Avoiding Temptation (59 page)

“Sorry I’m late,” he said before kissing Lexi’s cheek and then taking a seat beside her.

“Glad you could join us,” Chyna said dryly.

Jack chuckled at her. “Drink some more wine, Chyna.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” she said before tipping back her glass. She pulled it back and pointed between them. “You know, I knew that you would pick him.”

“You told me,” Lexi said.

Once Lexi had finally called Chyna to let her know what happened, Chyna had gone on and on about how she knew that Lexi would end up with Jack. Lexi was pretty sure Chyna had thought that Lexi would just leave Jack and Ramsey altogether, but Chyna had insisted it was Jack all along.

And Lexi agreed with her on that. It was always Jack—her Jack.

Dinner came and went without Lexi getting a chance to ask Jack about what he had been up to. She eyed him, trying to get him to spill, but he just smiled and squeezed her hand under the table. If he was bound and determined to hold it back, she might as well let him keep his surprise to himself. She would find out in good time.

“Did you get my message?” Jack whispered when Adam and Chyna were seriously invested in another intimate debate. “You never responded.”

“Message? No. I checked my phone right before you got here. When did you send it?”

“Right before I walked into the room.”

Lexi held up her finger and dug her phone back out.
Yep.
There was a missed message from Jack.

3 o’clock.

Lexi giggled. “You were checking me out.”

The last time she had gotten a text message like that was when she had been in college, and he had seen her from across the bar. That night had been the spark that they needed to end up back together. And they had kept ending up together for years after that.

“How could I not?”

“You’re silly. I could never forget that night.”

“I could never forget you.”

Her phone buzzed in her hand just as she was putting it away, and she clicked on the email that had come in.

Huh. It was from Cierra.

Cierra had been sad to hear about Lexi breaking up with Ramsey, but she had understood Lexi’s side on the whole thing. Lexi was lucky to still have her as a friend even though she worked for Bridges. Cierra was going to be a bridesmaid for Lexi after all.

The email appeared before her eyes, and as Lexi skimmed the intro, she immediately started laughing.

“What?” Chyna asked, coming out of her argument with Adam.

“Oh, you’ll never believe this,” Lexi said, covering her mouth to keep from laughing hysterically as she read through the article attached to the email.

“
Atlanta Lifestyle
magazine has a full-page spread about none other than the Bitch herself,” Lexi announced.

“Bekah?” Jack asked softly.

“What is
Atlanta Lifestyle
magazine?” Chyna asked.

“It’s the richie-rich Atlanta magazine,” Jack explained with a shrug. “All the country clubbers read it religiously. Bekah has had a subscription her whole life. Basically your page six.”

“Oh,” Chyna said, turning her nose up. “So, what does it say?”

Lexi turned her phone around and showed off the picture. It was a clearly unstable Bekah lunging at Lexi with her arms outstretched in front of her and her father holding her back. She looked ready to murder Lexi. Luckily, only the back of Lexi’s head was visible or else it wouldn’t have been as hilarious.

“It briefly mentions the divorce proceedings going wrong for her. The majority of it deals with her cheating with Clark and the destruction of her golden-girl reputation. And get this part,” Lexi said, turning the phone back to herself and reading a part of it. “Due to the humiliation endured against the famous Bridges name and her inability to handle her own finances, an anonymous source has leaked to us that Bekah’s trust fund has been frozen, and her active role as Bridges Enterprise vice president has been revoked until further notice.”

“Wow,” Jack whispered. “She’s got to be mortified.”

“Yeah,” Lexi said, seeing the concern on Jack’s face. “I’m sorry. I mean…I still hate her, but I’m sorry it all happened like this.”

“You know, she was the first person to ever cheat on me,” Jack said offhand.

“I know.”

“Well, personally, I think that crazy bitch got what was coming to her,” Chyna said. “She was pretty dreadful to everyone.”

Lexi reached over and grabbed Jack’s hand.

He smiled at Lexi and agreed, “She was, wasn’t she?”

“Yes. I think this calls for a toast in fact,” Chyna said, raising her glass into the air.

Lexi loved the way her best friend diffused tension…with alcohol.

