The Avoiding Series Boxset

by K. A. Linde

  “Shall we?” Ramsey asked, coming around to her side of the car and extending his hand in front of them.

  “I believe so.”

  They made it up to the front of the building and pushed through the crowd waiting to be seated.

  “Welcome to Flip. How can I help you?” the waitress asked when they approached.

  “What’s the wait for two?” Lexi asked.

  “About twenty to thirty minutes.”

  “Okay, that’s fine. Lexi, for two.”

  “For four,” Ramsey said over her head.

  Lexi turned around and glared at him. “What?”

  “Four,” he said, holding up four fingers and smiling at the hostess.

  “What do you mean four, Ramsey?” she demanded.

  “People are meeting us.”

  “Ramsey, what did you do?” Lexi shook her head and took a deep breath. She turned back to the hostess. “Lexi, for four. Thank you.”

  Lexi grabbed Ramsey’s shirtsleeve and yanked him out of the busy restaurant. She dragged him to the edge of the building before dropping his arm. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “No.”

  “Look, this can’t happen. It just can’t. I’m tired of going into things blind and running headfirst into a brick wall. Step one of our relationship rehab is I know everything! I want to know every single thing that you are planning, orchestrating, and organizing. I want to know everything about your past, and I want to know everything for the future. You can’t keep me in the dark anymore, or this isn’t going to work. That’s the deal, and it’s the only one I’m willing to offer.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Whoa, Lexi! All of this over adding two people to lunch?” Ramsey asked, his brow furrowing.

  “Yes! It might seem like I’m overreacting, but everything in my past tells me I’m not. We have a lot to figure out about how to make this work, Ramsey. I’ve been a forgive-and-forget kind of girl my whole life, but I can’t be that person anymore—not if I want a real relationship. And I’m willing to give it a shot, but I can’t be lied to. I just can’t.”

  “I wasn’t lying to you—”

  “Stop. Just stop and listen for a second while I try to explain. I’m just going to flat-out say that I’m emotionally messed-up. I’ve discovered that. And I think I’ve let myself get taken advantage of one too many times because of that. Second, third, fourth chances were in my repertoire. I swore I wasn’t going to give out any more, but then you happened,” Lexi told him.

  She glanced out across the full parking lot, trying to collect her thoughts. She knew she was rambling, but he needed to hear it. He needed to know what he was up against.

  “I’m giving you a second chance even though I told myself I was done with chances. You fuck up, and you’re done. That’s what I wanted to do when I went back to New York, but I couldn’t. So, prove me right. No more lying.”

  “Okay, Lexi,” Ramsey said. He actually looked uncomfortable.

  Had she ever seen Ramsey look uncomfortable? She sure as hell couldn’t remember a time when she had.

  She hadn’t meant to explode like that, but she hadn’t been able to keep it in. Didn’t he know how much easier this all could be if he would just tell her things? It wasn’t hard to be like, Hey, I’ve invited two people to have lunch with us. She wouldn’t have cared—unless, of course, those people were Bekah, Jack, or Parker. Then, she would care. But she didn’t think he was that stupid.

  “Okay then,” she said awkwardly.

  Ramsey reached out for her hand and threaded their fingers together. “Hey,” he whispered, pulling her into him. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “I know.”

  “This is new for me, too. If we want this to work, I know we both have to put in the effort in the relationship. I’m willing to work on it, and I’ll listen when you call me out when I fuck up…like you just did.”

  Lexi giggled. “Yeah, I guess I overreacted a bit.”

  “You’re just being the adorable woman I fell in love with. I wouldn’t want you any other way.”

  He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. Lexi smiled and glanced away from his entrancing green eyes.

  How did he always wash the anger right out of her like that?

  “I’m going to try your everything route,” Ramsey told her. He turned her chin, so she was staring up at him again. “I’m going to tell you everything until it’s so annoying that you’ll beg me to stop.”

  “I don’t think I’d ever beg you to stop,” she said huskily.

  Ramsey chuckled and shook his head. “Right now, I want to take you back to my apartment and fuck you into tomorrow. I think I’ll start with you on top and then from behind and then maybe the stairs…”

  Lexi flushed all over, her body heating at his words.

  “And then, I think I’m going to clean you up in the shower and not keep my hands to myself,” he murmured into her ear.

  “Okay, okay!” Lexi took a few stutter steps backward and cleared her throat. “Maybe…maybe not everything.”

  Ramsey laughed boisterously. “You’re already asking me to stop!”

  “You know what I mean. I can’t be turned-on all the time when we’re together.”

  Ramsey arched an eyebrow, and with that one look, he asked, Why not?

  “I just want you to tell me everything that you might think about keeping from me. After yesterday, I’m pretty sure that has nothing to do with our sex life.”

  “All right, Lexi,” he said, closing the distance between them again. “I’ll do whatever I can to make this right.”

  “We can start with, who is meeting us for lunch?” She stared up into his handsome face and sighed.

