“Damn, this IUD rocks,” Raven said with a huge grin.
“Ha-ha. I know something else you can rock.”
“You want me to rock your world, baby?”
I nodded, unable to speak.
His eyes turned darker and he lowered his head, pressing his lips to mine. He kissed me deeply, our tongues swirling together. I was ready to make sweet music with him again. With a driven purpose, his mouth left mine as he traced a path down my neck. My back arched as his lips and tongue traced over my breasts. Raven knew how to tease every part of me in a way that made my body scream for his. But he didn’t stop there. Raven’s mouth was on a mission. My stomach tensed as his lips seared my skin to a nice one-hundred and ten degrees. My fingers dove into his hair and I squirmed, anxious to experience his love for me. Every muscle fell limp as I relaxed into him. And boy, did he rock my world! Not just once, but a few times.
***
Once we made it out of the bedroom, everyone was already on the beach, relaxing under the purple and white canopy that donned ‘PHU’ in big letters. The sun was shining bright and there was a slight breeze coming off the Gulf Coast. The temperature was much warmer than last night and the water sparkled invitingly. Salt lingered in the air and I inhaled it. The beach was definitely one of God’s awesome creations.
“Damn, it’s about time.” Josh threw a football to Raven.
Raven caught it, one-handed. “Oh, whatever. Like you two didn’t screw all night in the hot tub.”
Shelby blushed. “Josh, why did you tell them?”
Josh shot her a look. “I didn’t. But you just did.”
Shelby’s jaw dropped and a look of terror washed over her normally cheerful face.
“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.” I winked as I set my beach bag next to hers.
“Celebrating the honeymoon early?” Shawn nudged Raven as his brows arched in a telltale sign.
Raven tipped his chin and shook his head. Then he looked up and said, “I don’t kiss and tell. Not anymore.” He tossed the ball to Shawn.
“I got ya.” Shawn snickered. Raven gave him a friendly push and Shawn struggled to keep his footing in the sand. “You done whipped my boy,” Shawn said, looking directly at me as he laughed.
“Sorry.” I smiled and gave a slight shrug. “What can I say?”
“It’s all good,” Shawn assured us as he cradled the ball to his bare chest. The ball seemed so small next to his huge pecs. I tried not to notice, but Shawn had a great body, almost as hot as Raven’s. Tattoos covered both his arms and a tribal mark covered the area between his shoulder blades. “Kyle, let’s play for a while.” Shawn motioned for him to get up.
“Alright.” Kyle put his beer down and jogged to an open spot on the beach.
Since we were further down the island, and on private property, it wasn’t as crowded. I stepped from under the canopy and hooded my eyes from the sun, peering down the shoreline. For miles on end, beach umbrellas and canopies in a rainbow of colors covered the brown sand along with thousands of people. The island was packed with spring breakers.
“What do you think?” Raven wrapped his arms around me as I stared at the waves rolling in along the shore. Small seashells tumbled in the water and then disappeared as the tide retracted.
“I think I’m ready to get in.” Giddiness bubbled up inside of me. I couldn’t wait to dive in with Raven. There was something about getting in the ocean for the first time with him. Maybe he just made it that much more special.
Two girls wearing bikinis walked toward us, and I immediately caught Raven staring at them. Kyle threw the ball to Shawn without even looking as they drew his full attention. “Hey.” He shot them a big grin, showing his pearly whites.
“Hi.” A girl with long, blonde hair and a spray-on tan waved at him as she slowed her pace. The girl next to her wasn’t hard to miss. With wavy dark hair and boobs the size of cantaloupes, she had me gawking, too. Her bikini top barely covered them and they were too perfect and perky to be real. Raven shot Shawn a wide-eyed look.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about.” Shawn tossed the ball behind him as he made a direct path to the girls, strutting along the wet sand. The girl with the big boobs twirled her long waves around her fingers as a flirtatious grin played on the edge of her red lips. “What are you ladies up to?”
“We were just checking out the beach,” the blonde said, keeping her eyes firmly on Kyle.
