Ray of Heart (Ray #5)

by E. L. Todd

  “Like what?” Now he really couldn’t stop smiling.

  “What the hell does that look mean?” I demanded.

  “Come on, man.” He scratched his chin before he moved his hand back to his mug. “It’s so obvious.”

  “What’s obvious?”

  “Dude, you love her.”

  “Nah.”

  “Did you hear what you just said?” he asked. “You pretty much declared your undying love for this woman.”

  “Did not.”

  “Did too. What’s the big deal? Why don’t you tell her?”

  “Because...”

  “Because why?” he pressed.

  “I just... I just don’t want to.” I suddenly became uncomfortable, even with Zeke. This was something I never mentioned, not even to Rae. It bothered me so much I refused to allow myself to admit there was a problem at all.

  His voice softened. “Is it because of your dad?”

  I raised an eyebrow, surprised he figured it out.

  “I can tell Rae has some abandonment issues too. I think the reason she’s overreacting to this whole thing is because me sleeping with that girl felt like I was leaving her. And she hasn’t been able to forgive me because she’s just afraid of me leaving in the future. There’s no shame in that. We all have our baggage.”

  Since he guessed it right, I didn’t disagree. “I’m afraid Kayden might leave one day. So I don’t want to...you know.”

  “Dude, she’s not going anywhere. That woman is head over heels in love with you.”

  I knew she was. I saw it every day.

  “Tell her, man. I’m sure she already knows anyway.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  When Zeke got what he wanted, he backed off. “Okay. But I’m putting a timer on this. If you don’t do it quick enough, I’m telling her for you.”

  “That’s really romantic...”

  “Since it’s really coming from you, it will be.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Rae

  “Are you serious?” Jessie was so engrossed in my news she actually forgot about her drink.

  Kayden did too. “You slept with Zeke?”

  “Yeah...” The worst part was, I didn’t regret it. It felt so good to get off, to have amazing sex with the man I dreamt about every single night. “And then I snuck out when he was in the shower the next morning.”

  “You just bailed?” Jessie’s voice rose an octave.

  “Without saying goodbye?” Kayden asked. “Girl, that’s so skanky.”

  “I know, I know.” My behavior wasn’t exactly graceful. “I told him I just wanted to hook up, so I didn’t want to see him in the morning and have him kiss me and make me coffee...and have that conversation about where we are.”

  “And you think he’s not going to ask you later?” Jessie asked.

  “Well, we haven’t spoken in two days,” I said. “I guess I’m off the hook.”

  “Wow,” Kayden said. “I’m surprised he’s playing it cool.”

  “I’m not,” Jessie said. “He got laid, so he’s happy.”

  “But you are going to have the conversation, right?” Kayden pressed, giving me an evil look.

  “I don’t know...” I still wasn’t sure what I wanted. I wasn’t sure if we could get back together and move on from what happened. After what he did, I was still crushed. The only reason why I hadn’t completely walked away from him was because I was madly in love with him.

  “Just take him back,” Kayden said. “You obviously want to.”

  “Yeah,” Jessie said. “It’s pretty obvious.”

  “But you guys were there,” I reminded them. “He slept with someone else.”

  “And she didn’t mean anything to him,” Jessie said. “He saw you making out with Ryker in the middle of an expensive restaurant while you were holding hands—”

  “We weren’t making out,” I interrupted.

  “Whatever,” Jessie countered. “You put him through a lot of bullshit with Ryker. I can’t blame the guy for being so jealous he snapped.”

  I turned to Kayden, who was on my side initially. “You don’t think I should take him back, right?”

  “I didn’t before, but now I think you should,” Kayden said, twirling her hair.

  “What changed your mind?” I asked, knowing Kayden was stubborn and didn’t change her mind about anything.

  “Because it’s you guys,” she said quietly. “Come on, you guys are both head over heels. Zeke isn’t an asshole like Ryker. The guy made a mistake that he would never repeat. He’s not a cheater or a liar.”

