Free Claiming Callie: Part two by Paige Rion Page B

basketball game succeeded in expanding the seed of jealousy they had planted at the interview.
    Callie glances at her watch. Maya ’ s class gets out in ten minutes.
    She takes a sip of her coffee and stares at Dean out of the corner of her eye. His chestnut locks are styled in the most perfectly messy way. He wears a pair of jeans and a baseball tee, which clings to his chest, and he smells of fresh air and the citrusy scent of his cologne.
    She clears her throat. Maya will be here soon, so she needs to get i n position. They need to look like a real couple, cozy and in love. Especially after she botched the kiss Friday.
    “She ’ ll be here in less than ten minutes,” Callie says. “Time to get into our roles.” She lays down on the small couch and places her head in Dean ’ s lap. “This okay?”
    “Yeah. Sure,” Dean says, then shoves a hand through his hair.
    “So…” Callie can ’ t help it. She has to ask, her curiosity too great to contain. “I didn ’ t see you this weekend, so I didn ’ t get a chance to ask. What happened with Maya Friday night?”
    Dean shrugs. “She came over after you left and we talked. What did she say to you? I saw you talking to her for a moment.”
    “Um. She just commented on what an awesome game it was. How great you played.” Why didn’t she tell him the truth? “She didn ’ t go out with all of you?” Callie asks.
    “No.”
    He ’ s looking down at her as he answers.
      God, his eyes are so blue…
    She clears her throat. “Why? What did she talk to you about? You should ’ ve asked her to go.”
    Dean shrugs. “It was going to be me and all the guys, anyway. She didn ’ t say a whole lot. Just that I had a great game.”
    “Hmmm.” Callie chews her lip, trying to decipher this news. That’s exactly what she just told him. Is he telling the truth?
    “So, she didn’t mention me at all? Or the roses? Do yo u thinks she’s ignoring the display? That must mean something. Maybe she just doesn’t want to let you know that she still has feelings for you and seeing you with me bothers her.” Callie smiles at the thought, because this is good for Dean. “If that’s the case, then great. You did awesome.” She reaches up and pats his shoulder, then continues. “But what we really needed was to shove our relationship in her face again over the weekend. You know, really dig the knife deeper. But today will have to do. Where w ere you all weekend, anyway? You ’ re usually hanging around our apartment at least a couple of times.”
    “Uh, I had to take some extra shifts. That ’ s all.”
    “Oh. Well, thanks. You left me alone with Jinny and Todd all weekend.” She screws up her face and says, “ I don’ t know why, but I just can ’ t warm up to him.”
    “I know.” He squeezes his eyes closed for a moment. “And please, don ’ t say he stayed the night. Just let me live in my imaginary world where my sister is innocent and would rather die with her virginity intact than have a guy ever spend the night.”
    Callie chuckles. “Okay. I won ’ t mention how disgustingly rumpled she looked Saturday morning, then. My lips are sealed.”
    Dean groans and rubs a hand over his face. When he brings it back down, he drops it to t he top of her head, where he begins to run his fingers through her hair. Callie relaxes into him, letting the stroke of his fingers on her scalp, in her hair, soothe her.
    She sighs and glances back up at him. To his soft stare. “I can ’ t wait until the summ er. It ’ s going to be so weird, though, being out of school.”
    “Yeah. It ’ ll totally suck not having you around.”
    She notices he didn’t mention Jinny. “It won ’ t be that bad. Jinny will move back home until she finds a good job. You can see her whenever you wa nt, and we ’ ll still come into Buzz almost daily. I can guarantee you that. You can ’ t get killer caramel cr è me coffee just anywhere. Plus, we ’ ll still come to all your home