by E. L. Todd
We left the diner and walked back to the apartment, and with every step closer to the door, I felt dread over saying goodbye. I didn’t want this beautiful day to end. Even though I was so hurt by what he’d done, being with Zeke was comforting.
I opened the door and allowed Safari inside, but I purposely shut it again so we stayed in the hallway. That was my cue to Zeke that the day was over, that my weakness had gone on long enough.
Zeke didn’t seem disappointed. “I should get going. Supposed to hit the green with Rex in an hour.”
I was grateful he made this easy on me. He could have opened up the conversation that I didn’t want to have, but he didn’t. He seemed to understand this day didn’t really mean anything. It was just a break from the pain. “Make sure you kick his ass.”
“Always do.” He smiled at me, the longing forming in his eyes. He didn’t move to touch me again, just loving me with his eyes. “I guess I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah...”
He stood in front of me the same way he did last night, waiting for some kind of invitation for physical contact.
All I did was nod.
Zeke moved into my body and wrapped his powerful arms around me, hugging me tightly and filling my stomach with butterflies. His smell overpowered me, making me feel both alive and dead at the same time.
I could do this all day.
After a few minutes, he pulled away, his arms reluctant to let me go. “Until next time.”
Chapter Fourteen
Rex
I didn’t slow down in time and knocked over his bag that contained all his clubs. They toppled over and fell onto the grass, his expensive gear slamming to the earth. His prized driver flew out the farthest. “What happened?”
Zeke sighed and picked up his clubs. “You knocked over my shit, that’s what happened.”
“No.” I righted his bag and helped him drop the clubs inside. “With Rae. Did you guys...you know?” It was difficult for me to say the actual words because, you know, she was my sister. The mere idea grossed me out.
“No.” He pulled out the driver and snagged a white golf ball from the pouch. “Even better.”
“Better than sex?” Nothing was better than sex. I would know, I’d had a lot of it. “So, you got back together?”
“Not that good.” He set the ball on the tee and tested his grip on the handle. “She asked me to sleep over. So, we cuddled in her bed then went to breakfast in the morning.”
Was I missing something? “And that’s better than sex?”
“To me, it is.” He lined up the shot then whacked the ball hard, sending it flying over the green toward the hole far in the distance.
“How so?”
“We aren’t back together. But it’s gonna happen. She just needs more time to get over what happened.”
“She said that?”
“No. But it’s obvious. At first, I wasn’t sure. We hadn’t talked or seen each other much. But when she asked me to sleep over, I knew things were going to be okay. If she really couldn’t forgive me, she wouldn’t want me alone in her apartment. She wouldn’t want me to touch her and hold her all night. But she pretty much begged me to.”
“Honestly, I think you’re jumping to conclusions.”
“Yeah? I don’t think so.” He stepped away from the tee so I could prepare my shot. “I know her, Rex. I know what she’s thinking even if she doesn’t say it. We’re getting back together. I have to keep my distance and give her space, but when she’s ready, she’ll come to me.”
“Well, I hope you’re right. Really, I do.” I set the ball down and grabbed the perfect club. “I just want things to get back to normal. Nothing has felt right since you guys broke up. The whole group dynamic is off. I can’t hang out with you and Rae at the same time, so I have to keep going back and forth.”
“Yeah, I know. But everything will be back to normal in no time.”
***
I carried the box into the apartment and set it on the counter. “Damn, this is heavy. What the hell is in here?”
“Shoes.” Kayden walked in behind me, carrying some of her clothes on hangers.
“Then you have a lot of shoes.” My shoulders and back were sore from carrying all of her crap. “Might need to get a bigger place since you’ve brought an entire store with you.”
“Maybe we should get married and buy a house.” She looked up at me like her comment wasn’t terrifying.
Marriage wasn’t on my mind—at all. Investing in real estate with a woman—also not on my mind. “Uh...I hope you aren’t expecting a proposal. Honestly, that’s the last thing on my mind right now.” All I knew was I wanted her there with me every night. But beyond that, the future was unseen.
She smiled, like my response didn’t offend her at all. “That’s fine, Rex. Just wanted to test the waters and see where you’re at.”
“I hope you figured it out.”
“I did. And living together is fine—for now. We’ll see where it goes.” She carried the clothes into the bedroom down the hall, her ass shaking from left to right as she sauntered with those gorgeous hips.
My heart finally slowed down.
Rae walked through the open door. “I heard all the racket and decided to pop in.”
“Do you knock?” I countered.
She rolled her eyes and opened the box on the counter. “You’re one to talk.” She rifled through the contents until she pulled out a pair of black pumps. “Wait a sec, these are mine. I’ve been looking everywhere for these.” She set them on the counter and examined them for scuff marks.
“Well, Kayden looks better in them.”
Rae smacked my arm.
I wanted to ask her about Zeke, but I knew I shouldn’t bring it up. Zeke said they were going to work out but she still needed more space. If I bombarded her with questions, it might chase her off. “What are you doing tonight?”
“No plans. Thought I would help you guys out.”
“Lame.”
