I took off my jacket and walked toward Lexi. No doubt, I had took her around and around, confusing not only her, but myself as well. Neither of us were sure about what we had, but we couldn’t deny what we were feeling. There was definitely something about her. Something about the way she made me feel. And I knew whatever that something was, I couldn’t live without it. I wanted her to stay in my life.
I stepped up behind her and the lyrics released. “It’s not much of a life you’re living.” Lexi turned around, complete shock written across her face. I closed my eyes as I continued to sing the chorus, feeling each word deep within me. Moving me. Compelling me to confess everything in my heart. They poured out of me, helping me release all the pent up anguish I’d been holding on to. Music had a way of fixing all the broken parts inside of me and Lexi’s talented piano playing made it that much more healing.
I laid my jacket on the floor and took a seat next to her. I continued singing as she pressed the keys, making beautiful music. We stared intently at each other. The emotions exchanged between us seemed to make all the confusion vanish. My head was clear — I wanted to be with Lexi. And there was no denying what I was feeling for her. What I felt in my heart was taking control and pushing the demons aside. And it was about damn time.
We sang in unison, admitting the words we were both afraid to say to each other. We were holding on because the other person filled a hole we needed gone. In some weird, twisted way, we were both broken and needed saving. I just wasn’t sure who needed it more. All I knew was that we both needed each other.
Not missing a beat, we poured our feelings into each other. The process of filling the hole had begun and I’d do whatever I could to make her whole. It felt so good to be reunited with her. I had never felt closer to her. I was certain she knew how I felt and I was one hundred percent certain how she felt about me. We were meant to save each other.
“That was beautiful, Lexi.” I tucked a stray strand away from her face.
“Thank you, but I messed up.” She removed her hands from the keyboard and placed them in her lap. I was eager to embrace her, but I reminded myself to take things one-step at a time.
“It’s okay. No one’s perfect.” I nudged her with my shoulder. “We all make mistakes. At least, I know I do.”
She cleared her throat. “I’m, um, no exception. I make mistakes just like you.”
I cocked a brow. “Then that only means one thing.”
“What’s that?” Her voice lifted and her eyes widened in anticipation.
With a grin, I said, “We’re good for each other.”
Lexi smiled and a new, unfamiliar feeling filled the center of my chest. It was a good feeling, a happy feeling, and I wanted to hold on to it forever. Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes glossed over. I hated to see her cry. Just as I raised my hand to soothe her, I caught a single tear with my thumb.
“Lexi?” I cupped her face with both hands, dying to kiss her, to assure her everything would be okay. That I’d do my best to give her everything she needed and more.
She placed her hands on my chest and her warmth radiated through the fabric. “Yes, Raven.”
“Do you wanna hang out today?” I searched her face, trying to read her emotions. The glint in her eyes told me the answer, but I wasn’t stopping there. “And every day after that?”
She leaned forwarded, aligning her mouth with mine. Everything stopped in that moment and my entire focus was on her. Only her. “More than you will ever know,” she whispered against my lips.
My head spun and heart leaped out of my chest. That was the best thing I’d heard in a long time. I parted my mouth and her eyes fluttered to a close. I pressed my lips to hers and kissed her like it was the first time. Her sweetness filled me, covering the hole inside of me, confirming I was making the right decision. I didn’t know how to be a boyfriend, but I’d do my best to figure it out. Her hands spread across my shoulders and she pulled me closer. Her mesmerizing scent surrounded me and I felt totally drunk on her.
“Lexi?” a guy called.
We stopped kissing and she immediately pulled away.
I had to do a double take. It was Luke. Was he looking for Delaney?
“Luke. Hey. I, um…” Lexi hopped off the piano bench. “I didn’t realize you’d be here so soon.” She took out her phone and glanced at it.
“What’s going on?” Luke looked at Lexi and then at me. His eyes were wide and his mouth was open.
