University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (19 page)

“Hey, you awake?” Several knocks sounded
at my door.

I shifted and stretched. “Yeah, just
waking up.” I yawned. “What times is it?”

Reaching for my phone, I tried to focus
on the display.

“I don’t know. I think it’s a little
after eleven.” Luke walked into my room and sat down on the edge of my bed. He
had shown up about thirty minutes after Raven left. I was grateful because
Delaney passed out an hour later and he had to carry her to the bed. I would’ve
had to leave her on the bathroom floor.

“Thanks for coming over.” I laid my
phone on my bed.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m used to
it.”

I sat up and ran my hands through my
matted hair. “What do you mean, you’re used to it?”

He cast me a dubious stare. “This isn’t
the first time she’s done this shit.”

“Um, I know she’s my roommate and
friend, but I’ve never partied with her. In fact, I’ve never seen her or heard
her puking because she drank too much.”

 “Yeah, I guess you haven’t.” Luke
leaned back against the bed. “She usually comes home with me or goes to
Jordan’s when she’s that messed up.”

I stalled for a moment, realizing that I
really didn’t know Delaney like I thought I did. She really had been living a
life that I didn’t know much about. And apparently, Luke had been a part of it
more than I knew.

“Is that why you didn’t want me to know
you two had been hooking up?”

“What?” His head turned quickly in my
direction. “No, that’s not why.”

“Then why didn’t you want me to know?” I
readjusted the pillow behind me. “It doesn’t bother me that you’re with her.”

“I thought it would piss you off if you
found out about us.” He traced a fleur de lis pattern on my bedspread.
“Besides, Delaney is complicated. I’m not sure what kind of relationship we
have.”

“More than friends?” I hinted, knowing
about the time he came over here.

“Yeah, something like that.” He rose up
and then ran his hand through his messy hair. “By the way, sorry I hung up on
you.”

I shifted, leaning over on my left
forearm. “I thought maybe you were mad at me because of Collin.”

“I told you I didn’t want any part of
that.” He crossed his arms and laid them against his chest. “That’s between the
two of you.”

The sudden urge to ask how Collin was
doing played on the edge of my tongue. Even though I was glad we were broken
up, I still cared about him. I’d known him for way too long and getting over
him completely would take some time.

“I know, but you’ve been acting shitty
toward me lately so I figured it was because of the breakup.”

Luke stood and I could tell he didn’t
want to have this conversation with me. “Look, I care about you, Sis. I really
do. But what you do with your life is really none of my business. You’re a
grown woman and you need to make decisions for yourself. Just like I do. So, if
you don’t want to marry Collin, then that’s your choice.” He placed his hands
on his hips. “Collin’s my friend, but I’m not going to tell you to marry him if
you don’t love him.”

“Mom and Dad thought they could.”

He smirked. “Don’t get me started on Mom
and Dad.” Luke apparently still had mommy and daddy issues like I did.

“You don’t have to say that twice.”

“Do me a favor. Tell Delaney I went home
to shower. I don’t want to wake her because she needs all the sleep she can
get. I know she has tests to study for today.”

I nodded and threw back the covers.
“I’ll tell her. I need to shower, too. I have two finals on Friday and if I don’t
get my butt busy, I might fail them.”

“See ya later.” Luke walked out of my
room and I heard the front door shut.

As I walked to my dresser, I heard my
phone chime. I crawled across the bed and grabbed it. Turning it over, I saw
that it was a text from Raven. A smile crept over my face.

Raven: Are you awake?

Me: Barely.

Raven: Did you stay up all night with
Delaney?

Me: No. My brother showed up a little
while after you left. Thank God.

Raven: He’s a good guy.

Me: Do you know my brother?

It had never occurred to me that Raven
might actually know Luke.

Raven: I don’t think so. I just meant he
was a good guy to take care of his girl.

Me: Oh.

A slight flutter swirled around in my
stomach. Would Raven be willing to take care of me like he did Delaney? He
barely knew her, yet he stayed with me to help her.

Raven: How many finals do you have?

Me: Four. Two this Friday, one on
Tuesday, and one on Thursday of next week.

Raven: Are you ready?

Me: No. I haven’t really given school
enough attention the last month.

Raven: Me either.

So, I wasn’t the only one. Did I have
anything to do with his lack of dedication?

Raven: Could I ask for a favor?

Me: Of course.

Raven: I know you have to study, but I
really need your help with a paper.

Me: Sounds serious.

Raven: Haha. It is. I could fail.

Me: I guess I better help you.

