Big Box Of New Adult Romance

by Kelly Favor

  All he had was peanut butter and jelly.

  “Right,” he said, slamming the door. “We’ll order lunch.” He produced a bunch of menus out of a drawer and set them down in front of her. “What do you like? Thai?

  Greek? Chinese?”

  She shrugged.

  “Oh, God,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls who doesn’t eat.”

  “I eat!”

  “Okay,” he said, sitting down next to her on the couch. He fanned the menus out on the table in front of her. “Then what do you want?”

  She wasn’t hungry. But she didn’t want him to think she was one of those girls who “took care of herself.” So she grabbed the Chinese menu. “Chicken with broccoli, spring rolls, and pork fried rice.”

  Reid nodded his approval. “Good.”

  He went to place the order, then came back into the living room with a pillow and a blanket, which he put down on the couch.

  “Who are those for?” she asked.

  “For you.” He spread the blanket down on the couch and then fluffed the pillow.

  “Lay down.”

  She just sat there.

  “What’s wrong?” he demanded.

  “Nothing, it’s just…it’s kind of weird to be laying down in front of someone.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know.” She shifted on the couch. “I mean, I hardly know you. And now you want me to lay down on your couch? “ It was a little strange.

  “It’s not just my couch,” he said. “You live here too, now.”

  “Yeah, but still.” She reached out and fingered the pillow. It was covered in a crisp white pillowcase that felt cool and soft to the touch. “I just met you.”

  “Trust me,” he said, grinning. “You won’t be the first girl to be laying on the couch right after she met me.”

  She stared at him blankly. “I guess that’s supposed to be a joke.”

  “Yeah. It’s a joke.”

  But she knew it wasn’t. He might have been trying to be funny, but obviously he’d had many women here. If he wasn’t taking care of her, she would hate him. Hell, she kind of hated him anyway.

  “Lay down,” he said again.

  “I’m fine.” But she was settling back into the couch. He draped the blanket over her, and she leaned her head back against the pillow. It was soft and luxurious, and for a quick moment, she closed her eyes.

  The buzzer rang from downstairs. “It must be the food,” Reid said. He hit the button and told the doorman to let the person up.

  “Do you always do that?” she asked, raising her head.

  “Always do what?”

  “Just let people up when you don’t know who they are.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that you didn’t even bother to ask who it was.” One of the reasons Alexis had taken this apartment was because Jack had assured her there was a doorman at this building. It added an extra layer of security and protection that she needed.

  Reid frowned, like he didn’t understand. “But I just ordered food.”

  “Yes, but how did you know it was the food? It could be an intruder or something!”

  He laughed. “Hilarious.”

  There was a knock on the door, and he crossed the room and opened it. Sure enough, it was the delivery guy. Reid paid him and brought the food into the living room.

  “How much do I owe you?” Alexis asked, propping herself up on the pillow behind her. She readjusted the blanket over her body. How was it that he had such nice things? This blanket was way too cozy to exist in a man’s apartment.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Reid was in the kitchen now, gathering up plates and utensils.

  “Thanks.” Usually she would have protested, but since she hardly had any money, she’d allow him to pay for her. Just this once.

  He came back and loaded her plate up with Chinese food. Then he picked the remote up from the coffee table.

  “Do you mind if we watch the game?” he asked. “I DVR’d it last night, and I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet.”

  Alexis shrugged. “It’s your house.”

  He turned the game on. Baseball. Great. Out of all the sports, baseball was her least favorite. Not that she was all that interested in any sport, but she could at least get into a good basketball game if she had to. Baseball was so boring. It took hours and hours, and most of it was just the players standing around. Plus if one team was up by a few runs, there was no sense in really even watching the last few innings. At least in basketball, you felt like anything could happen.

  Fifteen minutes later, Reid was completely absorbed in the game. He kept yelling things at the television, like, “Oh, come on!” and “He was safe!”

  “So you’re a Yankee fan, I take it?” Alexis asked. She pushed a piece of rice around her plate.

  “Of course.” He looked at her, a piece of moo shu pork on his chopsticks.

  “You?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t follow baseball.”

  “Well, now that you live in New York, you’re going to have to decide.”

  “Decide?”

  “Yeah. Are you a Yankees fan or a Mets fan?”

  She shook her head. “What’s the difference?”

  He sighed, like her question pained him. And then, before he could answer her, there was another buzz from the intercom. “Hold that thought,” he said and crossed the room. He pushed the button, then glanced at her and made a big show of saying, “Who is it?”

  “Someone’s here to see Alexis,” the doorman answered. “Shall I send him up?”

  Reid looked at her, and Alexis’s blood ran cold. She couldn’t speak. That same feeling that had come over her on the street flowed through her again, and the room felt like it was spinning.

  She became dimly aware of Reid looking at her, asking her if she’d invited someone over.

  “Alexis?” he asked. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said. Or at least, she thought she said it. She suddenly felt completely disconnected from her body, almost like she was watching herself in a movie or on television.

