Chapter 6
CHAPTER
SIX
CHELSEA
Bo Callaway is a true work of art.
His body is made of marble, I swear. He’s long and lean, with just a little muscle bulk.
I’ve been to this house a dozen times and never caught any of the guys in a state of undress.
Of course it had to be Bo. I already think he’s crazy attractive with clothes on. Without them, he’s mind-numbingly hot.
I probably looked like a deer in headlights.
I had gotten up to get a drink during an ad break of our show when I heard the door open from the hallway and instinctively turned to look.
When I saw Bo standing there, shirtless, a towel hanging low on his waist, I felt like I couldn’t move.
And when I say low, I mean I could see a nicely trimmed happy trail leading to what I have no doubt is a beautiful package.
Yes, I’m envisioning the man naked.
Now, I know not all men who are pretty like Bo have beautiful dicks, but let’s be so for real.
I’m sure he does. And a girl like me, who loves a good hookup without all the fuss, wouldn’t mind finding out.
Like right now. Would it be weird for me to stroll back on down that hallway and walk into his room and rip that towel off?
Calm it, Chelsea. You want a hookup, not a sexual rebellion.
My internal debate pauses when I see him come out of his room, wearing gym shorts, also riding low, but not as low as the towel. I nearly drop the grape Powerade I grabbed from the fridge.
“Hey,” he says as he comes into the kitchen.
I’m still standing near the fridge, and he stops in front of me.
“Hi,” I say with a slight stutter. Good Lord, what is wrong with me? He’s struck me stupid with all those abs on display.
“Can I reach around you to grab a drink?” he says, smirking. There’s a literal twinkle in his blue eyes.
“That it is, but I don’t want to hit you with the door.” He chuckles, then stretches his arm over my head, grabbing the top of the fridge.
“Oh, right. Sorry!” I duck under his outstretched arm, laughing.
He opens the door and also grabs a grape one too. “Not a problem. You girls still watching the show?” he asks.
I nod as I take a drink. “Yes, I think there’s a little time left. Did you want to watch something? And did I take one of your drinks?”
He shakes his head. “No, you’re good. We all chip in for groceries. Grape is just my favorite.” He lifts up his bottle and taps it to mine. “Twinsies.”
Did he just say twinsies? How cute is he?
“Grape is also my favorite. Blue is the runner-up. Red is a no go. Plus, it stains.” I turn and walk back toward the couch, and Bo follows me.
“Agreed. I do like the white one too. I think it’s like a cherry flavor or something.” He takes a seat on the oversize chair, and I sit back down on my space on the couch, which is closest to the chair.
“Yeah, that one isn’t bad either,” I agree.
“I like that the color hides the truth. You don’t know what’s inside until you take the risk and try it. Kind of like people.”
“And who said you’re not good at psychology?” I tease.
The show starts back up just as Casey and Silas walk in the door.
“Hello, ladies.” Silas nods and smiles. “What do we got going on here?”
“Below Deck. Shh,” Charlie says.
Silas chuckles. “Sorry. I’ll leave you to it,” he says as he walks toward his room.
“Hi, pretty girl.” Casey bends over and kisses Noelle, then moves to her neck for more kisses.
I’m used to seeing them like this, and I’m so happy for them, yet I’ve never wanted what they have. At least not until now. Something tugs in my chest, an ache that feels both sharp and sweet. I want that—arms pulling me close, lips brushing against the curve of my neck, a love that belongs to me.
“Hey.” She giggles. “What took you so long?” She sniffs him. “You showered at the field?”
“I knew we were on our own tonight, so I grabbed some food at the field, and then I got to talking to some of the guys. Sorry I’m late. And, yes, I showered at the field.” Casey drops another kiss on her head, then walks toward his room with his bag in his hand. “Be right back.”
Noelle gets up to follow him, and Charlie groans.
“I’m not waiting for you, Noelle! Chelsea and I are gonna keep watching with or without you.”
“I’ll be right back. Don’t start it back up without me.” She points at Charlie.
I look over at Charlie, and she rolls her eyes, making me laugh.
“Be right back, my ass. I swear if she’s in there for more than a few minutes, we’re starting without her. I need to get up early tomorrow, and I still need to call Beck too.”
“I can stay out here on the couch if you want some privacy with Beck. I totally don’t mind. You guys are doing me a huge favor by letting me stay with y’all,” I tell her.
“No, no! You can crash with me. I probably won’t be on long with him. He’s had a long day with meetings and practice.” She waves and shakes her head.
