Steeling Her: A Romance Novel

Nick

I’m leaving the house as the beat fades away from us. I can’t get that kiss out of my head. The feeling of her hand running through my hair heightened the tingles I already felt when I pressed my lips to hers. The warmth I felt with her was a warmth I have never felt before. I dreamt about kissing her for most nights.

Okay, I’m lying.

Every damn night. She’s the reason for my sleepless nights when I know she’s upset, be it with me or something else. The itch I feel to have her lie with me gets stronger each night. The images that run through my head are sending my excitement for the next time I see her into overdrive. What the hell is happening to me? When did I become such a pussy?

She clears her throat, snapping me out of it. Her hand roams up her arm, almost like she’s feeling awkward. Well, you have been silent ever since you practically told her you’d sleep with her. I mentally punch myself to being so stupid. Talk about throwing your dick in her face, Nick. I look over at her as she faces forward. In her yellow top and black jeans, she looks like a cute bumble bee. Her head whips to my gaze and I see her cheeks flame up.

“Fuck. I said that out loud, didn’t I?” I ask her and watch her send me a toothy smile and a small nod. She averts her eyes back down to her feet, still smiling. Hearing her heels click along the pavement, I say to her, “You do . . . look like a bumble bee . . . and you are . . . cute . . . ” I rub the back of my neck after realizing how stupid I sound. Fuck, what is it with her and making me say stupid stuff? I sound like I’m in kindergarten again.

“Thanks, I guess?” She laughs at how weird that was.

Fuck me, this is not how I planned the night.

“So . . .” I say as I start staring at the side of her face. She stops for a moment and stares back at me. That look is doing something to me right now, and I’m not sure if I like it or not.

“So . . .” She copies me and smiles back. I send her one of my own. We’re smiling like two kids who did something bad and kept it a secret from their parents.

Walking side by side, we catch glances at each other and I feel my smile widen with every step we take. “Let’s not make it awkward . . .” she blurts out and immediately slaps her hand over her mouth when realizes that she said that out loud. I laugh at her actions and take her hand in mine, feeling that spark that was between us, like a current that was flowing through her and now into me. She stares down at our intertwined hands and I smile down at her. Her hair covers her face and waves lightly with a bounce.

“What are you thinking?” I question her. Let me in, Carter, I mentally scream at her. Her eyes search my own for something as she lifts her head, her curtain of hair parting so I can see that pretty face.

“You have really pretty eyes,” she says like she’s in a daze. Blinking, she widens her eyes and steps away from me, cradling her head in her hands. She groans at herself while I stand there and smile at her.

This girl is so cute. Her eyes peep through her hands, and I realize I’ve done it again. I feel my cheeks heat up once more and the embarrassment sets in. Jesus, we’re both at it tonight. I can’t keep my thoughts inside, and neither can she.

“You think I’m cute?” she whispers to me. I feel my head nod, and I watch her cheeks blush again. God, this girl!

I walk towards her, closing the gap between us, and slam my lips back on to hers with no mercy. Her hands slide up my chest, allowing me to feel her warmth. I press her body against my own and slide my hands down to her waist.

I kiss her intensely and it’s fucking blowing my mind. Her soft lips moves with mine, and I grip her hips hard because I’m so turned on by her. It’s clear from the bulge in my pants wanting liberty. Biting on her lip making her gasp, and I slip my tongue inside her mouth and push her up against what feels like a car to kiss the fucking life out of her. The cool metal reaches my skin, and I feel myself wanting to protect her from the sudden temperature change. My body flush against hers, I can’t seem to stop what I’m doing. I sure as hell don’t want to either.

Her small hands grip on to my shirt and I start to feel her making fists with them. I cradle my arms around her face, caging her in and resting them on the roof of the car we’re making out on. Her hands drops from my shirt and takes hold of my biceps. She strokes them, and I feel the trail of fire she leaves behind. It’s intense, and I want her to keep going. I like this feeling. Whatever is between us, I like it—I like it a lot.

