Steeling Her: A Romance Novel

Nick

Tap. Tap. Tap.

That’s the sound my foot is making as it bounces up and down. I’m trying my best to get out of this lecture as quick as possible. The minutes drag on as I stare at the clock, the arm moving in slow motion as I glance back at it. It feels like hours went past me but only a single minute drifted by. My leg continues bouncing until Reggie’s hand smacks my thigh.

“Quit it, Jackson.” He grips my upper leg, but I’m still waiting for the clock to signal this torture to be all over.

A bubble gum pops, and I look over to see that girl who I spoke to briefly on the first day. Well, more like she spoke to me. Winking at me and trailing her tongue seductively along her bottom lip to gather her bubble gum, I turn my head back to the lecture that I haven’t been paying any attention to. Classy, is my first thought. Carter wouldn’t do that with a random guy, is the second one. I lean forward on my elbows, wanting this shitty lecture to be over and done with.

Come on. Come on.

Fifteen minutes. Three blocks of five minutes each. Or five blocks of three minutes each. I’ll go with the latter, it’s easier to think about.

It’s been three days since Carter was rushed to hospital, and I haven’t spoken to her since then. Mainly due to the fact she’s asleep every time I come visit her. I want to see her awake and talk to her.

I got a text from her mom this morning that says Carter’s awake, right before my last class of the day. That is why I’m like this. I’m itching to see her, in case you can’t already tell. My nerves are heightened, and I’m so excited to hear her voice. The past three days of not being able to talk to her have been hell. I miss her voice. I miss her.

She’s been knocked out heavily on the antibiotics she’s been given so she can fight off the viral infection. Even though exams are nearing, Carter needs all the rest she can get. I’ll help her out because I know she wants to do well. Haley has been talking to her professors about the situation and they all agreed to give her extended deadlines in order for her to complete her assignments. They even offered to give her alternative assignments instead of the exams she’s missed to make up her percentage. I’m sure she’ll gladly take them, seeing as she’s the only person who missed them, and the professors have been very understanding about it all.

Ten minutes. Two sets of five minutes or five sets of two minutes. For four sets of two minutes and thirty seconds.

Her mom has been keeping us all in the loop of what the doctors have been telling her and the rest of the family. I’m so happy she’s willing to share with me about Carter’s health. I’ve visited her everyday for the past three days while she was in there. All those times, she was still knocked out cold. I watched her sleep and it was the best thing in the world.

The little noises she made as she stirred in her sleep; the small smiles that would be painted on her face at the dream she was having. And while she was away in dream land, I’ve barely slept for the past few nights, wishing I could join her.

My games have been affected greatly, and Coach is about to put his foot up my ass if I don’t get it together. Everything is off; my passes, my play. I can’t remember any of what I learned in practice and I’m slipping up badly. Bulldog has been on my case for the past few days about it. He even went as far as telling me to leave the field for a day. I was so pissed off and the guys were not happy with me. Not one bit.

Five minutes. Five single minutes or two, two and a half minutes until I can leave. Happily.

Ryan has been on my case too, annoying the absolute fuck out of me; shouldering me any chance he gets, challenging me whenever I’m around. He keeps telling me that he’ll win her, but he won’t. He’ll never win her—never. She’s not a game, and I keep reminding him of that. But all it does is go in one ear and out the other. Man, is he dense.

The house has gotten worse because I’m on edge, my games have been off, and the fact that I can’t stand living with Ryan twenty four seven. He’s immature with his comments. One day, he dropped something and said, “Clean it up, bitch.” I cracked when the whole thing with Carter happened and nailed a punch right on his nose, making it look crooked and gushing with blood. I was quite happy with myself. That little fuck deserves everything I give him for talking to me like that.

Majority of the guys are on my side except for Rob, for obvious reasons. He may be standing by his brother, but I know he doesn’t agree with what he’s saying. I can see it in his stare when I give Ryan a piece of my mind. The “I’m sorry, but he’s my brother” look he sports every time his twin opens his mouth. I understand why he’s backing him up. If I were him, I would do the same.

