Steeling Her: A Romance Novel

Nick

I finally understand when Eminem said “His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy” in “8 Mile.” I know exactly what the fuck he’s talking about because that’s what’s happening to me right now. Why?

Because I’m on my second date with Carter after blurting it out to her four days ago. I went a little more casual than last time. Except not for her, I took her to a scary movie. I’ll bring her for some food afterwards. Right now, she’s pacing the floor as we wait in line to get our tickets, drinks, and popcorn. I’m going all out for this girl. She can have whatever she wants.

Just as she walks by me again, contemplating the movie we’re watching, I stop her by drawing her to my chest. “You don’t need to worry, I’ve got you.” I rub her back to soothe the racing thoughts I know she’s having. Maybe “Annabelle the Creation” wasn’t the best choice, but I’ve got her. I’ve got my girl.

“Easy for you to say, you won’t be up half of the night wondering if there’s a person standing by the window when you know it’s only a pile of your clothes on the desk in the shape of one. My mind likes to play some awful tricks on me, Nick, you know this.” I chuckle as a response to her thought process. I know she’s not being facetious about it. Her mind really goes into over drive after watching scary movies and thinks of all the things she’s had in common with the main character. If they survive, she’s a little relieved, but if they die, shit hits the fan inside her head.

“If it’ll make you feel better, I can stay with you tonight? I can hold you until you sleep? Cuddle you to keep you warm?” I flirt with her. I can feel the tension dropping away one by one with each comment. “But not too warm, I don’t want a repeat of last time I tried to keep you warm.” She leans her head back, contemplating with a small grin on her lips at the offer I have placed on the table for her. Her luscious lips. Damn, Nick, keep it together, you haven’t even sat down to be thinking about that yet, you horny animal.

It’s hard sometimes. Really fucking hard, like junior down low right now.

“Isn’t it like a rule to not sleep together until like the seventh date or something?” she asks. I quirk an eyebrow at her, clearly forgetting that we’ve already slept together. Not in that way, the other way.

“Uh, Carter?” I ask while she hums a response, brushing my hair into place with her fingers. Losing my mind for a spilt-second, damn that felt so good. “We’ve already stayed together remember? When you slept over in my room?” The ruby-red color takes form on her cheeks. I know she’s remembering.

“Oh crap, I already broke a rule,” she whispers to herself, slapping her hand against her head and telling herself it was a bad move. I’m highly entertained by all of this. Rules? What rules is she talking about?

“Tell me about these ‘rules,’ ” I quote her and she begins to look everywhere else but me. I pinch her chin between my fingers to bring her attention back to me. “Tell me.” I laugh at her as she squirms to get away from me. “You can try all you want, you’ll never get away from me, Steel,” I joke.

“I bet I could.” She challenges me with a playful stare. I grip her tighter, and she starts to laugh wilder than ever, squabbling like a little child in my arms.

“Uh dude, I’m pretty sure she wants to run,” a voice behind me jokes, and I turn my head over towards stranger having an input. Once I see him, I watch him lick his lips right in front of me, clearly checking her out—preying on her.

“Uh, dude, none of your damn business,” I bite back and face Carter, who looks a little shocked I spoke back to the stranger. “She’s just fine with me, go lick you lips and check out another girl. She’s taken, so fuck off,” I rebuke while smiling down at her.

She buries her head into my torso, concealing herself away from everyone who is gawking at us. I don’t mind, I want the guys checking her out right in front of me just so I can show them we’re together. I can feel her vibrate a little in my arms. She’s either crying or laughing, and I’m hoping it’s the latter. I lean her back to see she is, in fact, laughing a little but has turned bright red. I settle her back into my chest as we wait for our turn.

“Next!” someone behind the counter barks to us. We both walk down towards the young girl who looks like she really hates her job. “What can I get for you?” she asks in a bored tone, reminding me of Roz from “Monsters Inc.” You know the one, don’t lie.

“Um, two large popcorns, two sprites, sour patch kids, Hershey’s bar, and give me some nachos too; with everything on them. What do you want, Carter?” She rolls her head back and laughs, making me grin even more. The young girl stares at me, stunned. I could eat all of that if I wanted to, but I suppose I’ll share with her for tonight. “I’m kidding, that’s for the two of us.” I smile at her and get a chuckle from her. I got a chuckle from the crankiest girl in here. I really want to jump up and down just for that achievement alone.

Once I pay her, we head towards the open doors to the theater, but she stops and turns to face me.

“You know what? I’m going to just sit out h—”

“Nope.” I nudge her back towards the doors and tread behind so she can’t run away. “Don’t even try to, Steel. I’m the head quarterback of Ole Miss. I’m quick,” I remind her, and I could feel her shiver a little.