I got up and stood by Lexi. I rubbed my head, trying to piece things together. Delaney was dating Lexi’s brother, but she was also seeing Luke. Lexi’s brother was Luke! They were siblings. “Hey, man…good to see you.” I extended my hand, but Luke was slow to respond. “Lexi is your sister?”
“Yeah.” Luke nodded.
“No shit.” I still couldn’t believe it. But at the same time, it all made sense. Her brother played baseball with Collin. That’s how they were all connected. How did I miss that? The entire time I was trying to find out more about Lexi, I was working out with her brother.
I’m such a dumbass!
We continued shaking hands, staring each other down. The tension was increasing and I wasn’t sure what to say. The last thing I wanted was to get in a fight or argument with her brother.
“What are you doing with her?” By the grip he had on my hand, I knew he didn’t approve.
“You two know each other?” Lexi quickly interjected.
We looked at Lexi at the same time and then slowly stopped shaking hands. “Yeah, we’ve known each other for a while.” Luke kept an eye on me while talking to Lexi.
“I’ve trained with your brother several times.” I checked out Luke and then Lexi, trying to see the resemblance. “I can’t believe Luke Thompson is your brother. You two look nothing alike.”
“We’re not identical, remember?” Lexi gave me a gentle smile. “And we have the same last name, so…”
“I know, but it just never occurred to me.” I was dumbfounded.
“Luke, can you give us a moment?” Lexi motioned her head toward me.
Luke cocked a brow. His jaw worked from side to side, as if he was holding back words. But I knew what he was thinking — I’d be thinking the same thing. What in the hell is my sister doing with Raven Davenport? For the first time, I was ashamed of the reputation I had around campus.
“Yeah, I guess. I’ll be waiting out in the car.” He turned to me and said, “Give me a call. I have a new routine I’d like to show you.”
I was certain the new routine would be a hard workout, equivalent to an ass whipping. “Yeah,” I gave him a slight nod, “I’ll reach out to you over the break.”
“Do you want me to take something to the car?” Luke pointed to her bags along the wall.
“I’ve got it.” I quickly darted to them. The least I could do was carry her bags. I mean, what kind of boyfriend was I? Hearing myself say that was a little weird. I’d get used to it — it would just take some time.
“Whatever,” Luke mumbled on his way out.
I turned to Lexi. “I can’t believe Luke is your brother.”
“I can’t believe you two know each other.” She looked just as shocked as I did.
“Small world.” I hitched a bag over my shoulder. “And you’re right. You two look nothing alike.” I took the opportunity to give Lexi a thorough once over. Damn! I was one lucky dude. Lexi was hot. Her cheeks flushed and she wrapped her arms around her body. I got the impression I had messed up.
I set her bag on the ground. “What’s wrong?” I peeled her hands away from her body. “Did I embarrass you?” One by one, I locked fingers with her, pulling her close. Touching her was pure heaven. My body hummed with delight. Lexi knew how to get my blood flowing in all the right places.
She nodded and stared at the floor. “Yeah, kind of.”
“Well, get used to it.” I nuzzled her ear, dying to roll my tongue up and down the nape of her neck. She squirmed in my arms, unable to control herse
lf any longer.
“Because I’m going to be doing a lot of staring.” I nibbled on her ear and a low whimper escaped her lips. I definitely had her in my trap.
Score!
“And touching.”
“Raven,” she whispered, “why are you telling me this when you know I have to go?”
I pulled back and looked at her. “That’s just it, I don’t want you to go.”
She glanced at the girl behind the front desk. “But they are about to shut the dorms and my mom is waiting.”
“I know.” I rubbed my thumb along the top of her hand, taking every opportunity to touch her. “I was kind of hoping we’d hang out today.”
“How will I get home? I don’t have a car.” Her pouty lips looks so damn sexy. I wasn’t about to let her go home. Not now. Maybe not ever.
