University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (35 page)

Raven shot a quick glance in our
direction. “Yeah.”

A flutter swirled through my body. Raven
had told Shawn about me? How many of his friends knew about me?

Shawn leaned forward and whispered.
“Keep him in line, okay?”

I smiled and was glad to see that Shawn
wasn’t like the other football players in the room. “Don’t worry, I will.”

“I heard that,” Raven commented and I
held up my hand, trying to cover my giggle.

Shawn pointed to himself and then to me,
while mouthing, “It’ll be between you and me.”

I nodded and shot him a quick wink.
Returning my focus to Reece and the girls, I observed the huge TV on the wall.
I had never seen a screen so large with a picture so crisp and clear. My dad
would’ve loved it. I continued watching the girls dance and made a conscious
effort to check on Raven every chance I got. Thankfully, Macy had taken a keen
interest in pleasing Jared and left Raven alone.

Two drinks later, I finally began to
feel the effects of the alcohol and relaxed enough to start dancing. The girl
who was eyeing Shawn when he walked in sat next to him on the couch when I
asked Reece if I could join the fun. For the next hour, Reece and I danced with
the other girl, laughing, and having way too much fun. The good thing about
playing the game was it taught me some good dance moves. I couldn’t wait to
show Raven.

“Lexi.” Shawn got my attention and I
stopped dancing. He motioned with his head down the hallway.

My stomach flip-flopped and a sickening
feeling overcame me. Raven wasn’t in his chair and neither was Macy. I tossed
the remote to the video game on the couch and rushed down the dimly lit
hallway. Standing at the end of the narrow passage was Macy. She was knocking
on the bathroom door.

She rolled her eyes when she saw me
coming. “Not you again.”

I was ready to pull her by the hair when
the door opened. Raven looked at Macy and then at me. “What do you want, Macy?”
Raven shouldered past her.

She bit her lower lip and gave him a
more than thorough look over. “You know what I want.”

“You bi—”

“She’s not worth it. Trust me, baby.”
Raven wrapped his arms around me and forced me away from her. I had never
fought a girl, or guy for that matter, in my entire life, but I was ready to
show Macy that Raven wasn’t available and she needed to stop. When Raven’s lips
covered mine, I quickly forgot about the tramp behind us.

His kiss was deep and tasty. It sparked
a calling that made me want to pull him into one of the bedrooms. Not wanting
to fall in the same category as Macy, I decided to let that lustful desire go.
I could wait until we got home.

“Damn, you taste good, baby.” Raven
spoke across my lips and my body shivered in excitement.

“I was thinking the same thing.” I eyed
him hungrily, ready to leave.

“Raven, c’mon man. This shit is good.”
Jared coughed and sniffed a few times.

Raven quickly released me and that’s
when I noticed in the bright light how his eyes glassed over. “We’ll leave in a
little while.” He planted a quick kiss on my cheek and I heard the slur in his
speech. Was he drunk?

I reached for his hand but his fingers
slipped from my grip as he walked toward the kitchen. I was a little
disappointed that Raven preferred to return to his Poker game and not to me. I
picked up the remote and decided to return to my dance game with Reece.

“Raven, I think you need to leave,”
Shawn commented and I turned around.

“Nah, I’m good.” Raven eyed his friend
and I watched for a moment, trying to gauge his next move. His behavior was
vagarious, but I had never been around Raven when he was drunk, so I had no
idea what to expect. My heart rate picked up and I took a few deep breaths. I
could handle this.

“Don’t do it, man. Just walk away,”
Shawn insisted and that’s when I noticed the white lines that reflected off the
square mirror on the table. Raven’s eyes widened in delight and I knew being in
that apartment was a bad idea.

We needed to leave. Now.

“Leave me alone, Shawn.” Raven bumped
his chest against his friends, trying to push him out of the way.

“Fine. It’s your life. If you want to
fuck it up again, be my guest.” Shawn stepped to the side and then stormed out
of the kitchen. “You’re a dick, Jared,” Shawn yelled and grabbed his jacket. He
passed by me and then stopped and turned around. “You better do something and
save your boy.”

“Shawn, don’t go.” The girl chased after
him and I couldn’t help but wish he had stayed to help me.