But I need to have a talk with Rob about his twin’s attitude. It’s bringing the entire house down. A lot of negativity is charged in the air. All of the boys are on edge, waiting for the next round to happen between us. So far, I’m ahead by a long shot.

Pop. Again, I look over to the culprit even though I know she’s trying to get my attention. She and her friends smirk seductively at me while she slowly chews her piece of gum in a provocative manner. It’s been weeks since I’ve had sex, and it’s driving me crazy. Relieving myself isn’t cutting it anymore, and I need a release. A female touch—a certain female’s touch. Every time I think about that, I grow in length. It’s getting harder as the days pass, pun not intended.

“Alright, kids, your assignments are due on Friday at 5 PM sharp. No late hand ups or I will penalize you! Have a good day!” As those sweet words leave the professor’s mouth, I grab my stuff with my hands. I didn’t bring a bag today, I only had two lectures so there wasn’t any need for it. I race down the steps but the same girl steps out in front of me, pushing her ass against me. I don’t even remember her name. And I’m also not interested.

“Oh, sorry, Nick,” she says flirtatiously over her shoulder, sliding her handbag along the desk as she winks at me. I move around her quickly, not giving her the time of day. I need to see Carter. I push past the people exiting through the same door, maneuvering through bodies much smaller than me. As soon as I reach the hallway I practically sprint down, bumping into a few people. I apologize to them and keep going until I see the door flutter open and close with people forcing it to move.

I suddenly get yanked back by my jacket. I growl at who the fuck is stopping me.

Maya.

I must have done something horrible in my past life to deserve Maya constantly being on my case. She’s not taking any hints, along with the other girls who constantly stare at me. I must have a sign saying “Guy with a large dick in his pants” strapped to my forehead with all of these looks I’m getting—the “come fuck me” hooded eyes I get as I pass every single girl on campus.

I know I’m good looking. I’ve been approached many times by scouts from modelling agencies. But I also turn them down. When I say I, I mean my mom. She always says no, even though it’s pretty easy money.

“What is it, Maya? I have somewhere else to be!” I pull myself off her so she lets go of me. She rolls her eyes at my clipped tone, but do you think I care? Here’s a hint: No!

“Come over later. I haven’t seen you in a while.” She smiles sweetly at me, but I know it’s a ploy to get me to have sex with her. I can see right through her. She misses me and my little buddy. I don’t blame her. I’m good; screaming good.

“No, I don’t have the time, Maya.” Moving away from her, she races after me with her heels that are unnecessarily high in the old hallway. The clicks I’m hearing catch up with me. Why is she even in here? She’s a history major, not a science major. Maybe she’s that desperate to see me?

“Well, make time, Jackson! It’s been nearly two goddamn weeks!” she quietly yells, looking around at the crowd forming around us, parting as I walk to the exit. I ignore her pleading and keep walking, not caring about how horny she is. She can go and fuck Ryan for all I care, seeing as they’re so compatible with one another..

“Nick!” Maya yells at me in frustration. I swivel around to face her, leaning on the door. All eyes are on her, and people are still carrying on with conversations, but I know they’re listening. Some people don’t know the word subtlety at all.

“What?” I roll my head upwards, tired of all of this. She’s being so dramatic, and I don’t have time for this crap.

“Come by later, I’ll—”

“No.” I back out the door. I can see her face practically turn red. Fury is an understatement compared to the look on her face. I run back to the house to see if TJ went to his class or not. Seeing that he’s not in his room, I grab my wallet and keys and pace to the door, ignoring the taunts from Ryan.

“You know Ryan, for a guy who’s been beaten up by me many times, you’re pretty stupid for trying to keep this up. Next time, I won’t hold back and put you in a bed in the hospital, breathing through a tube with the help of a fucking MACHINE!” I threaten him.

“Yeah, well, at least I’ll be nearer to Carter than you, you asshole!” he responds.

I slam the door shut to make a statement to him to shut his mouth. I slip into my car to make the journey to see Carter. Haley is in class, and Danielle is too. Both of them will get TJ to drive them to the hospital later.

I park up in the car park after driving around for fifteen minutes trying to find a spot. I was getting frustrated because all I wanted was to see her, hear her. I miss her more than I wanted to admit, even to myself.

