The Avoiding Series Boxset

by K. A. Linde

  But she knew it wasn’t that simple. Jack was terrified of commitment. He knew what could happen to a person if the relationship didn’t work, and he was rushing into this. He wouldn’t have slept with Lexi the night before the proposal if he didn’t have second thoughts. If he was so confident about Bekah, then why did he even jump in that cab with Lexi? Why did he have to try to make it right? Even if this had nothing to do with Lexi, which she tried to actually consider, shouldn’t he have been man enough to stick by his decision?

  The same thing repeated in her mind. He had made his choice. He had chosen Bekah.

  Yet here he was, one week before the big day, chickening out. Sure, Ramsey somehow convinced him that it was customary jitters, but how long would that last? Jack wasn’t exactly unfamiliar with rash decisions.

  She couldn’t even process all of this. She knew what he was capable of, but she wasn’t sure he would do it. He had been with Bekah for nearly two years before proposing, and then he had managed to stick it out for an entire year engagement with the witch. Why turn back now?

  It’s not like he was unaccustomed to long-term relationships, but he had never been faithful to a single person in his life. Danielle. Kate. Lexi. Bekah. Bekah wasn’t special in the grand scheme of things. She was just one person in a line of deception and infidelity. The fact that he managed to stay with any one person for a substantial length of time had more to do with the fact that he never got caught, rather than his utter devotion to the person. How could he be committed to anyone when he always had someone on the backburner?

  Now that Lexi had removed herself from that position, she wasn’t sure what would happen. She wasn’t sure if he had reverted back to his old ways, or if she was even the first person he had cheated on Bekah with. He might have been diddling his secretary or the receptionist for his apartment building for all she knew.

  Regardless, what she did know is that Jack was having second thoughts about Bekah. A part of her was jumping up and down with that news and not for a reason she expected. She wasn’t happy for herself. She was feeling more euphoric at the possibility that Bekah might get hurt.

  It was a terrible thought, but she couldn’t keep it back. Bekah deserved whatever was coming to her. Considering her upbringing, she must have been acting this way her entire life. As the baby of an incredibly wealthy family it only made sense that she was spoiled. What little discipline likely resulted from that lifestyle must have been snuffed out of her when she didn’t have to work for anything in her life, from her private school education paid for by Daddy, to the high end job in Bridges that she was given right after graduation.

  Not that it was an excuse that her parents had created a monster. Ramsey, after all, was relatively normal. He had bucked the parental guidance though. If he had stayed the course as Bekah had, would he be just another robot?

  This line of thought brought her back to Ramsey, as usual. Though things were complicated with Ramsey in ways that she didn’t even like to think about, she still had very strong feelings for him. And when he said not to think too much into Jack’s cold feet, she knew he meant something completely different. He meant don’t think about Jack. Don’t even consider Jack. Get Jack out of your mind once and for all. And most of all think about him. Think about what their future could be together and where that could lead them. Think about all the things he had given her that she had never even considered as an option with Jack.

  Knowing all that should have made it easier to not concern herself with Jack’s cold feet, but she would have been more secure knowing Jack’s feet were perfectly warm and content. That way she wouldn’t have had to think about anything other than what was going on between her and Ramsey.

  With all of that running through her mind, she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled back up at Ramsey. “Don’t worry. It’s not as if they are going to call off the wedding,” she said not even allowing herself to consider the option.

  “No, I don’t think so either,” Ramsey said eyeing her warily.

  “Then, we don’t even need to have this discussion,” she said, cutting off the conversation. She had more to think about than Jack’s cold feet. She knew she needed to figure out what she was doing with Ramsey first. Ramsey was the priority. He was the one she had been with for the last year, and the one that she had left in Atlanta for the past month without contact. She had needed time, and now that she had taken time, she wanted to know what was really going to happen between them…or if she just needed to leave Atlanta behind for good.

