by E. L. Todd
“I’m glad I ran into you.”
Not knowing what to say, I just stared at him. He broached the subject like he wanted me to say something back, to ask why he felt that way. But somehow, it felt like a trap. He was baiting me, and once he had me on the line, he would reel me in.
“Let’s get dinner—” His words died in his throat when he watched an arm circle my waist. Zeke emerged from behind me, probably to check on me and see why it was taking me so long to return from the bathroom. He pulled me into his side, his hand gripping my waist possessively. The look he gave Ryker was frightening.
Utterly frightening.
Ryker took a moment to recover. He stared at the hand on my waist before he turned his expression to Zeke. Instantly, he connected the dots. He gave a slight nod, a forced smile forming on his lips. “Finally got the balls to ask her out, huh?”
This was bad. Real bad.
Zeke stared him down and didn’t move an inch. But his silence was just as terrifying as the insult just directed his way. “Yeah. I saw my chance when you weren’t man enough to stick around.”
Ryker’s smile dropped, and his eyes burned with rage.
The situation was so tense I felt sweat collect on the back of my neck. They were having a pissing contest, and I had a feeling there wouldn’t be a winner. Neither one of them would back down for any reason. “Zeke, I need another drink. Let’s go.” I pulled his hand off my waist and interlocked our fingers together. Then I looked at Ryker, ignoring the burning hatred on his face. “It was nice seeing you, Ryker. Take care.” I pulled Zeke with me and kept the two guys far away from each other. Both Zeke and Ryker weren’t violent, but I suspected fists would fly through the air if they said anything else to one another.
Zeke was silent beside me, his hand gripping mine tightly. He didn’t say a word as he headed back to our friends.
“I think we’re gonna turn in for the night,” I said when we arrived back at the table.
“What the hell?” Rex demanded. “It’s ten o’clock. Are you an old married couple?”
I tried to motion with my hand to get Rex to stop talking. “We’ll see you tomorrow, alright? We’ll play some ball.”
Jessie saw my movements, but she couldn’t decipher them. “What are you doing with your hands?”
Kayden couldn’t figure it out either. “You’re going to kill Zeke?”
I closed my eyes in frustration.
With a clipped tone, Zeke spoke. “Rae is trying to tell you not to ask any questions because we just bumped into Ryker in the hallway. We had words, and let’s just say I want to murder him, and he wants to murder me.”
Rex’s mouth gaped open in surprise. He was just about to take a drink of his beer when he changed his mind. Kayden’s eyes widened to the size of baseballs. She even let a small gasp escape her lips.
Jessie muttered, “Oh, shit,” under her breath.
“So, we’re gonna go,” Zeke said. “We’ll see you tomorrow.” Zeke pulled me with him and didn’t give me a chance to say goodbye. His hand was rigid as it clasped around mine, his pulse thudding with adrenaline. He’d never been this angry. Right now, he was a completely different person.
When we got to the car, I didn’t speak a word. I sat in the passenger seat and looked out the window. Hopefully, by the time we got to his place, he’d be cooled off. After all, I didn’t do anything wrong. Ryker and I happened to bump into each other, and we didn’t exactly hate one another. It wasn’t my fault Ryker snapped when he shouldn’t have.
I had no control over him anymore.
***
Zeke took a long shower before he joined Safari and me in bed. He turned on his side away from me and obviously had no intention of making a move—which told me he was still pissed.
We lay in the darkness together, Safari’s quiet snores filling the silence and adding to the tension. I knew Zeke’s eyes were open even though I couldn’t see him. My eyes were open too, staring at the corner of the ceiling. “Zeke?”
An eternity passed before he responded. “Hmm?”
“I hope you aren’t mad over what happened with Ryker.” It would be ridiculous if he was. I was bound to run into Ryker from time to time. He was my boss, and I wasn’t going to leave COLLECT anytime soon. I’d already put in four years toward my pension.
He sighed deeply, the sound reaching my ears. “No, I’m not.”
“It seems that way.”
He finally turned over and faced me, his arm circling my waist and holding me the way he should. His face moved into my neck, and we cuddled like two puzzle pieces linked together. “I just hate him, Rae. I know that’s a bad color on me, but I can’t help it.”
“Why do you hate him?”
“Is that a serious question?” he asked blankly.
“Last time I checked, he didn’t do anything to you.”
“No.” He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at me. “But he did something to you.”
Now I felt stupid for not figuring that out on my own.
“The guy treated you like shit, Rae. I’ll never forget that night we saw him out with that woman. I’ll never forget how much he hurt you. You tried to hide your heartbreak over those three months, but I saw it. We all did.”
My eyes softened, and I ran my hand up his arm.
“He’s an asshole, Rae. I was civil to him at the funeral because that was a special circumstance. But seeing him talking to you like you guys are...friends or something just ticked me off. He can’t be a bitch and then pretend nothing ever happened.”
“I understand where you’re coming from.” If someone hurt one of my friends, I wouldn’t be forgiving either. If a guy hurt Jessie or Kayden, I’d throw my drink all over his face in a heartbeat. “But I’m over it, Zeke. It feels like a lifetime ago now. I meant what I said on that night—we should feel bad for him.”
