Free Claiming Callie: Part one by Paige Rion Page A

beside her but is polite enough not to comment on her gawking. She snaps her mouth shut and follows him into the elevator. The doors slide shut, and suddenly, being this close to him—a man she hardly knows, in such a small space—quickens her pulse to a gallop. She watches him out of the corner of her eye, hoping he doesn’t sense her nerves. He stands, hands in his pockets, eyes a shimmering brown, and in that moment, he’s the picture of a self-assured man.
    Is he just comfortable in his element? Or feeling smug? She’s not sure, but this doesn’t seem like a guy who’s too afraid to confront a woman he has a crush on.
    The doors slide open, and they step into a spacious hallway, where Jason leads her to his apartment. He punches a combination into an electronic keypad and the lock clicks, then the door opens. Cassie stifles a gasp as she steps inside. The apartment is unlike any other college pad she’s ever seen. Huge, seamless windows give a spectacular view of the city. The lights of the tall buildings and the headlights of passing traffic twinkle in the dark night like fireflies. All of his walls are painted white, a stark contrast to the espresso wood on the floors, and paintings, much like the ones in the lobby, grace almost every wall. The furniture is all clean and modern—black leather, with the kind of simplistic lines that read money.
    Do college kids really live like this?
    Yeah, rich ones must. Rich college kids who can afford to pay their longtime crush for a date simply because they’re nervous and it’s a guarantee.
    But what kind of jobs do his parents have if they can afford a place like this for their kid? Sheesh.
    “Um…” Callie murmurs because she needs to say something but is still too shell-shocked. “This is awesome.”
    Jason smiles and moves into the kitchen with its sleek white cabinets and marble countertops. “Yeah. I love it. My dad actually owns this building. So…” He shrugs like it’s no big deal and pulls two wineglasses from a cupboard.
    Holy crap!
    He lifts the wine bottle, gesturing to the other room. “You can take a seat on the couch if you want, or wherever you’re comfortable. I’ll fix us something in a minute.”
    “Oh, okay.” Callie turns and moves to the black leather sofa. When he joins her, he holds out one of the glasses, filled with a deep merlot. She accepts the glass and has to clamp her lips shut to keep from chuckling at the contrast with the way she and Jinny usually drink wine—out of paper cups.
    He settles in next to her—a little too close for comfort—and drapes one arm across her shoulders. She takes a sip of her wine, trying to tamp down the flutter of nerves in her throat. She needs to loosen up, but how can she when she barely knows this man? And she’s sitting here in his beautiful apartment, drinking wine, with him sitting only inches away from her.
    “So…” Callie trails off, trying to think of what to say.
    “So…” Jason smiles at her and leans even farther into her.
    Awkward! Okay, relax, Callie.
    Reassurance. I just need a little reassurance.
    She clears her throat. “You said you had a crush on me for a long time. How long?” She smiles and tilts her head, waiting for his response and letting him know she’s interested.
    “I guess it started a couple years ago when I saw Dean with you and Jinny. You were at one of our games or something, and afterward, I asked Dean who the gorgeous blond girl was. He told me that you were his sister’s best friend, and like a sister to him as well, and I was immediately bummed.” He shook his head and grinned. “I figured there was no way I could ask you out. What if we didn’t work out? Or it ended badly? Would Dean blame me if I couldn’t make you happy?”
    “You would really let Dean’s friendship with me stop you?”
    “Well, I’m not usually that noble, but Dean and I are the best on the team. We have been since we started here. Hell, we’ve picked this team up