Текст книги "Fall For Me"

Автор книги: Alexis Noelle

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 13 страниц)

Chapter Thirteen

Carter

I’m not nervous for Maddy to meet my family. As soon as we park, Anthony comes out of the house. He looks over at Maddy and then back at me.

“Who’s the hottie?”

Maddy and I start to laugh. “Ant, this is Maddy, a friend of mine from school. Maddy, this is my brother, Anthony.” She smiles at him. Anthony is a little shorter than me, but he plays football for the high school so all the girls love him. He has a buzz cut and blue eyes like me so he is used to getting attention, but he isn’t going to get any from Maddy.

“Why is she just your friend? Do you not have eyes?”

I laugh again. I’m pretty sure when Anthony was made, they forgot to put in the filter that the rest of us have. “Is Holly home?”

He looks at me and laughs. “Who the hell knows where that girl is.”

“Come on. Why don’t you help me get the groceries inside?”

We all go in and my dad is sitting in the living room reading the paper. He stands up when he sees me and gives me a hug. I really miss being home with my family. My dad is about my height, with light brown hair that he refuses to accept is going gray. I pull away and grab Maddy’s hand, pulling her next to me. “Dad, this is Madison Stevens. Maddy, this is my father, Michael James.”

She gives my dad one of those doe eyed smiles, and he is a goner. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. James. Thank you so much for inviting me this weekend. It really means a lot.”

My dad is a hugger so he wraps his arms around her. When he lets go, he looks at me and gives me a look that says he knows I want to be more than just friends. I’ve never brought a girl home to meet him before, so as much as I played it off, it’s a big deal. “It’s very nice to meet you, too. Don’t think twice about making yourself at home here.” He sits down and goes back to reading his paper.

We get everything put away but, unfortunately, my house only had four bedrooms; one for my dad, and one for each of us kids. Dad didn’t believe me on the phone when I said Maddy and I were just friends, so he planned for us to stay in the same room.

Most parents would never allow that, but my dad is realistic and knew that if we wanted to do anything, separate rooms wouldn’t make a difference. I can tell she is uncomfortable with the sleeping arrangements, so I need to ease her nerves. I walk her to my room and shut the door. “I’m sorry about this whole room thing, I’m gonna sleep on the couch.” Maybe it is just my imagination or wishful thinking, but I think she looks disappointed.

“Um…okay.”

We spend the rest of the night prepping things for tomorrow. My dad is watching the news so I ask Maddy if she wants to go watch a movie with me. She thanked my dad again for inviting her and walked off to my bedroom. I was about to follow her, but my dad called me. “Carter, wait a minute; come here.”

Maddy looks back at me, asking what she should do. “I’ll be there in a minute, okay?” She nods her head and goes into my room. “What’s up, Dad?”

He leans forward and shuts off the TV. This is serious. “What’s going on with you and her?”

Well, isn’t that the million dollar question. I decide to be completely honest with him. I really need some advice. “I don’t know, Dad. I think I’m falling in love with her.” There, I said it.

“You think? Son, you’ve already fallen and so has she. So what’s the problem?”

He thinks Maddy is in love with me? “No, Dad, you’re wrong about her. She has a boyfriend.”

“I see the way she looks at you and that girl is hung up on you, boyfriend or not. Can I ask why she isn’t with him and his family? Not that I’m complaining, because she’s a great girl.”

“He didn’t want her there. God, I hate him so much and I think he is hurting her. I don’t have any proof, but I know something is wrong.”

My dad looks at me for a second, then shakes his head. “Well, what are you gonna do about it? Your mother always said, ‘the choices we make and the chances we take determine our destiny.’ What do you want your destiny to be, Carter?”

I already know the answer. I’ve been thinking about it all day. “I want to tell her how much I love her. I want to be with her, make her laugh, be able to be the one to hold her when she is upset. I want to show her how amazing she is and be the first person in her life to treat her like that. Every time she comes into a room, I can’t take my eyes off of her. When she touches me, sometimes I need to remember how to breathe.”

He smiles at me. “Well, you have four days with her to show her how it could be. I’d take advantage of that if I were you.”