Zeke stared at me with a softened gaze, his rage slowly disappearing with every passing second.
“I admit it hurt when it happened, but so much time has passed. When I look at him, I don’t see him as the man I used to love. Now, he’s just Ryker...someone I used to know. I don’t want you to hold this anger against him. There’s really no reason since he means nothing to me anymore.”
Zeke bowed his head in defeat. “You’re right, like always.”
I smiled and cupped his face. “Exactly. Now, I’m going to need that in writing.”
He chuckled. “No way. I’m not letting you hold that against me.” He pressed a kiss to my neck then my shoulder. “And I’m definitely not gonna admit to everyone I said that.”
“They know I’m always right too.”
He kissed the corner of my mouth and gave me a playful tickle on the side. “We’ll see about that.” As he moved on top of me, I circled my legs around his waist. His cock hardened against my panties, and I could feel the definition of it.
My arms circled his neck, and I gave him a slow kiss. “I wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight if you didn’t make love to me.”
He kissed me harder then moved his tongue into my mouth. “You’re going to sleep well tonight, Rae. I promise you that.”
Chapter Three
Rex
Zeke walked inside with a six-pack in his hand. “What’s the score?”
“3-0. Mariners.” I’d just twisted the cap off my beer. “So, it’s going to be a good day.”
“What inning is it?” He pulled out a bottle and popped off the cap.
“Third.”
He shook his head. “A lot can change in six innings. Let’s not count our chickens before they hatch.” Zeke walked into the living room and sat on the couch. He must have known Rae wasn’t home yet because he didn’t ask about her.
I sat beside him. “You’ve got to keep the faith, man.”
“I have faith. But I also have reason.”
Safari went to his side and jumped up on the couch beside him. He lay down, his chin on Zeke’s thigh.
“He’s gotten attached to you.”
“I would hope so. The fur ball has been taking up most of my bed every night.” He smiled before he scratched Safari behind his ears. “And he snores like an old man.”
“Safari?” I asked in surprise.
“Yep,” he said with a nod. “Rae doesn’t even notice it because she’s so used to it.”
I looked at Safari with new eyes. “Didn’t know dogs could do that.”
Zeke drank his beer before he set it on the coffee table beside his chair.
The front door opened, and Rae came inside. She set her purse on the counter then slipped off her shoes by the door. When she walked into the living room, she spotted us sitting on the couch. “Hey.” Her face lit up the second she looked at Zeke.
“Hey, baby.” He moved forward to sit up but stopped when he realized Safari wasn’t budging. “Looks like I’m stuck here.”
She placed her hands on her hips and stared at her dog with disappointment. “You aren’t even going to get up and say hi to me?”
Safari closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “Burn.”
Rae ignored me then leaned over the couch, giving Zeke a kiss that lasted too long to be appropriate. “I missed you,” she whispered against his mouth, but the words still trailed to my ears. Her hand moved up his chest, and she stared at him with an infatuated expression.
Disgusting.
“Missed you too, baby.”
She gave him a quick peck before she walked down the hall and entered her bedroom.
I still felt the vomit churning in the pit of my stomach. Seeing my sister be affectionate with any guy made me feel sick. The fact that it was with Zeke, my best friend, somehow disturbed me even more. But they both seemed happy. In fact, I’d never seen Zeke so happy in my life. So, I decided to shut my mouth and get used to their kiss-a-thons.
Rae came out twenty minutes later, changed and ready to go. “I’m getting dinner with Jess. I’ll see you later.” She leaned over the couch and kissed Zeke all over again, like it’d been years rather than minutes since they’d last seen each other.
I couldn’t take it anymore. “Okay, enough. I can deal with one or two kisses, but this is ridiculous.”
“Then don’t watch,” Rae snapped. “Or better yet, move the hell out.” She stormed off and grabbed her purse. The door shut behind her, announcing she was gone.
Zeke didn’t seem bothered by the exchange. “When are you moving out?”
“Actually, I was going to tell you and Rae that I have the second half of what I owe you. When I get paid on Wednesday, I’ll hand over the checks.”
“Cool.” He drank his beer. “And then you’re gone?”
“Yeah. I thought this day would never come.”
“I figured you didn’t mind it since Rae is never home anymore. Pretty much an empty apartment.”
“I guess.” I watched one of the Mariners strike out and move to the bench. “But she still screams at me if there’s mustache hair in the drain or if I leave a fork in the sink. If I were you, I would never live with her.”
“I’m pretty clean too, so we’ll be fine.”
“But if you step out of line, she’ll come after you.”
He shrugged. “I’ll kiss her. That usually calms her down.”
I cringed and masked my discomfort with a drink from my beer.
“You’re the one who put us together, so I don’t know why it bothers you so much.”
“I guess I didn’t really think it through.” I didn’t anticipate all the affection and the way Zeke openly checked out her ass and rack when we were all hanging out. His arm was always around her, and she slept at his place every single night. It was pretty much in my face 24/7. “So...it seems like you’re happy.”
He chuckled like I’d made some kind of joke. “That’s an understatement, man.”
