Page 117 of Steeling Her
“It is,” I assure him because tonight has been so good so far, and we haven’t even eaten yet. Everything has been ace.
“You think so?” He boosts himself up to eye me again, trying to figure out if I’m telling the truth.
“Definitely.” I shuffle across to cozy myself up to him and angle my body towards him to peck his mouth as a clue that I really appreciate this night with him. He’s so thoughtful.
“I’m glad you do. Dating isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I suppose it’s only better when you’re with the right person . . .” He looks happy when he stares back at me. Like, he’s really happy with how tonight has gone.
“I really like just getting to know more about you and talking to you about things.” I rest my head on his shoulder while his arm curls around me, effectively pulling me closer to him. I can feel his taut muscles through his shirt, and I love the feeling of them. I feel safe in his arms.
“I know the feeling. It’s just so easy with you, Carter. And I meant it when I said I’ve never met a girl like you. You grabbed me by the horns when I first met you, and no girl has ever done that before.
“Yeah, I know I’ve gotten around but no girl has ever made me want to date until I met you. You have this innocent aura about you that pulled me in instantly. I knew I felt something more when you were reading to my sister and her friend, both of whom haven’t stopped talking about you by the way.” I chuckle as I remember the times Ellie has taken his phone to call me and ask if I could read her a story before bed. Then she would fall asleep, and I would end up talking to Nick for the rest of the night until we both fell asleep ourselves. “My sister is crazy about you, and I get it. She’s super shy, kind of like you. You didn’t brush her off when you first met her. You were kind to her and treated her like she was your own sister. I get why she was so drawn to you.”
“That’s why you’re such a sucker for me.” I poke him playfully in the chest while he lets out a rumble of laughter.
“Exactly.” He leans his muscular frame into me and kisses me again, this time with a little more desire in it. I feel his hand skim up my neck as he wraps his hand around it, cradling me into position. His tongue rims the line of my lips, asking me to open up. I do and sigh at the taste of him again. It’s been so long since we last kissed like this. I missed the way he makes me feel when we do kiss.
Those cliché butterflies in my stomach.
That zap of electricity between us.
The hunger for more.
The transfer of our feelings from one another.
The way his tongue fights passionately with mine.
Those moans from the back his throat.
The dangerously tight grip on my hips while he simultaneously pulls me closer.
I trail my hands though his hair, allowing me to feel a softness I’ve never felt before.
And every time he breaks the kiss once it gets heated, I know he’s trying so hard to control himself. Like now.
“I’ll put the dinner on and we can chill for a while, before I really can’t control my urges with you,” he chides playfully, and I bite my swollen lips from the heated kiss we just shared. Once he’s out of view, I take out my phone and see if the makeup that Haley did is still intact.
“So far so good,” I mumble to myself, successfully confirming that everything is still in its proper place.We’re all good, Carter.Because he’s gone to make the food, I take the time to try and make out where exactly we are right now. I try to find any buildings or noises that look or sound familiar, but nothing other than the water lapping and slushing around the boat can be heard.
The boat shakes rhythmically from side to side. It’s very peaceful here, wherever we are.
The smell of food takes over my senses when Nick comes back with a hand full of containers. He sets them down on the table and runs back inside to get more of what I think is food. Everything smells delicious. Then, I hear the clatter of plates and cutlery as he comes back out.
Salad, fries, bread, and pasta with red sauce and chicken. Everything looks so amazing, and I can’t wait to try it.
“You did all of this for me?” I ask, bemused by his effort. I’m so amazed at how much he’s put so much time into all of this. My God, I’m starting to wonder if I’m actually his first date or if he had some help.
“Yeah, I tried a few times to get the chicken and pasta just right this morning . . . My aunt and mom may have helped me a little on that, but everything else, I did myself . . . It’s not too much, is it?” He holds his hands out, waiting for an answer from me.
“No, no! This is perfect. I just . . . nobody has ever made this much of an effort for me before . . . Thank you. It’s very kind of you.” I smile sheepishly back at him, confessing that not many guys have made a fuss over me, not counting my dad and brothers. This is all surreal right now. I can’t believe he’s taking me out on a date on a boat and cooked dinner for me.
Could he be any more perfect?!
“You’re definitely worth all the effort I put in to. Plus, I know how to make this for myself in college now. So, it’s a win-win situation.” He plops himself down back next to me and hands me over a plate, placing some spoons and forks around us and in the dishes he made. “I told Gage to heat it up on medium and I was praying the idiot didn’t put it on high. I would’ve flipped my shit with him if he did. He’d be the type to do that accidentally. He never got the cooking skills from his mom.” He rolls his eyes and reaches across the table to start filling up my plate with a little bit of everything, taking the fact that I don’t eat a ton of food compared to him into consideration. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love my food as much as the next person, but I could never eat as much as he does. He could eat an entire cow if he had the chance. Living with two football players, you realize that they eat about two to three servings per meal.
There’s a comfortable silence between us as we eat through the delicious food he made. “This is so good, I should get you to cook more often,” I joke as I pierce my salad with my fork. Placing the leaves in my mouth and tasting the dressing, I sigh at how good it is. It’s the same one my grandma used to put on salads when we’d come down for the summer.
“Don’t tell Haley I can cook, okay? She’ll abuse the shit out of it.” He chuckles, covering his mouth in reply.
