by K. G. Reuss
“No, she’s at the library.”
“Good.” I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Can I come in for a minute?”
“OK,” Ava intoned, eyeing me in suspicion. She held open the door, and I walked inside. Their apartment was ridiculously clean. That had to be Lexy’s doing. Ava didn’t strike me as a neat freak. I’d grown up with her. I remembered her messy lockers and desks throughout school.
“What’s going on?”
“Well, I want Lexy to go to Vegas with us.”
“I do too.” Ava sighed, flopping down on her couch. “But I’ve tried everything to get her to go. She won’t budge on it, especially now that she knows you’re going.”
“Wait. She won’t go because of me?” I sat down in the chair by the couch and stared Ava down.
“Basically. I thought I had her sold on it but then she came home furious with you a few days ago and said she wasn’t going.”
“I have an idea,” I drawled. “Tell her I’m not going.”
“And how do I explain to her why you’re in the car with us on the way to the airport? Or why you’re sitting next to her on the plane?”
“I’ll catch an earlier flight. Or later flight.”
“OK.” She nodded. “But then she’ll be mad at me for lying to her.”
“Act just as surprised as everyone else. I’ll tell the guys I’m not going because I need to focus on my grades. They’ll be genuinely bummed. Then I’ll show up. Just text me the address of your uncle’s place.”
“Travis Owens, why are you doing this?” Ava narrowed her eyes at me as she leaned forward on the couch.
I shrugged. “She won’t let me work on the project with her. I want to prove to her I’m worth giving a chance.”
Ava smiled knowingly at me.
“What?” I demanded, sitting up straighter.
“Nothing.”
“It’s something.”
“Oh, I’m sure it is.” She smirked. She didn’t get to finish her sentence because the door opened, and Lexy walked in. A scowl touched her pretty face the moment she saw me.
“Hey, Lexicon,” I greeted her the best I could.
“Hey,” she mumbled, walking past us and into the kitchen.
I glanced at Ava, who looked on with avid curiosity. “Uh, I just stopped by to talk to Ava.”
Lexy’s eyes darted between us as she sipped her bottled water.
“You couldn’t text her?” she asked after swallowing.
“Nah,” I laughed, hoping it didn’t sound as forced as I thought it did. “I thought I should deliver this message in person. I won’t be able to make the Vegas trip. I need to stay back and study. I heard you were too. Figured maybe we could study together. Everyone knows how great you are at trig.”
Lexy’s eyes widened at me before glancing at Ava, who gave a helpless shrug.
“You change your mind about Vegas?” Ava asked her. “It won’t be the same without you.”
I fist-pumped in my mind as Ava added a little pout.
“Uh, yeah. Yeah. I changed my mind. I’m going. Figured I’d tell you tonight,” Lexy stumbled on her words, the bullshitter. “Sorry, Travis. I can’t stay behind and study with you. I’m going with Ava.”
“Damn,” I sighed. “That sucks. Guess I’ll just have to do it alone.”
She coughed. “Doubt you’ll be alone.”
I gave her a brittle smile as I moved to the front door.
“You know me so well, Lexicon.”
Eleven
Lexy
“Too bad Travis is missing this,” Alex sighed as we boarded the plane.
“He’s been acting weird lately,” Mason added.
“Maybe he realizes with graduation approaching next year, he needs to get his shit together.” Ava moved to adjust her bag on her shoulder, but Alex snagged it from her before giving her a wink that made her blush.
I ignored it. Everyone had been acting weird. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little bad about ditching Travis when he said he was staying behind and could use some trig help.
I pushed those feelings away. Lately, my feelings toward Travis were a jumbled mess. On one hand, he seemed like he wanted to get his shit together and help me on the project. On the other hand, he’d slept with someone else right after he said he wanted us to be exclusive for the project. It wasn’t like we were dating, but if someone made a claim, I expected them to follow through on it.