  “Anyway, where are Brad and Jason?” Lexi asked realizing for the first time that she hadn’t heard his roommates barreling through the apartment.

  “They moved out,” he told her.

  Her mouth dropped open. “What?”

  “Yeah,” he told her with a shrug. She noticed that for a split second his eyes seemed sad, but then it was gone.

  “Why would they move out?”

  “I just needed my space,” he told her vaguely.

  “But when did this happen? When did you decide?” she asked him unable to fathom the concept of him living alone. “I was here a month ago.”

  “The decision was made a little over a month ago. They left this week,” he told her.

  “So, you knew when I was here?” she asked him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “There was a lot going on,” he said looking at her pointedly. “I wanted to let you know, but then you were gone.”

  “So, we’re alone?” she questioned him, still attempting to comprehend the fact that she was here without the ever present disturbances, interruptions, and friendly banter that his roommates typically generated.

  His smile grew at her question. “We’re very alone right now,” he told her stepping closer into her personal space.

  She remembered the familiar dance they played in and out of her personal bubble and couldn’t keep a smile from creeping onto her face. A habitual trait that she had once so detested now made her giggle with shared memories. She hadn’t actually intended for her question to come out so guttural and deeply sexual, but when his green eyes gazed into her own she couldn’t help but feel desire for him creep up her body.

  Her lower half warmed as his eyes raked her body. He hadn’t even moved forward to touch her, but she could feel her lips parting in anticipation. She swallowed hard before releasing a quick pant at the sexual tension that was palpable between them.

  When his hand reached out and gently rested on her hipbone, she shuddered at the feel of him and took an involuntary step toward him. His hand did nothing more than stroke a circle into her exposed flesh, but she could feel that he wanted more. He desperately wanted more. And he wasn’t the only one.

  His other hand reached out and lightly tilted her chin up to him. She instinctively licked her lips as she continued to desirously gaze into his gorgeous face. His mouth came down upon her lips gently at first, testing the waters. After a few seconds of soft, gentle lip locks, his tongue darted in between her lips and met her own. As their kiss became more feverish, the hand that had been resting on her hip, gripped her waist, and pulled her flush against his chest. Lexi’s arms moved up and around his neck, holding onto him as she allowed him to kiss the breath out of her.

  Warning signs should have been going off that she needed to slow down. She had just been thinking about the potential consequences of Jack’s cold feet. Her mind was still addled with what she had to go through with Ramsey to determine if they could rectify their relationship. Not to mention the fact that she had been talking to her Mystery Man and wishing she was back in New York only moments before. Her life was so complicated and all she wanted to do was enjoy this moment.

  It was so nice just to feel Ramsey’s lips press against her own and feel his rock hard body so close. His hand moved from her face down to her hip. He trailed his thumb along the inside of her shorts, and she shivered at his encouraging touch. When he reached the button on her pants, he expertly pulled it free of
its enclosure before pushing the zipper down. She gasped against his mouth when he hooked his finger under the elastic of her thong and snapped the fabric gently back against her skin.

  Enjoying his teasing caresses a bit too much, she nipped at his bottom lip. Taking that as encouragement, he reached his hands back and grabbed her ass firmly in both his hands hoisting her effortlessly off the ground. She broke contact with his lips as she circled her legs around his torso for support. His eyes blazed with desire. She could feel her own passion rising at the feel of him through his pants. A blush crept onto her cheeks at the intimacy of the position and her inability to keep from panting with desire.

  Her body was torn between launching herself at him further, stripping their clothes off, and staying in the rest of the night having hot, wild, passionate sex, or backing away and taking things slowly. She had never been good at taking things slow, and she wanted him. She really wanted him.

  He set her down on the hard, wooden kitchen table they had been positioned in front of and smiled devilishly before recapturing her lips. She groaned as his hand reached under her thin tank top to caress her breast. His hand slipped under her cotton bra, and flicked against her pebbled nipple. He swirled around the peak before forcefully pinching it between two fingers. Her pelvis bucked against him, and he ground his hips into her. No words were necessary as their craving for each other mounted. His hands were seemingly everywhere taking in every inch of her body as if he couldn’t get enough of her.

