Avoiding Commitment (Avoiding #1)(37)
Author: K.A. Linde

"Jack," she began taking a strand of her straight hair and pushing it behind her ear.

"How can you be nervous right now?" he asked taking her hands away from her and placing them around his neck pulling her in close to him.

"What?"

"You’re messing with your hair. It’s a dead give-away," he said letting his bright blue eyes bore into her.

"Right sorry. I just…I dunno…I feel like someone is watching me."

"Who would be watching us Lex?" he asked incredulously.

"I said I don’t know, but I just feel like eyes are being drilled into the back of my head," she informed him. Even as she said the words out loud she realized how paranoid and slightly delusional she must sound, but still she couldn’t shake the feeling.

Jack pulled his gaze away from her and let his eyes slowly roam the dark, crowded room. He paused briefly as if examining the individuals in that particular location then shifted to circle the entire room. "If someone is looking at you, then they aren’t right now. I can barely make out anyone ten feet away from me. I don’t see how anyone could be secretive about looking at you even if they were watching. Seeing as no one is blatantly staring from where I can see, I really don’t think you have anything to worry about."

"You’re probably right," she said wrapping her arms around his neck tighter. She felt his lips gently settle into the soft spot behind her earlobe causing her to shiver.

"If you really feel like that, we can get you out of here," he muttered huskily in her ear. "Actually, I think I should get you home. It’s late." He didn’t even check his watch.

"I’m glad you are so concerned for my well-being," she stated mockingly.

"Oh, I’m very concerned for your well-being. I want to make sure that you get home at a reasonable hour, tuck you in, and all that."

"Tuck me in?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Something like that," he muttered his lips only inches from her mouth at this point.

She giggled and pushed him backwards. "Chill out. None of that," she said half-heartedly.

"Fine," he said sticking out his bottom lip. "I’m going to close my tab, and then we’ll leave.

A short while later, Lexi found herself in a very familiar bedroom wrapped in navy blue sheets. She stretched languidly on the bed and then perched on the edge waiting for Jack to join her. He exited the bathroom flipping the light off as he appeared before her. She couldn’t keep her mouth from dropping open at the sight of him. He entered the room in only a flimsy pair of green boxers. He had been doing some serious workouts lately since he was out of school, and the effort was really paying off. His already well-defined six-pack was toned to perfection. His arms and chest had grown in direct proportion making the full package look positively delectable. His tousled brown hair hung just above his crystal clear blue eyes looking at Lexi as if he were about to devour her.

She smiled coyly and patted the bed. He snuck under the covers and pulled her towards him. "You’re so little," he said into collarbone as he kissed a line across it.

"Um…thank you," she said squirming under his light kisses.

"And you should maybe always wear my t-shirts," he said pulling back to examine the grey band shirt she had picked out from one of his drawers.

"You don’t like my clothes?" she asked pouting.

"Oh I definitely love your skimpy little things, but you’re so…raw," he said pushing her brush away bangs off her forehead and really looking at her deeply. "So utterly beautiful, my dear."

A slow sweet smile played across her mouth as he stared at her lovingly for another minute. "Thank you."

"No," he said letting his fingertips trail across her jaw line. "Thank you." He covered her body with his and pressed his lips firmly against her own. The tenderness and affection he portrayed in that one kiss Lexi thought could last a lifetime. Tears welled up in her eyes as their tongues briefly touched then broke apart. "You’re crying," he said concerned.

"I’m sorry. It’s dumb," she said swiping at her eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

"It’s just…I don’t know Jack. That was amazing. I know you can say it was just a kiss, but…"

He cut her off. "No, I felt it too," he said knowing that she didn’t have to explain what had just happened between them.

"You…you did?" she asked in disbelief.

He leaned in once more and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Yea I did. Maybe we should just get some sleep," he suggested.

Lexi nodded as she lay down on his shoulder and snuggled into his muscular chest. She had no idea where to pinpoint that feeling. It was something she had never experienced. It was wonderful, painful, euphoric, and disarming all at the same time. She felt like her heart was ripping out of her chest, and like she had just had the most amazing adrenaline boost of a lifetime. The scariest part was that she had no idea how such a small thing like a simple kiss could make her feel like this. Those were her last thoughts before she drifted to sleep securely placed in Jack’s arms.

"Lex…Lex wake up." She heard her name being called, but all she wanted to do was snuggle up further in the covers. "Come on Lexi. You need to wake up."

Lexi rolled over onto her back and stared up into her favorite pair of baby blues. "G’morning," she mummbled.

"Your phone has been ringing off the hook all morning. You should probably go figure out what’s going on," Jack told her.

