Steeling Her: A Romance Novel

Nick

The fact that Carter is trembling in my hold makes it known to me that I need to get her to the house quicker than I wanted. I don’t need her catching a cold because of this, and I don’t want another hindrance for her either. One trip to the hospital was more than enough for me and my nerves. So, when I see the house up ahead, I quicken up my pace to get there in a split second. One step closer to warmth, I think to myself.

I have to put her down on her feet in order to open the door. Once I did, I lift her back up with the towel Haley had gotten for her still wrapped around her. Carter chatters out a laugh when I know her jaw was beginning to shake. That, to me, is a sure sign that I might be too late.

I kick the door shut behind us and carry her to my room in silence. I have only one task in my mind and that’s to insert her into the shower. Fully focused on putting her needs before mine, I can heat up the bath, no problem. It’s her I’m more worried about.

Once I get to my room, I order her, “Lose the clothes and I’ll run the shower now.” Carter nods, and I race to the bathroom, feeling a slight shiver myself. I lift my shirt off my back and poke my head out into my room. Seeing that she’s still changing, I decide that as much as I don’t want to, I need to give her some privacy. “Um, the shower is hot if you’re ready,” I call out to her.

When I hear a quiet “Okay” as a response, I know she’s coming in. Her voice is close. I’m so embarassed that I don’t even know where to look with my own girlfriend now. I wanted to ask her properly rather than declare her as my girlfriend, but it came out like word vomit.

I swallow at her completely bare figure, a towel wrapped around her petite body. I send her a tight smile and try to control myself.

What I would give to join her, but I know she probably wants some privacy. After that night I had with her, all I want was to get her alone with me and let my hands feel her skin again. I miss that skin-on-skin contact that I desire. It was more than just fucking that night. It’s like a lightbulb went off in my brain and took my time. The embrace we had, had my nerves on the edge the entire night and it hasn’t changed since then. I have an itch to be with her all of the time now, and I can’t scratch it unless I’m with her.

I remember when I let the tip of my tongue taste her. Her juices tasted so rewarding when she lost control. The way her body reacted under my touch. When Carter reached her peak, I enjoyed watching her back arch allowing the pink peaks of her breasts stand up on their own accord, shuddering in bliss and clamping around me like she didn’t want it to be over.

The truth is, neither did I. I didn’t want to let go of her either afterwards. It was satisfying to have her that night, even if it was unexpected.

I almost wanted to go again and again and again because of the addictive rush I felt with her, but I knew she’d be tender after it. Which also meant that I needed to care for her, Like what I’m doing now.

That smile of hers pulls me back to reality. I couldn’t help but stare at her succulent lips. I really want a taste but I know she needs to get warm first.

“The shower is nice and hot for you when you’re ready,” I inform her, watching the steam rise and the mirror fog up in my peripheral vision. “I’ll be in my room when you’re finished with some clothes for you.” I begrudgingly make my way back into my room but then I get stopped by her sweet voice.

“Do you want to join me?” she asks innocently. I freeze right between the two rooms, under the door frame that needs to be refurbished. This house has gone to shit, no thanks to us; everything needs to be redone and repainted. There’s a ton of mold that can’t be healthy to breathe in every day, hence why the windows are constantly open. “Nick?” I then realize how silent I became after her first question.

I clear my throat and spin around on my heel to stare at her. Still enveloped in that white towel that’s not mine or hers, her bright blue doe eyes pleads to me. How can I say no to her? How can I say no to that look she’s giving me?

As if she could sense my hesitation, she drops the towel to give me a frontal view of her perfect, naked body. I inhale sharply as I look at her beauty, allowing my eyes to roam around the skin that I’ve missed against mine. The way the beads of water shine back at me, enticing me to come to her, and how her wet skin looks makes it look immaculate. It’s like art, and you know what they say about art; it should be placed up against the wall. Watching her body sway as she walks into the shower alone, Carter slips behind the glass doors, leaving me with only a blurry silhouette of her. It takes me all of one second to decide what to do.

I get a move on and slip the rest of my drenched clothes off me. Kicking them up into my hands, I place them into the sink to allow the water to drain. I do the same with her clothes. I’ll toss them in the drier later on when she’s asleep.

Sliding the doors back to display her gorgeous self once again, I can feel my heart thumping against my ribcage. I’m having a moment where my body where itches for her—desires to touch her. I swallow when she turns to gaze at me over her shoulder, relaxing underneath the warm water. Her eyes show a lot of warmth that draws me closer and closer. I step in closer to her, and she brings her head underneath the showerhead, washing the makeup residue off her face with the bar of soap sitting on the rack hanging on the wall by her head.