“What are we toasting to?” Adam asked, jumping in with his wife.

“To being free,” Chyna said.

Lexi laughed, remembering the time when she had boarded Chyna’s jet to escape the world with those same words ringing true. “No,” Lexi said. “To closure.”

Chyna winked at her as Jack and Adam raised their glasses as well.

Just before they clinked their glasses together, Jack added, “To new beginnings.”

They finished off their wine, and a heavy buzz began setting in on the conversation. As her treat, Chyna insisted on paying the entire tab even though everyone tried to argue with her, but really, there wasn’t a way to argue with Chyna.

Lexi half-stumbled down the stairs and back out of the building. Jack had his arm around her waist and helped support her unsteady legs as they exited into the chilly evening.

“I think we’re going to head back,” Jack told Chyna with a smile.

“Now?” Lexi asked. “But the night has just started.”

“It’ll be worth it,” he whispered into her ear. “I’m still dying to get my hands on you again.”

Lexi giggled and nodded. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go.”

“Cool,” Chyna said, waving the comments away. “You should take the town car. We’ll take the next cab.”

Her eyes wide, Lexi stared at Chyna. Never once had Chyna ever offered up her town car when they were separating. Chyna would rather drive Lexi halfway around the city before getting back to her own place than give it up.

So, this could only mean that Chyna knew what Jack had up his sleeve.

Adam pulled open the door for Lexi and Jack to step into the car. Jack went in first, so Lexi wouldn’t have to scoot over in her dress.

Lexi grabbed Chyna’s hand. “What is going on?” she whispered, hoping Chyna would dish.

“You’ll thank me later, chica. Have a nice night,” she said, fluttering her fingers at Lexi.

Lexi leaned into Jack in the back of Chyna’s town car. She didn’t even bother asking where they were going because she knew that if Chyna hadn’t spilled the beans, then Jack certainly wasn’t. Lexi occupied herself on the drive with the weight of his hand against hers, the roughness of his palms against her smooth skin, and the way his seemed to dwarf her tiny hands. Yet, they still fit perfectly together. It made her smile.

They pulled up into a valet station, and Jack eased out of the car. He held his hand out for her, and she placed hers lightly in his. Her eyes drifted up to his eyes and then over his head to the sign hanging on the doorframe. Her eyebrows rose sharply.

“A hotel?” she asked with a quirky smile. “All of this for a hotel room? Couldn’t you have told me that you wanted me all alone?”

Her stomach fluttered anyway. Staying in Chyna’s penthouse was divine, and the location was unreal, but Lexi had missed being alone with Jack. She never would have suggested a hotel though. It didn’t make sense, considering Chyna lived here.

“I want you all alone, Lex,” he whispered, brushing his lips against her.

“Still lost in our park escapade?” At the mention of their early behavior, her mouth quirked up.

“Lost in you,” he answered simply.

Lexi took Jack’s hand and let him escort her through the fancy hotel lobby. It was tiled in a pristine waxed marble with antique-like furniture draped in gorgeous blood-red oriental rugs. An enormous crystal chandelier hung high above their heads on their way to the elevator.

Jack placed a plastic key card into a slot and clicked the button for the top floor.

“Penthouse?” Lexi asked, narrowing her eyes.

Jack had never been one for big displays of wealth. She knew he had money from his accounting job, and of course, he was getting the settlement money from Bekah. But since neither of them had really grown up with opulence, it wasn’t ever a high priority.

“Only the best for my girl.”

“You spoil me,” she said, wringing her hands. “You totally did not have to do this.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done yet,” he whispered.

“Oh God,” she groaned, “with that tone, I just know you’ve outdone yourself.”

Jack reached forward and pushed her hair behind her ear. “With that tone, I know you’re about two seconds away from losing your grip. Chill out. This is me treating you the way you deserve to be treated because you’re special, Lex.”

She closed her eyes and let him kiss her anticipation away until the elevator doors opened. He kissed her one more time before walking down the hall. They located their room, and Jack slid the key into the slot.

He opened the door and held his hand out wide. “After you.”

