and circling around the TV.

Being here was like a fucking cage. It made me understand Ari a little more, and I also wondered how the fuck she had turned out so normal.

“So, Grant,” her father said after dinner was served, “what exactly do you do?”

Everyone’s eyes shifted to me.

“I’m in a band.”

“Right. But what do you do?”

I stared back at him, wondering if this was a fucking trick question. “I play guitar and sing lead vocals.”

“Uh-huh. So, you don’t have a job then?”

Ari’s hand came down on the table and rattled her drink. “Didn’t you hear him? He says he plays in a band.”

“Do people consider that a real job?”

I ground my teeth together. I would not fucking explode. “Yes. I’m signed with Pacific Entertainment. They’re a major record label. We’re on tour with The Drift, a popular rock band.”