by E. L. Todd
“Now that my work here is done, I’m gonna take off.” He tossed his beer bottles in the recycling bin then walked up to me and raised his hand in the air.
I stared at it blankly, having no idea what he was doing.
“Thanks for having me over. High-five.”
High-five?
When I left him hanging, he grabbed my wrist and tapped it against his palm. “See you later. Bye, Ryker. Let me know if you check out the place. My realtor is awesome.” He walked out without further conversation, buoyant and borderline happy.
What the hell was going on?
“She owes me a blowjob.” Rex wrapped his arm around Kayden. “So, we’re gonna go. Peace out.” He held up a peace sign with his fingers then left the apartment.
When I was alone with Ryker, I finally wore my thoughts on my sleeve. “I have no idea what just happened...”
“I’m not sure either.” Ryker tossed his empty bottle in the recycling bin then leaned against the counter. “It’s like Zeke and I are friends again. Strange.”
“Just last week, we were back together. And now, he doesn’t care?”
Ryker shrugged. “Maybe he’s given up and just accepts it. Technically, you haven’t really been together in two months, so it’s not like this is sudden for either of you.”
“I guess...” I just couldn’t believe how quickly he’d moved on. He went back to being my friend like he’d never loved me. He didn’t look at me the way he used to, with undying affection in his eyes. At the bar, he seemed like he wanted to hold me forever and never let me go. And now...it was pure indifference.
“Does that bother you?” Ryker watched me closely, analyzing my features.
“I don’t know... I’m just not used to it.”
“You know, it’s not too late,” he said. “I’m sure you could still talk to him about working things out...”
“He slept with two women, Ryker.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, it was shitty. But his heart is in the right place, and if you ask me, that’s more important.”
“You’re pushing for him again?”
He held up both hands. “I’m not pushing for anything. I just want you to have what you want. That’s all. Believe me, I wish I were what you wanted.” He nodded to the couch. “Right here, right now.”
My cheeks reddened, and a smile formed on my lips.
“I’m just being a good guy right now. But believe me, I can’t wait to be a bad guy again.” He walked back into the living room and watched Safari play with the bone he brought for him. “So, you want to watch something else or should I go?”
I didn’t want to be alone. Ryker was good company. He made me smile and laugh more than anyone else. “No. I want you to stay.”
“Great. So, what should we watch?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Rex
“Dude, you did a phenomenal job last night.”
Zeke stared at the TV, his face full of unspoken rage.
“How did you do it?”
“I took a Xanax before I went over.”
“Xanax?” Was that a drug or something?
“It’s a med that forces you to relax.”
“And you drank after you took it?” I wasn’t bright, but I knew that wasn’t the smart thing to do.
He shrugged. “Whatever. Didn’t really care at the time.”
“But you handled that well. I could tell Rae was totally confused. Ryker too.”
“Yeah.” He dragged his hands down his face. “This better work, Rex. I can’t stand seeing Ryker even sit on the couch with her. She should be mine right now. Everyone knows it.”
“I know, man. We’ve just got to be patient.”
The girls finally walked inside, Zoey with her light brown hair like Zeke’s, and Monica looking like a Sports Illustrated model with her jet black hair, green eyes, and smokin’ body. “They’re here.”
Zeke sighed. “I can’t believe I’m doing this...”
“It’ll be worth it. Trust me.”
Zoey walked up first and hugged me. “Hey, Rex. Long time, no see.”
“We need to hang out more often,” I said. “Just because you’re the cuter sibling.”
Zoey smiled. “You have an excellent point, Rex.”
Monica walked up to me next, curvy and perfect. “Haven’t seen you around. How have you been?”
I didn’t hug her or shake her hand. Somehow, it felt wrong since I found her attractive. Kayden would kick my ass if I even touched this woman. “Uh...I have a girlfriend.” I assumed I was supposed to be upfront about that information with pretty girls. I wasn’t totally sure since I’d never done the relationship thing before, but it was probably best if I put that out there.
She chuckled. “Okay. Good to know...” She hugged Zeke next, and Zeke barely touched her with his hands, acting like he was doing something wrong. Once they pulled away, he relaxed and sat down.
“So.” Zoey led the conversation, usually being the one in charge. “I talked to Monica about everything, and she’s on board.”
“Really?” Zeke couldn’t hide his surprise. “Because you really don’t need to help me out.” He looked at Monica, his arms across his chest. “I’m sure you have better things to do—”
“You’ve been in love with Rae since you were sixteen,” Monica interrupted. “I remember seeing the way you looked at her and hoping some man would look at me that way.”
I was sure every man did.
“We need to make this work,” Zoey said. “You’re thirty years old, and you aren’t married. I’m not having kids anytime soon, so you need to get on that. Mom is driving me crazy.”
“Believe me, I’d be making babies with her right now if I could,” Zeke said with a straight face.
I cringed automatically.
“So, we’re gonna do this,” Zoey said. “Monica is gonna make Rae so jealous it won’t even be funny. Rae will get over your little mishap, and everything will be back to normal. We need Rae to come back because she’s the only girlfriend of yours I’ve ever liked.”