Hot steam gathers around us, rising to make our visions blurry. I feel a slight shiver, making me edge quicker to her for some warmth of my own. I wrap my arms around her frame, drawing her flush with my naked body. I feel the hot water burn my skin at first and later become accustomed to it. Letting the water trickle down our bodies, I brush my lips behind her ear and make her sigh. She rests her body against me for some support.

Both her hands lay on mine that are wrapped around her, stroking them.

“So, we’re official?” She leans her head back against my shoulder.

“Yeah. We’re official,” I respond. “How do you feel about it? You okay?” I ask her and she nods, rotating her head around so she’s at the same level as my lips. I kiss her, resting my lips on her warm skin.

“I’m happy. Really, really happy.” She laughs like she can’t believe it. Neither can I. She’s my first girlfriend, and although I was going to ask her tonight when we were alone, it accidentally slipped out to shut both Erin and Maya up for good. I also made the decision to block them on everything. My phone, social media, etc. Everything. It needed to be done, I’ve had enough of their games.

I’m done with them and their drama.

“I’m glad you are. I’m happy too.” I smile on her skin. “I’m really happy with you, Carter.” I begin to play with the skin on her stomach. Brushing my tips across her delicate skin causes her to react, and tiny bumps to rise along her skin despite being in a steaming-hot shower; especially when I threaten to go lower. Her hips move towards my hand, allowing it to drop and drift to her core.

“I’m really happy with you too, Nick.” She releases breathless sigh. Throwing her head back even further, she gets high off the atmosphere we’re creating. She likes it when I trace on her skin. It’s good to see that. She wants me just as much as I want her.

Remember when I said she was a work of art that deserves to be on the wall? Well, I took that literally and spun her around. Gathering the back of her thighs, I lift her up and pin her against the tiles on the wall, my erection against her juicy hot core.

Breathing hard against each other, I want nothing more than to take her. The urge is too much—far too much right now. Thinking quick, I pull her over and open the doors, reaching into the drawer by the sink knowing I have one condom there.

“I need you now, Carter,” I moan, rummaging my hand around the drawer until I feel a box that has already been open. She responds by starting to kiss my neck. I need to fist my hand to control myself or I’ll forget about the condom altogether. “I really need you now,” I whisper as I reach for the foil and pull it into my hold. Slamming the door shut once again, I silently thank God. I still had one accessible for us right now.

Multitasking isn’t one of my skills, but right now, it’s my main priority. With her in one arm and the condom in my other, I rip the condom open with my teeth and place it along my stiff length, dropping the oil onto the floor of the shower, allowing the water to pull it along to the drain where it hovers.

“Be gentle,” she whispers at how fast this is all going. So, I slow down and smile at her to make her feel at ease.

“I will always be gentle with you,” I promise her. Staring into her baby blue hues, I tell her that I would never hurt her. I would never want to hurt her, ever. “I won’t hurt you, Carter.” I affirm to her and watch her nod at me. “We can take it slow like last time, I’m sorry if you felt it was a bit rushed. I was just excited,” I say truthfully.

She giggles as she blinks down at Junior that is poking up between her lower lips, then she brings her gaze back up to me. I’m fascinated by her laugh. Her laugh is the best sound in the entire world, easily. But the sight of my dick between her slick folds is what nearly has me nutting.

“I can see that.” Her arms wrap tighter around my neck, drawing me in for a chastising kiss. I groan, sending some vibrations rippling through her. Deepening the kiss even further, we make out for a little while with the hot water trails down my back. I grind along her lower lips, wanting it to slip in. I can now understand why she likes really hot showers. It feels so good.

I then remember the number of cold showers I’ve had to take because of her. The number of times I’ve had to release myself between these walls because of her. Now, I’m about to dominate her in the shower.

I’m about to make her cum hard.

Real hard.

Blackout hard.

I gently place my tip at the entrance of her core, nudging it in little by little, making her feel comfortable and allow her constricted channel to adjust to me. She’s still so fucking tight. Clamping down around me, I can feel myself rise, and I’m not even fully inside her.

“Christ,” I moan out, already heightened by the sensation.

The way our bodies touch almost feels like we’re melting into one another. Steam rises, and I can feel my pulse thumping in my neck.