Raven: I promise you won’t regret it.

 I bit my lip and sucked in a deep
breath. Raven knew exactly how to tease me. I didn’t know how much longer I’d
be able to resist him, but then again, I didn’t want to. I rested against the
pillow, eager to see where our conversation was going.

Me: When and where?

Raven: Damn, you’re easy.

Me: Crap. I forgot I’m talking to ‘The
Raven’. Maybe tomorrow.

Raven: Don’t make me beg.

Me: Maybe I want you to.

I wanted to call him and continue the
conversation, but I figured writing it was easier than saying it. At least, for
me. I was new at this and I didn’t want to sound like a rambling idiot or mess
up our connection.

Raven: I’ve never had to beg a woman for
anything.

Me: There’s always a first.

I waited for his next message to appear
but my phone rang instead and a picture of Raven and me appeared on the screen.
The one Delaney had taken of us last night that I saved in his profile. I guess
I’d be continuing this conversation instead of typing it. I cleared my froggy
throat and answered the phone, putting on the best sexy voice I had.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” I could hear him breathing
steadily through the phone. Had I worked him up or got him excited? “So, you
want me to beg?”

Oh shit!

He didn’t have to beg me, but I at least
needed to pose a challenge for him. If I agreed, then I’d just be another one
of his hoes. That was the last thing I wanted to be to Raven.

“Well, I do have a lot of studying to
do,” I stated matter of fact. A sigh escaped from his mouth and I knew he was
dying to see me. “You know I could call Dr. Philips and ask him if Kyler could
help you.”

“But I don’t want Kyler or anyone else
to help me.”

“Oh, well, then I guess you’ll—”

“No, Lexi, that won’t work.” His voice
wrapped around my name and I loved it. “Because I want you. Only you.”

Every happy endorphin released, making
my entire body ache in a way that I wasn’t used to. I was definitely ready for
whatever he had to offer. I was completely lost in his trap and loving every
minute of it. “Are you sure?”

“Definitely.”

∑

Raven and I decided to meet in the
student union. I think we both knew that my dorm room would be too tempting, his
apartment too dangerous, and the study rooms in my dormitory pointless,
especially since a small sofa was in there. We sat in the dining area of
Chick-Fil-A, even though it was closed.

“Thanks,” I said as he handed me tall
cup of coffee. I wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, but after last night, I
really needed the caffeine to get through the day of non-stop studying.

“You’re welcome.” He sat down across
from me in the booth

“Are those any good?” I asked, pointing
to the silver can of Red Bull he held.

“I guess.” He popped the top and took a
drink. “They seem to keep me awake and give me a boost of energy.” His tongue
darted out, licking his lips and circling three times while looking at me.

“Stop.” I kicked him under the table.

“What?” He held up his hands in
surrender.

“You’re staring at me again.” I glared
at him, wishing I could sit next to him and cuddle up to his chest while I
gazed into his hypnotic eyes. “I can’t study if you keep looking at me like
that.”

A sly grin formed on one side of his lips.
“And how’s that?”

“Um, like… well—”

“The Raven is in the house!” A group of
guys trampled in, tossing a football between them.

They exchanged their typical teammate
greeting that included fist bumps, pats on the back, and even slamming their
chest into each other. There were no low ‘T’ problems within this group of
guys.

“Hey, Lexi, did you have a good time
last night?” Josh spun the ball in his hand with a flick of his wrist.

“Yeah.” I shrugged. “I guess.”

“Your friend Delaney sure had a good
time,” he snickered.

“Don’t remind me.” I sunk down in my
chair, slightly embarrassed by her behavior. She had made a total ass of
herself, dancing on top of the counters and tables with Matt. I was all for
having fun, but not at the cost of being sick all night long. When I left my
dorm, she was still lying in bed.

“How’s Shelby?” Raven leaned against the
booth. “She was pretty wiped out last night, too.”

Josh shook his head. “Hung over and
crying for me to go take care of her.”

With a roll of his eyes, Raven said,
“These girls, they think they can hang with the big dogs, but they can’t.”

“Tell me about it.” Josh continued
tossing the football.

“We’ll be outside.” One of the other two
football players informed Josh and Raven.

Josh nodded. “C’mon, let’s go throw a
couple of passes.”

Raven looked at me and then back at Josh
as if he wanted my approval.

“Go ahead. I don’t mind.” I adjusted the
book in front of me. “I’ll be here studying.”

“Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Yes. Go.”

“We’ll be on the lawn.” He unzipped his
backpack and started to gather his books and papers.