  He trailed down her front leaning her backward so she was lying flat against the table, her body exposed to him. She moaned as his lips left her mouth, traveled down her neck, and hovered hot and breathy, where his fingers left off. Pushing her tank top up, he pulled away from her breasts to kiss across her stomach to the waistline of her shorts. After trailing a series of kisses close to her thong, his hands reached down and pulled her legs up and open in front of his face. He placed light, teasing kisses across her inner thighs where he was in complete control.

  She whimpered as he drew closer and closer to her core and retreated each time. She was already very ready for him, but he was being deliberately slow and drawing out her pleasure. Just when she felt she was going to have to beg him for more, he yanked off her shorts tossing them to the kitchen floor. He gently rubbed against her already wet underwear causing her back to arch off the table as she released a low moan of approval.

  Pushing the thin material aside, he finally made skin-to-skin contact. Her body shuddered with anticipation of release. Bending down his hot breath landed against her sensitive skin, his mouth closing over her clit. His fingers spread her wide to him as he sucked and licked her into submission. As her panting became feverish and climax approached, he inserted two fingers directly into her. Just the feel of him sliding back and forth across her soft, wet skin was enough to make her whole body tighten and clench demandingly around his fingers as he pushed her over the edge. Her hands covered her face as she cried out in ecstasy, completely overwhelmed by the skill in which he brought her to orgasm.

  After she was spent, he stood long enough to retrieve a towel to wipe off his hands before lifting her off the table and making his way toward the stairs.

  “Ramsey,” she said from where she rested in his arms.

  “Yes?” he asked before covering her mouth possessively with another deep kiss.

  She leaned into the kiss. “Oh nothing,” she finally said, deciding not to fight what was about to happen.

  When he reached the stairs, a jingling of keys was heard from the front door. Ramsey paused as the doorknob jiggled.

  “Were you expecting company?” Lexi asked, wanting nothing more than company.

  “Uh, no,” Ramsey said confused.

  “Well, then who’s here?” Lexi asked, suddenly realizing that she was naked from the waist down and someone was about to walk in the door.

  “No idea,” he said gently placing her on her feet. She scurried across the floor and grappled for her shorts as the door swung open.

  Lexi froze, embarrassment immediately reddening her face. There was nowhere to go to eliminate the possibility that whoever walked in that door was going to see her mostly naked.

  Bracing herself for the worst, Lexi glanced up just as a tall beautiful blonde walked through the door and smirked. “Alexa, darling, please reconsider coming to work for me. You have such a killer body,” Lola said admiring Lexi as she snatched her shorts off the floor to cover herself.

  Lexi’s blush deepened further. “Lola,” she said breathing a sigh of relief.

  “Lola, what are you doing here?” Ramsey asked, drawing her attention away from Lexi sliding her shorts back on.

  “Ramsey, are you certain we can’t get her into the club?” Lola asked ignoring his question.

  “Absolutely not. Out of the question.”

  “Oh dear,” Lola said still looking at Lexi, “no need to blush and cover up. It’s not as if I’ve never seen a woman naked.”

  Lexi laughed uncomfortably as she did precisely that. “So much for being alone,” she mumbled, yanking the zipper back into place.

  “Oh, were you two alone?” Lola asked, a devious smile playing across her features. “Did I interrupt?”

  “Lola, an explanation please,” Ramsey asked. Lexi could see him attempting to keep his cool.

  “It’s Sunday. I hardly thought I needed an explanation.”

  “Sunday, right,” he said, smacking his hand against his forehead in frustration. “Fuck, I forgot.”

  “You forgot?” Lola asked confusion clouding her face. “I don’t understand.”

