University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (18 page)

“Damn, go back to the apartment.” Raven
pushed them aside and they stumbled out the front door, lip-locked the entire
way.

 “C’mon. I wanna dance.” Delaney gyrated
to the beat of the music and I couldn’t help dancing along with her. Latching
on to my hand, she pulled me to the great room where the music blared. I
gripped Raven’s hand and brought him with us.

“No, that’s alright,” he protested, but
didn’t stop me from leading him toward the makeshift dance floor.

The floor shook beneath our feet as the
lyrics to
Moves Like Jagger
filled the air. We huddled in a group,
dancing like we were trying out for a music video. Delaney sang at the top of
her lungs, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her to stop, even though she
sounded horrible. Raven laughed and I shook my head at her silly impersonation.

It didn’t take long for the cute guy
with spikey blond hair that we’d seen after the game to make his appearance.
With fine moves, he worked his way across the dance floor until he was dancing
behind her. Delaney turned when he neared the side of her face. I waited for
her to push him away, but instead, she started moving against him.

I looked away, not wanting to know what
she would do next. Did my brother know she was here? Not wanting to get
involved with their complicated relationship, I turned my focus to Raven.

His skin shimmered under the array of
disco lights flashing across the room, mesmerizing me. Our eyes locked and he
grabbed my hands, raising them high above our heads.

His body rocked against mine and my body
claimed his instantly, moving in perfect sync.

Oh dear God.

The friction of his body against mine
caused my breath to hitch in my throat. The room spun to the point where I
thought I would faint. The movements from his hips told me that if I would’ve
asked him to go home with me, he would’ve cradled me in his arms like a
football and sprinted to his car. I sucked in a deep breath, filling my lungs
because I refused to pass out. The experience was too damn good to miss.

He pulled me closer, rubbing his cheek
along the side of my face. A half-strangled cry escaped from my throat and I
was glad the music covered my yelp.

When he serenaded me, my heart totally
freaked out. The entire room froze as Raven lured me in, one line at a time.
The lyrics described our situation perfectly. I was broken and scared, ready
for him to make me believe that he had that key.

I was definitely a member of The Raven’s
trap. No questions asked. We exchanged another silent understanding, like the
day outside the library, and I had to remind myself that handing over my
virginity might end it all. Ignoring the warning, I decided to tease him. Lacing
my fingers around his neck, I sang in his ear, telling him that I wanted him to
take control. I was ready for him to own me tonight. I was ready for him to rub
me right from head to toe. But dare I share my secret and tell him I was a
virgin?

Raven dug his fingers into my hair and
his full lips covered mine. My stomach tensed and then relaxed. The room spun
around us and I responded fervently, moving my lips against his and sliding my
tongue into his mouth. He tasted like beer and gum, but I didn’t care. I could
have kissed him until my lips turned blue and even then, I’m sure they would
have to bury me with my lips puckered.

Maybe I was ready to hand over my
virginity. Tonight.

∑

The night ended too soon thanks to
Delaney. I knew she had taken too many of those burning shots. I was glad it
was her instead of me, even though I was the one that was supposed to be having
a great time, since it was my first party. In all honesty, other than the
Silicone Triplets
showing up, the night had been exciting and thrilling.
Being with Raven was unexplainably incredible.

“Laney, why are you crying?” She had one
arm hooked around me and the other one around Raven. Her feet dragged as we
stumbled across the grass to Raven’s car.

“Why?” She sobbed and moaned. “Why
doesn’t he want to talk to me?”

“I’ve got her, just open the door.”
Raven handed me the keys as he held on to Delaney. I unlocked the car and then
pushed the seat forward. “You better not throw up in my car,” Raven told her,
as I helped him lay her in the backseat. “That’s all I’m asking.”

“I’m not going to throw up.” Delaney’s
words slurred from her mouth as she wiped away her tears. “I never throw up.”

“Maybe we should put her in the front?”
I moved my hair away from my face and took a deep breath. “Just in case she has
to puke.”

“It’s only a few blocks. Hopefully
she’ll be alright.”

“Okay.”

Raven waited for me to get in the car
before he shut the door. The kind gesture reminded me of the sweet things
Collin would do for me, and I shook my head, determined to stop thinking about
the past. I turned around to check on Delaney and saw that she held her phone
close to her chest.

“Why won’t he text me back?” she whined.

Raven started the car and with the help
of one of his frat buddies, backed out onto the street. Cars lined both sides
of the road and it was a narrow squeeze all the way to the dorm.

“Darn. Is the whole school at the
party?”

“That’s nothing.” Raven motioned with
his hand. “I think they only had about half the crowd they normally have.”

“Seriously?” I looked down both sides of
a street we passed and saw the never-ending line of cars parked everywhere.
There wasn’t an open spot for blocks.