She mumbles something under her breath but I couldn’t catch it. I know it was some sort of retort. So, I lean down into her ear and whisper, “Watch it, little missy. Daddy will give you a good spanking if you’re naughty for him.” I make her shudder, and I smirk to myself while we continue into the theatre. To say I’m horny is an understatement. I haven’t slept with a girl since the last fight we had together before we made up, and even at that, I regret it because it was with Maya.

I only did it to get back at her, when I shouldn’t have stooped that low. I shouldn’t have taken it out on her; it was Ryan that I was pissed at. I was upset with her. I thought I had lost her . . . to him.

But I have her now. She’s all mine for the taking, and that’s what I’m doing. I’m taking my chances with her. I’m taking it all.

Carter sits in her seat and places her drink in the wrong cup holder. So, I lift it back out and stretch across her. I station it into the correct holder and lean in close to her face. “Give me a kiss.” I smirk as she tries not to smile back, but once again, she can’t help herself.

We stare at each other for the longest time until I push my face closer to hers signalling I’m hungry for one now. “Come here,” I order softly, trying to coax her to me once again. When I see her bite her lip, I almost growl at her. She looks so sexy when she does that. “Let me bite on that lip,” I say seductively to her lips that’s between her teeth, and she releases it and places her lips onto mine.

We made out for a very long time, I bite down on her lip, making her whimper, and I finally felt what I’ve wanted to feel all along. That little moan set me off on a kissing spree that made us both miss the first twenty minutes of the movie. Not that she cared, that was probably her plan all along; to skip the movie and just partake in a makeout session. Not that I blame her, I am a very good kisser.

“Maybe . . . we . . . should do . . . what . . . we came here . . . to do,” I mumble after every kiss. It pains me to stop it, but I also want to watch the movie. Selfish. I know, but I’ve been dying to see it since the trailer came out. I nip at her neck to make her grip my hair with a little strength. But Christ, that felt good. The way she touched me makes me anticipate how she’s really going to touch me.

Okay, time to cool it, Nick.

I yank myself away before I cannot control my urges to drag her to the restroom and go down on her. I wonder if she has any toys? Or played with herself? I would love to see that.

Shit.

A little “eep” escapes her lips, and I definitely know she’s watching the movie now. Her small body cuddles into my bulkier one, and I cape my arm around her to pull her closer to me. We’re in recliners, and I come up with a good idea.

I set it back so I’m nearly horizontal. I scoot away from her and pat the gap next to me. I nudge my head at her to come lay with me. She’s taking too long to make up her mind, so I take the initiative. Plus, I’m super impatient when it comes to her. I drag her hand, making her body fall into the divider separating us.

“Come here,” I tell her once again.

When she stands up, something is flung at her and a high-pitched voice yells “Yo! Down in front!” at her. She ducks, but I nearly see red. I stand up in an instant and tell her to sit down.

“Which one of you fucknuts said that? Huh? Which one?” I stare at the widened beady-eyes that is regretting what was said. They all turn to one guy sitting directly behind me. “You?” He gapes at me. I’m pretty sure he’s more afraid of me than the damn movie. This kid doesn’t even look old enough to be in here. “Say that one more time to her, and I will rip your nut sack right off and shove them down your throat! Got it?” He visible gulps but doesn’t say anything. “I asked you a fucking question, kid. I expect an answer!” I bellow back and he nods rapidly.

“Who threw this shit?” I pick up a half-eaten Snickers bar in my hand and grimace at the moisture coating it. That almost hit my girl, and I expect someone to tell me who the hell had the audacity to through that at a person.

“Nick, it’s alright—” I don’t even pay attention to her kindness to give the dipshit that threw this at her a chance. Not in my books.

The rest of the row points to the kid next to the guy that told her to sit down. Being the head quarterback with impeccable aim, I launch a vicious throw back at him and hit him square in the chest, causing him to wince in pain. He sputters out popcorn, coughing it out to get some air. “You’re lucky I didn’t shove it down your throat, you little idiot. I want you both to apologize to her right now,” I lecture them.

“Sorry!” they simultaneously say in a rush, afraid I might come over to them and really give them a piece of my mind.

I plonk myself back down in my seat with Carter next to me. Her leg goes over mine and her hand on my chest. She cuddles more into me, reminding me that this is exactly what my parents do with each other on the seat at home. I kiss her forehead.

“Thank you.” She smiles up at me and I capture her lips once more.

“Nobody does that to my girl.” I wink, and she buries her own small head back into my chest. We resume watching the movie, and I can feel her grip my shirt from time to time when the music hints there’s a scary part. When it happens, she turns her head away from the screen and places it into the crook of my neck.