He was right. I needed to show her how it felt to be loved. I know she hasn’t had that since her mom. “Thanks, Dad. You really helped.” He sits back in his chair and turns the TV back on.

Tomorrow is going to be day one to make Maddy mine.

Chapter Fourteen

Madison

I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and heard Carter talking to his dad. I know it is wrong to eavesdrop, but I had to know what he was saying. He loves me? He wants to be with me? He said more nice things about me in those couple minutes than anyone has my whole life. If I am being honest with myself, I’ve fallen for Carter too.

Just then, he walks into the room and I can’t contain my grin. “So, what do you want to watch? I looked through the channels, but there wasn’t much on.”

He walks over to get something from his bag. “When you went to get the turkey, I snuck a little surprise in the cart.” He turns around holding the DVD of “The Notebook.” He is so thoughtful, and it only shows me how much he cares.

There goes another little piece of my heart to him. I barely had any of it left. He’s taken it piece by piece ever since we met. I just pray that, one day, he won’t tell me he doesn’t want it anymore. “If you don’t want to watch it, that’s fine.”

Shit, I hadn’t said anything. “No, Carter, that was so sweet of you to get that for me. I’ve wanted to see it.”

He smirks at me. “Okay, great, on one condition.” Uh-oh. “You don’t think any less of me if I cry again. I heard this is worse than the other one.”

I can’t stop myself from laughing. He is perfect. “I promise.”

Carter put the movie in and then came over to the bed. He stood there, unsure for a minute, then grabbed a pillow and propped it up behind him. I was sitting Indian style on the bed, but about ten minutes into the movie, I couldn’t help myself. I scooted over to where Carter was, lay down next to him and put my head on his chest.

I felt him release a breath. Just then, he put his arms around me and gave me a squeeze. This was where I wanted to be.

I cried at the end of the movie and as much as Carter would deny it, I felt him reach up to brush a tear away. He grabs the remote, shuts off the TV, and we just lay there together. He begins to stroke my hair and I let out a sigh of contentment.

“If I lie here any longer, I’m going to fall asleep. I’m going to go out on the couch now.” I could hear the reluctance in his voice.

“Carter, you shouldn’t have to sleep on the couch. It’s your house I can sleep out there.”

“Maddy, I’m not going to have you sleeping on the couch. One, I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. Two, my father would probably kick my ass.”

I can’t believe I am about to suggest this. “Maybe you could stay in here.” I felt his whole body tense up. I read this situation completely wrong. He doesn’t want me this close to him. I am crowding him, just like I do with Chris. Shit. I am going to cry. I get up from the bed, needing to go to the bathroom. I don’t want to cry in front of him.

Carter beats me to the door. “Maddy? Hey, look at me.” I just shake my head, not wanting to face him. I’ve had enough embarrassment for the night. He lowers himself so he can see my face. “Hey, what’s wrong? Please talk to me.”

I hated how weak I am, and how much I feel like I need him right now. “I’m sorry, Carter. I guess I made an assumption I shouldn’t have. It’s okay. I understand that I’m a lot to handle. Chris told me before that I crowd him too. I’ll give you your space.” His jaw ticks as I see anger flash in his eyes.

He starts pulling me toward the bed. At this point, I am too exhausted to care. He lays back down and pulls me with him. The way that he does it, I end up straddling him. He takes my face between his hands. “Listen to me, Maddy. You are not crowding me. I love being around you and if you’d let me, I’d never leave your side. I hate that you are so negative about yourself. That asshole doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You deserve so much better than him, baby. And I just-”

I crash my lips into his and he lets out a low moan that is by far the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard. He drops his hands to his sides. He is probably afraid to touch me after last night. “Carter, put your arms around me. Please, I need you.”

He wraps me in an embrace so tight, and I’ve never felt so wanted. When he kisses me, it is almost like I can feel his love pouring into my veins. I feel him getting hard underneath me and I pull away.

I’m not ready for that.

