Claiming Callie: Part two (16 page)

She sighs and glances back up at him. To his soft stare. “I can
’
t wait until the summ
er. It
’
s going to be so weird, though, being out of school.”

“Yeah. It
’
ll totally suck not having you around.”

She notices he didn’t mention Jinny. “It won
’
t be that bad. Jinny will move back home until she finds a good job. You can see her whenever you wa
nt, and we
’
ll still come into Buzz almost daily. I can guarantee you that. You can
’
t get killer caramel cr
è
me coffee just anywhere. Plus, we
’
ll still come to all your home games.” She smiles.

“What about you? Where are you going to stay after school lets
out?” He says, his voice soft.

“
I don’
t know. I thought about keeping our apartment. It
’
s reasonably priced.” She shrugs her shoulders. “I
’
m not sure. Assuming I get the position at GGF, I
’
ll be making a good salary and I can move wherever I want. Let
’
s ju
st hope that
’
s the case. It
’
s crazy to think that in a little over four months
we
’
ll be starting our real lives. And even scarier to think I may be doing that without a job and no means to support myself.” Her nerves knot at the base of her throat at the t
hought.

G
raduating from college and entering the workforce is no small step. They
’
ll be on their own. There
’
s so much responsibility that comes with taking a job and needing to support oneself. For Jinny, it
’
s not as big of a deal, but for Callie… She has
to get a good job immediately. She has no backup, nowhere to fall. She doesn
’
t have parents that can help her out. She doesn
’
t have her family’s house to live in until she gets on her feet. She
’
s all on her own.

 As if he can read her mind, he says, “You k
now, you could move back with her, don
’
t you? My parents wouldn
’
t mind. In fact, that
’
s probably what they
’
re expecting.”

“Yeah. I know. But they
’
ve already done so much for me. I don
’
t want to impose and—”

“You wouldn
’
t be imposing.”

His fingers smooth a
strand of hair behind her ear. She closes her eyes, allowing his touch to relax her
.
“What about you?” She lifts her hand and pokes him in the stomach, but is met with a wall of muscle. “You never talk much about what you
’
ll do after graduation.”

“I have a
plan.”

Callie smiles. “That
’
s it? You have a plan? It sounds brilliant.”

Dean laughs. “It does, doesn
’
t it?” He jokes, and it
’
s not lost on Callie that he seems to be avoiding the question.

“What about basketball? Do you think you have a chance at going p
ro?”

Dean narrows his eyes and shakes his head. “Nah.”

“
I don’
t know. I might not know much about pro basketball, but you
’
re pretty damn good. You don
’
t even want to try?”

His eyes light up as he says, “I bet if you promised to dance at all my games like y
ou did Friday, I
’
d have a scout pick me up.”

“Ha!” Callie smacks him on the arm, trying not to notice how blue his eyes look, as he stares down at her. “You saw that, did you?”

Dean’s body shakes as he tries, and fails, to suppress his laughter. “I keep pi
cturing you up there, holding hands with the panther, dancing. I
’
m pretty sure I saw you square dancing with him at one point.” He bursts out laughing now and speaks between gasps for air. “And then you did a kick line.”

She glares at him, but when his bod
y convulses with the force of his laughter, she can
’
t help herself; she begins to laugh with him. “Busted.”

“Don
’
t worry. It was all very cute.”

“What can I say? I got moves, and so does that panther. You may have some competition there, actually.”

Dean
’
s
grin slowly fades. “I didn
’
t realize I was in the running.”

Callie swallows. She shivers at the feel of his fingers, still trailing through her hair, and she
’
s suddenly very aware of how intimate they must look—her lying on his lap, staring up at him while
he cradles and strokes her head.

She clears her throat. “Metaphorically speaking,” she says, and rolls her eyes for good measure.

She glances away from him, because she can
’
t stare into the deep blue waters of his eyes any longer. And just as she does,
she spots Maya walking across the lobby, next to another girl. Maya
’
s gaze shifts to them as she walks and she does a double take.

Show time.

Callie turns her head. She brings her fingers to her lips, kisses them, and then slowly reaches up and presses the
m firmly to his lips. A flicker of confusion flashes in his eyes. She smiles and coaxes him to bend toward her, so she can whisper in his ear. “She sees us.” Then she kisses him on the cheek, letting her mouth linger over his skin, which smells incredible.
Her heart ramps into a private hailstorm as she feels the grit of stubble on her lips. When she leans back, she can feel the heat in his gaze as his eyes meet hers. He
’
s focused only on her. Not Maya, but her. Only her.

Her stomach cartwheels as he runs a
hand down her arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps everywhere he touches.

Damn, he
’
s good at this.
If she didn
’
t already know this was a charade, she might be inclined to think otherwise.

His eyes flicker away from her, then back again. “She
’
s gone,” he sa
ys softly, but his hands keep moving. Up and down, over her arm.

She blinks for a moment, unable to move or speak.

Oh God, he
’
s wondering why I
’
m still sitting here.

Her gaze moves to his mouth and she scrambles off his lap onto her feet. She only wishes
the floor felt more solid.

“Great!” she says, hoping the enthusiasm in her voice doesn
’
t sound as forced as it feels. “That
’
ll give her something to think about.”

She backs away from him. “Thanks for the coffee.” She takes another step away, but Dean isn
’
t
saying anything. The slight bob of his Adam
’
s apple is the only movement on him. He
’
s just sitting there, staring, his brows knotting into a tight line.

I must look as loony as I feel.

“I
’
ll see you later, then. Bye,” she says, and gives him a quick wave
before turning and practically running out the door.

She steps into the brisk air, turns the corner, and smacks into someone. Taking a step back, she shakes her head, trying to orient herself. “I’m so sorr—” she begins, but stops short as she realizes it’s
Maya’s catlike eyes she’s staring into.

#

Her stomach’s a bed of nails. Swallowing, she tries for a smile, but it comes out all wrong—more of a grimace.

“Can I help you with something?” Callie asks.

“Yeah. You can drop whatever game you’re playing with De
an.” Maya crosses her arms over her chest. With tightly puckered lips and narrowed eyes, Callie can sense her distaste, which is fine. Callie’s not much of a fan of hers, either.

“And what kind of game is that, exactly?” Callie steps forward, matching Maya
’s steely gaze with one of her own.