A Different Side (University Park #4) (40 page)

Her head spun in my direction. “What?”

“You heard me.” I turned her to face me. “Don’t go.”

“Seriously?” Enthusiasm laced her voice and she placed her hands on my chest. The tips of her fingernails dragged across my skin causing flesh bumps to erupt. I about went insane, all sense of rationale wanting to leave. “You really want me to stay with you?”

“Only if you want to.” I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. She leaned back and our eyed connected. Without saying the words, I saw the answer in the sparkle of her eyes. My hand slid down her back and rested on her butt. The tips of my fingers brushed her cheeks and I had to take a deep breath before I took her right there on the kitchen counter.

“So, you want to wake up with me every morning?”

I tilted my head to the side as I imagined waking up every morning to see her beautiful face. How it would feel to hold her in my arms and never let her go, make love to her every day. I was totally consumed by her and nothing in the world mattered except for her. “Is that too much to ask for?”

A smile covered her face. “No, not at all.”

“Good.” I puckered my lips against her mouth. “Because I want to see you tomorrow and every day after that, just to start.”

∑

Chapter 25

Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.

~Keri Russell

Lexi was going to stay with me. She’d be the last voice I’d hear every night and the first eyes I’d see every morning for however long she stayed. Maybe, just maybe, I could be that guy that she needed and dreamed about. The guy she fell in love with. Because I knew I was falling in love with her.

I stepped out of the bathroom wearing only a towel. I caught Lexi watching me through the mirror in my bedroom as she put on her makeup, so I purposefully let my towel drop as I searched for something to wear. I was tempted to turn around and give her a full frontal view, but if I did, we’d never make it to the store.

Besides, we had plenty of time to be together, especially with the storm they were predicting. According to the news, north Texas was expecting several inches of snow and ice for the next few days.

“What’s that noise?” I paused and listened for a moment.

“What?” Lexi turned around.

“Is that ice?” I pulled on a sweater and went to the window. “Damn, it’s sleeting.” I peered through the slants of the blinds at the sheet of ice covering the ground. It was coming down hard, beating against the window and any other object it came in contact with.

Lexi glanced over my shoulder. “If it freezes tonight, it’s going to be an ice rink outside.”

“I know.” I released the blinds and faced her. “We better hurry up and get to the store. Otherwise, we won’t have anything to eat.”

“Okay, let me get my shoes and we can go.” She darted to the living room while I shoved my feet in my boots and tied the laces.

I grabbed my coat and keys and met Lexi at the door. “Ready?” I eased the hat I bought her from her hands and put it on her head. “You’re so beautiful.” Leaning forward, I kissed the crown of her head.

She smiled. “And you’re one sexy babe.”

“Then that means we make one awesome looking couple.” I winked and then opened the door. Ice-cold air swept over us and we both gasped. “Damn, that’s cold.” We shuffled out the door and locked it behind us.

Our feet slid across the slick pavement as we walked to the parking lot. The ice had already began to accumulate and it wouldn’t be long before the roads did the same. I’d be attending today’s meeting via Skype versus in person.

“This is going to be bad.” Lexi moved to the wet grass and I stepped behind her.

“It sure is. Perfect weather for sleeping in, watching movies…” I wrapped my arms around her and placed a kiss on the back of her neck, “and having sex.”

“Raven…” she giggled, “Don’t tempt me.”

“Oh, baby, I’ll do more than tempt you.” I hugged her tighter, continuing to nibble on her neck.

Wiggling in my arms, she turned to face me. “Are you sure you want to go to the store?” She latched on to my bottom lip and sucked on it, kneading it between her teeth as she slipped her tongue inside my mouth.

“Shit,” I moaned, imagining what else her mouth could do to me. “I guess I shouldn’t tease you unless we are both ready for some action.”

She placed her glove-covered hand on my cheek. “But don’t you like knowing what’s to come?” She arched a brow.

If she was trying to entice me, she was doing a good job. “Hell yeah.”

“Then don’t stop.”