“It’s okay. You can leave your stuff
here.”

“Thanks.” He smiled at me as he placed
the contents in his bag. “I’m just going to play for a while… ya know, get the
blood flowing. I’ll study better.”

“That’s fine.” Through the windows, I
watched as he exited the student union. I turned around in my seat, my eyes
following him up the hill to the campus commons area. I considered moving to
the other side of the booth so that I could watch him play, but I knew he’d be
a permanent distraction. And since I really did want to pass my classes, I
fought the temptation by pulling my headphones on and pulling my book close.

Thirty minutes later, my phone chimed. A
message from Delaney flashed on the screen.

I swiped the screen and put in my
passcode.

Delaney: Where are you?

Me: At the student union studying. Did
you get my message about Luke?

Delaney: Yeah, thanks. Sorry about last
night. Thanks for taking care of me.

Me: No problem. Is Luke still mad at
you?

Delaney: A little.

Me: Hopefully he’ll get over it soon.

Delaney: Thankfully, your brother
doesn’t stay mad very long. Not like Collin.

I stared at the message for a moment.
Why did she have to bring him up?

Delaney: Sorry. My bad. I’m still not
thinking very clearly. I’ll be over there in a minute.

Me: Okay.

I set my phone on the table, trying not
to think of the last spat Collin and I had and how long it took him to get over
it. And it was over the same thing — alcohol. But I was nothing compared to
Delaney. How would Collin have reacted if I had been that drunk? It wouldn’t
have been pretty, that’s for sure.

I turned around for a quick peek. From
afar, I saw Raven still playing football. At least with him playing, I was able
to study. With him sitting across from me, I couldn’t think or focus on my
school work.

I drank the last of my coffee and picked
up my phone again. I scrolled through the pictures I had downloaded to my phone
from Delaney’s Facebook page. When I came to the picture of Raven and me, I
examined it carefully.

Was this too good to be true? Did Raven
really like me enough to want to be with me, and only me? Even though he’d told
me I was upgrade from the Silicone Triplets and Macy, and I knew I was from an
intellectual and moral standpoint, it was obvious I couldn’t even compare to
them when it came to their looks. I was like Ugly Betty and they were prime
candidates for American’s Next Top Model.

“How many times are you going to look at
that picture?”

“What?” I quickly pulled my phone to my
chest. “I was just checking to see how I looked… next to him.”

Delaney smirked. “Yeah, whatever.” She
sat her camera on the table and slid into the booth.

“Sorry. I can’t help it.” I held my
phone a few inches from me. “He’s so pretty to look at it.” I pawed at my phone
like I was petting him. The Raven’s trap was sickening. Like a fever that
wouldn’t break, giving you hot and cold chills at the same time. I only hoped
the contagious epidemic stopped with me.

“Let me see.” She took the phone from my
hand. “Mmm. He sure is.” She handed the phone to me and slumped across the
table. “Oh God. Why did you let me drink so much last night?” she moaned.

I laughed. “Are you asking God or me?”

She peeked through the strands of hair
hanging in her face. “Uh, you.”

My hand hit the table and it shook. She
cringed as if her head had just bounced against a brick wall. “I tried to stop
you, but you said you were going to party until the sun came up.”

“Punch me next time I say that.” She
closed her eyes and moaned.

“The sad thing is you didn’t even make
it to one in the morning. Your head was hanging over the toilet by
twelve-thirty.”

With a hand held up, she said, “Please
don’t remind me.”

“Sorry. Hey, what’s the camera for?” I
gathered the strap that was hanging off the table. She’d die if her camera fell
on the floor. Her parents had paid nearly a thousand dollars for it and she
made sure to take extra care of it.

“I have a project that’s due next
Tuesday. I’m so screwed.”

Tucking my phone in my backpack, I
asked, “What’s it about?”

She ran her fingers along the pages of
my textbook. “I have to put together a life story using the elements of
photography. I have a hodgepodge of pictures but I can’t seem to pull it
together.”

“I’m sure it will come to you. You’re
great with telling stories through pictures.”

“I know.” Her head lifted. “The problem
is I have no idea whose story to tell. I’m sure as hell not telling mine. It’s
all effed up, if you know what I mean. Besides, it’s not like I have some great
success to talk about.”

 “Don’t look at me.” I brushed my hair
away from my face. “Mine’s not any better.”

“I need like this awesome person. You
know, someone who’s been through hell and back.”

I tapped my finger to my lips. “Why
don’t you ask Luke? My mom has tons of pictures from childhood.”

