Steeling Her: A Romance Novel

Carter

“Ow!” Stubbing your toe on the bed isn’t the best way to wake up in the morning. “Shit,” I moan at the throbbing and stinging sensation, watching my skin turn red as the time passes. I’m biting on my lip, trying to not to use the profanities I’m thinking.

I’m up and walking around, feeling so much better than I have been the last few days, except for kicking my toe against the bed. My energy plummeted and I could barely get out of bed. After the days of rest, I feel like I’m able to go to my lectures. I’ve been so bored not being able to do anything that I’m actually excited to go to classes today, to get back into my routine before it all went downhill for me.

I change into a fresh pair of jeans and a woolly jumper. I wrap myself up in warmth today, allowing my body temperature to regulate back to normal. After catching the virus, I couldn’t get warm, but it’s improving with every passing day. It helped that in the hospital the heating would be just above normal body temperature so it warmed me up. They just didn’t blast the air conditioning in my room.

Grabbing my things and shoving them into my bag, I drag the door open and make my way to the elevator. Once reaching the lobby, I walk through the area occupied by people walking to and from their rooms and past girls that look ready to walk the runway at any moment.

The fresh air is slightly colder since the year is heading towards winter. The grass has light dew on the surface and the flowers are fading. Leaves have fallen, clogging some drains for water run off. There has been a little more rain than usual but it doesn’t last very long anyway.

Couples kissing each other and friends messing around beside tree trunks and picnic tables. Footballs airborn and frisbees floating across the open area. Laughter fills the open damp air as I pick my feet up one by one to get to my classes. I haven’t been here for about three weeks or so. To be able to sit in the rows in the auditorium again is what I’ve wanted for the past three weeks of just lying in bed and sleeping.

“Carter! Carter! How are you feeling?” A crowd swarms me as I’m blinded by flashes of cameras going off. I start to panic and push past them, ignoring the stares I’m getting from people. I don’t need them drawing any attention to me. I don’t need the media in my face. I’m not the famous one. My brothers and my dad are, not me. I haven’t done anything in my life that’s significant enough to be famous. Running into the building, I head towards the ladies restrooms and feel some sort of panic dampen. I pull open a cubical and sit on the toilet seat to calm my nerves down.

It reminds me of the last time when I ran in here with Nick and TJ hot behind me. Hot being the keyword.

Nick.

Ugh, why did he have to do that? Why did I have to bring him up. It’s so frustrating when I hear girls in my classes talk about him about how sexy or hot he is. I know I haven’t been here recently so I can only imagine what they’re saying about him now. Yes, he’s all that, but he’s so much more and it kills me to think he’s getting with her again.

‘But you don’t know the full story’ I hear my moms voice in my head telling me to listen to what he has to say. She’s right, but I’m so mad at him that I don’t want to see him until I cool down. I’m afraid I might say something I don’t mean and end up losing him as even a friend. He’s a good guy, but that photo hurt me like a bitch. The sting is still there and I can’t believe what I saw.

“ . . . I know, he’s so good in bed though! Like, he’s rough, but the sexy kind of rough.” I hear a voice enter into the restroom, stalling my thoughts, and I pull my feet up to my chest and control my breathing. I don’t want anyone to know I’m here. Not to eavesdrop, I just don’t want someone to ask if I’m alright. I don’t want to see anyone.

“How rough are we talking?” That voice is so familiar. I peek my head into the gap of the door to see who it is. I see a blonde hair, but it’s not Maya. It’s that friend of hers, what’s her name? Haley hates her too. Understandably so, she dated TJ and wants to get back with him, so Haley is really not happy with her.

“Like, he pinned me down by my hands and cuffed them to the bed. Then went down on me long enough to make me have four orgasms . . . Kelly, four fucking orgasms! The guy had stamina too, we were at it all night and all morning. I literally left his room this morning. I’ll be back for round three tonight, I need some more of Rob Averman. He’s quiet, but damn can that boy please me!” The brunette giggles along with Kelly rolling her eyes, and the door swings open on the last part.

“Who are you blabbing on about now?” Now I know that voice. Maya. The serpent. The heartless serpent sent by the devil himself. Just great.

