University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (8 page)

I may need another drink to cool down.

Raven spoke with a few of the guys
before they slowly dispersed, sitting in various booths. “Sorry about that,
what were we talking about?”

I thought it was best not to re-enter
the previous conversation, so I asked, “Are you from Fort Worth?”

“No. I’m originally from New Orleans. We
moved here after Hurricane Katrina and decided to stay. You?”

“I’m from Dallas. I’ve lived in the
metroplex my whole life.” I scooped up the remains of my taco with a chip.
“Alongside my sister and twin brother.”

“You’re a twin?”

“Yes. We’re not identical, though.” I
shoved the chip in my mouth.

“No, shit.” He crossed his arms and rested
them against his chest. “I have two younger brothers. One’s in high school and
the other one is in middle school.”

“Three boys. Wow! I bet that kept your
mom and dad busy.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He shrugged and his
eyes wondered off. “Oh, hell,” he muttered.

Before I had a chance to ask what was
wrong, a tall girl with blonde, stick-straight hair appeared at our table.
“Trying to hide from me, Raven?”

Raven rolled his eyes. “Marcie, I told
you—”

“My name is not Marcie, its Macy.” She
hiked her leg up in the air and using the heel of her shoe, she pushed him back
in his chair and straddled him. Her butt scrunched against the edge of the
table as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Luke thought I had balls? This girl had
balls and a vagina. And she was using them to her advantage.

Using both hands, Raven tried to peel
her long slender arms from him, but she held on tight. “You never called me
last night.”

“Macy, can’t you see I’m busy?”

“But you’re never too busy for this.” I
leaned slightly to the right, trying to catch a better view of what she was
talking about. She traced her pointed, black fingernail down his chest and then
wiggled her pelvis, as though trying to turn him on.

Raven chuckled low in his throat as he
shook his head. “You’re too much for The Raven, you know that.”

A low whimper coupled with a giggle sounded
from her. “Call me later tonight?”

Placing two hands around her waist,
Raven lifted her and placed her on her feet. “I don’t know. I have a paper to
write.”

“Yeah, right.” Macy crossed her arms.
“Since when did you write your own papers?”

“Since a few weeks ago. Now, will you
please leave us alone? We have work to do.”

Macy turned in my direction and gave me
a once over. She smirked and said, “I’d be happy to join you two.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Placing her hands on the table, Macy
leaned forward, squeezing her breasts together to the point where they nearly
popped out of her shirt. “Oh, come on. You know how much I love threesomes.”

My jaw fell to the table. The girl had
no shame.

Raven laughed. “Well, I don’t know about
that. I kind of like having Lexi all to myself.” He shot me a quick wink. My
heart stopped again and I had to take a deep breath.

“No fair.” Macy batted her thick eyelashes
at him and then shifted her shoulders, giving her boobs a nice little bounce.

“Sorry, I’m not up for sharing.” Raven raised
his hands and lifted his shoulders.

She pouted her light pink lips, and I
hated to think about where they had been.

“Tell you what, why don’t you go play
with yourself first. That way, when I call you, you’ll be nice and wet for me,
okay?” He smacked her on the rear and she moaned as though she was having an
orgasm.

Holy crap! Raven is just as bad as Macy.

“Anything for you, baby,” Macy taunted before
walking off to sit down with a group of girls at the back of the restaurant.

“Sorry about that.”

Holding up a hand, I said, “It’s okay.”
One thing was certain. The rumors about him being a ladies’ man were true. Not
only had I heard it first hand, now I’d witnessed it. Women were dying to get a
piece of him and it only made me more curious.

Reason number ten: curiosity can be
dangerous.

***

We walked to the library, neither of us
saying much. I wasn’t sure if he was embarrassed over the whole Macy situation or
if knowing more about me pushed him away. Either way, it was probably for the
best. I needed to keep a professional relationship between us. My contract
stated that and since I really enjoyed working for the writing center, I didn’t
want to jeopardize that over a guy that would only take advantage of me. Raven
wasn’t worth it.

The main floor of the library was packed
with students and the tension lingering in the air made it feel stuffy and
confined.

“Do you want to try upstairs? The
writing center has a meeting room.”

With a shrug, Raven said, “Okay.”

He followed me up the stairs to the
small center. Sara and another consultant, whom I didn’t know very well, worked
with their students, not providing much space for Raven and me.

“I can ask them when they’ll be
finished.”