“I won’t.” I planted several kisses all over her face, unable to stop kissing her. She laughed as I continued cherishing her with my lips. Keeping her within my embrace, I walked backwards. “But if I don’t keep my focus, we’ll never make it to the store.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“It might be if we’re iced in.” I lifted her in the air and surprise filtered through her eyes. “Curb ahead.”

When I set her on the ground, she let out a squeal. Her body wavered from side to side as she struggled to stay upright. My body lunged forward when she pulled on my jacket and my feet slipped back. I managed to keep my footing as we stumbled to the car, laughing uncontrollably.

I hit the remote and opened the door for her. She got in and I raced to the other side. I started the car and Lexi rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them through the knitted fabric. I revved the engine and turned up the heater.

After the car warmed, I crept through the parking lot and drove to the main road. Wind lashed against the car and ice crunched underneath the pressure of the tires, causing it to fishtail along the way. “Shit, it’s slick.”

“Can you make it to the store?”

I gripped the steering wheel, keeping all my attention on the road. I didn’t like driving in bad weather, only because I didn’t own the car. “Yeah, I can make it. I just need to drive slowly.” I rolled my shoulders, trying not to tense as I crept toward the stop sign. “I just don’t want to wreck this car.” Vehicles surrounded us, inching their way along the road in a slow manner. As long as no one thought they were an Indy driver, I’d be okay.

“I understand. If I had a car like this, I’d make sure to take care of it, too.”

A new emotion surfaced and for the first time, I didn’t feel so cool driving the Challenger. The car that girls flocked to all of sudden seemed more trouble than what it was worth. I refused to lie to Lexi and make her think I owned the car. It was just another perk I got from being PHU’s quarterback — but not school endorsed.

“Since this car is a lease, I have to take care of it,” I admitted openly.

“Oh, so you’re leasing it?”

“Not exactly. It was given to me to use and it’s paid for monthly,” I shot her a quick glance, “but you’re not supposed to know that.”

“Who pays for it?” she questioned.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether I should be completely open with her. My mom, Josh, and Shawn didn’t even know the truth. I hadn’t told anyone. The only person who knew aside from me was Sam DeLaGarza, the owner of AutoWorld.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry.” She shifted in her seat and stared out the window. Despite giving me a free ticket not to respond, I needed to tell her — prove I was willing to share some of my secrets.

I took a deep breath and set aside the fear telling me I’d regret it. “I can trust you, right?” We exchanged a quick glance.

“Of course. I’m not going to tell anyone.” The sincerity in her voice assured me it was okay to tell her.

I relaxed my fingers, loosening the death grip I had on the steering wheel. “I won the use of this car in a bet. A bet that was illegal and could get me kicked out of school and off the team for good.” I let out a huge sigh, releasing the secret I’d be hiding for the past two years.

“Raven.” A shocked gasped released from her mouth.

I kept my eyes glued to the road — embarrassed and ashamed I had accepted the bribe. It reminded me of the type of guy I really was — a guy with no morals, dishonest, and no respect for himself or others. Another voice quickly pointed out I wasn’t the same person I was two years ago. Things had changed and I was taking steps in the right direction. The best part? I was doing it with Lexi by my side.

“I know. I think about it every time I get behind the wheel.” But most of the time I just thought about how lucky I was to drive a free sports car.

“So, give it back.” She rested her hand on my shoulder and then glided it up and down my arm, soothingly. “It’s okay to tell someone ‘no, thank you’
.
”

Lexi had a point. She knew how to bring things into perspective. Suddenly, it was eating me alive. Did I really want to throw my career away just to drive a nice car? I had made a dumb choice — but I was notorious for doing that.

“Yeah, but some things aren’t so easily done.” I parked the car and shut off the engine.

“I know. I get it. I really do.” Her eyes softened, as if telling me that it was okay. That we all make bad decisions but need to learn from them. God only knew how much learning I had to do.