“Rob Averman. Apparently, he’s quiet but a freak in the sheets.” Kelly smirks to her friend that just walked in to fix her lipstick.

“I would say beast in the sheets.” The other girl smiles and starts to fix her own makeup.

“Well, nothing beats Jackson! He’s a man, not a boy, and man, can he ride me good!” They all laugh with how pleased their sex life is.

“What are you going to do about that girl though? Nick seems to have a thing for her.” The brunette is now talking about me. I know it’s me, because we have a thing for each other. He told me he liked me. I heard it with my own ears.

“Who? Carter? Or Cassie? Or whatever her name is? Meh . . . I’ve got Ryan on her. He’ll wine and dine her, and I’ll have Nick all to myself. Not that she was a threat. I just wanted her out of my way, that’s why Ryan took that photo.” I lean forward, causing the seat to creak a little, but they’re too caught up in their own gossip to even notice the sound. “It was too easy.”

“But didn’t he yell at you? He knows he was set up. Rob told me.” Their brunette friend protrudes her hip, staring at Maya.

“He doesn’t know he was set up, he’s only guessing. I made it look like we were about to have sex. Simple as that. Although if he said yes, I wouldn’t have protested. He belongs with me, always has and always will. That bitch can take a hike and go drown herself.” Maya purses her lips to apply the lipstick. Once she’s done, she fluffs her hair. “Besides, she’s got nothing on me. I’m way hotter than her. She’s such a wannabe, it’s really sad. Nick only talks to her because he feels sorry for her.” She smiles and they all leave out the door behind her like little lost ducklings. I stay where I am. I haven’t moved a fraction of an inch from the toilet seat.

My legs drop down, not believing what I just heard. She and Ryan set him up so it looks like they were together to stop me from liking him. I don’t mind the insult as much as the thought of her being so malicious enough to set him up to make it look like they had sex and were caught. That’s messed up. What a bitch.

“What the fuck?” I whisper to myself, and my brows slowly start to furrow at the mere thought of them doing that to him and me. They’re such assholes. I stand up and decide to make my way to my class. Once I get inside, I sit at the back, away from everyone, while I think about what I need to do.

I need to apologize to Nick.

The lecture couldn’t go any slower. I should’ve just skipped it and went to find Nick. He’ll be at home, hopefully. I hope I get there before she does.

I’m sitting in the lecture room, impatient and ready to bolt out as soon as it ends, but the hands of the clock is torturously slow. I’m about to lose my mind. Come on, come on.

“Alright, that’s enough for today. I’ll see you all tomorrow,” the professor announces, and I’m out of there. As soon as I reach the doors, I’m greeted by half of the football team crowding around the entrance. I push some out of the way and start to run. I probably shouldn’t be running right now, but I need to see Nick.

I need to see him.

I quickly look out of the doors to see if there are any cameras around, and I smile, noticing there’s nobody in the area with one.

Running past people, I run away from campus and towards the guys’ house, past the shrubs and trees lining the streets. The next five minutes are like hell. I’m sweating and panting like I need a tank of oxygen to fill my lungs. Maybe I do, I’m so unfit.

I see their door and jump over the football on the lawn, making my way to knock. Once the wood meets my knuckles, I rest both hands on my knees, trying to get the air back into my lungs. Nobody answers the door, so I knock again. I see somebody saunter down the hallway without at care in the world through the windows and then it opens.

He’s standing there in a black fitting shirt and grey sweatpants hanging loosely off his hips. I can see a band of tanned skin just above it, and I can feel myself nearly drool at the sight of him. It’s Nick. His lackadaisical expression morphs into one of surprise. Dropping the water bottle in his hand, his eyes widen at the sight of me.

“Carter? Are you okay?” He asks stepping slowly towards me.

“Um . . . Y-yeah . . . I’m . . . Can I . . . come in?” I pant trying to catch my breath but it’s really hard to right now. I’m rubbing my chest like it’s going to help the oxygen intake. The sharp coldness circulating around my lungs makes me hold my breath after each intake.

“Yeah, sure, come in.” He takes my arm and guides me towards the kitchen. “You can sit there.” He points to a seat at the countertop. I sit on the cushion while he gets me some water. I’m breathing slowly to get a grip of myself. Maybe running wasn’t the best idea.

