To Love a Player (3 page)

I nodded and she went on, "As you can tell, this is Elly's area and she is responsible for keeping it clean. Over here is Jace and Mara's area and they are also responsible for keeping it clean. We do have a housekeeper, but I want my kids to have responsibilities, so she's not allowed down here."

I smiled and she pointed over to an area with two rows of plush chairs saying, "That's the kid-friendly movie area, of course the movies are G or PG rated and Elly has to ask permission to get the PG-13 ones from the other movie room that is behind that door."

"How do you feel about my brother?" asked Lacey, with a hint of amusement in her eyes. I perked up my eyebrow in questioning and asked, "Excuse me?"

"How do you feel about my brother?" she asked again and I laughed, humorlessly as I asked, "Why? Are you trying to hook us up or something?"

She shook her head, but I could see a mischievous glint in her light blue eyes. She raised her eyebrows, giving me an expectant look and I shrugged, "I don't know him well enough to feel anything towards him, however, if I had to honestly spill my feelings for him based on today, then I would say that he's a cocky ass."

Lacey burst out laughing, nodding in agreement. I gave her a curious look as she settled down and said, "I'm beginning to like you more and more. Girls fall all over him, I've never met one who hasn't, but I'm glad because you're going to be living with him."

My mouth dropped in shock as my brain tried to comprehend what she just said. Live with him? Uh, there was no way that I wanted to do that. I stammered, "Um, why would I be doing that?"

"We have a guest house out back and I don't really need you to live with us 24/7, so rather than commute in all the time, you are going to live in it." Lacey said, smiling widely. I narrowed my eyes in confusion, I wasn't getting where Callen fit into living with me. She smiled as she explained, "Cal is interning at our father's engineering firm and since its closer for him to live here than it would be to live at my parent's summer house, he's going to be living in it too."

The worried look on my face made her say, "Don't worry, it's two bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, and you're on opposite ends of the house. All you pretty much have to do is share everything else. It's even furnished and we can put any stuff that you'll have from your dorm room in storage."

Relief fell across my face as the thought of having to share a bedroom with him went away. Still though, explaining this all to Ben was going to be an issue. Lacey smiled at me once more as she asked, "You really don't like my brother?"

I shook my head as I replied, "I have an amazing boyfriend that I love very much, so I'm good."

Lacey laughed again and motioned for me to follow her outside to the back yard. She pointed out the fenced in pool and how to get into the gate, explaining that Elly could be in the pool by herself, but she had to ask me first and she couldn't be in there alone with her siblings. We crossed the yard to the big guest house where I would be living for the next three months. I noticed we were being followed by Callen and Lacey smirked, "Meet your new roomie."

His eyes went wide, stopping in his tracks, as he frowned. It appeared that he was less than thrilled with the idea too. I smirked at him, loving that he hated the idea of having someone to crush his bachelor fantasies. He narrowed his eyes at me, then protested to Lacey, "Why?"

"She needs a place to stay and I don't need her as a live-in nanny, so she's bunking with you." Lacey smirked at him, obviously enjoying his displeasure. He stomped his foot, making me laugh because he looked like a two year old. He shot a glare at me, which made me glare at him in return.

This was going to be a fun summer!

3

Callen

I couldn't believe my sister! Making me share a house with that girl. Normally, I would love sharing a house with a girl, but this one was infuriating because she not once batted her eyes in my direction. I almost felt like I was losing my touch. I listened as Lacey said that she would email her the details of the job and heard her say goodbye, shutting the door behind her. I could almost feel the happiness in my sister's footsteps as she practically bounced down the hallway.

"I don't want to live with her," I grumbled when my sister appeared in the doorway to her TV room. She plopped down onto the couch next to me with a sigh as Jace left my lap to go over to hers. Lacey gave me a knowing look as she said, "You've met your match with that one, you know?"

I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion as I asked, "Huh?"

Lacey laughed as she said, "I have never met a girl resistant to your charms until Mollie and she is so not on Team Callen. It's almost funny, oh wait, actually its very funny."

"Are you enjoying yourself?" I asked, trying to bite back my own smile. I had met my match, but I was determined. I was going to prove that I could get Mollie to fall for me and then at the end of the summer, break it off, just to teach her a lesson. Cruel intentions, I know, but it really bothered me how she didn't act like the other girls did when I was around. The sad thing is that a part of me thought that it was refreshing to be able to be next to someone who wasn't all wrapped up in me or trying to maul me with their lips.

Lacey reached over, patting my leg and said, "It's okay to not be the object of someone's affection, you know."

