Avoiding Commitment (Avoiding #1)(53)
Author: K.A. Linde

"Really?" Ramsey asked nodding his head at the obvious lie.

"Yeah…really," Jack said more vehemently this time. He couldn’t help glancing down the hallway again wondering if Lexi was listening to every word they were saying.

"How come I’ve never met her before? Never even heard you talk about her before?" he probed wanting to get to the bottom of this. Secrets always nagged at him.

"Well she lives in New York," Jack said lamely stating the obvious.

"Yeah, but we go to New York on a pretty regular basis. Ya’ll never met up while we were out or anything. Bekah or I were with you at all times, and from what I’ve gathered from Bekah, she had never met her either."

"We’ve been out of touch up until recently," he admitted hating how much information Ramsey was capable of weasling out of him. "You don’t mind if I get some coffee?" he asked hoping to put some distance between them.

"Not at all," Ramsey said watching him enter the kitchen and reach for an already full mug of coffee. "Why are there two mugs?" he asked curiously immediately glancing around the apartment as if a stranger were about to jump out at him.

Jack smiled as he brought this coffee back into the living room. "That was from last night," he improvised quickly.

"Alright," Ramsey said not convinced with pretty much anything Jack was telling him, "So, ya’ll just recently got back in touch. I’m surprised Bekah’s alright with this."

"I’m not sure why you’re giving me the third degree. I love your sister. Lexi is just an old friend. That’s all," Jack announced to Ramsey.

"Well that’s good to hear especially since we went out the other night," Ramsey added nonchalantly. All the while, he kept his eyes locked onto Jack. The reaction elicited was almost uncanny. Utter shock seemed to sweep his body starting at this clenched fists and racing up his arms into his tensed shoulders. His breathing quickened with bursts of hot air escaping his nostrils. Jack’s jaw tightened with the growing anger that sent through him. His blue eyes were darkening by the second. Ramsey just wanted to laugh at how obvious he was being about his affections.

Jack obviously had feelings for Lexi that he wasn’t willing to share with the general public especially with him or his sister. Ramsey had known that coming into the conversation just based on his reactions at his party Sunday night. Since he had been so intoxicated that night he hadn’t been so sure, but he certainly was now. The thing he didn’t know about was why his sister, his beautiful, talented sister, was putting up with it. She knew that Lexi was here, allowed them to hang out, and even went shopping with the girl. Was she out of her mind for putting up with this? Were they actually just friends?

After all, their date had gone over really well. Actually, it had gone over better than he had expected. Now that he knew just how Jack felt about her, he was even more curious to pry the details of her reason for coming to Atlanta out of them, because truthfully he didn’t think that someone as amazing as Lexi could be just friends with anyone.

"You did what?" Jack asked hoping to keep his voice level, but knowing he was failing.

"Yeah I took her out for a picnic the other day."

Jack clenched and unclenched his fists a couple times. All he felt like doing in that moment was throwing his fist directly into Ramsey’s smug face. Anger at the thought of Ramsey and Lexi together was taking over him, and he needed to get out of the situation before he did something he would regret. "Well…that’s great," he finally said lamely breathing out as slow as he could.

"Yeah, so anything else I need to know?" Ramsey asked giving him a smug grin.

Jack shook his head. "She’s leaving soon. So I wouldn’t press your luck. I’ve known her a long time, and she doesn’t really go for well…guys like you. No offense."

"None taken," Ramsey said amused at Jack’s reaction.

"I just mean with your job and the people you associate with not to mention that you live in Atlanta, it wouldn’t be best for her."

"Of course not," Ramsey said agreeing with him just for the hell of it.

"She’s different than your other girls."

"How so?"

"Lexi’s just special in her own way. She’s smart…more like brilliant, and motivated. She’s going to make something of herself. She’ll know if you’re playing her like you normally do," Jack told him his gaze focusing on the hallway where he knew she was listening in.

"I wasn’t planning on it, but thanks for the talk," Ramsey said extending his hand out to Jack.

"Anytime. I’ll see you around," he said thankful that he was leaving.

Ramsey took Jack’s hand in his own and gave his hand a rather firm shake. "I’m not going to play her. She does seem rather special."

"She is."

Suddenly, Ramsey yanked Jack forward so only inches separated them. He set his gaze directly on Jack and growled lowly, "I hear the way you talk about her, and I can see how you feel about her. Don’t even try to pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Now if you ever hurt her or my sister, I’ll find you." Jack gulped and attempted to avert his gaze. "Did you hear me?" Ramsey asked menacingly still holding his hand in a vice grip.

"Yeah man, I heard you," Jack snarled back at him.

Ramsey released him shoving him back a little harder than he had anticipated. "Well then have a nice day and I’ll see you on Friday night."

