Avoiding Temptation Read online

  “I woke up before you did.” He shrugged. “Anyway, he wanted me to speak with them this morning, but I told him I wouldn’t be available. I don’t think he’s going to like the discretion he put into my contract.”

  Lexi giggled. “Probably not.”

  “He said it had to be today though since the pair just flew in from New York.”

  “Your dad hired people from New York for this?” Lexi asked, impressed.

  “He wanted the best. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. So, yeah, here we are. I could have waited to meet them after you flew back home, but since they’re just here to consult this week, I thought I would start the process as soon as possible. Plus, I really want you to be involved in this, Lexi. I don’t want you to feel like you’re on the outside of anything I’m doing. Since I’m working with…Parker, I don’t want you to think this will mean anything different for us,” Ramsey told her, staring deep into her eyes for emphasis.

  She sure hoped he was right.

  “So, are we okay? I can include you on all of the planning now? After all, this was all for you.”

  “Yes,” Lexi murmured. “I want to be involved. It’ll take some getting used to, but I want to be there for you.”

  “Good.” Ramsey brought his lips to hers once more.

  Then, drinks were placed before them.

  “Are y’all still waiting for two more?” the perky blonde asked, leaning her hip against the table.

  “Yes, they should be here any minute. Thank you,” Ramsey said dismissively. “Oh, I would guess that’s them.”

  Ramsey pointed out a girl who walked in, wearing a black pantsuit with a pink blouse. Lexi couldn’t believe that the girl could wear black pants and a jacket in this weather. It certainly wasn’t cool enough back home, but here, it was atrocious. She was pretty and about average height without her heels, and she had super straight blonde hair. Lexi didn’t know how the humidity wasn’t making it frizzy. She contemplated asking the blonde for the secret.

  The next person who walked in made her stomach drop—not just out of her body, but also to the floor. No, it was more like through the floor. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Only her luck was this terrible.

  John.

  His hazel eyes landed on hers across the room, and the shock was as evident on his face as it was on hers. She couldn’t even begin to hide it.

  He looked really handsome in a black suit with a white shirt and a blue-and-silver striped tie. His dark brown hair was cut short, and he looked very professional. As he approached, she remembered just how tall he was. He wasn’t as tall as Ramsey, but he was close to it. And those shoulders. How had she forgotten those shoulders? Underneath that suit, he had a swimmer’s body with muscular shoulders and a sexy six-pack that cut down to a trim waist. And the tattoos—she hadn’t forgotten those either.

  But she had to forget all of that right now, and she needed to remember where she was and what he was doing here.

  John was consulting on the Bridges medical wing. She knew he worked at Global International, a leader in the New York business sector. They were a massive conglomerate, specializing in everything from consultation on business development to international business expansion. Whatever John did for the company, Lexi had assumed it was on the international side, which would explain why he was always out of the States. So, what was he doing in Atlanta consulting on the Bridges project?

  Ramsey was standing and shaking the blonde’s hand. Lexi hadn’t even noticed. She was too engrossed in the fact that the guy she had slept with—Adam’s brother, the person Ramsey had found out existed only yesterday, the person she was supposed to figure things out with when she got back to New York—was right in front of her in Atlanta.

  “Jessica, this is Lexi,” Ramsey said, introducing her to the blonde girl.

  “What a pleasure to meet you,” Jessica said.

  Lexi shifted her gaze to the other woman and mechanically shook her hand.

  How could she fix this? She needed to clue everyone in on the train wreck they had just walked into. Ramsey didn’t know who John was, and John didn’t know who Ramsey was. She was just standing there in the middle, wondering how the hell she could make all of this less embarrassing and awkward.

  “Ramsey,” Lexi whispered, turning to face him and dropping Jessica’s hand. She needed to be blunt about the impending collision.

  “One second,” he said with a smile. “You must be John. Thanks for consulting with Bridges.”

  “Pleasure,” John said, shaking his hand.

  Lexi could see the flicker of confusion in John’s eyes, but he was trying to stay professional. If she could just collapse back into the booth and throw her head into her hands, it would be better than what was going on right now.

  Instead, she just stood there and waited for her chance to butt in.

  “John, this is—” Ramsey began.

  “Lexi,” she said, sticking out her hand immediately before Ramsey could say anything further.

  John slid his hand into hers. He had such big hands with long fingers that grazed her wrist when they shook. “Hello, Lexi.”

  He didn’t immediately release her hand, and she had to clear her throat as she pulled her hand back.

  “How have you been?” John asked, never breaking away from her gaze.

  “Good. Uh, Ramsey,” Lexi said frantically, “this is John.”

  “Right. We met,” Ramsey said.

  “No, Ramsey…this is Adam’s brother…John,” she said softly.

  And there was the realization. Ramsey’s entire body went rigid, and all conversation halted. He stared into her eyes, then to John, and then back to Lexi, like he couldn’t believe what she had just said. She couldn’t blame him for that either.

  “I’m sorry. Am I missing something?” Jessica asked. “Do you know each other?”

  All three stared off uncomfortably, not sure who should be the one to answer that question. Lexi knew that they all needed to stay professional. Nothing good would come from blurting out that she had slept with both of these men.

