Avoiding Temptation

by K. A. Linde

  “Um…sure,” she said, taking another hesitant step backward. She didn’t know what he was going to ask her, but her unease was peaking.

  “You dated Jack a long time, right?”

  “Um…no. We’ve never dated actually.”

  “But you were together.”

  “Well, not exactly.”

  “Sleeping together,” John offered.

  “Um…yeah.”

  “And you’ve been dating Ramsey now for over two years?”

  “Yeah. Two and a half.”

  “That seems pretty committed to me.” John arched an eyebrow.

  “I just said that getting me to commit is the hard part…not impossible.”

  “Committed to Ramsey and still seeing Jack though, right?” John asked, stepping into her again.

  Lexi took a few more steps to put distance between them again. Brushing her hair behind her ear, she glanced away and tried to wrap her mind around where John was going with this. What did any of it matter to him? And why did he look so angry? His hazel eyes were dark under his thick black lashes, and his body was stiff where he was normally relaxed.

  “Jack and I are just friends. We’re not seeing each other. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove in this conversation, but I think we should leave,” Lexi said, trying for her best courtroom voice.

  “You’re friends with someone you slept with since college?” he asked incredulously.

  “Yes, some people do learn to grow up,” she spat back. Then, it hit her. “How do you know about me and Jack? I haven’t told you about our relationship. Who did you talk to? How do you keep finding all of this out?”

  John just shrugged.

  “Why do you want to know all of this anyway?” she asked. “What do you gain from it?”

  John strode forward quickly, and Lexi took another unsteady step backward. Her back hit the wall, and he hovered close over her. She held her breath as he stood there. A million scenarios went through her mind at once.

  She didn’t want whatever he was offering. She liked him, and they got along, but he also put her on edge. Most of the time, it was because of the physical attraction that was still there between them but not at this moment. This felt different. She could feel the physical need simmering underneath it all, but there was something else there that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

  “I told you once that I wasn’t going to play fair. You don’t play fair, so I wasn’t going to. The more that I found out about you, Lexi, just proves that you’ve never played fair—leading Jack on for years and forcing Ramsey to be around Jack. All the while berating Ramsey for being around Parker when you’re around Jack.”

  “What is the point of all this?” she snapped. “Don’t judge me for the life I live! You don’t know what I’ve gone through to get here, and I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions.”

  “Walk away from it all.”

  Lexi’s eyes bulged at the comment. Where the hell had that come from? Walk away from her life? From the life she had fought tooth and nail for?

  Was he mentally insane?

  There was no way that she was going to walk away from Ramsey. They had their ups and downs, but he was the real deal, the sure thing. As long as Elisa was behind them and she could trust him around Parker, then they would be fine.

  And Jack…

  Well, Jack, she had finally made peace with. They were friends. Just friends. Nothing else. Not ever again.

  She wasn’t going to give that up now that it was finally working. She never thought that she would be able to call Jack her friend in any real sense. The sexual tension between them had always been too palpable, but they had made it work. And she needed him.

  “Walk away from what? My life?”

  “Just leave it all behind,” he said softly. He looked like he wanted to reach out and touch her, but he didn’t.

  “I can’t leave my life behind. Do you know how crazy that sounds? I just want to get out of here,” she said, pushing against his chest to try to walk past him.

  John caught her wrists and pulled her in against him. The breath whooshed out of her lungs as her chest collided with him roughly.

  “I’m offering you an out. You want to get away. I want you to get away with me. Come back to New York. Hang out with Chyna. Spend time with me.”

  Lexi shook her head back and forth and tried to wrench her hands back from him. “No. You can’t tell me to give up my life because you want to date me. I already told you no…a year and a half ago. Now, let me go!”

  “Why do you fight like this?”

  “Because you’re hurting me,” she said, gesturing to where he still held her in place.

  John released her, and she pushed back against his chest again.

