Page 53 of Steeling Her
“Fuck!” he curses as his attention goes back on me. He gives me a “help me” look and I nod, telling him I’ve got his back. Kelly was TJ’s last . . . Well, I don’t really know what she was. She likes to call him her boyfriend, whereas to him, she was just a quick fuck in the restroom, but she hasn’t left him alone since then. As you might’ve guessed, he regrets getting with her.
“TJ! I had no idea you were coming tonight, babe! You look . . . hot!” She struts over and checks him out. Haley and Danielle stand beside Carter. They are all watching this unfold. For once, it’s not me.Thank the Lord.
“Thanks . . . bye!” He walks by her, allowing the three girls to walk in front of him. He’s trying to get away from her. She steps in front of him but allows the girls to pass. She presses her hand on his chest and leans into him, her tits spilling out of that dress she’s wearing and pressed against TJ. He steps back and looks at the girls, who look curious as to who she is. They don’t want to know this girl. She’s just like Maya—annoying as fuck. They’re actually best friends. Haley knows her and is not a fan. Not many people are when it comes to her and Maya.
“Do I not get a hello kiss from you?” She starts flirting with him and he laughs hard in her face.
Suddenly, he stops and looks her dead in the eyes. “No,” he says tersely and removes her hand from him and continues to walk to the girls. Once he’s inside the makeshift living room, I’m standing there alone. I brush past her while she stares at his retreating frame.
“Oh, Nick! Maya is in there looking for you.” She smirks at me as I walk away from her. This annoying little witch has always pushed Maya on me.
When I walk inside, the music is blaring right in my ears. I wince at first, slowly adjusting to the beat. The rooms have an orange tint to it, and I saunter around until I can recognize a familiar face. I see Danielle talking to one of the guys at a wall. Then I see Haley and TJ in the kitchen, with Carter pouring drinks. I decide to join them and grab a beer. One won’t hurt. TJ already hands me one and I take the first sip, sighing in relief.
I look down at the blue eyed girl looking around the room, uncomfortable in the setting. I lean down to talk in her ear, “You wanna head outside? It’s a little loud in here!” I ask and I see her head nod up and down. I mouth to TJ that we’re heading outside, who nods and stays with Haley in the kitchen.Thank God. I wanted some alone time with Carter.
I shut the backdoor, restricting the music from leaving. It’s quieter out here. You can still hear the chatter of people and feel the beat, but I can at least hear myself breathe. We sit on two chairs under a small dim light with a table underneath it.
Alone at last.
Chapter Twelve
I’ve Never Met Someone Like You
Carter
We sit at the table and chairs set located under a low light. It’s still warm enough outside. It’s dark, and the trees in the back hiss as the wind brushes over the leaves lightly.
“Well . . . are you going to leave your thoughts in your head or are you going to share them so I can get feedback from someone who knows what they’re talking about? Because I would really like you to choose the second option.” I see the bottle rest on his lips as he takes a sip. He sends me that glowing smile I’ve seen all day. He’s even more happy after his win.
I smile and stare out at nothing in front of me. I replay the game in my head. Watching him in his uniform, watching his hard features focus on the game; living in the moment.
He nudges me, taking me out of the memory. “Well? What’ll it be, Steel?” he teases me. I open my mouth to answer him but the back door opens up and people spill out of it to make their way over to us. Mainly to him, they don’t know who I am.
“Jackson! You were on fire tonight!” One girl saunters over with a guy around her shoulders. They look like a couple. She’s tall and toned with curly black hair just below her shoulders, glowing tanned skin, and black denim shorts that showcase her mile-long legs. A blue flowing top is tucked inside the denim shorts, much like mine, and she pairs it with strapped heels that wrap up around her calves. Overall, this girl is beautiful.
“Thanks, Cas! Hey, Reggie!” Nick stands up to shake the guy’s hand and give her a hug. I sit there, biting my cheek because I’m so awkward. “Guys, this is Carter. Carter, this is Reggie and his fiancé, Cas. Reggie’s on the team! “ Nick teases them and I watch her blush while Reggie stares down adoringly at her. My brows ride up at what he said.They’re engaged? They’re both so young.It looks like she caught on to my expression and shakes her head rapidly.
“Not engaged! Jackson, you asshole!” She kicks Nick as he goes to sit back down beside me. I smile up at her. She seems really cool, very approachable.
“Not yet!” Reggie winks at her and I watch her bury her head into his chest as he pulls her close to him. These two are so cute together. I can see they both adore one another.
“It’s nice to meet you both!” I finally speak up and they both smile down at me.
“So, you’re Carter?” Reggie grins down at me and I nod slowly, unsure at what he’s implying. His eyes shift over to Nick; I see Cas also grinning down at him. “I’ve heard so much about you from Nick!” I watch the grin get bigger and, out of the corner of my eye, I see Nick shake his head. They both take a seat opposite to us as we drink together.
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing?” I joke and laughter echoes at my nervousness.
“Don’t worry, it’s all good! Weren’t you at the gala last week? I didn’t know Roger Steel had a daughter.” He smiles at me but I freeze when he mentions my family name. Nick catches on to my reaction and steers the conversation away from that topic.
“She was at our game tonight! I was trying to get some critical feedback out of her but it seems we keep getting interrupted by people.” He sends Reggie a pointed look, making him chuckle lowly. The table goes silent and everyone is looking at me. “Well? You going to dodge the question again or are you going to shed some light on your thoughts?” Nick leans forward so that he’s close to me.
“You were good.” I nod while making eye contact with him. I hear Reggie snort while Nick puts on mischievous grin on his face.
“Good? That’s all?” He tilts his head to the side, challenging me. I feel the grin on my own face creep up as I’m watching him wait for an answer more in-depth than “good” from me. I silently judge if he can handle my critical comments. They’re not too bad, he played really well. I just have some observations.
“You really want to hear it.” He nods.
Reggie says teasingly, “Uh oh, I don’t like that sound of that!” I laugh. I press my lips together in thought about how I’ll put it.