I slow down the kiss, feeling that we both needed some air, but I’m not stopping. No, I keep pecking her to let that feeling linger. I feel her hand reach up to my cheek and gently caress it. This girl’s kisses are addictive. I slowly pull away and open my eyes. Staring down at her with her eyes still closed, I watch her process what just happened.

“Wow . . .” she says breathlessly before opening her eyes. I grin, mentally patting myself on the back. She liked it just as much as I did.

I lean in once more and whisper onto her own lips, “My thoughts exactly.” After that, I give her one more. I stand back and start to walk backwards, dragging her along with me. I pull her towards her dorm as she looks at the building with a tired expression. I feel bad for keeping her up. We walk hand in hand, getting a few stares from people as we walk by them. I don’t care, it’s none of their damn business. They don’t know me or her. They can’t judge us.

I see lots of girls stare at our hands and flick back up to my eyes. Changing their moods from looking like they’re about to kill Carter to “come fuck me, Nick” in a matter of seconds. “Hey, Nick!” One girl bites on her lip and I nod back, dragging Carter away. It continues as we near the steps of her dorm building. Remembering the girls as they walk by us, I shudder at the thought of some of them. They’re clingy as fuck.

They flirt with me, and I give Carter’s hand a quick squeeze to silently tell her to ignore them. It’s like this every time I step outside. It’s more embarrassing when I’m with my mom, that knowing look she gives me makes me cringe. We’ve never talked about it, and I’m glad we haven’t. I’m a little frustrated with myself right now. They’re making it obvious that I’ve gotten around in front of her. I want to get her inside as quick as I can because I feel my chances being slowly ruined with her.

“Jackson! You’re looking sexy tonight. Wanna come by for another round?” a familiar face drunkenly calls out to me. I cannot for the life of me remember her name. I remember she was a good fuck though. Her mouth was fucking everywhere on me. Her legs spread quicker than butter on a summers day. And don’t get me started on the positions she was doing.

Stop that!

I send her back a tight smile and groan at the look Carter is giving me as we wait for the elevator. “Don’t.” I shake my head with her hand still in mine. I watch her laugh at me and I couldn’t help how my heart jumped erratically in my chest. That laugh does so many things to me. She doesn’t even realize it.

“Don’t be shy, Nick. My doors always open.” The girl winks over at us, and I roll my eyes.

“And apparently your legs,” I mumble to myself, but Carter laughs at the doors. Once the elevator opens, I push her lightly inside and close it before anyone else can join us. She finds a corner and stares at me. Her doe-like eyes almost makes me sink to my knees. Her head rests against the metal walls along with the top of her body while her legs crosses at the ankles.

“What?” I ask her with a smile. What is she thinking? I step closer to her and cage her in. She just shakes her head and looks downwards. “Carter, what?” I push her while laughing. She rests her head back against the cold metal box and stares back up at me. That smile graces her gorgeous face once more.

“Don’t be shy, Nick. My legs are always open.” She pokes me in the chest and I laugh at her loudly. I was not expecting that to leave her mouth. They weren’t exactly what the girl we just met said, but she mixed hers with mine and it was the last thing I expected to leave her lips. I roll my eyes, sighing as I look up to the roof of the elevator.

“I’m not going to hear the end of this, am I?” I hear the ding above us. We move out of the elevator and she shakes her head as she giggles at me.

“I promise I won’t bring it back up.” She lifts her palm in the air. “Scout’s honor.” She presses her lips together, trying not to laugh at me.

“We’re you even a scout?” I chuckle as we walk down the corridor. If you were walking down here alone, you’d be creeped out. It’s so dark.

“Nope. I just thought I’d throw that in.” Her heels echo the hallways as we begrudgingly near her door. Seeing it in our sights, I glare at the inanimate object ruining my night. I hear her chuckle lowly at herself. She’s so carefree, so chill. I’ve never met a girl like her. Usually, they’re so into the drama that surrounds them, but with her, she avoids it at all costs. She’s so different, and I like that about her.

“Look, on a serious note though, I’m sorry that happened . . .” I run my hand through my hair, missing the feeling of her hands running through it. I could let her do that to me anytime, anywhere. Her tiny hands making circles in my hair is the best feeling ever. My mom used to do that to me when I was younger, and I always loved when she did that.