It then hits me square in the face. I’ve never actually felt this way about any girl before. I know I’ve been with a list of girls, but it feels so good to have her here with me right now. She feels so safe with me. I have never sat here in silence with her and just thought about the way I feel about her.

She crashed right into my life, and I can’t think of a time I was this happy before I met her. Like, truly this happy. It’s amazing to think that someone could make such a huge impact on me. Someone so quiet, simple, little, and perfect. The complete opposite of what I’m used to sleeping with.

My little one. My Carter.

She gives up on watching the movie after a while, with thirty minutes until the end to be precise. She just lay beside me, playing with the end of the strings attached to my jumper. I knew she wouldn’t watch it, but it just gave me more time to hold her. Even though she’s used to it by now, my tactic still works every time.

She would pull on a string every so often, making it get a little tighter around my neck. She knows what she is doing, she wants my attention, and I give it to her every single time. I couldn’t ignore her, it’s like kicking a puppy; you just don’t do it.

When the credits start rolling and the lights come up, we stay seated for a while. I’m trying to time when we go to the restaurant for our food perfectly. We wait until the theater is almost empty, save for a few stragglers who waited like us; mainly to make out.

“I’m never watching a scary movie ever again, with or without you,” she groans as I chuckle at her, covering her face like the picture is still reeling right in front of her.

“You didn’t even watch most of it.” I tickle her making her scream with laughter in a quiet theatre. She was too busy trying to distract herself from the whole movie, and that entertainment was by yours truly.

I did hold her pretty close to me for the entire movie. I thought she would have gotten super scared like last time. I thought she would have crawled on top of me for some comfort. That’s what I was hoping, but she’s smart. She didn’t look at the movie a whole lot.

“Did you know your pupils dilate when there is suspense? Your left arm also tenses during a chasing scene too. You also chew popcorn really loud when it gets tense.” She roams her finger across my chest. If anything, that’s distracting—very distracting.

My fingers twitch to guide her hand a little more south, but I know this is not the right time for it. She’s not that kind of girl I can coax into bed. She has told me numerous times that she’s not ready, and my mind respects that, but my body thinks differently. It wants her—I want her. Every single piece of her. I wasn’t her first kiss or her first date, but I will be the first guy to touch her like that. I will be that guy.

“You’re very observant . . . were you watching me the entire movie?” I ask her as I retreat a little to look down at her gaping stare. When I see her beam a little, I know she has a small red shade to her cheeks. It’s just a little dark in here to see properly. There’s light hovering over us, but it’s pretty low.

“Maybe,” she playfully chides back. After a moment of us playing with each other’s fingers in silence, she asks me, “Is it weird?” I snap my eyes back to hers, blue hues reflecting back to me and lit up with so much curiosity and wonder.

“Is what weird?” I ask, a little unsure of her question.

“The fact that I . . . watched you? Instead of the movie?” She sits up on her elbow, allowing the cold air in between our bodies to cool us. I don’t like the feeling. She’s pulling away, and she’s embarrassed.

“I think it’s adorable, Carter . . . I do the same with you sometimes.” I allow her to relax a little after my own confession. She gets easily embarrassed, and I want her to feel totally comfortable around me. We all do embarrassing stuff, including me. I just hope she thinks I don’t.

“Really?” Her fingers come closer to my jaw, and I feel my muscles tense under her magnetic touch. There’s something about the way she feels me; when she holds my hand. When she brushes the tips of her fingers along any part of my skin, I feel like I’m on fire most of the time. There’s this pit in my stomach when I’m in her proximity. It’s something I can’t put into words. What I do know, is that I would do absolutely anything for this girl—anything.

“You’re too cute not to look at.” I wink, making her giggle. She covers her face with my chest. I let out a little rumble of my own, making her head bob up and down, adjusting the position of her straight brunette strands.

“Nick!” She smacks me, and I can’t help but elevate her chin back up. She protested at first but then admitted defeat because I’m persistent like that.

“Carter, you are so fucking cute. It’s not even funny anymore. You’re adorable, little one. You’re sexy, hot, delicious, amazing, gorgeous . . . I can keep going if you want?” I joke with her, and she beams back at me. She shakes her head and rolls her eyes at me for being so . . . me. She is totally amazing, and I want her to know that.

I sound like such a wuss. It bothered me at first. Now? I couldn’t give a fuck how I sound in my own head. I couldn’t give a fuck how I look to other guys. They’ve been teasing me about it nonstop. Gage in particular, that idiot keeps checking in on when he can see her next and getting me to tell her the offer’s still there if she’s over me.

