Things must be okay with Ari because Ellie and Ari came through the front door giggling like schoolgirls. Jeff was walking behind them, looked at me, and just shrugged. I was standing in the kitchen talking to Brad and Amanda. I looked back up and saw Jon walking over to Ari and Ellie. What was that fucker up to? I watched as he put his hand on Ellie’s arm. I immediately saw her tense up.

I couldn’t tell what they were talking about, but Ellie kept shaking her head no, although she held a polite smile on her face. He then leaned down closer to the side of her face and said something that made her laugh.

“Dude, are you even listening to me?” Brad said as he pushed my shoulder back. I tore my eyes away from Ellie and Jon and looked at Brad.

“Oh yeah, sorry, I was distracted by something,” I said as I looked back over to toward Ellie. Jon was clearly up to something, that fucker.

“Listen, Gunner, you better keep an eye on Jonathon Barker. That fucker is a man whore. Once he sees something he wants, he will stop at nothing until he gets it in his bed,” Brad said as he stared over at Jon and Ellie.

“I know all about Jon, but thanks for the warning, Brad. Looks like he has his eyes on the one thing that he will not be taking to bed, so if you will excuse me, Amanda, Brad . . . I have a girl to save,” I said as I started to walk over toward Ellie.

I felt the heat rising in my body the more I watched him try to move closer and closer to her. I noticed Ellie take a step backward away from Jon. I was already balling up my fists, so I needed to get a grip. When I walked up behind him, I heard what he was saying.

“I really wish you would change your mind, my dear, and dance with me. I would really love to get to know you better.”

Motherfucker. In my own fucking house going after my girl—oh, hell no. I looked over at Jeff and gave him a nod. If I lost it, he better be fucking ready to pull me the hell off this prick. Jeff was on his way over. He walked up to Ari and whispered something in her ear. Jon didn’t even notice Jeff walk up.

I never took my eyes off Ellie for one second the entire time I walked over to where they were standing.

“Hey, sweetheart, are you ready for that dance?” Ellie had seen me walking over and gave me the smile I would move heaven and earth to see every second of the damn day.

I slapped Jon on the back . . . hard, causing his beer to spill a little onto the hardwood floor. He looked pissed, but once he saw it was me, he relaxed. That fucker better not think I’m harmless because I will break him in two.

Ellie tried to hide her giggle. “I’m more than ready for that dance!” Ellie said with a smile.

“Well, hold on a minute, my dear . . . I just asked you to dance and you said no. Now you’re just going to go running off and dance with Gunner? What’s the deal?” Jon said with a laugh. Ari took Ellie by the arm and started to lead her away. Jeff must have told her to when he walked up. Ellie looked confused.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, go on outside with Ari, I’ll be right there,” I said as I leaned down and kissed her cheek.

Once they started to walk away, I turned and stood in front of Jon. He was giving me a shit-eating grin, the fucker.

“Hey, bro, it was all harmless. I just wanted to dance with her, that’s all,” Jon said as he took a sip of his beer.

“Listen, Jon, I put up with your shit because you’re friends with Josh and that’s the only reason why. I don’t really give two shits who you hit on, but if you ever lay a finger on Ellie again or call her anything other than Ellie, I will break both your arms and you’ll never play baseball again. Do you understand . . . bro?”

Jon started to laugh. “Okay, sure, dude, whatever, but in my defense, I always thought you were the fuck-’em-and-leave-’em kind of guy. You’ve never kept them around for more than a few dates.”

Just then I heard a gasp and looked up. Ellie was still standing there, and Ari was trying to get her to go outside. She had a look of horror on her face. Fuck! This fucking prick. I was going to kill him.

I was ready to punch the shit out of him, and Jeff must have sensed it.

“Whoa. Hey, dude, you’re one to talk,” Jeff said as he stepped in between Jon and me. “I think you need to either knock it the fuck off or leave our house. You don’t talk like that to my best friend, and you sure as shit don’t talk like that with my sister right here, you got it?” Jon gave me a fucking grin again.

“Sure, you’re right. Sorry, Gunner, man, didn’t mean to get you all upset. Put those ‘guns’ away, dude. I’ll stay clear of her for as long as she’s your girl.”

“You’re goddamn right you will!” I practically shouted.

“Gun, man, just cool off. You need to go talk to Ellie. Ari got her to go outside.”

I gave that prick one more look and started to walk off. I hit his shoulder as hard as I could as I walked by.

Fucking great. Now what was Ellie going to think about me after this prick pretty much just painted me out to be no better than him?

When I walked outside, Ellie, Ari, and Heather were talking and laughing. Maybe everything was okay. She wouldn’t believe that asshole, would she? I mean, I’m not saying I haven’t slept with my share of girls, but fuck, it’s not like I was a man whore. Fuck, I think Jeff had hooked up a hell of a lot more girls than I had.

Just then the music changed to an oldie but goodie. Christina Aguilera’s “Dirrty” started playing, and I smiled and made my way over to Ellie.

She smiled at me as soon as she saw me walking up to her. Fuck, it just about brought me to my knees. I leaned down and asked against her ear. “Please tell me you don’t believe him. I’m not like that, I promise you.”

Next thing I knew, Ellie’s smiled turned to a very sexy grin. She started dancing, and I mean she was dancing. I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed her and pulled her closer to me. She started to move her hips as she looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes.

Fuck me, I had no idea this girl could dance like this. She turned around in my arms and started grinding against me and I thought I was going to fucking explode. She reached up and put her hand behind my neck as she looked back at me with the most seductive look I had ever seen in my life. I moved my hands up and down her body and never in my life did I feel my dick this fucking hard. Holy shit, this girl had the power to just blow me over. My whole body felt like it was on fire from her body being so close to mine.

She closed her eyes as she moved her ass as close to my dick as she could get. I didn’t give a flying fuck that I was so hard. I’m not sure how long we danced like that before she finally turned around and faced me. I was silently hoping to God that Jeff was still in the house and not seeing this right now. I’m pretty sure my face was giving away the fact that I wanted this girl more than my next breath. Next thing I knew, Ellie had her arms around me and was moving against me like nothing I’d ever experienced. Fuck, I hoped she never danced with Ryan this way. The way she was dancing . . . It looked so fucking hot. Her hands were moving up and down her body, and then she put her hands on my chest and started to move . . .

I had to stop. Holy shit. I had to stop before I did something I was going to regret. I began to push Ellie a little bit away from me. I needed to break this contact right now. Just then the music changed.

Oh, thank the fuck . . . I stood there as I ran my hands through my hair.

“Holy fuck, Ellie, I think I need a beer, and I know I need to sit down.”

Ellie let out a laugh and reached up to kiss me. It was one of the most tender kisses I’ve ever received. Her lips were so soft.

She smiled against my lips.

“That was to make sure you remembered that only you have bewitched me, Mr. Mathews.”

Right at that moment it hit me, and it hit me harder than I would have ever expected it to.

I loved Ellie.

I loved her more than I loved anything in this world. She would forever be my whole life.