Once I’m fully inside, she lets out a small gasp. She bites her luscious ruby-red lips to try to contain herself. I love that look on her face. The one where she knows she’s powerful in my hold. The one where I can see the disarray adorned on her beautiful face. The once lost feeling, then finding her true bliss.

That. That is what I love most about her.

She looks like she’s having an outer body experience. Her nails scrape against my skin, and she whimpers from the sensual experience. Her mind is completely lost in something that feels so fucking right.

We are right for each other. I just know it.

My own mind allows the fog to creep in, sending me into a hard-earned state of pleasure just at the thought of this combination of her and me together. Alone, and nobody’s here to bother us.

Tonight feels different. It feels so diverse. It’s hot and clammy in here. Not because of the shower, but because we’re both feeling this connection that’s unlike anything we’ve experienced before. Something special is most definitely in the air, I just can’t put it into words.

This is the time for me to really appreciate her and her features. I brush my thumb across her bottom lip. Her eyes flick open and she releases her juicy red lips from between her teeth. I can’t help but gape at it. When I feel her hand roam to the base of my skull, I shudder. My skin rises up, and I feel myself starting to understand this feeling I have for her.

It’s love. This is what it truly feels like. If you ever have the chance to feel it, never let it go or settle for less.

Take it with both hands and claim it.

Claim her.

“You’re so beautiful,” I confess to her. I’m in awe of this girl and her natural beauty. I know I was meant to say that more to myself, but the way her eyes light up at me when I confessed enraptures me. That small glimmer in her eyes and the red tint rising up her neck to meet her cheeks is immaculate. I’ve never seen someone so stunning in my life. Her wet hair, wavy and dark brown, sticks around the sides of her face and on her shoulders.

She innocently blushes like always.

That drives me crazy.

“Thank you,” she whispers with a hint of a smile on her lips. My thumb has been caressing her jaw all this time.

With that all said, I thrust into her, making her eyes shut once again as she gasps for air. Kissing her neck to heighten her sensitivity, I leave my mark on her skin to let everyone who sees us tomorrow know she’s mine. My first ever girlfriend.

Once more, I thrust hard into her hollow walls, but not too hard. I would never want to hurt her. I would never want to treat her like that. Some people enjoy it rough, and that’s what they like. It’s what I used to like, mainly because I knew I couldn’t handle any emotions thrown in. So, I separated my feelings when I fucked girls and really fucked them.

But with Carter, it’s not one of those times. It’s not just about fucking. It’s much deeper than that. I allow my emotions to peek through for her, just as much as she does for me. I can see it in her eyes seconds before she comes undone around me. That look of pure adoration reaches me, and I want nothing more than to have that look forever with her.

“Nick,” she moans with her legs wrapped tightly around my hips, comfortably ensuring she stays up against the wall with my help. I’ve never had shower sex before. Don’t get me wrong, as romantic as it all sounds, there’s a slight fear factor of slipping or dropping her onto the floor. That can ruin the mood in under five seconds.

But not right now, I’m fully focused on pleasing her while keeping us steady and upright. Banging her up against the wall is the hottest thing I’ve ever done in my life. One hand behind her rests on the cold tiles while the other is positioned under her butt to hold her in place while I absolutely devour that delicious pussy of hers. I keep pumping into her slowly until I get the green light, that’s when I quicken up the pace.

The stream of water striking the floor, the shower running, and the sound of skin slapping against one another echoes in the heavy air. I lift my head back, knowing that if I keep this up, I will lose it and release inside of her very quickly. I don’t want that.

So, I slow it back down and grind each thrust a little harder, making sure I get the throbbing pink clit of hers too wanting it between my lips.

“Jesus,” I groan, feeling every bit of this sensation. It’s true what they say, sex with a person you really like is the best. Sex with a person you love, that’s a whole other feeling. The other night was unforgettable for me. The feeling of her body in my hands, the taste of her sweet nectar, and the sound of my name leaving her lips.

Pump after pump, our moans saturate the air around us, and it has her throwing her head back against the tiles. She archs her back, allowing me better access to her breasts. I reach down and shift her up higher to take one in my hot, needy mouth to suck hard on it. I make sure to roll her nipple delicately between my teeth, making her more sensitive to my touch.

