“We do?” I asked, totally surprised because we hadn’t discussed going anywhere.
“The Raven’s in the house.” The backup quarterback, Kyle Reeves, along with Cage Rutherford and few other football players, chanted from the table behind us. The cafeteria soon joined in the sing-a-long and Raven bowed, eating up the attention. I couldn’t help but sing and clap along, proud to see how everyone supported him.
After a few minutes of fame, Raven sat next to me. “What’s up, man?” Raven reached across the table and exchanged a fist bump with Luke.
“Busy as shit.” Luke shook his head.
“I understand. You’re three for three, right?”
“Yeah. We are.”
“Cool. By the way, that protein drink you told me try,” he shot a thumbs up, “I like it. Better than the other stuff I was drinking.”
“I told you,” Luke said, matter of factly. “So where are y’all headed for Spring Break?”
“South Padre Island.” Raven smiled brightly and pulled me close. “Like I promised you.”
Split emotions filtered through my head. It sounded like fun, and I was excited that he was delivering on his promise, but the cautious part of my brain reminded me that it wouldn’t be a good idea. “But, I—”
“Now that just sucks. What am I going to do?” Delaney crossed her arms and slammed her back into her chair.
“You can come with us. We have a big group going. Josh’s parents have a huge condo on the beach. We’re going to party it up and celebrate my baby’s birthday.” Raven planted a huge kiss on my lips.
“I can?” Delaney instantly perked up, like a dog thrown a bone full of meat. Any mention of a party and she was in — with or without my brother.
“Raven. I think—”
“The Marshall is in town!” Cage roared, over and over. Everyone in the cafeteria turned their attention to the front entrance and chanted, “The Marshall is in town!”
“Josh!” Raven stood up and yelled across the cafeteria. “Dude, get over here.”
He shuffled through the cafeteria with his arm draped around Shelby. Shawn strutted behind him, talking with the stalker-reporter that always happened to be everywhere Raven and I were. How convenient. If that wasn’t enough to worry about, the Silicone Triplets trolled their way toward Raven until they saw me.
“That’s right, bitches. Turn your skank asses around.” Delaney motioned with her finger.
I looked over my shoulder, watching them shoot me dirty looks. “They don’t give up, do they?”
“Can you blame them?”
Appraising my hot and sexy man, I grabbed him by the face and thrust my tongue in his mouth. Raven responded willingly, diving his hands into my hair as he kissed me fervently. Heat swamped my face, but I didn’t pull away. Never had I made a bold move like that before, but I sort of liked it.
Raven pulled away slowly, looking slightly dazed. He rolled his tongue across his lip, as if savoring my taste. “Damn, you should do that more often.”
I ran a hand through my hair while holding on to my lower lip. Having a taste of him like that spurred a plethora of ideas. “Don’t worry, I will.” I winked.
“You go, girl!” Delaney lifted her hand in the air. “Show them who he comes home to at night.”
I laughed and slapped my hand against hers. “You’ve got that right.”
Raven shook his head, wearing a devious grin. “Trust me, you have nothing to worry about, baby.”
I smiled at him, and then glanced back at them, showing them I had no fear. But I couldn’t help but wonder if he was really done with setting out his bait and happy with the catch he’d caught. Only time would tell. They quickly averted their mission, stopping at a table near the front. And that’s when I saw him. Collin. He was sitting at a table with Forbes, Jordan, and a few other baseball players.
For the past three months, I’d managed to steer clear of his path, but I knew that I’d eventually run into him. With a population of under ten-thousand students, it was apt to happen sooner rather than later. And since this was the grand opening of the mega cafeteria, with food to satisfy every craving, or so that’s what they claimed, half of the school was packed in the overly large dining room.
Crap.
I turned my back, hoping he hadn’t seen me. Delaney shot me a knowing look, telling me she saw him, too. Then again, I didn’t care. I’d moved on and things were definitely over between us. But had he accepted that? Surely, he’d moved on after all this time. I couldn’t deny that a tiny part of me wanted to ask Luke. I just wanted to make sure he was happy and that he was dating someone that was perfect for him. Despite our non-connection, Collin really was a great guy.