Lexi bit her lip and glanced up into his mischievous blue eyes before walking into the hotel room. Her eyes lit up as she took in the room before her. Candles lit a trail leading through the room, and she followed them like the bread crumbs that they were. They wrapped around the room and brought her into the master suite with an oversized king bed. Candles were lit on either bedside table and in front of the mirror reflecting back at her from the bathroom. On a side table, a bottle of champagne chilled in a bucket with a plate of regular and chocolate-dipped strawberries. It was really quite simple, and perhaps, that made it even more romantic.

Tears pricked her eyes if for no other reason than the fact that Jack had put so much thought into making her happy. Her heart squeezed painfully at the realization that Jack was giving her everything she had wanted and more.

His hands landing lightly on her shoulders, Jack spun her around. “Do you like it?”

“Like it?” she asked, wiping under her eye. “I love it.”

“Why do you look sad? What did I do?” he asked, concerned.

“Nothing. It’s really beautiful.”

Jack raised his eyebrows. “If it’s so beautiful, why are you sad?”

“It’s just…this is everything I want. You. I want you.”

“I’m yours,” he said, holding his palms up in submission.

“I know.” She tried to get her thoughts together. It was all so perfect, so beautiful, and exactly what she wanted. She just didn’t want something bad to happen. She didn’t want anyone to take this away.

“The last time we were together in New York, you showed me your grandma’s ring and left,” Lexi whispered. She hated bringing it up, but she couldn’t pretend not to have fears. She wanted to confide her fears to him and allow them to fade away naturally.

Jack nodded, understanding crossing his face. “I prefer to think about the month before when I held you in my arms every night.”

“Sometimes, it’s easy to forget the highs with all the lows.”

“There are always going to be lows,” Jack responded, sweeping her hair behind her ear for her. “But I don’t think any of us could really appreciate the highs without them. And I can’t promise you that there won’t be lows. There will be, but every high will be worth it.” His achingly tender lips found hers.

“I know, Jack,” she murmured against his lips. “It’s just…memories.”

“I don’t want to erase those memories. They keep us on the straight and narrow. They remind us where we went wrong and where to go from here. They kept us together,” he said. “You and I, Lex, we’ll always be unfinished business.”

Lexi smiled up at him, letting the tension slide off her shoulders. Jack was right. Of course he was right. There would always be problems to face, but as long as they had each other, trusted in each other, they could overcome them.

“It took me ten years to get to you. I think that’s a fair trade as long as I have a lifetime to spend with you,” he whispered.

Lexi smiled up at him, practically glowing at the statement.
How long had she imagined a lifetime with Jack? And now…it was within reach.

“Please don’t freak out,” he told her.

She cocked her head to the side in confusion until she saw him pull out a small black box from his pocket.

“What…is…that?” she stammered, already well past freaking out.

“I told you not to freak out. It’s not what you think,” he said with a tight chuckle.

“Um…” she said, her eyes wide.

Jack opened the box and plucked the small piece of jewelry out before she could get a look at it. At this point, her stomach was sitting somewhere around her feet, and her mind was somewhere else, far, far away. Her mouth was dry, and she could hear ringing in her ears.
What exactly was in this little black box that she wasn’t supposed to freak out about?

“I just…I got you something,” he said, his blue eyes meeting hers.

That look alone made her soften. This was Jack. He knew what made her freak out. He knew everything about her.

“You’re such a big part of my life. And I know we’re not ready to make a big step, but I felt like I just needed to
show
you that I am ready to make a little step. It’s more important to me, I think, Lex, to show you that I’m committed to you more than anything. Because I am. I can tell you a million times that I’m all yours, but I know that time will be proof of that. So, for now, I just thought I’d start with this.”

Jack held out a tiny silver ring with a looped knot on the top. It was simple and easy and so unbelievably perfect for them.

“I want you to be tied to me, Lex, in every way possible,” Jack said, his voice hoarse. “I want you to wear this one until we’re ready for you to wear the other one.”

Jack slid it onto Lexi’s finger. Her heart was in her throat the whole time. This wasn’t an engagement ring or anything, but it meant so much. Maybe, at this moment in time, it meant even more than that. It was a promise ring—a promise to commit to her, a promise to love her, a promise to treat her the way she deserved. And by wearing it on her finger, she was promising him the same in return.