Ray of Heart (Ray #5)

by E. L. Todd

  His eyes softened and he leaned over me, his cock still deep within. With a quiet moan, he came inside me, his lips pressed to mine. He breathed through the pleasure and looked at me, the love and devotion evident in his eyes. “I know you do.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead before he kissed my lips again. He softened inside me but never pulled out, our mouths moving together in building intensity. One hand dug into my hair, and he deepened the kiss, a new form a foreplay developing. Within minutes, he was hard again, still buried inside me along with his seed. Then he began to move again, just as desperate for me as I was for him.

  ***

  Four days later, I returned to my apartment. All the food was spoiled, and I needed to take out the trash. Now that I spent all my time at Zeke’s, I didn’t see the point of even keeping the apartment anymore. It was a complete waste of money.

  But what would I do with it?

  I opened the fridge and realized most of the groceries I’d bought last week had disappeared.

  They just vanished.

  That was strange...

  The front door opened, and Rex walked inside. “Yo, what’s up?”

  “You can’t just walk in like that.”

  “Why?” he said with complete seriousness. “I saw you come home. Thought I’d say hi.”

  “And that’s fine, but you could knock first.”

  “Do you normally take off all your clothes the second you get home?” he asked. “I’m a slob, and I don’t even do that.”

  I shut the refrigerator. “Are you taking my food?”

  “Huh?”

  “My groceries are gone. Have you been taking them?” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down.

  Rex tried to hide his smile but he couldn’t. “What’s the big deal? You let them go to waste. I’m just trying to help you out.”

  “I don’t care if you take my food. But I do care about you coming into my apartment without my knowledge. How are you doing that anyway?”

  He shrugged. “You know I’m good at picking locks.”

  “You’re breaking in?” I asked incredulously.

  “Give me a key, and I won’t do it anymore.”

  “Rex, you have money. You can buy your own groceries.”

  “And I have a girlfriend,” he snapped. “They’re damn expensive.”

  I rolled my eyes and walked to the kitchen table.

  “What’s the big deal anyway?” He followed me and took a seat.

  “No big deal. I guess I’m just in a bad mood today...”

  “That time of the month?” He cringed. “No wonder why you aren’t staying at Zeke’s tonight...”

  “No, asshole. I just came to check on the apartment. I guess I’m not sure why I still have it. It’s expensive and a waste of money.”

  Rex stared at me, his features becoming unreadable. “What are you suggesting?”

  The thought had crossed my mind a few times since Zeke and I had our long talk. “Is Zeke planning on proposing to me?”

  Rex couldn’t hide the shock on his face.

  “I only ask because I don’t want him to. I love him and want to be with him, but I really like the way things are. There’s no need to rush into anything serious right now.”

  Rex breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s not on his mind right now, Rae.”

  “Oh, good. We talked about our relationship after my fight with Ryker, and I wasn’t sure where he was at.”

  Rex looked out the window, his arms across his chest. “Why do you ask?”

  “I’m considering asking him if he wants to move in together, but I don’t want to go down that route if he is planning on taking it a step further. Obviously, if he asked, I would say yes. But I’d rather wait a while.”

  Rex nodded like he understood.

  “Everything alright?”

  “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Totally fine. Bright as the sun. Why?”

  Bright as the sun? “You’re just quiet all of a sudden.”

  “Maybe your love life isn’t that interesting. Did you think of that?”

  I ignored the jab. “Then I think I’m gonna ask him. I’m there all the time anyway. Safari doesn’t even like coming back to the apartment with me anymore. When I tell him it’s time to go, he lays on the ground and refuses to move.”

  “It’s probably because of that big backyard.”

  “Yeah, he loves it. And I know this thing with Zeke is gonna last forever.”

  “You do?” Rex turned his gaze back to me.

  “Yeah...what kind of question is that?”

  “I just mean...you really love him, right?”

  “Of course.” Why was Rex asking me these strange questions? “Where are you going with this?”

  “I just wondering. Moving in with someone is a big deal. If you break up, it’s an emotional catastrophe.”

  “We aren’t going to break up.” There wasn’t a doubt in my mind.

  “How do you know that?”

  I didn’t need a reason. Instinctually, it was something I just knew. I couldn’t explain it in a way Rex would understand. No one would understand it—except Zeke. “I just do.”

  Chapter Three

  Rex

  I need to talk to you.

  Zeke texted back even though he was at work, probably sitting in his office doing paperwork. No. I already know what you’re gonna say and I’m done listening to you. I made up my mind.

  Just shut up and meet me, okay?

  No.

  Zeke, listen to me.

  No response. The dots didn’t pop up.

  “Fucking asshole.” I called his office instead and got his secretary on the line. “Can I talk to Zeke?”

  “Uh, do you mean Dr. Hartwick?”

  “Yeah, whatever.” I forgot he was a doctor sometimes. “Tell him it’s Rex.”

  “Hold please.” Click.

  I listened to the annoying music over the line until Zeke finally picked up.

