Chapter 24
Sean
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, straining to open my eyes and find the source of that fucking irritating noise that dragged me out of the best sleep I’ve had in two weeks. I spent the night wrapped around Callie’s naked body and honestly I feel like I”m waking up on a cloud. I swipe an arm across the mattress searching for her blindly and dragging her back to my chest when I locate her bare stomach. I grab my still ringing phone from under my pillow and answer it gruffly, making no effort to hide my distaste to whoever is on the other end of the phone for waking me from my Callie filled slumber.
“What?” I spit, keeping my eyes closed and breathing into the crook of Callie’s neck.
“Sean Taylor, do you have a girlfriend now?”
Shit.
I’ve been avoiding all of my mum’s calls since I saw her about a month ago. She’s been desperate for me to get a girlfriend and settle down with one woman for ages and I could tell by the texts she’s sent me over the last few weeks that she somehow knows I managed to win Callie over. I swear she calls my house purely to get inside information about me from Kyle, that fucker tells her everything.
“You would tell me right? You’d tell your mum if you managed to win over the girl you were pining over when you last saw me?” She says, hope and trepidation lacing her tone.
I huff. “No, I wouldn’t tell you because you’d get all excited and quite frankly I’d want to kill you.”
“Oh my god you do! You won her over didn’t you?” She squeals and I lift the phone from my ear, wincing at the volume of her voice when I only woke up precisely 7 seconds ago.
“Like that.” I groan, reluctantly pulling my arm out from under Callie and sitting up straight against the headboard. My girl stirs and flips over to face me, her hands searching for me in her sleep. I take her small hand in mine and twine our fingers together.
“Sorry, sorry,” My mum says, sniffing back tears of excitement. I smack my hand to my forehead in disbelief, this woman is crazy, she’s holding back tears because her 23 year old son is only having sex with one woman for the first time in his life.
“I won’t get ahead of myself.” She says.
I groan and scratch my chin. “I feel like you’re already planning mine and Callie’s wedding.”
“Let me see a picture of her, pretty please, make your mummy happy.” She says and I can hear her pouting her lip even though I can’t see her. It’s clear where I got my flare for the dramatics.
I sigh and put my phone on speaker, flicking through the many photos I now have of Callie on my phone. The picture she sent me whilst I was away flashes onto my screen and I have to bite my fist to stop the horny groan that wants to escape.
“You want a picture of her fully clothed or naked? I have both.” I grin, swiping across to a more appropriate photo of my girl.
My mum scoffs with disgust, which only serves to widen my smirk. “Sean Taylor!”
That’s the second time she’s full named me during this phone call, usually I’d be scared of this tiny woman with a big attitude but luckily I’ve got an even spicier version snuggled up to my side right now. So I tap send and a photo of Callie, her dark curls cascading down her back, her jeans hugging her perfect ass and her smile so bright it hurts my chest, comes through on my mum’s phone. I know when she’s received it because she audibly gasps.
“Oh my god, she’s beautiful.” She gawks, I hear her repeatedly gasping under her breath as she assesses the photo of Callie.
I breathe a laugh. “I’ll take your surprise as a compliment rather than an insult to my taste in women.”
I know my taste in women is impeccable, I bagged Callie didn’t I? And she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on.
She snorts dramatically. “It’s not your taste in women I”m concerned about, it”s the fact that a woman that beautiful has agreed to give you a chance.” Her voice twists into a stern version of it’s usual chirpy nature. “Don’t, mess this up Sean.”
I sigh and look down at Callie, her features soft with sleep as she nuzzles her face into my side. “I won’t Mum, I swear. I think that I…I think I love her.”
My mum tries to swallow her shriek of delight but it still almost deafens me, Callie stirs next to me wriggling against my side, her warm skin running up my stomach as she strokes her palm up my abs.
“Sean? Who are you talking to?” She murmurs and my Mum literally screams with joy right into my eardrum.
“Oh my god is that her? Let me speak to her Sean please I—” “Ok, I”m hanging up.” I say, pressing the red button and silencing my mother before she spontaneously combusts.
