The Same Side (University Park #2) (18 page)

Approaching me, he placed his hands on my waist and pulled me close. His scent looped around me, unfettering the bundle of nerves inside of me while keeping me in a captive state. My mind numbed and only one command echoed inside of me.

Sex.

I wanted Raven more than I could ever imagine.

“Kind of depends on how things go tonight.”

“Um, I—” My phone rang, cutting me off. I shuddered as I heard my mom’s tone ring loudly. Her timing was impeccable. I got the eerie feeling that she knew I was up to something she wouldn’t approve of.

“Is that your phone?” A questionable look crossed his face.

“Yeah, it’s my mom.” I retrieved it from my back pocket and showed him the screen with a picture of her.

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

Silencing the call, I replied, “Yes. My dad and I specifically coined that theme song as hers.” I knew she was calling to find out when I was coming home, even though I had already texted her and told her I’d be home later. I prayed that Luke didn’t tell them anything and quickly made a mental note to message Delaney as soon as I got a minute.

“That’s hilarious. Do you like Star Wars?” His gaze transformed into one of curiosity.

“Yeah.” I flipped my phone to silent and set it on the dining table. “I know, I sound like a geek, but my dad got me hooked on Star Wars and superhero stuff. That’s how we connect.”

“Seriously?” He smiled and I didn’t know whether he was making fun of me or happy about what I had just revealed.

“Yeah, why?”

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

“Really?” I started laughing, amazed that we had one more thing in common.

With his hands on his hips, he said, “Well, I know what we’re doing tomorrow.”

Tomorrow? Yeah, baby!

“What’s that?” I followed him into the living room, skipping along the way.

“We’re going to the comic book store.” He opened the media cabinet below the TV and took out a few movies.

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

His smile turned downward and his stare drifted off behind me. “I used it as a way to escape. I’d pretend I was Spiderman or Batman and could take on all of the bad guys.”

His voice was laced with pain and my heart ached for the past I knew very little about. I wanted to know about those deep, dark times but I knew right now wasn’t the time. He’d tell me when he was ready. My phone vibrated against the table and we both automatically turned to look at it.

“Maybe you should talk to her.” Raven kept glancing at the phone. “Let her know you’re okay.”

“I already told her I’d be home later tonight. I’ll just send her another text.” I quickly retrieved my phone and typed another message. “The truth is… she won’t be happy if I tell her I’m with a guy.”

“Oh, well the last thing I need is your parents accusing me of kidnapping or something.” The thickness in is his voice told me he was concerned.

“Don’t worry, I’d never let that happen.” I wanted to assure him that being with me wasn’t going to be a problem, even though my parents had no idea I was with him. “But you remember what I said about my parents being really strict, right?”

His eyes softened and his shoulders relaxed. “Yes, I recall.”

I shoved my phone in my back pocket, grabbed my beer, and went straight to him. I placed a hand on his arm, trying to extinguish any thoughts that my parents didn’t approve of him. Even though, deep down, I knew they would. “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.”

“Lying to your parents isn’t good, Lexi.” Raven’s eyes bore into mine and for a second, I heard Collin’s voice.

I shook the nagging sound out of my head and said, “I know. But trust me, I don’t have any other choice.”

“I get it.” He gave me a meek smile. “So, what movie do you want to watch?” He held up a selection of Sci-Fi movies. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any chic-flicks on hand.”

Smiling, I pointed to
Man of Steel
.

“Superman it is.” He winked and then loaded the disc into the player.

I lowered to the middle of the couch, unsure of where to sit. Stupid little thoughts taunted my mind and I fought to ignore them. With my knees pressed firmly together, I guzzled the beer like I hadn’t drank in days.

“Pizza?” He flipped the cover back and the smell of fresh dough and pepperoni filled the air.

“Sure.” I grabbed a piece and took bite. I wanted to chow down because I hadn’t eaten anything since that morning, but I didn’t want to have a huge carb belly in case things got a little heated later.

“Have you thought about anything you’d like to do?”

Have sex with you.

“Um, well… I’m not sure.”

He took another bite of his pizza and swallowed. “What haven’t you done?”

“Nothing.” I took a small bite and chewed carefully. I’d read that eating slowly filled your stomach and I prayed it worked.

“Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad.”

“Trust me, it is.” I covered my mouth, trying not to show him my food. “My parents didn’t let us do much.”

“That sucks.” He grabbed another piece and shoved it in his mouth. “Name some things you’ve never done.”

“Let’s see…” I pressed a finger to my lip and my eyes traveled to the ceiling, “I’ve never been in a helicopter.”

Raven hiked a shoulder. “Neither have I. Maybe that’s something we can do together.”

“Possibly.”

“You don’t want to?”

“I’m kind of scared of heights, to be honest.”

“Oh, okay. We don’t have to do that. I’m sure there’s a crap load of other stuff we can do together.”

I smiled, liking his suggestion. “I’ve never been to the beach. Luke has, though. He went with one of our cousins.”

“Shut up.” He gave me a weird look. “You’ve never been to the coast?” Getting up, he headed to the kitchen.

“Nope. Never. My mom has a phobia of the water. Her sister, my aunt Charlotte, almost drowned when they were little so she didn’t allow us to go swimming.”

“Damn.” He returned with two beers. “Do you know how to swim?”

“Thanks,” I said as I took the cold longneck from his hand. “I do. My dad convinced my mom that we all had to take swimming lessons to be on the safe side. She agreed and he took us.” I took a quick drink. The liquid slid down my throat effortlessly and I began to relax.

“This spring break, we’re going to change that.” He winked at me. “We’ll go down to South Padre Island and party our asses off.”

Wiping my mouth, I tried to conceal the huge smile spreading across my face, but I couldn’t hide my excitement. “You promise?”

“Hell yeah, baby. We’re going.”

I said a silent prayer, hoping I’d get to see that come true. We chatted through most of the movie, connecting further with every word we spoke. Raven was one of those people that you couldn’t help but like.

After we finished eating, we both took off our shoes and relaxed against the overstuffed couch. The movie was more than halfway over, but since I had already seen it a few times with my dad, I didn’t mind that I hadn’t been paying much attention to it. I knew the best part was yet to come — Henry Cavill shirtless. The wind whistled outside and the windows rattled. A draft crept over me and I shuddered.

“Cold?”

“A little.” I snuggled next to him, eager for him to hold me. Without warning, he got up and I frowned. What did I have to do to get a guy to hold me? I stopped the vicious thoughts when he picked up the flannel blanket folded over the edge of chair. Sitting down next to me, he draped it over us and then slipped his arm around me. His warm breath spilled over me and my body instantly warmed. He slipped the bottle from my hand and sat it on the table. “I think you’ve had enough. I don’t want you drunk.” He flashed me an enticing grin that sent my body into overdrive. A fire ignited in my belly and I knew it wasn’t from the alcohol.

“Yeah, drunk is not good.” I pressed my lips together and took a deep breath. “At least, not tonight.”

His lips neared mine and I eagerly pressed a kiss to his soft mouth. Raven had the fullest lips I’d ever seen. Then again, he was only the second guy I’d ever kissed. Regardless, I loved his mouth and couldn’t wait to savor it.

He kissed me gingerly at first and I followed his lead. Our tongues swept back and forth, twisting and turning in a slow ballad. He tasted like warm beer and dough, but I didn’t care. His mouth was like an addiction mine refused to part with. Desire swept over me and I lost all self-constraint. I thrust my tongue deeper into his mouth and he responded favorably, pressing his chest against mine. I prayed he didn’t feel the heaving of my breasts against him, but based on the hardness of my nipples, I was willing to bet he did.

My breathing quickened, but I managed to keep calm. He lowered me to the couch and the blanket slipped to the floor. I pivoted my body, aligning my hips with his. With our lips still joined to one another, he rocked his pelvis against me and I moaned into his mouth. Instinctively, my leg curled up and rubbed against him in slow, long movements. The friction of my jeans against him sent tiny shocks all over my lower body. His hand dropped to my thigh and he squeezed it tightly.

“You are so sexy,” he whispered as his hand covered my breast.

A gasp escaped my throat and he caught it, filling my mouth with his tongue. I kissed him deep and hard, showing him just how much I wanted him. Tonight, I wanted him to take me to the other side. The side I’d been waiting to experience. The side that had been waiting for him to show my body what it wanted… what it needed.

