Ariel
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I'm in so much trouble.
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Looking at the tiny, curvy girl behind the wheel, I know it. Not only does she have a set of wheels I'd give my left nut for- that she won't let me drive- I'm seriously digging everything about her. The only thing better than a sexy car is when the driver turns out to have dark hair, big blue-green eyes and curves that make my mouth water.
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She drives her big action movie SUV like it's an extension of her own attitude, taking up space and owning it. She's smart and sassy and sarcastic, and after texting her all morning the only thing I wanted to do was track her down and convince her to spend time with me. I didn't count on my cousin and his twisted little friends to show up and push my buttons.
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My gaze lingers on her mouth, still curved in a sweet smile after telling me there's no chance in hell of me getting her keys. Not that I can blame her, considering I only met her this morning on our way to our respective schools. I'm still a little surprised it's only been a few hours. It doesn't change the fact that I want to kiss her again, and not stop. My fingers are practically itching to touch her, so I settle for petting her vintage Ramcharger. By the time she pulls into the parking lot of my favorite restaurant, I've almost gotten my urge to grope her under control.
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Tia Marisa waves and calls out to me as I usher Raina through the door, and immediately starts firing questions at me about her exaggerated view of my love life in Spanish while simultaneously telling me to sit down and wait for her to bring out the food.
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"Auntie, chill out." I raise my hands in surrender, giving Raina an apologetic look for switching to Spanish, then turn back to my aunt.
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"Don't scare her off, Tia. I like this one. Like, I really like her."
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"Hmph. You like all the girls, Ariel. Too many girls! What's so special about this one?"
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"I don't know, Tia! I just like her, okay? Please don't start acting all crazy like you did the last time I came here with someone, okay?"
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I turn back to Raina as my aunt heads back to the kitchen. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you. This is my aunt's place."
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"No problem." Her ocean toned eyes sparkle as she slides into the booth across from me. "It sounded intense there for a minute."
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"Yeah. Auntie has strong opinions on my dating habits."
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"Habits, huh? Should I be looking out for jealous girlfriends?" She pulls her braid over her shoulder, running her fingers down its length.
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I shake my head, smiling when Tia Marisa smacks plates down on the table beside our drinks. Sprite for both of us, because she knows me, but just assumed Raina would go along. She gives me a glare, then makes a disapproving sound and walks away.
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I'm gonna spend the whole meal apologizing for her. I look across the table at Raina, who's cheerfully digging into her beans and rice. She stops and savors it for a moment, a goofy smile on her face.
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"Good?" I ask. This girl is adorable.
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"I haven't had anything like this since I left home," she says, nodding. "Jenna says she never wants to see another bean in her life, so of course," she motions to her plate with her fork. "I get to miss out on good food."
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We eat in companionable silence for a while. The tables around us are mostly empty, waiting on the dinner rush, and there's no reason to hurry. Raina pushes her plate away finally, picking up her soda.
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"You never did answer my question," she says lightly. I swallow quickly and grab my napkin, wiping my mouth. "About the girlfriends."
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"No, I'm not seeing anyone. Except you." I waggle my eyebrows at her and she laughs at me.
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"I guess I don't get a say in this, Mr. Macho?"
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"I mean, you can say no, of course. But I'll just keep trying to convince you." I let my gaze linger on her mouth until she licks her lips and picks up her drink, dropping her eyes. Color rises in her cheeks, and I reach across the table for her hand.
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"I'm just teasing you, Raina. But I really am interested in you."
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"Or my truck," she joked.
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"I wouldn't mind getting under her hood," I confess. Raina smirks.
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"But I don't want to kiss her first."
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That makes her choke on her drink and she starts coughing, waving me off when I jump up to help. Once she catches her breath, she points at me accusingly.
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"You," she growls. "You are never allowed to be alone with my truck. Pervert."
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"Guess that means you'll have to chaperone our dates, then." We both laugh. I catch Tia's eye and drop a wad of cash on the table, grabbing Raina's hand and pulling her to her feet. "Starting now."
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Once we're back on the road, I give her directions to the nearest park. It's not much of one, on this side of town, but we settle into side by side swings like a couple of kids. The dry ground puffs up around the toes of our shoes as we push ourselves gently back and forth, chains crawling over our heads. I catch her looking at me sideways.
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"What?"
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"Who are you?" She twists her swing sideways to look at me straight on. I like that about her, the way she looks at me with her head up, not trying to play games.
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"Just the guy who wants to get to know you." I give her my best smile, and she smiles back, but her eyes are still serious.
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"Are you? Because there's the hot guy who is having serious lust for my truck, the nice guy who buys me dinner and tells his aunt he likes me, but then there's the guy with the badass tattoos who seems to have serious beef with his own family. Which I get, trust me, but still Which one is the real you?"
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I tilt my head up, looking at the brassy sky in frustration. She's more observant than I gave her credit for. And then I realize what she said and bite off a curse.
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"You speak Spanish."
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She laughs at me, the little witch.
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"I'm from Texas, Ariel. My family owns a ranch, ranches have hands, hands are family. I learned Spanish and cuss words at the breakfast table before I could even walk."
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"For some reason, I didn't make that connection."
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"You're avoiding my question," she points out.
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"Yeah, I know." I fumble in my pockets for a pack of smokes. She surprises me again when she reaches over to steal one.
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"You know Rafe's my cousin. My dad's brother's kid. We grew up close, like, real close. Which means I grew up with Zeke and Gabe too."
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"The Angels?"
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l nod. "Yeah. Ezekiel, Gabriel, Raphael. It was a popular theme that year."
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"Ariel's angelic too."
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"I guess." I shrug. "Anyway. After my dad died, some shit went down, family stuff. My mom and I ended up moving over to the east side, and Rafe and his crew- they ended up being the kings of the west side. They're pretty much untouchable. Which makes them a problem for you."
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"So, I basically committed social suicide today." Raina shrugs. "I'll survive."
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"Babe. You don't understand. They can pretty much do anything they want to you and get away with it. Any secrets you have, they'll find. And if they can't find it, they'll make it up." I rub my hands over my face, frustrated. "And the two of us talking, what you pulled on Zeke- yeah, they'll be out for blood."
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Raina shrugs. "I just have to survive until graduation. Then I'm hauling ass back to Texas. Bryan needs me."
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The unfamiliar burn of jealousy hits me right in the chest. I should have known there was a catch. There's always a catch. But I'm not going to let some chick I just met get to me, no matter how much I want her. Or her truck.
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"He's a lucky bastard." I push off the swing, starting for the parking area. "We should get going, though. I need to get to work."
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Raina catches up to me at the truck, a little smile playing around her lips. I look down at her, debating just calling one of my buddies for a ride. She flicks those pretty blue-green eyes up at me and puts her hand lightly on my bicep.
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"Bryan," she says with a smirk. "Is my dumbass older brother. And yeah, it's pretty sweet to have an awesome sister like me, but the truth is, he sucks at the whole 'stick around and do the work' thing. Someone's gotta keep the home fires burning, and that someone is me."
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The knot in my chest loosens up and I glare at her. "You-"
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She stops me with a finger touched to my lips and then taps my nose.
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"Don't you need to get to work?" She sashays towards the driver's side, and I try to discreetly adjust myself.
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Yeah, I'm in trouble.
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