“Luke, my man.” Josh high fived my brother. “I’m ready for another workout session. When are you free?”
“It wasn’t enough for you?” Luke smiled, hinting at something else, but we all knew he was joking.
“Shit, you kicked my ass, but I want more.”
“What? You were crying like a baby.” Shelby nudged his arm. “Complaining how much you were in pain.”
“Shel.” Josh shot her a discerning look. She rolled her eyes and sat next to Delaney.
“Damn, I’m that good?” Luke rubbed the scruff on his chin. “Maybe I should open up my own gym.”
“Sign me up, man. I’m there.” Raven slapped the table and Josh did the same.
Delaney leaned against him. “I told you you’re awesome.”
He cocked a brow. “Yeah, but I thought you were talking about something else.”
“Ha-ha. You can show me later.” Delaney ran the tip of her finger across his lower lip and then licked her finger. “You had some wasabi.”
“I wouldn’t want that getting on you.” Luke raised a brow and Delaney slapped his arm in a playful manner. Turning to Raven and Josh, he said, “You’re ready for some more torture?”
“Bring it on, man,” Josh said with a big grin.
It was obvious he took a keen interest in helping people reach their potential in the gym and enjoyed it. Based on the talk, my brother was a great trainer and I was glad because according to the latest baseball news, it didn’t look like he would be signing with a major league team. Deep down, he really didn’t want that anyway. It’s what my parents wanted.
“Yeah. Stevens just isn’t doing it for me. I mean he’s good, but I get so much more out of my workouts with you,” Josh said.
“Coach just needs to can Stevens. I mean, he needs to get with the times. His workouts are so old school,” Raven added.
“No kidding.” Kyle leaned back in his chair, catching some of the conversation.
“Guys, I’d like to help you, but my schedule is pretty tight with baseball in full swing.”
“And don’t forget me.” Delaney reached under the table and Luke jumped. He shot her a what the hell gaze and she laughed before turning to us.
“Uh, I got first dibs, bro,” Raven reminded Josh.
“Yeah, yeah, I hear ya.” Josh dismissed Raven’s comment. “Let’s talk.” Josh pulled out a chair, swung it around, and then straddled it. They continued talking about working out and I joined in the conversation between Shelby and Delaney.
“What’s the plan?” Shelby removed her Chick-fil-a sandwich and fries from a bag. “When are we leaving?” She tore open the ketchup packet with her teeth and squirted it all over her fries.
“Um, I just found out that Raven wants to go, so I haven’t had chance to talk to him.” I glanced over at Raven, still unsure if we should go. He shot me a quick smile, and I hated to be the lame one to tell him we shouldn’t go. I hadn’t seen him this happy in a long time. Spring Break was all about partying and with Raven on his last string, it just didn’t sound like a good idea.
“Josh said that Raven’s therapist canceled his session for next week.”
I bit my lip. How was it that she knew more than I did? “Oh. I hadn’t heard.” I turned to Raven, pulling him away from his conversat
ion with the guys. “Hey, you’re not seeing Dr. Galen next week.”
“No. He’s going out of town for Spring Break.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Yeah, man. Whatever!” Raven slapped the table and it shook, completely ignoring my question.
“You said it, bro. Not me.” Josh pushed Raven and he bumped against me.
For a moment, I began to feel like I wasn’t all that important to him. It reminded me of how Collin used to treat me. Now that Raven and I were settling into our relationship, I hoped the same thing wasn’t going to happen. I shook my head, ignoring the lying voice in my head, but I was still peeved that I was just now finding out. “Raven.”
“Yes? Sorry, baby.” He turned to me, giving me his full attention. “What did you say?”
My heart did an extra beat and I wanted to punch myself for even thinking that stupid lie. “Why didn’t you tell me about this trip sooner?”
