by CM Doporto
Σ
Chapter 14
The sound of a text message from my phone woke me. With sleepy eyes, I looked at Raven. His hair was a disheveled mess from my fingers raking through it most of the night and he breathed heavily, on the edge of snoring. The covers draped below his bare chest and I seriously considered snapping a picture of him. I had to be the luckiest girl in the world.
I never thought sleeping next to someone you cared for would be so restful. His presence brought a calmness that settled every concern and released every worry. I felt so connected to him and I prayed our time together would never end. It was magical and unbelievable, and I thanked God for bringing us together.
Glancing at my phone, I saw that it was a text from Luke.
Luke: Mom is freaking out and driving me crazy. You had better get your ass home as soon as the roads clear up.
My mom knew how to ruin a good thing.
Me: What’s she saying?
I waited patiently for Luke to reply. It took a long minute before I received his message.
Luke: She wants to know who you’re staying with and so does Dad.
Me: Please tell me you didn’t tell them!
I watched my phone, hoping that my brother hadn’t revealed to my parents that I was with Raven. I knew they wouldn’t be ready to accept the fact that I had moved on from Collin, and he would no longer part of my life.
Luke: Damn, give me some credit. I told them I didn’t know anything.
I released the tight hold of air in my lungs and sighed.
Me: Thank you. I didn’t mean to put you in the middle of this, but I guess there’s nothing I can do about it now.
Luke: Whatever. It’s between you and them. Later.
My natural tendency was to continue questioning Luke and find out exactly what my parents were asking, but I knew that would only aggravate him. Instead of texting him back, I checked the weather app on my phone for the latest report. The high was only twenty-five degrees with continual snow showers scattered throughout the day.
I eased out of the bed, careful not to wake Raven, and walked to the window. I opened the blinds and the bright light filtered in, casting a peaceful glow in the room. Outside had been transformed into a winter wonderland. Snow covered the ground, cars, and rooftops of the apartments, making it look like a tiny village in a snow globe. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I couldn’t remember the last time north Texas had seen a winter storm like this.
Raven let out a yawn and I closed the blinds. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.” I sat on the edge of the bed next to him.
“It’s okay.” He blinked a few times and stretched. It was a sight I would never get tired of. Ever. “As long as you’re the one waking me up, I don’t mind.” Picking up my hand, he placed a gentle kiss on the top of it.
“Did you sleep well?”
“I’ve never slept better.” He rested his arms behind his head. “What about you?”
With every breath he took, the ripples on his stomach moved like the waves in the ocean and I felt my body being pulled in. Damn, he was so freakin’ hot.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sleep alone again.” I laid against his chest and allowed the subtle movements to relax me. The warmth of his body eased the chill over my skin and I snuggled closer to him.
“Me either.” He lowered a hand to my back and stroked my hair in long, slow strides. The brown in his eyes softened and the green sparkled as our gazes connected. “In fact, I could really get use to this.”
My heart skipped a beat as I clung to each and every word he spoke. Raven knew how to say all the right things leaving me, the English professional, wordless, once again. I knew the weather would eventually clear up and I’d have to go home, but I ignored the obvious fact that would come to pass and cherished the moment.
“Me, too.” I allowed my finger to trail up the curve of his tattoo until I reached his shoulder. With the tip of my fingernail, I traced a few of the black birds that scattered along his skin. I felt his body shudder at my touch and a small moan escaped his lips. “I love being here with you, but eventually I’ll have to go home.”
“No you don’t.” He blinked his sleepy eyes at me. “You can stay here with me as long as you want.”
“Yeah, right.” My finger stopped as I thought about what he said.
“I’m serious.” He pulled me closer, holding me tightly in his clutches. “Now that I finally have you here, in my space, I’m not letting you leave.”
A laugh escaped because he sounded so serious yet desperate at the same time. “So, you’re going to keep me here?” I stared deep into the center of his beautiful eyes. I had to know his true motive. “Like some kind of sex slave?”
“What?” Raven’s chest collapsed as he sighed heavily. Disappointment filled his eyes and I knew I had said the wrong thing. “Lexi, that’s not why I want you here.”
Damn!
My alter ego really hoped that was what he wanted, while the practical side hoped there was more to it.
“Sorry.” I shifted within his embrace, but he didn’t release me.
He kept his gaze steady on me. “Don’t get me wrong, the sex has been great, but I really like spending all of my time with you.” He rubbed my arms in slow, caressing strokes. Chills dotted my skin and I was totally shackled in his embrace. “I feel so close to you and I like it.” His mouth parted and he rolled his tongue against his lips, wetting them. I was such a victim for his affection. “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, Lexi Thompson, but you totally latched me for good.”
My heart lifted and then exploded into thousands of tiny hearts with wings. They took flight, making my entire body feel as light as a feather. “And you’ve totally locked me in The Raven’s trap.” My hands dropped to his cheeks and I cupped his face. “And there’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
“Good.” He smiled. “So, you’re going to stay here with me?”