I unbuckle myself from my seat and step out into mild heat. After locking the car, I make my way to the elevator. Waiting for it to ding, the up triangle lights up as the steel doors part. I press the button for the lobby floor so I can get her flowers like I’ve done everyday. Once I reach the floor, I hurry over to the store to pick out colorful flowers and a protein bar. After the rigorous workout I did this morning, I need a lot of recovery for my muscles.

I place the items on the checkout table and the young cashier smiles at me. “Hi there.” She chews her gum and shows off her white teeth.

“Hi.” I grunt bluntly at her. Not to be rude, but I’m not interested in having a conversation with her right now. She goes red on her cheeks as she smiles, scanning the products on the counter.

“You visiting someone? I’ve seen you come in everyday this week.” She continues to not take the hint and flirt with me. I lick my lips, trying to hurry up.

“Yeah.” I keep it short and sweet.

“Well, you’re so sweet for buying flowers.” She bats her lashes at me and I send her one of my tight smiles. Oh my God, hurry up.

“I’m sorry, not to be rude, but I’m kind of in a rush.” I hand her my card so she can swipe it so I can get a move on. Carter might fall back to sleep. She nods, slightly taken back by my blunt tone. She hands me my receipt with her number scrawled on the back of it.

As soon as I leave the store, I rip it up and throw it in the trash, making my way to the elevators. No hope for me taking the stairs to the seventh floor. Once the doors part for me, there’s a group of girls in the elevator. One of them is in a wheelchair and a cast. The friends around her stand up when they see me, and I try not to roll my eyes.

Every time I’m out of the house, I get hit on. I didn’t mind it at first but now I don’t even bother. There’s only one girl I want. She’s lying in a bed upstairs, awake, and all I want to do is to hug and kiss her.

I stand to the side of the steel cage and press the button for the seventh floor. Flowers in hand, I slip my protein bar into my pocket along with my wallet. Not looking at any of them, I hear a whisper across from me that makes me look up. I catch one of the girl’s eyes as she looks away immediately. Looking around, I see each of them look away when I make any eye contact with them.

“Who are the flowers for?” the girl in the wheelchair asks me. I smile at the bunch in my hand and hope that she’s awake. The doors open to my floor, and I step off and reply with, “A very special girl.”

Seeing their faces drop a little gives me so much satisfaction. They were secretly hoping I’d say my mom, sister, or grandmother. But no, they’re for a different girl who has forcefully planted herself in my life and is staying right there.

I hear my own footsteps echo down the hallways until I reach her room. Austin is sitting on the chair, slouching and just staring out the window. I knock to get his attention and he waves me in. I open the door and trudge in to see Carter’s eyes open and stare at me. A smile breaks out on her face, and I feel my own grin forming at the sight of her. She still looks drained, but much better than when she first came to the hospital.

“Hey!” She grins like a kid on Christmas Day.

“Hey! These are for you.” I hold the flowers out and she reaches out for them.

“Thank you, Nick, they’re beautiful, and so were the others you brought me. Thank you!” As she smells them, she shuts her eyes to savor it. My mom always told me to bring flowers to someone in the hospital. It reminds them of being outside.

“You’re welcome. I didn’t know what your favorite flowers are though. Sorry.” I shrug as she rests them on her lap.

“I love white roses the most. Any colored rose, actually, but white is my favourite. Oh, but these are so pretty!” She sniffs them again, and her mom stands up to put them in a vase beside the window.

“Do you mind if we go out for something to eat?” her mom asks as she rests a soft hand on my shoulder. I nod, telling them that I’ll keep her company. Her dad and Austin stand up. Chris isn’t in the room; he must have gone out for a walk.

“I’ll watch over her.” I smile to her mother and she nods, taking her jacket and bending over to kiss her daughter’s head. Both of the guys do the same. I watch them leave the room, the click of the door soon following after. “How are you feeling now?” I ask Carter.

“Better. I’m still tired, and I still feel sick sometimes, but it’s not as bad as the first day I came here.” She grins back at me. Her pale complexion takes me back to that day, when I couldn’t wake her up.