“Well, you’ve only met Rochelle,” Zeke reminded her.
“Yeah,” Zoey said coldly. “And she was not a good fit.”
Even though Rochelle was long gone, I actually felt bad for her.
Zeke didn’t stand up for Rochelle like he normally would have. He must have understood there was no point now that so much time had passed. “So, when do we begin?”
“I think you shouldn’t see Rae for at least two weeks,” Zoey said. “That way, when you bring Monica around, it’s not so sudden. And we need to start flooding your Facebook with pictures of you guys.”
“I’m hardly on Facebook,” Zeke said.
“Monica will post things and tag you,” Zoey said. “That’s even better because it doesn’t look like you’re flaunting it. And Monica is awesome at basketball. She used to play in high school and a little in college.”
“So?” Zeke asked.
“Dude, that will drive Rae crazy,” I said. “Basketball is her thing. That’s perfect.” The ground beneath Rae’s feet was going to shake—and shake hard. “She’s gonna be in for a surprise. We can’t tell any of the girls about this plan. We’ve got to make it genuine.”
“What about Kayden?” Zeke asked.
I shook my head. “We can’t tell her either. Their reactions to seeing you two together have to be authentic. And all I’m gonna tell Kayden is you started seeing Monica but haven’t told me much about her because I haven’t seen you—because you’re too busy with your new girlfriend.”
“I don’t think we should call her my girlfriend,” Zeke said. “Too serious.”
“Yeah, you might be right,” I said in agreement. “I guess we just won’t put a label on it.”
Monica ran her hand up his arm. “I’m excited for this plan. If there’s an opportunity to kiss you, I’m going for it.”
Zeke let her touch him, but he didn’t seem thrilled about the kissing part. Norma
lly, he would’ve smiled and said something cocky, but now, he was silent.
“This is gonna work,” Zoey said. “Mark my words. If a woman responds to anything, it’s jealousy. So, let the games begin.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rae
Two weeks passed in a slow blur. Zeke didn’t contact me, but I still dreamt about him every night. Sometimes we were going out to dinner, having a date night like we used to. But most of the time, we were making love in his bed. I woke up to my fingers pressed against my clit, touching myself in my sleep.
I had it bad.
Now that I couldn’t forgive him, I expected to move on without any problem, but I hadn’t made any progress at all. Everything stayed exactly the same. I went out with Jessie and Kayden for drinks after work, and we talked about my love life—like always.
“Anything happen with Ryker?” Jessie asked, her eyes on me and not her drink.
“No.” Ryker hadn’t made a move because I hadn’t made a move first.
“Really?” Jessie asked in surprise. “You guys have been hanging out for a while. I figured something would have happened by now.”
“I’m not ready,” I said. “It’s too soon.”
“You and Zeke have been broken up for over two months,” Kayden reminded me. “It’s not like it just happened.”
“Yeah, but I’m still not in that place.” I was attracted to Ryker and remembered all the good sex we used to have, but I was still attached to Zeke. Sometimes I worried I would always be attached to Zeke.
Kayden sucked the olive off the stick in her drink. “Are you sure you don’t want to take Zeke back—”
“Yes.” It was hard enough for me to get over the fact he slept with one woman—but two? I couldn’t look past that, especially after seeing one of them in the flesh.
Kayden backed off since she knew she couldn’t change my mind. “Alright. Just wondering...”
“Are you gonna try dating in general?” Jessie said. “Or are you not ready for that either?”
Getting back into the dating scene sounded horrific. I’d been on a lot of dates, and most of them ended up badly. Very rarely did I meet a guy I really liked. I happened to get lucky with Ryker and Zeke, two incredible guys back to back. “I can’t picture myself dating right now.”
“Would you give Ryker a chance before that?” Jessie said.
“I don’t know,” I said. “A few weeks ago, Ryker asked me when he could ask me out...”
“What did you say?” Kayden asked.
“I said I wasn’t ready to start something, and if I changed my mind, I’d let him know.” He didn’t pursue me aggressively like he had before. He respected me enough to give me time to figure out what I wanted on my own.
“He’s awfully patient,” Jessie noted.
“Really patient,” Kayden said. “That’s not the Ryker I remember.”
“He’s changed a lot.” In fact, he’d changed so much, he wasn’t the man I remembered. Now he was gentler, understanding, and open. Before, he would barely let me examine his surface. But now, he allowed me to see all the way down to his soul.
Jessie finished her drink and scooted to the edge of the table. “I’m getting a refill. Want anything?”
“I’m still working on mine.” My vodka cranberry was still half full, and it was my second one for the night.
“I’m good,” Kayden said. “I can’t keep pounding these the way I used to.”
Jessie left the table and headed to the bar, but she abruptly stopped and came back. With wide eyes and stiff shoulders, she sat back down.
Kayden and I exchanged a worried glance before I turned back to her. “Everything alright, Jess?”
“Yeah,” she said with a shaky voice. “There’s a long line at the bar, and I didn’t feel like waiting.” She immediately started biting her nails, her face turning pale despite the blush on her cheeks.
