The Avoiding Series Boxset

by K. A. Linde

  “I saw you come down here,” he told her.

  “I thought you were sleeping upstairs.” She couldn’t help but stare at his well-defined profile in the ambient light.

  He shook his head. “Nah, sleeping next to guys...not my style. I took the couch in the den.”

  She raised her eyebrows realizing that he must have been in the den all along when she had passed through the door. “Oh. How long have I been out?”

  “About thirty minutes I guess, before I decided to join you.”

  “How did you know I didn’t go for a walk or something?” she asked curiously.

  He turned his head toward her, and by the light of the moon, she got a full look at the beautiful face she had been dreaming about. His eyes traveled over her flimsy sleeping clothes, and then rose back to her intrigued face. Finally, he shrugged and answered, “I just knew.”

  “You didn’t come down and check on me before this?”

  “No. I waited to see if you were going to come right back in, but then I realized you weren’t. So I came to find you. I just knew you’d be here, Lex. I just know you,” he said reaching out and cupping her cheek as he had done earlier that afternoon.

  At his touch, her breath quickened, and her lips parted. How did he do that? “I’ve missed you so much,” he said, his voice lowering intimately.

  “Jack,” she whimpered as he trailed his hand down her neck, “you...you can’t touch me like that.”

  He pulled her by her neck toward his waiting lips. Just as they were only an inch apart, he broke her steady gaze and began to kiss down her supple neck. She moaned deep in her throat, and then ripped herself out of his enticing grasp.

  “I said no,” she cried, standing in a fit of anger.

  He remained seated and rested back on his elbows again, not even looking up at her.

  “Why are you here? What do you think you are doing? I don’t want things to be like that again. My boyfriend...your girlfriend...our friends...everyone is up there right now and could see you doing this,” she said, pointing up at the beach house. “Don’t you care about anyone but yourself?”

  Ignoring her other questions, he coolly said, “Lexi, just sit down.”

  “No! I’m not going to just sit down. Why do you have to be so demanding all the damn time?” she cried, her hands resting on her hips. She was glaring daggers at him.

  “If you don’t stop using that voice with me, I’m going to take you right here on the beach,” he told her evenly. “You’re so much sexier when you’re angry.”

  Lexi immediately stopped her argument and openly gaped at him. Was he serious? Was he really going to try to calm her down by claiming she was in any way sexy by yelling at him? The whole concept just infuriated her further.

  “I told you to stop telling me what to do. I will do whatever the fuck I want. And I want to know why the hell you’re here. You grab me in public and then completely ignore me. Then, just when I’m accepting that, you start kissing me?” she squealed. “What kind of game are you playing? What kind of...”

  She was cut off by him standing so swiftly it hardly registered on her radar. He snatched her up in his arms and tossed her gently back onto the towel. From his standing position, he immediately moved over her, pushing his body flush against her. She gasped at feeling every inch of his hard body just as his mouth crushed against her own.

  All thoughts left her at that point. She hadn’t been aware how much she wanted him...how turned on she already was from being close to him. Her body was aching all over with his mouth against her, moving suggestively from her lips to neck to ear and demandingly back to her hungry lips. He was hardly giving her enough time to breathe as he let his tongue roam her mouth. She let her free hand, that wasn’t grasping at the nape of his neck, run down to his hips to pull him closer.

  Groaning, he continued his assault on her lips. “I want you right now,” he said, fumbling to reach down her cotton shorts.

  “Jack, no. No, I can’t,” she whispered pushing him away.

  “Lex, goddamn it, you’re killing me,” he growled sitting up and straddling her.

  “Well, if you’d listened the first time, we wouldn’t be in this situation,” she said in between pants

  “If I’d listened?” he asked in disbelief. “I told you I’d take you right here if you didn’t stop being so damn sexy. You are the one who didn’t listen.”