“I already did.” Her shoulders dropped.
“He said no. He didn’t want anyone getting in his business.”

“That sounds like my brother.”

“Oh, hell no!” Delaney’s eyes widened.
“Are those the bitches from the game?”

I whipped around to see the Silicone
Triplets
hovering around Raven. “What are they doing?” I stood, trying
to get a better view.

“You need to get out there. Like now.”
Delaney put the strap of her camera around her neck and hooked her backpack
over her arm.

I wasted no time shoving my stuff into
my backpack. Grabbing my and Raven’s bag, I headed out the door, following
Delaney. The weight of both backpacks pulled me down, but I hauled my heavy ass
up the hill as fast I could. Despite the cool air, I was sweating like I just
ran a 5K. I really needed to get in shape. Raven gave me the perfect excuse.

He caught my gaze when we were about
twenty yards apart. The relieved expression on his face told me he was glad to
see me. The Silicone Triplets
were laughing and hanging on his body. I
was ready to rip them off. I didn’t want their toxic hands all over him. Hell,
I hadn’t even had the chance to do that yet. I’d never been the jealous type,
but every muscle in my body tensed and I prayed for restraint.

Several of the guys continued playing
football while Raven attempted to ward off his fan-girls that looked like they
were ready to pounce and suck his blood. Hunger circled in their eyes and I
wondered if they were half-vamp and working for Victoria from
Twilight
.
The girl with the long, brown, wavy hair held a marker in her hand and I could
tell she was asking him to sign something. Without any shame, she lifted up her
shirt, exposing her chest to him. Raven’s eyes went wide. Super wide.

“Aw hell, if it isn’t the Silicone
Triplets.” Delaney shouldered past the girls. “Why the pouty faces? Did you get
too much Botox in your lips?”

“Shut up.” One of the girls snarled at
Delaney.

Dumping our bags on the ground, I
prepared to take off my shirt. “Hey, can I get my breast signed, too?” I wasn’t
afraid to show him that I was ready to play with the big girls, even though I
had no intention of exposing my breasts in front of them. The embarrassment
would have been torture since I was barely a C cup and she had to be a D or
larger. Compared to her, I looked like I had on a training bra. I seriously
needed to go shopping for some prettier under clothes.

“Hey, now.” Raven quickly wrapped his
fingers around my hands, preventing me from taking off my shirt. “This isn’t a
topless show.”

The girl huffed and then pulled down her
shirt. “She had to ruin it for us.”

“Calm down, Abby. If you want, I can
sign your T-shirt or backpack.”

Great, he knows her.

Before I could get mad, Raven wrapped
his arm around me. A tingle of excitement hit my toes. He wasn’t afraid to show
these bloodsuckers that he preferred me over them. That had to mean something,
didn’t it?

Feeling the rise of bravery filter
through my blood, I cocked a brow and let out a sneering smile. I was The
Raven’s
main catch now. But… for how long? This was definitely new to me
since I’d never had to fight for Collin. The rivalry tainted my blood and I
kind of liked the challenge. The only question was, would I have to keep
fighting for him? Did I want to?

“I guess.” She rolled her eyes.

Raven took the marker from her hand and
she stuck out her chest, shaking her boobs at him. I wanted to laugh, but
refrained. Was she really that desperate for his attention?

With a quick flick of his wrist, Raven
signed his name across the left shoulder of her shirt. The other two girls
quickly wiggled their way closer toward him and he signed theirs as well.

“Maybe next time you can sign my ass
when we’re alone.” Abby eased the marker from his fingers.

“Um… I don’t think so.” He took my hand
and started to lead us away.

The three girls laced their arms around
each other. “Oh, come on, Raven. You didn’t fight us last time. In fact, I
recall you handling all three of us just fine.”

Raven’s jaw protruded and his nostril’s
flared. He sucked in a deep breath. “Whatever.”

“Come on, let’s go,” Abby said. “He
wants to play with Suzy Homemaker.”

The comment irked me. Maybe because I
knew that was what my parents were grooming me for — at least when I was
engaged to Collin. I had to remind myself that that description no longer fit
me. I might have looked homely and innocent, but deep down, my alter ego was
dying to be unleashed.

“Sorry you had to hear that.” Raven
pivoted me so we faced each other. I watched over his shoulder as the Silicone
Triplets trotted off. I hated that Raven had slept with so many girls. It
definitely complicated things between us. Was I even good enough for him? Was I
that stupid to think he wanted to be with me?