And I had the perfect plan. “I can take you home later. If you want.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Your parents live in Dallas, right?” I just hoped her parents wouldn’t flip and go ape-shit crazy on me when I dropped her off.
The gold streaks in her eyes shined and her lips spread into a huge smile. “I’ll tell Luke.”
I picked up her bags. “Let’s go.” Lexi practically ran outside. It was exciting to see how anxious she was to be with me. I honestly couldn’t wait to spend the rest of the day with her.
“I’ll be right back.” Lexi lifted to the tips of her toes and planted a quick kiss on my cheek.
Luke was leaning against his car, smoking a cigarette while texting. I kept my distance, giving her some privacy, even though I could hear what she was saying.
“Ready?” Luke tossed his cig to the side and started to round his car.
“I’m not going home,” Lexi blurted.
Luke stopped and turned around. “You’re going with him?” His eyes darted in my direction and then back at her.
Lexi adjusted her knee-high boots and for a moment, I got distracted. “Yes. He’s going to take me home later.” She looked over her shoulder at me.
“I promise I’ll bring her home when ever she’s ready,” I informed Luke.
Luke shot me a doubtful look and then opened his car door and got in. He shut the door and rolled down the window. He told her something, but I couldn’t hear. Lexi nodded and I prayed he wasn’t going to cause problems between us. Then again, Collin was his roommate and buddy. I was certain it was hitting a soft spot with him.
Lexi threw her hands up in the air and yelled, “Why does everyone keep telling me that?”
By the tone of her voice, Luke was probably warning her about me. Telling her she was making a big mistake and should go back to Collin. I let out a heavy sigh as the voices re-entered my mind. I shook my head, refusing to listen to them.
Lexi gripped the door and leaned in, telling him something. The way their heads were darting back and forth, I knew the conversation wasn’t going that well. Luke started his car and Lexi seemed pissed. They continued talking for a minute or so and I hoped the talk was making a turn for the better. I really wanted to spend the day with her, but if she came back and told me Luke insisted she go home, I promised myself not to get mad. Better to keep the peace. There would be plenty of time for us to be together.
Lexi nodded and then stepped away from the car. Luke revved his engine and drove away.
“Everything alright?”
Lexi picked up her purse from the ground. “Yeah. We’re good.” I wanted to believe her, but her face told another story. Was she having second thoughts about being with me?
“Your brother’s a great baseball player and trainer.” I tried to ease the tension.
“Thanks. I grew up watching him play.” She grabbed one of her bags and started to reach for another one, but I told her I had it. We walked down the sidewalk and I led the way to my car.
“Too bad he prefers to be a trainer.” Even though I didn’t know Luke that well, I did know he had a passion for fitness. He wasn’t afraid to share that with Josh, Shawn, and me. Lucky for him, he was good at it, even though he wasn’t bad at baseball either. He wasn’t as good as Collin, but he had a shot at going pro.
“I know. He plays to appease my parents.”
We crossed the street to the parking lot across from the dorms, near the stadium. I opened the trunk and placed her bags inside. “Sometimes we have to do things even though we don’t want to.”
She tossed in the bag she was carrying. “True. But at what point do you finally say, ‘I’m going to do what I want to do’?”
I closed the trunk and pressed my weight against it. I thought about all the things she’d told me about her parents. I guess Luke didn’t have it that easy either. I felt bad for both of them. At some point, parents needed to back off and let their kids make their own decisions. Usually it was when they graduated from high school, but I guess their parents didn’t know when to let go. Helicopter parents. That’s what they were. “I guess when you realize that it’s not what you want or you just can’t handle it anymore.”
“Exactly.”
I unlocked the doors and we got in the car. I turned up the heat and Lexi placed her hands over the vents, wiggling her fingers.
“Are you cold?”
“A little.”
I took her hands and brought them to my lips. I breathed warm air across her fingers and she smiled. I loved seeing the happiness in her eyes. All I wanted to do was make Lexi happy. Show her how much she meant to me and how much I wanted to be with her. Gently, I placed soft kisses on the top of her hand and then made a trail up her arm. She shivered and a moan escaped. I loved it when she whimpered for me.
