chapter 6

It was still dark when Lexie woke up, and she immediately grabbed her head as a sharp pain shot through her temple.

"Ouch…"

She let out a soft groan, trying to sit up, but found herself unable to move as something heavy was draped over her waist.

She felt dizzy, likely from all the alcohol she’d consumed the night before. Her throat was parched, and she knew a glass of cold water was the only thing that could help.

A smile tugged at Lexie’s lips when she turned her head and saw that the person lying next to her was none other than Ram Jordan.

'Wow… this guy’s a real looker.'

She whispered to herself, her smile growing. Her hands seemed to move on their own, reaching out to caress Ram’s face while he slept, but she quickly snapped out of it and pulled her hand back before it could touch his skin.

'What the hell?'

She whispered again. Why was she feeling like this?

Sure, this man was a total stud. If she compared him to Rafael, her lying, cheating ex, she could easily say that Rafael didn’t even come close to this guy. Ram was… a god compared to him.

But why did Ram have to be so much older? If only he were more like Rafael. She wished that Ram had been the one she’d spent those seven years with instead.

'But then you’d be hurt even more if Ram had been Rafael. That would’ve been a bigger loss.'

Her subconscious chimed in. Lexie shook her head at the thought. Why did she sound like some spinster obsessing over her future?

Now, she felt as though she was getting close to Ram, not for revenge against her cheating ex, but for the stability and future Ram could offer.

She knew she and Ram didn’t really match. He was older than her, and besides, she'd never been into older men.

Lexie sighed deeply. It was way too early to be thinking about all of this. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, and she was already debating her life choices.

Carefully, she sat up and tried to lift Ram’s muscular arm that was draped across her waist. She moved slowly, hoping not to wake him, but no matter how careful she was, it didn’t matter.

"What time is it?"

Ram’s voice was low and husky as he asked, still with his eyes closed but clearly awake. He probably wanted to sleep some more, and she’d woken him up.

"Uhhh… I’m not sure," Lexie answered, biting her lip.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice still thick with sleep. "You should get some more rest."

"I... I need some water," she stammered.

Even in the dim light, she could see the smile forming on Ram’s lips.

"You kids can’t hold your liquor—that’s why you shouldn’t drink so much."

Lexie frowned at his teasing but replied, "And what does that have to do with my thirst?"

He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he got out of bed lazily and made his way to the light switch. Both of them squinted as the bright light flooded the room.

"Where are you going?" she asked, confused, quickly looking away when she saw he was only wearing gray boxer shorts.

'Oh my God…'

Lexie whispered to herself, feeling her throat dry out again.

"God…" she muttered under her breath as Ram stretched, his muscles flexing and becoming even more defined.

"You okay? What’s wrong?"

Ram asked, still sounding groggy. Lexie immediately turned her face away.

"I—I’m fine, just... really need some water. Where are you going? You should go back to bed."

She still couldn’t look at him. She could feel him moving closer, but she chose to look elsewhere.

"I’ll come with you. I’ll take you to the kitchen—I don’t think you know where it is."

"Oh... thanks," she mumbled.

That was all she could say. She couldn’t tell him to put on some clothes because she knew he’d tease her—maybe even call her a kid again.

Why did this guy love being half-naked so much?

"I guess I really am just a kid… and oh my God, I’m attracted to this grown man’s body."

Lexie muttered to herself absentmindedly, not realizing she’d spoken out loud until she saw Ram’s lips twitch.

"I don’t blame you," Ram said, making Lexie freeze. She looked at him, her eyes wide.

"What?" she asked.

"I don’t blame you for being attracted to my body. I won’t tell you to stop, but let me tell you, Lexie—it won’t get you anywhere."

He said it with a grin, though his tone was serious.

"Why not?" she asked, pouting.

"You’re a forbidden fruit."

"A what?" Lexie’s brows furrowed in confusion, which only made Ram’s grin widen.

"Old people’s sayings," Lexie muttered, mocking him.

But none of it seemed to faze him. His grin only grew bigger, which irritated her.

She shot him a sharp glare before heading toward the bedroom door.

"You don’t know where to go…" Ram said, his voice teasing, causing Lexie to stop in her tracks.

"Oh, right…" she muttered, then snapped, "I’ll just ask for directions."

Ram chuckled again.

"You’ve got quite the smart mouth. That’s a bad trait for a kid," he teased.

Lexie rolled her eyes. "I’m not a kid anymore! And you’re going to regret that."

She warned him, pouting at him. Ram mimicked her, then walked over to the door and opened it for her.

Lexie wasn’t sure whether to avoid looking at him or just step away. She couldn’t help feeling uneasy seeing his bare torso. Now, she wasn’t sure if she could go through with her plan to give Ram her innocence—let alone get pregnant by him.

She swallowed hard when she accidentally brushed against his body.

'Holy hell…'

She whispered to herself, trying to pull away.

It didn’t take long for Ram to open the door, and Lexie quickly walked ahead, nearly tripping in her haste.

"No one’s chasing you…" Ram said, his voice laced with amusement.

She didn’t need to look at him to know he had that mischievous smile on his face.

"There’s nothing to smile about, so stop smiling…" she muttered.

Ram’s soft chuckle followed her as she continued walking down the staircase.

"There’s nothing funny either, so stop laughing," she shot back, rolling her eyes.

"I’m not laughing," Ram replied.

"Fine. I still need water, Ram."

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Lexie turned right, even though she had no idea where she was going.

"Where are you going?" Ram asked, amused.

"The kitchen," she replied.

"That’s not the kitchen. It’s to the left."

Lexie felt a little embarrassed, but she quickly turned left, not saying anything.

She ignored Ram’s laughter as she continued searching for the kitchen.

Why was this house so huge? She swore ten families could live here and never see each other.

She continued opening doors, muttering under her breath.

"God, this house is massive. Whatever room the kitchen is in, I swear, when I find it, I’m going to burn it down."

She muttered, unaware Ram had followed her and heard everything.

"Jesus, Lexie, you planning to burn my house down?" Ram said suddenly, startling her into a loud scream.

Before she knew it, she was lying on the kitchen counter— with Ram on top of her.