Dig

by L.A. Ferro

While I'm not ready to claim Aria, I also know I wouldn't be able to handle seeing another guy touch her.

Aria is my type to a tee, from looks to personality. From the texts we've exchanged, I know she doesn't take shit, and from the way her eyes locked on mine like I would be her worst fucking mistake, I knew I had to have her. I wanted nothing more than to close the mere inches between us and suck the flavor of her candy pink lip gloss right off her perfect mouth. I wanted to be her mistake as much as she would be every bit of mine.

I take a step in, closing the distance between our bodies before wrapping one arm around her waist and pinning her to my front so she can feel every inch of my arousal. "Just so we're crystal clear, I fucking want you." Her eyes go wide when she feels my erection against her stomach, and she bites that damn pouty lip again. "Stop teasing me, pretty girl. I'm not going to kiss you tonight."

Resting my forehead against hers, I say, "I don't think you're ready for your last first kiss, pretty girl." I place a chaste kiss on her forehead before I let her go. As she stands there, eyes locked on mine, I can't tell what she's thinking. "Holden—" I start walking backward, effectively cutting off her response. I'm either going to see her tomorrow, or I won't. She either feels me running through her veins the same way I feel her, or she doesn't. It's as simple as that. I put my cards on the table, and I'm playing for keeps. Aria Montgomery will be my everything, or she will be nothing.

"You know, I wasn’t trying to be mean earlier. It’s just you’re more suited for a guy like Logan. I just don’t want to see you get hurt." Wow, and there it is. The truth bomb. She doesn’t think I could land a guy like Holden, or if I did, I couldn’t keep his attention. Her eyes said what her mouth didn’t: I’m not pretty enough. Such a fucking bitch. I know I’m not a ten, but damn. At least one thing is going my way tonight. Kyla pulls into my driveway, making what I’m about to say all the more convenient for me. I know I should bite my tongue, but I don't. "Kyla, look. I know we’ve never been best friends, but that was just cruel. I’m not sure if you’re intentionally being a bitch or just that dense, and you didn’t think I’d pick up on your snide undertones. Either way, while I’m in the season of taking inventory of the people I care to keep around in my life, unfortunately, you didn’t make the cut."

Unknown: Hey pretty girl How did he get my number? We’ve only messaged each other back and forth through our socials. My heart does a little flip in my chest regardless. "What the hell has you smiling like that?" I hadn’t even realized I was smiling. Damn, I have it bad.

"That’s cool you don’t want to talk about it, but whoever put that smile on your face is probably a keeper, because I can’t tell you the last time I’ve seen you smile like that." I close my eyes and take a deep breath, letting his words sink in. He’s right.

Unknown: Hey pretty girl. I want to see you tomorrow. Tell me I can. Why do I love it so much when he calls me that? I’m lying down, and this man makes me weak in the knees. I wish I hadn’t had to leave tonight. I wanted to stay so bad.

As I see it now, I have two options: ignore this text, knowing nothing good can come out of going down this road with Holden, or jump in, dive in headfirst, eyes wide open, and pray that I’m wrong.

Any type of relationship is the last thing I need on my plate right now. I feel like my entire life is in limbo, and I’m at some monumental crossroads th...

I want him. I’m already fucked up. I already feel broken and utterly lost. How much more damage can he really cause when all that’s there to work with are pieces? That settles it. I quickly program his number in my phone.

This guy has me crushing hard. I want to do whatever he asks of me.

I’m no idiot; Holden Hayes is completely out of my league. He’s the guy girls like me wish they could land, but never do.

This morning when I woke, I had a message from him waiting that read, "Good morning, pretty girl. Krauss Athletic Association. Field 6." I never said anything back. I debated it all day, but I’m sure he saw I read it, and if he understands me the way I think he does, then he knows I’ll show. If the way he makes me feel goes both ways, even in the slightest, there’s no way I wouldn’t. I’m hooked.