  “It’s a bit complicated,” Lexi finally admitted. “John is the brother of my best friend’s boyfriend. I just graduated from NYU Law, and I still live in the city.”

  “Oh, a New York girl and law at that. I love it,” Jessica said with a genuine smile. “We should get drinks in the city when we get back. I always love to consult after-hours.”

  “Jessica is a partner at Global International. She’s the main point of contact for the project,” Ramsey explained, finding his voice.

  “Wow, congratulations.”

  Jessica looked really young to be a partner. Either her looks were deceptive, or she was an unbelievably driven, ambitious person. Lexi suspected a bit of both.

  “Thank you,” Jessica said. “Mind if we sit now?”

  “Of course not,” Ramsey said, taking his seat next to Lexi again.

  John and Jessica sat across from them.

  Lexi’s eyes found John’s across the table, and he was giving her a pointed look. He had questions. She was sure of that, but she wasn’t sure how to answer them. She would have preferred to have that conversation when she got back to New York—in the safety of her own city and thousands of miles away from Ramsey. John’s eyes slid from her face to her chest, and she quickly averted her gaze.

  Jessica immediately launched into a full campaign of information and began presenting how they were going to get the entire Bridges medical wing on its feet in just one year. She was certain that it was possible. Lexi didn’t know how much of that was bullshitting and how much of it was determination. Lexi didn’t think these things happened that fast, but apparently, based on the packet of information and the tablet full of slides, Jessica was going to make this happen. She covered everything Lexi could think of and more—building construction, insurance, employment, equipment acquisition, security systems, and so on.

  As far as Lexi could guess from the presentation, the Bridge
s project was the first full-scale assignment Global International was allowing John to consult on, which would explain why he was here and not working on an international case. Just her luck.

  Lexi kept her eyes glued to Jessica’s display. She wouldn’t even let her eyes wander to John when he was discussing his aspects of the plan.

  She was here for Ramsey. She was here for Ramsey. She kept repeating that over and over in her head, hoping it would sink in.

  Over an hour later, when it seemed Jessica’s project overview had come to a close, the four stood from the table to leave.

  “Thank you so much for meeting with us today,” Ramsey said. He shook Jessica’s hand and then John’s. “It was really rather enlightening.”

  “Thank you for trusting us with your medical wing. It is a huge step for your company, and we’re glad to put the Global name behind it,” Jessica said.

  She was clearly a pro.

  “I’ll be in contact to schedule meetings for the rest of the week. I’d like to introduce you to the other half of my team, so we can start setting the foundation as soon as possible,” Ramsey said. He seemed to speak to both Jessica and John, yet only Jessica at the same time.

  Lexi tried not to look at anyone in particular as they walked out of the restaurant.

  As Jessica asked Ramsey a few additional questions about the project, John turned to Lexi. “Can I speak to you privately before you leave?”

  “Um…” She glanced over at Ramsey. She thought his undivided attention was on Jessica, but it was clear that he was watching her. “Let me see if we have time. I have a flight to catch tonight.”

  “Ah, right…you’re going back to New York,” John said.

  “I thought you were going to be in the city when I got back,” she said quietly.

  “I was, but this was a last-minute job. I heard about it on Friday, and I just got the to come down here yesterday afternoon. We’ve been working on our proposal all night. Otherwise, I likely would have found the time to let you know I would be in town,” John said. Leaning in a bit closer than he should have under the circumstances, he spoke softly, “Just give me five minutes, Lexi. I want more, but I can wait. I’m patient.”

  Lexi swallowed and stepped back. She pushed her hair behind her ear and then dropped her hand, remembering that it was her tell. “Sure. Hold on.”

  Five minutes would be okay. She would totally be fine in that amount of time. She would just tell John the truth and break things off, and then everything would be peachy keen. Because that was how simple everything was in her life…

  “Sorry for interrupting,” Lexi told Jessica. “Ramsey, are we okay on time still? I’m going to talk to John for a couple of minutes.”

  Ramsey’s green eyes searchingly bore into hers. She knew he was trying to trust her, like he wanted to. She knew he was trying to let it all slide off of him with ease, but it couldn’t be easy. He had only found out about John yesterday.

  “Yeah, we should be fine,” Ramsey said, bending down. He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her full on the lips.

  Lexi came back blushing when he released her. Since when was Ramsey the type to stake his claim so publicly?

  Maybe since she ha left him, and he ha found out that she had slept with Jack before his engagement and John when she returned to New York…

  “I’ll, uh…be quick,” she murmured. She turned and walked back to John.

  He still looked calm despite the display Ramsey had just put on.

  “Five minutes,” she told John.

  They walked out into the parking lot and away from prying eyes and ears. John storde over to a black BMW and leaned back against one of the doors.

  “Is this your rental car?” she asked, making small talk.

  “You’re dating Ramsey Bridges?” John asked incredulously.

  “Uh…yeah. Kind of.”

  “Well, that’s inconvenient. I’m pretty sure you weren’t yelling his name when we were together,” he mused.

  Lexi laughed, which she immediately turned into a cough, as she glanced away from him. This was not the territory she wanted to venture into.