“Yeah. I think students are still out of
town for the Thanksgiving holiday.”

“Wow. I can’t even imagine a party with
more people.”

 “What the hell is she crying about?”
Raven ran a hand down his face and I could tell Delaney’s complaining was
wearing on him as well.

I turned around to face her. “Delaney,
what’s wrong?”

She held up her phone. “He doesn’t want
to talk to me. Ever.”

I grabbed the phone from her hand.
Luke’s name appeared at the top of her text messages. Not wanting to get in the
middle of their spat, I handed the phone back to her, refusing to read the
messages.

“She’s fighting with my brother,” I
sighed.

“Call him for me,” she begged.

“No.” I adjusted the seat belt and
turned to face the front. “I’m not getting in the middle of this.”

“But you have to tell him that I didn’t
do anything wrong.”

“Why does he think you’ve done something
wrong?” I tried to keep my voice steady and calm, but irritation seeped
through.

She continued to cry like a two year old
not getting her way. “Because he saw the pics I posted on Facebook and he
thinks I hooked up with that guy.”

“With Matt?” Raven shot me a questioning
gaze.

“Who’s Matt?” I pulled out my phone and
hit the Facebook app. I quickly typed in her profile name and went to her page.
Several pictures were posted, including ones with her and me. “Is this who
you’re talking about?” I showed her a picture of the cute blond guy with spikey
hair that was freaking her on the dance floor.

“Yes. I knew I shouldn’t have posted
it.” She wiped her eyes and let out a huge hiccup.

Raven pulled up to the dorm and parked
in the loading zone. “Can I see?”

I handed him my phone. “That’s my
friend, Matt Russell.” He scrolled through a few of the pictures. “Hey, look at
us.” Raven pointed to a picture of him and me, cheek to cheek. The guy had the
face of a model with a square jaw, straight-line nose, and stark white teeth.
He really was out of my league.

“Let me see that.” I slipped the phone
from his hand and stared at the cute pose of us together. “Aww. I want that
pic.”

He leaned closer to me and I wanted to
snuggle up to him. “Tag me because I want it, too.”

“How do you do that?” He looked at me
like I was crazy. “Sorry, I’m not on Facebook that often.”

“Oh.” He touched the screen. “Just tap
on the picture and it will take you to another screen. See that thing that
looks like a price tag at the bottom?”

“Yes.”

“Hit that and then tap the picture
again.” A box appeared with several people’s names listed. “Now you can type
our names.”

“That’s easy.” I typed in my name and
then Raven’s.

Before I could check to see if the
pictures posted to our pages, Delaney yelled, “Open the door. I’m gonna hurl.”

We threw our doors open and Raven pulled
her from the back seat quicker than catching a forty-yard pass. He held her as
she purged the contents of her stomach all over the sidewalk. I felt bad for
her and knew it was going to be a long night. After Delaney was done puking,
Raven picked her up in his arms. I was slightly jealous that she was the one
being carried instead of me. But after seeing how sick she got, I was fine
walking into my dorm room.

“Are you sure they won’t tow your car?”
I pulled the keys from the ignition.

“Just make sure you turn on the hazard
lights.” He looked over his shoulder as he headed up the front stairs.

I reached into the car, hit the hazard
button on top of the steering wheel, and then shut the door. I pressed the
alarm button as I dashed up the walkway. With haste, I removed the access badge
from my pocket and scanned it. The back door to Charter Hall unlocked and I
held the door open for Raven. We quickly rounded the corner and waited for the
elevator. Several people passed by us, doing a double take at Delaney lying
limp in Raven’s arms.

“She’s going to hate tomorrow.” Raven
looked down at her while I brushed the strands of hair away from her face.

“Better her than me.” I raised my brows.

“I’m sure you’ll have your turn one
day,” he said as the elevator doors opened.

I hit the button for the sixth floor and
leaned against the wall. “I don’t think that’s something I want on my list.”

“Oh, come on,” he laughed, “everyone
experiences drinking too much and paying for it.”

I shook my head. “Doesn’t mean I have
to.”

The elevator doors opened and he shifted
Delaney, holding her closer to his body.

“Is she heavy?” I walked quickly down
the hall toward our suite.

“Anyone that’s passed out is heavy,” he
grunted. “It’s dead weight.” I now understood what Luke said about my ass being
heavy when he carried me up the stairs after my mimosa incident.

As soon as I opened the door, Delaney’s
cell phone rang. I glanced at it and saw Luke’s picture flash across the screen.

“Ugh,” I moaned, trying to decide if I
should answer it or not. “Lay her on the bed.” I pushed the door to her room
open and stepped back.

“Hello?”

“Who’s this?” Anger laced his voice and
I held the phone away from my ear.