I gave him a quick kiss on the lips and then released my hands from his face. “Maybe,” I teased, even though it was what I wanted more than anything. If I eagerly agreed, I knew I’d be just another one of his hoes.
He twisted his lips and a frown formed across his face. “Damn. What do I have to do to convince you to stay?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“What’s today?”
“Tuesday, I think. Why?”
Raven counted on his fingers, throwing out days and dates. “I think we have eight days until Christmas, if I have my dates correct. Stay here with me until Christmas Eve. I’ll take you home so you can be with your family and then I’ll pick you up Christmas day. We’ll spend the week together and then we can bring the New Year in the right way.”
A flutter danced through my stomach and swelled inside of me. Was Raven unofficially asking me to move in with him? I averted the question I really wanted to know and instead, focused in the next enticing suggestion. “And what’s the right way?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.” Raven’s eyes deepened with intent and his voice was full and resonant. He was definitely serious and I couldn’t wait to see what that night would hold.
“Sounds exciting.” I raised a brow. “Then I can go back to the dorms once they reopen,” I casually commented, wondering what he would say.
“If you want, or you can just sleep with me every night.” He waggled his brows at me and my heart stuttered.
Holy shit!
“Raven.” A throaty laugh escaped from me. “And what will Josh say?”
He shrugged. “Hell, I don’t care. Shelby practically lives here.”
“He won’t mind?”
“I doubt it.”
I was really considering his offer, so much so, that I said, “Okay.”
“Then, it’s settled. I’ll take you home in a couple of days, unless you’d rather wake up in my arms every day.”
“Don’t tempt me.” I ran my hands along his chest in a slow, sensual manner, squeezing his p
ecs simultaneously. “Because I don’t mind skipping Christmas this year, if it means I can be with you.”
“That’s what I thought,” he laughed. “What did the weather do last night?”
“It’s beautiful outside. Snow everywhere.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Go look out the window.” I lifted off him, even though I didn’t want to.
Raven threw the covers off and got out of bed. His boxer briefs clung to his skin and his butt cheeks squeezed with every stride he took. He peered out the window and said, “When’s the last time you played in the snow?”
“I don’t know.” I approached him and peeked over his shoulder. “I’ve never seen snow like this in Texas.”
“Me either.” He wrapped his arms around me. “Let’s go play in the snow, baby.”
“Sounds fun.”
Raven and I ate a bowl of oatmeal and then got dressed, layering our clothes to protect us from the elements. We trekked down the icy stairs and walked to the front of the apartment complex. Several inches of white, fluffy powder covered the ground, trees, and shrubs. Everything else was capped with a white covering, making the world outside monochromatic. An eerie silence filled the air and it seemed like the entire city had vanished due to the storm. The roads were desolate, making it difficult to tell where the curb ended and the street started.
“It’s so beautiful.” The snow crunched beneath my boots, but I knew underneath the beautiful covering was the treacherous ice.
“I feel like we’re in Colorado, even though I’ve never been there.” Puffs of white smoke filtered from Raven’s mouth as he spoke. The air was cold but since there was no breeze, the dry coldness made it more tolerable.
“I’ve been a few times, since that’s where my parents prefer to vacation. It’s somewhat like this, except there’s a lot more snow and people. Everyone is headed to the slopes to take advantage of what the latest storm has left behind. Not hiding inside, like everyone is here.”
“Hey, there are some people over there.” Raven pointed to the small park area at the end of the street.
“Wanna walk over there?”
“Yeah, let’s go check it out.”
We walked down the street, treading carefully along the pavement area to Bluebonnet Circle Park. A couple of guys were having a snowball fight with some girls and from what I could tell, the girls were winning. A family was on the other side, building a snowman, but having trouble with the head.
I passed a few trees to an open area. Small dunes of snow piled along the outer wall that encompassed the park. “Wow, there’s more snow over here. That’s weird.”
“Maybe because there aren’t any buildings?” Raven queried.
“Possibly.” I surveyed the area, noting the huge icicles that hung from the trees. They looked like daggers and I made a mental note not to walk underneath them.
I lunged forward when I felt something hit me in the back. Snow splattered to the sides of me and I heard Raven laugh. I turned around, somewhat shocked. “Did you just peg me with a snowball?”
He whistled like a bird as he stared off into the trees. I quickly scooped a handful of snow and made a tight ball. I pounded it against my palms as my fingers pressed it into a perfect weapon.
“You wouldn’t.” He stood with his feet spread and his hands on his hips, with no visible fear
I cocked my head to the side and huffed. He may have been used to taking hits from his fellow teammates or opponents, but I was neither. The cockiness was a little much and I felt certain that I needed to quickly remind him that he wasn’t invincible. Recalling how he showed me the proper way to throw a ball, I retracted my arm and flung the snowball, hitting him square in the chest.
“That’s it.” His eyes widened and his nostrils flared. “You’ve done it now!”