  She sure hoped he meant what he had said. She couldn’t go through this all over again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

  “I meant for it to be a surprise, but I see that surprises are going to be…difficult.”

  That was one word for it.

  “I’ve invited my new development team for the medical wing of Bridges.” He scratched the back of his head in that cute way she had grown accustomed to. “I, uh…thought you’d want to meet who I’ll be working with for the next year as we build and staff the new wing.”

  Fuck. Of course, he was trying to do something sweet for her. Well, as long as that team doesn’t include Parker.

  “That…sounds nice,” Lexi said.

  “I should have told you. No more surprises from now on.”

  “You’re so funny.” Lexi rolled her eyes.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll be more attentive to your feelings,” he amended with a kiss to her lips. “Can we go back inside now?”

  “Yes.” She felt sheepish for blowing up on him like that, but she was glad that she had stood her ground. She refused to let her cycle continue.

  They walked back up to the front of the restaurant just as her name was being called. They were ushered inside to a big red booth. Ramsey took a seat after Lexi, and she held his hand as they ordered drinks and waited for his new business associates. She wasn’t sure what to expect or why he was springing all of this on her so quickly. They had just gotten back together, and they weren’t even official yet or anything. While she was glad that he wanted her to know everything happening in his life, she wasn’t sure how ready she was for the next big step.

  “They should be here any minute,” Ramsey said with a megawatt smile for her.

  “So, what does the development team do exactly?”

  “They mostly make sure we get the project off the ground in the time that we desire. Since my father really wants this medical wing up and running and fully functional within the year, he hired a private company to do a lot of the logistical work.”

  Lexi’s mouth popped open. “Within the year? I thought that you didn’t even think this was ever going to get off the ground.”

  Ramsey sighed. “My father called me this morning, and after he finished lec
turing me about walking out of Bekah’s wedding, he let me know about hiring this new team.”

  “When did you have time for a phone call?” Lexi asked.

  She was seriously going to have to break him of the habit of hiding things. They had been sleeping together all day and all morning. There had barely been enough time for her to sleep, let alone think of checking her email.

  “I woke up before you did.” He shrugged. “Anyway, he wanted me to speak with them this morning, but I told him I wouldn’t be available. I don’t think he’s going to like the discretion he put into my contract.”

  Lexi giggled. “Probably not.”

  “He said it had to be today though since the pair just flew in from New York.”

  “Your dad hired people from New York for this?” Lexi asked, impressed.

  “He wanted the best. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. So, yeah, here we are. I could have waited to meet them after you flew back home, but since they’re just here to consult this week, I thought I would start the process as soon as possible. Plus, I really want you to be involved in this, Lexi. I don’t want you to feel like you’re on the outside of anything I’m doing. Since I’m working with…Parker, I don’t want you to think this will mean anything different for us,” Ramsey told her, staring deep into her eyes for emphasis.

  She sure hoped he was right.

  “So, are we okay? I can include you on all of the planning now? After all, this was all for you.”

  “Yes,” Lexi murmured. “I want to be involved. It’ll take some getting used to, but I want to be there for you.”

  “Good.” Ramsey brought his lips to hers once more.

  Then, drinks were placed before them.

  “Are y’all still waiting for two more?” the perky blonde asked, leaning her hip against the table.

  “Yes, they should be here any minute. Thank you,” Ramsey said dismissively. “Oh, I would guess that’s them.”

  Ramsey pointed out a girl who walked in, wearing a black pantsuit with a pink blouse. Lexi couldn’t believe that the girl could wear black pants and a jacket in this weather. It certainly wasn’t cool enough back home, but here, it was atrocious. She was pretty and about average height without her heels, and she had super straight blonde hair. Lexi didn’t know how the humidity wasn’t making it frizzy. She contemplated asking the blonde for the secret.

  The next person who walked in made her stomach drop—not just out of her body, but also to the floor. No, it was more like through the floor. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Only her luck was this terrible.

  John.

  His hazel eyes landed on hers across the room, and the shock was as evident on his face as it was on hers. She couldn’t even begin to hide it.

  He looked really handsome in a black suit with a white shirt and a blue-and-silver striped tie. His dark brown hair was cut short, and he looked very professional. As he approached, she remembered just how tall he was. He wasn’t as tall as Ramsey, but he was close to it. And those shoulders. How had she forgotten those shoulders? Underneath that suit, he had a swimmer’s body with muscular shoulders and a sexy six-pack that cut down to a trim waist. And the tattoos—she hadn’t forgotten those either.

  But she had to forget all of that right now, and she needed to remember where she was and what he was doing here.

  John was consulting on the Bridges medical wing. She knew he worked at Global International, a leader in the New York business sector. They were a massive conglomerate, specializing in everything from consultation on business development to international business expansion. Whatever John did for the company, Lexi had assumed it was on the international side, which would explain why he was always out of the States. So, what was he doing in Atlanta consulting on the Bridges project?