She placed one hand on her hip, giving me attitude. “Or I could sit on my ass across the hall and not help.”
“Alright. You aren’t lame.”
“Thank you.”
Kayden returned to the kitchen. “Hey, Rae.”
Rae held up the pumps. “Thanks for returning these, by the way.”
Kayden had a counterattack. “Thanks for giving me back that Louis Vuitton dress I let you borrow last week.”
A guilty look stretched across her face. “I’ll go get that now...” When she turned around to walk out the door, she nearly ran into Zeke. Dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt, he was there to help us move the rest of Kayden’s things. His eyes locked on Rae, and Rae stared back at him.
I could feel the chemistry between them—which was saying something because I was pretty clueless.
Rae cleared her voice, clearly caught off guard. “Hi.”
Zeke’s voice was deep, like usual. “Hey. Here to help out?”
“Yeah,” Rae answered. “And go through Kayden’s stuff to see what I want to borrow.”
He chuckled, his face lighting up the instant he was in her presence—like always. “Ulterior motive... I respect that.”
“I was just going to get something I borrowed from Kayden. I’ll be right back.” Rae moved around him, doing her best to not touch him. But she brushed against his arm anyway, tensing as she moved.
Zeke stared at her the whole time, obviously feeling her slip by. When she was gone, he walked farther into the room, his eyes directed out the window deep in thought. A quiet sigh escaped his lips, his blue eyes still bright from his interaction with Rae.
Kayden stood at the counter, eyeing Zeke and looking a little awkward. “So...how are things going between you guys?”
“Haven’t seen her since I slept over on Saturday.” Zeke kept his voice down so Rae wouldn’t overhear him.
“I think she’s coming around,” Kayden said. “When we went out to the bar, she couldn’t sto
p talking about how hot you looked.”
Zeke grinned, flattered by the comment. “Good to know.”
Rae walked back into the room with the black dress on the hanger. “I was going to give it back...”
Kayden snatched it from her. “I can smell your bullshit, Rae. Just own up to it.”
“Well, you were never going to give me back my heels,” Rae countered.
“You’re right, I wasn’t.” Kayden’s sassiness came out in full force. “But they’re so damn cute, I just couldn’t give them up.”
Rae sighed. “Alright, you can keep them. But I may need to borrow them in the future.”
Kayden smiled in victory. “I’m so glad we’re best friends forever.”
I couldn’t imagine borrowing something of Zeke’s—other than his Jeep. “Don’t try to borrow any of my things, man. I don’t share clothes.”
“Like your skinny shit would fit me anyway,” Zeke countered.
Rae laughed. “Good comeback.”
Now my eyes narrowed on her face. “He just insulted your brother.”
“I know,” she said. “Good for him.” She walked out of the apartment and headed to the U-Haul outside on the street. Just as I did when Kayden walked down the hallway, Zeke turned his eyes to her ass and stared at it until she could no longer be seen.
“Dude,” I snapped. “Could you not pull that shit right in front of me?”
“Get over it, man. That’s my future wife. I’m gonna stare at her ass all I want. It’s not like I’m getting any right now. Gotta take what I can get.” He left the apartment and walked down to the street to join Rae.
Kayden smiled when they were gone. “They’re gonna get back together. I can tell.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Did you see the way Rae was staring at him? She’s still head over heels.”
Maybe I didn’t need to be so worried about Ryker after all. “I don’t pay much attention, honestly.”
“And Zeke is still hung up on her. It might take some time, but they’ll be a couple again soon enough. And things will be back to normal.”
I liked the sound of that. “I hope you’re right. I miss when all of us would hang out. Seems like a lifetime ago.”
She rubbed my arm. “Don’t worry. We just need to be patient.”
“Yeah...I guess so.”
Rae walked in carrying a box and placed it on the counter. She read the label in black ink along the side of the box. “You keep all your magazines?” She cocked her head so she could read it clearly.
“Just wedding magazines.” Kayden said it nonchalantly, like those words wouldn’t give me a panic attack.
“Oh, gotcha.” As a woman, Rae apparently understood.
Zeke came in behind her, carrying a large box. His eyes went to Rae’s ass immediately before he set the box on the ground. “There’s not much left in the truck. Are we getting dinner after this? Starving.”
“We’ll treat you guys to Mega Shake as a thank you,” I offered.
“Cheap ass,” Zeke teased.
“Didn’t realize your wallet was so tight,” Rae jabbed. “Poor Kayden...”
“Fine,” I snapped. “No Mega Shake for either of you.”
“Oh no,” Zeke said sarcastically. “Where am I gonna find five dollars to pay for my food?”
Rae’s cheeks reddened as she laughed. She hadn’t smiled like that in over six weeks.
I didn’t have a comeback, so I just rolled my eyes and walked out.
“I’m sure we can find five bucks in change on the street,” Rae said. “You know, since Mr. Rich won’t stretch out his wallet.”
I shook my head and growled under my breath. “Assholes...”
***
I sat across from Kayden and popped a few fries into my mouth.
Rae sat across from Zeke, her hair pulled back in a bun. She wore a white tank top with black dirt spots on the front from the old boxes. Whenever Zeke’s gaze was turned down, she looked at him.
