The Avoiding Series Boxset

by K. A. Linde

  “Just answer it,” she told him, knowing she would miss the call if she waited any longer.

  “Hey,” Ramsey said, answering the phone. “Yeah, she’s right here. Just give me a second to go and get her.”

  Ramsey held out the phone to Lexi as she hastily knotted her towel.

  “Thanks,” she murmured softly, shaking out her wet hair and taking the phone out of his hands.

  “No problem,” he said, stripping out of his boxers and stepping into the shower she had just vacated.

  Asshole, she mouthed to him at the display before her.

  He just shook his head at her and shooed her on. She knew this was payback for leaving him on the bed, but she didn’t like it.

  “Hi, Jack,” she said cheerfully before sticking out her tongue at Ramsey as she left the bathroom.

  “Lex,” he breathed into the phone.

  Her heart stopped. She and Jack spoke on a regular basis but not like this. It had been a while—a long while—since she had heard the desperation, need, and desire in his voice. Had Ramsey heard it? Would he have known? She glanced back at the closed shower door and then felt bad for doing it. It had been two years since she and Ramsey had left Jack’s wedding together. Ramsey knew better.

  Taking a deep breath, she tried to act like she hadn’t heard it either. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Do you have some free time today?” he asked.

  “I really don’t. I’m going to be late to work as it is,” she told him happily, trying not to feed into his mood.

  “What about after work or during your lunch break?”

  “What’s going on?” she couldn’t help but ask. Curiosity was getting the better of her, and she wanted to know what was wrong.

  “I just need to talk to you,” he murmured hastily into the phone.

  “Maybe after work,” she told him. She wouldn’t normally spend the time, but something in his voice kept her from denying him.

  “Thank you,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief.

  “Yeah, of course. Jack,” she began, unsure of how best to proceed, “are you okay?”

  He paused before answering. It felt like forever as the silence dragged on between them. She knew the answer even before he said anything. There was no one she could read better.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Can I help?” she asked, concerned and confused.

  “I’ll meet you after work. Do you want me to pick you up?”

  “No, I’m driving today,” she told him. She didn’t mind driving through the city, but she despised parking, so Ramsey usually dropped her off just to avoid the hassle.

  “Okay,” he said wistfully as if he had been looking forward to picking her up from work.

  “Jack, really, what’s going on? I’m going to be thinking about this and stressing all day at work. I’ll be distracted, and you know I have that big case,” she reminded him.

  “I know, but we have to talk in person. I…I can’t talk about this on the phone,” he said, his voice cracking.

  Lexi’s mind was swimming with possibilities. She wished she had actually woken up on time. Then, she wouldn’t have to wait until after work to find out. “All right. I’ll see you after.”

  “See ya,” he said before hanging up the phone.

  Ramsey walked out of the bathroom a minute later, towel-drying his blond hair, nude. Her eyes traveled over his gorgeous body from his messy blond hair, to his bright green eyes, to his strong jawline, across his hunky shoulders, down the six-pack abs he had worked so hard for, to the defined V, leading to where she really wanted to look.

  “You checkin’ me out?” he drawled as if he hadn’t come out of the bathroom like that on purpose.

  “Yep. Wondering how late I can be without getting yelled at,” she said.

  Ramsey chuckled, wrapping the towel around his waist to cover up some of the distraction. “I don’t want you to get yelled at.”

  “It might be worth it,” she murmured, watching him walk into his closet.

  “So, what did he want?” Ramsey called from the other room.

  “Bah,” she grumbled, not really giving him an answer.

  “That good, huh?”

  “He’s so…Jack sometimes,” she said, putting on cream lace underwear with a matching bra.

  “Can he be anything else?” Ramsey asked.

  Lexi wandered into the bathroom and diffused her hair over the sink as she contemplated the question. Could Jack be anything other than himself? It was something she had taken a lot of time to think about over the past two years. It was something she didn’t really want to think about with his desperation still ringing in her ears.

  After applying her makeup for the day, Lexi tangled her hair into a tight bun on the top of her head. She thought it looked more professional in court than her wild curls.

  She walked back into the bedroom and changed into a pencil skirt and a mint-green silky blouse, giggling at the appropriateness of wearing this around her Ramsey.

  “We’re still on for dinner, right?” Ramsey asked, peeking around the corner of the closet to stare at her as she threw on a blazer over the blouse.

  “Fuck,” she said, whirling around. “I thought that was tomorrow night.”

  Ramsey shook his head. “Tonight. Can you still make it?”

  Lexi bit her bottom lip. “I just promised to meet Jack, and I have that case right now—”

  “It’s okay. We can reschedule,” he said, his expression falling. He disappeared back into the closet.

  “I don’t want to though,” she said, adjusting the jacket. “We’ll make it work.”

  “Sure,” he said, coming back into the room with a crisp white button-up, undone to reveal his toned abs.

  She just stared at him. “You’re going to make me even later,” she whispered, eyeing his body.

  He smiled and walked over to her. She trailed her hands down the defined muscles and to the waistline of his pants.

  “You’re going to get out of your obligations?” he asked, pushing his hands up into her still damp bun and bringing his lips down onto hers.