I feel like the walls are closing in on me and I am struggling to catch my breath. It’s almost like I am spinning in circles. I can’t believe I am having an anxiety attack right now. When Carter realizes what is going on, he lays me down on my side next to him, turns to face me, and I bury my head in his chest.

It takes me a few minutes, but I finally calm down. I pull my head back and look up at him. He looks so worried that I am finally starting to understand that he really does care about me. This is real.

“Maddy, please talk to me. I’m not mad at you, I promise. I really need you to tell me what’s going on, though.”

“I don’t think I can.”

“If this is about Chris, I can handle it. Just, please don’t shut me out. I’m here for you. All you need to do is let me in.”

“It isn’t about him.” This time my problems have nothing to do with Chris. I can’t believe I am about to tell him this. I’m shaking all over and a wave of nausea hits me. “The first foster home I went to, my foster father abused me.” I take a shaky breath, not sure how to even say the next part. “He used to…come into my room at night and make me touch him when he was hard. He used to tell me that once I got a little bit older, he couldn’t wait to play with me. It started to get more frequent and I started to get really scared. I told my teacher at school, and they called the state. He denied it, but they relocated me immediately. When things started to get too intense with us, I went back to that place.” He doesn’t say anything. I probably disgust him now. “I understand if you don’t want anything to do with me anymore. I know I’m damaged goods and that it is a lot to deal with.”

“Where do you get this stuff? You know what? Don’t answer that. I already know.” I can hear the contempt and hatred in his voice and I know he is referencing Chris. His hand gently strokes my cheek as he grabs my chin and makes me look at him. “Chris is a sad excuse for a man. None of that was your fault. You were a victim. If you want me to stay with you tonight, nothing would make me happier.”

“I do.”

“Thank God, because I really didn’t want to sleep on the couch while you were in here.” He kisses the top of my head. ;”What time should I set my alarm for tomorrow?”

“Um…I need to put the turkey in the oven at six, but then I figured I’d go back to sleep for a couple of hours.”

“Okay, it’s set. Goodnight, Maddy.”

“Goodnight, Carter.”

I love you.

Chapter Fifteen

Carter

I opened my eyes and looked at the clock. Jesus, it was three in the morning. What the hell was I doing up?

“No, stop, please!”

I look next to me and Maddy is thrashing around with a pained look on her face. Shit, she is having a nightmare. Somehow, she ended up on the other side of the bed. I pull her over to me and rub her arm. “Hey, Maddy, wake up.”

“No, please, don’t hurt him!” Who the hell is she talking about? “Chris, please, just leave him alone!” Her voice is shaking and she sounds scared.

She can’t even escape that asshole in her sleep. Even hearing his name at this point is enough to make me want to punch something. I shake her again. “Maddy, please open your eyes. It’s just a dream.” Her eyes fly open and she looks around, frantically trying to get her bearings. When she realizes where she is, she buries her face in my chest and starts crying. I just hold her, because I know right now that it’s what she needs. She needs someone to care, and she needs to feel safe. When she finally stops crying, she looks up at me. “Maddy, what was your dream about?”

“I…uh…I don’t remember.”

I know she is lying, but I also don’t want to push her. “Okay, well, do you want to try and go back to sleep? It’s still really early.” She nods her head and then closes her eyes. I hold her tight, hoping I can protect her from whatever she doesn’t want to tell me. I know it has something to do with Chris. She is scared of him. I need to make her understand that I can keep her safe. I feel like he is the only thing standing between us right now, and it is driving me crazy.

When my alarm starts ringing, I turn it off and stare down at Maddy. She is still asleep in my arms. I wish I could wake up with her every morning, because it feels fucking fantastic. As much as I don’t want to, I have to wake her up.

I rub her back gently. She stretches and looks up at me. The minute she meets my eyes, she smiles and I can’t help myself. I lower my head and give her a kiss. She pulls back right away and covers her mouth. She takes her hand off her mouth, looks at me and laughs. What is so funny?

“Morning breath.”

“I don’t care what kind of breath you have.” I kissed her once more. “Now, come on, we have a turkey to cook.”

