University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (2 page)

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

I slid into the booth, thinking of the
millions of things I had to do and why I agreed to take on another student when
I already had two others I was tutoring. I had been working as a student
consultant in the writing center since the beginning of my junior year. It was
a great way to earn money for expenses and since English was my major, it
helped reinforce everything I had learned. I inhaled a deep breath and reminded
myself how much I loved helping people and that it would be worth my time.

“You okay, Sis?” Luke placed his hand on
mine.

“Yeah, just a lot going on.”

“She’s stressing about the wedding,”
Delaney chimed in.

“And school.” I plucked out a few
napkins from the holder as I tried not to think about my upcoming nuptials.

Luke raised a brow. “The ceremony is in
June. Of next year. Isn’t it a little early to be worrying?”

I laid the napkins on the table and
folded them neatly. “Yes, but there’s so much to do and—”

“I get it.” Luke held up his hands. “Please,
spare me the details.”

Collin sat our drinks on the table and
then turned to Luke. “Is she obsessing about the wedding again?”

“What do you think?” Luke smirked.

“I told her not to worry about anything.
We have plenty of time to get things in order. Delaney you’ll be helping as
well as the wedding planner, right?” Collin asked.

“Yes, and I told her this should be fun.
But you know Lexi—”

“She wants everything to be perfect,”
Luke added.

“No, I don’t.” I pounded my fist on the
table. “And will you stop talking like I’m not here?”

“I’m sorry.” Collin planted a kiss on my
cheek. “I didn’t mean to be rude. I was only trying to be supportive.”

Collin had a funny way of showing his
support. And, although I did like things in order, it was mainly because I
worked hard to make my parents happy. I saw myself falling into the same trap
with Collin and I didn’t want to.

“I know. Forget about it,” I said as I touched
his hand. The bend in his arm caused a bulge to raise under his sleeves. I
focused in on the size of his bicep, running my fingers along the ripples and
curves.

“Lexi, stop.” He brushed my hand off in
obvious discomfort.

The waitress arrived with our food and I
took my plate and scooted as close to the wall as possible.

Why didn’t he want me to touch him? I
couldn’t understand it. As much as I didn’t want to think about it, I couldn’t
stop obsessing over it. Maybe it was because I knew I was making the wrong
decision.

Or was I?

Even though we had agreed to wait until
marriage to have sex, I longed for him to hold me and caress me. Instead, he pushed
me away. Time after time, he snubbed what little romance we had between us. I
needed to feel that soulful connection. I had to know that we were making the right
decision and that we were more than just friends. I was dying for more than his
sweet terms of endearment.

 “Are you headed to the gym later on?” my
brother asked Collin.

“Of course,” Collin replied, waiting to
take a bite of his burger. “I can’t slow down even if it’s the off season.”

“Me either. Spring training kicked my
butt last year. And coach will be…”

I zoned out as they continued talking
about baseball. Luke and Collin had played ball together through a homeschool
athletic association during their high school years. That was how we met. Coincidentally,
they were recruited to play for Park Hill University and my parents gave me no
other option for my education.

 “Lexi?” Delaney waved a hand in front
of my face.

“Huh?” I stopped chewing for a second.

She shook her head and I knew she
thought I was thinking about how perfect I wanted my wedding. I needed to confide
in her and then man up and have a serious ‘come to Jesus’ talk with Collin. My
head was a convoluted mess of wants, needs, rules, and fears that was sending
me quickly to the edge of insanity.

 “So, do you want to or not?”

I swallowed my food, realizing I hadn’t
listened to a word she had said. “Do what?”

“Seriously?” Delaney placed a hand on
her forehead. “You didn’t hear me?”

“Sorry,” I mouthed.

“I asked if you wanted to go to the gym
with me.”

“You know I don’t like to work out.” I
took another bite of my burger.

“I know, but I thought you’d like to tone
up your arms,” she flexed her bicep, “since you’re thinking about buying that
strapless wedding dress.”

I kicked her under the table.

“Ow!”

I didn’t want Collin to know what type
of dress I’d be wearing and now Delaney had ruined it.

“You bought a strapless dress?” Collin
immediately keyed in on our conversation. I smiled, glad that it sprung a
reaction from him, regardless of whether it was good or bad.

“Well, I haven’t bought it yet.” Knowing
my mom, she wouldn’t allow me to buy it either, but I had to at least push for
it.