“You scared me,” I whisper to her as I sigh at the memory. She takes my hand in hers, drips going in via tubing. It’s cold, and I feel my stomach drop at the mere sight of all the needles piercing her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, Nick. But if it wasn’t for you, I would be so much worse. Thank you for helping me. My doctor told me the extent of what happened and that you got me here just in time. I owe you so much, Nick.” Her eyes begin to water, and I feel my heart clench at the sight of her being upset.

“I just did what I had to do to not lose you.” I shut my eyes and lean my forehead on hers, still feeling that fever she has.

“I didn’t mean to scare you and everyone. All I remember is you holding me then it going black. The next thing I knew, I woke up here with my dad holding my hand.” Her voice starts to shake. I feel heavy when I hear that everything went dark for her, her body giving in and not being able to fight off the silent infection. “I tried to stay awake to see you all yesterday, but I didn’t even realize I fell asleep.” She chuckles, and I feel her breath on my lips, making my eyes open again. My thumb brushes her cheek back and forth. I take the side of her face in my palm. I kiss her cheek, letting my lips linger on her skin.

“You just focus on getting better and coming back to college. Don’t worry about not being able to stay awake to see us. We want you healthy, all of us,” I mumble on her cheek. I kiss the side of her head and embrace her. I hug her tight while she does the same back. “I missed you,” I speak truthfully.

“I missed you too,” she replies back. I bury my nose in the crook of her neck, wanting to feel her again. I’ve never missed someone so much in my life, even if it’s only been four days. It felt much longer than that. I kiss her neck feeling the goosebumps rise on her skin. “Thank you for coming to visit me everyday, even if I was knocked out and drugged up most of the time.” We laugh at how true that was.

“You’re cute when you sleep though. That’s the only reason why I came today, but you’re awake now so you ruined my entertainment,” I joke, making her laugh even more. I feel her body shake as she giggles uncontrollably, and I smile while listening to her. Pulling away from each other, I kiss her forehead for the first time in a while.

“My bad,” Carter says sarcastically. I can practically feel her eyes roll upwards. Kissing her once more, I step back a little and smile down at her. She’s so cute right now. She’s cute all the damn time, and it’s not fair.

I reach back to pull the chair closer to her bed and sit down, allowing the cushion to deflate beneath me. Scooting closer, I reach for her hand and hold it in my own, intertwining our fingers.

“You look much better now. You don’t look as pale,” I comment and she nods in agreement.

“I don’t know what I looked like that day, but my mom told me I looked like a ghost.” She shakes her head and laughs a little. “I won’t get out until next week, but you guys can come visit—”

“We have an away game on Sunday against Auburn, so I won’t be able to see you then. I’ll come in all the other days though.” She rubs her thumb on my skin in circles as she listens to me. “I’ll get Danielle to bring the laptop in here so you can watch me play if you want?” She takes a breath, yawning a little and covering her mouth with her free hand.

“Yeah, I’d like that. I would prefer to be at the game, but it’s the next best thing.” She slouches down into her sheets and we both get lost as we stare at each other. I missed those blue hues staring at me. The way the light hits them makes them brighter than ever. The way they flicker back and forth between my own. I miss her voice, her touch. I miss her, plain and simple. “What’s on your mind?” she asks me.

“What’s been on my mind since the first party of the year,” I answer her. Yeah, I’m cryptic but I like to keep her guessing. I know I’ll be blunt after she wonders what the hell I’m talking about. I just want to spend some time with her, alone. I want to be around her all the time. She’s increased my need for her every time I see her.

“And what’s that?” She tilts her head like one of those cute puppies you see in a kennel, and a lock of hair falls down the side of her face. My hand twitches at the need to tuck it back into place; to give me another reason to touch her. But I refrain from doing so, photographing in my mind what she looks like. A true beauty.

“You.” I smirk as her eyes widen in shock. Yeah, that’s right. You, Carter Steel, have been in my mind since the day I met you.

The door opens up, interrupting our little conversation. Her eyes smile at the people coming back in. I see her mom with some food in her hand, and her eyes drop to our hands clasped together. Smiling at me, she sits down on the other side of her daughter while the others come in, playfully tackling each other.