  She sat up and shoved him into the sand away from her. “Fine whatever, it’s all my fault. It’s always my fault! It has nothing to do with you being here when you’re not supposed to be or you coming down to the beach to find me. It has absolutely nothing to do with you kissing me, for Christ’s sake! Taking advantage of me, when you know I can’t control myself around you,” she spat.

  “You can’t control yourself?” he whispered into the gusty night, his words almost lost in the wind.

  “Don’t play with me, Jack,” her dark brown eyes were nearly black in fury at this point.

  “I’m…I’m not playing with you. What do you mean you can’t control yourself? We’ve been in social situations for the past two or three years, and you’ve never given me more than one glimpse of your so-called lack of control. I think you have perfect control. You hardly look at me. You definitely don’t speak to me. God forbid, we have a normal conversation. So, yes Lexi, what the fuck are you talking about?”

  She had never thought about it that way. She figured by avoiding him as much as possible that she would in some way be able to regain the control she lost when suckered into his enticing thrall. But it didn’t work. All her efforts were futile, and even worse was she had avoided his wonderful presence and wasted a friendship…relationship for years.

  “I did those things because of my lack of control. When you touch me Jack, I completely succumb to you. I give into your every whim.”

  “But you don’t. Can’t you see that? If you did, we would have had sex two years ago,” he vehemently told her. She let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. He was right. He scooted closer to her in the sand, and grasped her hands in his own. “Because I’ve wanted to be with you every day since then.”

  Words were lost on her. She had wanted him too, but things were different. She was with Clark now. Spencer had been a short-lived thing, but Clark…he was solid. He had everything she had ever wanted in a relationship. He was caring, attentive, understanding, loving…the list was endless.

  The only thing he wasn’t…was Jack.

  Jack. With all of his fiery passion and hopeless desire. Jack. Who had secured her a position on the gymnastics team even though she hadn’t spoken to him in months. Jack. Who had always wanted her…since they had first met.

  “Lex, I know how you feel about me. I feel that way too. Just…just let me show you what I can be to you,” he said playing with her fingers embedded in the sand.

  She sighed and gazed into his crystal clear blue eyes. He wanted her. He had always wanted her. “What does that mean?”

  “We’ll do whatever feels natural.”

  “You’re talking about having an affair,” she spoke softly.

  “No. It can be platonic. We can be friends,” he said taking her hand and interlacing it with his own, “if that’s what you want.”

  What he was allowing her was a way in. A way to be with him…without being with him. The dream sounded amazing. It wasn’t everything she wanted, but she couldn’t deny it did have its perks. She could be with him again. She could talk to him and be friends with him. They could be around each other without the automatic hot and cold that came from their forced separation.

  “Okay, Jack,” she breathed. “I’m giving you a chance.”

  “I’ll show you everything I can be for you,” he said hesitantly reaching forward and in a companionable manner kissed her cheek.

  Her breath caught despite the friendly nature of the kiss. Pushing any negative thoughts away, she scooted closer to Jack and together they sat and watched t
he ebb and flow of the waves before them.

  PRESENT

  Huffing louder than was necessary, Lexi glanced around Bekah’s guest bedroom in disdain. She had been directed in here to change for Ramsey’s party, but she was currently having second thoughts about whether or not that was smart. She was going to this party because of Jack. Strike one. She wanted to prove that Bekah was a phony. Strike two. And possibly humiliate her brother miserably. Strike three.

  Wow. She was in a low place.

  She tried to clear her mind of her dark thoughts and really assess the room with an unbiased eye. It was painted powder blue…Carolina blue. Ironic since she attended Duke. The wicker collection had all white bedding, and navy blue curtains hung across the window. Lexi conceded that it was kind of homey. Though the bed could easily be replaced by a wicker crib, and have the same effect. This couldn’t have been an accident. Lexi shuddered.

  She realized she simply couldn’t be unbiased about Bekah. She had made up her mind that she would never like her…anything about her. Not that the girl was helping out anything by being kind of crazy and having a pastel, Easter egg colored house.