I thank him for the water and calm down as well as cool myself down. Rolling the plastic along my skin for a soothing effect, I decide that the cold marble does a much better job so I lean my cheeks on the surface, sighing at how cold is the material is. I used to do this as a kid when I’d come in from playing outside with my brothers during summer.

I look weird, so Nick starts to laugh at me. I laugh back, knowing I look ridiculous.

“I’m so unfit.” I smile up at him. His eyes are shining while staring at me. Once I’m done dealing with my rapid heart rate, I sit back and stand up next to him. “Um, so, can I talk with you? Alone?” I ask him and he nods, bringing me up to his room, one I’ve never been in before. A double bed is in the center up against the white wall, blue cloth decorates the sheets, and there’s a desk opposite to the bed. Clothes are piled on top of it as well as along the floor. A few football posters hanging on the walls, and some cheerleaders or dancers for teams are there too. A large window is beside the end of the bed, adjacent to it, while there’s an open door to what looks like the bathroom on the other side of the bed.

“Sorry about the mess, I wasn’t expecting someone to come over.” He starts to pick some clothes up and throw them in the laundry basket beside the door. He sits on the bed, and I stand in the doorway looking around his room. “What do you want to talk about?” he asks with a little quiver in his voice. He’s knows there’s only one thing that we need to talk about.

“Nick, I owe you an apology.” He raises both eyebrows at me, shocked that I’m saying this. “I know that Maya and Ryan set you up. Well, I just found out about it now. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, or believe you, or give you the chance to explain your side of the story. I just . . . I didn’t want to get hurt again.” He stands up, taking me in his arms, and I wrap my own around his waist, allowing him hug me. I missed his touch so much. He’s so warm and cozy.

“I should be the one who’s sorry, Carter, not you. I know I didn’t do anything, but I still made you upset. I’m sorry that I did. But I’m glad you know that I was set up. How’d you find out anyway?” he asks, tightening his hold on me.

“This morning, I heard Maya gloating about you in bed and that she and Ryan set you up so I would stay away from you,” I mumble into his rock hard chest. I feel so guilty that I never gave him the chance to explain, I was just so angry with him and thought it was happening all over again.

“Yeah, that would be right . . . I’m sorry this happened though. I haven’t touched Maya since the day after meeting you, which has been a while.” He laughs, mumbling the last part away from me. What does he mean by that?

“I really am sorry though . . .” I step back away from him. I send him a tight smile and look down at my intertwined fingers. I play with them to distract myself.

“Hey, I get why you reacted like that. Your dad and brothers came and spoke to me—”

“They what?” I cover my face in embarrassment while he bounces back on his bed, chuckling at my beetroot-red face. Why do they do this crap every time? It’s like they want guys to never touch me or be with me. It’s super annoying and too much.

“Yeah, they came and spoke to me . . . and Ryan.” I groan loudly and walk over to the wall beside him. He laughs again. I sigh in annoyance at them. I’m going to have to have a word. That’s so embarrassing. I hate when they do that. No wonder I can’t get any dates.

“Ugh, that’s so embarrassing. I’m just going to leave now.” Before I could even take a step out the door, Nick wraps his hand around my wrist, pulling me back in.

“I’m not done with you yet, Steel.” I turn to see a smile on his face. One I’m a little skeptical of, if I’m honest. If he’s going to make me do something that’s embarrassing, I swear. Hearing what my brothers and dad did is enough for one day.

“Is that so, Jackson?” I ask him laughing in between my words because I’m nervous. He nods and sits back down on the bed still pulling me closer to him.

“I want something from you,” he whispers to me. I settle between his legs and he starts to stroke the backs of my legs with his calloused hands. They feel amazing despite the hard texture. All while this is happening, my heart is bouncing up and down, excited by his small touch—so small, I bet he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.

“And what’s that?” I ask as I smile back, biting down on my lower lip. He taps his lips with his index finger and I can’t help the smile becoming wider on my face.

“I want my apology here.” His finger rests on his lips. Not the apology I had in mind, but I’m not going to decline the offer.

“What if I say no?” I tease him, and he smirks back at me.