Damn, he looks hot in a uniform. The way his white pants stretch across his strong thighs should be a sin. No one should look that good. When he turns to run back to his outfield position, and I get a view of that ass, I stop dead in my tracks. Sure, last night he was fine as wine, but today he’s a god.

"Hey, Aria, Holden said you might show up. Why are you standing over here? Come join Trent and me on the bleachers. I have an ice-cold beer with your name all over it." Connor is seriously so sweet, he’s the kind of guy I should go for. He’s got that typical boy-next-door vibe going on. The one where he’s going to be your best friend, the one you sneak out your window at night to hang out with and literally do nothing else. Then before you know it, he sneaks up on you and steals your heart.

I look up and scan the field for Holden. When I find him, his eyes are pinned on me as he pounds his hand into his glove, readying himself for a catch, but when he cracks his neck and subtly shakes his head, I know he’s pissed, and when I look down, I realize why. Connor didn’t just grab my hand, our fingers are laced, and we look way too comfortable. We look like a couple.

"Hey, wait, the guys are just fucking around. Did that offend you? You’re fresh meat. They didn’t mean anything by it." Crossing my arms over my chest, I shift my weight to one leg and give him the sweetest smile I can muster before saying, "Thanks, good to know they didn’t genuinely find me attractive." His head rears back, and his mouth drops open. "What, no, that’s not what I was saying. Aria, are you serious right now? Half the team wants to bone you, guaranteed, me included." Connor slaps a hand over his mouth, and this time I can’t help but smile. He slipped, and he knows it. "So, which is it, Conner? I’m not worth a catcall, or they want to fuck my brains out?"

The fact that Holden left the dugout to come over and speak to me is an attention grabber. If I thought the catcalling sucked, this feeling is monumentally worse. His move has garnered the attention of his entire bench and a few people in the bleachers. "Eyes on me pretty girl." When I turn my attention back to him, his expression is mixed. "Holden, everyone’s staring—" He cuts me off. "Yeah, that’s kind of the point. Apparently, everyone needed a reminder about what’s mine." I don’t miss how his eyes narrow on me or how his jaw clenches, like saying those words aloud pains him, but that can’t be right. Why say them at all if that was the case?

Stepping into me, he places his hand around my neck before pulling me into him. His lips brush against my ear, and I swear my entire body feels like it's about to go up in flames. There is no way to hide the goosebumps that break out down my neck and arms from his mouth being so close.

"I knew you were going to be a problem." Placing his hands on my hips, he pulls me flat against his chest and bends down to whisper in my ear. "Tell me, pretty girl, have you thought about me as much as I’ve thought about you?" His lips once again skim the shell of my ear, sending delicious tendrils of heat straight to my core. Shit.

Throwing his arm out, he stops me. "Aria, you don’t get to do that. You don’t get to walk away from me. I’m the one who should be pissed, not you. I basically had to watch you flirt with Connor the entire game. The whole team thought you were his girl. Then you missed two innings to run off with him. Don’t even get me started on Trent." I throw my hands up in the air on that one. "I didn’t even talk to Trent. I said maybe one sentence." He puts his hands on his hips, and his jaw visibly clenches. "Yeah, that’s one sentence too many. Just do me a favor. Stay away from Trent." I’m sure he doesn’t miss my shocked expression at his bold request because he adds, "Please."

A hand finds my chin, and Holden is there when I open them. His expression is soft and curious. "What are you thinking, Aria?" I don’t know why the following words come out of my stupid mouth, but they do, consequences be damned. "I was thinking about how I want to lick the sweat off your neck." Surprisingly, my admission doesn’t make me blush, I don’t feel stupid or embarrassed, and maybe that’s because the man staring back at me is biting his lip and closing his eyes on a groan before pressing his body against mine, pinning me to the truck. He wants me just as much as I want him.

She has consumed every waking thought since I laid eyes on her. A relationship is the last thing I need or want, but I can’t walk away from her. I purposefully didn’t text her all day, and it killed me. I wanted to hear her sass. Hell, part of me craved it. She is so easy to wind up, and I love it. Most girls I’ve been with do whatever I want and go along with anything and everything. While that has its perks sometimes, I don’t want a fucking puppet. I want Aria.