Jack watched him exit his apartment in a raging fury. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so infuriated with anyone in his life. First, the son of a bitch had come into his house and interrogated him on his relationship with Lexi. Then, he had decided to share the information that he had dated Lexi. After all that, he’d still had the audacity to threaten him.

"Lexi?" he called down the hallway.

Lexi scurried out of the guest bedroom where she had been hiding. Her heart was racing with what had just happened. She couldn’t believe all the things she had just heard through the door. She completely understood Jack defending their friendship to Ramsey, because the worst thing to happen right now would be for them to get caught all over again. She just couldn’t fathom why Ramsey would tell Jack that they had gone on a date. She had planned on telling him, but things had been going so well that she hadn’t found the right time. Not to mention she had assumed Jack would be angry, and from what she could tell Jack was furious.

"You went on a date with Ramsey?" he bellowed as soon as she was in front of him.

"Well yeah," she stated meekly.

"Why would you do that?" he asked attempting to control his anger at what had just occurred.

"What did you expect me to do when you just ditched me?" she asked him turning the tables on him. "You went off with Bekah and left me all alone while Ramsey was the only person there to take care of me."

"God, I don’t know Lex. Go see your parents or something. I didn’t expect you to go out with my girlfriend’s brother. This is so f**ked up."

"Stop right there," she cried pointing her finger into his chest. "Think about what you just said. You have a girlfriend. I would hope you wouldn’t forget that while you get yourself all worked up over nothing."

"Did you sleep with him?" he asked obviously ignoring her last comment.

"Excuse me?" she shrieked in disbelief.

"You heard me. I just…I just need to know."

"What kind of lowly tramp do you think I am? Is this what you think of me? Do you think I just jump into the bed of every available man on the market? How long have you known me Jack?" she nearly screamed at him.

"Well you didn’t tell me. We stayed up all night talking last night and you didn’t tell me you went on a date with him," he pointed out.

"It’s not exactly a great conversation starter with you especially after how you acted at his party. And anyway it’s not like you were sharing all sorts of details about Bekah."

"Yes but you know we’re together. I don’t have to share information about our relationship with you," he said looking her up and down. His blue eyes were blazing.

"You’re right you don’t. And since Ramsey and I have no relationship, then I don’t have to share any information about what we did or did not do with you either."

"So you slept with him then?" he asked plopping down on the couch in defeat.

"No, Jesus Christ, I did not sleep with him. He kissed me good night. That’s all. It was nothing. He practically had to beg me to go out with him in the first place, because I didn’t want to. Alright? Are you satisfied?" she asked placing her hands on her h*ps as she stared at him.

"I’m just losing my head," he said his blue eyes meeting hers. "I just realized how much you mean to me, Lex, and I can’t help but freak out. I’m sorry." He reached forward and grabbed her h*ps pulling her into his lap. She snuggled in close to him. "I shouldn’t be overreacting like this."

"No, I understand Jack. I’d probably be freaking out too. I should have just told you," Lexi said kissing his cheek.

"I wish you would have," he said turning his face and stealing her lips before they hit his cheek again.

"Jack," she said warningly against his lips.

"Lex," he mumbled back sliding his tongue into her mouth and rolling it around her mouth pleasantly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her firmly against his chest. She pushed her hands up through his unruly dark brown hair and moved her mouth against his. She hadn’t felt this so unbelievably relaxed in such a long time. Being in his arms felt like the most pleasant place in existence. The feel of his lips tasted of heaven, and though she knew deep down she needed to stop him, she was having trouble finding the rationalization as her brain shut down.

Jack stood pulling her legs around his waist never letting their lips part. She locked her legs behind his back as he supported her weight by placing each hand on her butt and hoisting her up. He pulled back and stared at her flushed face with a smug smirk firmly planted on his face. She could tell by his shallow breathing that he wanted her. His eyes were fiery blue with passion.

"I love you Lex," he said breathily.

"I love you too," she said her heart palpitating wildly as he crushed his lips against her again.

He leaned her back against his couch and pressed himself against her. They were both practically nak*d from just recently waking up, and the hardness pressing against her inner thigh made it evident what was on his mind. He pushed up his band t-shirt that she had thrown on and ran his hands down her tiny body. She groaned as he leaned down and began kissing every inch of her flat stomach. From there he moved to her perky br**sts. Her body ached for him as he continued his insistent proding of her upper half. Arching her back in pleasure at the sensaitions coursing through her body without even moving further. The anticipation from a year and a half of self-restraint was catching up with them as he retreated back to her plump lips.

"We should get rid of this," he said impetuously attempting to yank the shirt over her head. She let him rip the shirt off her head, but immediately reached out and grabbed it out of his hand. She covered her bare br**sts with the material and scooted to a sitting position.