I shot her a meek smile and opened the door. We got out of the car, not saying anything else about the Challenger. I knew what I needed to do, but it wouldn’t be easy. I popped my neck on both sides and shook the voices out of my head. I’d deal with them, and the car, later. I took Lexi’s hand, making sure she didn’t fall, and we trekked toward the entrance of the store as the wind and ice thrashed against us. People ran frantically through the store as if they were preparing for an invasion. I laughed internally at the sight. I wanted to tell them it was just ice and snow — not a zombie takeover.

“So, what do you like to eat?” Lexi pushed the cart, seemingly unaffected by the rush of people. One thing I loved about her was her calm, collective attitude. She didn’t get her panties in a wad or get flustered about life. It sure kept me calm.

“I’m not picky.” I grabbed a few boxes of macaroni. I didn’t want to impose my strict diet on her, so I decided to cheat, just a little. “What about you?”

“I’m easy.”

I laughed. Her words were impeccable at times. They gave me an open door for teasing her. “No, you’re really not, Lexi.”

She frowned, realizing what she had said. “Okay, I get it.”

She slugged me and I gripped my arm, stumbling to the side. “Please don’t beat me up,” I whined.

She pressed her lips together, and then blurted, “And please don’t disappoint me.” Her voice was heavy and I wasn’t sure what I had done or said to make her react that way. Not waiting for me, she took off with the cart down the aisle.

I dropped the playful tone and shifted to a more serious one. “Hey, what’s wrong?” I placed my hands on her shoulders and tried to get her to look at me. She refused, keeping her face buried in the meat counter.

Her hands shuffled through the cellophane wrapped packages. “I like spaghetti.” Tears seeped from her eyes, landing on the meat. “I can make spaghetti for dinner.” She quickly wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand.

I was stumped. I eased the packaged from her hand and turned her to face me. “Lexi, tell me what’s wrong? Why did you say that?”

Ignoring my question, she pivoted on her heels and zipped to the next cooler. The only thing I could think of was she was pissed about the car. The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint her. She fumbled through packages of chicken and then picked up one. “We can make grilled chicken one night.” She tossed the chicken breasts in the basket and started to take off.

“Lexi.” I raised my voice slightly, trying to get her attention while reaching for her arm.

She turned and faced me, tears streaming down her blotched face. “I’m sorry,” she said, wrapping her arms around her body.

“It’s okay.” Several people stared at us and I shot them a dirty look. I’m sure they’d seen a woman cry before — I mean, come on! Taking her hand, I guided her away from the open area to a side aisle. I hated seeing her upset — especially when I was to blame. “But that doesn’t answer my question.” I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly. I wanted to ease the worry, the fear, whatever was going through her head.

“I guess I started questioning whether I really know you. It scares me, that’s all.” Hearing those words scared me, too. With the pads of my thumb, I wiped away her tears, wishing I could take away all her concerns. I’d done everything to make her feel safe, shared private parts of my life with her, and allowed her to get to know me. Of course there were things I hadn’t told her, but I wasn’t sure she wanted to know some of those. What had I done wrong?

“Lexi, when I told you that I’d never hurt you, I meant it. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, but you might not like what you hear.” I lowered my voice and leaned closer. “I have done some bad things that I’m anxious to leave behind. Like I told you, being with you makes me want to do everything right. Makes me want to prove that I’m worthy of a girl like you.”

“Oh, Raven. I’m not that special.” Her eyes lowered.

“Yes, you are.” I lifted her chin. “And I think you might be able to help me. That is, if you want to.”

All the doubts about her being able to handle my issues clouded my mind. I still wasn’t confident she could do it. Lexi was a strong, confident woman, but her innocence and lack of experience made it hard for her to understand what I faced on a daily basis. Despite all of that, she had a gusto that shined bright, telling me she could weather my storms.

“Of course I want to. I’ll go anywhere for you,
do
anything for you. As long as I can be with you.” Her words wrapped around my heart, giving me a new inspiration to try my damnedest not to disappoint her.

Lexi was a part of me.

A part I didn’t want to be without.

A part I needed to survive.

“Good, because that’s all I want.” I smiled and kissed away the tears staining her cheeks.

She took a deep breath and sighed. “We’re going to rewrite your story. It might be painful and hard, but if you allow me to help you, I know we can do it.”