A Different Side (University Park #4) (37 page)

“Your turn.” She reached for my phone.

I raised my hand high so she couldn’t reach it. “You really don’t want a picture of me.”

“Oh, yes I do.” She reached into her purse and took out her phone. “Give me a sexy smile.”

“Sexy?” I smirked and she took the picture.

I stared at her picture on my phone, knowing I’d be falling asleep with it every night. “Man, how did I get so lucky?”

“What?” She glanced at my phone.

I showed her the picture. “How did I get so lucky to be with a beautiful girl like you?”

“Oh, um, thanks.” She bit her lower lip, and I had to call in the reinforcements. I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to control myself. “I…” Lexi stumbled through her words.

I looked at her, still not believing we were together. It was surreal, to say the least. Staring deeply into her eyes, I said, “I never thought it would be you.”

“What do you mean?” The worry crept through her voice. But she had nothing to be worried about. She was literally my dream come true.

“Being with you makes me feel like a completely different man.”

“Umm, is that good or bad?”

“Definitely good.” I winked. “Are you ready to have some more fun?” I took my knitted cap from the pocket of my coat and put it on.

“As long as it’s with you.” She pulled the cap over my eyes and laughed.

I laughed with her. Lifting it, I said, “Just what I wanted to hear.” I held out my phone. “But first, let’s take a selfie.” I wrapped my arm around her and pressed my cheek to hers. “Smile, beautiful.” I snapped a picture of us making a silly face.

“Let me see.” I pulled up the picture and showed Lexi. “Aw, we look so cute.”

We looked happy together and I never imagined Lexi would give me the time of day. “I think I need to post that on Facebook.”

Lexi didn’t protest. We definitely had a status change in our relationship.

Score!

I paid for the skate rentals and we placed our shoes and her purse in a locker. Taking Lexi by the hand, I led her to the rink. “Just practice balancing first, and then we will work on taking strides along the ice.”

“Okay.” Her legs wobbled as we walked along the foam floor, proving it would take some time for her to get her balance. But I was determined to help her. I stepped onto the ice and helped Lexi as she held onto the edge of the wall.

“You alright?”

She nodded. “I just don’t want to fall.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you get hurt.” I stood close to her, protecting her from the skaters zipping past us. She gripped my hand, nearly causing it to go numb.

Slowly, she inched forward, shaking a little as she struggled to keep her balance. “I think I got it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

I let go of her hand, but remained next to her. “Try to glide by moving your feet forward, but don’t pick them up.”

“Okay.” She followed my instructions, gaining confidence as we went along the thick block of ice. She was a quick study and after a few times around the rink, she was floating effortlessly across it.

“Lexi, you’re ice skating.”

She pressed her lips together, trying to hide her excitement. “Yeah, but if you take away the wall, I’ll fall.”

“Oh, I think you’ll be fine.”

She eased her hand from the railing and then wrapped her fingers around mine. “I don’t think I’m ready.”

“Sure you are.” I took her other hand. “I promise I won’t let you fall.”

“Oh, Raven!” She released a high-pitched screech as I led her away from the edge. With one arm wrapped around her, I guided around the huge oval rink. The brisk air blew against us as we picked up speed and pure excitement hit her face. “This is so much fun!”

“Told ya!” We held hands as I guided us around the slick surface. I’d never had so much fun before with a girl. This was going down in my book as a favorable moment. I moved us to the center of the ice, forming a figure eight. We skated along the path until we created a permanent number in the ice. I honestly didn’t want this day to end. Being with Lexi was incredible. An hour later, the sun began to set and the air turned colder. Slowing the pace, I brought us in to our own intimate circle.

“See, this isn’t so bad, is it?” I held her close, so close that our breaths seemed to make the cold disappear. Lexi warmed a part of my heart I didn’t think was possible. She was filling the hole with her sweetness and I found myself in unchartered territory. But there was no one else I wanted to be with. The hunger for her was practically unbearable, releasing an animal inside of me. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could contain it.

“No, but only because I’m with you.” Her hands splayed across my chest.

