“Can I just please say that I could care less what this dickwad does okay? So Jeff…have at it ….fuck whoever you damn well please ‘cause you are right, we have nothing together. Never have and you made it very clear last night, we never will. I got your message loud and clear.” Ari said as she wiped a tear from her face.

“Fuck, Ari please just let me explain….I was not trying to hurt you last night. I just got angry and you where flirting and…..”

Ellie wasn’t done with me though and she cut Jeff off…..

“So wait…Gunner. Does this mean if I had been dancing with one of the other guys all night and made you all hot and bothered, you would have gone off and f**ked Crysti to help satisfy your hard on? Because that is pretty much what you did right Jefferson?” Ellie said as she walked over to Ari who was now just as confused as I was. How the hell did this turn around onto me?

“NO! Ellie, I wouldn’t do that to you but they’re not dating.”

“Neither are we Gunner……thank god for that!” Ellie turned and walked to my bedroom.

Oh holy fuck……..I started to follow her. How the hell did this just happen?

“Ellie wait a minute! How did this turn to me doing something wrong to you?” I asked her as I walked into the bedroom. Ellie turned and looked at me. She threw one of my tee shirts at me and shouted, “Because you are all f**king alike! Every goddamn one of you…..even my own brother. All you do is use your dicks to think with.”

Ellie grabbed her bag and pushed past me and walked back out into the living room. Ari was standing there waiting at the front door. What? Where were they going?

“Ellie let me drive you both home sweetheart.” I said as Jeff walked up to try and ask Ari if he could take her home.

“We do not need a ride thank you Gunner and no Jeff, you cannot take me home so we can talk. We have nothing to talk about.

“How are you getting home Ari?” I asked while I was looking at Ellie who would not even look at me now.

“I sent a friend a text message asking him if he could take Ellie and me back to my house.

“What friend?” Jeff asked clearly annoyed.

“Josh, he gave me his number last night and asked me out on a date. I told him no last night but I seemed to have woken up with a much clearer head this morning.” Ari said as she smiled at Jeff.

“The FUCK you will. There is no f**king way my sister or you are getting in a car with that a**hole!” Jeff said as he took out his cell phone. I already knew what he was doing.

“Josh, this is Jeff……..yeah I know and I want you to listen to me, you come anywhere near my sister or Ari and I promise you I will break you in f**king two pieces you got it? Good…….loose her number….” Jeff threw his cell phone onto the sofa and walked down the hall into his bedroom and slammed the door shut.

“Great….just great….I guess I will call a cab Ells.” Ari said as she took out her cell phone again.

“WAIT!.....Ari please just give me five minutes.” I turned to look back at Ellie. I practically begged her to let me have five minutes with her in private.

I took Ellie back into my bedroom and sat down on the bed while she stood up near the door.

“Ellie sweeeee……um, look I don’t know what the f**k just happened out there or what I said or did that pissed you off but you have to believe me. I have no…..absolutely no interest in any other girl but you. I already told you….I won’t give up on us Ellie. I will wait forever if that is what it takes to prove to you how I feel about you. I know we just met and you think I’m moving too fast and I promise you I won’t push you but please sweetheart…..God please just don’t push me away.” I said as I watched her whole body relax.

I looked over and saw the James Avery box. I got up and walked over to it. I picked it up and walked over to her.

“I wanted to give this to you last night but I never could find the right time to do it.” I said as I handed her the box. Her eyes lit up when she saw that it was the James Avery gift I picked up yesterday. I guess she was putting two and two together now.

“Wha…..what is this for Gunner?”

“It’s your graduation present sweetheart. I wanted to make sure you got it this morning before you left.” I said as I pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear.

“Gunner…..you really didn’t have to get me anything!” Ellie said as her blue eyes captured mine.

“Open it…please before you get mad at me again!” I said with a laugh.

Ellie let out a giggle that just traveled through my whole body. I could listen to her laugh all day.

She started to open the box and when she saw the daisy necklace her head snapped up and looked at me. She looked so confused. Why?

“How…..I mean……how did you know….the flowers at Ari’s house and now this?” She took the necklace out and handed it to me to put on her.

“How did I know what sweetheart?” I clasped the necklace and turned her around to face me.

“Did Jefferson tell you daisies where my favorite flowers?” Ellie asked me with such a confused look in her eyes.

Well I’ll be damned. I can’t believe it, they’re her favorite flower! If only I could pump my fist in the air right now!

I smiled down at her causing her to smile at me.

“Ellie, when you were in Jeff’s truck right after the whole Ryan thing…I leaned in to whisper in your ear and I thought you smelled like daisies. Every time I see a daisy I think of my grams who has a whole garden of them and now I will also think of you sweetheart.” I said as I traced the side of her jaw line with the back of my hand.