“Sorry.” Delaney squeezed her eyes shut
for a brief moment. “I just didn’t want to go alone.” A spark flickered in her light
blue eyes and it became clear to me that she wanted to go because of my
brother.

“Oh, all right. But you and I are going
to have a talk.” I pointed my finger at her. She retreated in her chair, knowing
I was peeved. Checking my phone, I saw that I had twenty minutes until my
meeting. “I gotta go.”

“But you didn’t finish your burger.”
Collin glanced at my half-eaten plate of food.

“I guess I wasn’t that hungry.” I stuffed
my phone in the outside pocket of my backpack.

“I’ll call you later.” Collin placed a
hand on my arm and leaned forward.

“Okay.” I aligned my head so that my
lips targeted his. I closed my eyes in anticipation of his kiss and held my
breath to restrain the butterflies threatening to take flight from the pit of
my stomach. Instead, Collin’s lips landed on my forehead. I could only imagine
how silly I looked with my eyes closed and lips puckered.

Why wouldn’t he kiss me on the lips?

“You’d better go.” He rubbed my arm,
giving me a nice warm up as if I were cold. “You don’t want to be late.”

I hitched my backpack over my shoulder
and my body caved in from the weight. “See y’all later.” I scooted out of the
booth and shuffled through the door. As I headed to the campus, I told myself
not to give much thought to what happened. Who was I kidding? Did Collin really
want to marry me? He sure didn’t act like it. Then again, neither did I.

Σ

“Hi, Lexi.” Sara adjusted her red
glasses as I entered the small office located in Ramsey Hall. She was sitting
at one of the computers typing in some information as one of the students she
tutored gathered their books.

“Hey, Sara.” I waved back.

The more I thought about it, the more I
really didn’t feel like meeting with this guy. My personal life was more than I
could handle and I doubted my ability to give him one-hundred percent of my
attention.

The door to Dr. Raymond Phillips’,
director for the writing center, office opened. “Lexi,” he pointed at me, “I
need to see you in my office before your appointment.”

Dr. Phillips tended to be high-strung
and a little ADD. He functioned like an Energizer bunny on nuclear power,
zipping around the office and saying random comments left and right. Just
watching him made me tired. Aside from his madness, he was a wonderful boss and
mentor. I really enjoyed working for him regardless of the fact that I needed
to wear inline skates just to keep up with him.

“Yes, sir.”

As I passed Kyler, a graduate student
and a gifted writer with two non-fiction books published on the wars of Texas,
he raised a brow. He didn’t have to say anything because I knew what he was
thinking. Better you than me.

“Sit, please.” Dr. Phillips shuffled a
stack of papers on his desk and fumbled with a few other things. He seemed
awkwardly quiet.

I shut the door behind me. “Is
everything okay?”

“Yes,” he nodded, though the expression
on his face was less than convincing. “I thought it might be wise to enlighten
you about the student you will be working with.”

“Sara gave me the details, I think I’m
good,” I offered as I sat in the chair in front of his desk.

He smirked. “Well, I don’t see how that
is possible being that I just got off the phone with Coach Anderson.”

“The football coach?” My stomach tensed
and I was suddenly glad I didn’t finish my lunch. I had heard a few stories
about football players who had made their way into college but lacked the
ability to write. If professors wouldn’t pass them, they usually ended up in
the writing center, relying on tutors to help them learn.

He perched on the edge of his chair,
still fumbling through his paperwork. “Yes, the one and only.”

I hesitated, but asked, “Well, what did
he say?”

“Ah ha, here it is.” Dr. Phillips
wiggled a cream folder from under the mountain-high stack of papers. He opened
the folder and his eyes quickly scanned the pages. I heard his leg rock
underneath the desk and it made my stomach clench tighter. “I need you to give
this student one-hundred percent of your best ability. I can reassign the other
two students you have been working with if you are unable to handle the load.”

Great.

“Why me?” I placed a hand over my chest.
“I mean, maybe it’s best if he works with a graduate student or one of the
other professors in the center. I’m not that qualified.”

“Stop discounting your abilities. You
are one of the best undergraduate consultants I have working in the center, and
frankly, I don’t know whom else to pair this student with.”

I leaned back against the chair, feeling
the pressure build in my chest. “Thanks for the compliment, but this sounds
crucial, especially if the coach called you.”