  She popped open her suitcase and rummaged around for something to wear to this damn party. Why had she agreed to go through with this? She was such an idiot. If Chyna could see her now. She just shook her head at how awful that conversation would be. Not caring much how she looked, Lexi pulled on a dark pair of jeans, and unable to resist herself, her favorite, blue-green, lace halter.

  “All right. Let’s get this over with,” she said to herself as she walked into the now empty living room. She wondered where they went, and then heard a giggle slice through the silence. Too curious for her own good, Lexi traipsed back down the hallway to the source of the noise.

  She stopped suddenly when she heard a loud moan coming from the open door at the end of the hallway. She froze in place, unable to pull away, as she heard Jack and Bekah talking. She knew that she shouldn’t eavesdrop on their conversation, but she couldn’t help herself.

  “Jack, come on, stop. She’s right down the hall,” Bekah breathed.

  “I don’t want to stop.”

  Lexi could hear some more whispers and a few smacking noises that she recognized as kissing. She gulped wishing she had just stayed in the room.

  “She’s going to hear us, Jack,” Bekah squealing smacking his hand.

  “I don’t care if she hears.”

  Lexi blanched at his words. He couldn’t honestly be saying those kinds of things after last night. This made her want to tell Bekah everything. Not just about their past either. She wanted to tell Bekah about Jack coming home early to see her, the pillow fight, staying up all night with her, and almost kissing her. Her hands were shaking at her side.

  “Jack,” Bekah mumbled.

  “Okay, okay. You’re right. She shouldn’t have to hear this. I hope she didn’t,” he said wistfully.

  “I wouldn’t go that far.”

  Jack chuckled lightly. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  Lexi darted out of the hallway and back into the living room not wanting to be caught. She wasn’t sure what to think of Jack’s comments. Of course, she was pissed, because she wasn’t certain which part he had meant. He had sounded more like himself when he had claimed that he didn’t want her to hear, but she reminded herself that she was biased. Just another thing she would have to figure out before she went back to New York.

  When Bekah came out into the living room, Lexi couldn’t help but let her mouth drop open at her ridiculously skimpy outfit. She had on a coral high-waist skirt that barely hit the tops of her alabaster thighs, and a see-through, cream, scoop-neck top that did nothing to hide her skinny figure. Four inch brown heels made her already long legs look even better. Lexi felt plain next to her.

  “Oh, you can’t wear that,” Bekah said reviewing Lexi’s outfit choice.

  “I seem to be hearing that a lot lately,” she said giving Jack an icy glare.

  “Oh well, Ramsey’s parties are a little different than you’d probably expect,” Bekah said choosing each word carefully.

  “Fine. Whatever. Let’s just get this over with. What should I wear?” Lexi asked easily giving in.

  Twenty minutes later, the three found themselves climbing the stairs to Ramsey’s townhouse in what Lexi recognized to be the ritzy side of Buckhead. The clothing look that Bekah had insisted on was a cross between trampy, smutty, and just a smidge of whore. It had been worth the effort when she had walked back out of the guest bedroom and had Jack, open-mouthed, gaping at her. His eyes traveled from the white lace skirt that accentuated her bronzed skin. Then, he slowly undressed her with his eyes as he traveled upwards to the cleavage bulging out of her blood red tank. Her make-up was smoky and seductive. And though Lexi knew that she looked good without all the added effort, the way that Jack’s eyes turned crystal clear with desire at her approach certainly made up for the extra time it took.

  Entering the townhouse was like slipping into a new world. The bottom floor was swarming with people vying to occupy as much space as possible. Blaring music emanated from surround sound speakers hiding around the house, and bodies were grinding to the beat. Lights were dimmed low and flashing strobe lights projected chaotically across the space. The people were crowded in so close together that Lexi couldn’t even see past the living room. She wasn’t sure if there was anything past the living room by the look of the place. She couldn’t help but ogle the scene in front of her. She felt like she had just entered a nightclub, not a house party.