  “And you know what else?” Jessie said. “He’s the one who came clean about it. He could have kept the secret forever and you never would have known about it. Even Rex, your brother, told him not to say anything.”

  “But he respected you too much to lie,” Kayden said. “Come on, that’s the kind of man you want to spend your life with. He’s loyal and honest.”

  I found myself outsmarted and outnumbered.

  “And if you slept with him,” Jessie said. “Then that means you love him more than you hate him.”

  “True,” Kayden said. “So, it seems like you’re not getting back together with him only out of principle.”

  “That’s not it at all,” I whispered. I wasn’t being stubborn for the sake of it. Honestly, I was just confused.

  “Just end this nightmare so both of you will be happy,” Jessie said. “That’s what I think.”

  “Me too,” Kayden said. “If Rex and I were in this situation, I would take him back instantly.”

  I knew that too well. She was obsessed with my brother, something I tried to forget about when we were hanging out.

  “So?” Jessie pressed. “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Do I have to decide right now?”

  Kayden turned to the bar. “You should since Zeke and Rex just walked in.”

  I glanced in her direction and saw Zeke in a dark green t-shirt, his arms looking as amazing as they felt the other night. His dark jeans hugged his tight ass, and those blue eyes lit up the place. All the women were looking in his direction, recognizing a hunky man when they saw one. “Ugh. Who invited them?”

  “Not me,” Jessie said.

  “Not me either,” Kayden said. “But this is our favorite bar. It’s not that much of a coincidence.”

  “Ugh,” I repeated. “He looks so hot. This is killing me.”

  “Girl, just go get your man.” Jessie gave my arm a gentle smack. “We all know it’s gonna happen, so just do it already. Don’t wait another two weeks. Life is too short for that.”

  After thinking things over in my head, I scooted out of the booth. “Okay, I’m gonna do it.”

  “Yes!” Kayden raised her hands in the air.

  “You go get some.” Jessie swatted my ass playfully.

  I wanted to keep Zeke away, but I knew I couldn’t. My anger dimmed the longer I missed him, and I couldn’t fight it anymore. Maybe what he did paled in comparison to what we had. It’d been two months since that horrible breakup, and I’d finally had enough time to come to terms with his mistake. Perhaps it was time to move on.

  I walked across the room and migrated around the groups of people talking with drinks in their hands. By the time I reached the guys, they had just gotten their drinks and were looking at the TV where a game was being broadcasted.

  I placed my hand on Zeke’s shoulder, feeling the electricity surge up my arm.

  When Zeke turned, he wore the same expression he always gave when he looked at me. There was a smile mixed with something else, a special look he never gave anyone else—not even Rochelle. “Hey.” He didn’t mention our hookup two nights ago, and it didn’t seem like he was going to.

  “Hi.”

  Rex stood there awkwardly, knowing this was a greeting he shouldn’t be a part of.

  Now that I was going to say what I went over there to say, I felt my nerves get to me.
My hands were shaking and my heels suddenly felt uncomfortable. I couldn’t catch my breath no matter how hard I tried. “I’ve been thinking a lot and...I don’t want to live without you anymore.” That was all I could muster myself to say. And that was all I needed to say.

  Zeke’s smile dropped, and his eyes softened. “Neither do I.”

  “So...can we start over?” Without even realizing it, tears bubbled in my eyes.

  His hands cupped my face, and he kissed me gently on the mouth, the exact opposite of the way he had kissed me two nights before. His fingertips reached my hair, and his touch felt soothing. Everything felt right the instant we touched. “I don’t want to start over. I want to pick up exactly where we left off.” His arms circled my waist, and he pulled me into his chest, hugging me near the crowded bar while music played in the background. He traced his lips against my hairline, his smell washing over me like waves from the ocean. It felt surreal.

  “I’m sorry I—”

  “Don’t apologize, baby. Let’s just move forward and spend the rest of our lives together.”

  “Okay. That sounds good to me.”