  Ramsey was standing and shaking the blonde’s hand. Lexi hadn’t even noticed. She was too engrossed in the fact that the guy she had slept with—Adam’s brother, the person Ramsey had found out existed only yesterday, the person she was supposed to figure things out with when she got back to New York—was right in front of her in Atlanta.

  “Jessica, this is Lexi,” Ramsey said, introducing her to the blonde girl.

  “What a pleasure to meet you,” Jessica said.

  Lexi shifted her gaze to the other woman and mechanically shook her hand.

  How could she fix this? She needed to clue everyone in on the train wreck they had just walked into. Ramsey didn’t know who John was, and John didn’t know who Ramsey was. She was just standing there in the middle, wondering how the hell she could make all of this less embarrassing and awkward.

  “Ramsey,” Lexi whispered, turning to face him and dropping Jessica’s hand. She needed to be blunt about the impending collision.

  “One second,” he said with a smile. “You must be John. Thanks for consulting with Bridges.”

  “Pleasure,” John said, shaking his hand.

  Lexi could see the flicker of confusion in John’s eyes, but he was trying to stay professional. If she could just collapse back into the booth and throw her head into her hands, it would be better than what was going on right now.

  Instead, she just stood there and waited for her chance to butt in.

  “John, this is—” Ramsey began.

  “Lexi,” she said, sticking out her hand immediately before Ramsey could say anything further.

  John slid his hand into hers. He had such big hands with long fingers that grazed her wrist when they shook. “Hello, Lexi.”

  He didn’t immediately release her hand, and she had to clear her throat as she pulled her hand back.

  “How have you been?” John asked, never breaking away from her gaze.

  “Good. Uh, Ramsey,” Lexi said frantically, “this is John.”

  “Right. We met,” Ramsey said.

  “No, Ramsey…this is Adam’s brother…John,” she said softly.

  And there was the realization. Ramsey’s entire body went rigid, and all conversation halted. He stared into her eyes, then to John, and then back to Lexi, like he couldn’t believe what she had just said. She couldn’t blame him for that either.

  “I’m sorry. Am I missing something?” Jessica asked. “Do you know each other?”

  All three stared off uncomfortably, not sure who should be the one to answer that question. Lexi knew that they all needed to stay professional. Nothing good would come from blurting out that she had slept with both of these men.

  “It’s a bit complicated,” Lexi finally admitted. “John is the brother of my best friend’s boyfriend. I just graduated from NYU Law, and I still live in the city.”

  “Oh, a New York girl and law at that. I love it,” Jessica said with a genuine smile. “We should get drinks in the city when we get back. I always love to consult after-hours.”

  “Jessica is a partner at Global International. She’s the main point of contact for the project,” Ramsey explained, finding his voice.

  “Wow, congratulations.”

  Jessica looked really young to be a partner. Either her looks were deceptive, or she was an unbelievably driven, ambitious person. Lexi suspected a bit of both.

  “Thank you,” Jessica said. “Mind if we sit now?”

  “Of course not,” Ramsey said, taking his seat next to Lexi again.

  John and Jessica sat across from them.

  Lexi’s eyes found John’s across the table, and he was giving her a pointed look. He had questions. She was sure of that, but she wasn’t sure how to answer them. She would have preferred to have that conversation when she got back to New York—in the safety of her own city and thousands of miles away from Ramsey. John’s eyes slid from her face to her chest, and she quickly averted her gaze.

  Jessica immediately launched into a full campaign of information and began presenting how they were going to get the entire Bridges medical wing on its feet in just one year. She was certain that it was possible. Lexi didn’t know how much of that was bullshitting and how much of it was dete
rmination. Lexi didn’t think these things happened that fast, but apparently, based on the packet of information and the tablet full of slides, Jessica was going to make this happen. She covered everything Lexi could think of and more—building construction, insurance, employment, equipment acquisition, security systems, and so on.

  As far as Lexi could guess from the presentation, the Bridges project was the first full-scale assignment Global International was allowing John to consult on, which would explain why he was here and not working on an international case. Just her luck.

  Lexi kept her eyes glued to Jessica’s display. She wouldn’t even let her eyes wander to John when he was discussing his aspects of the plan.

  She was here for Ramsey. She was here for Ramsey. She kept repeating that over and over in her head, hoping it would sink in.

  Over an hour later, when it seemed Jessica’s project overview had come to a close, the four stood from the table to leave.

  “Thank you so much for meeting with us today,” Ramsey said. He shook Jessica’s hand and then John’s. “It was really rather enlightening.”

  “Thank you for trusting us with your medical wing. It is a huge step for your company, and we’re glad to put the Global name behind it,” Jessica said.

  She was clearly a pro.

  “I’ll be in contact to schedule meetings for the rest of the week. I’d like to introduce you to the other half of my team, so we can start setting the foundation as soon as possible,” Ramsey said. He seemed to speak to both Jessica and John, yet only Jessica at the same time.

  Lexi tried not to look at anyone in particular as they walked out of the restaurant.

  As Jessica asked Ramsey a few additional questions about the project, John turned to Lexi. “Can I speak to you privately before you leave?”