“I’m not asking, I’m telling you, Steel.” I lean into him. I cup my hands around the nape of his neck and kiss his lips. Pressing our lips together, we both moan lowly at the sensation. The door to the house opens with giggles from a guy and girl. It’s probably that girl that was in the bathroom earlier with Rob.

Nick pulls me down to sit on his lap as our tongue flick each other’s lips, playfully ignoring the other people coming in. I’m straddling his hips. I miss this so much. The kiss begins to deepen with every breath we gasp for, and we freeze when we hear that laugh. A body slams against the wall and we pull back from each other.

I turn my body around to face my roommate all over TJ, both of their eyes closed in the moment while they heatedly kiss each other. As if TJ could feel my eyes on him, he opens them and they widen with every passing second.

“Oh shit,” he curses.

“What the fuck?” Nick booms at the same time. Haley’s head whips around to see me on top of her brother; her eyes dart back and forth between us.

“What the hell?” she squeaks.

“Oh no,” I cry and immediately get off Nick. I back out of the way as Nick strides towards TJ and picks him up. He pulls his fist back and punches TJ in the hollow of his cheekbone, hitting it perfectly.

“Nick!” Haley roars, trying to pull him off his best friend. Punch after punch, TJ tries to catch his hands from making contact. He managed to block some hits, but not much. Nothing can be heard except for the crunch of the hits and the grunts coming from both boys.

I just stand there until Haley calls for me to help. “Carter! Fucking help me!” she cries with tears streaming down her face. I race over to stop Nick and hold on to his hand that cut the air behind him before he brings it back down to meet TJ’s face once more.

“Nick, stop! He’s your best friend!” I plead for him to stop hitting his best friend for so many years anymore. No, I’m begging him now. He’s strong, but he stops once I touch him, like he knows it’s me just by my touch. I pull him off of TJ, who is coughing. There’s blood everywhere around him on the floor. I push Nick back to the wall and crawl over to TJ to check if he’s okay.

“TJ are you—”

“Don’t touch him!” Haley yells at me and I’m so taken back by her response to helping TJ, her voice made me flinch. “How could you, Carter!” she cries, and I feel shaken by the look she’s giving me. “How could you do that to me! You know what the girls are like with my brother, and you’re now one of them! FUCKING TYPICAL! I should’ve known. I thought you were nice, but I guess I was wrong. You just used me like the rest of them!” Once she finishes, I start to back away from her and feel my own tears crawling down my skin, trickling little by little down my neck. Two big arms encase me, and Haley glares at me. “I thought I could trust you!” she hisses at me and I sink further into her brother’s touch.

“I could say the same about your little fucking fling, TJ! My sister? Of all the fucking girls on campus, it had to be Haley?” he roars at his best friend, making me wince. He felt me flinch, so he pulls me closer to his chest. “And for you”—he switches his gaze to Haley—“don’t you dare talk about her like that! It’s not like that between us! We like each other!” His sister looks so heartbroken by this encounter. I feel so bad for her. I didn’t want her to find out this way. Not like this.

“You like her?” Haley whispers and I drift my eyes back to face her as she adorns a shocked expression. She looks between me and Nick in confusion.

“Yes, I fucking do!” Nick barks back, and I see her slump on the floor. The silence surrounds us while Haley holds TJ’s head up to allow him to sit up. We’re all sitting on the floor of Nick’s room filled with silence and shock, confused about this entire situation. This day went from shit, to good, and now back to shit. There is so much tension in this room you could cut it with a knife.

“I’m sorry,” I say to break the silence, but Haley just huffs while tending to TJ’s injuries.

“You’re only sorry you got caught,” Haley says while grinding her teeth in betrayal at me. “I thought I could trust you, Carter. I thought you were different.”

“You can, Haley. I still value our friendship. I’ve always put it first!” I sob as Nick cradles me.

“Clearly, you haven’t. I’ll never forgive either of you for it.” Finally looking at me with so much disappointment on her face, I start to choke up. Those five seconds were the worst I’ve ever encountered. My entire body sinks down, crumbling onto the floor. I’ve just lost her as my friend.