I didn’t know what to do. If I grabbed
Raven by the hand and yanked him out of there, I’d probably piss him off and
since he had been drinking, I wasn’t sure how he’d react. I also knew that
doing that would make him look whipped in front of his friends and that was
probably a bad idea. So, I decided to use the next best thing. The one thing
that would persuade him to leave with me and not touch the stuff that would
destroy him.

I whipped out my cell phone and text
him.

Me: Hey, sexy, you look damn hot in
those jeans. Care to show me what’s underneath them?

His phone chimed and he retrieved it
from his pocket. He studied the screen for a moment as though trying to focus
on the words. His eyes widened and he grinned. Pressing his lips together, his
fingers worked furiously, typing a message.

Raven: Baby, I’ll show you anytime. Just
say the word.

He tucked his phone in his back pocket
and shot me a wink.

“Are you going to snort or what?” Jared
chopped the powder repeatedly with a straight razor blade, forming a few
perfect, thin lines.

Raven sat down in the chair and my
stomach dropped. “Yeah, cut me two.”

No!

My fingers worked diligently as my brain
communicated the right words that would lure Raven away from the past, begging
him to come back. I had no idea how to deal with people who had drug
addictions, but I had to do whatever I could to stop him from making the
biggest mistake of his life. The music from the video game blared loudly and
the words being sung gave me the perfect idea.

Me: Talk dirty to me.

I waited eagerly for the text to arrive
on his phone. With each passing second, I held my breath as I watched Jared slice
and dice the white powder with precision. Raven’s phone sounded and he titled
to the side, pulling the phone from his back pocket. He eased back in his chair
as he read my text. His brows rose and his eyes lifted, pinning me with a
hungry desire that undressed me with one sweep. He took a drink of his beer and
set the bottle on the table. His fingers dragged across his phone and I gripped
my phone tighter when Jared moved the mirror in front of him. I prayed for the
next words that would keep him preoccupied.

“What the fuck, man? Are you going to
text all night or what?” Jared twisted his mouth in frustration.

“Go ahead, man. I’ll do the next one.”
Raven waved him off and I sighed silently in relief.

A few second later, my phone chimed.

Raven: So, you want me tell you nasty,
dirty things I’d love to do to you?
A sly grin played at
the edge of his lips and I knew I was on the right track.

Me: Yes. Tell me, baby. Tell me how much
you want to kiss and lick me.

Raven let out a low laugh and then
licked his lips. He rolled his shoulders and kept his gaze steady on his phone.

Raven: You like what I do to you with my
tongue?

Me: Hell yeah. It’s freakin’ awesome.
But tell me how you like it. Tell me what you want me to do to you. How you
want me to touch you…

Raven shifted in his chair and adjusted
his jeans.

Yes! He wants me!

Raven: Shit, baby. Why don’t I just show
you?

The chair skidded across the tile and
Raven stood. “I gotta go, man.”

“What?” Jared sniffed and snorted,
rubbing his nose with his hand as white powered drifted in the air. “This
party’s just gettin’ started.”

Raven barreled across the dining area
and into the living room, heading directly toward me. The tension in my stomach
unwound like a tight string being released and I let out a deep breath. I had
done it. I tucked my phone in my pocket and smiled at him.

 “That’s okay. I’ve got my own party
that’s waiting for me.” Raven picked me up and hauled me over his shoulder.

“Raven!” I yelped, totally surprised by
his actions as he rushed out the door with me in tow. He raced through the
hallway and I wrapped my legs firmly around his waist. We passed the lounge and
weight room at lightning speed with my body clung to his. Did he want me that
bad? I laughed as a rush of adrenaline flowed through me for a different
reason.

The beep of his remote echoed through
the quiet parking garage and Raven had the door opened before my feet touched
the ground. He dropped me in the passenger seat and I barely had time to pull
my legs up before the door shut.

Damn, I had created a monster!

Raven got in the car and shut the door.
“Damn, Lexi, you sure know how to distract me.”

“I guess that’s a good thing.”

He started the car and his eyes blinked
slowly. I silently questioned if he was drunk or if he had taken something when
I wasn’t looking. “I’m sorry… it’s just that—”

“Let’s not talk about it right now.”