And the second she looked away, he took the opportunity to stare at her.
They should just knock it off and get back together. Their silent flirting was starting to get annoying.
“Watch the game last night?” Zeke asked her.
“No,” Rae admitted. “Taking a short hiatus from sports right now.”
“Why?” Zeke asked.
“Because I have a gambling problem.” She threw a glare at me. “I’m down a hundred bucks because of that asshole.”
“Hey,” I snapped. “This asshole didn’t force you to bet anything.”
Zeke chuckled, his eyes still on Rae. “Maybe you need to stop gambling.”
“It’s so hard,” she said. “Once the shit talking starts, I have to put my money where my mouth is.”
“Maybe bet five bucks instead,” Zeke said. “To Rex, that’s like a hundred bucks anyway.”
I grabbed a handful of fries and threw them in his face.
With quick reflexes, he opened his mouth and caught a few. “Thanks, man.” He chewed the pile then swallowed.
Damn, now I had less fries, and I was still hungry.
Like Kayden could read my mind, she grabbed her basket of fries and dropped a few back onto my plate. Then she picked up her burger again and kept eating.
That was something I treasured about our relationship. I was the man, and I was supposed to take care of her, but she did thoughtful things for me all the time. She knew I had a big appetite, and she never let me go hungry. There was always food on the table, coffee in the morning, and clean towels hanging in the bathroom. Not to mention, there was always lingerie packed in the drawers.
Rae opened her mouth and leaned back. “Hit me.”
Zeke grabbed a fry and tossed it in her mouth. “Goal!”
“Yes.” She chewed it then opened her mouth again. “Hit me again.”
Zeke picked up on her trick long before I did. “You’re just trying to eat all my fries.”
“Damn.” She closed her mouth and leaned forward again. “I was hoping no one would figure that out.”
“I know you too well.” Zeke turned his gaze back to his food, breaking their eye contact.
I turned to the people sitting a few tables over from us, looking about the same age. It was one woman with three guys, and she was picking at her fries, talking quietly to the man sitting across from her, who was eyeing her tits so hard his eyes were about to pop out of his head. When she reached over to grab his soda, she knocked over her basket of fries.
“Geez, you’re so clumsy,” the guy on her right said.
“Want me to order you another, baby?” the guy who’d just checked out her rack asked.
“No. This is fine.” She scooped up the basket and the fries and then continued to eat them like nothing happened.
I cringed and turned back to Rae. “That’s so gross.”
“What’s so gross about it?” Rae asked. “You think the kitchen in the back is pristine clean? It’s a diner.”
“I know it’s not the Ritz in here,” I countered. “But I sure hope the kitchen is cleaner than this tile floor that was installed thirty years ago.”
“Food is food,” Rae said. “I couldn’t care less.”
“Well, you’re just gross.” I didn’t eat shit off the ground, and I would judge Kayden if she did. But I knew my sister had always been off the spectrum of normalcy.
Zeke grabbed his burger and trained his eyes on her. “I think it’s sexy.”
“Me eating food off the ground?” she asked incredulously.
“I guess,” he said. “But I think anything you do is sexy.”
Chapter Fifteen
Rae
I was at home, on the couch with Safari, when Ryker called.
I stared at his name on the screen for a few seconds before I answered. “Hey.”
“Hey.” His deep and sexy voice came through the phone, innately arrogant like always. “What are the two of you doing tonight?”
“I�
��m looking sexy in my pajamas with my ass parked on the couch. Safari is a stud like always.”
“Wow, that does sound sexy,” he said in complete seriousness. “I hope you dress like that when you come with me to the Wizards game tonight.”
I heard what he said, but I couldn’t get a grip on my bearings. I slowly stood, letting Safari slide off me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I have courtside seats to the game tonight—and I want you to come with me.”
“Say what?”
“You heard me right.”
“No freaking way.”
He chuckled into the phone. “Yep. It’s true.”
“How did you pull that off?”
“You know, same old story. I know a guy who knows a guy...”
“And you want to take me?”
“Of course,” he said with complete seriousness. “No one else I’d rather go with. But there will be no gambling. I’m not taking cash from a lady.”
“Good. Because I’m kinda broke from all the bets I made with Rex.”
“In that case, I’ll buy you a chili dog.”
I remembered when we got chili dogs on our very first date. I taunted him about giving him a blow job, and the tease tortured him until he dropped me off that night. Sometimes memories came flooding back, times when I was in love with Ryker and I didn’t even realize it. “Are you sure you don’t want to take someone else? You could really get laid with seats like that.”
“I get laid with or without seats,” he said, cocky as usual. “But I want to take you. So, I’ll pick you up in an hour. Sorry, but Safari can’t come.”
“That’s alright. Rex will watch him.” I got off the phone then showered and got ready as fast as I could. Even though I lived close to the stadium, I never went to games because they were usually too expensive, so this was a big deal for me.
I put on jeans and my favorite jersey then walked across the hall and knocked on the door.
Rex answered, looking irritated the second he saw my face. “Yes?”