“I’m sorry.” He latched on to my hands. “Josh found out this morning that we could get the condo for the week. Josh, Shelby, and me, were talking about it this morning before class.” He reached behind him, grabbing Josh by the shirt. “Isn’t that right, dude?”
“He’s telling you the truth, Lexi.” Josh gave me a reassuring expression. “My parents were having some work done on the place and they weren’t sure everything would be finished by next week. My dad called me this morning and said we could use it if we wanted to.”
“You were already in class so I couldn’t call to tell you.” His hands traveled along my arms until they reached my waist. He pulled me close to him, until our knees touched. “And that’s why it was the first thing I said when I saw you.” His eyes rounded into perfect puppy dog eyes, pleading for me not to be mad. There was no way I could stay mad at him.
“And since you didn’t stay with me last night, like I wanted you to, you weren’t there for the conversation.” He pulled me into his lap and cradled me like a baby. His baby.
“Raven.” I felt myself slipping into his trap that I so willingly lost myself in time after time. I pawed at his chest, but that didn’t stop his PDA for me. He planted kisses all over my face, not caring if the entire cafeteria saw him. Especially the Silicone Triplets. “Stop,” I squealed, laughing uncontrollably, but it was only a half-hearted protested.
“Stop? That’s not what you said the other night,” he teased. My entire body flushed with hot and cold chills and I felt all eyes drift to us. “I kind of remember you begging for more.”
I clamped my hand over his mouth. He was definitely embarrassing me. Although I wanted every girl who had been consumed by The Raven’s trap to know that I was his, I really didn’t want him to share our intimate moments with them.
“What? You don’t want everyone to know that we’re officially a couple?” he mumbled through my small hand, his voice carrying over my palm. “You weren’t afraid to suck face with me just a minute ago.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that… well, you know.” I eyed him, hoping he caught on.
He pulled my hand away. “I’m not afraid to tell everyone how I feel about you.”
“Neither am I.” I cupped his face. “But I’d rather you just show me instead.”
“Alright. I can do that.” He rose to his feet, still holding me tightly in his arms. “I was going to wait until your birthday next week, but what the hell. I’ll do it right now.”
“Right now?” I swallowed hard, wondering what he had in mind. The familiar tingles began to inch their way through my body and I squirmed in his arms. Raven never ceased to surprise me.
“Yes, right here.”
“Wh—at?” Before I could ask anything else, he stood me on top of the table. “Raven…what are you doing?” My blood pumped faster, causing my heart to thrash against my chest. He held on to my hands, making sure I was steady before letting go.
“Woo hoo!” Josh jumped up, giving us some distance. Luke vacated his chair and watched intently at the show Raven was about to put on for everyone.
Raven cleared his throat a few times before saying, “Excuse me. Can I have everyone’s attention?”
The chattering dwindled to a hush and all eyes landed on him and me. My entire body froze and a cold sweat broke out over my skin. The muscles in my legs weakened and my knees shook. A heaviness settled over my stomach and it tensed into a tight knot.
Don’t throw up. Don’t throw up.
Suddenly, the sushi didn’t seem to settle well with me. I prayed Raven wasn’t going to do anything overly embarrassing. If so, I’d kill him. After I had my way with him first. I tried to smile, but I was certain that I looked like a girl with stage fright. I just hoped that my picture with hashtag #LexiThompsonScaredShitless wouldn’t be the next popular post on every social media site.
Raven grabbed my left hand and a few guys whistled.
Oh, shit.
My body caved forward and I took a long, hard swallow. Surely, he wasn’t about to do what I thought he was going to do. I mean, what would I say? What would I do? I loved him. I wanted to be with him. Forever. But it was too soon. Or was it?
Oh my God. Oh my God.
“Lexi Thompson,” he smiled, stopping momentarily. He bowed his head, staring at the floor for a few moments, trying to compose the bright, neon light beaming from his entire body. Without so much as a word or note, his body sung a melody that said he loved me. All of me. More people clapped and whistled, causing my pulse to kick up to top speed. The blood rushed through me, stealing the air in my lungs, and making my head dizzy. I inhaled, but only managed to take a few shallow breaths. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Delaney snapping pics of us with her camera and Shelby recording us with her phone.