Soon after, TJ, Haley, and Danielle walk in. Danielle freezes at the sight of her. They didn’t expect her to be awake. Especially Danielle.

She drops what she has in her hands onto the floor and I see her rush to Carter, practically climbing on the bed to hug her tight as she starts to silently cry on her shoulder. Carter lets go of my hand to hug her back. “You scared the shit out of me!” Danielle cries, sitting back then embracing her once more. Haley runs over to join in on the hug, making it a group hug. TJ stands behind them and smiles at the three of them.

Once they’re finished, TJ hugs her too, and the girls start to fill her in on the gossip around college. I stand up to allow Carter’s dad to sit next to his daughter while I sit on the window sill with the flowers I bought for her. All in a row, they’re standing like soldiers.

Her mom’s eyes light up as she listens to the girls talk about what’s been happening in the campus; mainly guys. Rolling my eyes with TJ, I hear her dad laugh at us. Haley is so animated, and Danielle has snuggled into the bed beside Carter.

Danielle excitedly says, “Yeah, but like, Marcus isn’t all that! Like he’s cute and all, but a complete beep-hole! Right?”

She points to my sister, who agrees, replying with, “I know, but she cheated on him. With Zander—”

“Holy crap! Zander! What the—what a lucky bitch! He’s hot as fff . . . fudge.” Danielle was about to curse in front of Carter’s parents but stopped herself before it slipped out. TJ snorts as he stands beside me. Elaine smirks at her choice of words.

“You can curse, sweetheart, it’s not like I haven’t heard it before.” She darts her eyes to her sons, who sheepishly grin back. Rodger starts to chuckle behind his hand when his wife throws a sly dig. “Or when you two speak about girls . . .” she mumbles, and they both look at each other with fear written all over their faces. TJ and I are trying to not laugh at them.

“Zander is hot, but I feel bad for Marcus. He really liked Jen. But the gossip is, she likes to keep her options open, if you know what I mean.” Haley winks at Danielle, who bursts out laughing beside Carter. She’s smiling, but I can see she doesn’t as much energy to laugh like the girls.

“Oh, I remember being in college. Do you remember, Rodger?” Her mom looks up at the ceiling, reminiscing on her younger days. Probably when she met her husband.

“How could I forget? I met the most beautiful girl in my entire life in college . . . Stacy Millson.” Next, we see a pillow flying across the room, and Carter’s older brothers roll around on their chairs, cackling. The low famous laugh I’ve heard on TV so many times makes an appearance in the room, coming straight from Rodger Steel himself, in the flesh. I’ll never get used to seeing this man in real life.

“It’s was not Stacy fucking Millson, and you best forget that damn girl’s name if you know what’s good for you!” Hearing Elaine Steel cursing is strange and so unfamiliar. She struck me as the type to condemn cursing. Rodger walks over to his wife, who is sitting in the chair in a huff.

“I know, baby. It was you—it’s always been you. I can’t imagine myself with any other person. I don’t want to.” He pecks her lips, and I watch their kids rolls their eyes and look away. They’ve probably seen this so often that they’re sick of it.

“Can you stop!” they say in unison, embarrassed by their parents’ antics. For us, it’s highly amusing. Although if my parents were locking lips in front of everyone, I would be so embarrassed.

“Now now, kids, no need to be like that. I love you all just as much as I love your mom.”

“Ew, Dad!” They groan again while their dad starts to bellow a laugh echoing around the room clearly, only realizing what he was unintentionally implying makes it hilarious.

“You know it’s not like that, pumpkins! I love your mom like any guy would love their lady. And I love you all like any other father loves their own flesh and blood. Especially you, my baby girl.” He leans over to kiss Carter’s head and she smiles up in awe at her hero. The sparkle in her eyes makes my heart tingle in a small jealous fashion. I want her to look at me like that. Her baby blue eyes fixed on her father makes me feel so incredibly jealous.

“I love you too, Dad,” she mumbles back.

