Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding #3)(11)

“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.”