I settled into my seat—Mason on one side of me and Ava on the other—and buckled in like the flight attendant instructed. Within minutes, we were taxiing across the runway and lifting off to our Vegas adventure.
I took all thoughts on Travis and locked them safely away in the back of my mind. I hadn’t slept all night, worrying about his dumb ass.
I must have dozed off because three hours later, Mason was nudging me awake and rubbing a drool spot I’d left on his shirt.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
His reply was to show me a selfie he took of me sleeping on him, a wide grin plastered to his face.
“Don’t worry. I sent it to Travis, so he’d know what he was missing.”
I rolled my eyes at him as I grabbed my carry-on out of the compartment. “I doubt he cares.”
Mason shrugged, his dark eyes twinkling. “You never know.”
I didn’t ask him to elaborate. Instead, I followed Ava and my brother down the aisle and out of the plane. Uncle Marty rented us an SUV for the weekend, so once we’d collected it, we loaded inside and drove to the house.
“Holy shit,” Alex murmured as he maneuvered the SUV into the driveway. Holy shit was right. The place was immaculate, complete with perfectly manicured lawns and pillars.
“What does your uncle do?” Mason asked, angling his neck so he could take in the massive house from his passenger side window.
“He’s a lawyer, and he dabbles in real estate. He said there’s a pool and hot tub.” Ava grinned at me, waggling her eyebrows. “Hope you packed your swimsuit.”
I laughed. “I have it.”
It didn’t take us long to unload our stuff. Mason offered to carry mine upstairs. I picked out a bedroom at the end of the hall, and he placed my luggage by the closet.
“This place is nice,” he commented, looking around.
“It’ll do.” I opened my suitcase and started unloading my clothes.
“Are you unpacking?”
“Uh, yeah?” I gave him a funny look. “Shouldn’t you be?”
“No,” he scoffed, flopping onto the large bed in the room. “It’s less to do. I like to be ready all the time.”
“Weirdo. Get off my bed.” I laughed at him.
He sat up and grinned. “What’s the deal with you and Travis?” he asked after a quiet moment.
“Deal?” I tensed. “There is no deal. He hates me and likes to torment me.”
“Lexy, come on. You know he doesn’t hate you. I don’t think Travis can hate anyone.”
I shrugged, avoiding the question by turning my back to him and hanging my clothes.
“What if he likes you and that’s why he’s the way he is?”
“Well, there’s a flaw in your theory,” I said, spinning to look at him. “He’s been this way since the day I met him when he pushed me down into a mud puddle and pulled my pigtails. In the fifteen years since I’ve known him, he’s done nothing remotely nice for me.” I paused, remembering our dance at prom before pushing on. “Everything is an argument or fight with him. That’s not the kind of adoration I’m after.”
“Then what sort are you after?” He quirked an eyebrow at me.
I shrugged again. “I don’t know. The kind that stands the test of time. The kind with trust, honesty, commitment. Travis isn’t that guy. He has too many women chasing him. He comes with a history.”
“We all come with that, Lexy,” Mason said gently.
I bit my bottom lip and sighed. “He also has an expiration date. A relationship with Travis isn’t one meant
to last.”
Mason nodded thoughtfully. “I get it. You’re looking for epic.”
“I am.” I nodded. “And the only thing epic about Travis is the heartbreak he leaves wherever he goes. I’ve been there to see the fallout he leaves. I remember the girls in high school, crying their eyes out over him. Hell, I’ve even met a few in college. I wouldn’t want to be one of his casualties.”
“Understandable.” Mason got to his feet and sauntered to the door, pausing at it to look at me. “But remember, Lexy, some of the most epic love stories come with a history or they create one.”
And with that, he closed the door behind him, leaving me to wonder if I should’ve stayed back with Travis.
“Have a beer!” Ava proclaimed, holding one out to me.
I shook my head at her as I sank into the cool pool water later that evening.