He pressed his lips together and let out
an audible breath. “It is and I am going to be honest with you. I’ve already
had him work with two others and it didn’t work out. So, I’m counting on you to
help him. Or, I should say, Coach Anderson is counting on you.”

Swallowing the lump that had quickly
formed in the back of my throat, I managed to say, “He is?”

“And so are the fans, alumni, students…”

A good reason why I shouldn’t agree to
help this guy.

“What exactly do I need to do? I mean,
what does he need help with?”

Dr. Phillips handed me the folder. “Here
are copies of his papers and reports that Dr. Connor and Lisa Jenkins advised
him on. I suggest you review them before he arrives.” He glanced at his watch.
“Which doesn’t afford you much time.”

I quickly scanned through the papers,
taking note of the red marks and sideline comments. “From what I can tell, he’s
in serious need of a lesson in grammar 101.”

“Exactly.” A smile formed across the
director’s face. “According to Dr. Connor and Lisa, they worked with him on
structure, outline, and formation, but he also needs some help with common
punctuation and grammatical errors.”

“Why didn’t they help him with that?”

“Lisa intended to, but their
personalities clashed so she refused to work with him further.”

A laugh escaped. “And that’s our
problem?”

The professor winced. “Lexi, I’m
surprised you don’t want to help.”

Meet the new Lexi Thompson.

I shrugged. “Sorry, I just don’t see how
this is fair.”

This was exactly what I thought it was —
another jock that had paid someone to write his entrance essay. His momma and
daddy, who were probably alumni, had more than likely bribed someone of
influence so their star-athlete son could play. I loved helping people but not those
who cheated their way into school. Helping him was the last thing I wanted to
do. This was college, not high school. I didn’t care if he flunked out or got
kicked off the team.

“I know. It shouldn’t be, but
unfortunately, Coach Anderson has asked us to help him. Or rather, has said he
expects us to help him.”

What? I didn’t sign up for this.

“I can’t make him learn or pass his
classes.” I shut the folder. I didn’t have to read any more notes. His type was
clear to me. “What makes you think we can work together?”

The director paused, which was rare, and
I could tell he was deciding what information to share with me. There was
definitely more to this story. “You have a lot of patience and you’re friendly.
Not to mention, I think you’re a damn good teacher. I’m positive he will
connect with you and take kindly to your assistance.”

“Oh, great.” I threw my hands up in the
air. “He doesn’t even want to admit he needs help.”

Crossing his arms, the director raised a
brow. “I didn’t say that. He is here on his own accord. The coach has high
hopes for him and knows he can get his act together and succeed. He needs a
strong tutor and lots of encouragement. PHU also has him in a program and…
well, I’ll leave it at that.”

A sour taste formed in the back of my
mouth. I knew exactly who this was without even looking at the name on the edge
of the file folder.

Raven Davenport.

***

I stepped out of the director’s office,
entered the main area, and there, standing in all of his six-foot-two glory,
was the star quarterback for PHU’s football team. I had never seen him in
person and I felt so small looking up at him. Even though I didn’t know him
personally, I’d heard and read enough about him to know he was a womanizer with
a drug problem.

Another reason why I shouldn’t help him.

“Hi, I’m Lexi Thompson and I’ve been
asked to consult with you.” I made it clear that it wasn’t my choice to help
him.

“Lexi. Hmm, I like that name.”

Uh, no you don’t.

His full lips spread, revealing the most
charming smile, coupled with a deep dimple on the right. Now I knew why every
girl fell for him. I, however, was smarter than that. “I’m Raven.” He stalled
for a moment, his eyes giving me a thorough exam to the point that I bet he
knew what color my panties were. “Raven Davenport.” He ran a hand over his
short buzz cut and looked like the perfect model for an Abercrombie and Fitch
ad.

He was toxic and smelled of sex and
drugs. Well, not that I knew what all that smelled like, but his aura beamed
bright red, warning me to be careful.

“Are you ready to get started? We only
have an hour.” I held out my hand, motioning to a small table in the corner.

“That’s plenty of time.” He raised his
brows.

I rolled my eyes and walked to the
table. Taking a seat, I took out the agreement that Dr. Phillips had prepared.
I signed my name and moved the papers in front of him. “Please sign this.”

