University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (26 page)

“Stop, Lexi!” Hoisting me over his
shoulder, he carried me outside, barreling through the groves of drunkards. 
People yelled and chanted, as if Raven had selected his prized possession for
the night. The old Lexi would have died at the prospect of what the crowd might
have been thinking, but part of me wanted every girl in that party to know that
he was taking me home.

“Put me down, Raven.” I pounded his
back, trying to wiggle free from his binding grip.

He darted out the front door and flew
down the steps, without stopping. Once outside, he set me on the front lawn. I
stumbled back, hitting a tree. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he huffed,
trying to catch his breath.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”
Despite the cold air, my blood boiled. “I was dancing. Is that a crime?”

He blinked his eyes a few times,
obviously having difficulty processing what I had said. “You were practically
having sex with that guy.”

“What?” I gasped, clutching my hand to
my chest. “No, I wasn’t.” My head began to spin and I suddenly felt the alcohol
take over with a vengeance.

“I was watching you the whole time. I
saw what you were doing with him.”

“You were watching me?” I tried to focus
on him but my eyes were dancing all over the place, making it difficult to see
straight.

He took a step back and stared at the
ground for a moment. “Why are you here, Lexi? You shouldn’t be at this party.”
His eyes narrowed and I struggled to stand.

Everything turned around me, spinning in
slow motion. I leaned against the tree for support and tried to focus on Raven.
“Why not? I’m a student at this school. Not like those hoes that were all over
you.” I pointed to the house and nearly tipped over, catching myself before he
could intervene.

“Shit.” He kicked the dirt. “You’re
fucking drunk.”

“And?” I smiled, realizing that I could
mark one thing off my list. “What do you care?”

“This isn’t you, Lexi.” He took a step
closer and I pressed up against the tree. The air suddenly turned hot and my
cheeks flushed. “I know you and you’re not acting like yourself.”

“Whatever. Now, if you’ll excuse me.
There’s a party that’s waiting on me.” I placed my hand on his chest and tried
to push him out of the way, but he wrapped his hand around my wrist and pulled
me into him. My chest slammed against his and even though my body liked it, I
fought it.

“Let me go, Raven,” I snapped.

“No.” He scooped me up in his arms and I
was defenseless once again. “I’m taking you home. Now.”

∑

I started to protest but stopped when I
realized how much I missed being in Raven’s arms. He delivered a comfort and
security that warmed every part of me and fastened every loose end. The more I
told myself not to fall for it, the harder I fell. Every force of nature led my
heart straight to his and I hoped he wouldn’t destroy it like he said he would.

“You can put me down,” I said, gazing up
at him. “I promise I’ll let you take me home.” I mean, how lucky could I get?
Raven wanted to take me home. Every woman at that party would have died for the
opportunity, why fight it?

“Are you sure you’re not going to run
off?” He stopped in the middle of the street. His eyes drilled into mine and
excitement shot through my veins. I wanted to kiss him so bad. Make him regret
that he said he couldn’t be with me. But I was afraid of how he might react.
Restraining myself, I nodded. Slowly, he lowered me to my feet but kept me
enveloped in his arms. “Can you walk?”

My heart felt like it was stuck on a
spinning ride while my brain demanded it to stop. The conflicting war within me
made it hard to concentrate. Being drunk wasn’t as fun as I thought it would
be. I had gone past my limit and I hoped I wouldn’t pay for it later.

I tilted my head to the side and gave
him an impish grin. “As long as you help me.”

With one arm wrapped tightly around me,
he led us down the street to his car. He opened the door and helped me get in.
I rested my head against the seat and closed my eyes. My ears were ringing and
my heart was going ninety miles an hour.

“Are you okay?”

“I think so,” I mumbled. “Everything is
spinning.”

“Please don’t puke in my car, that’s all
I ask.” He started the engine and I opened my eyes to see him pulling onto the
main road. “I think we should get you something to eat.”

“Why?” I turned to look at him. I
blinked slowly, trying to process what was happening, but my mind only focused
on one thing.

Raven.

Even though it was cold outside, he had
on a short-sleeve shirt and my eyes fixated on the way his muscles tensed. He
was so pretty. Too pretty for me. I had to be the luckiest girl in the world.

“The grease will help absorb the
alcohol.” He turned at the intersection and pulled into the parking lot of
Whataburger.

“Okay, whatever you say,” I mumbled,
staring out the window in a partially incoherent daze. Christmas lights
twinkled against the windowpanes of the restaurant. Fake snow dotted the
corners of the windows with shiny tinsel in purple and white strung along them.

“Do you want cheese on your burger?”