“I know we agreed to make your list as we go along, but I was actually thinking of all the places I’d like to take you.” I leaned in closer to her. Her head tilted back as our gazes connected. “All of the things we can do together.” I dropped my hands to her waist and pressed her against me, unable to get close enough.

“Oh, that’s right. You said you couldn’t wait to have more fun with me,” she teased.

I moved my hand across her lower back, keeping her steady as I prepared to kiss her. I needed her lips on me. All of me. I inclined my head and whispered in her ear. “Are you still game for that?” I dropped my mouth to her neck and felt the goose bumps as my lips brushed her skin. She nodded, not speaking. Her hands moved to my arms and she squeezed my biceps. Heavy, labored breaths escaped her mouth and my head spun thinking of what it would be like to have her naked under me.

I was ready to find out.

“I thought we could go back to my place tonight.” I captured her eyes and our lips neared. Our attraction for each other was intense and undeniable. “Unless you want me to take you home.”

“No. I mean, yes.” Her fingers dropped to my hands, gripping them tightly. “Yes, I’d like to go to your apartment.” Lexi began guiding us toward the exit gate.

Shit! And I thought I was moving too fast
.

But I didn’t care. I wanted her just as bad.

“I guess you’re ready to go.” I grinned as I glided forward.

“Oh, we can stay.” She stopped suddenly and I bumped into her. “I didn’t mean we had to leave right now.” Her voice lilted as she stumbled back.

“I’ve got you!” I quickly grabbed her by the arms and pulled her into me. Her feet slid in all directions as she fought to stay upright. I held her firmly against my body as I planted my skates into the ice. “You got it?” I refused to release her until she regained her balance.

Her feet steadied and she rested her hands against my chest “Thanks. I’m good.” Her fingers curled and she tugged at my coat. Was she ready to rip it off? I’d let her, if she wanted to.

“So, are you ready to start working on eliminating more things on your list?” I cocked a brow, hoping the answer was yes.

Her head tilted to the side and her lips aligned directly to mine. “The sooner, the better.”

∑

Chapter 23

Love can be unselfish, in the sense of being benevolent and generous, without being selfless. ~Mortimer Adler

I unlocked the door and flipped on the light. “Come on in.” I set Lexi’s bags on the floor and shut the door. She jumped, overly excited about being here. I would do whatever I could to calm those over heightened senses. Just a few strokes and kisses and she’d be like putty in my hand.

“Where do I put this?” She held up the pizza box.

“Just set it on the coffee table.” I motioned with my head. “We can watch a movie while we eat.”

She set the cardboard box on the wooden table and took a few steps back. I placed my hands on her shoulders and she spun around. Her chest was moving rapidly and she struggled to catch her breath.

“Relax.” I held up my hands in surrender. “I was just taking your coat.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course.” She shucked off her jacket and laid it on the chair, taking several deep breaths as she looked around. “You have a nice place.”

“Thanks.” Josh’s mom had done all the decorating and although it wasn’t something I would’ve chosen, the browns, reds, and yellows did give it a nice homey feeling. One thing Josh and I agreed on was keeping the apartment clean. It did help that his mom sent her housekeeper once a week to mop, vacuum, and clean the bathrooms. We did our part by keeping our laundry and junk off the floor. Shelby was a big help too, keeping our kitchen spotless.

“Where’s Josh?”

“He took Shelby home this morning.” I walked to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and took out two beers. Although I didn’t want Lexi drunk, I knew she needed a little alcohol to soothe her frazzled nerves. A beer wouldn’t hurt for me either. I had to admit, I was little excited about having her here.

“Oh.” She walked into the kitchen. “Where’s home?”

“Oklahoma City for her, Azle for him.” I popped the tops off the beers and handed her one. “Cheers.”

She clinked the neck of the bottle against mine. “Cheers.” I took a quick swig and watched as she lifted the bottle to her lips, taking a long drink. Her hand shook and I wanted to take her in my arms and ease that fear from her. Tell her she didn’t need to be scared. That I wouldn’t do anything she didn’t want to do.

She took a couple more swallows and then inhaled deeply. “When will he be back?”