Raven leaned over the table. “I was
thinking you might want to do this somewhere more private.” A seductive grin
spread across his lips as he pressed his weight against the table, as if
testing the durability of the wood.

My jaw dropped. Was he serious? My
fiancé didn’t even tease me that way. Although, that would’ve been nice. Then
again, we hadn’t even made out on a bed much less on a table. I had to restrain
myself from slapping him.

“Excuse me, Mr. Davenport?”

He pulled out a chair and sat down. “You
can call me Raven.” I guess by the tone in my voice, he knew I meant business.

“Please read the agreement and let me
know if you have any questions. I indicated that we would meet twice a week for
an hour, and more if a mutual agreement can be established.”

“Okay. Sounds fair. Do you have a pen?”
He held out his hand, his long fingers curled up in a perfect cup. A hand that
was made for a football and caressing various female parts.

Whoa! Where did that come from?

Extending my hand, I gave him my pen. He
eased it from my fingertips in a gentle motion. “Thank you, Lexi.”

He signed the paper and handed it back
to me.

“Aren’t you going to read it?”

Shaking his head, he said, “No, I trust
you.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“Not yet.” His green eyes sparkled. “But
my gut tells me we’re going to get to know each other real well.”

It was obvious why Lisa didn’t want to
work with him. I made a mental note to call her the second he left. I sucked in
a quick breath and let it out to clear my head. “Whatever.” Hastily, I removed
my Hodge’s Harbrace Handbook and another pen from my backpack. I opened the
folder Dr. Phillips had given me and took out his papers.

“I reviewed your file and—”

“You and everybody else.” His head
lowered and his shoulders sank.

I continued, unsure of how to handle his
comment. “I have an idea of where you need the most help with your writing.”

His head popped up and a layer of relief
removed the downward slope of his lips. “You do?”

“Yes. I think we should start with some
grammar basics.” I opened the book to the first chapter and moved it between
us. I placed one of his papers below the book, preparing to show him examples
so he could relate easily to the concepts. “First, I’ll give you a quick and
dirty overview of the parts of speech.”

He moved his chair closer to me and the scent
of fresh juniper and bergamot swept over me. The guy smelled like a cologne
insert from one of my magazines. I tried not to breathe it in, but the harder I
tried, the more I realized I loved the smell.

Darn, I wish Collin smelled this good.

He flashed me a grin. “I like it quick
and dirty.”

I wanted to slap myself. Could I have chosen
a worse thing to say? “I’m sure you do, Raven. I mean, you’re a guy and a
football player.”

“True,” a half smile formed, “but not
every guy likes to do things quickly or get messy while doing them.”

A rush of heat inundated me. I yanked a
hair band off my wrist and pulled my hair up in a messy bun. I raised the
sleeves on my shirt and braced myself.

I’ll be damned if I let this jerk get to
me.

Ignoring his comment, I pressed forward
with my instruction. Raven listened intently and nodded his head while asking
relative questions. When the guy wasn’t being a huge flirt, he was actually
pleasant to be around. I felt sorry for him because he had gone through school
without learning proper grammar rules. No wonder he couldn’t write a proper
sentence. Oddly enough, his verbal skills seemed fine; his written skills, on
the other hand… well, that was another story.

Helping him might not be so bad after
all.

After forty minutes of reviewing grammar
syntax, he began to lose interest. He shifted his weight and yawned a few
times, stretching his arms. I scooted to the edge of my chair, praying he
wouldn’t rest his elbow behind me. Before he lowered his arms, his phone
buzzed. His eyes widened with delight as he looked at the screen.

“Excuse me. I need to take this call.”

“Um, no, you can’t.” I pointed to a sign
on the wall. “Policy says—”

“Hey, baby, what’s up?” He answered the
phone, ignoring me.

He rambled on about his schedule and
practice for a minute or so before shifting gears. I contemplated getting up to
tell Dr. Phillips. That would mean instant removal from the writing center and
I wouldn’t have to help him. Then again, it probably wouldn’t matter because
the coach had called in a favor. I started to stand but stopped when the lure
of his voice made it too hard to resist listening to his conversation. His
smitten words rolled off his tongue and he sounded like Eros himself. Warmth
rose from my belly and I turned around to see who else was in the center.
Luckily, Sara had already left and Kyler was talking to a student, not paying any
attention.