I follow her into the kitchen and stand there being useless while she preps the turkey and puts it in the oven. I love how comfortable she is here. When it was in the oven, she looked up at me; I got caught staring at her this time.

“Did you wanna go lie down again?” She yawns as she stretches her arms above her head.

“That’s up to you. Either way, I’m fine.”

She cocks her head to the side, looking at me in confusion. “What do you mean?”

I pull her against me and hold her close. “Well, if we go back to bed, I get to hold you like this. If we stay up, we can watch TV and I’m pretty sure I’ll get to hold you then too. So, you see, I win either way.”

She tilts her head up toward me. “Oh really, and what makes you so confident?”

“I’m not confident, just hopeful.” She gives me one of those smiles that makes me want to kill anyone who has ever hurt her and made her cry. She doesn’t smile nearly enough, but I am going to change that.

“What if I had a way to give you the best of both worlds? We could go in your room and watch TV. That way, you can hold me and we can still stay up together.”

I scoop her up and start walking to my room. She starts to laugh, then covers her mouth. I drop her off at the bathroom so she can brush her teeth, but once she comes out, I pick her up again. I carry her to my room and throw her on the bed. She giggles and looks up at me.

The sight of her lying across my bed is something I never want to forget. “I guess I should follow your lead and go brush my teeth. I’ll be right back. Why don’t you find something for us to watch?”

When I get back in the room, she is watching some old re-runs of “I Love Lucy.” I never really watched this show, but she says she loves it. We stay in bed for a couple hours. Then my stomach growls so loud, I swear she jumps. She looks at me and we both start to laugh. “I guess my stomach wants to eat.”

“Can I make breakfast for everyone?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, everyone will probably be hungry when they wake up. Your dad was so great to let me come and stay here. I just want to do something nice.”

“You know you’re cooking a huge dinner tonight, right?”

“We are cooking a huge dinner tonight. I’ve never been in this kind of a family environment, though, and I just thought it would be nice for us all to have breakfast together. It’s no big deal if you don’t want to.”

I lean over and give her a quick kiss. “I know you don’t know it, but you’re perfect.” I can see that telltale blush creeping up her cheeks again. I love that I have that effect on her. My stomach growls. “Come on. Let’s go make breakfast before he gets angry.”

Maddy made pancakes and bacon. I handled the very important job of making the coffee. My dad and Anthony came strolling out just before it was done. They walk over and sit down at the table while I get us all coffee, and Maddy makes everyone a plate.

When she handed my dad his plate, he looked at her and said, “I didn’t know I had pancake mix in there.”

She laughed. “You didn’t, but that’s what Carter wanted, so I made them from scratch.”

Everyone starts eating and Anthony looks up from his plate with a mouth full of food. “She’s hot and she can cook? If you don’t marry her, I will, Carter!” Then he winks at Maddy and starts eating again.

We all start laughing and then my dad adds, “I second that.”

When she is done eating, she starts cleaning up and goes to work starting things for dinner. I walk up behind her at the sink and lower my mouth to her ear. “I can clean up since you cooked.” I feel her tremble beneath me and I love that she is affected by me.

She turns around and looks at me. “I have this. Why don’t you go hang out with your brother and your dad? You don’t get to see them a lot.” She stands up on her tiptoes and gives me a kiss.

“I don’t know what I did to get so lucky and find you.” I put my arms around her, and lift her up a little, spinning her around. She squeals and laughs. I put her down and give her another quick kiss. I start to walk away, but then I remember I was supposed to be helping her. “Let me know when you want me to come help with dinner.”

“Please don’t let him help with dinner!” My dad and brother yell from the other room. Man, they really know how to sell a guy out, but she just laughs and goes back to what she is doing.

My sister, Holly, came strolling in about an hour later. She’d slept over at someone’s house and was shocked to see Maddy standing in the kitchen. I rush over and introduce them. Holly went to get in the shower and I stayed in the kitchen to help Maddy. By help I mean, hand her things she asks for and not touch anything.

Dinner is absolutely delicious, and my family is officially as in love with Maddy as I am. This is the first time I ever brought a girl home and, if I have any say, she’ll be the last girl I bring home.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I see that it is Nicole.