“Better?” I glanced up.
She inched closer to me. “Yes, much better.”
She shifted in her seat, trying hard to keep things under control. But she wouldn’t be able to for long. I was ready to show her The Raven’s charm and affection. I stared deep into her eyes. “I promise you, it will only get better.”
“I’m holding you to that promise.” Her lips brushed against mine and I kissed her softly.
I could taste it now.
Her love.
I was already wasted on it.
And I was ready to drink more of her sweetness.
The odds might have been against us, but it didn’t matter. All roads were leading us directly to each other. The signs couldn’t be ignored any longer. We couldn’t back down now. We could make it together. There was no turning back and I had no regrets. I was ready to run every red light with Lexi by my side. I pulled out of the parking lot and raced down the street.
We ended up in downtown Fort Worth. Tiny white lights decorated the trees, reminding us Christmas was only a few weeks away. The town hall had large presents wrapped in shiny red and gold paper stacked along the steps and people were standing near them taking pictures. At the entrance of the courthouse was a tall nutcracker saluting townspeople. The entire downtown looked like a scene from one of those Hallmark movies that my mom watched during the holidays. It was perfect.
“This is so pretty.” Lexi peered out the window.
The tone in her voice told me I had made a good decision.
“I heard there’s an outdoor ice rink near the city Christmas tree. Do you want to go check it out?”
“Sure.”
I parked the car and we got out. Slipping my fingers through hers, we walked hand in hand down the street. Christmas music played in the distance and people shuffled in and out of shops, carrying bags. The smell of cookies and gingerbread reminded me of the baking Mimi did during holidays. Being with Lexi made Christmas that much sweeter.
“Have you ever been here before?”
“No, never. My family tends to hang out in the downtown Dallas and Northpark area. But I think I like it here better.” We passed by a couple sitting on a bench, sipping on coffee as they talked and laughed. “It feels quaint and friendly. Dallas has a pretentious crowd that can make you feel out of place, if you know what I mean.”
“I know exactly what you mean. I’ve never hung out in Dallas, but we definitely had places like that back in Louisiana.”
We crossed the street and headed to the town square. A huge thirty-foot Christmas tree was in the center, decorated with lights, huge red balls, and snowflakes larger than my hand. Fake presents surrounded the Douglas Fir along with a gingerbread house and snowman.
“It’s so beautiful.” Lexi’s eyes lit up.
“Just like you.” I squeezed her hand and winked.
“Thank you.” She giggled. “Now, it feels like Christmas. Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Were you not in the Christmas spirit?”
Shaking her head, she said, “Not really. Since I missed Thanksgiving dinner, it didn’t seem like the holidays.”
“And now it does?”
“Most definitely.”
“Good.” I placed a soft peck on her forehead. “So, is there anything on that list of yours that you’d like to do?” I had to remind myself I was on Lexi’s timing, not mine. My clock felt like a stopwatch, flying through the minutes. But whatever she wanted to do, I was game.
“Um, well, I haven’t thought much about that list to be honest with you. Besides, I thought you said we’d make it up as we went along.” She elbowed me in the ribs.
“I did say that, didn’t I?” I shot her a playful grin, wondering what the night might have in store. “Hey, I have an idea. Have you ever been ice skating?” I pivoted us to the large outdoor ice rink behind us.
Lexi shifted from on leg to the other. “A long time ago.”
“Then, let’s do it.” I pulled her toward the rink and she took a step back.
“Oh, I don’t know.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, nervously. Damn, she looked so cute. “I know I won’t be able to balance myself.”
“I promise I won’t let you fall.” I latched onto her hands and took slow strides backwards. “Come on, Lexi. You know you want to go skating with me.” I winked, teasing her. “I won’t take no for an answer.”
A Different Side (University Park #4) Page 28