Page 182 of Steeling Her
“Stop! TJ, Haley, go get him!” I scold her.
“No, you go get him!” she whines while not taking her eyes off TJ. I groan and look to Jason for some help, but he’s too busy searching the refrigerator for some additional food. No wonder why he and Chris are such good friends, they never stop eating.
“Haley, I’m a little busy right now. Just fucking get them!” I’m trying to keep Carter upright in case she slides off the countertop and falls not so graciously onto the hard floor. If I move and let go of her to push Haley to find them, she will fall and I don’t want that to happen.
I want to keep her in my arms for as long as possible, but I know she needs to go to sleep. She needs to lie down and rest. She’s mumbling incoherent things onto my skin. I know she’s not in her right mind. I can feel her lips on my neck and it makes my hairs stand up and remember the nights we spent together between the sheets, where I kissed every inch of her beautiful body.
“Weh, weh, weh!” Haley fake cries as TJ pulls her closer while laughing. They think this is funny? Carter is wasted and needs to find a bed. I’m sure Chris won’t mind her crashing here with him and Danielle.
“And that is why Ellie is my favorite,” I say pointedly, knowing that it would piss her off. “At least she acts her fucking age,” I mutter and focus back on the girl who I know has fallen asleep on me, muttering things in her dreams. I can feel my sister’s glare on the back of my head. I know my little diss got to her. That, and the fact that TJ keeps telling her that he’s her favorite.
Weak bitch.
I stare down at Sleeping Beauty in my arms and indisputably decide to go find her a room myself. If nobody wants to help, I’ll do it on my own.
I lift her off the counter and into my arms. She curls into me as I carry her out the door with her arms loosely wrapped around my shoulders to keep herself somewhat upright.
“Where are you going?” TJ probes me, and I crane my neck around slowly to face him. I don’t want to make any jerking movements to wake her up.
“I’m taking her up to bed. Seeing as nobody wants to fucking help me, I’ll do it on my own,” I reply back with a growl and begin my walk through the very fancy foyer. I see two large staircases on either side go up to the next floor and climb one of them to find a room for her. I hadn’t really noticed the interior as I was too preoccupied with Carter’s niece wanting to be my friend.
Once I reach the top, there are two options: left or right. I huff harshly as I check each side, both cloaked in darkness, and decide to go left. As I walk down the dark hallway, I can’t hear anything other than Carter’s breathing. It is dead silent and I have to feel my way down as my eyes adjust to the sudden darkness. Carter is sound asleep in my arms, where she belongs. I miss holding her like this.
I walk down to the first door and listen in to hear any movement.
Nothing, so I turn the handle; it won’t open. I try the door across from it and it’s the same. They must lock doors to keep Taylor out. The next door I try ends up being a gym, which I presume is used by Chris. The one across from it is a bathroom.
The next one I thought wouldn’t open, but it actually does and I see a shirtless Chris on top of Danielle in a heated kiss. I curse shut the door as quickly as I possibly could.
“I’m sorry!” I apologize and blindly stride down the hallway further but the door behind me swings open and I feel a hand on my shoulder tugging me back.
“What the fu—” Chris begins but his eyes drop to his sister who is breathing softly and is wrapped around me. His eyes soften when he sees her and I totally get why. She’s so beautiful when she sleeps—so delicate.
“I was trying to find a room for her,” I whisper and explain myself. “She needs to rest.” I point to her and he nods, agreeing with me.
Meeting my eyes, he stares at me for a little while, almost like he’s reading me—analyzing me. He looks past me and down into the darkness.
“The second to the last door on this side is free. It’s where she normally stays. Set her down there and I’ll go and get a shirt on and meet you down there.” He turns back but not without a second glance at me; one where his eyes light up with curiosity.
I follow his instructions and take her down to the room he told me. As I push the handle down, the door opens with relative ease. I proceed with caution once I know nobody is in here. There is a small light on the bedside table that’s switched on, so I can see where I’m going. It illuminates the beige walls with white and baby blue furniture. I would have never thought that those shades go together, but they do.
There is a large double bed in the center of the room. A floor to ceiling mirror hangs on the opposite wall. An extravagantly large window that looks to have a balcony outside is covered by light curtains decorated with lace on the edges. There are a few pictures hanging at eye level around the room and a few signed jerseys by old players hang proudly beside it. The first Steel jersey is hanging on its own with a picture of her father right above her bed. Giants memorabilia along with the Chargers are on separate sides of the room. I chuckle at the rivalry that extends even in home decor.
I lift her up higher in my arms and set her down on the bed. As she lays still, I admire her for a moment, then decide to slip off her heels and set them over to the side of the light blue armchair with white stripes that’s backed against the wall with a small glass table next to it.
I lift her up slightly to peel back the duvet and lay her back down again. Then I lift her legs up so I can bring the duvet up her body so she’s comfortable and warm.
She stirs a little, and I can see her eyelashes begin to flutter open to look intently up at me. I tuck her in and she sighs again, not closing her eyes again. She just stares at me.
My heart is in two just ogling her. The way she used to look at me is the way she is currently looking at me, causing my veins to catch fire with a burst of energy flooding through me. I’m heartbroken to think that I broke this girl. I broke her down with the stupid and naive choice I made. It was my mistake.
Her hair had fallen across her forehead and before I knew what I was doing, I fix it back into place and tuck it behind her ear. The touch of her skin sets my own on fire. It still affects me.
That’s when her eyes shut close. She leans into my touch and exhales, like she missed it and was remembering it all again. I am having flashbacks of holding on to her and cuddling with her in bed. The way her skin would feel against mine. It was always so cold, and I helped heat her up. I think she wanted the warmth—my warmth. I trace her lips with my eyes, missing how I used to kiss them. They still looked the same, inviting, like the very first time I kissed her.
“Goodnight,” I whisper and take my hand away from her face. I know I’m overstepping, but damn, I want her back. I want her back in my life as my woman. Tonight has only amplified how much I need her back, how much I need to win her heart again and how I need to steal her from . . .him. I need to prove to her how much I still love her and that I’ve never stopped. I won’t stop until I have her.
Light breaths puff out from her mouth, letting me know that she has fallen back to sleep. I know it’s my time to leave her so she can sleep soundly. I rise back up to my feet after deciding it’s time for me to leave.