“Stop being so fucking dramatic, Haley! Jesus Christ, your boyfriend fucking knew about us!” Her hair cuts through the air as she turns her head to face TJ. I shut my eyes, thinking Nick shouldn’t have said that. She yells in frustration then opens her mouth again to get even.

“Yeah, well your girlfriend knew about us!” she screams back at her brother. I hear TJ sigh. I join in as Nick loosens his arms.

“Will you both shut the fuck up! Jesus, Haley, I didn’t tell you because it’s not my place to. And Nick, Carter didn’t tell you because it’s not her place to tell you either. Yeah, this is a shitty way to find out that we all have feelings for each other. But it happened, accept it and move on or don’t, I don’t give a fuck. I’ve accepted it and I’m moving on . . . FUCK ME!” TJ yells as he leans his head back down on the wooden floor, covering his hands around his bleeding nose. We’re all emotional right now and I don’t know how to get out of this.

“I’m still annoyed.” Haley stands up and kicks her heels off, stomping to the bathroom. Nick kicks her heel out of annoyance.

“I’m fucking pissed at you for going behind my back, TJ! I thought we were friends!” He points to TJ lying on the floor in pain. The pained expression that flash across both of their faces at the last part of that sentence.

“Now I know how Ryan feels,” TJ mumbles back. Not a great time to say that.

“You got way worse buddy!” Nick says angrily back to him as he leaves the room. TJ sits himself up. I really see that he’s got it bad, way worse than Ryan.

“Is it that bad?” he asks me and I nod.

“You’re going to have to reset your nose, TJ.” I point at my nose, thinking it’s his. It’s crooked, and there’s blood all over his face. “I can clean you up if you want? I have first aid training.” He smiles over at me but hisses in pain. I wipe back my tears that have come free.

“Can you reset a nose?” I nod hesitantly to him. I only know how to do it because I trained in it over the summer and because I have seen the doctors doing it to my brothers countless times. We both get up off the floor and walk to the kitchen while I raid the cupboards for the first aid kit. I tell TJ to put some ice on his nose for the swelling. It’s been a while since I’ve done it, so hopefully he looks alright by the end of it.

I dampen a cloth and start wiping his face in silence, remembering when I did the same to Nick. Cleaning up the blood, I hear footsteps and see Haley. She snatches the cloth off me and tells me, “I can do that.” She bumps me out of the way. I nod and stand back, allowing her to clean TJ up. He sends me an apologetic smile, to which I send him one that tells him it’s alright. “Ugh, you can leave, I’ve got it. Unless you want a shot at him too?” I gulp down at the dig. I start to make my way back over to the kit to clean it up, seeing as she knows what she’s doing.

“Haley! Stop. That’s not fair, come on, she’s trying to help. She knows how to reset my nose.” TJ takes her hands to stop her and allow her to focus on him. I would be lying if I said that the line didn’t hurt. Is that what she sees me as?

She steps back and motions me to carry on, not without an annoyed huff. I reach across her to grab a towel and fold it over for him.

“What’s this for?” he asks innocently as Nick saunters into the room to watch with a triumphant smirk on his face. I roll my eyes at how childish he’s being.

“It’s going to hurt, you’ll need to bite into this. Trust me.” He nods, putting it in his mouth.

“We should put that in your mouth more often if it shuts you up. Oh no, wait. That’s why you’re in this stupid situation.” I sigh and stop to stare at Nick, who is riling him and Haley up even more. TJ signals me that he’s ready, and I place two hands on either side of his nose and count down from three. I crack it into place before so he doesn’t really feel the pain much.

“Fuck, Carter! You didn’t even reach one!” He whines like a child as he cups his nose. Haley reaches in to comfort him, rubbing her hand up and down his thigh. I see Nick tense out of the corner of my eye. He doesn’t like the look of the two of them liking each other.

“I know. If you were prepared, it would’ve hurt a hell of a lot more. Sorry, TJ.” I grab his hand for a quick squeeze but then quickly retract it, remembering that Haley is here and the comment she made. TJ notices my flinch but doesn’t say anything. “You’ll need to ice it,” I tell him.

With a nod, he disappears into the living room with Haley. I clean up the kit again and feel Nick’s eyes on me as I move around the counter.

“So, you knew?” Nicks voice sounds tense. I rinse my hands under the water to get the blood off.