I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t for her to sit on the bench and get cozy with Connor all afternoon. I nearly lost my shit when the guys started whistling as she jumped off the bleachers. While I know Connor wouldn’t break bro-code, the insane jealousy I felt knowing the guys didn’t realize she was my girl was telling. I knew then that this was more, she was more, and I wanted it all.

There’s a reason the entire bench and small audience in the bleachers watched in awe as I walked over to Aria. When I play, I’m all in. There is no halfway, not even out here playing beer tournaments. This is off-season rec ball, it’s not that serious, but that’s never stopped me from treating it like any other game. She managed to do what’s never been done. Aria didn’t just steal my focus. She smashed it to pieces by just existing.

I left the dugout and the game for her to make sure everyone knew she wa...

"Are you going to sit there and stare at me all night, or are we going to drive somewhere?" There’s my girl.

I've known Con for roughly three years, and he's about as close as I’ve let anyone come since I started my self-imposed isolation, and not by choice. The guy doesn't relent. It doesn't matter how many times I've blown him off. He still shows up the next day like it's no big deal, ready to try again. My glower must have worked because she softens and lets me in.

Her loaded retelling of how she landed her job is revealing. The Callahan's don't do anything by chance. They are well-known in the community for their work and charity. But, recently, I've been hearing things that lead me to believe not everything is as it seems with them, but Aria's last words have me abandoning any other thoughts on the matter.

promise I’ll make it worth it." "Does that mean you’re going to kiss me?" I’m silent as I stand there, holding her around the waist. I want my mouth on hers more than I want my next breath, but I know it will change everything. I will change. It’s been so long since I stopped living for myself and putting my wants ahead of obligation that I don’t know who I am anymore, but I want to know who I am with her,

her smile starts to fade, her eyes zero in on my mouth, and I can’t take it anymore. Since the moment our eyes met, I've seen it. This woman wants me just as much as I want her, but I'm still not convinced she's ready. Before she can object, I slide her off the tailgate, forcing her to wrap her arms around my neck and legs around my waist. My entire body is humming as her soft curves mold around me.

When I got the idea to drag her into this pond, it was because I was hot and sweaty, hoping to kill two birds with one stone and douse my desire to be inside her with the cold water while simultaneously cooling off. But now that I have her wrapped around me, giving me her trust when it clearly doesn’t come easy, I’m rock hard. Cold water be damned.

I know she heard me when I told her, ‘I’m playing for keeps’ before I walked off last night. What I don’t know is if she’s ready for that, and I can’t just have parts of her when I need all of her.

Feeding her makes me happier than it should. I want to take care of her, and I love that I made her something she liked.

When her eyes meet mine, they lock, and I know I’m pushing some boundary for her. I’m just unsure how. I'm starting to think her smart mouth and moxie are her shield for whatever pain lurks beneath the surface. Her spirit is swayed too easily from one second to the next for that not to be the case.

"Tell me, pretty girl. Why don’t you have a boyfriend?" She takes a long drink from her beer before saying, "That’s what you want to talk about right now. The other men in my life." "Are you saying there are other men in your life?" Pulling out of my arm, she sits up straight and starts tearing at the label on her beer bottle. "Honestly, Holden, my life is complicated as hell right now. I am beyond lost. I broke up with my ex three months ago. We weren’t together long, but he won’t let go." Knowing another man is vying for her attention fills me with rage.

I hate the thought of another guy touching her. Taking another drink of my beer, I wrestle with what to say next. I want to ask for his address and tell him to stay the fuck away, but I also need to know if that’s what she wants.