“You promise not to say anything.” He
pressed a finger to my lips.

I nodded and then dotted his finger with
small pecks, working my way to the tip of his finger. When I reached the end,
my lips parted and I took his finger completely in my mouth, sucking on it.

“Oh shit.” Raven moaned low in his
throat. “I don’t think I can wait to get home.”

“Mm, me either,” I muttered as I rolled
my tongue up and down his finger.

His hands flew to my face and he pulled
me toward him. I threw my arms around him and our lips crashed in to one
another. Need, desire, and want worked through my lips as I kissed him. He
responded favorably, kneading my lips between his. When his tongue thrust in to
my mouth, I received it willingly. It was warm and had a peculiar taste, but I
didn’t care. I couldn’t get enough of him.

Inch by inch, his hands threaded through
my hair and he massaged my head with long, deep strokes. My hands slid down to
his chest and I was ready to rip off his shirt.

His fingers trailed down my shoulders
and to the edge of my sweater. With haste, he pulled my sweater off and tossed
it behind him. With a quick tug, I grabbed his shirt and yanked it off. My
hands splayed across his chest and my fingers grazed his taunt skin. Big,
strong hands gripped my waist and he lifted me out of my seat, straddling me
across him. My back pressed against the steering wheel and the radio turned up.
The music echoed across the speakers and I knew all the empires of the world
would be uniting tonight in his car.

∑

We spent the next three days wrapped in
each other’s arms. We got up to eat, workout in the apartment complex gym,
shower, watch a little TV, and then we were back in bed, making love to each
other all day and night long. I never thought being loved could be so good.
That being touched so pleasing. But I guess when a guy’s not afraid to show you,
the experience is beyond incredible.

I stared at my weather app, cursing the
sun in the forecast for the next few days. The temperature had risen and partly
cloudy skies had allowed some of the snow and ice to melt. With the sun out,
the roads would definitely clear up and even though Raven had asked me to stay
until Christmas Eve, I knew my parents would be calling for me to come home
immediately.

“What’s wrong? You’re quiet this
morning.”

I shrugged and forced a smile.
“Nothing.”

“If it’s about the other night, I’m
sorry.” Raven stroked my arm, dragging his finger up and down in slow
movements. We had avoided the whole incident, mainly because he hadn’t brought
it up and I didn’t know what to say. I was treading through treacherous waters
and I knew one wrong comment might set him off. That was the last thing I
wanted to do.

I set my phone next to me and looked him
straight in the eyes. “Promise me you won’t let your friends influence you.”

His gaze drifted downward and he sighed.
He took a deep breath and said, “I don’t know why I let Jared try and talk me
into…”

“You’re so much better than that and you
know it.” I lifted his chin with the tip of my finger but he refused to look at
me. “Raven.” I demanded his attention and remained silent until he met my gaze.
“I don’t want to see you throw your life away.” I cupped his face with my
hands. “I want to see your dreams come true. You have so much potential.”

He let out a smirk. “Yeah, I don’t
know.”

“Listen to me.” I gave his face a slight
shake and his jaw tightened. I knew I was pressing my limits, but I wanted him
to know that I was serious. “You know you have what it takes to land a professional
contract and I’m not going to allow you to think otherwise. And I sure as hell
am not going to let you risk losing that opportunity just for a chance to get
high.”

“Why do you care about me so much,
Lexi?” His voice broke and his eyes glassed over with tears.

“Because you’re not afraid to show me
how you feel about me.”

A small tear seeped from his right eye
and I brushed it away. A pain struck the center of my chest and it rippled
through me, creating an unfamiliar agony. I had no idea what Raven had
experienced in his life and I knew it couldn’t have been easy, but doing drugs
wasn’t the answer.

“And that’s enough to want to be with
me? Despite all my faults?”

“More than you know.” I pressed my lips
to his. “As long as I got you, babe, I’m happy.”

“So when your parents ask you what you
did this past week, what are you going to tell them?”

“I spent it with you.”

He let out a low laugh and he shook his
head. “Am I really worth it?”

“I’m willing to risk everything just to
be with you, Raven. Does that answer your question?”

“Completely.”

But the question was: did Raven feel the
same about me?

I had to know.

“And what about you?”