“Yeah and a Dr. Pepper.” I rarely drank
sodas but since I had already had a few tonight, I figured what was one more?

He handed me the bag of food and the
greasy smell filtered through my airways, making my stomach growl. Grease had
never smelled so good. By the time we got to my dorm, I had almost finished my
French fries.

“Cool. There’s a spot right there.”
Raven sped forward, claiming a parking space across the street from the commons
area, which I was glad for. I wasn’t sure I could walk very far without busting
my butt. He parked the car and I quickly took off Delaney’s platform heels. I
was smart enough to know that I’d end up with either a twisted ankle or scraped
knees. I got out of the car and shivered when the cold air hit me.

“Cold?”

I nodded. He reached in the backseat and
grabbed his jacket. He put it on me and I immediately snuggled in the familiar
scent. Raven smelled so good. Too good. He shut the door and then held me close
as I stumbled toward Charter Hall, praying I didn’t fall down. The brisk air
blew against us and he drew me closer. Raven was like a huge stuffed teddy bear
that I was dying to take to bed with me.

We entered through the back door since
it was after curfew and my heart immediately started racing. I knew Raven was
acting out of concern for me, but a part of me couldn’t help but wonder what
might happen. Luckily, the elevator doors were open. We slipped in without
anyone seeing us. The ride seemed to take forever and the movement upward made
my stomach feel funky.

The doors opened and we got off. As we
walked down the hall, we passed a few girls and they eyed me. I started feeling
slut-shamed and retreated like a turtle into Raven’s jacket, hoping they didn’t
think I was another one of his hoes. Then I reminded myself that I wasn’t. If I
were, we would have been in my dorm room the first day we met.

“Do you know them?” He eyed me and I
suddenly became self-conscious over how I was reacting.

“Unfortunately, yes.” I relaxed,
allowing his jacket to fall past my shoulders. “Do you?”

“Fortunately, no.” Relief flowed over me
as he looked back and shook his head. “But I have to know something.” Our eyes
met and a familiar energy pulsed through me, warding off my buzz. “Are you
embarrassed to be seen with me?”

“No, it’s just that…” I tried to think
of what to say but no words formed.

Stupid liquor.

“You don’t want Collin to find out.” His
eyes dropped and I saw a sadness that wasn’t there before.

“What?” I struggled to unzip my
wristlet, thankful that I had thought to take my keys in case Delaney and I
were separated. “No, he’s history. Trust me.”

“Let me help you.” Raven took my hand
and worked the leather strap off my wrist, removing it in a slow and deliberate
motion as his fingers brushed over my skin. Every stroke drove me crazy and I
couldn’t help wanting to feel his hands all over me. Chills shot up my arms and
down my spine. Could I get Raven to stay the night with me?

“You know any other girl would die to be
seen with me,” he said, unzipping my little purse.

I bit my lower lip and sucked in a deep
breath. “Who says I’m not dying right now?”

He grinned and his eyes flashed that
enticing sparkle like that day at the stadium. At that point, I knew I was in
trouble. It would take more than the forces of nature to stop me from attacking
him. All I had to do was get him in my room.

Raven unlocked the door and then pushed
it open. “After you.”

I walked into my dorm room, but it
didn’t look like my place. For a moment, I thought I was walking into his lair.
The Raven’s trap. Though I had no idea what it looked like, I was sure it
wasn’t decorated in pink pillows with a black fleur de lis on the wall and
ornate mirrors. In a matter of seconds, I lost all confidence.

He shut the door and locked it. My heart
rate kicked up a notch and I found myself confused over what I should do. I had
no idea when it came to sex. Then again, did he want to have sex with me? My
mind spun out of control, tossing different ideas around like it was a
political debate and I was the candidate trying to defend my position. But what
position did I have? Clearly not the upper hand since I had no clue when it
came to sex.

Damn it! Why didn’t I ask Delaney or
reread my books?

I tried to recall how the girl seduced
the guy in the latest romance book I had read. All I could remember was Kyler
and Syd were in a vacation home in the mountains, trapped by a horrific
snowstorm. I tried to remember the details of how they ended up sleeping with
one another, but the only thing that came to memory was they were stuck without
electricity and little food.

Curse you alcohol.

“Are you going to stand there or eat?”

“Huh?” I turned around as he took a bite
of his burger. “Yeah, I guess I should eat.” Hopefully he was right about the
grease absorbing some of the alcohol. I tossed Delaney’s heels to the floor and
shucked of his jacket.

