Avoiding Temptation

by K. A. Linde

  “Look, what do you want me to do? Your sister…” She shook her head and glanced away. “She’s going to try to bury him six feet under. She knew Jack’s past. I fucking told her about his past. After accepting that and marrying him anyway, she is going to try to divorce him over it? That’s just twisted.”

  “It’s their problem. Please don’t make it our problem, too.”

  “It’s not my problem. It’s not your problem. But at the same time, we are invested in it, Ramsey. It would be stupid to think we aren’t. Bekah is your sister. Jack is one of my closest friends.”

  “No,” Ramsey said, putting his foot down. “We can’t get involved in this. Promise me that you’ll stay out of it, Lexi.” His voice softened at the end, and he pulled her back in for a kiss.

  She let him kiss her with the unanswered promise hanging between them.

  Lexi stood outside of the conference room in the rented office space where the Bridges medical wing team was working. She had thought it was strange that they would rent space when they had all of Bridges Enterprise to use for the conferences with Global as well as the contractors, architects, and various other businesses they were working with to get this building up and running. But Ramsey had told her that when they had first gotten the place, they had wanted something semipermanent near where they would break ground.

  Apparently, the location of the new Bridges tower was far enough away from the rest of Bridges Enterprise to warrant this. Lexi thought it was ridiculous. The plot was already being cleared, but it wasn’t like they would be looking up at a skyscraper next week or anything. Why waste the money? Besides the fact that they could

  This was why she had never gone into business. She found it incredibly boring—not that law didn’t have its moments, but this whole thing just looked like a headache.

  Some days, she was happy that Ramsey was keeping her in the know about every little detail, and other days, she felt herself zoning out. Really, he could settle with what was important and stick the rest through some kind of filter.

  She yawned and sank back into a chair. Ramsey had said the meeting wouldn’t be that long, and she could come with him if she wanted. This was her last Friday before she started her new job, and she had thought she would get to spend some time with Ramsey, finish unpacking a few of the stray boxes from New York, and get prepped for the big day on Monday before heading out to the D-Bags show with Jack later that night. But one meeting had turned into three, and she still couldn’t believe that three hours later, she was wasting the day in meetings.

  Lexi had sat through the first one, but when it had become clear that it was a bunch of gibberish that she couldn’t comprehend, she had lost interest in trying and dipped out. The battery of her smartphone was dying a slow death, and if it didn’t last to the end of this meeting, she was definitely going to leave.

  Shuffling in the other room brought her out of her thoughts, and she stood, praying to anyone who would listen that they could leave. She was never agreeing to this again.

  Several contractors walked out of the room without so much as a glance in her direction, and then the door closed. Lexi sighed and fell back into the chair. Seriously? She could not handle waiting. It was the worst thing ever.

  A second later, the door opened again, and John walked out. Lexi raised her eyebrow when he looked over at her still seated.

  He smiled brightly when he saw her. “You want to get out of here?”

  “Desperately,” she said, lifting her eyes to the ceiling and leaning back in the chair.

  “We could go get something to eat,” he suggested.

  She didn’t even have to glance at him to know he was smirking.

  “You want me to walk out on you again?” Lexi asked

  He chuckled, and she did look at him then. He had on dark dress slacks and a gray button-up, rolled up to his elbows. His dark hair was neat, but he was sporting a five o’clock shadow that really worked on his cut features.

  “They’re sticking around to talk for a few more minutes. I needed something to drink. Could you at least manage a walk to Starbucks?”

  Coffee. Heaven. Life force. “Yes, I think I can manage anything for coffee.”

  Lexi stood and stretched with a yawn. She wasn’t even tired, but she had been sitting there so long that she almost felt exhausted. Plus, the mention of coffee had made her brain seem to slow down as if it couldn’t function properly on her caffeine addiction without the stuff running through her veins.

  They walked out of the building and down the steps to the sidewalk. She stuffed her hands into her pockets and ducked her head against the wind. John looked at her questioningly with humor in his eyes.

  “What?” she demanded.

  “How are you cold? This weather is beautiful.”

  “You live in New York. You’re used to the freezing weather.”

  “Didn’t you live in New York for the past three years?” he asked.

  “I never adjusted to the temperature change,” she said with a shrug.

  “Well, I think you’re crazy. Sixty degrees is not freezing.”

  “In the South, it is.”

  “Right. It’s not where I grew up in Michigan. It’s laughable,” he told her.

  “Laugh all you want,” she grumbled. “I’m still cold.”

  “Good thing we’re here then, huh?”

  John opened the door to Starbucks, and Lexi walked inside, shaking off the cold that had sunk into her cardigan.

  They walked up to the counter. John ordered a chai tea latte and then allowed Lexi to order.

  “Just a venti coffee for me.”

  “Cream and sugar?” the associate asked.

  “No, thank you. Black is fine.”

  John smirked at that, too, and she didn’t even bother asking him about it. Most guys didn’t expect girls to drink their coffee straight. With as much as she drank, she would gain a million pounds if she added anything to it. Not to mention, she had gotten used to the taste in college and had never gone back.