I’m sucking the skin behind her ear when she reaches her hand up around my neck and says, "Will you please tell me why you won't kiss me?" I kiss my way along her jaw as best I can before reaching around her waist and pulling her toward me. When she turns into me slightly, I grab her thigh and pull her onto my lap so she’s straddling me. "My god, you’re so fucking sexy." I take my hands and frame her face before saying, "I thought I made it clear last night." I rub my thumb over her bottom lip before adding, "I want more than just a kiss." My eyes briefly search hers for permission, and when she bites that bottom lip, I know I have it. With one hand around the back of her neck, I move the other to her waist, sealing our bodies together. Our eyes are locked when I brush my lips over hers in a slow, tantalizing dance meant to tease and draw this moment out. I want to crush my mouth to hers, but there’s only one first kiss, and I want this one to last.

We both let out a slow moan as our tongues collide. Both reaching for depth and connection that can’t come from a kiss alone. I feel her soul in my veins. And her mouth, fuck, her mouth is pure bliss. Gently tugging her hair, I break our kiss, "Pretty girl, you taste like forever." Her eyes briefly search mine, and for a second, I believe she sees my truth.

"You’re mine now, Aria. Do you get that?" She nods before bringing her swollen lips back to mine,

Slowly, I start to glide my hands up her back, lifting my shirt off of her as I go, when suddenly her hands dart out to stop me. Her entire body goes rigid. "Aria, what is it? Tell me." She shakes her head and tries to move to get off me. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I ensure she can’t, and say, "Talk to me, pretty girl. What did I do?"

When she kisses me back, I feel her start to relax, but I can’t leave it alone. "I need to know what I did, baby. Please let me in." Her eyes search my face before she averts her gaze and timidly says, "I just want to leave my shirt on." I try to school my reaction and not look surprised by her confession, but I am. What the hell reason could she possibly have for wanting to leave it on? Lifting her chin, I find her eyes, "Aria, I want all of you, not parts of you. There is nothing under this shirt that will change that for me. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. Let me worship you, pretty girl."

Now I’m mad. Not because I’m not going to get laid, but because she’s running from me, and she doesn’t get to do that. She’s mine. "Aria, what part about me saying that you are mine did you not understand? There are no takebacks. I’m not letting you go. If you want to take things slow, that’s fine. I’m not trying to force myself on you, for fuck’s sake. I’m just trying to understand." Closing her eyes, she releases a frustrated sigh. "Holden, you can have any girl you want. You can have perfection. That is something I can never be. You think you want me, but that’s only because you haven’t seen me."

You think I don’t know you have ghosts? It’s written all over that pretty face. I never know what eyes I will get from one minute to the next. They’re either full of life or dead on the inside, and don’t for one second think that I’m passing judgment, because I’m not. I simply notice my own reflection in them.

"I know this because I’m just as fucking scared. I feel it, Aria. It’s all or nothing with us, baby, and I can feel you falling; let me catch you."

This kiss is us. Insane chemistry, timid minds, and crazy hearts, because only a fool could fall this hard so fast. She knows it, and I know it, but neither of us cares to stop it.

"Holden, please, please don’t stop." Her head is up in the stars when I quickly sit up and pull her against my chest. "Tell me, baby, what do you want? Tell me, and I’ll do it." Bringing her eyes to mine, she leans in and says again, "Please just don’t stop," before she takes my mouth in hers, thrusting her tongue deep the way I want to bury my cock in her soaked pussy. I can tell this is something more for her, and I hate that I’m not understanding, but I want to give her what she needs. I want to watch her writhe in ecstasy from the pleasure she takes from me.

I’m yours, pretty girl." I hear her suck in a breath before she lifts off my fingers and sits up. "Holden, you can’t say stuff to me like that. You know this is crazy. We just met." She turns around to grab my shirt and pull it back on before adding, "This isn’t some romantical fairytale.

"Aria, stop. You don’t get to tell me how I feel. I’ve meant every fucking word I’ve said. You’re right; I’m extremely attracted to you, and I want nothing more than to bend you over right now and fuck the sass right out of you, but more than that, I never want to let you go." Tugging at her hips, I pull her forward onto my lap before placing my hands on her face. "Look at me, Aria, and I mean really look at me. Hear my words. I’m not the one that broke you, I’m not someone you need to fear, I’m just a man who wants to be a part of your world." Her eyes soften before she falls into me, laying her head on my chest.