  “I told you no. I’m sorry that you can’t accept no, but my answer hasn’t changed. I love Ramsey. I’m dating Ramsey.”

  “Do you want to marry him? You said you’re not the marrying type…is he?” John asked.

  “That’s none of your business. You seem to know everything else about my life. How come you don’t know the answer to that question?”

  “I already know he is. I just want you to see how wrong you are together.”

  “And what?” she asked angrily. “To prove that we’re right for each other? You prove that with actions, not words.”

  “Then, let me prove it. You’re going to look back on this moment and regret not taking the out. I can see it all over you. I know you, Lexi,” John told her.

  She stepped around him. “We were talking for a total of one month. We had sex once. We might have hung out since you were working on the Bridges hospital, but I’m not walking away, and I’m not going to regret it.”

  Lexi turned and walked toward the door. She couldn’t believe she had just had this conversation. The audacity of that man to actually say these things to her—to try to convince her to give up Ramsey, her friendship with Jack, her life in Atlanta for something with him in New York—and the very idea of it all was outrageous.

  John stalked after her, keeping her from the door. “I’m not saying walk away because of me. I’m saying walk away with me. We could very well fall to pieces in a couple of months, but at least you would know. You wouldn’t be doing this run-of-the-mill thing to satisfy anyone else but yourself.”

  “And how do you know that I’m doing this for anyone else but me?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “You think that I decided to love Ramsey because he wanted me to? That I decided to move in with Ramsey because he wanted me to? That I decided to be friends with Jack because he wanted to? I’m pretty sure I had a say in all of that!”

  John laughed softly and shook his head. He actually looked distraught from her speaking. “The fact that you’ve deluded yourself into thinking that is the saddest part of all of this,” he said, forcefully opening the door and walking out into the hallway.

  Lexi stormed after him, ready to give him a piece of her mind. John stopped short just out of the door, and she faced him, ready to yell at him some more, but then she got a good look at what had made him stop.

  Ramsey and Parker were standing only a few feet from the on-call room. They were talking to each other but were walking straight toward Lexi and John. When Lexi had stormed out of the on-call room, Ramsey and Parker had both looked up at her.

  Fuck!

  No way did this look good. She was all angry and flustered because of the conversation she had just had with John, and now, she had to deal with this. Ramsey was in a suit, as usual, but Parker was dressed in scrubs with her hair up in a messy ponytail. Walking away in that moment didn’t sound so bad.

  “Lexi,” Ramsey said, “I didn’t know you were at the hospital already.”

  She knew that she should have texted him to let him know that she was here, but she had planned to do it when she was done, so she could spend time with him. Now, she had been caught walking out of the room known for where doctors had sex. Just fantastic.
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br />   “Yeah, I got here a while ago. We’ve just been wandering the hallways as John does his report.”

  “Part of his inspection was in the on-call room?” Ramsey asked, keeping his voice even.

  But Lexi could see that he wasn’t pleased.

  Parker forced a stilted laugh. “I’m sure it was nothing.”

  They all stood there awkwardly in the minute of silence. Lexi wasn’t sure what to say. She knew Ramsey would be pissed if he knew what John had been saying to her. She figured the extent of Ramsey acting cool with her being friends with these men extended only as long as they kept their distance. John had crossed that boundary. No, it was more like he had hurdled the line at a full sprint.

  “We just finished anyway,” John said casually.

  Lexi glared at him. Of course he would find a way to make it sound dirty.

  “He was just showing me around. I didn’t even know what room it was,” Lexi admitted.

  “I’m going to finish my inspection now. I believe she’s yours to take care of,” John said crisply, offering Lexi up.

  “Yes, perhaps you should finish your work here,” Ramsey said, taking Lexi’s hand and pulling her toward him, claiming her.

  “I can escort you the rest of the way,” Parker said immediately.

  Lexi wondered if Parker could get any nicer. Lexi wanted to hate the woman, but she just couldn’t. She didn’t like the history between Ramsey and Parker, but she would give Parker the same chance that Ramsey had given Jack.