Jackass.

“You’re cute too.” She flatters me, and we lock our eyes together. I capture her lips once again. She’s like my crack. I can’t get an adequate amount of her and her lips. I enjoy the sound of my pulse beating in my ears whenever we kiss. Her lips are always so soft and taste like honey. It’s like she wears this balm that entices me to come and kiss her, because every time I do, I don’t want to fucking stop. I don’t want this to stop.

This is all I need. Right here, with her. This is all I need to be content.

I flick my eyes up to the empty theater and decide it’s time to exit before I get any more ideas; particularly, the hot ones where it involves no clothes and a condom. Shit, time to leave now.

I tug her up beside me and adjust the strain in my pants that has gone unnoticed by her as she walks away. I mentally curse myself for the way I watch her perky little butt sway from side to side, singing out to me to give it a good, hard squeeze. I run my hand down my perspiring face to stop myself.

I groan silently as I follow her. I push the door open to permit her to walk out first and I bring her once again close to my body so we’re pressed together. I place my hand around her shoulders because she’s tiny, and we stride side by side out of the cool building together. As soon as we walk out into the dark street, we’re greeted by the sound of skateboard wheels grinding against the concrete pavement along with young people laughing and hanging out together. I remember when I did that with TJ. Not with skateboards though. We always had mountains of footballs at the ready in the car when the girls started to bitch about others in our year. So, we would all run around and play a fun game while we waited for them to stop.

“It’s a nice night,” she says with satisfaction as she admires the sky. Meanwhile, I admire how she looks. Her lips are shiny from the lights above us in the car park, and I can’t help but gaze at her. She has a glow around her that you could mistake it for an aura.

I need to stop doing this to myself.

“I agree, it’s stunning.” I’m not even looking up and speaking about the sky at all. As we near the door of the car, I click the button and light everything up. My chivalrous side comes out again when I open the door for her. My mom trained me well as a child to get the door for any woman. Southern manners, some might say.

Once we’re on the road, I steer towards the restaurant I had booked for us. It’s not fancy, but I love the food there and want to show Carter. It’s like a small biker style restaurant with lots of memorabilia of old rock bands and country singers, with pictures of the owners with other famous people who have stopped by hanging on the walls.

My dad used to bring me and Haley there when we were much younger. It’s a special place to me, and I want to share it with Carter. I want to share certain parts of me with her and hope she does the same. I also hope that she doesn’t run in the opposite direction.

“Where are we going?” she asks me as she stares out the windshield, trying to figure out where we’re going. She doesn’t know much about this area, which is why she doesn’t have a clue. If Haley was in the car she’d know precisely where we’re going; with a loud squeal as a huge spoiler.

“It’s a place where my dad brought me and Haley as kids. It was my favorite place to go to when I was growing up, but he only brought us when we were well-behaved and didn’t fight for the week, which in our house was very rare. It still is . . .” I mumble the last bit but I could hear her laugh in her hand, which put a soft smile on my lips. “If you like country or rock music, it’s the place most people go. The walls are covered in old vinyl’s, posters, photos, and concert tickets; you name it, they have it in some form.

“Ellie loves it too. She worships the pictures of famous people. She even knows all the old rock bands and country singers thanks to my parents. When we were growing up, they used to strap us in the back of the car and blare the music so we could all sing along. As kids, we all learned the lyrics to a good chunk of them.” I rest my finger across my lips, remembering all of this with a hint of a grin on my face. “I wanted to show you where I grew up. This is all what I grew up on.” I point to the fields outside the glass. “I’m a country guy. I love this place,” I tell the open road, passing by the old trees lining the road.

“I’m a city girl”—she laughs—“but I spent most of my summers here as a kid. Just a little more south from here, actually. My parents are both from this state. They met in college together when my dad played for Ole Miss. That’s why my brothers went here too, except Chris left early because he got a contract as soon as he stepped foot in college. My mom was really unsure if he should just stick it out for a little while longer and get some sort of degree, but Chris whined enough for the entire year about wanting to go pro. So, she just let him and he told her he can go back to college later on. But we all know that won’t happen, he’s lazy when it comes to studying.” She rolls her eyes heavenward and I laugh at her reaction.

“That’s why you never played with him. If he stayed, you probably would’ve gotten the chance. Austin graduated, at least. The both of them are wrapped up in being famous right now though; Chris more than Austin. They sometimes forget about me in the hustle and bustle of the NFL. I miss my brothers a lot. I only get to talk to them when they feel like it.” I can hear the somber tone when she speaks about missing them a lot. Her face slightly morphs into a gloomy expression but she masks it soon after. “They haven’t spoken to me since we’ve come back, same with my dad . . .” she whispers while fiddling with her fingers.