Unwrapping my cheeseburger, I
consciously sat at the opposite end of the couch, as if he had some kind of
disease or sickness that I didn’t want to catch. Then, it hit me. What if he
had herpes or AIDS? I knew he had been with tons of girls. The last thing I
wanted was to catch something from him.

I sat in silence, eating my burger and
conjuring horrible imagery. I had to give my mind a standing ovation; it sure
knew how to kill the mood. One minute I was dying to have sex with him, and the
next I was freaking out about catching something from him. I was one screwed up
girl.

“Why are you so quiet?” Raven wadded up
the wrapper to his burger and tossed it in the bag.

“Just thinking,” I blurted before taking
a big drink of my soda. I had so many off-limits questions for him. Questions I
knew I shouldn’t ask, but things I had to know.

“About what?”

Tossing out everything my mom taught me
about being prim and proper, I asked, “What’s with you? I mean, why do you
insist on being with so many girls?”

His eyes widened and he let out a slight
laugh. I knew my question had surprised him and if we ended up together
tomorrow, I could always blame the alcohol.

“And don’t tell me it’s because you’re a
guy.” I pivoted in his direction.

He clasped his hands together and drew
in a deep breath. “You really want to know?”

I nodded as I continued sucking on the
straw, drawing the last of the soda from the cup.

“I guess I like sex.”

On second thought, maybe I didn’t want
to know.

“That’s such a guy response.” I set my
drink on the coffee table, grabbed the last two fries from the sack, and chewed
on them, nearly eating my fingers in the process.

He shrugged and turned his body in my
direction. “Well, I promised I’d be honest with you. Now you know.”

And my knowing made me even more
curious. “Yeah, but aren’t you scared you’ll catch something?”

His head jolted back and he seemed
somewhat surprised by my question. “No, not really. I practice safe sex, Lexi.
Don’t you?”

“Um…” My heart leaped from my chest to
my throat as I struggled to breathe. Raven wanted to know if I practiced safe
sex. Because he did. That meant he was more than likely disease free. It’d be
safe to sleep with him. But should I tell him the truth? That I was a virgin.

“I suppose I would, if I were having
sex.”

That wasn’t so hard.

I exhaled and rested against the
pillows.

His lips parted and he looked like he
was holding back a laugh. A tinge of fury hit my blood. Was he making fun of
me?

“I forgot I’m talking to an English
major.”

I stared at him in confusion. “What’s
that supposed to mean?”

“I guess I should have asked, when you
have sex, Lexi, do you or your partner use a condom?”

Oh crap, he really didn’t get it.

I pressed my lips together, trying to
think of the best way to phrase it. The phrase repeated over and over in my
head, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud. I had to tell him. Or did
I? Unsure of where our conversation was headed, I made the decision to confess.
Besides, if we did have sex, he would know.

“No,” I straightened as best as I could
with the heaviness of the alcohol setting in, “because I’ve never had sex.”

“Ahh, okay.” He blinked a few times and
shifted his weight.

“Surprise,” I said with a meek smile.

“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that. I mean,
I knew you were a good girl, I just figured you’d had sex with your fiancé.” 

“Ex,” I reminded him. “He wanted to wait
until marriage, I didn’t.”

“Are you saying you wanted to have sex
with him?” His voice wrapped around me and a thrill that I couldn’t explain hit
my veins. The room began to narrow and I focused on him.

Only him.

Somehow, I managed to speak.

“Yes, but he refused to break his vow.”

“That’s one committed guy.” He brought
his hands to his thighs and rubbed them a few times against his jeans. He kept
his gaze fixed on the floor instead of me. Had my confession been too much? Did
I blow my chance to be with him? Maybe I shouldn’t have told him.

“Yeah, but it sucked. I had no idea if
he even loved me, because he never showed me.” I went in for a quick recovery,
hoping that my confession touched some part of him.

Raven moved closer toward me, as if my
comment did mean something to him. “I’m sorry. I mean, that must have been hard
for you.” He held up his hand. “Assuming that you were attracted to him and
cared for him.”

“Of course I was and it hurt. All I knew
was that I couldn’t marry him, not without knowing whether he truly loved me or
not.” I tucked my hair behind my ear, feeling another flash of heat hit my
face. “I’m better off finding someone who’s not afraid to show me how they feel
about me.”

“Yes, you are, Lexi, and you should save
yourself for the right person.” He looked at his watch. “It’s late and I better
go.”

On impulse, I jumped to my feet. I
wasn’t ready for him to leave. I looked at him and the front door. I didn’t
know if I should try to kiss him or beg him to stay.  How the hell would I
convince him to stay? Pounce on him like a puma does her prey? Suddenly, the
urge to pee hit me and I couldn’t hold it.