  Parker moved to stand next to John, and then something crossed Parker’s face that Lexi hadn’t noticed before. Parker looked happy…happier. Normally, when Lexi was around her, Parker had this dejected, aloof expression about her, but it was missing.

  “Wait,” Lexi muttered, her head spinning. Could she be imagining it?

  “What?” John and Ramsey asked at the same time.

  “Are you seeing Parker?” Lexi spat out in shock. She really hoped that she was wrong. Honestly, for Parker’s sake, she hoped that she was wrong.

  Parker’s cheeks colored immediately, and she looked down at the ground. John just looked smug.

  Shit! Oh God, the girl that he had been talking about…or at least one of them as far as Lexi was concerned…was Parker.

  What had he said to Lexi about the girl he was seeing? She’s nothing like you. That’s why it’s not serious. As much as she looked like Parker, they were absolutely nothing alike. Lexi was strong where Parker was weak, confrontational where Parker skirted around arguments, emotional where Parker was stoic.

  “Oh my God, you are,” Lexi whispered.

  “You’re seeing John?” Ramsey asked, clearly surprised.

  “Um…not exactly,” Parker said, averting her gaze and looking back at John. “I mean…it’s not serious or anything.”

  No, of course it wasn’t serious—because John didn’t care about Parker. John was using Parker. Lexi couldn’t believe it when it hit her. She had always assumed that John had gotten all his information about Lexi from Adam, that it had trickled down from Chyna to Adam to John. She had thought that John was just nosy, and Adam was too good of a brother to deny him anything.

  But now…

  “She’s been the one feeding you information,” Lexi gasped.

  “Feeding him what information?” Ramsey asked.

  Lexi had never told Ramsey about John always knowing things about her. Every time it had happened, she hadn’t been with him, and then she had tended to forget that it had happened until the next time.

  Parker looked genuinely confused for her part. “What are you talking about?”

  “All this time, John has just magically known so much about my life. It’s Parker, isn’t it?” Lexi asked, unable to stop. Answers to the nagging question she’d had for the past year and a half were so close that she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. She should have chosen another time and place, but she had to know.

  “Have you been telling her stuff that I said to you?” Parker gasped.

  John just shrugged, all nonchalant like.

  Lexi’s eyes widened. He didn’t care. He had no shame.

  “How long has this been going on?” Ramsey asked. His face was still a mask of disbelief.

  Clearly, this had come out of left field for him as much as for Lexi.

  “He’s known stuff since last October,” Lexi reasoned. “So, at least that long.”

  “September,” Parker murmured softly. She actually looked scandalized by the whole thing.

  “You’ve never said anything,” Ramsey said, shaking his head.

  Lexi could see what he was thinking. How could he be around someone every single day for a year and a half and not know that she was hiding something? Then, Lexi had a terrible thought that she wished she could hold back. He had gotten a taste of his own medicine.

  “It didn’t come up. And like I said…it’s not serious,” Parker said with a shrug and then looked away from Ramsey quickly.

  “A year and a half isn’t serious?” Ramsey asked before he could stop himself.

  “Just stop it,” Parker said. “Of all people, I’m the last person who needs your judgment.”

  The group stood very still at that comment.

  Lexi didn’t know what had happened, what had shifted. But Ramsey just nodded and then reached out for Lexi to try to get her to leave. John turned to go, encouraging Parker to follow him. Parker looked like she had more to say, but she couldn’t form the words. Then, Parker jerked out of John’s grasp and stalked down the hallway, far away from them all. Lexi stared after her, wondering if she was hurting more from John or Ramsey in that moment.

  “I would just finish up your report and go,” Ramsey said to John viciously. “You’ve done enough damage here.”

  John cracked a smirk and looked Ramsey up and down as if measuring him up. “I understand why you two are together now,” he said, his eyes shifting between Lexi and Ramsey. “You’re equally oblivious.”

