Avoiding Commitment (Avoiding #1)(114)

"Yeah look I had been meaning to come by and talk to you, but I hadn't been able to work up the nerve. Can we just meet up and talk?" he pleaded.

"How long have you been in New York?" she asked her eyes narrowing.

"Come on just meet me and I'll tell you everything," he promised his voice taking on an almost desperate tone.

"Just answer the question Jack," she commanded forcing herself not to break under his sweet talk.

"A couple months," he mumbled.

"What?" she squealed. "A couple months and this is the first I've heard from you?" She couldn't help but feel hurt. He had known all along that she had been around. And there she had been moping about him and feeling like she was seeing him on every street corner. For all she knew, he could have been on any street corner. He could have been any of those guys that had looked like him.

"I wasn't sure if you were…" he trailed off.

"If I was what?" she asked her anger flaring.

"Single."

"Oh," she muttered before she had a chance to stop herself.

"So can you please just meet with me so we can discuss this? I can tell you've entered full-on freak out mode and I can't help if I'm not there."

"Then, why did you leave?" she spat at him. Lexi was pretty sure that whatever had happened last night, he had to have realized that she wasn't taken? She shook her head furious with herself. No there was no way for him to know that. Even if they had done anything last night, past precedent proved that it had never mattered whether or not she had been single. She wasn't even sure why it mattered to him right now, but she didn't ask that.

"I had an interview," he muttered dejectedly.

"For a job?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes for a job, Lexi. I wouldn't have left your side for anything else," he informed her.

Lexi fell silent after that comment contemplating her next move. Of course, she wanted to go see him and find out what had happened, but she knew what kind of distraction Jack offered. Her first semester grades would be all she had when she was looking for internships for the summer and she needed to stay focused. Rachelle wasn't the only one who had to study in their household. Then again her roommates antics about Jack just reminded her of how good looking he was. If even Rachelle had commented on his appearance, Lexi knew he had looked damn good last night…and she couldn't remember it.

She shook her head from side to side weighing her option. Biting down on her bottom lip, she realized there was really only one option. "Where did you want to meet?"

Lexi assumed he wanted to meet at a coffee shop, but was pleasantly surprised that he steered clear. They already had memories stored away in a coffee shop hundreds of miles away. There was no need to start creating new ones in New York. She stared up at the stairs in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She had walked by here on numerous occasions, but had never been afforded the luxury of having enough free time to venture inside. Not that she had ever been a connoisseur of fine art, but she could still appreciate the beauty that lay within the castled walls.

In fact, she had always been intimidated by the outwards splendor that radiated from the building. Chyna had been to a number of benefits and operas at the location, but timing had never been right for Lexi to join her. Now she was stuck staring upwards at the massive construction wondering what she was even doing here. Sitting in her room and listening to Jack's soothing voice made her think that this was the right thing to do. But now outside of her comfortable residence, she couldn't quite be sure. She was more likely to be of the opposite state-of-mind when it came to Jack. Though he brought her such pleasure, she knew well enough now to expect heartache by the end of it.

Just as her thoughts strayed farther down that detrimental path, she felt a light tap on her shoulder from behind. She jerked around caught off-guard by the sudden interruption. "Jack," she said her voice lowering seductively as she caught sight of him.

Her roommates had been right. He looked damn sexy. The afternoon sun gleamed in his eyes reflecting back to the world as a bright ocean blue with just a hint of gold circling the pupil. His shaggy hair, which typically fell into his eyes, had been combed and perfected to rest across his forehead. A worn pair of jeans, that she recognized, hung loose on his narrow hips. A grey long-sleeve t-shirt fit snug across his broad shoulders. Her eyes couldn't help but smolder at the sight of his cut arms and chest which showed countless hours of work. She had never seen him look so built before in her life.

A smile broke out across his face when he noticed her checking him out. She blushed slightly unable to control the faint feeling of embarrassment. She knew that she shouldn't feel it…after all, it was Jack. He pulled her into him wrapping his arms around her waist covered by a purple sweater and long black pea coat. Breathing in his musky scent made her head dizzy with more than just a cologne haze, and she tightened her grip around his neck to steady herself. Her heart fluttered as he seemed unable to let her go. After a minute of standing there with their arms wrapped tightly around each other, Jack finally pulled back taking a step away from her. Lexi instantly felt like all the warmth from her body had dissipated with the break in contact.

"Can we go inside?" he asked rubbing his hands up and down his chiseled arms. "It's kind of freezing and I forgot a jacket."