I took one more drink and then lowered my beer bottle. “The day after Christmas.” Coach had given us some time off for the holidays. We were still expected to study the plays and required to attend several meetings either in person or via Skype. Field practice was scheduled for the Friday after Christmas since the bowl game was January fourth.

“Huh?” Lexi’s eyes were focused on my lips. She hadn’t heard one word I said.

I smiled. “I said, probably the day after Christmas.”

“Oh, wow. So are you just going to hang out here by yourself or go to your mom’s house?” She quickly took another gulp and shifted from one hip to the other. At the rate she was downing her beer, she was going to have a buzz soon.

“I’m not sure yet.” I downed a few more swigs to keep up with her pace.

“Oh.” She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, repeatedly.

I didn’t know what else I could do to ease her nervousness. I reminded myself to let her make the moves, but figured it wouldn’t hurt if I gave her a little encouragement. I approached her, placed my hands on her waist, and brought her to me. Honey and peaches filled my airways and my knees buckled. My mind turned to mush, allowing only one thought to surface.

Sex.

I wanted Lexi so damn bad.

“Kind of depends on how things go tonight.”

“Um, I—”

The Imperial March from Star Wars echoed through the kitchen. I looked around for a second, but was certain it wasn’t coming from any of my devices.

“Is that your phone?”

“Yeah,” Lexi admitted with a shrug. “It’s my mom.” She retrieved her phone from her back pocket and showed me the screen. The lady in the picture on her nightstand appeared. I knew she was calling to find out why Lexi wasn’t home. But I wasn’t ready to take her to Dallas, not yet.

“Darth Vader’s theme song?” I let out a slight laugh.

Silencing the call, she said, “Yes. My dad and I specifically coined that theme song as hers.”

“That’s hilarious. Do you like Star Wars?”

“Yeah.” She flipped her phone to silent and set it on the counter. Her eyes darted a few times to the phone, probably worrying about what her mom wanted. “I know, I sound like a geek, but my dad got me hooked on Star Wars and superhero stuff. That’s how we connect.”

Damn, could it get any better than this?

A huge smile emerged. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I’m a huge comic book and Sci-Fi fan.”

“Really?” She laughed.

I knew just the place to take her. I gripped my waist and said, “Well, I know what we’re doing tomorrow.”

Her eyes brightened. “What’s that?”

“We’re going to the comic book store.” I headed to the living room and opened the media cabinet. Since she liked Sci-Fi, we could watch a movie. What a great way to chill, eat pizza, and let things just happen on their own — as Josh would say.

“Sounds like fun. How did you get hooked on comic books?” She followed me.

An image of me sitting in my bedroom when I was about nine flashed in my head. The pain, the hurt, the loneliness. Everything I experienced since childhood never seemed to go away. The demons in my head constantly reminded me how I wasn’t wanted. I wasn’t worthy of being alive. I was a bastard who would amount to nothing. I inhaled and pushed the demoralizing thoughts out of my head. “I used it as a way to escape. I’d pretend I was Spider-Man or Batman and could take on all of the bad guys.”

Lexi’s phone vibrated against the counter and we automatically turned toward the kitchen.

“Maybe you should talk to her.” I eyed the phone, wishing it would stop ringing. As much as I didn’t want her to answer it, I also didn’t want to get her in trouble. “Let her know you’re okay.”

“I already told her I’d be home later tonight. I’ll just send her another text.” Lexi returned to the kitchen. “The truth is…she won’t be happy if I tell her I’m with a guy.”

Unless it was Collin.

“Oh, well the last thing I need is your parents accusing me of kidnapping or something.”

“Don’t worry, I’d never let that happen.” Her fingers glided across the screen as she typed a message to her mom. “But you remember what I said about my parents being really strict, right?”

There was nothing she could do to make her parents accept me. If they knew who I was, which I was willing to bet Luke had told them, they were probably on their way to pick her up right now. “Yes, I recall.”

She shoved her phone in her back pocket, grabbed her beer, and headed straight toward me. She placed a hand on my arm, as though trying to ease what I knew was true. I’d never be good enough for her. “They would tell me to get my butt home right now, so it’s better if I just tell them I’m staying with a girlfriend and that I’ll be home later.”