“Nah, I’ll find us a place.” Raven took
off in the opposite direction, weaving through the bookshelves. Standing with
my hands on my hips, I sighed. Where was he going? He stopped, turned around,
and motioned for me to come to where he stood. Sucking in a breath, I walked
toward him. Off in the corner, was a small desk for one. Not the ideal writing
set up, but a quiet spot, nonetheless.

“I never realized there were desks in
this corner,” I whispered.

He raised an eyebrow. “I know where all
the private places are on this campus.”

 “Of course you do,” I deadpanned.

Raven grabbed a chair from another table
and set it down next to his. He removed his laptop from his backpack, along
with his iPad mini, and handed me a piece of paper.

“That’s what I’ve written so far.”

“Okay,” I replied, scanning over the few
paragraphs.

“Are these your ideas for your paper?”

He propped his chin against his hand and
swayed closer to me. “So far.”

I kept my eyes trained to the paper.
“The assignment is about
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets
by Stephen
Crane?”

“Yep. I have to write a few paragraphs
on a blog about it.” I could feel the warmth of his breath spread across my
face and neck as he looked over my shoulder. It made me shudder inside.

“Well, that’s easy.”

“If you’ve read it,” he stated.

“What?” My head pivoted in his
direction. With our faces only inches apart, my lips quivered, eager to meet
his. I had to be crazy to think he would want to kiss me, especially after
hearing how ‘good’ I was, but when his tongue slipped out, wetting his lips, I
sensed that didn’t matter to him. Maybe my good nature posed a challenge to
him. Not wanting to seem desperate or like another one of his groupies, I
refocused on the paper. I had a job to do. “So, you didn’t read it?”

He shook his head.

Pressing my lips together, I searched
for the right words. “Can I give you some advice?”

“Sure.”

“Assignments are much easier if you read
the material.” I smiled and handed him his iPad. “I believe you can download it
for free from Amazon.”

“But I don’t have time to read it.” He
took the digital tablet from my hand.

I looked at the clock on his laptop. “It’s
fifteen minutes until seven and it’s a short story. I suggest you get started.”
I winked at him. “Can I give you another secret to successful writing?”

He heaved a big sigh. “What’s that?”

“The more you read, the better you
become at writing.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s what the other tutor
told me.” Raven powered up his tablet.

“Well, it’s true.” I reached into my
purse and pulled out my Kindle.

“What are you going to do?” Raven
shifted in his chair, leaning against the wall.

“I have my own stuff to read for class. Don’t
worry about me, you just read that story and then we’ll work on writing that
blog. I promise, once you read it, you’ll be able to write about it.”

“Promise?” A smile played at the corner
of his mouth, producing a slight dimple.

Tucking my hair behind my ear, I
replied, “Yes. Now get started.”

Three and a half hours later, we
finished his blog post.

“Thank you so much for helping me.”
Raven held the door open as we exited the library.

“You’re welcome. I knew you could do it
once you read it.” A strong gust of air wisped between the buildings,
penetrating the sheer shirt I wore. “Wow! That must be the front my brother was
telling me about.” I wrapped my arms around my upper body, trying to block the
cold.

“Where’s your jacket?”

“I d-didn’t bring one.” My voice rattled
in the wind. “I came from my brother’s apartment, remember?”

“Oh, that’s right.” Setting his backpack
on the ground, he pulled off his leather jacket. “Here, put this on.”

What? Raven was giving me his jacket.

Holy crap!

“No, that’s okay. It’s a short walk to
my dorm.” My teeth chattered like it was fifteen below zero.

“Don’t be silly.” Raven held the jacket,
waiting for me to put it on. “There’s not an ounce of fat on your body to keep
you warm.”

Against my better judgment, I gave in
and slid my arms through the sleeves. The silky lining covered my arms and
body, cradling me in the smell of worn leather and Raven’s tantalizing scent. Even
though the jacket was three times too big for me, all I wanted to do was cuddle
up with it and never take it off.

“What about you? It’s freezing out
here.”

“Seriously?” He laughed. “I play
football in colder weather than this.”

“Yeah, I guess you do.” I rolled up the
sleeves, freeing my fingers but keeping it long enough to keep my hands warm.

“Come on, I’ll walk you to your dorm.”
Raven motioned for me to follow him.

