Page 40 of Silent Count
Murmured hellos are returned.
“Let’s get this started so I can go catch my shower. I stink.” I run a hand through my sweat-soaked hair. “All right, who’s up first?”
CHAPTER
TEN
CHELSEA
My flight landedtwenty minutes ago, but it took forever for us to disembark. I didn’t check any luggage, so I make my way to Arrivals to wait for Bo. We talked again last night after his game, and I gave him my flight details. But I haven’t stopped thinking about our conversation the night before his game. Thinking about him jerking off to my picture … turns me on. I was hoping for more flirting when I talked to him last night, but he was so tired; he practically fell asleep while we were talking. Plus, I had to get up early to make my flight back here, so our conversation was short.
As the escalator goes down, I pull out my phone from my bag and send a quick text to my aunt to let her know I got home safely. Then I text Bo to let him know I’m on my way down. When I get near the bottom, I look up and see Bo standing there. His hands are in his jean pockets, and he’s wearing a tight black T-shirt and a baseball hat with the Walker logo on it. When he sees me, a smile breaks across his face.
Good Lord is he gorgeous.
He removes one hand from his pocket and waves, then walks toward me. When I reach him, he pulls me in for a hug.
“Hey. Did you have a good flight?”
“Yeah, it was uneventful, thankfully. Thanks for coming to get me.” I pull back from him.
He reaches for the bag on my shoulder and slides it off my arm before hoisting it onto his. “Of course. I couldn’t wait to see you.” He looks down at me and smiles.
“I’m happy to see you too.”
He shifts my bag to his other shoulder and then reaches for my hand. The feeling of my hand in his should feel foreign to me, but it doesn’t. His hand is big and warm, and I can feel the rough calluses on his palm, but mostly, it just feels comfortable. Like it’s something we’ve always done.
“Are you hungry? We could stop and get something to eat on our way back, or we can eat at the house.”
We walk out of the doors and toward the parking garage.
“I’m a little hungry, but I can wait until we get to your house. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind a shower. I always feel gross after traveling.” I scrunch my nose.
“All right, to the house it is. I’m sure we have stuff to eat, and if not, we can order food in. I can take care of that while you shower or something.”
He releases my hand and puts his on the small of my back when we reach his SUV. Then he opens the door for me and closes it when I’m in.
He rounds the back of the car, opens the back door, and sets my bag on the floor behind the driver’s side, then gets in. This is the first time I’ve been in his car. It smells like him, and it’s sleek with black leather seats and trim.
It’s not the first time I’ve been near him, and yet this time, it feels like we’re on top of each other—in the best possible way. The energy in the car is thick, almost electric. Whatever we are,whatever this is, our relationship has shifted into something new. It’s still easy and playful, but there’s this heat now—this low, constant hum of awareness between us. I’m torn between asking him about his day, telling him something funny from the weekend, or just making him pull over so we can have a ridiculously heavy make-out session on the side of the road.
Once we’re on the road, he reaches over and takes my hand in his, pausing my internal dispute. “So, tell me about the airboat ride. I was crashing hard last night. I’m sorry you didn’t get to tell me about it.”
“It was good. My sister had a blast, so that’s all that matters.”
And it really was okay. Torie and her friends loved riding through the swamp and catching sight of some pretty big gators.
I tell him more about it, and then he tells me more about his game yesterday.
Before we know it, we’re back at his house.
We walk into the house, and Bo has my bag over his shoulder.
“I’ll go put this in my room and get you a towel for your shower. Help yourself to anything you find in the kitchen,” he says over his shoulder.
I take off my shoes and set them by the door, then walk into the kitchen and open the fridge to see what they have, but I’m still not very hungry, so I just grab a bottle of water and lean against the counter. The house is quiet, and I didn’t see Casey’s or Noelle’s cars outside, and I don’t hear Silas or Charlie, so I wonder if we’re alone. We haven’t been here alone together. It makes me feel a little anxious, but also … excited. Not that I expect anything to happen between us.
Bo walks over toward the door and takes his shoes off, then comes into the kitchen.