“It’s okay, Nick. It’s no surprise to me.” I stop immediately, taking her words in.

“What do you mean by that?” I’m curious at what she is implying. She knows I got around, but that’s the keyword: got. I haven’t done it in a while; not since meeting her. Well, except those times with Maya, but I haven’t since then. No girl can be compared to her. Every time I even thought about getting it with someone, she works herself back into my mind. I started to compare those girls to her, which turned me off from them because there was no comparison.

“You’re a good looking guy, Nick. ” She clears her throat, realizing her honesty. “It’s no surprise every girl on campus wants you . . .” Her voice perks up and it catches my attention. The way she said it, her tone changed instantly. I watch her as she continues her way to the door and opens it.

“So you’ve heard about me?” I ask, wary of her reply. I watch her head nod and I sigh to myself. It’s my own fault I played around so much.

Half of the girls people think I’ve gotten with make it up just to get a status. It’s the one thing I hate about college. Being the star quarterback of a iconic football college has its perks, but it also has its downfalls. People only want to be friends with you for those perks and the status, and not because of who you are. That’s the one thing I’ve hated about being here.

Sure, it got me girls. I loved it initially. I slept around, putting Charlie Sheen to shame. I was like the Hugh fucking Hefner of this college. I had five girls in one night; multiple threesomes that I can hardly remember; too many wild nights to count. But at the end of the day, I realized that they only want me because of the name I was making for myself. They sniffed that out and used me, like I used them.

It became meaningless after a while. I fucked for pleasure that wasn’t being fulfilled. Night after night, I woke up in different beds in different company. Usually naked. “What have you heard?” I ask, treading lightly. I know I’m not going to like what I’m about to hear, but I want to know.

“Just that you move from girl to girl when you get bored . . . but . . .” She stops midsentence to look at me. I wait for her to continue but she hesitates.

“But what?” I push her, wanting to know, so I can prove her wrong.

“But you always go back to that . . . same girl . . .” She nudges her head to the side, asking me to silently connect the dots. Maya. She’s talking about Maya.

“Maya?” I ask for confirmation. I watch her nod with a blank expression on her face. I run my hand along my face, wanting to punch something because of these rumors. I’ve probably ruined any chance with her. “It’s not true. Sure, Maya and I have some history. We were in high school together, but I never dated her . . . I never dated, period. I’m not here to bash her, but she got around. She also helped me through a tough period, I really owe her one for that.” She nods in understanding to me.

I know she’s curious about what I’m talking about, but I’m not ready to talk about that just yet. That was a tough time for me. “Yeah . . . I got around. I’m not proud of that. I was bored and . . . well, you know . . . but some of those rumors you hear are just that—rumors. I mean, some people thought I was suspended from the team because I took drugs. I didn’t, by the way. I failed a subject and my mom beat the shit out of me and got benched.” She laughs hard, clutching her sides and resting her body against the door for support.

“Seriously, my mom is terrifying if we do something she doesn’t like . . . I was suspended from the team until I could get an A or else I wouldn’t play the next game, and I’m on scholarship, so I can’t afford to miss a game. So, people thought I got caught for doing drugs from a party. Not doping, actual hard drugs. Some people swore they saw me do it in a room full of people. I mean, come on. If I was going to do it, I wouldn’t do it in a room full of people.”

I roll my eyes and I see her lean against the door, watching me tentatively. “I have never touched a drug in my life. Well, except for alcohol.” I reach my hands up above on the door frame outside the room. I see her checking me out quickly, making me smirk with hooded eyes. I couldn’t help but do the same. She looks good tonight. Well, everyday.

“People say you’re a player,” she whispers again. I lean my head on one of my arms, thinking about how to approach that statement. She’s fishing to see if I’m worth her time.

“And what do you think?” I ask. I need to feel this girl out. Any hope she gives me, I’ll take it. I want her. I really want her.

