Free The Avoidance of Love (The Daniels' Sisters Book 2) by J. L. Monro

the bait.
    “Good. I know we keep making fun, but you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
    “I’m not.” Then I thought of a little way to get my own back on Lana. “Lana, you do know it’s Grandma’s birthday next weekend.”
    “Of course.”
    “Well, since I’ll be away this weekend, I won’t be able to organize it as I usually do, so you’ll have to take over.” I knew she would hate this since I always cook for Grandmas birthdays since she generally doesn’t like us to take her out. She hates the thought of us spending our money on her and much prefers it when we all come over for dinner and cake. “You’ll need to cook the food and take it over, make sure there’s enough to drink, and have her favorite birthday cake. You usually decorate the house for her so make sure you don’t forget your usual duties.”
    I could see her smile fading. We all knew Lana was great at her job and anything that revolved around the world of fashion. If you pushed her out of her comfort zone, she fell apart. This time it was fun to watch. Sadly, I couldn’t milk it for too long, since I needed to make sure I was ready for the weekend and I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare. Plus there was the whole escaping out the bathroom debacle which I had decided I was just going to pretend never happened.
    “How about I just email you with a list of things to do?”
    We paid and left the restaurant going our separate ways. Coops hadn’t driven to work, so he took the tube home. I couldn’t wait to get to bed. I was exhausted. Between not sleeping last night, shopping, and walking around all day today, I just needed to crash.

THE WEEKEND FOR Italy came much quicker than I wanted, but I was ready to go in any case. Jace still wanted me to come, and he hadn’t brought up what had happened between us in the restaurant bathroom. I refused his offer to pick me up and take me to the airport. He ignored my protests and said he was coming anyway. I’d had just about enough of him telling me what to do, so I arranged for a taxi to pick me up and take me to the airport. I would wait for him there. The least amount of time I spent with him in private the better.
    The flight into Italy departed at 6am, so Jace was picking me up at 3:00 a.m. The races started on the Friday and we were flying in on Thursday to give Jace time to prepare. The rest of his team was already at the hotel and making their own preparations. I made sure I booked my taxi for 1:00 a.m. so I would miss him; I would rather wait at the airport for an extra two hours. I had no problem with my own company.
    The taxi arrived a bit early, which was even better. I grabbed my bag and headed out to the car, only to find the very person I was trying to avoid.
    “Something told me that you might try to skip out on me. Again. Good job I went with my gut instinct. At least this way we can have breakfast together.”
    The rat bastard! How the hell did he know? I didn’t even tell Lana that I was trying to evade him. I stood there with my mouth ajar and watched him take my bag from the taxi driver and pay him nicely for the inconvenience. I still didn’t say anything as he took my arm and guided me to the car. I continued to stare at him dumbfounded as he pulled away and drove us to the airport.
    “Come on, BonBon. Say something.”
    “BonBon?”
    “Yeah, that’s what I’m gonna call you. I’ve been thinking about you non-stop since that earth shattering kiss and lovemaking in the bathroom. You know when you took over my mouth and had your wicked way. Totally robbed me of my innocence.” He chanced a glance in my direction to see if I was smiling. I wasn’t. “Even though you’re a cad and ran out on me, and although you’re tough and not the easiest person to get through to, I’ve decided you’re also sweet.”
    “When have I been sweet to you?” I have never been sweet to him. I was doing everything possible not to be even remotely sweet with him.
    “Well, the