University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (11 page)

“Should you be drinking since you have
practice in,” I glanced at my watch, “an hour and a half?”

He snorted. “I’ve played under worse
conditions. Besides, we never practice that hard before a game.”

“Oh, okay.” I leaned closer to him. “By
the way, thanks for sneaking me up here.” I watched him out of the corner of my
eye. “This place is really amazing.”

“No problem.” He propped his feet on the
table and reclined in the chair. “So, do you want to talk about what’s going on
at your dorm?”

A picture of Luke and Delaney popped
into my head and I closed my eyes as I gulped down my beer. “No, not really.”

“You seemed pretty upset. Are you sure
she’s with your brother and not someone else?” His eyes darted to my engagement
ring on my left hand. Retrieving my hand to my lap, I turned the diamond
around, hiding it under the palm of my hand.

Reason number fifteen: I’m hiding the
fact that I’m engaged.

“I’m pretty sure she’s with my brother.”
I nursed the bottle, praying for a buzz to hit soon. “I saw his key chain and
backpack in our living room.”

Raven’s cell phone rang and he pulled it
from his pocket.

“Do you need to go?” I took a big gulp,
reminding myself of what Delaney warned me about.

Silencing the call, he tucked the phone
away. “Nope.”

I tried not to react to his answer, but
my mind screamed, ‘yes!’

We continued drinking and Raven didn’t
ask me anything further about my brother and Delaney. The topic of our
conversation varied between school, his dreams of going pro, and how he planned
to buy his mom a new house if he did. It was the most I’d heard him talk about
football since we’d met. I wanted to ask him about the rumors claiming he went
to rehab for drug abuse, but I refrained. He’d tell me whenever he was ready.
Besides, I had my own secrets that I wasn’t ready to share either.

Raven finished his third beer and
dropped it into the empty slot of the cardboard holder. Turning his head in the
opposite direction, he burped.

“Nice,” I said before finishing my
second beer. I felt an air bubble push to the top of my stomach. I placed my
hand in front of my mouth, but nothing could hide the loud belch that escaped
from my lips.

“Damn, Lexi.” He shot me a quick glance
before turning and burping again. “I thought you said you didn’t drink beer.”

“Sorry,” I muttered, wishing I could run
out of there. “It just slipped out.”

“Relax.” He waved a hand. “I’m just
messing with you.” He handed me the last beer and I accepted it, knowing damn
well that I shouldn’t drink another one. But I liked the way the alcohol numbed
my mind and released my worries.

“You like doing that, don’t you?” I
stood and walked to the wall of windows, surveying the length of the football
field. I pictured Raven running across the plush grass and scoring a touchdown
as the crowd cheered.

What would it take to get him to try to
score one with me
?

I tilted my head back and allowed the
beer to fill my mouth as I swallowed. I felt him standing behind me, but I kept
my body facing forward.

“Depends on what you’re referring to.”

My body stiffened and the phrase ‘be
careful what you wish for’ came to mind. I picked at the label on the bottle,
wishing I hadn’t been thinking that way about Raven. What was wrong with me? I
couldn’t hurt Collin. He didn’t deserve that.

I turned to walk away, but he raised his
arm and leaned against the glass, trapping me. Our gazes caught and he held my
conscious captive with his alluring hazel eyes.

He appraised me for a second before
speaking. “If you’re saying that I like to make fun of you, then you’re wrong.”

Holding on to my bottom lip with my
teeth, I searched for the right response. “Then what would you call it?”

Taking my beer from my hand, he took a
drink. “Harmless flirting.”

A laugh escaped from my mouth. “Is that
what Marcie…I mean, Macy would call it?”

Shaking his head, he looked down at the
floor and then back at me. “No.”

“No?” I asked, somewhat surprised.

He shifted his weight, causing his body
to hover inches from mine. I pressed against the window as my pulse quickened.
A flash of heat warmed my cheeks and I prayed he didn’t notice.

“No. She’s the one that flirts with me.
I just play along.”

I sucked in a quick breath, trying to
steady my breathing. “Oh, I see. And you don’t call that flirting?”

He shrugged.

“So, the rumors are all lies?”

His lips turned up and he cracked a half
smile. “I didn’t say that.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to
sort through the tangled conversation in my numbing mind. “Then what are you
saying? You don’t have to flirt with girls because they philander with you?”

“Basically, yeah,” he said, with an
indifferent expression.

Great, a chauvinistic pig!

I tossed my hair over my shoulder and
let the words roll off my tongue. “Then why are you flirting with me?”

“Because... I like you, Lexi Thompson.”
The glint in his eyes told me to stop while I was ahead but I ignored the
warning.