“When I first met you, I saw it. Girls were all over you. There was no denying that you like girls and went through them like a train. When I was around you, I could see the attention you brought. Both guys and girls, you’re like this god to them. Every single one of those girls eye you up like you’re meat and they’re sharks, even just walking through the campus tonight showed me.”

She looks off down the hallway, like they’re all still their waiting for me. She continues, “But as I got to know you a little better, I saw the other side of you. The real side, and I could tell you only let certain people see that. I knew there was more to you than your playboy image. You’re sweet, caring, and . . . I feel at ease when I’m around you. You ignore all that attention. You focus what’s in front of you and you’re really protective; especially of Haley. I’m sorry I judged you . . . I shouldn’t have, but it was hard not to. You were so intimidating when I first met you..”

“Intimidating?” I question her, cutting her off. I’ve been called that a few times. I should really work on my first impressions.

“Yeah, when I first met you, I thought you didn’t like me at first. I thought that you thought I didn’t belong at that party . . . I didn’t, but you had that look of ‘why bother coming to something like this?’ ” She shrugged. I immediately felt guilty that she thought I had thought that about her. I did, but not in a rude way. I was on the prowl that night and it stopped once I found her. As soon as I met her eyes I knew I wanted her, but then my sister had to know her. She just had to be my sister’s roommate. I knew that I was in big trouble.

“I’m sorry . . . I gave off that whole vibe, really. Well, it was to stop myself . . .” I look around the hallways, avoiding eye contact with her.

“From what?” she asks so softly I almost missed it. It struck a chord in me. I meet her blue eyes and stare at her for the longest time, thinking about how to tell her that I thought she was incredibly sexy that night and every other day I saw her. It’s best to show her. I lean down, hovering over her lips once more.

“To stop myself from doing this . . .” I kiss her once more, the heat between our lips being revived again. I take her waist once more and pull her to me, loving the feeling of her body against mine. I can’t get enough of this girl. I break the kiss and hover above her lips once more. I smile down at her. This girl is driving me fucking crazy.

“Why?” she asks breathlessly, and I grin at the effect I have on her. This is the second time I’ve made her breathless. I’m not far behind her.

“Why what?” I feather her lips, our faces still close and our noses barely touching.

“Why didn’t you do that, that night?” She blushes again. I can almost feel the heat from her cheeks.

“Trust me, I wanted to but Haley would’ve killed me. Plus, I wanted to know you first,” I tell her. Realization flashes across her face in the blink of an eye. Seeing the slightly offended look on her face for a brief moment, she covered it by breaking eye contact. I immediately felt bad, but it was the truth. Shifting in my touch, she leans back a bit.

“You wanted to know if I would use Haley to get to you. It’s alright, you can say it. I know the tactics, it’s happened to me too many times to count. Girls pretending to be my friends to get to my brothers . . .” I nod, not lying that I was fishing out her motives initially, but then I became more interested in her and less about finding out if she wanted to use my sister.

“But I realized you’re not like that. You know the pain every time a girl ignores you when she gets what she wants. I watch Haley almost hate me every time it happens, but she always forgives me when she realizes it’s not my fault. In a way, I was helping her rule out the ‘bad eggs.’ ” I use air quotes, copying my mom. I realize her body is still pressed against mine. Her curves fit perfectly against my crevices; a perfect fit.

“That’s not what’s going to happen with me though. I value her friendship. I’ve never met a girl so willing to be my friend before. Usually, they tell me I’m strange and don’t talk to me, but not with Haley. Or Danielle. I’m glad they’re my roommates. This is going to sound sad . . . and weird . . . but I’ve never had friends before. Not even in high school. Everyone was only around me for the perks of saying they knew me. It didn’t help that my brothers went through the girls from my school like no tomorrow. I actually didn’t talk to them for months because they did that . . .but I realized it wasn’t them. It was the girls who wanted their fifteen minutes of fame with an up and coming athlete who are now fucking everywhere I look.” She rolls her eyes and I chuckle at her.

She curses? I mentally smirk to myself. I agree. They’re on magazine covers, billboards on the freeway, at bus stops, on girls’ phones as their wallpapers; they’re everywhere. The sound of the elevator caught our attention and we both look behind to see who it is.