I screamed when Raven came barreling toward me. I tried to run from him, but it was nearly impossible with my boots sinking into the snow. His arms wrapped tightly around my waist as he tackled me to the ground. We hit the soft snow, but he managed to keep me on top of him, protecting me from his weight and the ground. I felt like his special football that he shielded with all of his ability.
I was totally enamored with his love.
“Are you okay?” He gathered the strands of hair that stuck to my face and tucked them behind my ear.
“Yes.” I took a deep breath, trying to steady my erratic heart. “I just didn’t expect you to tackle me.”
“Let’s do it again. That was fun.” Raven tried to get up but I shoved him to the ground.
“What?” I grabbed the edge of his knitted cap and pulled it over his eyes. “Fun for you, maybe.”
He laughed hard and I got off him. I crossed my arms and pouted. I really wasn’t that upset, but I wanted to give him a hard time. Readjusting his hat, he said, “Oh, baby, don’t be mad. I just want to have a little fun with you.”
I lowered my arms, unable to hold the fake expression any longer. Raven was just too irresistible. “Then let’s do a something more my style.”
“What’s that?” he said, standing and shaking the snow from his body.
Grabbing his hand, I pulled him to the ground. “Make snow angels.”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh, lord.”
Raven and I goofed off for about thirty minutes making snow angels, snow monsters, and various non-existing creatures. We threw a couple of snowballs at each other and attempted to make a horned frog, even though it looked more like a fat cat lying in the snow.
I held my hands up to my mouth and breathed hot air on them. The coldness had made them go numb.
“Are you ready to go?”
Nodding my head, I said, “Yes.”
“Then let’s go.” He extended his hand and helped me stand. “Hey, look, the donut shop is open. Want something hot to drink?”
“Sure, that sounds good.” We crossed the street to the shopping strip. Raven’s eyes lit up when he saw the door to the comic book store open and a guy walk out. “Do you want to go?”
“Yeah, I need to get my latest issues.”
“I can’t believe you read comic books.”
Raven opened the door to the donut shop and I walked in. “That’s why I never read my assigned books.”
“Aww, so the truth finally comes out.” I snickered.
“What can I say?” He shrugged. “Comic books are more fun to read than Booker T. Washington.”
“I guess it depends on what you like to read, but I won’t argue with you on that one.”
After buying two cups of hot chocolate, we headed next door. To my surprise, a few people were shopping, even though there were no cars parked outside. I figured they had walked there like we had. A table top Christmas tree decorated in Star Wars figures immediately caught our attention.
“Wow, this is cool.” Raven tapped a mini figure of Chewbacca.
“It sure is,” I said, showing him a Princess Leia figure.
“I think we should buy it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, we need one for the apartment.” He did a quick sweep, checking all the figures. “It’s not Christmas, unless you have a tree.”
The guy behind the counter greeted us and by the handshake he and Raven exchanged, I knew Raven frequented the place.
“I didn’t think the store would be open today.” Raven leaned over the counter, strumming his fingers against the glass.
The guy pulled out a stack of comics and handed them to Raven. “Since I live in the apartment’s right behind here, I was able to walk to work.”
“Really?” Raven flipped through the stacks of books. “What building are you in?”
“Building four.” The guy took a sip from an oversized coffee mug that was the head of Spock from Star Trek.
“I’m in building two.”
“Kick ass.”
Raven motioned with his head. “How much for the tree?”
“Seventy-five bucks.”
“Does tha
t include the ornaments?”
“Yep.”
“I’ll take it.”
“Alright.” The guy walked to the small tree and took it to the counter. He continued talking to Raven while he removed the ornaments and wrapped them for us.
I looked around at all the cool stuff I knew my dad would love. They had a variety of action figures and my eyes zeroed in on the Walking Dead figures that my dad had recently started collecting. I quickly spotted a figure of Daryl on his motorcycle and knew that my dad had been searching for it on Amazon. The price seemed reasonable so I decided to buy it for him for Christmas. Then, my mind drifted to what I should buy Raven. I hadn’t even thought about buying presents since I’d been so caught up in spending time with him. With Christmas eight days away, I needed to think of something.
I casually neared Raven to see if I could hear him saying anything about something he wanted when two guys walked in.
“Woot! Woot! The Raven is in the house,” a large guy with dreadlocks ranted and I quickly recognized his face. He was one of the guys that had entered the taco restaurant when Macy had decided to interrupt our conversation.
“What’s up?” Raven fist bumped both guys and I knew they played football for the university. I kept a discrete distance behind one of the aisles, listening to their conversation.
“Damn remote broke to my Xbox. Thought I’d stop by and see if they had one.” The guy ran his hand over his short buzz cut and I noticed the diamond rings on his fingers.
The guy behind the counter smiled. “You’re in luck, Jared. We got a few last week.”
Jared made a fist and pumped his arm in a backward motion. “Yes.”
“Good. Now we don’t have to take turns like little kids,” the larger guy added. “Rimmy, when does Halo: Spartan Assault come out?”
“December twenty-fourth,” the clerk answered.