I threw my head back and feigned a
laugh. “Stop your foolish antics. You really don’t like me. I mean… I’m nothing
compared to the girls you’ve had. Usually, guys want to upgrade, not
downgrade.”

“Believe me,” he raised a brow, “you are
an upgrade.”

I froze, stuck to the glass. Raven had just
openly admitted that I was better than the girls he had been with.

Somebody please pinch me, I must be
dreaming.

He took another swig of my beer.
Condensation dripped from the bottom of the glass on to my chest. I gasped as
the cold water splashed against my sizzling skin. “Sorry about that.” Using the
tip of his finger, he traced the trail of water leading down between my
breasts.

All of the air left my lungs and my head
began to spin. Never had I been touched like that. Raven was undoing me piece
by piece, knitting me tighter into his trap.

I straightened and decided it was time I
grow a vagina since I already had a pair of balls. I grabbed my beer from his
hand and heaved a gulp. Wiping my lips with the back of my hand, I asked, “Why
me?”

“Let’s see, because you’re not like the
other girls, for one, and two, you’re chaste, and that drives me crazy.”

Holy shit. My vagina isn’t ready for
this.

The Raven was shaping and fastening me
into a hot mess.

His hot mess.

“Um, okay. You know, I don’t think it’s
a good idea for me to continue tutoring you.”

His head snapped back. “Really, why?”

“Because I’m supposed to keep a
professional relationship with my students and I… um… can think of fifteen
other reasons why I shouldn’t be helping you.”

“Only fifteen?” he said in a discerning
tone. In a slow, but deliberate movement, he placed his other hand against the
glass, confining me between his arms.

Somebody kill me now. Please.

The air stilled around us except for our
ragged breathing. My need to kiss him grew insistent, but I kept my lips under
my control. Placing my hand on his chest, I pushed him away from me. “Give it
time and I’m sure I’ll have twenty more.”

He chuckled. “Then I guess I better be
on my best behavior since you’re keeping count.”

He laced his fingers around my wrist and
dragged my hand down his chest. My hand tensed as it evaluated the rough
terrain. I wanted to rip his shirt off his body and dive in, exploring every
hill and valley.

Maybe my vagina is ready after all.

With my hand still glued to his stomach,
I summoned the courage to respond. “If you think I’m going to let you screw me
like all of those other hoes do, then you are sadly mistaken.”

Lifting my hand, he drew it to his lips.
His long fingers caressed my skin and I gasped.

Staring deep into my eyes he said,
“Lexi, I’d never do that to you.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Girls like you are very rare.” He
placed soft kisses on the palm of my hand. The warmth of his lips fueled my
deepest, inner desires, making it difficult for me to tell him to stop. Because
I didn’t want him to stop. Even though I knew it was wrong, I couldn’t stop. He
continued pressing his lips against my skin as he made a path up my arm. “You
must be treated with dignity and respect.”

“Are you even capable of that?” My
breathing was erratic and I felt like I would pass out from lack of oxygen at
any moment.

Turning my hand over, he kissed the top.
“What do you think?”

“I… I don’t know.”

He released my hand and then cupped my
face with both hands. “I guess I’ll have to prove it to you.”

“If you say so.”

His lips lingered on the edge of mine
and my alter ego begged silently for him to kiss me. “But know this, Lexi, I
won’t do anything, unless you ask me to do it.”

A moan escaped my throat and as much as
I wanted him to take me, I couldn’t do it. Guilt ran through me, twisting and
gnawing at my insides. I refused to cheat on Collin. He didn’t deserve that.

“Raven.”

He held his mouth steadily in front of
mine. “Yes?”

“Take me back to my dorm, please.”

Σ

Raven dropped me off at my dorm without
pressing me to take any further action as he promised. I thanked him for the
afternoon, because it was absolutely the best time I had ever had. How many
guys would take the chance to sneak you into a private owner’s box in a state
of the art football stadium just so you could drink your first beer? Not many. Despite
how small I felt, I honestly had no regrets.

 When I opened the door to our dorm, my
brother’s stuff was gone, leaving me to wonder if I had imagined everything.

“Delaney?” I checked around the suite,
but she wasn’t there. I stuck my head into her room and noticed the bedding in
shambles. That was proof that what I saw two and a half hours ago, was indeed
true. I shook my head, contemplating how I’d approach her and Luke about their
relationship as I shut her bedroom door.

After eating a few slices of cold pizza,
I took a hot shower, and sprawled on my bed with my textbooks. The words
blurred on the page as I drifted off, thinking about what had happened in the
stadium suite with Raven. I rolled to my back and grabbed my pillow, giggling
behind it like a childish girl.

Raven confessed that he liked me.