  “You’ve crossed a line right now.” His threatening voice was quiet over the phone. “I don’t take calls at work. Don’t call me—”

  “Rae is gonna ask you to move in with her.”

  He fell silent.

  “Now, can we meet for a beer or what?”

  Zeke sighed into the phone. “Alright. I’ll meet you after work.”

  “Thank you.” I hit the end button and slammed my phone down.

  ***

  We sat at a table with our beers in front of us, untouched and frothy.

  Zeke spoke first. “When did she say that?”

  “Yesterday. She came home to do some stuff around the apartment, and we got to talking...”

  Zeke drank his beer, still in his dark blue scrubs. “What else?”

  “She said keeping the apartment was a waste of money. Then she asked if you were going to propose.”

  Zeke’s eyes widened. “She did? What did you say?”

  “The truth. I said you hadn’t mentioned anything like that to me.”

  “So...does she want me to ask?” The hopefulness was apparent in his voice.

  “No. Actually, she said it was too soon and wanted to make sure that’s not what you were thinking. Because if it was, then she wasn’t going to ask you to move in.”

  A slight look of disappointment came over his face.

  “But she’s gonna ask you. I don’t know when, maybe today.”

  Zeke stared into his drink and sighed.

  “Everything is going so damn well right now. Just don’t tell her. Have her move in with you.” It was the best possible solution. Why wouldn’t he listen to me?

  “Rex, you know I can’t do that.”

  “But—”

  “If this was you and Kayden, what would you do?” He looked into my eyes, the confidence obvious.

  I shut my mouth because I didn’t have an answer. I would never cheat on Kayden. And if I did, I couldn’t be a coward and pretend it didn’t happen. But I would never know unless I was in the sit
uation myself. “It doesn’t matter what I would do.”

  “You would tell her.” He drank his beer again. “I know you would.”

  “I wouldn’t have slept with someone to begin with.” It was a low-blow, but it was true. The entire time Kayden and I were apart, she was sleeping around while my dick was tucked into my pants.

  Zeke closed his eyes as the insult washed over him. He didn’t argue because there was no counterargument to justify what he did. “I wish I could take it back... You have no idea. I didn’t enjoy it, and I don’t even remember it.”

  “Did you wear a condom?”

  “Come on, Rex. Of course I did.”

  “But you said you didn’t remember so...”

  “I remember that part.” He crossed his arms and rested them on the table.

  “If you really are gonna tell her, you need to do it before you move in with her. Because that would just be a dick move if you waited.”

  “I know...”

  “So...you need to make up your mind.”

  “I did, Rex.”

  “Well, you haven’t told her, so it sounds like you aren’t sure.” A week had come and gone, and Zeke hadn’t confessed. A part of me hoped he would come to his senses and realize it was a bad idea.

  “I am sure. I just...” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m just so fucking happy, and I don’t want to give it up...if she leaves me.”

  “Zeke, she’s going to leave you.” It was the hard truth, and he needed to hear it. “I promise you, she will. She’ll leave, and she’ll never take you back. You betrayed her, and since you’re so high on her list, that means you’re going to fall harder than everyone else. Maybe if it was Ryker, she could forgive him. But you’re on a pedestal in her eyes. She won’t be able to look past the betrayal. She won’t be able to look at you the same way. Just listen to me.”

  He bowed his head in anguish. “And when our wedding day arrives, I’m supposed to look her in the eye and vow to love her forever...when I’ve lied to her? What kind of man would that make me?”

  “Then you need to decide what’s more important. Having the woman you love or having your reputation. You can’t have both, man.”

  “It’s not about choosing,” he argued. “Maybe if this was some other woman, I wouldn’t say anything. But this is the love of my life. How could I ever deserve her unless I’m always honest with her?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Dude, you’re never gonna have the chance to deserve her again once you tell her.”

  “She loves me.” He said it without a syllable of doubt. “She knows I love her. She knows I would never do something like that in any other scenario. She knows—”

  “That. Won’t. Matter.” I slammed my hands down on the table. “It doesn’t matter how long you date her, I will always know her better than you. I will always understand her in a way you can’t even fathom. I pretty much raised her. You need to trust me on this. The second you tell her, you’ll lose her forever. End of story.”

  Zeke sighed in response.

  “There is no other alternative. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, I understand what you’re saying, Rex. But I believe in us. And I believe in the values I stand for. What I did was stupid, and I’ll own up to it. But it was a difficult situation. She made a lot of stupid choices that caused it in the first place. She’s reasonable.”

  “Not when the love of her life tells her he fucked someone else.” I drank the rest of my beer and slammed the glass down, nearly breaking it. “You stuck your cock in someone else’s pussy. It’s not like you just kissed someone or groped them in the bathroom. Rae could forgive those things. But fucking someone else? Hell no.”

  Zeke had a dead look in his eyes, like he’d already lost the world.

  I shook my head because I knew what he was thinking. “You’re still going to do it, aren’t you?”