Nicole: Happy Thanksgiving! What happened with Maddy yesterday?

Me: Happy Thanksgiving, she came home with me.

Nicole: Thank the Lord! Tell her I said Happy Thanksgiving and an early Happy Birthday!

Me: Birthday? When is her birthday?

Nicole: I knew she wouldn’t tell you! It’s on Saturday. The only reason I know is because of the roommate fact sheet I got. When I brought it up, she said she hasn’t celebrated it in years. Be a good potential boyfriend and make it special for her.

Me: I definitely will.

Chapter Sixteen

Madison

Being able to spend Thanksgiving with Carter’s family was amazing. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere and that I had people around me who cared.

Holly asked me to go shopping with her today and I told her yes. I had never been out on Black Friday but she says she goes every year. She is absolutely gorgeous. She has blonde hair that goes down to about the middle of her back, blue eyes just like Carter, and she is tiny but still has curves. The fact that she wants to spend time with me makes me feel good. I want Carter’s family to like me. I asked him if he wanted to come, but he said no. He said he is going to give us our girl time.

We go to the local mall and I soon realize Holly really loves shopping. Like always, I have absolutely no money so when she tries to talk me into getting things, I have to pretend I don’t want or like them. She is always texting on her phone and I have to admit I am jealous.

I see her look toward the front of the store and follow her gaze. That’s when I see Carter walking in. What is he doing here? He walks up to Holly and whispers something in her ear, then turns to me and sweeps me up in a huge hug.

“You having fun?”

“Yeah, I am. Your sister is great.”

Carter smiles at me and gives me a kiss. “I need to go run a couple errands, but I’ll see you back at the house, okay?”

“Sounds good!” He gives me another quick kiss, says bye to Holly and then leaves. I swear that after Carter left, Holly was buying twice as much stuff as she did before.

“You don’t want to get anything, Madison?”

I did want to. A couple of the things Holly bought, I’d been looking at and wishing I had money for. I don’t remember the last time I was able to buy a new outfit, and Goodwill did not count. “No, I’m okay.”

“My dad always makes fun of me and says the only reason I work is so I can spend it later.” She starts laughing and I join her because her dad is right.

When we get back to the house, Carter is still out and I am exhausted. I say hello to his dad and brother, then tell them I am going to go lie down. Tomorrow is my birthday, but I hadn’t celebrated it since before my mother died. I always get a little down around this time of the year. I head to Carter’s room, and I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

I feel strong arms encircle me, not in a possessive threatening way, but in a way that makes me feel loved. I open my eyes and Carter is lying down with me, holding me in his arms. It surprises me how loving and patient he is with me. He is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.

He notices I am awake and looks down at me. “Hey, you.”

“Hey, yourself.” I am still upset about my birthday, but I can’t be mad at Carter. I never even told him when it was. Chris knows, but he didn’t mention it and we never celebrated it.

“How was your day? Did you get anything?”

He didn’t understand either. “No, but I think your sister bought enough to fill an entire store.”

“All right, come on. My dad has dinner on the table.”

“I thought your dad didn’t cook?”

“He does, but instead of the oven, he uses the phone.” We both start laughing. He always knew how to make me smile. After dinner, his dad called Carter and I into the living room.

“I picked up a movie for you two to watch.”

He handed Carter a movie I’d never heard of ‘Insidious.’ “Dad, this movie is gonna scare her half to death.”

“Well, then, I guess you’re just gonna have to find a way to comfort her.” He winks at him. Carter turns to me and I think he is unsure what to do.

“I’m game if you are. As long as you promise to stay close to me. I’ve never watched a scary movie before.”

“Never?” He seems to be in disbelief.

“Nope. I guess that’s another first for us.”

“Holly and Anthony are both at friends’ houses tonight so they won’t be home until later, and I’m going to go play poker with the guys. I’ll see you two in the morning.” His dad walks out the door and we are all alone.