“Favoritism at its finest, Dad.” Chris pretends to cough in his hand, but he’s clearly joking. The smirk evident on his face as he looks back at his dad. Chris and Carter look more alike than Austin and him do. Same dark features and the bright blue eyes, like his sister’s.

Once it was said, Elaine stands up and rushes over to each of her boys and kisses their faces, smothering her playful motherly love on their skin. Everyone starts to laugh at their scrunched up faces. There’s nothing but laughter in this room today.

“I love my boys,” she gushes after each kiss she gives them. I watch their faces get redder and redder as the seconds go by. I would look like that if my mom did that in front of everyone, but it seems as though Chris is a lot redder than Austin for whatever reason. Maybe he just blushes more? But it doesn’t go unnoticed by their dad, who grins vigorously at him. Chris huffs and rolls his eyes, burying whatever it is.

Once she stops, they mumble back a “Love you too, Mom” as they roll their eyes. You can see that they all really look out for each other. Their parents are typical southern people who claim family is their number one priority, much like my parents.

TJ and I can’t keep our laughs in and we both get glares from the two famous, beefy guys sitting across from us, allowing their petite mother to sit in between them.

“Favoritism at its finest, Mom,” Carter mimicked Chris, who sticks his tongue out in response to her quick jab. Her dad laughs, nodding with her.

“Those two have always been mama’s boys.” He nudges his thumb their way, looking at the girls on the bed.

“Well, ever since she was born, all you did was fawn over her. So we naturally chose Mom, a.k.a, the better parent.” Rodger gasps playfully, feigning putting his hand over his heart. Chris wraps his arm around his mother and Austin follows after him. Both guys kiss their mom’s cheek to really put the middle finger up to their dad. Elaine giggles with a knowing look to her husband. It’s weird, I’ve pictured their family to be so different judging from TV appearances, but they’re so normal. They have a standard family dynamic, like anyone else’s, despite being the most famous family in football.

“Actually, I believe it was you two idiots fawning all over her when she was born. Smothering her everyday that I couldn’t get my own little hugs from her.” He reaches down to wrap his arms around his daughter playfully and raises his actual finger up to his sons. I watch Elaine nod at both me and TJ standing and enjoying their family jabs. This is all lighthearted stuff.

“You know it’s bad when you have to fight your own daughter for attention from these guys.” Elaine points at the three of them, all completely smitten by this beautiful girl laying in bed and smiling at the three of them. “She’s always been a daddy’s princess too, to make matters worse.” She rolls her eyes but smirks at her husband.

“And she’ll always be my princess.” He runs his hand along her hair with nothing but love expressed on his face.

“I thought Chris would always be your princess?” She wiggles her eyebrows at her older brother, who winks back.

“I am and will always be the original daddy’s princess, Cookie!” He leans back with his hands behind his head, the rest against the wall behind him. Another laugh erupts in the room, but gets interrupted by the door opening up. The nurse comes in with food on a tray for her.

“I’m sorry guys, feeding time at the zoo!” the nurse jokes and maneuvers around us to get to the person that needs it the most. “Visiting hours will be over soon,” she hints to us that we need to make a move back home. I look at my phone to check the time, seeing how late it is. Damn, time flies fast.

I scroll through the messages I’ve received; Maya, Maya, Maya, Mom, Maya, etc. It goes on forever with Maya. It’s usually angry messages too. I sigh as I think about how I need to deal with her. She’s upped her clinginess with me now and it’s getting really annoying.

We all say our goodbyes to her and I pull her in tight for a hug before I leave her.

“I’ll come by tomorrow, if you want?” I whisper in her ear. Feeling her nod in my arms, I gently kiss her head and pull back before anyone realizes. “Rest up, alright? Take care of yourself, Carter.” If she won’t, I certainly will. I’ll take care of her.

“Thanks, Nick.” I shudder after hearing my name. I want to lock my lips on her so badly right now thanks to that look she’s currently giving me. It’s sending all the blood down south. I clear my throat, stepping away to let the others say goodbye. The only bad thing is that I finish late tomorrow, so I may come in early in the morning or wait until the later visiting hours are available.