  John paid for the drinks, and then they set back out for the conference room. Lexi blew on her coffee. She didn’t want to scald her mouth, but she really wanted to drink it. Giving up, she dove in and started drinking the steaming brew.

  “So…you moved in with Ramsey, I hear,” John said.

  Lexi sputtered on her coffee. It was pretty freaking hot.

  “Yeah, I did,” Lexi finally got out.

  “Kind of quick, isn’t it?”

  “Not really. We were living together before I moved back to New York.”

  “And that worked out so well for you,” he said dryly.

  “How do you even know we moved in together?” Lexi asked.

  She hadn’t talked to John since that night when she had walked out on him. She figured he had moved on. After all, he was attractive and charming. He could get any other girl he wanted. She just needed him not to focus on her.

  “A little birdie told me.”

  Lexi turned to face him, narrowing her eyes. “A little birdie?”

  “I’m not at liberty to discuss.”

  “You have someone feeding you my personal information, and you won’t tell me who said it?” she asked. That sounded like some pretty messed-up bullshit to her.

  “That is what not being at liberty to discuss means,” he said with a glimmer in his hazel eyes.

  “Well, you tell your little birdie to fuck off for me!” she spat.

  John burst out laughing and shook his head. “My little spitfire. You never do what I expect. It’s really hot.”

  Lexi rolled her eyes and took another sip of her coffee. “I’m serious.”

  “That’s what makes it all the better.”

  They made it back to the office, and Lexi turned to face him. She didn’t want this little birdie to keep broadcasting her information. John didn’t need to know what she was up to. She had closed that door, and she wanted it to remain firmly closed. She couldn’t do that when he kept fli
rting with her, buying her coffee, and instigating the banter while he knew so much about her new life. If it were the chase he was after, she would have to show him that she had meant what she said. Ramsey was the one she had agreed to commit to. Someone who thought sex was the end game wouldn’t cut it—even if John would deny that to his last breath.

  “So, are you really not going to tell me who told you?”

  “If you think about it, I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” he said, clearly enjoying having the upper hand. “Aren’t you going to a concert with your ex tonight…the married ex?”

  “That’s really none of your business,” Lexi shot back defensively.

  “I sure hope this isn’t the one who I can’t compare to because if you thought going to dinner with me bordered on bad ideas…” He trailed off.

  “This conversation is over. You’re just poking at something you don’t understand,” she said.

  He was getting her flustered, and she needed to extricate herself from the situation. He didn’t know her history. He didn’t know about Jack or even about Ramsey. John most certainly didn’t what she had gone through to get to the point where Jack was married. And it was quite clear that John had no idea that she would have preferred to go with anyone else other than Jack to this show. So, while him prodding her for a reaction was working, it was surfacing the wrong emotions.

  “Don’t be mad,” he said, reaching for her elbow.

  “Then, tell me who you’ve been talking to.”

  He smiled devilishly, and her knees wobbled. God, he was handsome. It was so unfair in this situation.

  “You’ll figure it out, babe. Thanks for going to get coffee with me.”

  Lexi took a deep breath as he walked past her and inside. The coffee warmed her fingers, so she didn’t follow him inside right away. She was sure she looked ready to pounce on someone.

  Who the hell would feed John information about her? Who could benefit from that?

  It didn’t actually do her any harm. She was not getting back with John. That had bad news written all over it. But still, her personal information was her personal information. She didn’t like this at all.

  When Lexi heard Jack’s car door close outside, she literally jumped since she had been listening so hard. She looked over at Ramsey apologetically when he arched an eyebrow. She knew he had heard it, too.

  After getting out of his last meeting, they had left the office and had since been sitting around the kitchen table, staring at their laptops. Well, that wasn’t completely true. They had tried to relax and watch a movie, but neither of them had really managed to relax. Thus, they had nixed that idea and spent the time working over coffee.

  She had felt pretty ridiculous during most of the time she had sat there. She hadn’t done anything that she had wanted to. Half the time, she had fretted over what John had said to her at the office, and the other half, her mind had been on this concert. She had kept thinking about backing out, knowing it was a bad idea.

  Sure, she wanted to see the D-Bags, but she didn’t want to see Jack. In fact, she wanted nothing less than to punch him in the face. He deserved it for what he had put her through. She was sure it would be a feat to get through this show with him. Never in her life had she been uncomfortable around Jack—even when she had been angry with him, even when they had been with other people, even when those people had been around. It had always been Jack.

  But no—he had broken her. Something in her had snapped. It was like he had stretched the thread taut, and over time, it had frayed, but one day, the pressure became just too much, and the thread split. Truth be told, she couldn’t come back from that. The thread would never be whole again. Sure, she could knot it together, but there would always be a noticeable imperfection.

  A knock sounded, and Lexi’s eyes flew to the door.

  “Do you want me to get it?” Ramsey asked, standing from his seat.

  “Sure,” she said with a nod. “I’ll just grab my purse.”

  Lexi’s eyes followed him all the way to the door, and then she just stood there and watched. She couldn’t tear herself away.