His brow raised and he inclined his
head. “Lexi, you are all I’ve ever wanted and more.”

I smiled for a second and then my mind
quickly reminded my heart that I wasn’t one hundred percent convinced.

“What? You don’t believe me?”

“I want to. It’s just that… I hate that
girls won’t leave you alone.” I grabbed my phone and started scrolling through
my Facebook page. Pictures of us that Raven had tagged me in dominated my page.
It at least told me that he wasn’t afraid to show everyone he was with me.
“Can’t they see that I’m with you?” I showed him a picture of us.

“Maybe I need to make it clear that I’m
with you.” He picked up his phone from the nightstand and went to his Facebook
page. His fingers danced across the keyboard at a quick speed.

A notice appeared on my Facebook feed
and I gasped. Raven had changed his status to ‘
in a relationship with Lexi
Thompson’
. I held my hand up to my mouth, trying to conceal the huge smile.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.” He winked at me and then
tossed his phone to the side. “And now I think I need to show you again.” Raven
pulled me on top of him and I squealed.

“Hold on, wait a minute.” I tried to
scroll to the correct screen to edit my information as Raven tried to pull my
shirt off. “I need to change my status, too.”

He pulled the phone from my hand. “You
can do that later. Right now, it’s you and me, baby.

***

After we ate a late breakfast, we
showered together and got dressed. I never imagined that I could feel so
comfortable being naked in front of Raven, but I did. He made me feel so
beautiful, even though I knew he had been with girls that put my body to shame.
But what mattered most, was that he showed me how to love my own body and be
proud of it.

“Hey, my mom just text me.” Raven ran
his hands through his short hair as he applied gel to it. He looked so damn hot
that I had to turn away. Otherwise, he’d know I was gawking at him. “She wants
me to take her Christmas shopping. Do you want to go?”

I placed a rubber band around the end of
my braid, happy that I had finally learned how to do it. “Yeah, I’m up for a
little shopping. Besides, I need to get you something for Christmas.” I placed
a quick peck on his forehead and sat down on the edge of the bed to put on my
socks and shoes.

“Oh, hell. Are you mad?”

“What?” I grunted as I pulled on my suede
boots.

“I haven’t asked what you want for
Christmas.” He handed me my other boot. “I know girls are all about the
presents.”

I took the shoe from his hand. “Well,
I’m not the typical girl, so you haven’t messed up.”

“Whew.” He pretended to wipe the sweat
from his forehead. “But seriously, what do you want?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Surprise me.”

“Um, can you give me some hints?” He
followed me out of the bedroom. “Nope.”

“Then how will I know if I’m buying you
something you like?”

 “As long as it’s from you, I know I’ll
love it.” I grabbed my jacket and he helped me slip it on. “Come on, let’s go
pick up your mom.” I opened the door and we headed downstairs to the car.

The sun was shining brightly and I had
to shield my eyes from the glare. The sound of water dripping echoed all around
us as the ice from the buildings, trees, plants, and cars melted away. The
winter wonderland would soon be a memory as north Texas’ bipolar weather
returned.

My phone chimed and I hesitated to look
at, knowing my time was up.

Raven opened the car door for me. “Who’s
that?”

I retrieved my phone from purse as I got
in the car. “It’s my mom.”

Raven leaned against the car. “What did
she say?”

I showed him the message.

Mom: Get home now.

“Do I need to take you?” He shifted his
weight from one foot to the other as he leaned further into the car. “I don’t
need your parents mad at me.”

“I think it’s a little late for that,” I
admitted. “But don’t worry, I’ll take the blame. After all, I’m the one that
refused to go home, remember?”

Raven twisted his lips to the side and
his eyes narrowed. “I thought I was the one that didn’t want you to go home.”

I shrugged. “She doesn’t have to know
that.”

We both smiled and then he shut the
door. He drove to his mom’s house and we picked her up, along with his
brothers. I guess everyone was sick and tired of being trapped indoors because
of the weather. Most of the snow on the roads had melted away, but the bridges
still had patches of ice on them, making them somewhat tricky to travel across.
Since it was only noon and the sun was in full effect, the roads would continue
to clear through the day and there wouldn’t be an excuse for me not to return
home.