“Have a beer!” Mason shouted louder, coming up behind me and shaking my shoulders. The guys had located a cooler in the finished basement and had already found the local liquor store. They’d filled the cooler with ice and beer. “You’re on vacation, Lexy. You don’t need to drive anywhere. You’re already home. Have a drink and relax.”
He released me and swam past, giving me a wink.
“It’s cool, Lex. Come on. I even got you girls some of those girly drinks,” Alex added, splashing up beside me.
“Maybe in a bit,” I said, giving my brother a quick smile. “I want to enjoy the water right now.”
Alex shrugged and went over to Mason where he splashed him in the face with water. It started a massive water war that Ava and I ended up getting involved in. After all the splashing and shrieking, mostly on mine and Ava’s parts, we relaxed.
The conversation flowed easily. I couldn’t shake Travis from my thoughts, though. I’d been so rude to him at Java Hut when he’d wanted to talk and at the apartment. I should’ve been kinder. Now he was alone back at college, possibly studying his tail off.
Sighing, I climbed out of the water, the cool evening air sending chills over me. I decided I should text Travis and apologize for the way I’d behaved before we left. Maybe we could chat about our project.
“Where are you going?” Ava called out with a giggle as Alex splashed her.
“Uh, bathroom.”
“Thank God you didn’t pee in the pool!” Mason laughed.
I shook my head at him and entered the house through the patio doors. It was dark inside, and I stumbled around as I made it to the kitchen where I’d left my phone on the counter. I rounded the corner and let out a scream as I collided with a warm body.
Twelve
Travis
The house was dark when I arrived in the car I’d rented after my plane had landed. Ava had said the door would be unlocked, so I entered it quietly, hoping to surprise everyone.
The moment I turned the corner in the kitchen, I ran into a soft, warm body. She let out a scream, and I immediately pressed my hand over her mouth. My other hand was on her bare, trembling waist as I pushed her gently against the wall.
Lexy.
“Hey,” I murmured, her shivering body shaking beneath my grasp. I’d never touched her like that before. It was doing something to me. Electric sparks felt like they were arcing through my body as she stared up at me with large, unblinking, blue eyes. “Miss me?”
I removed my hand from her mouth and waited for her to answer me.
“Travis? What the hell are you doing here?”
“I knew you wouldn’t come if I came, so I—”
“Lied,” she finished for me, frowning.
My heart raced. Damnit. No! “I thought you might be excited to see me,” I said lamely. I still had my hand on her hip.
She shoved me away, disgust on her face. “And to think I was feeling sorry for you.”
“Lexy, I meant nothing by it. I knew how much everyone wanted you to come. I thought if I said I wasn’t coming then you’d come. I figured it wouldn’t be such a big deal.”
“Why are you like this, Travis?” She glared back at me, those sweet lips of hers turned down into a deep frown.
“Like what?”
“Like... I don’t know. Why do you try to ruin everything I’m part of?”
I frowned back at her. This wasn’t going how I had planned. “I didn’t know you really didn’t want me here.”
She shook her head, her arms folded over her chest.
I glanced down and saw those beautiful breasts in her bikini top and swallowed thickly. Damnit, what was she doing to me?
“It’s whatever.”
“Why do you think everything I do is wrong?” I demanded, tearing my eyes away from her chest and focusing on her face. “Maybe you’re the problem, not me.”
She snorted as she looked up at me with incredulity. “This is exactly the problem. You think it’s always everyone else. You’ve been playing games with me since we were kids, Travis. Grow up.”
She started to push me away, but I wasn’t having any of it. I pressed her firmly against the wall, frustrated out of my mind at her.
“If I was playing a game with you, Hale, I’d have already won. You’re uptight, frustrating, and stubborn beyond anything I’ve ever experienced in my life, and that includes the damn goat I had to wrestle out of the frat house. You want to play games, sweetheart?”
She shivered beneath my stare, and I gripped her waist tighter.