  “Oh God, Ramsey, were you planning to have a party, tonight?” Lexi asked pointedly crossing her arms.

  “It wasn’t a plan per say,” he admitted begrudgingly.

  “We set up here every Sunday. It’s more of a routine,” Lola reminded her. “You should know that, dear.” Lexi nodded, but she wasn’t happy about it. The last thing she wanted was to be surrounded by Ramsey’s friends and employees from the clubs. She had been to her fair share of such events, and she was hardly in the mood for what the night typically entailed.

  “Lola, we have to talk about this,” Ramsey said motioning her toward the door.

  “Everything’s already here though,” she told him standing her ground.

  Ramsey’s phone began to ring loudly from his pocket. “Fuck, hold on,” he said digging into his coat pocket and producing the thin phone. He cursed again when he checked who was calling. “I have to take this,” he said apologetically to the two women in his living room. “Lola just, I don’t know, bring everything in. We’ll talk about this when I’m done.”

  “Ramsey, are you joking me?” Lexi asked following behind him. “You’re really going to have a party, tonight?” Of all the nights for him to choose to have a party, he picked the night she got back in town? She hadn’t seen him in a month, and the last thing she wanted to do was party.

  “I have to take this call. I’ll talk to you about this in a minute,” he said his face set and stern, while his eyes pleaded with her to let it go for now.

  “Ugh,” Lexi grumbled stomping across the room to watch as Ramsey’s apartment was transformed before her eyes. She had forgotten how easily everything was set in motion. He threw parties more efficiently than anyone else Lexi had ever met, including Chyna, which was really a feat. By the time he would finish his phone call half of the apartment would be set up, and it would likely be irreversible.

  Lexi slumped down into one of the plush couches and waited for Ramsey to finish his conversation. Lola traipsed over to Lexi’s side and perched precariously on the edge of the sofa. “Sorry about all this,” she said swishing her blonde hair purposefully to one side.

  Lexi just shrugged. There really wasn’t anything else to say. “I thought it was business as usual. You haven’t been around the last couple of weeks,” she threw in inconspicuously.

  “Uh huh,” Lexi mumbled not wanting to continue to lead
the conversation where it was headed.

  “About your leaving…”

  “Lola, let’s not,” she muttered.

  “Yes, well, obviously it’s none of my business,” she began twisting a stick-straight piece of hair around her French-manicured finger.

  “Then perhaps you should drop it.”

  Lola rolled her eyes but persevered. She was used to working with difficult women, and she treated Lexi as if she were no exception. “I am glad you’re back you know.”

  “Wonderful,” Lexi said mocking the faux British accent she insisted on using.

  “Catty today, are we?” Lola asked smirking. Lexi refrained from answering. “Anyway, about your leaving—I wouldn’t think too much into it. He really is working to fix everything. I’d be patient with him. He’s turning his world upside down for you.”

  Lexi turned her full attention to the woman sitting next to her. She hadn’t expected that, not from Lola. Normally, Lola was a little catty herself and entirely too flirtatious. That had always been the main reason Lexi had never been threatened by Lola and her commanding presence. She ended up flirting more with Lexi than she had ever done with Ramsey.

  “What do you mean he’s turning his world upside down?” Lexi asked tentatively. She had no clue what Lola was even referring to. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Ramsey in a month and after she had left Atlanta, she hadn’t expected him to continue to work toward salvaging their relationship.

  “I’m not going to give away all his secrets...”

  “I’m not sure I’m prepared to learn anymore,” Lexi said glumly.

  Lola smiled coyly at her. “You should trust me.”

  “You’ve given me reason to?”

  “You don’t have to, but what other option do you have?” Lola asked snippily. Lexi shrugged noncommittally. “That’s what I thought. You’re back in Atlanta for a reason, and I’m smarter than I look, all right? I know this has to do with Ramsey and not this wedding. This wedding was a catalyst. I’d trust that things will work out.”