The mall was packed and it appeared that
everyone had the same mission as we did — Christmas shopping. Raven dropped us
off at the front of the mall while he parked the car. His mother, Trish, and I
walked in and window-shopped while we waited for Raven and his brothers.

“I’m so glad you’re with my son,” she
commented as she looked at a pair of shoes.

I smiled, because it felt good to be
approved of, even though I didn’t need anyone’s approval to be with Raven.
Nonetheless, hearing his mom say that made me feel good. “He’s really a special
guy.”

She laughed and gave me a strange stare.
“No doubt he is, but he’s also a handful.”

“Yes, he is.” I nodded. “But I think I
can handle him.”

“If you ever need any advice or help,
just give me a call.” She reached into her purse, scribbled her number on a
piece of paper, and handed it to me.

I took the paper from her and stared at
the number for a second. Did she know what had happened a few days ago or was
she preparing me for what was to come? A shiver of fear sprouted it’s ugly
head, but I warded it off, telling myself that Raven was changing for the better.
At least, I hoped he was.

“Where to first?” Raven appeared from
behind me and I shoved his mother’s number in my purse.

“Let’s head down to Macy’s. They are
having a big sale and I want to get you and your brothers some nice shirts,”
Trish said.

“Okay,” Raven replied. We followed her
to the opposite side of the mall and as we passed by Victoria’s Secret, Raven
stopped. “We’ll catch up to you later.”

She winked at me and then said, “Make
sure your phone is on so I can find you later.”

“It’s on,” Raven said before leading me
into the store.

The store was filled with people, both
male and female, shopping for the right present for their loved one. Several of
the store clerks wore pink Christmas stockings on their heads and raced around
the store, helping shoppers. Holiday music blared over the speakers, putting me
completely in the holiday mood. There was a white and pink Christmas tree
decorated with bras and underwear and it caught our attention.

“Now that’s a Christmas tree.” Raven
eyed it for a moment, skimming it from top to bottom.

I laughed. “I think I like ours better.”

“Yeah, but this one, we could use.”

“Maybe.” I grabbed his hand and dragged
him to a rack of lingerie. “I like this.” I picked up a sheer black nightgown
that had in a built in push up bra with lace.

Raven’s eyes lit up. “I like that, too.”
He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “And I’d love to see you in it.”

His lips skimmed the nape of my neck,
causing goose bumps to spread down my arms. “Do you want me to try it on?”

“Yeah, but let’s see what else they
have.” He pulled me to another display and showed me a racy teddy with a thong
and garter belt. His brows lifted and he grinned. “Now this is sexy.”

“There’s barely anything there,” I
commented, touching the delicate fabric.

“Which is the whole point.” He skimmed
through the different sizes and handed me a small.

“How do you know what size I wear?”

“I pay attention.” He strolled off and I
followed him. “Really? You’ve been looking at my clothes.”

“Maybe.” He pointed to a collection of
beautiful lace push up bras and matching panties in a variety of colors. “And I
like these, too.”

No doubt, my underclothes needed an
overhaul and I couldn’t help but wonder what he thought of my flowered cotton
panties and plain white bras. He helped me pick several different styles and
colors and I tried them all on. From bras to nightgowns and sexy lingerie, I
modeled them all for Raven. They made me feel sexy and pretty, and I was
anxious to wear them for him. He insisted that I buy everything I tried on and
refused to let me pay for them, stating they were part of my Christmas present.

I still hadn’t bought him anything, so
while he waited in line, I walked to the body shop at the back of the store.
The store clerk showed me a couple of different colognes for men and I selected
one for Raven. Although I loved the way he smelled, I wanted him to have a new
scent. One that he had never worn and women hadn’t smelled on him.

“What did you get?” he asked looking at
the bag in my hand.

I winked. “You’ll see.”

“Oh, okay.”

We walked out of the store and met up
with his mother and brothers. They were in the young men’s department of
Macy’s, purchasing some clothes for Ashton.

“Hey, I’ll be back shortly. I’m going to
pick out something for my mom.” Raven gave me quick kiss on the cheek. Trish
glanced out of the corner of her eye and smiled at us. It was nice that Raven
didn’t hide his affection for me, even in front of his mom. “Jared, Ashton,
wanna come with me?”