“It’s prime football time right now, you know? The Super Bowl is coming up soon, so all the teams are focused. I know both the Chargers and Giants will be in it like always, and your family is on both sides of the fence with that battle. I have no doubt in my mind that they miss you too and they’re not doing it on purpose.” Those three beasts absolutely adore her and get any chance they have to see her. I understand it too, she’s easy to be around and to have fun with. Her smile is infectious, and that’s why people gravitate to her so quickly. Plus, summer is coming up soon, and she’ll get to see them once again.

“You’re right.” She turns her head around to face me with that toothy smile that I can’t get over.

“I know.” I wink confidently and turn my attention back to the road coming up to the turn. “I’m always right. It’s my middle name.” She shakes her head, a light chuckle escaping her mouth.

“No, it’s not. Aidan’s your middle name.” I feel myself glow at her and at the mere thought of her remembering my middle name. “Nick Aidan Jackson . . . It’s a nice name,” She says my name with a hint of admiration. The way she said it fully caught my attention in an instant. To hear it in her voice just made my night.

“Aidan Jackson was my grandfather’s name on my dad’s side. He was my absolute hero and was the one who told me to play football.” I rotate into the car park of the restaurant, fairy lights dotting around the sides to help direct you to the entrance of the main door and the route to take to park. “He and my dad were very close. He bought me my first jersey when I was a kid as well as my first football. I still have both of them in my room back home. He’s the reason why I fell in love with the game so much. He made it fun for me, but my dad was all about the serious part of it. He made sure I was watched by scouts and reminded me that they were there. He put pressure on me, and still does to this day. I love my pops, but . . . my grandfather always reminded me to have fun. In high school, he came to every single one of my games until senior year.”

And that’s when I hit rock bottom; when I lost him. I lost myself along with him. I did senseless shit after his funeral. I had already slept my way around, but I ramped it up a notch after his passing. I would barely show up for school and practice. I was on the verge of being dropped, which only pissed my dad off even more, resulting in more disputes between the two of us. “Do you remember the night we had our first kiss?” I stop the car after backing into a free space and taking the keys out of the ignition. I watch her nod back in silence. “And do you remember when I told you that Maya helped me through a tough period?” The mention of her name causes Carter to grimace. I feel like I should share this with her. As much as I really don’t like Maya now, there were times when she would help me. I lost myself, and she helped me gain the true me back so I was strong again and ready for the season.

“Yes,” she whispers softly, asking me to carry on.

“That was the time she helped me through a period I really hate looking back on. I have never felt like that before. When I lost him, I went to a very dark place. I was fighting, drinking . . . and . . . you know.” I bob my head, praying she gets the hint. I don’t want to mention the thought of me sleeping around with other girls on our date right now, but I want her to know I had an ugly side too. I went through some shit, all of which I brought on myself. When she nods, I can see her eyes dropping, the small twinkle in them making my entire heart fall into the pit of my stomach.

“It was the worst time in my life. I had lost one of my heroes, and I couldn’t cope. I almost lost so many scholarship opportunities because of how stupid I was. I know you’re not her biggest fan, and I completely understand, but she did help me through that time when nobody could.” She reaches across the divider, taking my hand in hers. The warmth of her touch brings my heart back up. Once again, it’s pounding rapidly.

“I may not like her for the things she’s done, and I still don’t like her for them, but if she helped you during that time, that’s your loyalty. I understand that it still ties you two together, but it won’t make me forgive her, it never will. I will never let her hold that over you, Nick. She did that stuff to me, not you—”

“What she did to you, Carter, hurt me more than you could ever think. It wasn’t right, and I’m over the drama she brings. I only give her credit for that time she helped me, but I’m not tied to her. I have never been and never will be. I am my own person, I have moved away from her. Because, truth be told, if I had known you before losing him in high school, I wouldn’t have gone down that road at all. I know it’s a big statement, but I know in the back of my mind, if I had you there, none of the shit would have happened to me back then.” I stop her from thinking the worst. I know she would have if I hadn’t have stopped her. She’s this light to me. I have no other way to explain it, but she’s a guiding light that I’m so drawn to.

