Page 94 of Steeling Her
Chapter Twenty-One
So I Guess This Is Where I Leave You
Nick
Today is a good day.I can’t wipe the stupid smile off my goddamn face, but it’s a good day. The sun is shining, the house is silent, and I have the soft breaths of a beautiful girl laying next to me fanning my face.
She fell asleep beside me last night; cuddled up to me because she was petrified of the movie we watched. It’s a tactic of mine. I get the scariest movie to watch and allow them feel the fear so that they depend on me to hold them, and that is exactly what I did with Carter last night. I held on to her the entire time and I still am. It feels so good to have her in my hold.
My large arms cradle her body, protecting her from any potential monsters. Ryan being one of them.
She took away all the bad blood I had from last night. I still want to kill TJ, but it has been reduced by a significant amount thanks to this girl. TJ should thank her tenfold, because if she wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have stopped myself from beating him unconscious.
I look down at my shoulder and remember her touch. It burned through the material and through my skin. The sensation had me weak at my knees. It took her touch to stop my rage. That has never happened before. I remember looking into her beady blue eyes, pleading to stop the violence. Then I pulled myself away from TJ and felt her hands separate us as she aided my best friend.Ex-best friend.
The fucking nerve of him banging my sister behind my back. I know what he’s like. He’s exactly like me when it comes to girls. The old me. The new me is all for focusing on Carter, and only her.
But to feel that betrayal was enough to set me off. The two of them sneaking around my back, hooking up, and doing God knows what really lit a fire under my ass. Hence, the fight erupting between me, him, and Haley.
Haley . . . she needs to be spoken to. Pronto. She doesn’t get to speak about Carter like that. I heard her snap at her for helping TJ last night. She threw some not so subtle digs at her, and I didn’t like it one bit. But much to my surprise, when I thought that she would stand up for herself, TJ took the initiative. He opened his mouth up and put a stop to his new fling’s words. I can’t wait until my point is proven and he walks into another girl’s bed. It’s always the same with the guys in this house.
We set our eyes on something we like.
We get to know her, pretending we’re interested in more than sex.
We flirt and compliment her, softening her up.
We make the move and make out a little to get a feel of how far this girl will go.
Once we know, we subtly tell them we should go somewhere quiet.
We get back to their place or ours, though I have never taken a girl back to my room.
We bang them and leave early before they wake up.
But not anymore. Not for me. I’m done with that. I just want Carter. I’m not too sure what I want from her, but I know I want her.
Whether it’s beside her, around her, wrapped around her, kissing her or . . . in her, I want her. I really fucking want her. All of her.
I want to be that guy she trusts to lose herself to. I want to be that guy she smiles about when she thinks about me. I want that look she gave to her father and brothers in the hospital directed at me and only me. I want those beautiful blue eyes shining with happiness because it’s me.
I look down at the sleeping beauty tangled in the sheets with me, fully dressed and on my chest. Her soft brown hair flares across the bed and drapes over my arm. I instinctively pull her closer, as if she’s not close enough. Her body feels so fucking amazing against mine. It’s like a jigsaw piece finding it’s place and matching perfectly.
It’s Tuesday. I have classes in an hour, but I haven’t gotten up because she’s laying here with me. I woke up, completely forgetting as to why I felt so comfortable. It’s because she’s here with me. When she drifted off beside me, I didn’t want to wake her. I didn’t have the heart to when she said that she wasn’t going to stay. I would’ve carried her home and laid her in her own bed, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of something telling me that I needed to let her sleep. So, I pushed the thought out of my mind and assured myself I needed her with me. After making up with her yesterday, I didn’t want to leave her. I couldn’t bring myself to. Feeling her lips once again took a part of me.
It was amazing. It felt like that first lick of your ice cream on a hot day. The first sip of your drink when you’re parched. The first A you get in class. The first kiss you have with someone you like.
It felt amazing to feel her lips on mine once again. I have no other words to describe how it felt. It just felt so right. I just couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I still can’t, because this girl is doing something to me. I’m not sure what but she is. Knowingly or not, I can’t help but want to be around her and protect her. The sudden urge to keep her here with me becomes larger than life, and I don’t want to move away from her.
This beautiful girl laying next to me is doing something to my insides like no girl has done before. The scary thing is, I don’t mind it one bit. I can’t put it into words because thereareno words that will describe what I’m feeling for her. It’s something I have no control over. I’m so lost in her.
As if she can feel my eyes on her, she begins to stir around on my chest. She yawns widely, and I smile at the sight of her. She’s so cute. And pretty even in the morning. It’s a sight that I could become accustomed to, easily.
“Morning,” I greet her and place her head to to mine slowly while she tries to open her glued eyes. I chuckle at her struggling to open them up. She’s too damn cute.
“Morning,” she replies tirelessly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep.” She sits herself up, but I don’t like the cold feeling, so I pull her back down so she’s flush against me once again. She giggles beside me, and I feel so happy that I can hear that laugh once again.
“Don’t be sorry. I wanted you to stay the night, Carter. I decided to let you sleep when you drifted off during the movie.” I laugh at the memory of her hiding behind the covers to stop herself from watching it, then she would curse me to hell because I was laughing at her.