“Oh my God!” She gasps loudly while gripping the back of my head. Flicking her head back to face me, I lift my eyes up a little to meet her gaze. Her eyes are telling me something I can’t quite make out. “Oh God!” she screams again, continuing to grip on my hair. I can feel her nails pierce into the skin on my back and in my hair. She bites on her lips to stifle a moan. I don’t like it when she does that, so I punish her by ranking up the thrusts and biting harder on her nipple, making her mouth drop wide open as a result.

Sliding in and out of her is easy because she is dripping wet for me. I speed it back up and grind harder against her sensitive clit.

“Shit!” I curse at my own actions. It feels good, but I wanted her to moan. “Fuuuck!” I curse again, roaring in pleasure. I can feel my body tense along with hers. She’s beginning to clamp down around me, begging for me to keep going so she can have her release. But I want to come at the same time as her. So, I keep the pace going and push us both to the limit. “Fuck, I’m so close, baby!” I groan, almost in pain. You’d swear I had blue balls for a year with the way I’m pounding into her.

“Ahhh . . . Nick!” She pants to my face. We can feel it building up to the high point of release. I keep it going and lift her up again with both hands, each leg draped over my arms as I press her against the wall and completely own her pussy.

Her pussy is mine and only mine. No other guy is coming anywhere near it. Her entire self belongs to me. I’m loyal to her. She has me completely in her hold, and I’m not going anywhere. Not without a fight.

Not without her.

“Ohhh!” She moans loudly.

“Fuck! I’m cumming, Carter!” I roar, pushing us both over the edge. Jesus Christ, I yell internally. The way her body reacts to the peak of pleasure, her walls convulsing around my shaft that’s balls deep inside her, is heavenly. She climaxes around me and pulls me along with her.

Her mouth opens wide as she loses control of her body, shuddering and buckling in my arms. It’s a struggle to keep her up while I pump my hot seed into the condom, thinking it’s in her. Technically, I am, so it keeps my drive and consistency going with the thought of me planting it inside of her. That’s what I would like to do, but I also am not ready to be a dad just yet. Or to be beaten to a pulp by her dad and brothers.

I rest my forehead against hers while I squirt inside her. I stare deep into her eyes that are bright, glowing, and shining back at me while I pant at each squirt. “Fuck, Carter.” I push into the wall as I lose myself over and over again, one that I have to breathe hard at.

Once we’ve both come down from our high, I set her back on her feet and remove the condom that was filled with me. Discarding it in the trash, we continue our shower. She’s resting against the wall while watching me doing all of this. I tirelessly smile at her, coming back from my thoughts. Closing the distance between us, I peck her on the lips and smile. She reciprocates it and kisses me again.

“For someone who hasn’t had sex much, that was . . .” I breathe out a huge puff of air. She giggles at me and rolls her eyes. I love it when she does that.

“I really enjoyed that . . . despite what happened tonight. This has definitely made up for it by, like, a thousand times.” She’s grinning like a child in a candy store as she leans up to wrap her arms around my neck to pull me down to kiss her again. I run my tongue along her bottom lip so I can enter that hot, sweet mouth to taste her.

I settle my hands on her hips, sliding them around her back and hugging her close to me. Both of my hands crosses over on her butt, gently cupping it. Deepening the kiss, I squeeze her butt lightly to show her I could go again. However, I know it’s only her second time sleeping with me, so I don’t want her to be sore or hurt if I push my luck, as much as I really want to. I need to think about her right now and not myself. She comes first.

It was the feeling of the ice-cold water that separates us in record time. We were so busy making out with each other that I didn’t realize we had pressed the handle towards the cold setting, and it’s been a while since I’ve had one of those. She shrieks and runs away behind me, so I take the full brunt of icy pellets hitting my bare skin. Not liking the feeling, I quickly reach over to turn it back to its initial place. I hear her chuckle behind me, and I listen to that melodic sound again.

I’m so deep with her. I can’t help but want to go deeper.

The feeling of her lips pressing gently on my back causes me to shudder more than when the cold water hit me. Her touch is magnetic. Both her arms reaches around my waist as she hugs me flush with her front from behind me.

There’s just something about this moment that makes me realize it’s one I’ll want to relive forever. It’s one I’ll never forget.

This is one of those special moments where you know this is the person you want to be with. This is the girl I want for the rest of my life. This is it for me. I just know it. My heart does, too, that’s why it’s been thumping and thumping and thumping since that very first touch.

She’s the one.

And although I never thought I’d say it, I just know she is. She’s all I need and what I’ve been unknowingly looking for. She’s the girl that stands out against the rest. She’s a true gift to have in my life, and I’m never not happy when I’m with her. It’s the strangest feeling, yet a perfect one.