We go into Carter’s room and I head to the bathroom to get changed. I walk back into the room and lie down on the bed while he gets the movie ready. He lies down like he did last night and I look over at him, trying to figure out if I should lie with him like I did before. I’m more hesitant this time because it feels like things have changed between us. He holds out his arm to me. “C’mon, come lie down.”

To say that I was scared by the end of the movie is an extreme understatement. I hadn’t left Carter’s side the entire time. He kept his arms around me, except when he’d rub my back or stroke my hair. When the movie ends, we just lie there together.

I’ve never been happier in my life than I’ve been these past couple days. I want to take the leap with Carter and I want to tell him that I want to be with him. The way he was rubbing me and holding me sent a chill through my whole body. I started to feel an ache in between my legs, and had to squeeze them together to help relieve it. I needed Carter and I trusted him. I wasn’t ready to have sex, but there was no reason we couldn’t do other stuff, right?

I sit up and look at him. He is so gorgeous. I lean in to kiss him and he seems surprised at first. Within seconds, he is kissing me back and running his hands up and down my sides. I need him to touch me. I’ve never wanted to be close with a guy before. Everything is different with Carter, though. I pull back and look at him. “I want you to touch me, Carter.” Even saying this sends a wave of fear through me. I know he won’t hurt me though, and just want to be close with him. I want to take the next step with him.

“Maddy, are you sure? I’m not rushing you. You don’t have to do anything.”

I love that he wants to make sure I am okay, and that he doesn’t pressure me. Chris is never satisfied, and he always wants more. “I’m not ready to have sex. But can we do other things? As crazy as this sounds, I just want you to touch me and I’ve never wanted that before. I’m not going to lie to you and say I’m not scared, but I trust you and I know you’re not going to hurt me.”

“Baby, I’ll do anything you want me to. I just want you to promise me that you’ll tell me if you want me to stop, okay?” I nod my head and he starts kissing me again.

I grip at the hem of his shirt. He helps me and pulls it off. His body is beautiful. His chest is hard and well-defined and his stomach is like the pictures you see in magazines. I run my fingers down his chest from his neck to his waistband. He lets out a groan and crashes his mouth to mine. He runs his hands under my shirt, but I can tell he is apprehensive. I grip my shirt and pull it over my head. I wasn’t wearing a bra so now I am completely exposed to him.

Carter looks up at me and smiles. He leans down and starts kissing my left breast. He kisses around it in a circle, then pulls my nipple into his mouth. I let out a moan I didn’t even know I had in me. He moves onto my other breast and does the same thing. “Carter!” He kisses down my stomach and when he reaches my pants, he kisses all along the waistband. He looks at me as if he is asking for permission. “It’s okay.”

With that, he eases my pants and my panties off of me. Then, he comes up and presses a kiss on my lips. “I love that you trust me with this and I do believe this is another first, Miss Stevens.”

“I do believe it is, Mr. James.”

He ran his hand down my body till he got to where I’d been aching for him all night. He runs his finger between my wet folds and slowly strokes me. It feels amazing and I know he can tell how much I am enjoying it by all of the sounds I am making.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, he leans down and I instantly know what he is about to do. As soon as his tongue touches me, I scream. “Oh my god!” He laughs, but keeps going. He keeps his tongue there and, at the same time, his thumb finds my clit. I feel what I can only assume is an orgasm rocking through my body.

I can feel myself shaking, and the waves of pleasure that were rocking through me felt like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It was the most amazing feeling I’ve ever had, and I am glad that it was with him. After I catch my breath, I look over at him. “Carter, that was amazing.”

“I’m glad, baby.” I knew I should do something for him. The truth is that after everything Chris has been doing, I am scared. “Do you want me to…?”

He looks up at me and smiles. “Baby, tonight was about you. I can see how scared you are when you look at me right now. If you’re not ready, it’s okay.”

“Carter, are you sure? I know that guys have needs.”

“My only need right now is a cold shower, and coming back to you in my bed.” He kisses me and then goes off to the bathroom.

I look down at my side and breathe a sigh of relief that the bruises are gone. Chris has been more verbally abusive then physically lately. That and he has been making me do things to him rather than hitting me.

I don’t know what I would have done if Carter had seen the bruises.