“Glad y’all made your way down here. I’m Kyle.” He placed his hands on his waist and puffed out his chest.
“I’m Megan and this is my friend Christine.” She gave a slight nod with her head, still keeping her eyes firmly on Kyle.
“Hi, Christine. I’m Shawn Jackson.” He held out his hand.
“Nice to meet you guys,” Christine said with a hi-pitched voice that kind of sounded like Minnie Mouse as she shook his hand. I wasn’t sure if she was doing it on purpose or if that was just the way she talked. Maybe her boobs were squeezing all of the air out of her lungs. Who knew? “You guys like to play football?” She eyed the ball lying in the sand.
Kyle and Shawn looked at one another and laughed. “Do we like to play football?”
“Why? You girls want to play with us?” Shawn walked backwards and retrieved the ball. He tossed it in the air a few times, squeezing his arms and chest so they got a full view of his muscles.
Megan and Christine looked at each other and nodded. “Sure. We’ll play with you.”
Shawn and Kyle winked at each other and made a few hand gestures in their own secret language. I wondered if the girls realized they were about to play with college football players. It didn’t matter to me either way. I had my football player and he loved to play with me.
“Come on, let’s get in.” I took off my swimsuit cover and threw it on the dry sand. I did a sexy pose, hoping he liked the black bikini Shelby helped me pick. Raven had begged for me to try it on, but I told him he couldn’t see it until we got on the beach. Raven’s eyes traveled up and down my body, a smile of delight spreading across his lips. “You like it?”
“Like it? I love it.” He gathered me in his arms. “Damn, Lexi, you’re one hot woman.” A smoldering look funneled from his eyes and his lips zeroed in on mine. We kissed for a while, almost forgetting where we were. His hands traveled down my back and I pulled away when he squeezed my butt.
“Raven.” I slapped his arm. “We’re in public.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shelby shoot me a thumbs up. I nodded, telling her she had done well.
“Sorry. It’s just that…” He pulled away and eyed me one more time. “You’re tight, baby.” He shook his head, as if he couldn’t get enough of me.
I laughed, throwing my head back. Raven was a charmer. He knew how to make me feel like the most beautiful woman on earth. “Okay, now it’s your turn.” I motioned for him to take his shorts off.
“No. I told you I’m not wearing that damn thing out here.”
“Why not?” I pouted. “I think it’s sexy. That’s why I bought it for you.”
“Underwear models wear that shit.” He peeked down his shorts and I inched forward, trying to catch a glimpse. “Not football players.”
“Oh, come on. For me?” I gathered his shirt in my hands and pulled it off, determined to see him in the hot boy swim trunks I bought. Shelby told me if Josh wouldn’t wear them, then Raven surely wouldn’t. Maybe she was right, but I at least had to try to convince him.
He leaned forward and whispered, “Lexi, my friends are going to make fun of me.”
“So? They’re just jealous because you have a better body than they do.” I reached for the string holding up his swim trunks and he swatted my hand. “Ouch!”
“Sorry.” He picked up my hand and kissed it.
I gave him the same puppy dog eyes he had convinced me with earlier in the bedroom. He sighed and his shoulders curved inward. “Okay.” Slowly, he untied the laces and ran his thumbs under the band of his lo
ng swim trunks.
“I’m waiting.” With my two fingers, I motioned for him to drop them.
“Alright. Alright.” He rolled his head around as if I was torturing him. It was kind of fun. Not that I liked tormenting him, but it was exciting to see him out of his comfort zone. Raven was so laid back, acting like nothing ever fazed him, so it was kind of thrilling to watch him squirm a little. With a quick movement, he pulled down his shorts and stepped out of them. “Happy?”
I took my time, eyeing him from head to toe. The black and purple tight swim trunks clung to his well-defined body, showing off his tight rump and the bulge in front. Raven’s body was made for sin. “Hell yeah. You look damn hot.” I licked my finger and touched his chest, making the sound of something burning. “Sizzling hot.”
“Woo hoo!” Shelby yelled as she clapped her hands.