  Rex was still standing there, and he finally said something. “My god! Took you guys long enough. I’m so glad we can go back to normal now.”

  Zeke didn’t take his eyes off me. “Me too.”

  Rex finally walked away and joined the girls at the table, giving us some privacy.

  “Want to get out of here?” he asked.

  “We have the rest of our lives,” I whispered. “It can wait.”

  He smiled. “True. And we already got some hot action the other night.”

  My cheeks blushed at the memory, the way I pretty much demanded sex from him in the middle of the night.

  He wrapped his arm around my waist and walked me back to the table, looking like the happiest guy in the world. His fingers dug tightly into my side with excitement and his powerful body felt comforting next to mine.

  We scooted into the booth, and his arm immediately draped over my shoulders.

  Jessie held her straw to her mouth but didn’t take a drink because she was smiling. “That’s better.”

  “Much better.” Kayden scooted next to Rex and placed her hand on his thigh.

  Rex shook his head. “I never thought I’d want you to make out with my sister so much.”

  “Well, you’re in for a treat,” Zeke said. “There’s gonna be a lot of making out.”

  “Good for me.” I glanced at Zeke’s mouth, excited to kiss it later.

  Rex cringed. “Nevermind. I’m not too excited about it anymore.”

  “Don’t tease them.” Kayden smacked his thigh. “You can give them one night to be however they want to be.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Rex said. “But I’m only doing it because I love you.”

  Kayden tried to grab her drink but nearly knocked it over instead. Her eyes were wide like golf balls, and she stopped breathing.

  Jessie stiffened at the sound of the endearment. She was in the middle of sipping her drink when she stopped to nearly spit it out.

  I hoped Rex would grow up to be a man, but I didn’t think he’d really do it.

  Rex clearly had no idea what he’d just said because he was looking at the entrance. “Tobias just walked in. Jess, things are still going well?”

  Kayden was still in shock by what Rex had said, but now, she seemed confused about his comment toward Tobias.

  “Uh, Rex?” I asked.

  “What?” he said, looking at me with a slight hint of annoyance.

  “Uh...do you know what you just said?” My brother was so clueless he didn’t even notice his own actions.

  “Yeah,” he said like a smartass. “I said Tobias is here. Do we hate Tobias now?”

  “No.” Kayden finally found her voice, her eyes returning to normal. “You just told me you loved me.”

  “What?” Rex asked incredulously. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Yeah, you did,” Zeke said. “We all heard it, man.”

  “Did not,” Rex argued. “I think I would know.”

  “Obviously, you don’t,” Jessie said. “You just blurted it out two minutes ago.”

  “You guys need to lay off the drinks,” Rex said. “Because there’s no way in hell I said that.”

  Zeke rolled his eyes. “Grow a pair and just admit it. You love Kayden.”

  “Whatever,” Rex said.

  I figured out what Rex was really doing. It took me a few minutes to crack the code, but once I did, everything made sense. “Kayden, he knows what he said. He wanted to tell you, but he wanted it to be so casual that he wouldn’t have to put his heart on the line. Because in the end, he’s scared you’re going to leave him someday, the way our father left us.”

  Rex turned to me with an expression I couldn’t read.

  Kayden turned her body and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I love you too, Rex. I’m never going anywhere.” She buried her face into his neck and held him, ignoring the fact we were all there and staring.

  Rex lowered his gaze and wrapped his long arms around her, encompassing her effortlessly. Then he placed a kiss against her hairline, giving her the kind of affection I’d never seen him give in my life.

  Jessie turned to me. “Aww...”

  “They really are cute together,” I whispered.

  “Today has been a great day for couples,” Jessie said. “I have a feeling Tobias is gonna give me some serious lovin’. Excuse me.” She scooted out of the booth and fixed her already perfect hair. Then she strutted across the room right toward Tobias, making every other guy jealous that she was taken.

  Zeke pressed his face to mine. “I’m gonna give you some good lovin’ tonight too.”

  “You better.”

