Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding #3)(62)

Lexi plopped back onto the bed and closed her eyes. She really needed to start getting ready, but all she could think about was Lola sauntering into the apartment and Lexi feeling like an idiot for not knowing what was going on…again. She couldn’t have that talk another time about wanting to know everything that was going on. She had lost count on how many times it had already happened.

Ramsey still told her what he thought was important. He wasn’t hiding big secrets as far as she knew, but sometimes, even the smallest, teeny, tiniest omission felt massive. It gave her a headache.

Two hours later, guests began arriving.

Lexi was pretty frantic at this point. Her anger had turned into exhaustion, and she had accidentally fallen asleep on the bed.

Planning this event only a week and a half before Christmas really wasn’t the best idea. She had thankfully closed out the Bryant case, but her boss had promptly assigned her a new doozy to work on. Plus, she had Christmas shopping to get done and meetings with the wedding planner to finalize their f**king color palettes and shit. On top of all of that, Jack was getting divorced.

But she couldn’t think about everything else as she put the finishing touches on her makeup. She had chosen soft colors to accent her naturally tan skin and dark hair. Her eyes were lined in black with thick mascara, and she added some gold shimmer powder to her eyelids with a faint touch of lip gloss to her lips. Her dark hair was down, nearly to her waist, in soft curls. Her bangs were swept off to the side, and when she turned, they fell down into her eyes seductively.

The dress she had chosen was virginal white, the most ironic color in her closet. Lexi practically never wore white. She thought she stood out more in deep purples and luscious reds and even bombshell blacks. But well…she figured if there was ever a year for her to wear white, it was this year.

The body-hugging material clung to her in all the right places, stopping at the tops of her thighs. The straps were thick as they wound over her shoulders and into an X, low across her back before tying off into a bow. While the neckline wasn’t as revealing as a lot of her outfits, it still warranted a double take in the sweetheart style. She paired it with a string of pearls and a pair of blue heels.

She couldn’t wait for everyone to see how she looked. She wished Chyna were here for it…but Lexi wouldn’t dwell on it. She just needed to hurry her ass up, so she could greet her guests.

Lexi took a deep breath and then took the stairs to the first floor. When she hit the landing, she stared in shock at her apartment. They hadn’t had a party at their house in the two years that they had lived together—not since Ramsey had given up the clubs.

It felt like a lifetime ago that this had been her life. She hadn’t realized how much would change after she got out of law school. Now, she had a full-time job, and Ramsey had the medical wing. She came home exhausted, and she only had more work to do. At least, she still had Chyna to force her to come visit and party, reminding her that she was only twenty-seven.

That was what made the transformation of their apartment all the more interesting. It had been two years, yet the place still looked the same—the lights, the DJ, the bar. And at the same time, it was clear that Ramsey had instructed them to change it up. It was more low-key. Guests could actually carry on a conversation. There wasn’t an insanely large group of people she had never seen before grinding in their living room. It was mostly Ramsey’s friends from work, the club, school, but intermixed were a few of her friends who had already shown up.

She knew that Ramsey was just trying to make her happy. And if he had suggested having the party at their place earlier, then maybe she wouldn’t be so frustrated.

“Honey, you look way too f**kable to be thinking that hard,” Brandon said as he slid his arm around her waist and drew her in for a hug.

“Pookie! It’s so good to see you.” Lexi pulled back to smack him on the shoulder. “I don’t look f**kable!”

“Lexi, Lexi, Lexi…” Brandon said, shaking his head. “You’re just testing my patience. You think I won’t throw you over my shoulder and prove my point?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I think! Ramsey would follow you upstairs, and we both know how that ends.”

“Ah…I suppose I am still recovering from when I decided to sleep with Parker.”

Lexi wouldn’t cringe. All of the men in her life were connected in one way or another. Jack was married, erm…currently divorcing Ramsey’s sister. John worked with Ramsey on the Bridges medical wing. Brandon had dated Ramsey’s ex-girlfriend. At least, there were a few degrees of separation between Jack and John, but Christ…she didn’t believe in coincidence anymore.

“Brandon, you’re touching my girl,” Ramsey observed as he strode toward them.

Brandon made no move to let her go. Lexi just shook her head. Ramsey knew by now that Brandon stood no chance whatsoever with her, but he still didn’t like Brandon. And he probably never would.

She stepped out of Brandon’s embrace and took a step toward her fiancé. “You didn’t change,” she murmured.

He still looked delicious in a pair of dark jeans and a black sweater.

“When would I have had the time? You were upstairs the whole time.”

“Oh, right. I accidentally fell asleep.”

He laughed. “And here I thought, you were unhappy with me.”