A few moments pass in the car with the two of us just staring at each other. When I see the corners of her lips lift on either side, I know it’s time to make a move towards the restaurant. I push open my door and make my way around to her. But before she steps out, I move my body closer to hers, making her head lift back up to meet my eyes. I cup my hands around her precious face and lean closer to her.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t met you, Carter.” I kiss her. This one is different from other times. Very different. It feels like a portion of myself just left my body and moved straight into hers. As cliché as this sounds, my pulse is like a raging bull seeing red. I can feel my hands shake as I caress my lips against hers with everything I’ve got. This girl is so special to me, and I will never let her go. Not in a million years. You will have to fight me to pull me away from her. This is one of those moments that I will never overlook either. This is our moment, even if it’s in a grungy, dark car park. This is an unexpected moment that I’m very much living through.

When we break and pull slowly away from each other, the twinkle in her eyes rise once again and that dour expression that I didn’t like is gone. She looks so beautiful right now.

Taking the breath out of my body, I actually have to remind myself to inhale. I nibble down on my lip and bring her own to mine once again for a quick peck. I bow back and help her out of the car, allowing her to find her own footing. We hold hands and walk inside the restaurant, getting smacked by the air conditioning. We both sigh at the feeling.

“Hey there! Welcome to the Golden King, my name is Tracey. How can I help y’all tonight?” the hostess asks both of us.

“I booked a table for two for tonight? Under the name ‘Jackson,’ ” I reply and watch her scan the clipboard set on the small podium table you see when people make announcements on TV.

“Ah yes! I found you here. Mr. Jackson?” I confirm that it’s me once again. “Alrighty then, if you two wouldn’t mind followin’ me, please, I will show you to your table.” I allow Carter to walk in front of me; mainly because it’s polite, and also to check her out. Damn, she looks good tonight. “Here y’all are, best seat in the house!” She winks at Carter, who smiles and thanks her. “I will send over your waitress now so you can order drinks while choosin’ what you want to eat.” She has a thick southern accent that reminds me of my mom when she’s animated or angry.

Once we sit down, a young brunette comes over with an apron tied around her waist with a pen and notepad in hand. “Hi there! Welcome to the Golden King. My name is Erin and I’ll be your waitress for the night. Can I get y’all some drinks to start?” she begins, and I can almost hear my mom’s voice in my head warning me “ladies first,” so I look over at Carter so she can take the hint to order first.

“Um, could I have a glass of water and some lemonade too?” she asks timidly.

“Of course you can! And for you?” She turns her attention to me and I sit back in my seat.

“I’ll have a Budweiser,” I ask.

“Do you have an ID—”

“No need for ID, Erin honey, their bill is on me.” The jolly old man that has come to my house more often than not comes over to greet me. “I knew it was you, son. You sound like your pops!” He chuckles, and I stand up to meet him halfway his open arms. Beau Halston is the owner and was my grandfather’s best friend. He crushes me in a big hug me like always because he’s not a small man by any means. “You and Haley been good this week?” he teases me, and I can hear Carter laugh beside us along with me, now getting the background of the joke.

“You could say that, yeah!” I chuckle but he pulls me back, grasping onto my shoulders to take a good look at me. I haven’t seen him in years.

“Well, son, you’re looking mighty well, aren’t ya? Just like your pops.” A flicker of movement catches both of our attention as Carter knocks all the cutlery onto the floor with a loud clang. “And who do we have here, huh?” He allows his eyes to wander to my date with amusement in his eyes.

“This is Carter, my date for tonight. Carter, this is Beau, my grandfather’s best friend,” I introduce them both while Carter apologizes for her clumsiness to the waitress, who has no problem getting her another set. She stands up to greet him and puts her hand out in front of her. He’s not a hand shaker. He only does it when it’s for business; he’s more of a hugger. He stares at her hand like it’s foreign to him and paces over to her, ignoring it, engulfing her in a hug instead. “Don’t crush her too badly, Beau, I want her for the rest of the date too.” I make him laugh as he hugs her.

“Nice to meet you,” she speaks softly and he turns and to face me with a beaming smile from ear to ear. I know what he’s about to say too.

“Oh, Aidan would’ve loved her,” he compliments the shy beauty standing in front of him. She blushes while he smiles down at her. “It’s very nice to meet you, Carter. I hope he’s treating you very well, how a lady should be treated,” he teases me, making her light up and nod. She agrees that I am treating her very well, and that thought makes me happy. I’m doing perfectly fine then.

“Definitely, he’s very sweet to me,” she replies to him but is staring at me.

“Good to hear! I would’ve given a swift talking to him if he hadn’t been treating a lovely girl like you well.” He winks, making her blush even further.

“Alright, you have Ellen to be flirting with. Leave it to me when it comes to Carter, old man.” I tap him on the shoulder and pull him away as Carter giggles beside us. Beau sends me one of his famous cheeky grins with a small wink on his face, allowing the crow’s feet to deepen with the movement. Ellen is the woman he has been successfully married to for over fifty years. They had three kids that all grew up with my dad and his brothers. Our families have been close for as long I can remember.