I shuffle my body down so I”m face to face with my baby, planting a hard kiss to her freckled cheek as she peers at me through sleepy eyes. “We need to leave for training soon, it’s already 9:30.” I say into her mane of hair as she stretches beside me.
Her eyes widen and she jumps out of bed. “Oh shit, how is it so late? I won’t be ready on time.” She grabs a towel from the floor of her bedroom and wraps it around herself as she skips around the room in a panic. I sit up too, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, just in time to catch her elbow as she tries to leave the room in a flurry.
“Hey, it doesn’t matter if we”re a bit late. We could have another five minutes in bed.” I smirk and she breathes a light laugh.
“No, we can’t be late, you know what Ellen is like and she”s been in a foul mood all week, I don’t need to be irritating her any more than necessary. Plus I”m helping out with the freshmen today, not training.”
I stare at her blankly, lifting my eyes from where they rest on her tits. I just want to suck her taut nipple into my mouth and drag my tongue all over her body. “Sorry baby I didn’t listen to a word you just said.” She rolls her eyes in the way I love, the feisty side of her showing itself for a moment before she flicks me between the eyes, earning a sharp, “Ow!” From me as she swishes out of the room.
I have to admit she”s right about being late, Coach will give me more shit than it’s worth if I rock up more than ten-seconds after he wants me there. We better not show up together either or Callie’s dad might get suspicious and that’s the last thing either of us need.
“How do you know if you’re in love?” I say to Lewis as he lifts the weight off my chest where it almost crushes me. The guy is at least four inches shorter than me but he’s built like a bull.
I’ve been watching Callie from across the gym all morning as she helps set up for the freshmen competition tomorrow. I can’t stop wondering if my feelings for her will ever settle, or if they’ll just keep multiplying every day like they have been since we met.
Lewis chuckles beside me as we switch places. “Ahh, you’ve been infected I see…”
“Well, I”m not sure,” that’s bullshit, I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life but I need someone else to confirm it for me. “How would I know?”
Lewis lies back on the bench, taking the weight on his arms and pressing it up and down with ease. “Easy,” he grunts, setting it back on the stand after five reps. “What’s the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning?”
“Hockey,” I say after a beat of hesitation. Lewis cracks a smile and shakes his head at me, his chestnut waves moving with him.
“Liar,” He says, smirking at me as he gestures for me to get back on the bench.
I lie down and take the weight from him, pressing it to the sky. “Ok, her,” “And the last thing you think about when you fall asleep at night?” “Her again,” I grunt, giving him the weight and sitting up, rubbing my hand over my jaw.
“You’re in love man, plain and simple.” He murmurs and my eyes fall on Callie again, she’s watching me too this time and I notice a smile pulling at her lips when she catches my eye.
“Can I tell her that though? Or is it too soon?” I mutter, still holding eye contact with my girl before she shifts her gaze to one of the younger gymnasts who’s asking her for help with something.
Lewis shrugs beside me. “Depends, do you think she feels the same way?” I turn back away from Callie and start to collect my things, stuffing my clothes into my gym bag and contemplating everything that’s happened between us over the last couple of months. Does she love me? I’m not sure yet, maybe that means she’s not quite there.
“I’m not sure if she’s there yet.” I say as Lewis and I head to the locker rooms, towels hanging over our forearms. Lewis, pushes open the door and I spot Kyle sitting on the bench, his head buried in his phone screen. “Maybe wait for her to say it first then.” Lewis says, swinging his bag into a locker and heading for the showers.
“I hate this uncertainty, I know how I feel about her but I don’t want to come on too strong and scare her off. I also don’t want to hide my feelings, I feel like an idiot.” I huff, following behind Lewis into the showers. I strip off my clothes and hang them on the hook outside my cubicle, stepping into the steaming water.
“You’re not an idiot, you’ve just never been in love before. It’s new man and you’re learning, that’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Lewis says, his voice slightly raised so I can hear him through the splatter of water and the shower curtain between us. “She’s the first girl you’ve ever loved, she’ll be ecstatic to hear that when the time is right.”
A light laugh rumbles in my throat. “She’ll be the only girl I ever love I can guarantee you that, because there’s no way I”m ever losing her.”