Ray of Heart (Ray #5)

by E. L. Todd

  Ryker, Rae, and I were on a team together—and we got our asses kicked.

  After the game, we were all hot and sweaty. Zeke walked up to Monica and placed his arm around her waist. “You told me you were good at basketball...but I had no idea you were that good.”

  “I guess I wanted to surprise you.” She leaned in and kissed him.

  Zeke clearly hadn’t been expecting it because he nearly flinched. But he kissed her back, keeping up the act because he would blow it if he didn’t.

  When she pulled away, a smile was on her lips, like she got exactly what she wanted.

  Rae walked to her water bottle on the bench, purposely turning her back to the scene. Ryker came behind her and rested a hand on her back, silently comforting her.

  Kayden glared at Monica like she might murder her.

  “Let’s go to your place and shower,” Monica said to Zeke. “Then we can cook something. I’m starving.”

  “That sounds like a good idea.” Zeke grabbed their water bottles from the bench where Rae was standing. “We’ll see you guys later.” He waved to all of us then grabbed Monica’s hand, heading up the block without looking back. Monica kept moving into his side, laughing at something he just said.

  I was glad this plan was working.

  But damn, I felt terrible for Rae.

  This must have been killing her.

  When they were gone, Rae turned and walked up the street without saying a word to any of us. She didn’t even say goodbye to Ryker, dismissing herself from the situation. Without seeing her face, I knew exactly how she looked.

  She was crying.

  ***

  I tried to get on her good side, so I knocked before I barged in.

  “What?” Her irritated voice carried through the door.

  I took that as an invitation and walked inside with two pints of Ben and Jerry’s chocolate ice cream—her favorite. “It’s me.”

  “Oh...”

  I walked into the living room and spotted her sitting on the couch—in the dark. The TV wasn’t even on. Safari lay on her lap on top of a blanket. She hadn’t even showered since the basketball game ended three hours ago.

  Now, I really felt terrible for her.

  I grabbed two spoons and sat beside her. “Thought you might be hungry...”

  She eyed the tub of ice cream, and against her will, the corner of her mouth rose in a small smile. “Thanks...” She took the ice cream and the spoon and slowly started to dig in.

  I ate quietly beside her, giving her the opportunity to speak first. When the silence stretched on, I knew she wasn’t going to say anything. “Are you okay?”

  “No...” She scooped a big chunk of ice cream into her mouth. “Ryker tried to come back over, but I told him I wanted to be alone. Not even he can make me feel better right now.”

  “Well...what did you expect?”

  “I just...” She lost her appetite and set the tub of ice cream on the table.

  “Rae, Zeke is a catch. He’s a good-looking doctor. The guy is a chick magnet.”

  “Yes, I’m aware.”

  “Then I don’t know why you’re surprised.”

  “I saw him with Monica at the bar last weekend. I was so depressed that I went to Ryker’s place and...yeah.” She didn’t go into any details, thankfully. “But I thought she was a one-night stand, a piece of ass. But then I saw her again today and...she’s pretty, funny, and cool...” Rae closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, tears were in her eyes. “It’s just so soon, you know?”

  “Not really. You’ve been broken up for almost three months, Rae.”

  “But he’s actually dating her. Ryker and I...are just fooling around.”

  “I don’t know if they’re dating,” I said. “So, I wouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

  “Well, what did he tell you?”

  I had to traverse this carefully. “Honestly, not much. He said she was cool and they were going to keep hanging out. Since you’re my sister, I don’t think he’s really going to go into detail about things...”

  “Yeah, true.”

  “But I don’t think they’re really serious. They just started talking a few weeks ago.”

  She pulled her knees to her chest, her eyes wet and reflective. “I know I have no right to be upset... I’m the one who wanted this. But I didn’t expect to deal with this so soon.”

  “Again, it’s not that soon.”