  “Alexis?” Reid crossed the room. “You’re pale,” he said, looking at her with concern. “Are you having another panic attack?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. She felt dizzy, and her fingers were numb.

  “Here,” he said, sitting down next to her. “Put your head between your legs.”

  She did as she was told.

  “Just take deep breaths,” he said. He had his arm around her shoulders, his hand holding hers.

  She kept breathing until she felt her heart starting to slow.

  “That’s it,” he said, rubbing her back. “Nice and slow.”

  The buzzer rang again.

  Reid looked at her. “I’m guessing that whoever that is,” he said, “you don’t want me to let them in.”

  She shook her head. “No,” she said. “I don’t.”

  Cha p t e r F o u r

  Reid looked at Alexis, sitting there next to him on the couch. She seemed so small and vulnerable. His heart clenched as he remembered the look of fear that had crossed her face when she realized she was having another panic attack.

  He wanted to push her on who, exactly, was downstairs, but he had a feeling she didn’t want to talk about it.

  So he got up and crossed to the intercom, and said, “Send them away, Charlie.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Thank you,” Alexis said. The color was returning to her face now, and her hands weren’t shaking anymore.

  He sat back down next to her. “You’re welcome.”

  They sat in silence for a moment.

  “Do you want something to drink?” Reid asked. “I could make you a coffee or a tea.”

  She looked at him incredulously. “You have coffee and tea?”

  “Yeah.” He grinned at her, deciding to lighten the mood. “I keep it on hand for when I bring women
over.”

  She shook her head and gave him a look like she couldn’t believe what a pig he was. For some reason, even though he’d made the joke, it bothered him. He liked it better when she’d been looking at him with thanks and adoration.

  It was an uncomfortable feeling, realizing that he craved her approval. He didn’t even know this girl. Why would he give a shit what she thought about him? He headed to the kitchen and brewed her a decaf coffee, which she flavored with cream and about five sugars.

  He watched her as she drank. The baseball game was still on in the background, but he’d completely forgotten about it. He knew she probably didn’t want to talk about what was going on, but had the right to know. There was obviously someone she didn’t want to see, someone who knew she was at his apartment.

  “Alexis – ” Reid started gently.

  But she cut him off. “So about this Yankees-Mets thing…”

  “Alexis.”

  She looked down at the cup in front of her and wrapped her hands around the mug. She shivered a little bit and took a slow sip. “Fine,” she said, looking at him. Her blue eyes were dark. “I’m running from something.”

  He nodded. “Something? Or someone?”

  “Someone.”

  “An ex-boyfriend?”

  She nodded.

  “Okay.” This, he could accept. Ex-boyfriends didn’t worry him. Reid had a lot of experience with crazy ex-boyfriends. One time a girl he’d brought home from a bar had to call the police because her ex-boyfriend showed up at his apartment.

  Ex-boyfriends could be handled with fists and if it came down to it, law enforcement. It was much better than drugs or money laundering or anything like that.

  “So what’s the deal?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Alexis.” He sat back down on the couch. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”

  She shook her head. “Look,” she said, “if you don’t want me to stay here, that’s fine. I can find somewhere else to go.”

  “What?” He frowned. “Who said anything about you leaving?”

  “Well, obviously you’re all concerned about my personal life.”

  “Of course I’m concerned about your personal life when you’re staying in my apartment.” He realized he was raising his voice, and he shook his head and took a deep breath. “Look, you obviously have a lot going on – ”

  “A lot going on that’s none of your business.” She said it quietly, like as long as she wasn’t being loud, it wasn’t a rude thing to say.

  “None of my business?” he asked, looking at her incredulously. “You show up on my doorstep, out of nowhere, and I let you stay here. Then, you have a panic attack that obviously has something to do with an ex-boyfriend who’s showing up at my building, and you’re saying it’s none of my business?”

  “I don’t need your help,” she said. “And I don’t need for you to feel sorry for me.”

  “How can I feel sorry for you when I don’t even know what the hell’s going on?”

  Reid’s cell phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out. It was work. He sighed.

  “Hold on a second,” he told her. “I’ll be right back.” He took a few steps into the hallway and answered the call.

  “Reid Lawson,” he said.

  “Hey, Reid!” It was Richard Mueller. He sounded suspiciously upbeat.

  “What is it, Richard?” Reid’s patience was already wearing thin. The last thing he needed was some bullshit work problem coming up.

  “Sorry to bother you at home,” Richard said, not sounding like he meant it. “I know you’ve had some kind of, ah, personal problem.” He said ‘personal problem’ like it was something only weak people had to deal with. “But I wanted to let you know that we’ve spoken to Taylor at Vista Collection.”

  “You’ve what?” No one was supposed to talk to the client without Reid there.

  “We talked to the client. They called, and since you weren’t around….we just assumed it would be okay.”

  It was bullshit. Of course Richard didn’t think it was okay. But he’d done it anyway, probably in an effort to undermine something Reid had done. And sure enough, Richard said, “I told them the direction we were going in, and they seemed a little concerned. They’ve requested a meeting with us.”