As if I’ve found the last piece of the puzzle, and I can take a step back and look at what image has been made.

A rare piece of art.

Natural beauty in all its wonder.

All of this makes me wonder; how did I get so lucky?

I pull myself back to the world I’m in, I turn around and face her, luring her in and placing her under the showerhead with me so we can wash each other because that’s what we originally came in here to do. I got a little sidetracked and horny.

I reach over her head to find the shower gel I bought for her yesterday. As much as I love her smelling like me, I do like how she smells normally too. Coconut and mango. I asked my sister what the smell was and she did all the snooping for me after I bribed her with my mom’s chocolate cake. The things she’ll do for a little bit of food.

I want to get the smell of chlorine out of her hair too, so I bought her the shampoo and conditioner to match. When I open it from behind her head, I notice her eyes haven’t left my face. I blink down at her and smile, and she sends one back in a heartbeat.

When I pour the thick body wash in my hand, we’re engulfed by the aroma of sweet mango infused with coconut. Her grin grows wider and wider as she recognizes it.

“You bought my favorite body wash?” she whispers in disbelief. She’s easily pleased, and I love that about her. She loves the simple and thoughtful things I do for her. She knows I actually listen to her and what she says.

“Yeah, I did. Even though I like it when you smell like me, I also love it when you smell like you. So, I bought these.” I place the body wash back onto the rack and start to scrub her body, starting with her arms and shoulders and working my way down to her legs, massaging them while I do it.

“These?” She jerks her hand up to the rack to see all the products I had bought for her. When I bought them, I did get those strange stares when all of the women were in the same aisle as I was. They would comment on how much they loved a guy with a feminine side, but that wasn’t the case. I was going out of my way to buy them for her. “You bought all of these for me?” She stands up on the tips of her toes to look at the bottles on the wall, all lined up, to read the labels. She takes all three of them down and stares at them incredulously.

“Yeah.” I stand back up to my full height after getting an unforgettable view of that perky ass of hers when she propped herself up to get the bottles.

“You really bought me these?” she asks again as she holds them up with a confused expression on her face. A cute one at that.

“Yep, I like when you smell like this.” I shrug.

“You’re so cute.” She giggles and places them back on the wall, wrapping herself around me. So, I replicate her and hold her against me. The skin-on-skin feeling I have always found to be the best, but with her, there’s no comparison. It’s fucking incredible.

“I want you to come here more often and stay here whenever you want.” Coaxing her to stay with me is the only way I will get what I want. She would never just offer to stay unless she’s terrified, like the other night. She’s too shy to ask, even when we’re in this new relationship.

“Are you sure?” she inquires. Once I nod, I can see that breath-taking smile again. The way she beams up at me injects a shot of adrenalin around my body.

Damn, why is she so fucking pretty?

After we’re finished in the shower, I wrap the towel around her as soon as we step out. I rub her in the towel like what your parents would do as a kid when you get out of the bath, making sure she’s warm. I always make sure that she’s okay before me. It used to be the other way around because I never cared this much about any girl that I was originally with. I was always too nonchalant about what they did.

But one thing is for certain, I never allowed them to stay in my bed. I never had sex with anyone in my bed. Except for Carter. She is and will be the only girl to ever have had the chance to do that because she’s so special to me. Some people really have no idea what I mean until you find that person.

It’s like that feeling where you’re in the fresh air and you can take a deep breath because all you could breathe was smog. I was deprived of feeling something for any girl because I knew I’d eventually find this girl. I knew I’d have her in my life, it’s like an intuition. Now that I have her, I can take that long-awaited deep breath.

We both saunter back out into my room once again. I have the towel still wrapped around me, but I’m fishing out some clothes for her from my clean clothes. I grab a pair of boxers and my jersey to give her. Taking them from me, she changes into them while I grab myself a fresh pair. Once we’re clothed, I turn back to see her tying up her hair into a bun to keep it off her face, still drenched with water from our little steamy shower.

“You feeling alright?” I ask cautiously, knowing she’ll still be a little sore from our antics.

“Yeah, just a little tender, but I will be alright.” She grins. If there is one thing that I could see for the rest of my life, it would be that smile. That amazing beaming smile that makes me weak inside. There’s just something about her that makes me impatient for the day I will wake up with her lying next to me in our own home.

Just us. Both our careers doing well and the fact that we have each other.