I knew if Rae were any other woman, we would have a serious talk about it. We talked about Rochelle a few times, and Zeke confided serious stuff to me. It really shouldn’t be any different since Rae was my sister. I would have been mature about it. After all, Zeke was the best guy I knew. It wasn’t like she was dating another Ryker. “Yeah?”
He shook his head as he considered what to say. “I always imagined what it would be like to be with her. But my fantasies fall short of reality. She’s incredible—plain and simple.”
He never talked about Rochelle like that. My meddling had done some good, after all. “Well, I’m glad.”
“This is it, man. This is the end of the road for me.”
I didn’t have a clue what that meant, so I raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”
“She’s the one. I’m gonna marry her.”
“Whoa, hold on. It’s been, like, a day. Slow down.”
“Rex, I’m not gonna ask her to marry me anytime soon. It’ll be a while before that day comes.”
“But you were going to propose to Rochelle after dating her for six months...” I didn’t mean to hit him with a low-blow, but I didn’t want him to rush into something all over again. Perhaps he didn’t learn his lesson the first time.
Guilt stretched across his face. “With Rochelle...I was just trying to forget about Rae. I’d convinced myself that’s not what it was...but we all know the truth. I thought if I found someone and settled down, my feelings for Rae would go away. I feel terrible for the way I hurt Rochelle and always will.”
That put me at ease.
“I just mean I’ve finally found the woman of my dreams. I’m never gonna go on another date, I’m never gonna sleep with anyone new, I’m never gonna have a random hookup again. This is it. She’s the last one.”
“That’s heavy, man.”
“I guess,” he said. “But when you know, you know. I’m pretty sure she feels the same way.”
“Because she told you?”
He shook his head. “No, I can just tell.”
“Wow. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. I’m happy for me too.” He tapped his beer against mine before he took a drink.
There was something I wanted to ask, but since he was in a good mood, I wasn’t sure if I should bring it up. “So...looks like your fight is over.”
“What fight?” he asked.
“You know, from the other night when you bumped into Ryker.”
“Oh.” He nodded in understanding. “I was never mad at Rae. But that fucker put me in a bad mood.”
“What did he do?”
“Put the moves on Rae.”
“Seriously?” I set my beer down because this conversation just got interesting.
“Yeah. I could tell by the way he was talking to her. And when I walked up, he had just mentioned something about having dinner. I saw the way he looked at her at the funeral. He would be stupid not to realize he made the biggest mistake of his life and not try to get her back. He clearly didn’t know she was dating me, judging by the look on his face when I put my arm around her.” Zeke drank his beer again and took his time swallowing it. “He was ticked when he realized she was mine. I could see the rage in his eyes. He wanted to punch me. I could tell. Made some asshole comment about me finally asking her out.”
“Does Rae not agree with you?”
“I think she’s oblivious to it. Doesn’t have a clue.”
That was surprising considering how smart she was.
“I’m sure he’ll back off now that she’s off the table. Missed his chance for good.”
“I’m not so sure about that...”
Zeke turned his gaze on me. “What do you mean?”
I debated telling him. There was always the possibility he would run off and tell Rae. “Ryker sent roses to Rae on her birthday.”
“Oh...that was months ago.”
“Yeah, but it was two dozen roses in this crystal vase thingy. It was way too romantic to send to a friend on her birthday.”
“What did she say?”
I rubbed the
back of my neck and tried to think of a way to answer his question.
But Zeke figured it out on his own. “You never told her?”
“I threw them away—and the card.”
Zeke leaned forward and ran his hand through his hair. “Rex, she’s going to kill you when she finds out.”
“I don’t think she will. She’s seen him twice now, and it’s never come up. Maybe he’s too embarrassed to ask? I don’t know.”
Zeke shook his head in disappointment. “I hate Ryker as much as you, but that was a stupid move, Rex.”
“She’d just gotten over him, and I didn’t want her to go back to him. That would have been the worst possible outcome.”
“Rae would never take him back, Rex. Not after what he did.”
I wasn’t so sure. Rae had been in love with him, and he did have smooth moves when it came to the ladies. He could be charming. He managed to keep Rae around even though he didn’t know what he wanted half the time. “We don’t know that for sure. I bring this up because I think Ryker might fight for her. This is the third attempt he’s made to talk to her.”
“I don’t care if he does fight for her.”
Both of my eyebrows jumped to my forehead. “What?”
“Rae would never go back to him. Ever. Even if I weren’t in the picture, she wouldn’t consider it. Besides, she’s with me now, and I can tell Ryker isn’t on her mind. I treat her right, I keep her satisfied, and she knows I’m the right man for her. End of story.”
I would never have that kind of confidence if an ex were trying to get Kayden back. Being with her made me realize I was a very jealous man. If I had it my way, she wouldn’t even shake anyone’s hand.
“Ryker missed his chance. If he did something in those first three months, maybe things could have been different. But he waited too long. Too bad, so sad.” Zeke finished his beer then left the empty bottle on the table. “You want another one?”
“Yeah...sure.”
He grabbed two more before he came back. Safari returned his chin to Zeke’s thigh like before. “Anyway, what’s new with you and Kayden?”