“I’ll play any game you want. I’ll break you before this weekend is over. You’ll learn just how serious I can be.”
I reached up and thumbed her bottom lip, my eyes locked on hers. I was done messing around. She needed to come out of her damn shell and calm the hell down. I wasn’t just going to ace that project with her. I would blow the thing out of the record books. I’d prove to her how serious I was. How grown up I was. Backing down from a challenge wasn’t in my nature, and Lexy was one hell of a challenge.
It took all my willpower to not plant my lips on hers. As much as it pained me to do it, I released her from my hold. Her breath came in heavy rasps, her eyes locked on mine.
“Game on, Lexy,” I murmured, backing away from her.
She didn’t say a word. She stood there, staring at me with parted lips.
While Lexy wasn’t glad to see me, everyone else was. I worried when she didn’t come back out, though.
“She’ll get over it,” Alex said when I voiced my concerns.
I hoped so. I sure hadn’t been overly nice to her.
“Shouldn’t you go talk to her?” I asked Ava as Mason grilled up hot dogs and hamburgers.
“Already did.”
“How? You haven’t left the poolside—”
She held her phone up and waved it in my face. “I texted her. She said she wanted to lie down.”
“Is that all she said?”
“No. She said you’re a snake, and that she hopes you fall into the pool and ruin your phone.”
“Seriously?” I asked dryly. “That’s the best she’s got?”
Ava laughed. “Lexy isn’t cruel. She wouldn’t know how to be mean if she tried.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” I muttered, looking up at the second-floor windows, wondering which one was hers. Opting to let her cool off for the night, I didn’t text her, content with what Ava said.
Hopefully, tomorrow would be a better day. It needed to be. We weren’t here for long.
Thirteen
Lexy
I didn’t bother coming out of my room for the rest of the night, even though my friends’ laughter floated up from the pool. Later, I chanced a peek out the window to find them all sitting around the outdoor fireplace with drinks in hand, talking and having a good time.
I had issues. I knew I did. Most of them came from my frustration with Travis. I didn’t know what he wanted. Given our history, I knew it was nothing good. When he said he’d break me, I immediately wanted to rise to the challenge, after I got my heart rate under control.
It didn’t take a fool to see why
all the girls flocked to him. Travis had moves and knew how to use them, as I was quickly becoming aware. I promised myself that whatever Travis Owens threw my way, I’d take head on. I wouldn’t back down. I wouldn’t let him win.
By morning, my mood had improved. I gave myself a pep talk in the bathroom mirror before I made my way downstairs.
“Good morning!” Ava squealed, running to me and wrapping me in a bone-crushing hug.
I squeezed her back, chuckling.
“We’re so going shopping today. The guys agreed as long as we’re willing to hit the slots and clubs after.”
“You think you can handle that, Lexicon?” Travis asked, looking up at me from his plate of pancakes.
Mason stood at the stove, creating mountains of breakfast foods while Alex and Travis devoured them at the table.
“I can handle anything, even you.” I tossed him a syrupy sweet smile that made him smirk.
Alex rolled his eyes and laughed at us while Mason shook his head.
“Pancake, Lexy?” Mason called out over his shoulder.
“Yes, please,” I said, moving to the table and sitting down.
Mason served me up a plate piled so high it would take me until nightfall to even make a dent in it. I dug into it, surprised at how good it was.
“We can leave after lunch and do some shopping, then come back and get ready for clubs and slots,” Alex said around a bite of pancakes. “Ladies?”
“Sounds good,” I agreed, swallowing down a strawberry I’d taken a bite of. I caught Travis looking at me, but he quickly averted his gaze when I noticed him.
I listened while everyone chatted, content with my breakfast and grateful Travis hadn’t started in on me.
It was short-lived though, when he leaned over to me. I pretended like I didn’t notice him.
“I made a new project outline.”
“What?” I looked at him in surprise, him already winning the damn game.
He shrugged, smirking. “I’ll show it to you if you want to see it.”