“I did, but like TJ said, it’s not for me to say, and if that’s a problem, then I’m sorry. It’s none of my business,” I say out of frustration. Today has gone downhill so fast. I grip the towel and wring it out, watching the water and blood flow down the sink.

“Hey, it’s fine. Sure, I’m pissed, but not at you. I’m pissed at TJ. Carter, come here.” I start to ugly cry in Nick’s hold, sniffling every chance I get and wiping my eyes. “Carter, it’s okay, it’s okay. I’ve got you.” He starts to pull me with him in his arms down towards his room, cooing me to calm down. “You shouldn’t be stressing, you should be resting.” He lays me back in his bed, and I blush at the thought of the two of us together in bed. Then it’s quickly stomped on with the thought of him having other girls in his room too.

When he sees the quick change in emotion in me, he asks, “What’s wrong?” He hovers over me. I just stare at his hunter-green eyes that are roaming around my face, looking for any sign or clue as to what I’m thinking about. “Carter, come on, talk to me. You feeling alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good . . . You have a comfy bed.” He chuckles to me while I spread my arms wide, feeling the coldness hitting my skin from the sheets. I don’t want to know how many people have slept in this room. I can’t bare the thought of it.

“So does yours. I actually prefer your bed to mine.” I can feel the air leaving his lips on my face as he spoke.

“I prefer my bed too,” I joke, and we laugh once more. But somebody passing by the hallway stops me. Haley pushes the door open for TJ, but not before spitting out, “Hope the sex is worth our friendship ending.” I immediately look down to the floor at the thought of her thinking I used her to get to Nick.

“Right back at you.” Nick sits up and starts to walk over to the door. “I hope you know you’ve ruined my own friendship with TJ, Haley. The thought of you two together makes me sick. Going around behind my back, fucking each other . . . I’ll give you guys a week, max.” He slams the door in their faces and locks it. He locked us inside. His back is turned to me and he hasn’t moved an inch from the shut door.

“Nick?” He turns his head over his shoulder to look at me. I sit up and cross my legs over one another. He comes over and sits on the side of the bed. “Do you want to talk about it?” I ask him, unsure if he wants to forget about what just happened.

“She’s my sister. I don’t want to see her hurt by anyone, even if it’s my best friend. You don’t know what he’s like, Carter. I used to do half of the shit alongside him with lots of girls. I just . . . I know what he’s like . . . This is so messed up.” He sighs, looking at the door in front of him. I shuffle a fraction closer to him. I don’t know what to say, but I feel like he doesn’t need advice, he just needs someone to listen to him; so, I stay quiet. He lays back on the bed beside me. “My hand hurts like hell too!” He looks at his knuckles and I see they’re red.

“You need to ice your hand, Nick.” I look at his hand while he clenches and unclenches it.

“I know, I’ll survive though. You can nurse me.” He winks at me, causing heat to rise on my face. Not just my cheeks but everywhere. “You’re adorable when you blush, Carter.” He smiles up at me, his hand resting behind his head, making his bulging biceps more evident. I stare at his arm and then back to him. He’s smirking at me now.

“Stop!” I laugh and sit back on my butt. His head follows me as it tilts to the side.

“Stop what?” he asks knowingly. He’s teasing me now, and I try to stop my own smile from growing on my face while biting the inside of my cheek. I rest my head back against the headboard as I watch him sit up and shuffle closer to me. He sits himself next to me and places his arm around me. My face is flush against his hard chest. He smells amazing too. His black shirt is soft and thin; I can feel his heat radiating through it. “You know, the amount of times you have nursed people is really cute. But . . .” he trails off.

“But what?” I turn my head up to face him.

“Two things.” He turns his head down to me. Holding his first finger up, he says, “One, you can only nurse me, alright? I don’t want you going around helping the guys.” He grins down and I copy him. “Two, you’ve got to wear that sexy nurse outfit, while doing it.” He winks and I start to laugh to cover up my blushing cheeks.

I could never pull something like that off. I’m not brave enough. I send him a smile once I stop, but his face drops into confusion. “What? What did I say?” he asks, starting to slightly panic at my face. I thought I covered it pretty well; I guess not.