“Sexy!” Josh whistled as he held up his phone, snapping a picture of us. Shawn and Kyle quickly turned around to see what all the commotion was about. When they saw Raven in his boy shorts, they started hollering and waving their arms in the air, just like they did when they made a touchdown on the field.
“Great.” Raven narrowed his eyes at me. “See what you’ve done. He’s going to show that picture to the whole team. They’ll never let me live this down.”
“I’m sorry. I just—”
“That’s it. You’re going to pay for it.” Raven smiled and waggled his brows at me. He then picked me up in one quick sweep and hoisted me over his shoulder.
“Raven! Wait!” I squealed as he ran toward the water. My body bounced against his as he barreled through the waves and into the depths of the Gulf Coast. Water splashed against his legs and onto my face and arms, awakening my skin with millions of chill bumps.
“Shit!” I yelled. “This water if freakin’ cold.”
“Too bad. You want me to wear these damn shorts… we’re staying in the water.”
“What?” My teeth chattered and I felt his upper body shiver. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.” He walked into the ocean and stopped when the water was at his waist. He lowered me into the ocean and my feet touched the soft sand, tickling my toes. I had to admit, even though it was cold, it really was amazing. He held me close as we rocked back and forth with the movement of the waves. “See, it’s not that bad.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re used to s-sitting in tubs of ice for y-your muscles.” I bit my lip, trying to keep my teeth from chattering. But it was no use; I was freezing. Releasing from his hold, I moved my arms back and forth in rapid strokes and started jogging in place, trying to get the blood flowing.
“Yeah, this is nothing.” He rolled his shoulders a couple of times as he splashed water on his chest and arms. Then he took a deep breath and went under, springing up a few seconds later. “Wow! That feels great.” Water dripped from his hair and he ran his hands through it, smoothing it back. Damn, Raven was one fine specimen. But it still didn’t change the fact that I was slowly turning into a Popsicle. “Go under. It feels freakin’ awesome.”
“Hell no.” I stared at him like he was crazy. There was no way in hell I was about to submerge my head in the frigid temperatures. This was absolute torture. I couldn’t enjoy it with the way my body was convulsing. I rubbed my arms, trying to warm myself, but that didn’t work either.
“You’re freezing, aren’t you?” A look of concern filled his eyes.
I shook my head, unable to speak.
“Let’s go a little deeper. Sometimes the water is warmer.”
I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and clung to his body as he led us further into the ocean. Usually, his body heat warmed me up, but his skin was just as cold as mine. I looked around, noticing we were the only idiots in the water as far as I could see.
“Does this feel better?” He stopped when a warm pocket of water swept over us. It made it somewhat bearable until the chilly waves washed over us, soaking my hair. The salty water rushed up my nose and down my throat, burning it. I coughed and squeezed my eyes together, trying to flush the dousing of straight chlorine I’d just inhaled. “I guess not, huh?”
I wiped my nose and sneezed a few times. Nothing like getting a sinus rinse times ten. So much for trying to look sexy and hot for Raven. I was sure I looked like a wet mop. “I think I’ve had enough of the ocean,” I admitted, trying to pull my hair away from my face.
“Let’s just hang out on the beach instead.” He took my hand and led us back to shore.
“Man, this sucks. I was really looking forward to being in the ocean. Why is it so cold?” We trudged through the sand and out of the icy water. The minute the sun’s rays hit my skin, I sighed in relief.
“I guess it hasn’t gotten warm enough yet.” He wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked toward the canopy. “Tell you what, we can go to the Caribbean or somewhere tropical for our honeymoon.”
I smiled. “I think I’ll like that much better.”
“How was the water?” Josh asked as he sipped his beer.
“Freakin’ cold, man.” Raven handed me a towel and I wrapped it around me. “I remember it being much warmer last year.”
“Aww, that sucks.” Josh looked at Shelby and she glanced up from her magazine. “I guess we’ll just have to swim in the pool.”
“That’s fine with me. I really don’t like the ocean anyways.” She twisted her face and then shook her hands. “I can’t stand the seaweed or the feeling of something brushing against my legs.” She adjusted her sunglasses. “I’ll just sit here and work on my tan.”