  A little over two weeks ago, she had slept with the irresistibly handsome man in front of her. When she had returned to New York after breaking up with Ramsey, she had been distraught from another failed relationship, another lie, another heartbreak. Chyna had been in Milan, and her roommate, Rachelle, had been away, working as a law associate for the summer. Adam had been the only one around who she had wanted to hang out with. He had been the only one who could understand since he and Chyna had broken up before she left.

  Hanging out with Adam meant being around John, who Chyna despised for an instance that had occurred earlier that year when John had come on to her. But with Chyna gone, Lexi had found that she got along easily with John. She had let herself hang out with him without Adam, and then that had moved on to a couple of dates, which then moved on to the bedroom. To be honest, she had just liked not having to think or act or tiptoe or anything else. She hadn’t cared that it was a rebound. It had felt comfortable, and that had been what she needed. She wasn’t going to apologize to Ramsey about what had happened, but she couldn’t let it continue either.

  “So, how long have you been together?” John asked casually.

  She could tell he wasn’t as casual as he sounded though. His eyes were vigilant, and he seemed to be assessing her in a way she wasn’t used to from him. He was usually so relaxed and in control. This must have thrown him off-balance.

  “We were together for almost a year, but I broke up with him and moved back to New York at the end of June,” she confessed. “I came back to Atlanta for a, uh…mutual friend’s wedding, and we decided to try to work it out.”

  “And you were going to tell me…”

  “When I got back,” Lexi said.

  “Why are you getting back together with his guy?” he asked.

  She shifted her feet uncomfortably and chanced a glance back into his hazel eyes. He seemed legitimately interested, and she wasn’t sure how to answer.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you broke up with him, moved back to New York, and started your life over. You don’t seem like the type of person who just runs back to a guy who hurt her. He did hurt you, right?”

  She nodded softly.

  “So, what made you change your mind?”

  “Why does it matter?” Lexi asked, sidestepping.

  “I want to know, so I can figure out how to change it back.”

  Lexi’s mouth dropped open before she had a chance to realize what she was doing. She had not been expecting that. She had been planning to let him down easy, hoping that they could keep their relationship civil while he was working on the Bridges medical wing. She hadn’t thought he would want to continue seeing her.

  “I, uh…”

  “Go out to dinner with me,” he said, reaching out for her hand and pulling her a little closer to him.

  Lexi stumbled forward a step, but she quickly dropped his hand. She was too close, and this was a really, really bad idea. She was used to bad ideas, but this—well, this was even worse.

  “I can’t. Sorry.”

  “Come on, you were going to tell me you were dating someone else when you got back to New York anyway. Go out to dinner with me when I get back. Then, you can tell me if your relationship is still perfect, and you have no doubts in your mind,” he said in an almost mocking tone.

  “John,” she warned.

  “If your relationship is perfect, then what does one dinner between friends hurt?” He smirked at her in a way that made it clear he thought he had her backed into a corner.

  “No.” Lexi shook her head and took a step backward. “I should probably get back. I hope this doesn’t interfere with your job, and you’ll still work on the Bridges project.”

  She turned and began to walk back up to the restaurant.

  “Hey,” John said, jogging to catch up with her, “d
oes he know?”

  “Know what? That we slept together?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “He knows.”

  “Then, you have insurance against it not happening again,” he said, his voice dipping lower for her ears only. “Unless you want it to.”

  Lexi shook her head again as she kept walking.

  John reached out and grabbed her arm. “Go to dinner with me, Lexi. One dinner. It was just this week that you said you couldn’t wait to get home to me, that you wanted to go to my cabin in Connecticut with me, that you were sexting me.”

  He hadn’t lowered his voice this time, and Lexi’s eyes bulged.

  “Jesus, keep it down,” she growled, swatting him on the arm.

  “I want what I want, and I’m not ashamed of it. I’m not asking for those things—yet. I’m just asking for dinner. After dinner, if you never want to see me again, we can try to forget. We won’t even call it a date. It’s not a date,” he repeated for good measure. “Dinner.”

  “Why are you being so persistent?” Why did she attract such persistent guys? That would have been a better question.

  “I don’t like to see people make terrible mistakes.”

  “You don’t even know—”

  “I do. It’s just dinner, Lexi. Don’t make me beg.” He winked.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Daniel restaurant. Do you like French food? Gorgeous. You’d love it.”

  Lexi arched her eyebrows. Chyna had told her about Daniel before. It was over a hundred dollars a plate. They had five hundred dollar caviar. That was outrageous.

  John smiled at her response. “I think Daniel will be perfect. Saturday?”

  “John,” she groaned.

  “I’ll pick you up at seven thirty.”

  Lexi had been staring at the glittering diamond ring on her finger for what felt like an eternity. She was just sitting there and staring.

  She was engaged. Holy shit! She was seriously, legitimately, one hundred percent engaged to Ramsey Bridges.

  Why this shocked her so much, she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She knew he was going to propose eventually. She didn’t date someone for that long without the knowledge that someday she was probably going to get married. That was what people did. It was totally a normal thing to do. People got engaged all the time. How many of her friends were married now? Pretty much all of them.