Seeing blonde hair whisp through the air, I immediately step out of Carter’s touch, not wanting my sister to know just yet. Carter catches on and fixes herself, sending me a warm look with a mutual agreement.

“Da da, da da da, da da, da da da.” Hearing Haley’s voice down the hallway, I turn around and see her swinging her legs from side to side with her arm wrapped around TJ. Danielle is looking at her like she has five heads, with a guy on her arm. She snorts at what my sister is doing. Or trying to do.

How the hell am I related to that? I smirk at her. She’s a drunken mess right now. I catch TJ’s eyes; he rolls them and face palms himself. I snort at his reaction to Haley. She reaches us and swings an arm around Carter, pulling her towards her and trying to whisper, “Ryan waaas lookin fo’ youuu, girl! I ga-ve him yourrr numba’!” She hiccups, and I feel a burning sensation in my body. What a little traitor.

“You what?” I practically yell at my sister. Her eyes widen as she tries to focus her attention on me, but her eyes keep drooping. I realize I said that out loud. “Haley, Ryan’s a creep!” I back my words up. I push TJ towards her and mumble, “Put her to bed. Now.” I narrow my eyes at my sister for setting her roommate up with fucking Ryan Averman, of all people. He’s such a dick to girls. I suppose I’m not much better now that I think about it. Fuck.

“She was probably just kidding, I doubt she can see anyone right now anyway . . .” she mumbles over to me while I watch TJ practically pick my sister up bridal style and drag her into her room.

Then I see Danielle sucking the face off the guy who was on her arm. I smile and shake my head, averting my eyes back to Carter. She’s standing there silently, looking at something behind me. I turn around and see a group of girls walking up the hallway.

“Hey, Carter!” One of the girls in the group coming towards us beams as she unlocks her door while a guy is feeling her up from behind, dying for her to open the door. I laugh to myself.

“Hey guys! Hey, George!” He waves at Carter once she acknowledges him. And they’re off once that door opens, slamming it behind them. “They’re such a cute couple!” Carter says while smiling at the door.

You can hear the soft tone in her voice. I watch a small glint in her eyes as she focuses them back on me, her hair perfectly wavy like she stepped out of the water at the beach. I lick my lips, almost tasting the imaginary salt. She tucks a strand behind her ear with a shy smile.

“You ready? She’s knocked out inside! I put a bucket next to her bed in case she vomits. She’s going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow.” TJ chuckles to himself and I smile back at him.

“Serves her fucking right for drinking so much. She’s such an amateur.” We all laugh but it stops abruptly once we hear moaning coming from one of the doors nearby. Carter’s eyes widen and her entire face goes bright red. “That better not be Haley!” I stare at TJ, who has his fist in his mouth trying to keep his laugh in.

“That’s Danielle,” Carter whispers.

“Oh . . . fuck!” Danielle moans out, and I literally don’t know what to do anymore. Next, we hear a series of yes’s, then banging, then a slapping sound I know all too well. I puff my cheeks out trying my hardest not to laugh, but it’s too hard.

“Alright . . . So we’re . . . Uh, going to leave . . .” TJ trails off and chuckles. He leans in to hug Carter. She wraps her arms around him and pleads for us not to leave, but I do not want to hear that.

“Bye, Carter! We’ll see you tomorrow at 11?” I hug her tight and instinctively breathe her in, her scent wrapping themselves around my senses. God, she smells amazing. Looking down at her, I see her shift her head against my chest to stare up at me. I kiss her forehead and leave her standing there in shock along with TJ, who replaces it with a grin. I freeze at my own action and feel my embarrassment coming out again for the hundredth time tonight.

“YES!” Danielle practically yells, and we decide it’s time to leave.

After walking away and hearing the door shut, TJ nudges my side as we wait for the elevator. “You told her, didn’t you?” I can hear the smirk in his tone without even looking at him. “You told her you like her.” I shake my head and he laughs, punching me on my bicep. “Then what the fuck was that, Jackson!” He has a playful tone that is low, trying to keep his voice down. I have no idea what that was. My mind and body were out of sync; I don’t know why I did that.