“But you just got that spray on shit, didn’t you?” Josh looked at her from head to toe. Shelby’s skin was a nice tan color, nothing like Christine’s.
“Yes, but it’s already fading away.” She reclined her chair and tossed her magazine to the side. “Besides, there’s nothing better than a good dose of Vitamin D.”
“I totally agree.” I turned to Raven. “Will you pull that lounger over here so I can lie on it and dry off?”
“Anything for you, baby.” He winked and went under the canopy to get the chair.
“Damn, you two already sound like an old married couple.”
“Yeah, whatever,” I laughed. “Actually, we sound like newlyweds. You and Shelby sound like an old married couple,” I joked.
Shelby laughed. “You got that right.” She leaned over and reached for Josh’s hand. “But I love my old man.”
He latched onto her hand and kissed the top of it. “And I love my old lady. She’s smokin’ hot.”
Shelby winked at him. “You’ve got that right.” We all laughed. Life was great. Not only for Raven and me, but also Josh and Shelby.
Raven set up our chairs just outside the canopy, directly in the path of the sun so we could warm up. We laid in the recliners for an hour or so, just relaxing and enjoying our time away from school. Most of all, we soaked up every minute with each other.
Raven and Shawn fired up the grill and we cooked burgers and hotdogs. Later that evening, we played a game of tag football, after Megan and Christine claimed that they couldn’t take any more from Shawn and Kyle’s so-called easy tackles. They weren’t shocked to find out that the guys played football for PHU. They actually went to an opposing school, but Shawn and Kyle didn’t seem to mind. It wasn’t hard to figure out why. The girls were actually nice.
We laughed and talked with our friends long into the night, finally ending up in Josh’s heated pool and hot tub. My senior Spring Break had definitely been one to remember. I just wished Delaney and Luke were here with us. Even though the water was cold, I still enjoyed the beach over the mountains. Spring Break with Raven was so much better.
Σ
Chapter 13
“Happy Birthday!” a familiar voice echoed in my ear and I slowly opened my eyes. “Get up, girl. It’s your day!”
“Laney?” I blinked a few times. “You’re here!” I threw my arms around her. “I can’t believe you came.”
&n
bsp; “Did you think I was going to miss celebrating your birthday?” She hugged me tightly.
“Yes. I mean, no.” I was confused and still half-asleep. “How did you get here? Did you drive by yourself?”
“Nope.” She plopped on the bed. “I came with your brother.” Her face glowed with radiance and it wasn’t the highlighter or blush. It was a sparkle of happiness that emerged from deep within her. “So, now you two can celebrate your birthdays together.”
“Luke came, too?” For the past twenty years, we had celebrated every birthday together. This would’ve been the first one apart. But he was here. “He didn’t go to Breckenridge?” I sat up in bed and quickly checked to make sure I was dressed. Thankfully, I had put on a night shirt, one that Raven had picked out for me when we went shopping with the VS gift card.
“Nope. He told your parents he was coming here instead.” She had a huge smile on her face. I was glad he had decided to bring her. “He changed his flight to Dallas and we left last night. We spent the night in San Antonio and got up this morning.” She raised her brows at me and I immediately knew what she was hinting at.
“That’s great! I’m so glad you guys came. Where are you staying?”
“Luke talked to Josh and he said there was plenty of room for us to stay here.” She relaxed against the bed, allowing her long, dark hair to spread out. “Josh already showed us to our room and it’s just a big as this one! This house is awesome.”
“Tell me about it. His parents must be very well off.” I did a quick sweep of the room, noting the white wood furniture with the exquisite furnishings. Each of the five bedrooms had its own theme and we were apparently staying in the nautical room.
“I guess so.” She rolled onto her stomach and smoothed the wrinkles from the navy blue and white bed cover. “So, I guess that means no house party, but that’s okay. We’re going to have one helluva of night. You’re twenty-one, girl!”
“Finally!” I did a little dance. “But I don’t want to party too hard. I mean, I told Raven I didn’t want him getting drunk, so it’s not right for me to.”
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