I hesitated for a moment, looking around
campus. If someone saw me walking with him, word might get back to Collin. I
didn’t want that to happen. I was already in enough trouble after the Mimosa
incident. “That’s okay, you don’t have to.”

Raven stopped and turned toward me.
“Lexi, it’s almost eleven o’clock. I kept you out this late, the least I can do
is walk you to your dorm.”

He had a point. I never liked walking by
myself this late at night. “Okay, I guess.”

I walked hastily, looking around to make
sure I didn’t see anyone I knew. He kept up with me, one hand stuffed in his
jean pocket and the other holding on to the strap of his backpack. Puffs of
smoke escaped from our mouths as we tracked to the common’s area. Just as we
were about to cross the lawn, a guy on a bicycle zipped by me.

“Watch out!” Raven yelled. In one swift
movement, he wrapped an arm around me and spun me to safety. His big, strong
arms enveloped me and my head rested on his chest, like a pillow that fit
perfectly.

Pressing a hand to his hard pecs, I
gasped, “Thanks.”

“Are you okay?” The brisk air swirled
around us and he reached up, brushing my hair from my face.

“Yes.” I smiled, slowly retrieving my
hand.

It seemed like we stared at each other
in the darkness of the night for hours, but I knew it had to only be a few
seconds. Slowly, our eyes broke away and we continued up the walk.

Stopping at the main entrance, he said,
“See you Tuesday?”

I nodded and waved bye, unable to tear
my gaze from his charming smile. If only Collin would look at me that way. I
sighed and walked into the dormitory.

Reason number eleven: Raven’s stealing
my heart.

Σ

My feet floated effortlessly with each
step I took. Feeling lighter than air, I wanted to spin across the shiny tiled
floor, but I imagined that the couple sitting on the couch would laugh at me.
Raven sure knew how to leave an impression, even if it was unintentional.
Instead of going upstairs, I approached the couple.

“Do you mind if I play the piano?”

They traded glances as though reading
each other’s mind. “No, go ahead,” the guy said.

“Thanks.”

I sat at the piano, noticing my music
sheets from the day before were still perched on the music rack. At first, I
hesitated to play the song, recalling how Collin failed to take notice. My
throat tightened, but I swallowed back the pain, refusing to shed any more
tears over him. I watched the couple in the corner snuggle and nose kiss and
decided if the song wasn’t right for Collin and me, then maybe it was perfect
for them.

My fingers pressed the white and black
keys, bringing the chords to life. I hummed the words under my breath, longing
for the love that John Legend sang about. By the second chorus, the couple
approached the black baby grand and embraced. Maybe one day a man would love me
unconditionally and not be afraid to show it — like the way that guy was
expressing to his girlfriend. It was the sweetest compliment to be able to play
for someone and have them truly appreciate it. Even if Collin didn’t, I
wouldn’t let that stop me from enjoying something I loved to do.

After I played the last notes of the
song, a burst of clapping erupted through the foyer. I looked at the couple and
they both responded, ‘thank you’, but neither of them had clapped.

I turned around, searching for my
admirer and was shocked to see Raven standing a few feet behind me.

“Raven. How long have you been
listening?”

“For a while.” He approached me. “You
didn’t tell me you played the piano.”

I vied for an explanation. “Um… I didn’t
think to tell you.”

“You are truly gifted, Lexi.” He
crouched next to me.

The familiar flush of heat reappeared.
“Thanks. I really enjoy playing.”

“Don’t stop, because that would be a
waste of talent.”

I giggled. “Is that your line or did
someone tell you that?”

“Both,” he grinned.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but why
are you here?” I clasped my hands together, wiping the sweat from my palms.

He tugged on my sleeve. “I forgot my
jacket.”

I glanced down. “Oh no, I’m sorry.”
Slowly, I began to remove it, but before I could slip off the jacket, he stood
and eased it down my arms. Chill bumps dotted my skin and I was glad I had on a
long sleeve shirt, even though it was sheer.

“It’s okay, but since it’s the only
jacket I have right now, I need it back. I’ll have to grab another one from my
mom’s house.”

“No problem,” I smiled.

“Can you play anything else besides
All of Me
?”

Oh my god! He knows John Legend.

I laughed. “Yes, lots of songs.”

“Would you mind playing a few for me?”

The air left my lungs in a rush as I sat
perfectly still, looking at him. My body flanked on the edge of
hyperventilation. If only Collin would take an interest in my musical ability.

