Page 135 of Steeling Her
The waitress rejoins us to hand us our drinks, and we both request what we would like to have. I get my favorite, T-bone steak, medium well with some salad and fries because that popcorn hadn’t filled me up. Carter orders exactly what Haley orders every time she comes here; Chargrilled prawns with roasted peppers, fresh tomatoes, basil, and linguine.
The conversation is flows smoothly between us as we shove the food into our mouths, laughing and joking around about our mutual friends. We talk about Rob and Adrianna, who have rekindled not only their friendship but a promising romance. Rob’s mood has lifted tenfold after talking it through with her. That night, she came with him back to the house and they locked themselves up in his room, not without a strong request from Aid to double wash his bed sheets in boiling hot water before she would lay on it. Stubborn as a mule, Rob would say, but we all knew he wouldn’t have her any other way. Even Ryan was happy to see her.
“I’m so glad they worked it all out.” Carter blows on her food before she takes a bite. I agree with her and chew before I answer.
“Rob is a totally different guy now. It’s like we got the old Rob back. Even Ryan is tolerable now because he’s chatting with her now that she’s in the house a lot of the time. He’s not on my case taunting me about you.” I roll my eyes and I see her duck her own head down embarrassed by that whole predicament.
“I am so sorry about that, Nick. I never meant for anyone to get hurt,” she apologizes tenderly across the wooden table to me.
“I know, and it’s not your fault. All of it just happened, so please don’t blame yourself,” I demand from her.
“It’s hard not to.” She continues looking away from me. I feel bad that I brought it up now.
“Hey, little one?” As soon as I call her that, she smiles instantly down at the food laying in the bowl in front of her. She lifts her eyes but keeps her head low. “You don’t need to be sorry about anything. That’s between me and Ryan, you just got caught in the crossfire. These things happen. He needed to know that you don’t talk about any girl like that, so I made it known to him,” I tell her things she already knows about but I can still see the sorrow in her eyes reflecting back at me. “I’m serious, forget about what has happened in the past. Let’s just focus on the now. Live in the moment with me, please?” I watch her eyes light up with something, and it stays there for the entire meal we’re having. That simple look has me wondering what is going on inside that brain of hers?
When I tell her stories about me as a kid, I can see her eyes dance with amusement and watch her laugh alongside me. She gives me her undivided attention, even in this crowded restaurant. She pays attention to all of the mortifying childhood memories that I’m describing to her before my mom has a chance to really rip me to shreds.
My mom really likes her too, so that can only mean one thing and one thing only: baby pictures. Now that, I haven’t mentally prepared myself for. I was a skinny kid until I got a hold of a football and started playing it seriously. Then I started to date the gym every morning to bulk up, and it worked wonders.
Staying true to my words and living in the moment, we’re both now eating dessert. The famous chocolate brownie covered in hot fudge chocolate sauce that would make a lactose intolerant’s mouth water. There is a contented silence between us both as we dig into the delicious treat that was prepared for us. We got double portions because I’ve known Beau my whole life. I can see her really struggle trying to eat that amount, but also torn to eat more because it tastes so delectable.
Fighting to pay the bill on the way out was a difficult task because there was no bill. Carter just giggled when I had to fight Beau to at least pay for something. His reply was, “You can pay for the water, kid.” I knew all too well that the water was free here. So, he pushes us out the door. I still tipped our waitress. Beau waves us off as we leave and we head back to campus, where I would begrudgingly drop her back to the dorm. I didn’t want this night to end, but I knew it had to at some point.
“I had an amazing time, even if the movie scared the living soul out of me.” She puffs out a long and large breath. Her nearest hand reaches for mine and squeezes it. I replicate her and squeeze it back. Then I interlock our fingers and caress the tip of my thumb across her butter soft skin. Everything about her feels so good.
“I had an amazing time too. I always do with you.” I wink at her, taking my eyes off the road for a quick second. We fall into a comfortable silence once more. I realize that all the guys have gone to a party that I so badly wanted to avoid. Going back to an empty house isn’t ideal, but I have to, one way or another. These fucking rules that someone told her need to be banished.I mean, seriously? What is up with girls and their dating rules?
I pull up to the dark terracotta building where there are a few girls walking around in short skirts and mini dresses, waving around glass bottles and red cups in their hands. I can hear their shrills of laughter at probably nothing that’s hilarious. They’re just drunk. So, things can be extra comical when they’re really not.
I help her out and people stare. I take her hand to comfort her. I know she hates it when people gawk at her like she doesn’t belong with me. Quite the contrary, my friends.
She absolutely belongs to me.
Prolonging the inevitable, we take the stairs so we can spend some more time together and talk about meaningless things. Once her door comes into my sight, I internally growl at it.
“Are you sure you don’t want to spend the night with me?” I tease her, knowing all too well what the answer is going to be. She chuckles to herself, her hair shakes from side to side.
“You know, you really are a charmer, aren’t you?” She peers up to me with light yet hooded eyes. That look alone sends the blood rushing down low. It’s been a while, okay?
“Only with you, Steel,” I continue to flirt with her, making her to chuckle more. She rests her back against the door and I move closer to her body. A body that I want underneath me.Dammit.“So, can I have my goodnight kiss?” I ask with a cheeky grin on my face.
I lean in closer to her feeling her hot breath along my lips, and she takes the hint. We lock lips outside her door once more. Removing my hands from my pockets, I settle them on her hips. I bite down on her lip to let my tongue enter and play with hers. I sigh at the taste of her and push her body more into the door, praying that nobody opens it. Then she really will be underneath me.
I can feel the desire for her grow tighter in my lower abdomen as we kiss passionately. Her arms locks around my neck, drawing me closer to her. Her hips brush off mine, and I groan at the sudden burst of pleasure I felt. I roll my own and feel her gasp; she’s liking it too.
But it’s time to stop. I don’t want her feeling pressured.Tame yourself, man.After one last sweet peck on her lips, I step back, this time for good. “Goodnight, Carter.” I know I have that ridiculous grin on my face while staring at her, thinking about the million and one positions I’ll have her in when the time is right. I shake my head to liberate myself from the sinful thoughts I’m having. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” I ask and watch her nod.
“Goodnight, Nick!” she waves at me. I walk away from her back down the hallway I sauntered up just moments ago. The rapid growth of the large bulge in my pants makes my cheeks flush. My mind is acting up, again, while I try to adjust him into position so people can’t see how hard I am for her. Tonight is a particularly bad one, for whatever reason.
As soon as I enter the house, I know it’s time for a very long and cold shower. I drag my top over my head and fling it on the desk where there is a bundle of my clothes sitting in a mess on top of my books.
I sit on my bed in the darkness. The house may be empty, but I’ve got a wide smile on my face. Watching my hands play with each other, I think about what happened tonight. I laugh a little to myself as I think back to when I would move from girl to girl. Now, I’m a different person. I like this version of myself. I enjoy just having her on my mind. No games, no mixed signals. It’s just so simple.
The doorbell chimes across the hall, and I furrow my brows. I don’t know anyone who would call around to the house at this hour of the night. I amble back to the dark oak acting as a safety barrier between me and the person on the other side. Once I open the door, I feel my brows shoot up.
“Can I take you up on that offer of staying over?” Carter blushes with a bag in her hold. Not expecting her to be here, I feel the rush of excitement to have her standing here right in front of me. I slip my hand around her waist and pull her to my bare chest, closing the door as a response to her question.
“You most certainly can, Steel.” I smirk and take her bag from her grasp, bringing her back down to my room where we can settle for the night.