I swallow and double down on my insistence that I stay on the couch so Charlie can have her room to herself. “Okay, but it’s fine, really. This couch is huge.” I pat the cushion behind me while looking around the room.
“I’ll hang out with you while you wait,” Bo chimes in, making me turn to look at him. His eyes are trained on mine with a furrow to his brow, like he’s been watching my every action. “Or you can stay in my room. I don’t mind.”
Charlie gasps, making me look at her. “Bo Callaway! Are you trying to get my friend in bed with you?” She laughs.
I laugh awkwardly. “That’s not what he means, Charlie.”
I turn to look at Bo. His expression is sincere, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he could read my mind. I shake my head.
“I will not take your bed. You need a good sleep, I’m sure.”
“I sleep like the dead, so it doesn’t really matter where my head lands.
” He sits up, setting his elbows on his knees.
His tone is casual, but those eyes—those molten eyes that are looking my way—seem serious, almost protective.
“I can get my pillow and stuff now, so you can get to bed whenever you want.”
“Bo, seriously, I’m not taking your bed.” I shake my head.
“I have to get up early anyway, so it just makes more sense for me to sleep out here so we’re not all walking through here while you’re trying to sleep.”
He stands and starts to walk, but I reach out and grab his hand, making him stop.
What feels like a static shock shoots from my hand up my arm. I look up at his face to see if he could feel it too. He’s looking down at my hand holding his, and he wraps his fingers around mine and squeezes gently.
“I, um … I promise I’m good,” I practically whisper.
He pulls me up to stand. I drop my phone that was on my lap to the couch, and he tugs me to walk behind him.
“Is your bag in Charlie’s room?”
“Yeah,” I mumble. Not hating that he’s still holding my hand.
I can feel Charlie’s eyes on me, so I look over my shoulder and see that I’m right. She’s got a smirk on her face, and she wiggles her eyebrows.
Bo opens her door and releases my hand to grab my bag.
“How did you know that was my bag?” I place my hand on my hip.
“Well, it’s not pink, and I live with Charlie and know her bag because of her traveling back and forth to see Beck.” He chuckles.
“Oh, right. Ha!” I reach out to take my bag from him, but he grabs my hand again.
We walk down the hall to his room, and he releases my hand and sets my bag on his bed. I look around, and everything is perfectly neat and in its place.
There’s a dresser that has some photos of him from games, it looks like.
A few pictures of what I’m guessing is his family.
The older man in them looks just like Bo with grayish hair.
The older woman is stunning, and the two girls in the photo are also beautiful. I see the resemblance with Bo and them.
They look like a nice, happy family on the beach. Everyone is dressed in white and blue, looking like a Ralph Lauren ad. They’re picturesque.
The only picture I have of my family, we all look like we’re annoyed, except for Torie, who has the cutest cheesy grin despite my parents’ scowling faces.
“That’s my family.” He lifts up the picture and brings it over to me. “Dad, Mom, and my two sisters, Savannah and Caroline.”
“Very … Southern.” I look up from the picture to him.
He laughs and sets the picture back on the dresser. “Yeah, my mom is from the South.”
“You have a beautiful family.” I smile at him.
He looks at me like he’s trying to figure something out. “Thank you. I like them.”
“Well, that’s good!” We both laugh. “Bo, I feel bad taking your room. We barely know each other, and I’m taking over your space.”
“I wouldn’t say we hardly know each other. We’ve been friends now for, like, a year, right?” He walks a little closer to me.
“Friends. Yes, of course.” I nod, smirking.
We stand there, staring at each other for a beat, and then we hear Noelle call to me, breaking the moment.
“Chels! Let’s go. We’re turning the show back on.”
“Coming,” I call out.
I start to turn to walk out, but Bo places a hand on my shoulder.
“Hey.” His hand slides down my arm. “I like having you in my space.”
Now, I’m not the kind of girl who blushes, but I can feel the heat in my face, and I can’t help but smile. “I like being in your space, Bo Callaway.” It’s a flutter of honesty that comes out before I realize what I’m saying.
He smiles and nods as I walk out. I look back over my shoulder and return his smile, and he turns and grabs a pillow off the bed.
When we get back to the family room, Casey, Noelle, and Charlie are all sitting on the couch, and Silas came back out of his room and is lying down on the floor, sprawled out for some reason.
“You okay there, Silas?” I ask him.
“Yep. I just need to stretch out my back.”
He pulls his long, thick legs into his chest and holds them there. He’s surprisingly flexible for as big as he is. I mean, they all seem big to me since I’m short. Bo and Casey are tall and definitely fit, but Silas is huge.