University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (30 page)

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

His hand splayed across my lower back
and his magnetic touch seared my skin through the thick fabric of my coat. “Are
you still game for that?” The warmth of his breath tickled my ear and neck
causing goose bumps to raise along my arms.

I nodded because my brain was unable to
formulate coherent words.

“I thought we could go back to my place
tonight.” He eyes captured mine and our lips neared. The small puffs of cold
air that were escaping our mouths were quickly warming. “Unless you want me to
take you home.”

Home? Oh, hell no!

“No. I mean, yes.” My fingers dropped to
his hands, gripping them tightly. “Yes, I’d like to go to your apartment.” I
tried to downplay my eagerness, but lost the battle when I realized I was
pulling him toward the exit gate. Raven knew how to propel my body to give in
to every desire and need. But I didn’t mind. In fact, I welcomed it.

“I guess you’re ready to go.” A grin
spread from ear to ear as he moved forward.

“Oh, we can stay.” I immediately stopped
in my tracks, causing him to bump in to me. “I didn’t mean we had to leave
right now.” My voice lilted as I stumbled back. My left skate went forward
while my right skate went back, the slippery surface making it nearly
impossible to stay upright.

“I’ve got you!” He grabbed my arms and
pulled me into him. My feet wobbled as I fought for purchase on the ice.
Raven’s body was like a well-built tank, standing firm on the slick surface.
“You got it?” He held me tight and my legs slowly stopped.

“Thanks. I’m good.” My hands rested
against his puffed out chest and all I could think about was how much I wanted
to see him shirtless. Would I get the chance tonight?

“So, are you ready to start working on
eliminating more things on your list?” He cocked a brow and all self-control
slipped away. My head tilted to the side and my lips aligned directly to his.
His lips pursed together and I imagined them skimming over every inch of my
body.

“The sooner, the better.”

∑

I crossed the threshold of Raven’s apartment,
unsure of what to expect. Would tonight be the night I’d lose my virginity?
Tremors shot through my legs, impairing my muscles and turning them into mush.
If I didn’t faint from the rush of excitement, it would be a miracle.

Raven flipped on a light. “Come on in.”
He set my bags on the floor and shut the door behind us. I jumped at the sound
of the door meeting the frame, my senses heightened and over sensitive.

“Where do I put this?” I held out the
large pizza box in question.

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

I quickly put the cardboard box on the
wooden table and took a few steps back. Raven placed his hands on my shoulders
and I whirled around. My breathing picked up and I struggled to keep up with
the extra inhalation my lungs required.

“Relax. I was just taking your coat.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course.” I shucked my coat
off and laid it on the chair, feeling like a complete idiot. I took several
even breaths and managed to pull my brain back into function mode. “You have a
nice place.” My eyes scanned the miraculously kept apartment decorated in a
browns, reds, and yellows. A leather-like sofa and loveseat surrounded a flat
screen TV. In the kitchen, a tall dining table large enough to seat eight,
dominated the small area. For two guys living there, it seemed professionally
decorated and oddly clean — no funky smell or dirty clothes lingering. “Where’s
Josh?”

Raven walked to the kitchen and opened
the refrigerator. I heard the sound of bottles clank against the counter and
hoped he was getting me something to take the edge off. “He took Shelby home
this morning.”

“Oh.” I rounded the couch and walked
toward the kitchen. “Where’s home?”

“Oklahoma City for her, Azle for him.”
He popped the tops off two beers and handed me one of them. “Cheers.”

I tipped the neck of my bottle against
his. “Cheers.” My hand shook as I raised the glass to my lips. The liquid was
icy cold, but it felt good funneling down my throat. I didn’t want to get drunk
like I had the night before, but I desperately needed some liquid courage.
Especially if I was going to show him that I was more than ready to go all the
way. Though, internally, I was scared as hell.

Would it hurt? Would I bleed? Would it
be gross? Most of all, would I be able to please him? My mind was quickly
spiraling into the fear zone and if I didn’t stop it, I’d be running out of his
apartment before I knew it.

I took a few more swallows, praying for
some instant relief. Never had I been so nervous. Inhaling deeply, I managed to
calm my erratic heart. “When will he be back?”

Raven lowered his beer bottle and licked
his lips. My eyes focused on the movement of his tongue and every muscle in my
body tensed. His lips moved and I knew he answered my question, but I didn’t
hear one word. I was too enamored by the wetness of his mouth.

“Huh?”

His eyes narrowed and a smile crept up
over his face. “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?” I quickly took another gulp,
eager for the buzz to start. I shifted my weight from the left hip to the
right, but couldn’t seem to relax.

Come on alcohol start working!

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Oh.” I twirled a stand of my hair with
my finger, around and around until I cut off the circulation. With my other
hand, I gripped the cold bottle, trying to fizzle the intense flame burning
inside of me. It was pointless. My body was aflame, burning with desire for
Raven.

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 counter. “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 Spider-Man
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 counter and we 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,” he openly admitted. I placed my hand over my heart, sympathizing with
him.  

“Oh, okay. We don’t have to do that.”

“I’m sure there’s a crap load of other stuff
we can do together.” He cocked a brow.

“I’ve never been to the beach.” I
hinted, recalling what he told me about my birthday. “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 set 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.