“We kissed,” I reply sheepishly and shrug. .

He sighs. “No shit, Nick! I fucking saw you kiss her head just five seconds ago!” He grabs my head and brushes his knuckles in my hair playfully and I swat him away laughing.

“No, TJ, we kissed; like we made out. Like three times tonight!”

“What?” he exclaims. “Nick! Are you serious?! About fucking time you grew a pair man!” We laugh at each other and step into the elevator, pushing for the ground floor. “When’s the wedding?” he teases me and I roll my eyes and yawn. I punch him hard enough to give him a dead arm; caught him perfectly. “Fuck . . . I hate when you do that man!”

He tries to hit me back but I dodge it with ease. Both of us playfully fight with each other as we leave the building. We see that it’s dark outside. People are still walking around, usually couples or people walking to their place so they can fuck. Girls stumble on their own feet, making the both of us laugh at them.

I can’t wipe the huge smile off my face. It’s beginning to hurt my cheeks now. “You look like you’re on crack, Nick.” TJ pinches my cheeks and I grin even more as I shrug it off. He’s just jealous I got somewhere with her. “Nick! Jesus, snap out of it!”.

“What?” I spin my head around to face him. His dark black hair framing his face and a five o clock shadow that is making him look older.

“Is she alright?” he asks.

“Who?” He sends me a deadpan look and I knew instantly who he was talking about.

“The girl you’re in love with,” he teases me and I roll my eyes when he clasps his hands under his chin and stares dreamily over to me for dramatic effect. I swear he was a drama queen in his past life. He relishes in any drama that doesn’t involve him.

“I’m not in love with her, TJ. You’re such a douche you know that?” Laughing at him, I put my hands in my jeans pocket as we walk back home. He’ll collect the car tomorrow morning because I know he doesn’t want to see Kelly, and I don’t want to see her best friend. “What about her?” I push him to repeat what he said.

“Is she alright? She looked a little pale tonight.” I remember thinking that when I saw her better in the light from her dorm room. She did look a little washed out but she said she was tired.

“Yeah, she was just a little tired, you know? Assignments were piling up for her, so maybe she’s not sleeping well? I don’t know? I’ll check on her tomorrow.” That excuse was more for my own thoughts. I can’t help but worry a little. She’s looked so drained for the past couple of days. I know it’s nearing the end of the semester. She might be feeling the pressure?

Our feet shuffle through the grass as we make our way into the house. Laughing at each other, TJ puts his key in the door and we hear footsteps rapidly hitting the wood. I see a figure running at both of us, and I prepare myself for the possibility of catching a thief in the act. Then another body comes into contact, tackling the person onto the ground to the side of us. Seeing that it’s Rob on top of Ryan trying to restrain him, TJ and I stand there, wondering what the hell is going on.

“Let me fucking go, Rob!” Ryan raises his voice at his twin, who is trying his best to calm him down. “ROB! I said let me go! NOW!” He squirms under his brother, trying to get away from him. Giving up, he relaxes his body immediately.

“What the fuck is going on?” I ask openly to anyone who will give me a straight answer.

“Shut the fuck up, Jackson!” What the hell is Ryan’s problem? I narrow my eyes at him and step forward, readying myself for a fight if he dares to speak to me like that again. I will floor him so quick he won’t even reach the end of his goddamn sentence.

“What the fuck is your problem, Averman?” I interrogate him, trying to get him to tell me what’s been lodged up his ass.

“You! You’re my fucking problem!” He pushes Rob off successfully and stands up on his feet. Stalking over to me, I see his fists balled. I immediately know someone is getting punched. I can guarantee it won’t be me. “You fucking took her! You son of a bitch!” What crap has he been drinking tonight? I didn’t take anyone from him. I may have done it in the past but he’s never been this pissed at me before.

“Ryan, who are you talking about?” TJ cuts in. Ryan’s stare never wavers from my eyes. The bulging vein in his neck tells me he’s fuming. He’s bright red, too, and it looks like it’s taking all of his might to not start anything with me because he knows I’ll do more damage than he will.

