Brice (Raven Family)

Chapter Six

I woke up disoriented and felt around, trying to get my bearings. When my hands encountered soft, feminine flesh, I relaxed. This was familiar to me. Waking up beside an unknown women was the norm for a guy like me. A soft, sleepy voice suddenly bounced off the walls, clearing my brain of any lingering sleep fog, "Brice, what are you doing?"

My eyes flew open and I found myself laying, face-to-face, with Lillian Salem. My hands, I realized, were cupping her small breasts. Huh, I thought, I'd never been a fan of small breasts, but I was suddenly changing my mind. I quickly lifted them and gave her a sheepish look, "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep and when I woke up, I was feeling around, trying to remember where I was."

"It's ok." She blushed. "It, um, didn't...feel bad."

I raised an eyebrow, "Want me to do it again?"

Lily suddenly sat up, "Um, I...uh..."

I slowly sat up, as well, "Lily, relax. I was mostly teasing. Although, if you ever feel the need for someone to fondle your boobs, I'm your man."

"I'm sure mine can't compete with the boobs you're used to." She said, blushing, and I couldn't believe we were talking about her boobs.

I smirked and teased, "I'd have to see them naked, before I could really make any kind of comparison."

"Nobody has seen me naked before." Lily admitted.

Why would she tell me that? She was practically daring me to take this a step further? Didn't she realize who she was dealing with? I was a professional at talking girls out of their clothing, but this was Lily. I needed to keep reminding myself of that. She wasn't like the girls I usually hung out with. Lily was sweet and innocent, with morels. Did I really want to taint her with my filthy lifestyle? She was made to be a wife and mother. I was made to avoid those types of women. So the fact that I was here right now, was just plain wrong.

Scrambling, I crawled off her bed, "I, uh, should get going."

Lily dipped her head, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, God Lily, no. It's me. I'm one fucked up individual and you shouldn't be spending time with a guy like me. I'm nothing but bad news. I never should have come here." I tell her and leave her bedroom, heading for the exit.

I heard Lily hurry after me and she asked, "What if I think you're wrong?"

I stopped, unsure why, but stopped nonetheless. I closed my eyes, not bothering to turn around to face her, as I asked, "What am I wrong about?"

"You're not bad news. You're a decent human being. Whether you believe that or not is up to you. I think I need to spend time with a guy like you. This conversation right here is the most exciting chat I've had in my entire life. How sad is that? So, yes, my life needs to be shaken up a little and I think that you..."

I whirled around, grabbed her, stopping her ranting by pulling her body flush against me. I could tell that I'd startled her, but she didn't appear to be scared of me. Shaking my head, unsure what the hell I thought I was doing, I lowered my head and slanted my mouth across hers. I wasn't sure how it came to this. When I'd come over here, I had zero intention of spending several hours in her bed and I really hadn't planned on kissing her, but now that I was, I never wanted to stop. Her lips were so soft and inviting. I teased them with my tongue, causing her to open with a gasp, and I plunged inside. I knew I shouldn't be doing this, but the devil on my shoulder kept telling me that it felt too good to stop.

"Whoa..."

Begrudgingly, I lifted my head at the interruption and glared at Lily's roommate. Julie's hair was blue this time, she wore a spiked collar around her neck, a leather mini-skirt, knee high boots, and a transparent top, with a blue bra underneath. I shook my head. How had this girl become friends with the one in my arms? They were like night and day. I guess the same could be said for Lily and me. She was pure as a fresh snow and I was dirtied beyond repair.

Lily gently pushed against my chest, so I reluctantly released her and watched as she faced her roommate. "Are you just getting home, Jules?"

Julie's eyes snapped back and forth between Lily and I, but she finally said, "Yes and don't give me another damned lecture, alright?"

Lily shrugged and gritted her teeth, "Fine."

"Fine." Julie snapped, went down the hall, and a second alter slammed her bedroom door.

I raised an eyebrow, "Well, that was...interesting."

Lily blushed, "Julie is...eccentric."

I nodded, "I can see that, but I wasn't talking about your roommate. I was talking about that kiss."

"Uh, yes, it was...um..." Lily blushed intensified.

She was so damned cute, I found myself grinning and asked, "Want to try it again?"

"Uh, look, Brice. What I said before still stands. I can't be the type of girl you want. I won't sleep with you." She said, sounding a little stronger in her conviction.

I rolled my eyes, "Babe, we're talking about kissing here. I didn't ask you to strip for me. I mean, yes, I suppose sometimes kissing does lead to other things, but you should trust me not to take things too far."

"Brice Raven, stopping at just a few kisses, yea right." Lily snorted, which should have sounded very unladylike, but from Lily I somehow found it adorable.

I was getting tired of her judging me poorly though. Alright, so she wasn't far off base, but I could be good when I needed to be and the bottom line was, she didn't trust me. I couldn't really blame her. She'd been through a traumatic experience, recently, and I shouldn't be pushing her like this. I really was the asshole she thought I was, I realized in despair. I sighed, "Do you think I'm a lost cause?"

Her eyes widened at the question, "You're asking me?"

I shrugged, "I'm too embarrassed to ask anyone else and, for some reason, I feel really comfortable around you. I feel like I could talk to you about anything, as crazy as that sounds."

"It doesn't sound crazy." Lily whispered, "It sounds nice."

If she didn't want to kiss me again, then I at least wanted to hold her. So before she could protest, I tugged her into my arms and held her against my chest. She was stiff at first, but once she realized I didn't plan on trying anything, she relaxed and laid her head against me. She smelled like some kind of tropical fruit and I wondered if it was her shampoo, body wash, or lotion. I suddenly wanted to know everything about this girl and that included her soap of choice.

I whispered, "Have you left your apartment since I brought you home from the hospital last week?"

"No."

"Lily, you can't remain cooped up forever. Why don't you go get dressed and I'll take you somewhere?"

"Where?" She asked, sounding suspicious.

"Don't worry, we won't be alone, but I should warn you about the guys. I have football practice in thirty minutes and I want you to come watch...that is...if you want to. I mean, I don't want to force you to do anything. I just thought that it would give you the chance at some fresh air and I—"

"Brice, relax. I would love to come watch your practice." Lily said and I found myself sharing a smile with her. It was a sweet smile that told me she had no ulterior motives toward me. I knew that over half the girls that came sniffing around only wanted to try to tie me down, because they knew I'd be a pro football star someday. I didn't know Lily well, but I could already tell she wasn't like that. Hell, she kept pushing me away and I think that's part of the reason why I found her so refreshing...so cute...and so damned sexy it almost hurt to look at her.