  “I know...but it hurts so much.” She sniffed when the tears started to come. “I’ve never felt this bad in my entire life. Not when he told me he slept with another woman, not when he told me there were two women, not when Ryker dumped me, not when Dad left, and not even when Mom died. I just feel...so dead inside. I love him so much...” Her voice broke, and she took a moment to calm herself so she could keep talking.

  I hated this. I hated hearing my sister cry. It made me want to cry.

  “Just picturing him with someone else breaks my heart in ways I can’t even explain. I know you don’t understand what I’m saying...”

  “I do.” When Kayden slept around, I was so depressed I didn’t know what to do with myself. All I felt was pain—nonstop. “But you still have time to fix this. If you really want him back, I think he would take you.”

  “Why?”

  “I just do.” I wasn’t going to tell her the truth, that the entire thing was a setup. It would just push her away all over again. I had to keep lying to her so she would make the right decision and end this once and for all. “But you need to be certain. No going back and forth about what happened that night when had dinner with Ryker. You need to really forgive him, give him a clean slate, and move on.”

  She stared into the dark room, tears rolling down her face.

  “And you need to make up your mind soon. If you wait too long...you never know what might happen.”

  She sniffed and wiped her nose.

  “So...are you going to think about it?”

  Her voice came out quiet and weak. “I guess...still confused.”

  “What is there to be confused about?”

  “If I can really forgive him.”

  God, I wanted to strangle her. I wanted to smack her head against the wall until I knocked some sense into her. “Rae, if you don’t forgive him, you’ll lose him forever. I can tell you right now, Monica is a cool ass chick. And she’s really into him. She’s gonna sink her claws into him and never let go. So you need to just bite the bullet and do it. Because if you don’t, that’s it. He’ll be gone.”

  Tears continued to streak down her cheeks. Thankfully, it was dark enough that I couldn’t see the redness of her eyes. She wiped them away with her fingertips then nodded. “I know, Rex. But I still need to think about it.”

  ***

  Zeke was pacing in the living room when I walked inside. “What did she say? What happened? Did it work?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and saw the desperation on his face. Zeke had never been so antsy, so dark. “Not yet,” I started. “But I think it’s working.”

  “Rex, what does that mean?”

  “She’s devastated about Monica. She cried on the couch for an hour.”

  Zeke closed his eyes like he’d just been stabbed. “No...don’t tell me that.” He gripped his skull like he wanted to crush his own brain.

  “I’ve never seen her so low. She’s totally heartbroken.”

  “Then why the hell am I doing this? The plan wasn’t to hurt her. It was to—”

  “But I think it’s working. She’s starting to realize if she doesn’t get her shit together, she’s gonna miss her chance to get you back. She says she loves you and has never been in this much pain in her life. But she still needs to figure out if she can forgive you.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Why won’t she just let it go?”

  “Beats me. But I think she will. So, we need to keep waiting.”

  “Monica tried to get into my pants last night.”

  “Yeah?�
�� I couldn’t help but grin. “She’s got the hots for you.”

  “I told her no. Then she started asking about Ryker.”

  “He’s going to be available very soon...” If things worked out the way they should.

  “I think Ryker was staring at her too. Kinda pissed me off.”

  “Jealous?” He wouldn’t sleep with Monica, but now he was jealous?

  “No,” he snapped. “I’m jealous he has Rae, but he’s looking at another woman.”

  “Oh, gotcha. In his defense, he doesn’t really have Rae. They’re just fooling around.”

  Zeke dropped onto the couch. “Please don’t remind me.”

  “Sorry.” I sat on the other couch. “So, we just need to be patient for a little longer. I think she’ll come around. We need to get her in the room with you two again. I think that will really drive the nail into the coffin.”

  “God, I feel like an ass for screwing with her like this.”

  “Don’t. All is fair in love and war.”

  Zeke massaged his knuckles like he’d just finished punching through a wall. “I hate playing games like this. But you’re right, it is working.”

  “So, we’ll stick to the plan. We’ll bump into each other sometime this weekend. Rae will be so jealous she’ll beg you to take her back.”