“Steel . . . that’s who I’m fucking talking about. You took my girl!” My eyes widen when the words that left his mouth registered in my head. His girl? I don’t fucking think so. I step closer to him, right in each other’s face, foreheads touching. Now I’m fuming.

“Come again?” I say while gritting my teeth. I feel the heat in my body radiate in waves around the room. I’m about to nail him to the fucking floorboards. My breathing is erratic; one slight movement from him and I won’t hold back.

“You heard me, Jackson. Next time, stick to Maya; you always go back to her anyway. Stay away from Carter. Consider this a warning.” I laugh bitterly in his face, igniting a fire in my body. This prick. “I saw her first,” he claims again. It took everything in my body to not beat this fucker senseless.

“You can have Maya if you’re so in love with her,” I spit out. I grind my teeth, annoyed with him. I see Rob trying to pull his twin away from me. “And I saw her first; not you. You ever claim her again, I will put you in the hospital and have you breathing through tubes, got it?” This prick has the audacity to smirk at me.

“Fighting over a pathetic freshman, boys? How noble of you.” Hearing that sarcastic voice, I lose it completely and walk away from Ryan to see Maya standing behind TJ in the kitchen watching all this unfold. I walk towards her and watch her straighten up from leaning her shoulder on the pillar. The playful glint in her eyes tell me she’s the one who set him off on me.

“I should’ve known it was you, Maya. Sending your lapdog to do your dirty work? If you’ve got something to say, say it.” I challenge her, and she smiles sweetly at me. I feel like yelling at her. She can really make people’s lives miserable when she wants to.

“Leave her and Ryan to it, Nick. She’s not in the same league as us and she never will be.” She smirks as she says that. I lean into her, and she wipes the smirk off instantly. I start breathing to calm myself down. I would never hit a girl, but damn, she’s testing my patience right now.

“You don’t know the first thing about her. You’ve been nothing but a bitch to her from the start. Do me a favor and fuck off, Maya! I can’t stand looking at you right now.” I storm off to my room. Hurt flashes in her eyes from my words, but she quickly masks it. Anger now taking over, she trails her tongue on her lips and narrows her eyes at me, her jaw ticking with irritation. She doesn’t say anything further, but Ryan does. He shoves his shoulder into mine from behind and I turn around to face his soon to be rearranged face if he doesn’t stop what he’s doing. He’s on thin ice with me, and it’s cracking.

“Like I said, stay away from her, I saw her—” he doesn’t get to finish his sentence as I get right in his face again.

“Finish that sentence, Averman, I fucking dare you.” I challenge this asshole, who is slowly becoming my next punching bag. His tone is sending me over the edge more than his words. It’s smug and arrogant. As if Carter would even go for him; he’s nothing but a douche.

“She’s mine, Jackson. BACK THE FUCK O—” My fist connects with his jaw cleanly and he stumbles back, clasping on to it. Rob quickly pushes him against the wall while TJ pushes me to the opposite one. Ryan’s clawing after me, but Rob is getting the brunt of it.

“Relax, Ryan!” Rob says over and over to calm his twin down. TJ, on the other hand, is smirking at me. I see it from the corner of my eye, but my gaze is fixed on Ryan. My hand begins to throb from the abrupt punch. I unfist my hand, stretching my fingers out all while my heated stare is burning through Ryan and into the wall behind him. It’s almost setting the house on fire.

Rob is grunting as his twin tries to release himself from his hold. Rob is surprising me with his strength right now but his brother’s brown eyes have a fire in them as he stares heatedly at me.

“Bye, Maya.” TJ says over my shoulder, asking her to leave. She does, but not without looking back at the shitstorm she created. I connect with her eyes and see that smirk I’ve come to hate.

“Bye, boys!” She winks at me and I feel my gut burning. She’s up to something. When I find out, I will lose it. My head focuses back to Ryan and see he’s still pinned to the wall, much like me. This time, he’s just staring at me with so much hate in his eyes. The heat settles down in the room, but it stays between our stares.

If he tries to claim her again, I will do more damage.

That’s a fucking promise.