How the hell did I end up in this
situation?

Closing my eyes, I tried to come to
terms with what I needed to do. The right thing was to sever the relationship
with Raven and marry Collin. That’s what my mom and dad would advise. But I was
tired of pleasing them. I desperately needed to do what was best for me.
Regardless of my decision to live my life as I wanted, I wasn’t completely
ready to give up on Collin. I didn’t ask Raven to kiss me for a reason. I had
to find out if there was any hope for my relationship with Collin.

I grabbed my phone and sent Collin a
message.

Me: Thinking of you.

Holding the phone like it was my
lifeline to my future, I waited patiently. Five minutes passed and there was still
no response. I closed my eyes and prayed that he would answer me. After twenty
minutes, I finally dropped the phone and collapsed against the mattress.
If only
Collin would say something, anything, to convince me and give me the attention
and love that I deserved.
He confirmed what I knew would happen.

I was giving up on him, for good.

A few hours later, my phone chimed. I
rose from the bed and squinted, trying to focus on the time. I swiped the
screen when I saw it was a text message from Collin.

Collin: Back from my parent’s house. I’m
going to take a shower and then hit the sack.

My forehead hit the pillow. Would it
have killed him to come and see me?

Me: It’s only 9:15.

Collin: I’m tired, Lexi.

Me: Sorry. I thought I could come over
and we could watch a movie, you know like we used to. I promise, I’ll be good.

It took several minutes for him to respond.

Collin: Not tonight. I really need to
get some sleep. Coach scheduled a practice tomorrow afternoon since next
Wednesday is the World Series game.

Of course. If I had a dollar for every
excuse he made, I would’ve been rich.

Me: That’s fine.

Collin: I already told Luke that we
could go bowling tomorrow night.

I heaved a big sigh. Why didn’t he tell me
before Luke? Even though he lived with my brother, I deserved to be notified
first. After all, I was still his fiancée.

Me: Great. I look forward to it.

Collin: I’ll call you after practice so
we can figure out logistics.

I considered telling him I’d like to go
watch him practice, but decided against it. He tended to complain that I
distracted him.

Me: Okay. Hey, have you noticed Delaney
and Luke acting funny around each other?

Collin: Sort of, why?

Me: I think they hooked up earlier
today.

Collin: Seriously? What makes you think
that?

Me: Because I saw my brother’s backpack
on the floor and his keys on the coffee table.

Collin: At your dorm?

Me: Yes. Delaney’s bedroom door was
shut, too. I’m positive they were in there together.

Collin: He’s home now.

Me: Really. Delaney was gone
...
My
fingers hesitated because I was entering into another lie, but I couldn’t tell
Collin where I had been while they were screwing.

Me: when I returned home from a tutoring
session.

And some session that was!

Collin: Are you going to ask her?

Me: I did the other day but she denied
it. Has Luke said anything to you about her?

Collin: No and if he did, I know he
wouldn’t want me to say anything to you. I’d have to keep it between him and me.

What? Was he serious? Collin really
wouldn’t tell me if he knew something was up between my brother and Delaney? Fiancée
status must’ve held no clout when it came to his discretion of privacy. I
didn’t respond, unsure of how to reply.

Collin: I’m tired. I’ll call you
tomorrow. Goodnight.

I stared at the screen, waiting to see
if he would send me a sentiment of some sort. My finger drifted to the smiley
face blowing a kiss and then pushed it. I hit the send button and waited
patiently with a hopeful heart. I honestly cared for Collin. He was a good guy
without any baggage or past issues. A complete contrast from Raven. Aside from
placing his baseball and college studies before me, and holding on to the
promise of abstinence, he really was a great catch — if he could only learn how
to express his feelings toward me.

The dots on the screen faded away and it
stayed fixed with my smiley face. A single tear escaped my eye and I wiped it
away. Would it have killed him to tell me that he was still head over heels for
me or that I had his heart? Asking for my hand in marriage didn’t prove
anything. Why was it so hard for Collin to show me he loved me? Then, it dawned
on me.

He didn’t love me.

He only liked me.

***

The next morning, I woke up surrounded
by a few textbooks and crumbled tissues. My head throbbed and I couldn’t
decipher if it was from the beer or crying myself to sleep. I walked to the
bathroom and did a double take when I saw how swollen my eyes were. I looked
like shit and that was putting it nicely. I also felt like it.

I ran the hot water, submersing a
washcloth under the faucet. I wrung the excess water and placed the steamy
fabric over my face. The heat soothed my inflamed eyes and throbbing head. I
opened the cabinet and took two aspirins.

My phone chimed and I walked back to my
room. I searched the covers, finally locating the phone near the foot of my
bed. The time flashed, five after twelve.