  “And if that does happen, do I tell her about this stunt?”

  I wanted to smack him upside the head. “Dude, what is your obsession with telling the truth?”’

  “I’m not obsessed. I just don’t like to lie.”

  “If you really have to tell her, I’d wait a few weeks until the dust settles.”

  He nodded in agreement.

  “So, I’m thinking we run into you at Scotty’s Bar. Have Monica look her best, and Rae will take care of the rest. I’ll make sure Ryker is there too. Maybe he can scoop up Monica once you and Rae are back together. Then you’ll never have to worry about him again.”

  “I wish,” Zeke said. “But nothing ever seems to go my way...”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Rae

  A knock sounded on my door.

  “Go away.” I hadn’t moved much for the past week. When I wasn’t at work, my ass was parked on the couch. Ryker tried getting in touch with me, but I was never in the mood to do anything. Whoever was at my door was someone I didn’t want to entertain.

  “Rae, it’s me.” Ryker’s voice sounded through the closed door. “Open the door or I’ll break it down. Your choice.”

  I didn’t doubt him. I walked to the front door and opened it. He was standing there in a leather jacket and jeans—and holding a vase of red roses. I stared at the flowers, immediately smelling their scent as it wafted my way. The gesture was sweet, and my eyes immediately softened. “Thanks...”

  “Since you didn’t get my flowers the first time, I’ll make sure you get them now.” He walked inside and set them on the counter.

  I pressed my nose to the soft petals and inhaled. “Well, I’m sure Jenny got a lot of use out of them.”

  “Why?” he asked. “Did Jenny stay with you for a while?”

  “No, I mean at the office.”

  “I didn’t send them to the office. I sent them to your apartment.”

  “Oh...you did?”

  “Yeah. I sent them on your birthday.”

  “That’s weird because I was home.” I couldn’t remember much about that day other than the fact that Zeke got me the best birthday present ever. “I guess they went to the wrong address.”

  “The flower shop told me they were dropped off.”

  “Hmm...I’m not sure—” The explanation struck me like a bolt of lightning. “Rex was living with me at the time...”

  “Yeah...”

  “That little shithead must have thrown them away.” I wouldn’t put it past him to do something like that.

  Ryker chuckled even though it wasn’t amusing. “Maybe. He does hate me.”

  “I’m gonna slap him so hard...”

  “Go easy on the guy. You’ve got the flowers now, and that’s all that matters.” He cupped my cheek and kissed me gently on the mouth, his cologne washing over me. He gave me an amazing kiss, the kind that made my knees go weak. He gently pressed my back against the counter and continued to kiss me, his tongue dancing with mine.

  “You’re being awfully nice to me after I ignored you all week...” I turned my mouth away and felt him kiss my neck.

  “I like it when you play hard to get.” He grabbed my ass and lifted me onto the counter, his mouth moving down my neck and to my chest. He was just about to pull my shirt over my head when Jessie walked inside.

  “Hey, girl— Oh, wow.” Dressed to hit the town, she stopped and tried to cover her eyes with her hands. “Sorry. Didn’t know you were getting frisky.”

  “It’s okay.” I pulled my shirt down and hopped off the counter, not embarrassed that Jessie had walked in on us. She’d seen worse, unfortunately. “What’s up?”

  “Wanted to see if you wanted to go out tonight. But judging by those clothes and that hair...you haven’t moved all day.” Jessie wasn’t exactly judgmental, but if I looked like shit, she would call me out on it.

  “What are your plans?”

  “Kayden and I are just gonna get a drink. Rex and Zeke are doing something tonight. Ryker can come too. He can be part of our girl’s night.”

  Ryker smiled. “Thanks. Just more ways to postpone sex.”

  “You’ll get your action later, I’m sure.” She gave me a meaningful look. “Coming or what?”

  “Yeah, sure.” I ran my hand over my messy hair. “Just let me get dressed.”