I placed my hand on hers and sighed, not sure what to say. Lacey leaned her head on my shoulder as Jace snoozed in her lap. I leaned my head against hers and heard her ask, "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Wish I could sis, but I have a party to go to, so I have to go get ready," I said, kissing the side of her head before getting up off of the couch. She tried to stand, but I waved a hand at her and leaned down to kiss Jace on the top of his head. I gave Mara a hug and a kiss, then slapped a high five with Elly, who informed me earlier that she was too big for hugs.

I let myself out, hopping into my Jeep and drove back to campus. On my way, I noticed a car smoking on the side of the road and saw Mollie standing in front of it, staring under the open hood. Ignoring the small voice that shouted at me to keep going, I pulled over and saw her look at the sky in frustration. I got out, knowing that she was wishing that it was anyone but me.

"Problem?" I asked, stopping in front of her steaming engine and with sarcasm dripping from her voice, she asked, "What do you think, Captain Obvious?"

I shrugged, turning to go back to my car, and said, "I didn't have to stop, you know. I could leave you here."

She sighed an exasperated sigh as she grabbed my arm, sending little jolts of electricity through my body with her fingers. She shook her head and said, "No, please don't. You are the only person that stopped. I can't seem to reach my roommate and my boyfriend's sending all my calls to voicemail."

She let go of my arm and I turned back to her car, waving the steam out of my face. I leaned in to look under the hood, bracing myself on the front of the car. I looked over at her and asked, "So what happened?"

She let out a deep breath and said, "I don't know. The check engine light came on and then all of a sudden it started smoking."

"I think it's just overheated. You'll need to add water to the tank to get it to run until you can get it checked out. But it's useless to do it now while it's still hot," I remarked and she groaned. "How long will it take to cool down?"

"Well, in order to open the lid safely, it will need at least an hour," I said, stepping back from her car. She sighed, kicking the ground in frustration and put her hands on her hips as I heard her mutter, "That's just perfect."

I grabbed her hand, my breath catching my throat as I felt the connection spark between us. Her eyes looked down at our hands, before meeting mine with the same unreadable expression as before. I cleared my throat and asked, "Are you hungry?"

She gave me a confused look and asked, "What?"

I chuckled softly as I said, "I asked if you were hungry. There's a diner nearby--we can get something to eat while we wait for your car to cool down. I'll buy."

"Well, that's tempting, but what's the catch?" Mollie asked, her eyebrows peaked with interest and I smiled softly. "It's for being an ass earlier today. You were right, I shouldn't have knocked you down like that. I never asked if you were okay, are you?"

She nodded, a smile twitched at the corner of her lips. I pulled her a little closer to me, looking deeper in her eyes. The connection was so strong, it was like time was standing still. Absentmindedly, I brushed a strand of hair off her face, bending low and hovered over her lips. I just wanted to brush my lips across hers, just once. I looked in her eyes for permission, something I never do. Usually I didn't have to ask, but this was different, I wanted her permission, I was begging for it. I almost closed the gap when her lips brushed ever so slightly against mine, sending shivers through my body, as she asked, "Um Callen? What are you doing?"

I stepped back, looking at her confused. What was wrong with me? Wincing, I closed my eyes and apologized, "I'm sorry. I don't know what that was all about."

"I have a boyfriend," Mollie blurted out and I detected a slight hint of regret in her voice. I wondered if she wanted to kiss me, too. She stepped away, letting go of my hand, leaving me with a tingling sensation. I stared at her blankly, watching as she went to get her purse. She locked her doors and headed towards my jeep. She gave me an expectant look as she asked, "Are you coming?"

A slow smile spread across my face as I jogged over and opened her door for her. She smiled sweetly at me, climbing in and I shut the door behind her before going around to my side. A rush of excitement filled my veins as I got in and smiled genuinely at her. She rolled her eyes in amusement and looked out the window.

I couldn't understand the feelings that had surfaced when his lips were hovering over mine. There was a strange connection between us, almost magnetic. It took all my resistance not to close the tiny gap between us, but Ben flashed in my mind and I had to pull away, otherwise I would have been in trouble. I glanced over at him as he drove to the diner.

This was a Callen that was dangerous to me, one that I could find myself falling for if I didn't watch myself. When he's not being a cocky ass, he's actually a sweet guy. I wondered why he wasn't like this more often, maybe he was at one time and had his heart broken. It would explain a lot. I watched him, drum his fingers to the beat of the song on the radio.  The setting sun highlighted his rugged features and his square jaw. He looked so handsome and relaxed. I was silently praying that this would be the Callen I lived with all summer, I think that I'd go crazy if it was the other one. He looked over at me as we pulled into the parking space and asked, "What?"