“Crap!” I had missed all my classes. I
dropped to the bed, wondering how the heck I slept through my alarm. I checked
my phone and realized that I hadn’t turned it on.

Oh well.

I switched to my text messages and saw
that I had a few from Delaney and one from Raven. My heart immediately went
into overdrive.

Pressing on Raven’s message, the date
stamp showed ten forty-four last night.

Raven: Had a great time today. Can’t
wait to have more fun with you. *wink.

I smiled and within seconds, the pain in
my head ebbed but the one in my heart increased. Resting the phone to my chin,
I wondered if I should respond. Without further thought, I typed a message.

Me: Me too.

Not waiting for a response, I scrolled
to Delaney’s text.

Delaney: Hey, I’m staying with Jordan
tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow after class.

Yeah, right. She was with my brother. I
just knew it.

That message was followed with another
one.

Delaney: Hey, we’re planning to leave at
six tonight to go eat Sushi on 7th Street and then to the bowling alley after
that. What did Collin say?

What? As if she didn’t already know. I
shook my head.

Me: He said we could go.

A few seconds later, she replied:

Delaney: Finally! Did you just wake from
the dead?

Me: Yeah, basically. Missed class, too.

Delaney: Shame on you. Anyhow, I’ll be
there within the hour. Want anything to eat? I’m at the deli.

I wanted to be mad at her, but she
seemed so happy. I couldn’t stay angry, so I shoved it off.

Me: Sure. I’ll take a grilled chicken
salad with Italian dressing, please.

Delaney: You got it.

I grabbed the remote and turned on the
TV, not feeling up to getting dressed or studying. Flipping through the
channels, I landed on some reality cooking show and watched the contestants go
crazy as they tried to finish their dish within the allotted time.

Thirty minutes later, the front door to our
suite opened and Delaney walked in.

“Hey, got your salad.” She held up a
plastic sack as she fumbled to pull the key from the lock.

“Thanks.” I rose from the couch to help
her.

She tossed her overnight bag and backpack
in the doorway to her room. “You look like crap. What happened to you?”

I shrugged. “Nothing… just Collin
issues.” I wanted to tell her what happened at the stadium yesterday with Raven
but decided against it.

She winced. “I thought you said he wanted
to hang out tonight.”

Opening the sack, I pulled out my salad
and drizzled the dressing over it. “He does.”

“Then, what’s the problem?”

“Same crap as last week.” I stabbed the
lettuce with a fork and took a bite.

Delaney sighed. “I’m sorry.” She plopped
down next to me on the sofa and pressed against me. “Everything will be all
right.” The smell of my brother’s cologne wafted from her hair and I debated
over asking her about yesterday afternoon. Instead, I blew it off and forced
myself to eat.

“We’re going to have a great time
tonight,” she said, in a sing-song voice.

“You might, I doubt I will.” I picked at
the vegetables in my salad, becoming fuller by the second.

“Come on.” She shook me. “Don’t think
that way. Just relax, be yourself, and have a good time with Collin.”

I leaned to the side so I could get a
better look at her. “Are you drunk?”

She burst into laughter. “No!” Darting
up from the couch and over to her bag, she pulled out a big white bottle and
showed it to me. “But I will be by tonight.”

I swallowed and then took a sip of water
from the bottle left on the coffee table. “What’s that? Looks tropical.”

“This, my dear, is Malibu’s finest.” She
held the bottle as if she were a sales model on an infomercial. “The original
Caribbean Coconut Rum with a refreshing blend of white rum with coconut. It’s a
taste of paradise you can enjoy anytime!” Her voice lilted as she read the back
label.

Laughing, I got up and took the bottle
from her. I unscrewed the cap and took a whiff. “Smells good. How does it
taste?”

“Like someone just came in your mouth,”
she smiled.

“Gross.” I screwed the cap back on,
trying to displace the thought of my brother’s semen in her mouth.

She giggled. “Sorry, but it does taste
really good mixed with Coke.”

My eyes swept over the bottle before
handing it back to her. “Maybe I’ll try it.”

“That’s my girl.” She held her hand up
in the air and I gave her a high five. “Okay, but before we get our party
started, I desperately need to take a nap.” She trailed off toward her room,
shaking her butt.

“Why? Didn’t get any sleep last night?”
I pried, waiting to see how she’d respond.

“No, we stayed up late watching movies
and then I got up early to go to class,” she yelled from the bathroom. The
shower turned on and the door shut. How long would she keep up this charade? I
huffed out a breath, trying to blow the strands of hair hanging in my face.
Then, I got up and tossed my salad in the trash. I’d confront them tonight.

Σ