“Alright, I suppose I’ll leave you two kids to it,” he light-heartedly chides me and turns back around to face Carter, who is still standing next to her chair with both hands crossed over in front of her and smiling at him. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Carter.” He takes her hand like the southern charmer he has always been and kisses the back of her knuckles like a gentleman.

“It was really nice meeting you too,” she happily replies back with a delicate blush on her cheeks. Yeah, Beau has always had a way with the women in town. Before he leaves, he turns on his heel back to face me and points with a spirited glint in his eye.

“And you, son, next time, don’t take too long to come and visit me. I’m not getting any younger, as much as I’d like to tell myself that.” He leaves with a roaring laugh. He’s always in high spirits when I see him. The only time I’ve seen him sad was at my grandfather’s funeral. That’s the only time in all my life where I haven’t seen him with his usual smile on his face.

We both sit back into the old seats and Carter is the first to speak up, “He reminds me of my granddad.” She watches him talk with the other regulars with so much ease.

“Really? Your grandfather must be a really good guy, then?” I ask her and she brings her attention back to me, lifting up the menu to ready herself to select the food she would like.

“Yeah, he always chased me in the backyard when I’d travel down here for the summers. He would like you too.” She lifts the left side of her lips, producing a small but noticeable smirk. “Even though he’s my dad’s dad, he’s not as strict as my dad or as scary as he is.” She laughs, knowing she’s reading my thoughts exactly.

That was the first thing that came to my mind when she brought up her dad. Rodger Steel still, and always will, scare the living shit out of me. Although, I try not to show it. Especially around him.

The waitress rejoins us to hand us our drinks, and we both request what we would like to have. I get my favorite, T-bone steak, medium well with some salad and fries because that popcorn hadn’t filled me up. Carter orders exactly what Haley orders every time she comes here; Chargrilled prawns with roasted peppers, fresh tomatoes, basil, and linguine.

The conversation is flows smoothly between us as we shove the food into our mouths, laughing and joking around about our mutual friends. We talk about Rob and Adrianna, who have rekindled not only their friendship but a promising romance. Rob’s mood has lifted tenfold after talking it through with her. That night, she came with him back to the house and they locked themselves up in his room, not without a strong request from Aid to double wash his bed sheets in boiling hot water before she would lay on it. Stubborn as a mule, Rob would say, but we all knew he wouldn’t have her any other way. Even Ryan was happy to see her.

“I’m so glad they worked it all out.” Carter blows on her food before she takes a bite. I agree with her and chew before I answer.

“Rob is a totally different guy now. It’s like we got the old Rob back. Even Ryan is tolerable now because he’s chatting with her now that she’s in the house a lot of the time. He’s not on my case taunting me about you.” I roll my eyes and I see her duck her own head down embarrassed by that whole predicament.

“I am so sorry about that, Nick. I never meant for anyone to get hurt,” she apologizes tenderly across the wooden table to me.

“I know, and it’s not your fault. All of it just happened, so please don’t blame yourself,” I demand from her.

“It’s hard not to.” She continues looking away from me. I feel bad that I brought it up now.

“Hey, little one?” As soon as I call her that, she smiles instantly down at the food laying in the bowl in front of her. She lifts her eyes but keeps her head low. “You don’t need to be sorry about anything. That’s between me and Ryan, you just got caught in the crossfire. These things happen. He needed to know that you don’t talk about any girl like that, so I made it known to him,” I tell her things she already knows about but I can still see the sorrow in her eyes reflecting back at me. “I’m serious, forget about what has happened in the past. Let’s just focus on the now. Live in the moment with me, please?” I watch her eyes light up with something, and it stays there for the entire meal we’re having. That simple look has me wondering what is going on inside that brain of hers?

When I tell her stories about me as a kid, I can see her eyes dance with amusement and watch her laugh alongside me. She gives me her undivided attention, even in this crowded restaurant. She pays attention to all of the mortifying childhood memories that I’m describing to her before my mom has a chance to really rip me to shreds.

My mom really likes her too, so that can only mean one thing and one thing only: baby pictures. Now that, I haven’t mentally prepared myself for. I was a skinny kid until I got a hold of a football and started playing it seriously. Then I started to date the gym every morning to bulk up, and it worked wonders.

Staying true to my words and living in the moment, we’re both now eating dessert. The famous chocolate brownie covered in hot fudge chocolate sauce that would make a lactose intolerant’s mouth water. There is a contented silence between us both as we dig into the delicious treat that was prepared for us. We got double portions because I’ve known Beau my whole life. I can see her really struggle trying to eat that amount, but also torn to eat more because it tastes so delectable.