He held up his hands in surrender. “It’s
okay, if you don’t want to.”

“No!” I gasped. “I mean yes. Yes, I’d be
happy to.”

He eyed me. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” I squirmed in my chair,
trying to find a comfortable position. “It’s just that I rarely have anyone ask
me to play for them, other than my roommate and family.”

“Well, I love the piano.” He pinned me
with his fascinating hazel eyes, propelling me into another daydream.

 Clearing my throat, I said, “Have a
seat, Raven.” I scooted to the edge and patted the space next to me.

He lowered to the bench and my body hummed
with desire. “How long have you been playing?”

“Since I was ten.” I pressed several keys
simultaneously, playing the bridge from Bella’s Lullaby.

He pointed at the keyboard. “I know that
song. That’s um…”

I continued playing, loving how he tried
to recall the song.

“Don’t tell me… it’s from that vampire
movie. Twilight!”

I laughed again. His reaction was
priceless. “You know Twilight?”

“Who doesn’t? Besides, my mom was one of
the Twi-Moms or whatever you called the mothers who followed the books and
movies.”

I stopped playing. “Your mom sounds
cool. Unlike my mom.” I heaved a sigh. “I tried to get my mom on board but she
never took an interest.”

He shrugged. “You can’t win them all.”

I’d sure like to score with you.

What’s wrong with me?

I elbowed him, trying to distract my
wondering mind. “Name a song.”

He cocked a brow at me. “Any song?”

“Preferably one that is dominate piano.”
I allowed my deft fingers to scroll along the keys.

“Lean on me.”

“You’ve got it.” Keeping my eyes steady
on the keys so I didn’t get distracted, I played the intro. By the time I
reached the first verse, we started swaying to the left and right, following
the beat of the music. In a low voice, I sang the words and within a few
seconds, Raven joined in. To my surprise, he had a great voice. Before I knew
it, we were bellowing the words at the top of our lungs, looking at each other
as we chanted the lyrics as though we were lifetime friends.

In a hushed voice, with eyes fixed on
one another, we sang, ‘just call me, call me, call me’ repeatedly as the song
dwindled to an end. The emotions exchanged between us hit me like a tidal wave
and I struggled to keep it together. Never had I experienced something so
intense and fun at the same time. The relationship building between Raven and I
was nothing like I had imagined. It was so much more than the relationship
Collin and I had. And, I had known Collin for more than half of my life.

Raven tilted his head to the side and his
brown eyes appraised every part of my face with soft detail. Did he really want
to kiss me? My body tensed and my heart pumped fast as I prepared for his lips
to meet mine. I didn’t want to hurt Collin, but I was losing the fight,
desperate to feel love. Face to face, the air stilled between us, and I pressed
my lips outward. Raven’s lips parted and just as we were about to kiss, his
phone buzzed.

Startled by the vibration, I jumped
back.

“Sorry,” he smiled as he fumbled to pull
his phone from his pants pocket.

I tried not to look at the screen, but
my eyes drifted naturally. It was Macy. My body slumped forward and all traces
of happiness and excitement instantly vanished. I had to be crazy for thinking
Raven was interested in me. After all, I was in the peewee league and Macy was
a top hitter in the pros.

Tucking the phone in his back pocket, he
said, “I need to go.”

“Booty call?” I said with a snarky tone.
He busted out in laughter as he dragged a hand over his mouth. I kept a
straight face, purposely.

His laughter waned when he saw that I
didn’t find amusement in my comment. “Do you really want to know?” His voice
had a disdaining tone and I reminded myself what The Raven was known for.

I’m such an idiot.

“Hey, whatcha doing?”

I turned at the familiar sound of my
roommate. “Delaney, I, um… was just, we were…”

“I was just leaving.” Raven stood up.

Delaney looked at Raven and then at me. I
had to say something before any questionable thoughts could form in her mind.
“This is Raven Davenport. Raven, this is my roommate, Delaney.”

They shook hands and I watched Delaney
give her classic introduction of batting her thick eyelashes coupled with a
sexy twitch of her shoulder.

Half a minute later, she said, “Oh, you’re
Raven. The football player.”

He inclined his head. “Yes, among other
things.”

The flirting never seemed to end. And to
make matters worse, Delaney was falling for his antics, too. I knew if given
the opportunity, she would gladly toss her panties at him. Hell, if I had to
guess, she wouldn’t even wear any.