  ***

  Zeke and Rex went to the bathroom, so the girls and I stood at a table while we waited. “I think we’re gonna take off.” I wasn’t sure what I was more excited about, having sex in Zeke’s bed or going to sleep in it. It would feel like home all over again, the place where I was supposed to be.

  “I’m surprised you lasted so long.” Jessie stood with Tobias, his arm around her petite waistline.

  “Me too,” Kayden said. “I figured you’d be getting it on right about now.”

  “Oh, we will.” I already knew I wanted to be on top for our first rendezvous.

  “You get him, girl.” Jessie finished the rest of her drink before she placed the empty glass on the table.

  Tobias smiled like he was impressed. “You drink more than anyone I know, but you’re never drunk. What’s that about?”

  “Because ladies never get drunk.” She batted her eyelashes and gave him a flirtatious smile.

  When he looked down at her, he took a peek at her cleavage line. “Let’s go back to my place.”

  I glanced at the bathroom and saw the guys return, laughing about something. “They’re on their way, so we can all go home and get some.”

  “Excellent,” Kayden said. “I’m so glad I never have to go home alone again.”

  Zeke came to my side, a look of love reflected in his eyes. “Ready to go?”

  “Even if they aren’t ready to go,” Rex said to Kayden. “I’m ready to go.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Kayden said with a chuckle.

  “Can we go by my place and pick up Safari?” My dog should have been the last thing on my mind, but he would be so happy to return to Zeke’s place.

  Zeke smiled. “Absolutely.” Just when he turned away from the table, he nearly bumped into a blonde that appeared out of nowhere. “Excuse me.”

  She didn’t get out of the way. “Zeke, right?” She had bright blue eyes, just like Zeke’s, a pretty face, and a body that rivaled Jessie’s. If she wasn’t sure of his name, then she obviously didn’t know him very well. Perhaps she was a patient.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

  “Yeah.” She lowered her voice so the rest of us couldn’t hear. “We hooked
up about two months ago. Remember, we were at the Raging Bull with Denise before we headed back to my apartment?”

  God, I felt sick.

  She was the woman.

  The other woman.

  Everyone else heard what she said and they turned pale white. Jessie’s eyes immediately darted to my face. Kayden automatically covered her mouth with her hand, silencing a gasp.

  Zeke was completely caught off guard. “Uh...”

  “I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” she continued. “I had a lot of fun that night. Denise did too.”

  Who the hell is Denise?

  Didn’t she see his arm around my waist?

  I wanted to punch her teeth out.

  Zeke cleared his throat, still shocked. “I have a girlfriend.” That was the only thing he could spit out.

  “Oh...” She finally looked at me, noticing me beside him. “Well, Denise and I had fun with you, so I’m always open to a threesome again.” She pulled out a napkin with her number already written on the material. “Give me a call if you want.” She left it on the table before she walked away, her dress so short her ass pretty much hung out.

  All the happiness left my body.

  I felt like I might throw up.

  So it wasn’t just one woman.

  It was two.

  Two fucking women.

  Now I didn’t want his hands on me. I never wanted him to touch me again. He went out that night and fucked two women at the same time while I slept in his bed and waited for him to come home. I told Ryker I wanted to marry Zeke, and at that very moment, he was in bed with two women.

  Fucking asshole.

  I pushed his arm off my waist, feeling dirty.

  Zeke immediately turned back to me. “Rae, listen—”

  “You lied to me.” I tried to keep my voice steady, but it escaped as a scream. “You fucking lied to me.”

  “What?” he asked blankly, having no idea what I was talking about.

  “You said there was only one woman. Clearly, there were two.”

  “Apparently,” he said. “But I honestly don’t remember—”

  “You can remember one woman but not two?” I shrieked. “You’re so full of it.” I pushed him in the chest then stormed off, wanting to get out of that bar as fast as I could. I wasn’t heartbroken like last time. Now I was just furious. For the past two months, I’d been miserable without Zeke and I just wanted to be with him again. But now, I just thought of him as a pig.