  “Of course I am,” she murmured as she pulled away. “I’m a good girlfriend.”

  “Yes, you are.” He brushed his nose against hers. “Now, get out of here before you’re actually late,” he said, smacking her ass.

  The day at court was as grueling as ever. She had gotten a job in corporate law, and she had spent more time in court working with assholes than she ever thought possible. This week though was really hitting her quota for the amount of time she could spend dealing with such stupidity. Her nerves were constantly on edge, and she had been returning home just to spend more time working on the one case she didn’t want to think about. She had hoped she would get out of court early, but the likelihood of that happening was practically impossible. She had never met anyone who could bicker so fiercely. Half the time, she felt more like a babysitter than a lawyer.

  She would have handed the case over to a colleague long ago if it hadn’t been such a good commission, and she wanted to prove she could get through it. The last thing she wanted to be seen as in the firm was the girl who couldn’t hack it. She hadn’t been there long enough for them to take her seriously.

  By lunch, she wanted to pull her hair out. Nothing was going as she had planned, and her client was being completely uncooperative. She kept trying to give the company the legal advice they were paying her for, but then they would go in the opposite direction of her judgment.

  Pulling her phone out of her purse, she walked down the hallway as far away from everyone in the courtroom as possible. She knew she should be spending her break devouring her lunch and reviewing her materials, but she just wanted to forget everything else.

  The line clicked over, and Jack’s voice filled her phone. “Hey, Lexi. I thought you didn’t have time for lunch.”

  He sounded like himself again, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I don’t,” sh
e told him, opening up a side door to a meeting room before locking herself away from the outside world.

  “You sound tired,” he mused.

  “Thanks,” she grumbled. “I appreciate it.”

  “Just an observation.”

  “Well, keep it to yourself.”

  “Are you okay, Lexi?”

  “Yeah,” she said, leaning her head against the doorframe. “Just stressed.”

  “I know you are. If you ever need to talk and take your mind off the case, you know I’m free,” he told her.

  “I know, Jack,” she murmured softly.

  “If you want me to be here for you, I am.”

  She held her breath and closed her eyes, counting to ten before releasing the breath. This wasn’t why she had called him. She knew he would be there for her if she needed him to be.

  “I just called because I can’t meet after work. I forgot that I already have plans,” she vaguely told him.

  “You can’t meet?” he asked, the need filling his voice once more. “Lex, I really need to talk to you.”

  “I know, I know. And I want to talk, but I can’t tonight. Can you wait until tomorrow?” she asked, struggling to turn him down. She had completely forgotten about her plans with Ramsey, and she didn’t get enough time with him as it was. She couldn’t cancel everything just because Jack needed her.

  “Yeah,” he whispered. “Yeah, it can wait.”

  She could almost see the defeated look on his face—those blue eyes begging and pleading, the forward tilt of his head. “I’ll…I’ll talk to you tomorrow then.”

  “Yeah, all right,” he muttered into the phone.

  “Are you going to be all right until then?” she couldn’t help asking, knowing he was going to shrug it off regardless.

  “I’ll survive. Will you make it through court?”

  It was Lexi’s turn to shrug. “Can I murder my clients?”

  “Can you be your own defense attorney?”

  “Yes?”

  “Then, do it. You’re the best.”

  Lexi chuckled, loving the easy banter between them. Today was one of those days when she wished she could get out of work to go have lunch with Jack. When he was around to lighten her mood, it was easier to forget the headache that had become all but a constant fixture from this job.

  “You’re silly,” she told him through her laughter.

  “There’s that smile. That’s better.”

  She could tell his own smile had returned.

  “Thanks, Jack.”

  “Anytime. I’m here.”

  “See you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Lex.”

  She hung up the phone, her mission accomplished, and she went back to the insufferable job of working with these corporate hacks. Sometimes, on days like today, she wanted to turn them all in and make them handle their cases on their own. They weren’t worth the trouble she had to go through for them.

  Knowing she had plans made the day drag on longer than usual. Her client even noticed how antsy she was to be dismissed from court for the day. Her feet were tapping under the table, her legs were bouncing up and down, and she couldn’t help continually checking her watch. She practically sprinted out of the courtroom as soon as the judge released them.

  She found a place to change into something more appropriate and raced across town on autopilot. She floored the car, weaving through traffic, on her way to the restaurant.

  Snatching her phone out of her purse, she pressed the button for Chyna.

  She answered on the first ring. “Chica!” Chyna cried over the background noise.

  Lexi rolled her eyes. She loved her party-animal best friend. “Hey, C. Are you drunk already?”

  “Well on my way,” she said with a giggle. “What’s wrong?”

  “Wrong?” Lexi asked. How did Chyna always know these things?

  “You think I don’t know you, chica? Come on, spill it!”

  Lexi thought that she knew her best friend pretty well, but sometimes it felt like Chyna could read her mind.

  “Jack called me this morning.”

  “And? Isn’t that normal?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, it is,” Lexi said, trying to figure out how to explain. “But he sounded like…Jack.”

  Chyna was silent for a second. All that Lexi could hear was the music in the background and a cacophony of people talking.