Immediately she felt a jolt of adrenaline hit her body, and she bolted out of bed terrified to find out why her phone was blowing up. She had three missed calls from Clark and four from Olivia. Lexi thumbed through the texts most of which were from Olivia checking to see if she had gotten in alright last night. Then as Lexi progressed through the messages, she noticed they began to get more frantic.

"Where are you?"

"What are you doing?"

"You didn’t come home. I’m freaking out."

"Have you spoken with Clark, because he keeps calling me."

"LEXI, what do I tell him?"

"What if he shows up at the apartment? Can’t you just get back here?"

Lexi sighed heavily when she reached the end of the messages a hard knot forming in her stomach. This couldn’t be good. Clark would never call Olivia unless it was important. Maybe something had happened while he was home. She wasn’t sure, but she figured she should get home sooner rather than later.

"I’ve got to get going. Something’s going on with Clark. I’m not sure what, but I have to head out," Lexi told Jack as she changed out of his t-shirt.

"Alright well let me know what you find out," he said kissing her briefly on the forehead before she darted out of the house.

Olivia was pacing the living room absently strumming her guitar when Lexi walked throught the door. She looked like she hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. As if she actually had been sick when she left Chamber the night before.

"Where the f**k have you been?" Olivia squealed before Lexi could say a word. She placed her guitar in its stand and stared at Lexi angrily. "Clark kept calling and texting saying that you weren’t answering your phone, and that you weren’t responding to any of his messages. What did you expect me to tell him?"

"I’m sorry. I didn’t expect this to happen. I had a few too many drinks last night and ended up sleeping at Jack’s place," she told her. Most of what she had said was true.

"I figured as much, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. He would have come back and barged into Jack’s apartment without notice."

"He could have. It’s not like we were doing anything," Lexi lied biting her lip at Olivia’s frustration.

Olivia snorted. "Suuuure. In either case, I finally picked up and told him that you were fine and just passed out in your room from drinking last night. I’m surprised he isn’t over here yet. You should definitely call him."

"I’m not sure why you are so frantic," Lexi commented.

"Because I’m lying for you. I don’t mind, but you can at least confide in me," Olivia cried. "I’m your best friend and you can’t even tell me the truth. You’re a different person than you were when we first knew each other. I think some of that has to do with Jack, and I’d really like to be clued in."

"For the last time, there is nothing going on between me and Jack," Lexi said storming into her room and leaving Olivia hovering at her door.

"If that’s the case, then why didn’t he just bring you home last night? Huh?"

"Because he’d been drinking too and he lives closer to downtown," she said the lie coming out easier this time. She couldn’t even count how many she had made by now. They all seemed to be running together.

Olivia seemed to just let it go from there. There was no point in trying to argue with Lexi when she was in this state.

She pulled out her phone again and texted a message to Clark, "Sorry. I passed out last night from drinking. Hope you’re not worried."

Then typed out one to Jack. "Made it safe. No need to worry."

After several hours of silence from Clark, Lexi was beginning to get worried. If he had been so frantic earlier, why wasn’t he returning her message now? It was very strange indeed. Just when she was about to send him another message, a knock on the door sounded from the living room. When Lexi got up, Olivia was standing there with the door open talking to Clark.

"Hey, I was just wondering about you," Lexi said smiling brightly.

"We need to talk," Clark said walking into her bedroom without another word.

Olivia looked at her anxiously as Lexi followed him into her room her smile dropping fom her face. "I got all your messages."

"Then you know what this is about?" he asked in a very serious tone.

Lexi’s stomach knotted together and she could hear her blood pounding away in her ears. This wasn’t about something that had happened when he had been home. No. Judging by the way he was looking at her, she could tell. He knew. She had no idea how he knew, but he did. He hadn’t touched her. He had barely looked at her. And those lone looks had been ones of disgust. Not the loving tender looks she normally received from her boyfriend.

"I’m not sure," she answered tentatively.

"Don’t do that Lexi."

"Do what?"

"Lie to me anymore. Just don’t lie. Okay? Can we just go through this one goddamn conversation without you lying to me?" he asked running his hand through his shaggy black hair a couple times before resting his green eyes back on her.

"Uh yeah sure."

"So just tell me what happened with you and Jack."

She stared at him anxiously holding her hands in place so she wouldn’t be tempted to mess with her hair. Everyone kept pointing out that little habit to her, and this would be the worst time for it. "What about me and Jack?" she asked gulping hard.

"Lexi please!" he said his breathe quickening. "Just don’t lie to me."

"I’m not sure what you want me to say."

"Just the truth."

"There’s nothing going on between me and Jack." She had said the words so often that even she sometimes believed them when they rolled off her tongue.