I walk over to shake her brothers’ hands like I always do before I leave and I also do the same to her father. He does his with a little more grip. Her mom engulfs me in a hug and whispers, ‘Thank you’ like she always does whenever I visit. I’m always happy to be there for her daughter.

After one last goodbye, we leave the room and make our way down towards the elevators where there are a few people wandering around. When the doors part, we get in and make our way to the underground car park.

“I’ll be the one to take them back.You okay with that?” TJ asks me. I agree say I’ll see him back at our place. “Try not to smash Ryan in the face, Nick.” He chuckles and I join in with him.

“No promises.” I grin, knowing that if he even so much as looks at me weird I will punch his pretty boy face and rearrange it. I wave them off and start to make my way towards my car. Sliding into my seat until I’m comfortable, I start up the engine and shut the door.

I’m cruising down the lanes to get home. I’m driving with a huge smile in my face and the wind blowing through my hair. I finally saw her awake today. I honestly don’t know how much longer I would’ve lasted if I hadn’t heard her voice or seen her crystal blue eyes. I’m smiling like an idiot as I turn down the street near the house. I took the long way back, trying to avoid reaching home before TJ. At least he could shut Ryan up if he was there.

I slip out of the car and make my way to the house. I don’t see TJ’s car. I mentally curse him for not being inside already. Opening the door and thinking about Carter, I pull my shirt over my head because it’s hot outside.

“Damn!” I hear a girl’s voice, so I look up in shock to see a group of girls sitting on our sofas with the guys around them. What the hell?

They’re all in crop tops and shorts that could barely be seen. I recognize some of them as cheerleaders and girls I’ve been with in the past.

“Still looking hot, Nick!” Another winks at me and, for the first time in my life, I literally don’t know what to do. I just stand there, allowing them all gawk at me. I could practically hear their jaws thump against the floor as they drop at the sight of me. I turn away from them and walk towards the refrigerator to get a cold water, praying that there’s one. Finding one, I grin and grab it, claiming it as mine. Flipping my shirt over my shoulder, I guzzle down the water to aid my dry throat.

Seeing them all stop to stare at me, I can’t help but not care, which isn’t normally like me. I only want one girl to look at me like that. I want her to want me like that, but I know it’ll take time. She’s innocent, and I’m not going to rush it with her. I saunter to my room, passing by a few of them who ogle at me. Maya is waiting for me at my door, leaning on it with a smirk on her face.

“Can you not take a no?” I ask her and reach for the door handle to my own room she’s blocking me from. Biting on her lip, she pushes up against me and grinds on my dick that hasn’t had any action for the past few weeks. It’s much more sensitive than I originally thought. Fuck.

“Come on, Nick . . . I know you miss me,” she whispers seductively in my ear, and I feel my body wanting some sort of contact. But not hers.

“See, Maya, that’s where you’re wrong. I don’t. So move.” I bark back, annoyed at how she’s using my weakness to get what she wants. As soon as my door opens, she storms in behind me. I turn around to get her out, only to be greeted with her lips on mine and her pushing me onto my bed. Not realising what’s happening, I try to stop her but her top comes off and she’s straddling me. “Maya! Stop!” I hover my hands away from her, not wanting to touch her in case something inside of me opens up.

She bends down to kiss my neck, and I groan at the sudden contact. Fuck, no! Wait a minute! Wrong girl.

Totally wrong girl!

“Maya, stop!” I shout while gritting my teeth, making her jump a little. I then see a figure in the door. Looking over, I see Ryan with a big grin on his face, but not just Ryan.

A flash goes off right in my face as Maya continues to suck on my neck, trying to draw blood. I bolt up and push her off of me. I race toward Ryan, who has the stupidest, smug grin on his face. I push him up against the wall opposite to my room with my arm across his neck, trying grab his phone to delete it with my free hand.

My blood runs cold when I see what’s written on the screen. That single word has single handedly just ruined my day.

Delivered.

Right underneath the picture he sent of Maya on top of me.

He sent it to her. He sent it to Carter.

“You’re too late, Jackson. It’s already been sent and delivered. Now she’ll know how much of a player you really are,” he taunts me.

And I lost it.