Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding #3)(2)

Two years just hadn’t been long enough for them to completely forget about their breakup—at least, not with everything else that had happened since then.

Especially not with what had happened last month…

She knew their relationship was strong, but sometimes, it didn’t feel as strong as it should. Sometimes, it felt like too many other things got in the way of their relationship.

Sighing at her thoughts, she flipped on the shower and stepped inside, letting the water pour over her head. The water beat down on her as she tried to block out the heartbroken look on Ramsey’s face. Taking a deep breath, she held it in as she slowly counted to ten and then blew it out. The boiling hot water helped clear her head and dissolve the concerns that she still harbored. She couldn’t beat herself up about everything in her past and his past—their past.

A knock on the glass door broke her out of her thoughts. Cracking the door open, she stuck her head out to see Ramsey standing before her, still wearing nothing but his green boxers. She smiled at him, thinking he was going to join her.

“Jack keeps calling,” he said, holding up her phone to show her the two missed calls on the screen.

“Why is he calling this early?” she asked, her brows furrowing.

“Who knows?” he said with an easy shrug. “I thought you’d want to call him back when you’re done.”

“Yeah, I will. Let me just finish.” Just as she said that, her phone lit up again with Jack’s name on the screen. “Damn it.”

“Do you want me to answer?”

Lexi immediately started shaking her head. “Nah, I’ve got it,” she said, reaching back and turning off the water. “Can’t even finish my shower.”

Ramsey smiled at her and handed her a towel. She dried off as fast as she could.

“Just answer it,” she told him, knowing she would miss the call if she waited any longer.

“Hey,” Ramsey said, answering the phone. “Yeah, she’s right here. Just give me a second to go and get her.”

Ramsey held out the phone to Lexi as she hastily knotted her towel.

“Thanks,” she murmured softly, shaking out her wet hair and taking the phone out of his hands.

“No problem,” he said, stripping out of his boxers and stepping into the shower she had just vacated.

Asshole, she mouthed to him at the display before her.

He just shook his head at her and shooed her on. She knew this was payback for leaving him on the bed, but she didn’t like it.

“Hi, Jack,” she said cheerfully before sticking out her tongue at Ramsey as she left the bathroom.

“Lex,” he breathed into the phone.

Her heart stopped. She and Jack spoke on a regular basis but not like this. It had been a while—a long while—since she had heard the desperation, need, and desire in his voice. Had Ramsey heard it? Would he have known? She glanced back at the closed shower door and then felt bad for doing it. It had been two years since she and Ramsey had left Jack’s wedding together. Ramsey knew better.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to act like she hadn’t heard it either. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Do you have some free time today?” he asked.

“I really don’t. I’m going to be late to work as it is,” she told him happily, trying not to feed into his mood.

“What about after work or during your lunch break?”

“What’s going on?” she couldn’t help but ask. Curiosity was getting the better of her, and she wanted to know what was wrong.

“I just need to talk to you,” he murmured hastily into the phone.

“Maybe after work,” she told him. She wouldn’t normally spend the time, but something in his voice kept her from denying him.

“Thank you,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, of course. Jack,” she began, unsure of how best to proceed, “are you okay?”

He paused before answering. It felt like forever as the silence dragged on between them. She knew the answer even before he said anything. There was no one she could read better.

“I don’t know.”

“Can I help?” she asked, concerned and confused.

“I’ll meet you after work. Do you want me to pick you up?”

“No, I’m driving today,” she told him. She didn’t mind driving through the city, but she despised parking, so Ramsey usually dropped her off just to avoid the hassle.

“Okay,” he said wistfully as if he had been looking forward to picking her up from work.

“Jack, really, what’s going on? I’m going to be thinking about this and stressing all day at work. I’ll be distracted, and you know I have that big case,” she reminded him.

“I know, but we have to talk in person. I…I can’t talk about this on the phone,” he said, his voice cracking.

Lexi’s mind was swimming with possibilities. She wished she had actually woken up on time. Then, she wouldn’t have to wait until after work to find out. “All right. I’ll see you after.”

“See ya,” he said before hanging up the phone.

Ramsey walked out of the bathroom a minute later, towel-drying his blond hair, nude. Her eyes traveled over his gorgeous body from his messy blond hair, to his bright green eyes, to his strong jawline, across his hunky shoulders, down the six-pack abs he had worked so hard for, to the defined V, leading to where she really wanted to look.