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“Thank you, Collin.” She gave me a closed-mouth smile before letting out a relieved breath. “Habit, sorry. But I’ll be thanking you a lot.”
I started my car, put it in drive, and pulled out of the lot. The entire way to my house I thought of what it would be like to live with a woman. Not just any woman, one who was stunningly beautiful and completely off-limits. Forget Charlie, I was the one who was going to wallop my sister.
Chapter 4
Charlie
I was going to kill Sally. Not literally, of course, but how in the world did she think this would be okay? I’m sure my fun-loving-who-worried-about-nothing friend hadn’t thought twice about the precarious situation she’d put me and her brother in. Meanwhile, Collin looked as shocked as I was embarrassed. How could she not ask him? Or better yet: How could she not tell me that she had omitted to ask? If I knew for a fact that she wouldn’t immediately call her brother, I’d text her. However, I knew my bestie, and she’d call and try to smooth things over. Truthfully, I was surprised my phone wasn’t dinging away with texts from her. Although I could imagine she thought no news was good news. Little did she know that as soon as I had a moment, she’d be hearing my voice… and more than likely her brother’s.
Speaking of which, aside from the tires’ rotation on the road, the ride in Collin’s car was silent. At one point, I almost reached over to turn the radio on. Probably a not a good thing with the way my day had been going. With my luck, T-Swift would be on, and I’d start automatically belting out the lyrics. I had a feeling Collin may not appreciate that, despite me having a good voice.
We’d been driving for at least twenty minutes, and if anyone knew me, they’d think I’d just set a new record. When I was younger, my parents used to call me Chatty Charlotte. Mostly because in school I’d kept to myself. So when I was home with them, I’d talk about everything. They heard most of it because, until Sally came along, my only friend besides them was Bonnie Braveheart. My age, she loved reading and playing house—and she was a figment of my imagination. Regardless of her not being an actual person, Bonnie kept me company. Then I got a soccer ball, and I found something else to play with. However, I would love for Bonnie to have made an appearance, because the current silence was deafening.
Of its own accord, my right knee started to bounce rapidly as I stared at the neighborhood out my window. The homes were massive compared to the middle-class ones we grew up in.
“Are you okay?” Collin asked, coming to a four-way stop and flipping on his right turn signal.
When I glanced at him, his eyes flicked to my nervous leg. “Yes.” I placed my hand on my knee to stop its movements. “It’s just so quiet in here. I’m really sorry about all of this. I can honestly go to a hotel until I find a place.”
“Charlie, you don’t need to apologize. It’s not your fault that my sister took matters into her own hands. Once we get to my house, we’ll set some ground rules.”
“Rules. Right. Okay, that makes sense.”
Nothingmade sense. What type of rules did he want to set? Tiny beads of perspiration began to form on the back of my neck and between my boobs at the thought of what he could mean. I’d once watched a movie where the characters had to share a house and had divided it with tape. It was a disaster. Was that what he had in mind? Or maybe it had to do with cleaning, cooking, or certain rooms I wouldn’t be allowed in. That was something else I’d seen in a movie. Naturally, the character had gone into the room, and it had been some sort of sex dungeon.
My gaze darted in his direction, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that might be it. I mean, Collin was absolutely gorgeous and a professional athlete. Nothing was out of the realm of possibility. I hadn’t failed to consider the number of women who might be passing through the door. There had been zero doubt in my head that I would be cramping his style.
Any memory I had of him paled in comparison to how stunning the man next to me was. Everything about him made my insides clench: his blondish hair that seemed messy in the best of ways, his jaw that would tic now and again—most likely because he was annoyed with the current situation—and a body that he clearly took care of. The athletic shorts and T-shirt only accentuated his incredible physique. Hell, even the way his hand gripped the steering wheel looked sexy. Who would have thought that was even a thing? Then again, Collin St. James blew most expectations out of the water for me—always had, and probably always would.
Playing it off, I sweetly agreed. “Okay, your house, your rules.”
Then his lips kicked up in the corners, and a slight dimple appeared on his cheek. Collin turned the car into a driveway, and gates swung open. When I glanced out of the front windshield, my eyes widened. Holy moly! It was no wonder Sally said she barely saw him when she stayed in his house. It looked as though four families could live comfortably in his home.
“Wow, this is stunning. I love the beige stucco and gray stone. It reminds me of a house I once saw in a magazine. So pretty, Collin.”
“Thank you. I like it.”
He pressed a button near his dashboard, and one of the bays of the four-car garage began to rise. Glancing around as we pulled inside, I noticed a motorcycle that looked more like a dirt bike and a sporty white convertible. The last spot was vacant.
Collin put the car in park, opened his door, and popped the trunk. Getting out, I couldn’t help but smile. “What are you going to put over there?” I asked, nodding toward the one blank area.
“I have my eye on something. If we win the championship, I’ll treat myself.”
“And if not?”
He glanced at me, and I felt like I’d just popped his balloon. “I didn’t mean that you won’t, just that… you know what? Never mind. I’m sure you will.” I didn’t bother to ask what type of car he wanted, because cars weren’t my thing.
“It’s we. Whenwewin.”
Suddenly the weight of the situation felt heavy on my chest. Like cars, I didn’t know much about football, but thanks to Sally, I did know the previous kicker had missed the winning point that sent the Thunder to the showers and the other team to the playoffs.
The sound of the trunk closing pulled me out of my thoughts. Rushing to my bags, I picked up my duffel, since Collin had the other ones, and followed him inside. The scent of what I assumed was his cologne, because I knew no different, lingered in the air. Oddly, a chill coursed through my veins, and I had to close my eyes and take a deep breath to not visibly shudder.
“Come on in.”
“Thanks,” I graciously said, closing the door behind me. Sneakers, cleats, and a couple of baseball hats were strategically stored using a cubby, shelf, and hooks.
A few paces forward and we were in his family room right next to a kitchen that was fit for the best of chefs. “Wow,” I couldn’t help but say again. When I glanced at him, I tossed in a laugh. “Sorry, it’s just so large. This is amazing.” Not only that, but it was also immaculately kept. No one would ever think a bachelor lived here.
