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“You’re right, Arbs. I know you are. I just don’t know how to start the conversation.”

“I mean, again, no expert here, but maybe naked?”

We both laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Lily comes into the room, backpack over her shoulder.

“Just telling Charlie to get Beck naked before they have a serious talk.” She starts laughing again and nudges my shoulder.

“Speaking of Beck, I need to get going. He’s picking me up here so we can run some errands.” I start packing my bag.

“But I just got back! Can’t you stay a little longer? I wanted to tell you about that guy I hooked up with last weekend.” She looks at me, her lip sticking out in a pout.

“I’m sorry, girl. We have to go get my parents an anniversary gift and pick up some things we’re running out of.”

Arbor is still standing next to me, and I give her another hug after I put my backpack over my shoulder. Then I walk over to Lily and give her a hug.

“We’ll hang out soon. And you’re coming to the game with me this weekend, right?”

“You know it. This is the last game before playoffs, right?” she asks.

“Yep, this game will give us the division championship, and we’ll move on toward the big show! OMG, can you imagine going to the national championship game? I want to see the guys hold that trophy!”

I feel like my heart skips, just thinking about it. All the guys have worked so hard this season. It hasn’t been easy. Living with them, I get to see all the injuries, aches, bruises. But they never really complain.

“Ladies, I’ll see you later.” I open the door, hold up my hand and wave, and shut the door as they both say goodbye.

Beckham

The sorority house is just a couple of blocks away, but instead of walking over to get Charlie, I drive so we can head out to get her parents a gift, and I also need to pick up a few things from the store.

I park outside the house, and when I see her walking down the front steps, I can’t help but smile. This girl lights up my world. I know her room must be close to being ready, but I don’t want her to leave my house. My bed. At this point, I might just try to convince her to stay anyway. The guys love having her around, too, so it just makes sense. Besides, it’s taken a lot longer than they anticipated to get her room ready, but I guess when you start banging around walls in an old house, you get a few surprises.

Charlie opens the door and hops up onto the seat. We lean into each other on instinct, and I brush my lips against hers.

“Hey,” she whispers.

“Hey, you. How was your study session with Arbor?” I reach over to grab the seat belt and buckle her in.

Her hands are raised, elbows bent, as she stares at me with a smile as I buckle her in.

“What?” I ask.

“Come here,” she says.

I smirk. “What? Why?”

“Because I have to tell you something. Now, come here.” She turns her body toward mine and wiggles her index finger toward her.

I lean in, and she wraps her hand around my neck and pulls me in for a kiss. She slips her tongue inside my mouth, twirling it around mine, and it makes me groan.

“I missed you too, Boss. Should we just go home instead?” I wiggle my eyebrows.

She giggles and pushes me away. “Beck, no. I will not let your body distract me. We need to get my parents something. They’ll be down here in two days, and we don’t have any other time to go. And you know Casey won’t go pick something out.”

“Hey, you started it. I was just giving you an alternative plan.”

I straighten up and slide back into my seat. Foot on the brakes, I shift the gear into drive. I look over my shoulder to make sure no traffic is coming and pull away from the curb.