Was this really happening?
I waited with baited breath until he finally looked up, his eyes capturing all of me, appraising me with such intensity that it shook me to my core.
“Since the day I met you in the writing lab…” he trailed off to turn and face the crowd momentarily. “Yes, she was my tutor.” A few people laughed and my nervousness transpired into an unexplainable level of excitement laced with a reassuring calmness. He turned his attention back to me. “I knew that you were someone very special. Little did I know that you would be that special someone for me. I know that the past few months have been a little rough, but there’s no one I’d rather have by my side than you. You are truly an angel sent from heaven, and I don’t want to let another day pass by without you knowing how much I love you. Lexi, not only have you helped me find a new and better life, but you have also showed me it is possible with you. You are my new beginning and I want you to be my ending.” His voice softened and his eyes glistened with tears. “I love you, Lexi.”
My heart skyrocketed and my lips spread into the biggest smile ever. My nose burned with the threat of tears, but I didn’t care. Raven was professing his love for me, in front of everyone. “Oh, Raven, I love you, too.”
“Lexi Thompson, I guess what I’m saying is…” he knelt to one knee and the tears started free falling. I sniffed and wiped the streaks from my cheeks. I leaned forward, refusing to let go of his hand. Several of the football players whistled and I prepared myself for what was coming next. “Will you do me the honor of being Mrs. Raven Davenport for the rest of your life?” He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, burgundy box. He popped open the lid and held up a shiny ring, sparkling with diamonds.
I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. It was the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen. Flashy, big, and most of all, picked out by Raven. My throat tightened, still shocked at hearing the words coming from his mouth.
Raven asked me to marry him! Say something, you idiot!
At that moment, all sense of fear vanished, replaced in its entirety by love, hope, and faith. The only thing missing was trust. I had to know if I could trust him. But I was willing to take that chance. Deep down, I knew I loved him with my entire soul. I wanted to know what the future
held for us.
I nodded. Repeatedly.
“Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
I leapt into his arms, and he caught me, twirling us around and around. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kissed him, over and over again. Showing him just how much I loved him and how much I wanted to be his wife. I just hoped he wouldn’t let me down.
Σ
Chapter 11
Traffic was backed up for miles on State Highway 100. What was supposed to be a nine hour drive had turned into an eleven hour drive and we weren’t even on the island yet. We’d left at five in morning, hoping to avoid traffic, only to hit rush hour in Austin and two-lane construction all the way through San Antonio. But no amount of traffic could stifle my excitement. I was finally going to see the ocean and the best part would be seeing it with my fiancée, Raven.
Raven had convinced me that he would be on his best behavior, because the last thing he wanted was to mess up a good thing. And he was right; things were going well and life was definitely good, which was precisely what worried me. But Josh promised that he wouldn’t allow things to get out of hand and since it was his parent’s house, he was calling the shots — no wild parties, no all-night drinking binges, and definitely no drugs. Despite my better judgment, I decided we should go.
“Damn. Come on people,” Josh huffed and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Quit looking around and just go.” We were bumper-to-bumper, inching through the small town of Laguna Heights. Box shaped, stucco buildings lined the highway, and townspeople shuffled in and out of the quaint family-owned businesses. It was life for them as usual, but not for the thousands flocking south in the middle of March.
Young people packed every small corner store, filling up their tanks and loading up their ice chest with beer and groceries. It was as if every college student on Spring Break in Texas had the same plan — party on South Padre Island. And we were no exception.
“I can drive the rest of the way,” Raven offered.
Josh didn’t say anything, just looked around as he sighed. Shelby leaned over and stroked his hair. “Maybe you should let Raven drive for a while. You’ve been behind the wheel since we left. I know you’re tired.”
The Winning Side Page 11