“It’s nothing.” I laugh nervously back, but it looks like he doesn’t believe me, “I just—I know you’re joking, but I could never wear something like that. I can’t pull that off . . . I’d just look so stupid and desperate.” I run my hand through my hair, laughing nervously again and avoiding any eye contact with him. The thought of me wearing something like that makes me cringe. Sure, some girls could pull it off, but I’m not one of them.

“Carter, you’re so sexy . . . and gorgeous. You could wear anything or nothing and I’d still think the same.” He puts his hand under my chin and directs me back to face him. “Especially nothing.” He grins and I slap his arm at how flirty he’s being today. He leans in quick to capture my lips. I moan at the feeling that I missed once again. We kiss gently for a moment and then he pulls back, releasing a deep breath. “You wanna watch a movie?” Opening up his eyes, his bright green pupils are shining, and I get so lost after seeing my own reflection.

I nod back, not trusting my voice.

He reaches across me, kissing me once more, to get the remote for his TV. “I could do this all day.” He sighs once the remote is in his hand. He turns it on, never breaking eye contact with me. “What do you want to watch? Horror movie?” My eyes widen at the thought of watching something scary. I shake my head rapidly from side to side, showing that I’m not interested. He starts to laugh and flicks through the horror section on Netflix.

“No! I hate horror. Nick, come on!” I reach over him to grab the remote from him but he stretches it out away from me. Damn his long arms. He laughs at my attempts but I end up hitting it out of his hand and it falls onto the floor. I race to it but he holds me up just as a movie starts to play. “Ugh Nick! I’m going home.” He pulls at my waist just as I was about to get up and grab my stuff.

“No, you’re not. You’re going to stay here, Miss Steel, and keep me company until tomorrow morning. You’re staying the night with me.” I immediately see red when he says that. I’m a virgin, and I don’t think I’m ready to lose it just yet. I was close, this one time at a party, but decided not to go through with it. The guy I was seeing passed out and I snuck away. No guy has ever touched me down there. Hell, I haven’t even touched myself down there. “Wow! Okay, I was kidding about the last part Carter, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to!” He sees the panic on my face and starts to back track. I bite my tongue, not saying anything back.

“Carter? It’s alright, you don’t have to stay. We weren’t going to do anything. Just sleep . . . Unless you wanted to?” My eyes widen at his proposition again, and I feel my body is on fire from the embarrassment of him seeing me naked. “No? Okay, that’s fine. Carter, it’s totally fine. Look, I didn’t mean it that way initially. Believe me, I just wanted you to stay with me tonight. It’s been a while since . . . Yeah, I’m just going to stop talking right now. I’m making it so much worse.” He rubs his closed eyes, annoyed at himself. Listening to his words, I debate on whether I should stay or not.

“Nick, I’m not ready for that—”

“I know, I wasn’t expecting you to do anything. I just wanted you to lay with me, that’s all. I liked it when I laid with you in bed, I just miss the feeling, even if it only happened once. But you don’t have to stay if you’re not comfortable. It’s fine, I get it, I really do. We can just watch the movie together and I’ll protect you from whatever is on at the moment.” We laugh at the last thing he said. I roll my eyes with a smile. Looking back, I see a movie I don’t recognize. I sigh then shuffle up the bed and get back into the covers. He watches me with a smile on his face and, soon after, joins me.

Once we’re comfortable, he places his arm over my head and instructs me to lift my head up. I do, and I feel his large arm behind my neck, holding me up. He then bends his arm making me twist into his body and clasps me to his chest with the other arm. He cradles me like last time and rests my cheek on his chest. He picks up the remote off the floor. Pausing the movie, he goes back to the menu and says, “I’m not watching ‘Nightmare on Elm Street.’ ” He chuckles and picks another movie.

Poltergeist.

I widen my eyes at the the title. “Are you serious? I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight!” I whine. He plays the movie anyway.

“I’ll protect you. Don’t worry.” He smirks and pulls me even closer to his body, making our legs tangle together. “Plus, we might make out a little at the really scary parts, if you want.” I feel the heat in my cheeks once again and bury my head down into his chest, not allowing him to see me blush again. “So cute.” He chuckles, and I slap him for relishing in my embarrassment.