I shook my head, shrugging nonchalantly as I said, "Nothing." He eyed me curiously as we got out and headed inside. My breath caught in my throat as I felt like we had been transported back in time. The place was all decked out in 1950's decor. It was such a neat little place. I smiled softly at Callen as he reached for my hand, leading me to a booth. I couldn't ignore how my hand fit perfectly in his. The humming through my skin from his simple touch was confusing. I had felt it earlier today when he shook my hand for the first time. I couldn't deny the strange connection that was between us. We sat down across from each other and a waitress stopped at our table. She smiled warmly at Callen and said, "Cal, it's so good to see you! How have you been? Still chasing the young ladies around?"

"Oh you know, Rosie, I'm only waiting for you to leave Stan back there," he said, scratching the back of his neck and I snorted back a laugh. Rosie looked at me and winked, "He's a sweet talker, you know. Watch out for him."

I laughed, nodding, "Oh I am, trust me."

Rosie took our order and Callen folded his arms on the table, grinning sheepishly when I asked, "Come here often?"

"They have the best pie," he said, giving me a genuine smile. He unfolded his arms, stretching them across the table and taking my hands in his. I was beginning to like how natural this felt, and that was scary. I pulled my hands back, placing them in my lap. Sighing, I looked out the window, trying to ignore the feel of his legs resting against mine under the table.

"So, roommie," he said, bringing my attention back to him. I raised my eyebrows at him, watching him lean back against the booth as he asked, "Do we need to set some ground rules or something?"

"What do you mean? We only share the kitchen, living room, and laundry room. I think we can manage those three rooms without too much trouble, can't we? Or are you talking about 'if the house is rocking, don't come knocking'?" I asked, crossing my arms in front of me and leaning against them on the table. Callen leaned forward, narrowing his eyes with amusement, and stated, "I see my reputation has preceded me."

"Yep," I said, emphasizing the "p". His eyes gave me an unreadable expression before he looked away, sighing. It was almost as if he were wishing that wasn't true. There was a small part of me that wished he wasn't a womanizer, it was the same small part that wished I didn't have a boyfriend either so I could just kiss Callen and get it over with. I ignored that part of my mind.

"Look," I started, his eyes slowly met mine as I continued, "there's no walking around naked. If you're going to have girls over, then just let me know so I can either make it a point to be out or I can drown you out with my iPod. When we move in, we can designate cupboards where we can store our food and stuff. I don't mind cooking dinners, but I'm not going to do it all the time."

He nodded in agreement and then I added, "Oh, and I'm not your mother so if you make a mess, you clean it up, I'm not going to pick up after you nor do I expect you to clean up after me."

"Is that all?" he asked, with a smirk, and I bit my lip in thought. "If you are out partying and you're too drunk to drive, call me and I'll come get you or I can come with you. I'm not a big drinker, so I have no problem about being the designated driver." I paused, holding up a finger and said, "Just don't make it a habit; I'm not your taxi driver."

Callen chewed on his lip as he took in all that I had said. My eyes flickered down to his soft lips for a brief second before I looked away, trying not to remember the way they felt when they brushed mine earlier. He smirked, giving me a cocky grin as he asked, "What, you don't want to see me naked?"

And he's back, I thought. I rolled my eyes, tossing a sugar packet at him as I snorted, "No thank you." Callen casually shrugged and I added, "And don't worry about me having tons of guys over either because I'm a one guy kind of girl and I don't cheat."

His eyebrows peaked with intrigue, but before he could say anything, Rosie set our food down in front of us. Closing my eyes, I inhaled the deliciousness of my bacon cheeseburger. It smelled like heaven to me. When I opened them, Callen was wearing an amused smile. I stuck my tongue out at him, causing him to chuckle softly.

"I bet all your other dates are not as in love with food as I am," I commented and he stiffened slightly before responding, "I actually don't go out on dates, we barely make it out of their dorm room. Or I take them to a movie so that we can sit in the back and makeout."

My eyebrows rose and he cringed as he asked, "That sounded really bad, didn't it? Wow, I am such a man whore."

I nodded, smiling proudly as I replied, "I'm glad that I could help you see your womanizing ways." It was his turn to stick his tongue out at me, causing me to laugh. He tried to stop the smile that was spreading across his face as he rolled his eyes.

We finished eating and left the diner. I had to promise Rosie that I would be back. I fully intended on keeping that promise. It was a great little place and the food was amazing. Callen placed a hand on the small of my back, sending little shivers up my spine, as he guided me to his Jeep. He opened the door like a gentleman and before I climbed in, I kissed him gently on the cheek. My lips tingled from the touch of his skin.

His eyes narrowed with curiosity and I smiled shyly, "That's for doing all that you've done for me tonight, I really appreciate it."