  “You mean he sounded like…Jack?”

  “Yeah…I mean, I don’t know. He just said he had to talk to me, and he sounded desperate. Am I reading into things?”

  “I’d tell you to trust your instincts, but your instincts suck.”

  “Chyna!”

  “What? Jesus, do you think he’s going to try anything? I’ll come kick him in the balls again for you, if you think that.”

  “No, I don’t think he’s going to try anything.”

  “Then, go see him. Are you on the way now?” Chyna asked. “I bet you are.”

  “I have dinner plans with Ramsey.”

  “Is not knowing eating you up? Do you want to skip dinner?” Chyna giggled.

  “Oh, shut up. I can’t skip dinner.”

  “But you want to.”

  “I have to go, Chyna. Tell Adam hey for me.”

  “Will do, chica. Tell Ramsey and Jack hello for me.”

  Lexi hung up the phone with a shake of her head. Chyna had a way of reassuring her while also throwing her off-balance.

  Lexi would figure out what to do about Jack tomorrow. She was already running behind for dinner, and that should be her priority.

  Slamming on the brakes in front of the valet booth, Lexi rushed out of her car and tossed the keys to the waiting valet. He looked at her in surprise as she tugged her skimpy dress down and hobbled past him toward the entrance. She reached down and adjusted her slingback heels. She was late. She was unbelievably late, and she felt like nothing short of a disaster. With curly tendrils falling haphazardly from the ponytail holder, her hair was still knotted into the messy bun she had worn to court that morning. Her makeup was still intact, but she hadn’t checked it anytime recently. At least her assistant had remembered to pick up the black halter dress from the dry cleaner, and her slingbacks had still been in her car. She slung her wildly inappropriate hobo bag over her shoulder and steeled herself to walk into the restaurant.

  The maître d’ gave her a once-over as she paraded into the restaurant, and then he turned back to the buxom blonde before him. Lexi ground her teeth in irritation. She didn’t want to deal with these people any more than she had to. The blonde seemed to occupy all his attention, so Lexi just continued walking toward the dining room.

  “Reservation?” he asked, blocking her path.

  “Bridges,” she explained confidently with the arrogance and authority she had sometimes seen Ramsey use.

  “Ah…Mrs. Bridges,” he said with a fake smile.

  “Oh!” she said awkwardly. “We’re not married.”

  “My apologies,” he said, the contempt returning. “Easy mistake.”

  “Yeah,” she grumbled.

  It was a mistake that had happened way more than she liked. Everyone mistook her for Ramsey’s wife. They had been to so many functions where that happened. It wasn’t like she wore a goddamn ring or anything! Just because they had been together for two years didn’t mean they had to get married immediately! She wished that people would just stop asking her! Rings made her nervous. Why ruin a good thing when it was working without a ring? Ugh!

  “We’ll have someone escort you to your seat,” the man said, snapping his fingers at a hostess.

  “Thank you,” Lexi said, following the snobby woman through the restaurant.

  Watching the crowd of people made Lexi entirely uncomfortable—the couples picking at their food, the women barely munching on a piece of lettuce, the men distracted by someone else’s wife. Was this where her life was heading? She shuddered at the thought and tried to push it aside. She had never liked Ramsey for his money, a
nd oft times, she would forget he was as wealthy as he was. She was bringing in a handsome salary herself, but something about the way these people were acting tonight ruffled her feathers. She had never been that person, but it was easy to see how money changed people. Holding back her unmitigated qualms, she forced a smile on her face and tried to hide her apprehension.

  “Here you are,” the woman said, smiling politely at Ramsey.

  “Hey,” Ramsey said. His gorgeous smile appeared on his face at Lexi’s approach.

  “Hey,” she managed, walking past the hostess.

  Ramsey stood, wrapped his strong arms around her, and kissed her forehead. She breathed him in, during even the briefest of embraces, and smiled at the minty smell he exuded. It never got old.

  “It’s so good to see you,” he murmured.

  Lexi couldn’t help but giggle at his cute PDA moment. Maybe those other couples could take note and pay more attention to each other. Taking her seat across from him, Lexi crossed her legs under the table and unfolded her napkin before laying it on her lap.

  “So…you’re late,” he mused with a knowing glint in his eyes.

  “Yeah, court ran over. I’m sorry,” she told him.

  “You didn’t end up seeing Jack?” he asked, only half-joking.

  “No, I ended up rescheduling with him,” she said, shrugging. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow, I guess.”

  “Well, I took the liberty of ordering for us. I hope you don’t mind,” he said, gesturing to a vodka-cranberry placed before her.

  “No, that’s fine. I needed this,” she said with a laugh.

  “I figured as much. This case is taking a lot out of you.”

  “The people are relentless,” she said before sipping on her drink. “I just can’t catch a break. One asshole client to the next.”

  “We should get away,” he told her.

  “That’d be nice,” she said, sending him an amused smile. “What did you have in mind? And when can we make it happen?”

  “When does the case end?” he asked.

  The look on his face showed that he knew it wasn’t going to be over anytime soon. She didn’t even need to voice that. She had been up late, working on it, for far too long.

  “We’ll go after,” he added.