The Same Side (University Park #2) (25 page)

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 chair 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.

Σ

Chapter 16

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 contract with the NFL, 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 I, 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.