“It’s your sister,” I snapped, feeling a
little irritated by the situation.

“Where’s Delaney?”

“Passed out. Drunk.” I motioned for
Raven to help me pull off Delaney’s boots.

“Oh shit.”

After we pulled off her boots, she
popped up from the bed. “I need to throw up.” She motioned to the bathroom and
Raven quickly picked her up. I pointed to the door across from her bed and he
shot through it. A few seconds later, I heard her heaving and hurling. I
stepped into the living room so I could talk to Luke.

“I take that back. She’s in the bathroom
throwing up again.”

“Great.” Heaviness filled his voice and
I knew that wasn’t the first time she had drank too much. “Where the hell were
y’all?”

I pulled a bottle water from the mini
frig. “At a party.” I unscrewed the lid and then chugged down half the bottle.
Why the heck did alcohol make you so thirsty?

“A party? Where? With who?”

I paced the small hallway back and
forth, trying to keep calm. Luke didn’t have to drill me about where I’d been
or whom I’d been with. It was none of his damn business.

“A Kappa Sig party, why?” I said, as if
it were no big deal.

“Were you drinking, too?”

I huffed, feeling more frustrated by the
minute. “What does it matter? Why don’t you get your ass over here and take
care of her. She’s the one that’s drunk. Not me.”

“You know what, you’re right. Fuck it.
You take care of her.”

Before I could respond, he hung up the
phone. I squeezed the phone in my hand to prevent a scream from escaping. Luke
knew how to make me so frustrated at times. Even though he’d said the breakup
was between Collin and me, he had grown colder toward me. The bond we once
shared as twins didn’t exist anymore and maybe it was all because I had hurt
his friend.

I set Delaney’s phone on her nightstand
and went into the bathroom. Raven sat on the edge of the tub, holding Delaney
by the hair as her head hung over the toilet.

“Sorry. It was my brother.” I opened one
of her drawers and took out a hair band. “I asked him to come and take care of
her but he got mad and hung up.”

“It’s okay.” Raven let go of her hair
when I wrapped my fingers around the muddled strands.

“He doesn’t want to help me?” Delaney
slurred her words together as she tried to help me pull her hair up.

I filled a cup with water. “Here, rinse
your mouth.” She took the cup and attempted to take a sip but spilled half of
it on her in the process. Instead of getting mad, I grabbed a hand towel and
wiped her face.

“I think I’ve got this.” I smiled at
Raven.

“Are you sure?” He had his forearms
pressed against his thighs as he leaned over. His eyes watched me intently and
I took a quick peek in the mirror to make sure I looked somewhat decent.
Thankfully, I didn’t look anything like Delaney.

“I think I can manage, unless I have to
carry her to the bed.” I knelt beside her to make sure she was somewhat
coherent. “Besides, you look tired… you’ve had a long day.”

“I feel tired.” Raven glanced at a big
white watch he wore around his wrist. “Damn, it’s only twelve-thirty. I can
usually hang longer than this, but I really took a beating on that field
today.”

“I understand,” I reassured him, even
though I didn’t want him to go. Aside from Luke, Raven was the first guy I’d
had in our suite. Collin really didn’t count since he refused to step foot in
my room, claiming it was better if he stayed in the living room.

 “I’m sorry… I ruined your night,”
Delaney mumbled. Then she said something else that I couldn’t understand.

“I don’t think I drank enough.” He
stretched and stood.

I let out a slight laugh. “What?”

He towered over me and the proximity of
my face to his waist made my body flush with heat. I slowly leaned back, taking
in his well-defined legs, not to mention the huge bulge below the hem of his
shirt.

Stop staring!

“If I only have a few beers, I get
really relaxed instead of a buzz. I think that’s what happened tonight.”

I got up from the floor, making sure
Delaney had a tight grip around the toilet. “Oh, I see. I’m sorry you didn’t
drink more.”

He cupped my face with his hand. Warmth
spread up my neck and zing of desire hit every nerve ending. “Don’t be sorry. I
wanted to make sure I remembered this night with you.”

Melt my heart, why don’t you?

“It was my decision to not get wasted.”

I soaked up every one of his words. I
was on toxic overload and loving every minute of it. “In that case, thank you.”

He winked and then kissed my forehead,
both cheeks, and my nose. I froze, unable to handle the soft, tender pecks he
adorned me with. I was shell-shocked and he hadn’t even swapped spit with me.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”

I nodded, completely breathless, not to
mention, speechless. A multitude of emotions flooded me when he positioned his
hands on my hips. He pulled me closer to him and I felt every lump and bulge
that carved his lower body. My hands rested on his chest and my fingers splayed
across his pecs. Flashes of what he looked like without a shirt on inundated
me. Just as we were about to kiss again, Delaney started hurling. So much for a
hot kiss goodnight.

***