The future used to scare me, but not so much now, seeing as I’ve met this unforgettable girl. The one girl who has driven me crazy from the sleepless nights, making me excited to see her the next morning. The one girl who has put a smile on my face every time I see her. The one girl that makes my days shorter because I enjoy the time I have with her as it flies by. She’s the reason why I wake up in the morning and the last thought I have when I fall asleep at night. She sometimes keeps me up all night, staring at the ceiling wondering what she’s up to.

The sleepless nights of us talking on the phone is both the best and worst feeling ever. The best because I get to hear her voice, and the worst because she’s not lying next to me and telling me this stuff to my face.

It’s what I want with her. A life with her. A life outside of football, and a girl I can gladly come home to and see every day.

“You can stay here for the night and I’ll make you feel better.” I wink to her. Red rises up her cheeks, which almost makes me laugh. I love when she blushes. She blushes at the most innocent things, too, which makes it even more adorable. “Don’t worry, we’ve done our workout. Now, it’s all about relaxing between the sheets, Carter,” I only say that to make her go even redder than she already is. I know, I can be mean, but I just love that little blush on her cheeks.

“Nick!” She laughs, making her feel even more embarrassed.

“What? We had a good time in there, didn’t we? I wouldn’t mind going another round, but I know you’re sore, so I’m not going to push it. Besides, I did all the work in there, so I need some relaxation time now . . . with my girlfriend.” It feels so good when I say that.

My girlfriend.

It just rolls effortlessly off my tongue, no problem. Like this was all meant to be. Maybe we were meant to be. I feel as though we were. There is an invisible force pulling us together, which gets stronger when we try to fight it, but it’s better to just give in and let it all happen naturally. There’s no point in denying our feelings for one another. She was the first girl that I was unsure of if she had any feelings for me, the first girl that drove me nuts, and the first girl that I ever chased.

And boy, did I love the chase she gave me. Look at where I am now; I’m in a relationship because of it. I have the perfect girlfriend because of the effort I put in to get her and claim her as mine. I’m fortunate, and I couldn’t ask for anything more right now.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” She waves me off. “I didn’t ask you to pin me against the wall, did I?” I shrug. “Or lift me up higher?” I shrug once more. “Or initiate sex?” She smirks, and I cannot contain the smile on my face because she’s got me there. I did all of the above and I don’t even give a fuck.

“Is it so bad to want to cherish my hot and sexy girlfriend?” I tease her as I move closer to her. I place both of my hard large hands on her smooth, sun-kissed shoulders.

“No, but don’t be blaming me when you can’t control yourself.” She lifts an eyebrow and stares back at me.

“I wasn’t blaming you . . . per se. I was merely stating . . . Alright, I was blaming you. I mean look at you!” I hold both my hands out to her gorgeous face, highlighting the fact that she shouldn’t be real. None of this should be real, right? “You’re perfect! How could I not? I couldn’t control myself and I didn’t want to either,” I say to her as a fact.

“You can be real smooth sometimes, you know that, right?” She laughs, placing her flat palm on my chest to push me back. I don’t move an inch; I’m standing my ground.

“So I’ve been told.” I shift over to her at the same time, pulling her closer to my body. “You really are beautiful, Carter. My God, you really are.” With those blue heavenly eyes looking up at me and the light resting softly on those tasty lips, I can’t express how much she really means to me in words. It’s not enough.

That blush once again creeps up her neck and towards her face, lighting it up for me.

“Thank you. You’re really handsome, Nick,” she compliments me back wholeheartedly.

“I’m so fucking lucky to have met you so soon. Thank you for giving me a shot. Even after all what has happened to you. Between Maya and her vandalizing everything, Erin and her snooty comments, and the risk of losing friendships because of me. You don’t know how much I appreciate you and how strong you are.” I can feel my heart ramming against my ribcage as I say all of this to her. I’m speaking from with absolute sincerity, that’s why it’s excited. After all the heartless moves I’ve pulled in the past with girls, it surprised me when it started to beat for Carter when I first met her. I was amazed I even had a heart.

She doesn’t say anything but just gawps at me, making me chuckle at her.

Taking the chance, I lean into her and ravish her mouth, pressing her lips against mine along with our bodies. It’s a slow and passionate kiss that takes me to another dimension, like always. She’s this bright light for me, and I’m always being pulled towards her. Like a magnetic field drawing me into this amazing world with her, I know one thing is for certain.

I can’t let her go.