“So I’ve heard...” she trailed off in a
girly giggle.

Raven put on his jacket with finite
moves and I struggled not to watch every muscle flex underneath his cotton
Henley shirt. He flipped the collar down and glanced at me with an impish grin.
“See ya Tuesday?”

As much as I hated to give in, I found
myself smiling back at him. The guy was freaking irresistible. “Yeah, see you
then.”

Delaney and I stood, shoulder to
shoulder, waving as the gorgeous hunk walked out of our dormitory.

Reason number twelve: I like the way
Raven makes me feel.

“Holy shit.” Delaney flung around and
latched on to my arms. “What was he doing here?”

“He forgot his jacket.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Ow. Nails.” I pulled away. “You’re
digging your nails into me.”

“Oh, sorry,” she said, releasing her
grip.

I looked around and saw a few students
sitting in the corner with their books spread across a table. Even if they were
studying, I didn’t want to take a chance. “I’ll tell you upstairs.” We walked
toward the elevators.

“You’re getting back late from
Greenville.” I glanced at my phone and it showed fifteen until midnight.
“Where’s your stuff?”

“Oh, I…uh…got back around eight but
grabbed a bite to eat with a friend.” She crossed her arms and turned around,
avoiding eye contact with me. I knew she’d done more than go out to eat.

“You should have at least brushed your
hair and fixed your makeup,” I teased.

“What?” Delaney used the camera on her phone
to finger-comb her sex hair and check out her swollen lips and full beard blush.

“Come on, who were you with?” I nudged
her as the elevator doors opened and we stepped in.

“Huh? No one. It’s windy outside.” The
elevator doors shut and she quickly changed the subject. “Why did you have
Raven’s jacket? And why were you two texting earlier today?”

“I went—”

“And why were you drunk? I mean, that’s
good, you’re finally loosening up. And what about Collin? Are y’all still
together?”

“Laney!” I motioned for her to stop. The
doors opened and I bailed out, pulling her with me as I made a beeline to our
rooms, not giving her a chance to ask anything else.

I unlocked the door and we stumbled in
the room. “Tell me. I’m dying to know.”

Falling on the couch, I grabbed a throw
pillow and clutched it to my chest. “Let’s see, I’m not supposed to tell you
this because of client-student confidentiality—”

“I promise, I won’t say anything.”

With hands on her hips, she stood
waiting for me to say something. “I’m tutoring him,” I finally admitted.

“What?” She sat down beside me, crossing
her legs underneath her. “You’re tutoring Raven Davenport?”

“Yes, as of two weeks ago.” I picked at
the nail polish on my nails, determining what I should or shouldn’t confess.
“It wasn’t my choice, believe me. Dr. Phillips practically forced me to help
him.”

“Damn, you’re so lucky,” she sighed as
her eyes glazed over.

I started laughing at the expression on
her face and it didn’t take long for her to join in. “Okay, I’ll admit that he
is damn fine and he makes me so nervous. But honestly, once you get to know the
guy, he’s really fun.”

“Yeah, I saw that.”

I gasped, releasing the pillow from my
death grip. “Saw what?”

She waved a dismissive hand in the air.
“Relax. I heard y’all singing your hearts out as you played. At first, I didn’t
think it was you because I didn’t recognize the guy, but as I waited for the
elevator, I zoned in and realized it was your voice. When I went to see, you
had stopped and that’s when I approached you.”

I sucked in a deep breath. “Oh, good.”

“Why, did something else happen? Oh. My.
God. You didn’t kiss him, did you?”

Giving her a less than playful slap on
the arm, I said, “Of course not.”

She shrugged. “Hell, I would’ve.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I know you would
have. But did you forget,” I sighed again, “I’m engaged.” I held up my left hand,
showing her my ring. Then, it dawned on me. Had Raven seen my ring? If he did,
he didn’t say anything about it. Then again, maybe he didn’t care.

Lowering my hand, she shot me a meek
smile. “Tell me everything. I want details.”

I pivoted my body and faced her. Once I
got started, I couldn’t stop. I spilled my guts, sparing no details from the
time we met until tonight. It was a relief but nerve-wracking at the same time.
Never had I been so honest with her, but I couldn’t keep this to myself any
longer. I needed a sounding board with someone that had experience with guys.
Delaney was more than qualified. I even explained how I had continued to entice
Collin, and without fail, how he pushed me away.