Ellie looked down at the necklace and then back up at me. She threw herself into my arms…..fuck I have died and gone to heaven again!

“Oh.My.God! Thank you so much Gunner! Thank you for being so sweet to me and just knowing how to make me feel so much better. I love this! I will NEVER take it off….ever!” Ellie said as she held onto me so tight. I didn’t want to let her go. I wanted to take a few steps back and lay her down on my bed and just make love to her slowly and sweetly. I felt my dick jumping……… DOGS! I needed to think of dogs!

Ellie started to let go of my neck. She stepped back and smiled up at me. I leaned down and kissed her softly on the side of her lips. “You are most welcome my Ellie. Now, can I please give you and Ari a ride home? Please?!”

Ellie started to laugh. She nodded her head and we headed back out into the living room. Ari was now sitting on the sofa holding Jeff’s cell phone. She had a huge ass grin on her face.

“What are you doing Ari?” Ellie asked as she walked up to Ari.

“Oh nothin’, just deleting Rebecca’s number from Jeff’s phone.” She set the phone down on the table as Ellie and I busted out laughing.

Yep….Jeff was in for a wild ride whether he wanted it or not!

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Ellie……

It had been four days since the party and I had not seen Gunner yet. I talked to him on the phone everyday at least twice a day. He called me first thing every morning because he wanted to be the first person I heard each day. Then every night he would call to tell me goodnight. By the third day I was so excited waiting for his calls.

It was Wednesday and Ari and I were going to go looking at apartments. I was stressing out about it as I was going to have to work to help pay my share and I was taking a pretty heavy load the first semester. Just then I heard my phone on the side of the table and I reached over to answer it.

“Good morning Gunner!” I said with as much of a purr to my voice as I could.

“Good morning to you sweetheart, how did you sleep?” Gunner asked with a laugh.

“I slept okay. I have a lot on my mind so I tossed and turned a lot. How about you? How did you sleep?”

“Like shit….your smell is gone from my bed so I can’t sleep in it anymore. I’m going to need you to come to my house right away, get nak*d and roll around in my bed…..while I watch of course!”

I let out a laugh. He always knew how to make me laugh! I loved to hear his voice over the phone. It made my whole body just tingle. Shit if he only knew how much I would love to do just that but…….I can’t go there. We have to stay friends.

“The only way I would do that is if you had those blueberry muffins ready and waiting for me.” I said with a giggle. I shouldn’t be flirting with him like this but damn….it was so much fun! Ryan never flirted with me like this.

“Fuck Ellie….don’t tempt me or I’ll be baking all damn day! What are you doing today? I want to see you.” Gunner said so soft and sweet.

“ARGH….Ari and I are going to look at apartments so she made me block out my whole day for that. I’m not sure how this is going to work out though. I am a bit nervous about it.”

“Don’t worry sweetheart, it will all work out. Do you think we could go out for dinner tonight? Not on a date….just as friends?” Gunner asked as I heard a bunch of people yelling in the background.

“Um, yes I would love that! Where are you? It sounds like there is a party going on there.” I asked as I heard a knock on my door. Ari opened it and I waved for her to come in and sit down on the bed.

“Yeah….I’m at the gym.” Gunner said as he sounded a bit distracted.

“My goodness, what time do you get up to go to the gym Gunner? It is only 7:30 in the morning!” I said as Ari started to giggle next to me.

“Jeff and I try to get in a run and a workout first thing each day. That way if I have the time I can sneak in another one later on. Makes it easier for me to just get it done within the morning and…….”

Gunner’s voice trailed off. Then I heard Gunner start cursing.

“Oh f**k no….I knew this was going to f**king happen.” Gunner shouted.

“Gunner? Gunner! What’s wrong? Gunner!” I shouted back into the phone.

“Um, Ellie sweetheart…..I need to let you go for a second. Jeff has been sparing all week since the party and he just got knocked out. Let me call you right back okay sweetheart?” Gunner said in what sounded like a bad attempt to keep my calm.

“WHAT! OH MY GOD…is he okay? Gunner please call me right back as soon as you can. I’m getting dressed now!” I shouted into the phone.

“Ellie…listen to me….calm down okay. Give me five minutes and I’ll call you back.”

I started to cry, oh my god what the hell was Jefferson doing fighting? I managed to let out an okay before Gunner hung up.

“Jesus Ellie what the hell is wrong?” Ari asked as I flew up out of bed and started to throw on a pair of jean shorts and a UT t-shirt.

“It’s Jefferson! He’s hurt or knocked out or something! I don’t know!” I started to say in between my sobs.

“Jeff is hurt? Oh my god how???? Wait….let me go get dressed!” Ari flew out of my room while I went and brushed my teeth and threw my hair up in a pony. Please Gunner call me back…..please………my heart was beating so fast I could hardly stand it.