Fighting to pay the bill on the way out was a difficult task because there was no bill. Carter just giggled when I had to fight Beau to at least pay for something. His reply was, “You can pay for the water, kid.” I knew all too well that the water was free here. So, he pushes us out the door. I still tipped our waitress. Beau waves us off as we leave and we head back to campus, where I would begrudgingly drop her back to the dorm. I didn’t want this night to end, but I knew it had to at some point.

“I had an amazing time, even if the movie scared the living soul out of me.” She puffs out a long and large breath. Her nearest hand reaches for mine and squeezes it. I replicate her and squeeze it back. Then I interlock our fingers and caress the tip of my thumb across her butter soft skin. Everything about her feels so good.

“I had an amazing time too. I always do with you.” I wink at her, taking my eyes off the road for a quick second. We fall into a comfortable silence once more. I realize that all the guys have gone to a party that I so badly wanted to avoid. Going back to an empty house isn’t ideal, but I have to, one way or another. These fucking rules that someone told her need to be banished. I mean, seriously? What is up with girls and their dating rules?

I pull up to the dark terracotta building where there are a few girls walking around in short skirts and mini dresses, waving around glass bottles and red cups in their hands. I can hear their shrills of laughter at probably nothing that’s hilarious. They’re just drunk. So, things can be extra comical when they’re really not.

I help her out and people stare. I take her hand to comfort her. I know she hates it when people gawk at her like she doesn’t belong with me. Quite the contrary, my friends.

She absolutely belongs to me.

Prolonging the inevitable, we take the stairs so we can spend some more time together and talk about meaningless things. Once her door comes into my sight, I internally growl at it.

“Are you sure you don’t want to spend the night with me?” I tease her, knowing all too well what the answer is going to be. She chuckles to herself, her hair shakes from side to side.

“You know, you really are a charmer, aren’t you?” She peers up to me with light yet hooded eyes. That look alone sends the blood rushing down low. It’s been a while, okay?

“Only with you, Steel,” I continue to flirt with her, making her to chuckle more. She rests her back against the door and I move closer to her body. A body that I want underneath me. Dammit. “So, can I have my goodnight kiss?” I ask with a cheeky grin on my face.

I lean in closer to her feeling her hot breath along my lips, and she takes the hint. We lock lips outside her door once more. Removing my hands from my pockets, I settle them on her hips. I bite down on her lip to let my tongue enter and play with hers. I sigh at the taste of her and push her body more into the door, praying that nobody opens it. Then she really will be underneath me.

I can feel the desire for her grow tighter in my lower abdomen as we kiss passionately. Her arms locks around my neck, drawing me closer to her. Her hips brush off mine, and I groan at the sudden burst of pleasure I felt. I roll my own and feel her gasp; she’s liking it too.

But it’s time to stop. I don’t want her feeling pressured. Tame yourself, man. After one last sweet peck on her lips, I step back, this time for good. “Goodnight, Carter.” I know I have that ridiculous grin on my face while staring at her, thinking about the million and one positions I’ll have her in when the time is right. I shake my head to liberate myself from the sinful thoughts I’m having. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” I ask and watch her nod.

“Goodnight, Nick!” she waves at me. I walk away from her back down the hallway I sauntered up just moments ago. The rapid growth of the large bulge in my pants makes my cheeks flush. My mind is acting up, again, while I try to adjust him into position so people can’t see how hard I am for her. Tonight is a particularly bad one, for whatever reason.

As soon as I enter the house, I know it’s time for a very long and cold shower. I drag my top over my head and fling it on the desk where there is a bundle of my clothes sitting in a mess on top of my books.

I sit on my bed in the darkness. The house may be empty, but I’ve got a wide smile on my face. Watching my hands play with each other, I think about what happened tonight. I laugh a little to myself as I think back to when I would move from girl to girl. Now, I’m a different person. I like this version of myself. I enjoy just having her on my mind. No games, no mixed signals. It’s just so simple.

The doorbell chimes across the hall, and I furrow my brows. I don’t know anyone who would call around to the house at this hour of the night. I amble back to the dark oak acting as a safety barrier between me and the person on the other side. Once I open the door, I feel my brows shoot up.

“Can I take you up on that offer of staying over?” Carter blushes with a bag in her hold. Not expecting her to be here, I feel the rush of excitement to have her standing here right in front of me. I slip my hand around her waist and pull her to my bare chest, closing the door as a response to her question.

“You most certainly can, Steel.” I smirk and take her bag from her grasp, bringing her back down to my room where we can settle for the night.