  He held my gaze, empty inside. “I have to.”

  Chapter Four

  Rae

  Zeke walked in the house just when I finished making dinner. “Damn, that smells good.”

  “You’re talking about me, right?” I winked at him as I finished cooking the vegetables in the frying pan. I was in his boxers and one of his t-shirts, surrounded by his smell even when he wasn’t in the house.

  “Of course.” He came behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, nuzzling my neck with kisses. “And you look damn fine cooking in my kitchen like this.”

  “Why, thank you.” I rubbed my ass into the front of his scrubs.

  He kissed the shell of my ear before he pulled away. “I’m going to take a quick shower. Be back in ten minutes.”

  “Okay. You don’t need to get dressed if you don’t want to.”

  He grinned in his usual sexy way, looking ridiculously handsome without trying. “It’s a little cold, so I’ll wear some boxers, if that’s okay.”

  “I’ll settle.”

  He greeted Safari with a rub down before he hopped in the shower.

  Safari came to my side at the counter, looking up like food might fall off the counter.

  “I don’t think so, Safari.”

  He whined.

  I knew when I had kids, I would be a terrible mother because I always gave in. I broke off a piece of chicken and dropped it into his mouth.

  He gobbled it up with one bite.

  “But that’s it.” I finished the stir-fry and set the plates on the table.

  Zeke nearly kept his promise and walked into the kitchen in gray sweatpants. He was shirtless, and since that was the best part, that was fine. He was still slightly damp, so his chest gleamed. “Everything looks good.” He sat across from me at the table, his hard chest and sculpted shoulders looked delectable.

  “Thanks. My cooking is getting better.” I poured the wine and took a sip.

  “I’ve always liked your cooking, baby.” He took five bites in the amount of time it took me to take one.

  “Thanks. How was your day?”

  “I had a patient come in with a bad case of—” He stopped himself like he’d said something wrong. “Nevermind, we’re eating dinner.”

  “I work with bacteria all day. None of your stories could bother me.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, that’s true. Well, he had eczema that had spread all over his body. Caused bad itching, and now it’s all over his face...poor guy. I had to give him a serious dose of steroids to get rid of it.”

  “How do you not catch anything?” As far as I could tell, Zeke never had skin problems. Not even acne.

  He shrugged. “I moisturize.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re such a girl.”

  “Hey, moisturizing is important. I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve had a few gentlemen’s facials.”

  I stopped eating because I was in shock. “You’re being serious right now?”

  He pointed to his face. “I’m a handsome guy, alright? I’ve got to keep up appearances.”

  “I’ve never had a facial in my life, and my skin looks just fine.”

  “Well, you’re more blessed than the rest of us.” He drank his wine and tried not to smile.

  “I’m just not as girly, I suppose.”

  “Oh, you’re girly.”

  “I’m a tomboy, and we both know it.”

  “When we’re in bed together, you’re the most feminine and sexy woman I’ve ever been with. You only wear lacy panties and bras, and your hair is always soft to the touch, and you wear the tallest heels I’ve ever seen a woman walk in.”

  “Hey, most of those belong to Jessie.”

  “Whatever. You look better in them anyway.”

  That was so untrue, but I didn’t argue.

  Zeke looked down at his plate and kept eating.

  Flirting with him back and forth just made me think about the issue with my apartment. I was here all the time anyway, and I wanted to come home to him every night. There was plenty of room for both Safari and me, and if I were paying half of his mortgage, it wo
uld make his life easier too. “There’s something I want to ask you.”

  He stopped eating and gave me his full attention. But he looked reluctant, like I was about to give him some bad news.

  “If you aren’t ready for this, it’s not a big deal at all. I’ve just been thinking about it lately when I go back to my apartment...” I stirred my stir-fry without taking a bite, suddenly feeling nervous. I’d never asked someone to live with me before. “Would you want to move in together?”

  Zeke stared at me with nothing but sorrow. He sighed quietly then ran his fingers through his hair.

  That was not the reaction I was expecting. “I just thought since I’m here all the time anyway... But if you aren’t on the same page, it’s really not a big deal. It doesn’t have to be awkward or—”

  “Of course I want to live with you.” Instead of sounding happy, he seemed defeated.

  “Then why do you look like hell right now?”

  He pushed his plate aside and didn’t look at me, his head bowed toward the table. He dragged his hands down his face, sighing as he did.

  What the hell was going on?

  “Baby, there’s something we need to talk about. I’ve put it off this week because...I just didn’t want to bring it up. But I know I can’t wait any longer.”

  My heart was pounding so hard it actually hurt. My fingertips were numb, and I suddenly felt cold, the shivers getting to me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to appear calm, but I was terrified on the inside. This entire time I thought everything was perfect between us. Obviously, I was wrong. “Okay...”

  “The whole thing with Ryker drove me insane. I knew he wanted you back, I told you that and you didn’t believe me. I kept my cool, I tried not to get jealous, and I tried to be positive through the whole ordeal...”