Another whimper escaped my mouth when he suckled on the nape of my neck. Chills dotted my skin and I pressed into him more. It was like my body had an internal magnet that it was dying to connect to. My insides tingled like tiny electrically charged particles seeking the opposite end that only Raven could fit.

“Not as sexy as you.” My hand trembled against his hard pecks and I tried to pace my actions. “You’re like a Calvin Kline model supercharged on steroids.”

“Whatever.” A low laugh filtered through his lips. “I’m not like Superman.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’re ripped like him, if not more.” I winked, stoking his ego. Honestly, I was dying to find out. It had to know.

“I promise you, I’m not.” His lips pressed to mine repeatedly and I held on to each of them, not wanting him to stop.

“I don’t believe you.” My fingers twiddled with a button on his shirt, eager to unfasten all of them.

His head lifted and an enthralling smile settled over his lips. “Do you want me to show you?”

Hell yeah!

I nodded and bit my lower lip in anticipation. With one arm pressed against the couch, he slowly began to unbutton his shirt. His body hovered over mine and my body sank further into the couch. The wait was eating me alive. I had seen Collin without his shirt a few times, but I never had the pleasure of touching his bare chest. The tips of my fingers pulsated and it took everything in me to not reach out and rip his shirt off.

Damn, this is taking too long!

I grabbed a handful of his shirt and helped him pull his arms from the sleeves. “Desperate are we?” He laughed, but I didn’t care.

To my disappointment, he wore a white T-shirt underneath. Even in a tight tee, he looked too damn hot. But I wanted to see his bare skin. Run my hands all over him. My palms landed on his chest and I inched his shirt upward. Rising to his knees, he said, “Easy now.” His waggled his brows at me and I about came unglued. My body pulsed with an uncontrollable need that I was quickly falling victim to.

He curved his fingers around the hem of the shirt and raised it slowly over his chest, purposely teasing me. I liked it and wanted more of it. His huge biceps flexed and his stomach stretched as he peeled his shirt over his head. He rolled his shoulders and puffed out his chest. Ripples upon ripples covered his upper torso. He was perfection, as if Donatello had personally sculpted him. I couldn’t even imagine what his lower body looked like.

The entire event happened in slow motion and I cursed myself for not filming it with my phone so I could watch it over and over again. My eyes surveyed the rugged terrain.

He was divine.

No, heavenly.

Godlike.

“Do you like what you see?” A sexy, seductive smile teased me and I nodded. No words could describe the breathtaking sight.

He placed my hands on his chest. My fingers trembled over the hardness but I didn’t let that stop me from exploring every hill and valley. Immediately, my eyes took notice of the large tattoo that covered his right shoulder. Intricately woven branches covered the top of his arm and I followed them with the edge of my finger until it landed on a large black bird.

“A raven?” I studied the design that looked like it had been shattered into a thousand tiny birds.

He shrugged. “Yeah, you like it?”

“I do.” It was a work of art and I wanted to snap a picture of it. Resisting the urge to grab my phone, I committed every detail of it, along with his body, to memory. I could never tire of looking at him.

“Do you have any tattoos?”

“All over my body,” I deadpanned. “Big and small.”

“I don’t believe you.” His eyes surveyed me from head to toe, causing a tornado to rip through me. I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle of this storm he brewed inside of me. “Show me.”

My fingers stop mid exploration and I froze. “What?”

“You heard me.” With two fingers, he motioned for me to remove my sweater. “It’s your turn. Take it off.”

“Um, I don’t have any tattoos. I was just messing with you.” I tried to move from underneath him, but his legs straddled over mine, leaving little wiggle room.

He ogled me. “I know you don’t, but I still want you to take off your shirt.”

I suddenly felt a little breathless. “Oh… okay.” Everything began to spin and I paced my breaths, telling myself it was okay to get undressed for him. I hated that I was so damn nervous. What if he didn’t like what he saw? What if he thought my boobs were too small or if my body didn’t do it for him? I knew if we were going to have sex, I had to get somewhat naked. Then, I remembered he saw me last night in my bra and panties. That he said I was beautiful.