  Chyna wasn’t even nervous.

  How was it possible that Chyna wasn’t even nervous one bit about her own wedding? Most people were excited, but nervous jitters would usually set in about now. They were only minutes away from Chyna walking down the aisle, and the girl wasn’t even drinking. Chyna drank for everything.

  Maybe she was freaked out enough that Adam had struck her sober.

  “Are you sure you don’t want something to drink?” Lexi asked, staring at the unopened bottle of champagne. She was really considering opening the expensive bottle herself and downing the contents. She could walk in her heels slightly tipsy, um…drunk, right? Was it normal for the maid of honor to be nervous for the bride?

  “No, Alexa, I’m fine. I don’t need alcohol today,” she said with a bright smile on her face.

  Chyna looked positively stunning. Lexi had seen her modeling pictures, and nothing compared to her wedding day. She was glowing.

  The makeup artist, who Chyna had fallen in love with on one of her last photo shoots, had artfully applied her makeup. The girls had hit it off during the hours of makeup sessions they had spent together, and Chyna had acquired her for the wedding. She managed to set off Chyna’s natural beauty without making her look overdone or even like she was wearing much makeup at all. Her eyes were lined, and her lashes were coated in thick black mascara that made her green eyes pop. Her lips were a gorgeous natural pink to match the glow of the blush and bronzer.

  Chyna had been going to the same hairstylist for years now, and even though the man never left for private jobs, he had agreed to work on Chyna’s hair. Lexi was sure that Chyna had coerced him into it, but he seemed to be a miracle worker. Her long, pin-straight black hair had been turned into gorgeous curls. The front had been parted to one side and swept gracefully back into a half-up do, and her long bangs were tucked loosely behind her ear. Lexi couldn’t believe how insanely beautiful her already supermodel-gorgeous friend was. It was enough to make any other girl green with envy.

  Still
…Lexi couldn’t believe Chyna wasn’t drinking.

  “I’d say something was wrong with you if you weren’t drunk by this time of night already, but it’s your wedding day, so I guess I’ll let you be right for once,” Lexi said with a laugh at the end.

  “I appreciate it, chica,” Chyna said, rolling her green eyes skyward.

  “Thanks for letting me be a part of your big day,” Lexi said.

  Chyna smiled even bigger and shook her head. “Please. I didn’t let you. It was a necessity.”

  “Well, either way, you look gorgeous.”

  “That was also a necessity.”

  “Not a necessity. An inevitable. You’re always gorgeous. I think marriage is going to look good on you,” Lexi said. If she kept talking, she was going to start crying, and crying was not an option with her makeup like this.

  “Are you telling me I’m going to get fat?”

  Lexi burst out laughing. “No! You couldn’t possibly be fat. Look at you! Adam is one lucky man.”

  “Damn right, he is,” Chyna said with a wink. “I mean…I’m the lucky one. He’s worth it all.”

  “He’s your knight in shining armor,” Lexi said with a giggle.

  “Oh God,” Chyna groaned.

  “Come on, he slayed the dragon and saved you from your evil stepmother.”

  “You’re ridiculous. So, now, Adam is suddenly Prince Charming?”

  “He is to you, isn’t he?” Lexi asked. Seeing her friend just beam back at her at the silly comparison gave her the best feeling.

  “All that and more,” Chyna admitted.

  Chyna moved forward and pulled Lexi into a hug. “You mean the world to me, chica. I’m sorry about yelling at you when you were last here.”

  “Really…it’s okay. I needed to hear it,” Lexi admitted. “And you don’t need to rehash it on your wedding day. Today is your day. All smiles. All congratulations. All about you. Just the way you like it.”

  “Can’t even keep you from being snotty when you’re saying nice things,” Chyna said, rolling her eyes.

  “You wouldn’t want me any other way.”

  “Ladies,” the wedding planner said, popping her head into the room. “Are we all set?”