  “And do your hair and makeup,” Jessie added. “I can help if you need it.”

  “I’m not totally disabled, but thanks,” I said sarcastically.

  “Alright, we’ll meet you down there.” Jessie walked out.

  Ryker followed me down the hallway. “People walk into your apartment a lot.”

  “Tell me about it.” Just before I reached the bathroom, he grabbed me and pulled me into the bedroom. My back hit the mattress and my sweatpants were off in an instant.

  “I’ve been thinking about these legs all week.” He kissed each of my thighs then moved to my underwear. He hooked the lace in his fingertips then pulled my panties down my legs and onto the floor.

  “Yeah?”

  His kisses traveled up my stomach, and he undid his jeans at the same time. “I thought about them last night when I beat off.”

  My spine shivered, and I dug my fingers into his hair.

  His bottoms were off and he shoved his hard cock inside me, taking me roughly just the way he used to. Whenever he was inside me, I didn’t think about anything else because the sex was too good. He pulled me off to a faraway place, a world where nothing could hurt me.

  ***

  Ryker ran his hand down my back as we stood at the table in the center of the room. “I like this...” He looked down at my backless dress, his warm fingers grazing the skin.

  “Thanks,” Jessie said. “I let her borrow it.”

  “Actually, I think that’s mine,” Kayden said. “I got it on sale last Christmas.”

  Jessie narrowed her eyes. “You’re right. Sorry. Looks like something I have though.”

  “Well, you look amazing in it.” He pressed a kiss to my ear, his whispers moving over my skin as warm breath.

  “Thanks.” His kisses were soothing, making me feel less miserable for a moment in time. The distraction was essential for me at the moment. Now I understood why people slept around to get over the person they really wanted.

  Jessie moved to Kayden’s side of the table and whispered something in her ear.

  Kayden looked over her shoulder at the bar. “You’ve got to be kidding me...”

  “What?” I blurted, wanting to know what they were whispering about.

  “Uh...” Jessie cringed as she looked at me. “I just saw Zeke at the bar...with that stupid ho.”

&nb
sp; Stupid ho. That’s what the three of us called her. I felt my heart ache at the revelation, but I kept a stoic expression on my face, not wanting to fall apart like I did at the basketball court. That afternoon, I just walked away because I’d broken down in tears. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a meltdown like that.

  Ryker moved closer into my side, his arm wrapped around my waist. He did what he could to make me feel better, but he knew he was helpless in this matter. All he could do was kiss me and fuck me until I stopped thinking about Zeke. “Ignore them.”

  “I can’t ignore Zeke.” He was my friend, and friends didn’t ignore each other. “And he’s not rude to you, so I can’t be rude to that stupid ho.” A part of me felt bad for calling her that because she was a nice person. She was friendly, affectionate, and if she weren’t dating Zeke, I’d probably be hanging out with her.

  He pressed a kiss to my temple. “Yeah, I guess so. But you look damn hot tonight, so make sure he knows what he’s missing.”

  I smiled at the sweet words. “Thanks...”

  Rex walked over with Zeke and Monica trailing behind him. “Hey, I didn’t know you guys would be here.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kayden asked. “I told you we were coming here like three hours ago.”

  “Oh...” Rex shrugged. “I thought you were talking about somewhere else.”

  Zeke walked up to the table with his arm around Monica. Of course, she was wearing a skintight dress that fit her figure perfectly. She was rocking it, the hottest chick at our table. Her hair was perfect, and she had dark makeup around her eyes. She even made Jessie look like a troll. I saw Ryker looking at her for a second too long, but I didn’t even feel jealous because I couldn’t blame him. Besides, the only man whose attention I wanted wasn’t Ryker.

  Zeke turned to me, a smile on his face. “Hey, what’s up?” He didn’t hug me, but he gave me a fist bump.

  I wanted to cry.

  I didn’t want to fist bump him.

  I didn’t want to be friends.