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“I’ll give you one guess.” Her teeth scraped her bottom lip, sending a direct hit to my groin. “You know, it is a postgame ritual.” The moment she grimaced I realized it was a stupid thing to have said. I pulled my foot out of my mouth and wrapped my arms around her. “How about a bath and massage?”
Turning the tables on me, she smirked. “Nah. I’d rather just have sex.”
Giggling, she spun around and hustled up the stairs. If I hadn’t been enjoying the view in front of me, I would have moved faster, but that damn dress prevented me from doing so. She then hiked it up over her knees to give her more room to run. Except the movement of her legs only fueled my fire. Forgoing ogling her, I took the steps two by two until we were both in my room.
She spun around and dropped her dress, allowing it to fall down her legs.
Taking a predatorial step toward her, I reached around, undid her ponytail, discarded the elastic to the side, and slid my fingers into her silky hair. Unable to hold back, I pulled her closer. Our bodies lined up, leaving barely a breath between us.
She raised her arms, allowing me to pull her dress over her head. Dropping it on the chair behind me, I took a step back to admire her. “Damn, you’re stunning.”
Reaching forward, she loosened my tie, unbuttoned my shirt, and then worked my belt buckle open. When the tips of her fingers grazed the inside of my waistband, I practically growled. “I want you, Charlie.”
“Then it’s a good thing you have me.”
Our lips fused, and once again, I got lost in Charlie Nicholson.
Chapter 22
Charlie
Cloud nine was an understatement, because after the game and the time with Collin, it had to be ten times that amount. My family and Sally were so excited but disappointed that they weren’t there. To be honest, I was a bit sad about it, too, but I understood just the same. Dad had a medical convention in Switzerland, so that thwarted their plans on coming. Same with Sally, since her boss had given her a project she couldn’t get out of.
Collin had left early this morning for practice—which I found to be odd, since last I knew the team had today off. He went on to say something about the offensive line, but that he’d be back soon. Rather than sleep in, I grabbed my yoga mat and began moving through my favorite positions. I stretched my arms up toward the ceiling in a sun-salutation pose before swooping my hand down and letting out a breath. Bringing my palms together in prayer position, I closed my eyes and bent at the waist, giving gratitude to all that I had been blessed with.
Once finished, I felt rejuvenated and ready to really start my day. I headed into the kitchen, grabbed myself a bottle of water, an apple, and my textbook, and settled into the den. Nothing shouted nerd louder than loving the feel of a thick textbook. Some students preferred electronic books, but not me. Nope, I loved the feel of the paper between my fingers, and the smell of the ink… see, nerd. Settling in, I grabbed my pad and pen, and I couldn’t help but smile at all that I still had to learn. Education was extremely important to me and my future. Falling behind when I’d always been ahead of my peers wasn’t an option for me. Yes, I agreed to take time away from traditional classes, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t study what I would have been learning.
Five chapters and several pages of notes later, I took a minute to stretch my neck. When I heard the front door open, then close, I wondered how much time had passed, because practice usually lasted for hours.
“Charlie?” Before I could get up, Collin walked in. Damn, he was gorgeous. Usually when he came home from practice, he looked freshly showered. Except at that moment, he looked exactly as he had when he walked out the door.
“Hey, how was practice?”
When he remained silent and stepped aside, my heart hammered at the thought of him lying to me—that was, until Sally appeared.
“Oh my God!” I squealed. My books landed on the floor with a thud as I sprang up and rushed to throw my arms around her. We rocked back and forth, both giggling like schoolgirls. Glancing over her shoulder, I caught Collin’s smile and gave him one of my own. Leaning back, I brought my focus to Sally. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I had to come and see you in action. Plus, I had some time off, so I figured I’d spend it with two of my favorite people.”
“Thanks for that compliment, Sis, but I’m going to meet Mack at the gym. I’ll let you two catch up.”
“So you weren’t already there?”
“No, sorry, I fibbed.” Cocking his head toward Sally, he explained, “Went to get this one at the airport.”
“It’s fine. You’re forgiven.”
“Good to know.” He winked, I swooned, and Sally rolled her eyes before he gave us both a kiss on the cheek and headed out.
“I can’t believe you and my brother.”
“Neither can I. Let’s sit down. Fill me in on all things Sally.”
“Let’s see… I’m ready to quit my job.” When my eyebrows shot upward, she added, “Have I told you that I work for Betty Bummer?”
A bit confused, I couldn’t help the chuckle that flew out of my mouth. I didn’t mean to make light of Sally’s situation, especially if she was unhappy. “Your boss’s name is Betty Bummer?”
“No, but it should be.” That time my laugh had a snort attached to it. “She’s just so depressing all the time. I suggested we add an inspirational post to our weekly department newsletter, and she shot me down. So then I opted for a motivational quote that I volunteered to either write or cite, and she didn’t like that idea either. I mean, who wouldn’t want to inspire and motivate people? I’ll tell you who, Betty Bummer, that’s who.”