  Bekah took her reaction as a good thing, and smiled at her. “I told you it was going to be a little different than expected,” she yelled over the music.

  Lexi nodded, her earlier anticipation about coming here dissolving. To be honest, she felt very much at home in this environment. She and Chyna went out nearly every weekend. She just didn’t know that house parties were this crazy in Atlanta…let alone by someone like Ramsey. She figured she had a lot to learn about this Ramsey character.

  Lexi felt her hips sway unintentionally to the music. “This will be fun,” Lexi said to Bekah who appeared hesitant at Lexi’s own enthusiasm.

  “Yeah, it will,” Bekah said reaching up on the tips of her toes and kissing Jack on the cheek. He smiled down at her lovingly. Lexi averted her eyes before either of them could see the horror on her face, but she hadn’t done it in time. Jack glanced at her almost involuntarily and saw the haunted look cross her face. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t in front of Bekah. “Let’s go find my brother.”

  Getting through the crowded living room was a feat in and of itself. Several couples were already interlocked for the evening and disentangling them to create a footpath proved to be rather tricky. Lexi elbowed a girl in the side to get her to move into the mass just an inch further. She squeezed her tiny body against the girl, getting suggestive hip movements pressed against her as she passed. Finally, wedging between two menacing guys, Lexi reached the other side, which was surprisingly empty compared to the living room. She trotted into the kitchen and breathed a sigh of relief to be out of that crowd. Jack and Bekah appeared right behind her.

  “Ugh...Ramsey’s really out done himself this time,” Bekah said brushing her fingers through her still perfect hair.

  “Yeah, I’d say so,” Ramsey agreed appearing in the kitchen. He looked just as good as her memory afforded her. When she had first seen him, she had only gotten a critical look at his backside. And while that was impressive, his whole body was even better for the eyes. It helped that he wasn’t in a suit. That way she was able to really see the definition in his chest and arms. He was dressed simply in fitted dark jeans and a black polo. Apparently, the dress code for these things didn’t apply to the host.

  “Hey big brother,” Bekah said giving him a hug. “You remember your old friend Lexi.”

  Lexi tried not to roll her eyes at Bekah’s statement. She was going to be really tired of this
party if she had to deal with this type of bullshit much longer. She hadn’t been able to keep her cool around Ramsey at the Country Club where a hundred wrinkly socialites monitored your behavior. Lexi was sure she wouldn’t be able to do it here. “Can I just repeat that I do not know your brother?”

  Ramsey turned to face Lexi. His eyes crawled her body and an enticing smile touched his lips as he took in her outfit. It was much the same reaction she had received from Jack, but there was something different. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that her clothing option left little to the imagination. No, it was more likely that it had something to do with the fact that Jack had firsthand experience with what was under her skintight clothing.

  “You can repeat it all you want, but I’m holding to the fact that we are old friends. And old friends hug when they greet each other,” he said swiftly spanning the space between them and lifting her off her feet. She clutched onto his broad shoulders for support. He twirled her around once letting her long hair fly out behind her.

  When Lexi felt ground under her weight again, she breathed out in relief. Compulsively she smacked Ramsey’s arm as hard as she could muster. “Don’t do that. We’re not friends.”

  “You’re right. I’m overstepping boundaries...at my own party,” Ramsey said sending a full-watted smile her way.

  “Oh, shut up,” she said giving him a mirthless frown. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “How did you mean it then?” he asked stepping into her personal space again.

  Why was he always doing that? She cringed and took a step backward. He followed her as if they were in a synchronized dance. “I didn’t mean that you were overstepping boundaries or whatever. Just we’re not friends. I don’t know you. I’ve only met you once.”

  “Well, technically twice. Three times if you count when you were with Jennifer. Four times if you…oh never mind,” he said plastering on a smile he as looked at her.