  Reid closed his eyes. What. The. Fuck. One of his biggest rules was that you never, ever told the client anything about campaigns that were in progress. Sometimes the campaigns simply weren’t ready to be talked about. Sometimes the client needed to see the visual before they could understand the concept. And sometimes you just didn’t want to tip your hand, because the client could inadvertently let something slip to another agency.

  Reid didn’t say anything for a moment, and neither did Richard. Reid realized Richard was waiting for him to go ballistic. But he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

  “Great,” Reid said brightly. “When are they going to be in the city?”

  “They’re not coming to the city,” Richard said, savoring the bombshell he was about to drop. “We have to go to them.”

  “In Tampa?”

  “Yes,” Richard said. “In Tampa. I checked the calendar, and it seems like the only time that works for everyone is tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Yes. And the client had an opening then, too. Isn’t that fortuitous?”

  Reid had the sudden urge to punch Richard in the face – there were lots of reasons for this, not the least of which was the fact that Richard thought it was okay to use the word “fortuitous.”

  “That’s extremely fucking fortuitous,” Reid said.

  There was a pause. “Of course, if you can’t make it because of your personal situation, then I’d be happy to –”

  “Oh, I’ll be there,” Reid said. “Tell Grace to book me on the earliest flight possible.”

  “Wonderful!” Richard said, sounding like he thought it was anything but.

  Reid hung up on him without saying goodbye.

  He turned back to Alexis.

  Her head was resting on the pillow, her eyes closed, her breathing deep and steady.

  She’d fallen asleep.

  ***

  Alexis was dreaming.

  In the dream, she was back in Philadelphia, in her apartment, running down a hallway. But it wasn’t the actual hallway that had been in her apartment – this was a different hallway. It looked like something from a funhouse. The walls were covered with mirrors. She kept running and running, but the hall didn’t end. There were big, heavy oak doors every few feet, and she could hear voices behind each one, taunting her, telling her to come in. And then a shadow overcame her, and she felt a hand on her shoulder.

  “Hello, Alexis,” a voice whispered. “Let me take you to my room.”

  She woke up, her heart pounding, her t-shirt soaked with sweat. It took her a moment to figure out where she was. In New York. At Reid’s apartment. On the couch.

  She glanced at the clock. It was nine o’clock at night. She must have slept all day.

  He’d left a light on for her in the kitchen. She threw the blanket off and headed for the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face and stared at herself in the mirror, surprised at how out of it she looked. There were dark circles under her eyes, her hair hung in clumps around her shoulders, and her skin was blotchy. God, she was a mess. And it wasn’t just her physical appearance, either. It was her whole entire life.

  There was a knock on the bathroom door.

  Alexis took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened it.

  Reid stood in the hallway, wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a navy t-shirt that hugged his broad shoulders. His hair was rumpled, and the stubble on his chin had grown since this morning.

  “I thought I heard you,” he said.

  “Oh.” She swallowed. “Sorry. I was trying to be quiet.”

  “Oh, you didn’t wake me.” He held up the notebook he was holdin
g. “I’m trying to get some work done for a meeting tomorrow.”

  “Oh. Okay.” She stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do. It was weird being in someone’s bathroom at night. Especially a man she didn’t really know. She prayed he wasn’t going to ask her about what happened earlier. She wasn’t ready to talk about it.

  Not with him. Not with anyone, really.

  “So, listen,” Reid said.

  “Reid, please don’t ask me about what’s going on. I… I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “I wasn’t going to.” He shook his head. “Whatever’s going on is your business.”

  “Thanks.”

  “But I wanted to let you know that I’m going to be leaving tomorrow.”

  “Leaving?”

  “Yes. I’m going to Florida for a work trip.”

  Her heart sped up. She was going to be alone, in the apartment? The thought terrified her. Leo was here, in New York. She was sure of it. Who else would have been down there, at the door, looking for her?

  “Okay,” she said. “Thanks for letting me know.” She went to push past Reid and into her room, but he stepped in front of her. She was so close to him she could smell his cologne. It was something musky and manly, and her body flooded with a delicious warmth. He didn’t make a move to step back, just stood there, like he didn’t care that he was standing so close to her.

  She could see the smooth outline of his jaw, the curve of his brow, and the tiny nick right above his lip where he must have cut himself shaving.

  “Are you going to be okay here alone?” Reid asked. His eyes were on hers, dark and serious.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said. His closeness was unnerving. She wanted to take a step back, but she didn’t want him to think he was having an effect on her. Besides, there was nowhere to go.

  “Are you sure? Because you didn’t seem fine earlier.”

  She swallowed. Her heart was hammering in her chest. “I don’t… I mean, yes, I’m going to be fine.”

  “Alexis.” The way he said her name set her on fire. It was so full of concern, so full of caring. She looked away. No. He doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t even know you. He’s just a guy who you happen to be staying with. He feels sorry for you. He thinks you’re some kind of damaged flower, some kind of girl with a bad past and lots of secrets. He probably has some fucked up fantasy about saving you, about taking you away from all of this. And once he realizes he can’t do that, he’ll get bored.