  Ramsey swung the door open, and Jack stood there with a sheepish smile on his face. He actually looked like her Jack tonight—even though that term did not apply. He was wearing dark faded jeans and a black T-shirt with an old pair of Converse. She liked seeing him not look so stuffy. He didn’t need to be in a suit all the time to look good with his mussed dark brown hair, piercing baby-blue eyes, and a smirk that was to die for—not that she was thinking about that at all.

  “Hey, man,” Jack said with a nod at Ramsey.

  “Jack.”

  The guys shook hands, and Lexi could feel the tension rolling off of them from across the room. What kind of parallel universe was she living in right now that she would be living with Ramsey and having a married Jack pick her up to take her out? Of course, it wasn’t a date or anything even remotely close to that, but still, it was weird.

  Jack said something that she didn’t catch as she walked to get her purse at the foot of the stairs. Ramsey laughed, but she knew that he wasn’t finding anything humorous. He was probably about to tell Jack what he had told her—that he would kill Jack if he laid one hand on her. She took her time getting her purse. She didn’t want to hear any of it. The whole situation was already awkward enough.

  She grabbed her purse and slung it on before straightening. Jack was nodding at Ramsey. She was really glad she wasn’t over there. Jack didn’t look happy, and by the set of Ramsey’s shoulders, he certainly wasn’t. Well, great.

  “All ready to go,” she said, walking across the living room to where the guys were standing.

  Ramsey still hadn’t let Jack inside, which was fine by her. She didn’t want to be here with the both of them any longer than was necessary.

  “Hey, Lex,” Jack said, nodding in her direction but making no move to walk inside.

  “Hey.”

  Christ, if only he wasn’t so attractive…if only he hadn’t married the Bitch.

  Whatever. It didn’t matter.

  “I’ll see you later,” she told Ramsey as she turned to walk out.

  Ramsey wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her back into him. She moved to give him a hug good-bye, but he dropped his mouth down to hers and kissed her thoroughly. She knew he was doing it as a show. He had probably been planning it while they had been sitting over their computers. He had probably plotted how to put the fear of death into Jack. She knew Ramsey didn’t trust Jack, and she didn’t blame him. She could feel every ounce of emotion Ramsey was pushing into this kiss. He wanted her to remember what she was coming home to. He had said he trusted her, but this kiss said he wanted to make sure. It stung as much as she enjoyed the display.

  Still, when he released her, she was breathless and latched on to him to steady herself.

  “I’ll be waiting up for you,” he said softly before releasing her.

  Lexi nodded and then left. Jack was already halfway down the steps when she walked out the door. Had he left while they were kissing? Or had he waited until he heard what Ramsey had said? She didn’t know if he was affected, and even if he was, what did it matter?

  She didn’t want to think about that. This concert wasn’t about her and Jack. She hadn’t done it to make Ramsey jealous, to make him want her like that. It certainly wasn’t to make Jack jealous…if he was even still capable. It wasn’t for anything but to see the D-Bags.

  Jack didn’t turn around as he walked straight to his car. She wondered what he was thinking—though she knew he wouldn’t tell her, not that she would ask.

  Walking around the car, she opened the passenger side door and slid into the seat. It smelled like Jack. Dear Lord! She swallowed and tried not to associate the musky scent he exuded with where her mind always went with it—sex. She closed her eyes and breathed in and then out slowly. Whoa! It was intoxicating.

  “I guess I wasn’t planning to start the night off like this,” Jac
k said, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel in a familiar fashion. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” she asked, trying to bring herself down from the high.

  “Putting Ramsey on edge.”

  “Right,” she said, unable to hold back the sarcastic undertone.

  “I’m serious.”

  “Whatever, Jack. Just drive.”

  He sighed heavily and backed out of the driveway.

  The best way to get through this evening would be to disengage—not to think about the smell she associated with sex in his car, or his baby-blue eyes, or his smooth words. She just channeled that feeling from the wedding, the red-hot feel of his desperation in that moment. He had wanted a way out, and she had refused to give him one. Now, he was married to Bekah. She balled her hands into fists, remembering the pain and the anger and the heartache. It scorched through her, which helped with her clarity in this situation.

  She could not let Jack back in. For the love of God, she would not let Jack back in.

  Jack pulled out onto the interstate toward the arena. She hadn’t said a word since they had left, and he hadn’t either. She could feel his eyes wandering over to her, like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. He just gave her space because it was clear that was what she wanted.

  It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable. It was Jack after all, but it did make her anxious. She just wanted to break the spell, yet she couldn’t. As much as she wanted everything to be okay and break down this wall between them, she wanted to stay angry with him. She wanted to be able to hold on to that for as long as possible.

  They made it all the way to the exit ramp before they hit traffic. They eased into the line of cars and waited for everyone to putter along to the nearest parking garage. She was sure all of this was for the Sienna Sexton and D-Bags show, but she wished traffic would just move faster. She was ready to be out of this car and away from this feeling.

  Jack glanced over at her as they approached the light. “Thanks for coming with me.”

  Lexi humphed and turned to gaze out the passenger window. The line of traffic broke, and they drove through the light and into the nearest parking garage. A few levels up, Jack took the first available spot and put the car in park.