When I glanced at the bar, I hardly saw anyone. “Jess, there’s no one there.”
“Don’t look over there.” She snapped her fingers in my face. “Look at me, alright?”
Now I knew something was up. “Jess, what’s your deal?” I turned back to the bar, knowing she was hiding something. I didn’t notice Zeke before because of the drop-dead gorgeous woman pressed against his body like a magnet. She was short and petite, her stomach tight from intense athleticism. She had long legs that ended in five-inch heels, and her hair was long and straight, looking silky even from this far away.
When Kayden spotted them, she cursed under her breath. “Oh, shit...”
Zeke had his eyes on her the entire time, even when he took a drink of his beer. Like no one else was in the room, he only had eyes for her. She was a million times prettier than me, and her body was so fit and tight it was ridiculous.
Jessie sighed and couldn’t look at me anymore.
I was crushed.
There was no way to sugarcoat it.
Seeing him with someone else was the most painful thing I’d ever felt. I wasn’t mad because I had no right to be. He was single, and he’d been single for over two months now. When he gave me that ultimatum, he meant it. He really had moved on and let me go.
I wanted to cry.
“Rae...” Kayden’s gentle voice broke away. “So sorry, girl.”
“Yeah,” Jessie whispered. “I was hoping you wouldn’t see them.”
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “It was going to happen sometime, right?” I silently excused myself from the table and walked to the exit. There was no way I could keep sitting there, watching her drool all over him. After the tab was paid, he would take her back to his place and fuck her in the bed I used to sleep in. My scent would be erased, as well as our relationship.
I’d never felt so low.
I managed to wave down a cab and get in the back seat. After I mumbled my address, I pressed my temple against the cool glass and closed my eyes, feeling the tears deep inside my chest. They didn’t escape past my eyes because I’d cried enough to last a lifetime.
When I got out of the cab, I took the elevator to the top floor and hit the buzzer.
Ryker’s voice came through the intercom. “Yes?”
“It’s me...” I stared at the crack in the center of the door and waited for it to open.
Ryker hit the button and the doors opened, revealing him standing in his sweatpants without a shirt. The TV was on in the living room, and a cold beer sat on the coffee table from where he’d been relaxing.
He eyed me up and down, noting my bare legs in the short dress. My hair was done in curls, and he noticed that too. He stepped closer to me, his arms staying by his sides through sheer determination. He cocked his head to the side like he knew something was wrong, but he never asked the question.
“I want meaningless sex. No strings attached. Just sex.” When I pictured Zeke with that beautiful woman, I suddenly felt lonely, like I’d lost more than I could afford. The love of my life had moved on to someone else, and by the looks of her, she was much better than I ever was.
Ryker came closer to me, his blue eyes smoldering in intensity. “You came to the right place, sweetheart.” He gripped my ass and lifted me into the air, my legs automatically wrapping around his waist. One hand cupped my face while the other continued to hold me effortlessly as he carried me into his bedroom. His lips met mine, and he gave me a slow and tantalizing kiss, the kind that used to make me melt on the spot.
My arms circled his neck, and I kissed him back, putting all my energy into making myself feel good. With a gorgeous guy like Ryker, it wasn’t hard to do. My back hit the sheets as he laid me down, still kissing me and running his hand down my thigh. When he reached my ankle, he slipped off my heel then migrated back to my waist.
My hands felt the powerful muscles of his back and arms, feeling the strength directly underneath the skin. My fingertips absorbed the searing heat, my nails slightly digging into his skin. My legs hooked around his waist, and I slipped off the other heel wit
h my foot.
Ryker sucked my bottom lip as he reached his hand under my ass and gripped the back of my thong. He pulled it down over my legs and tossed it on the floor, his lips never breaking from mine. Then he got my dress off easily, undoing the zipper and rescuing me from the material. When I was naked underneath him, he looked down at me with worship in his eyes. “Sexy as hell, just as I remember.” He kicked off his sweatpants and boxers, gloriously naked on top of me.
My legs circled his waist, and I locked my ankles together. My fingers slid into his hair, and I kissed him harder, feeling his throbbing cock against my stomach. I wanted to feel full, to be stretched until the pain turned into pleasure.
“I’m clean.” He stopped kissing me, speaking into my mouth while his body gently grinded against me.
“I know.” I grabbed his hips and directed him inside me, feeling his head stretch me the second he penetrated me.
Once he’d been invited, he positioned himself further over me and sank into me, every inch of his enormous cock sliding into home plate. “I forgot how good your pussy felt.” He moved until he was balls deep, nine inches stored inside me.
I was already out of breath, drenched in sweat and ready to come. “Your cock feels better...”
He kissed me slowly, moaning at the same time. His hips flexed as he pushed into me, forcing my channel to acclimate to his size. He pulled out, making my body tense, and then he shoved himself inside me all over again.
My ankles remained locked together tightly, and I gripped his back to hold on, getting the kind of sex I wanted. It was hard and good, hitting me in the right spot and making me tense in every good way imaginable.
He looked into my eyes as he thrust, his chest sprinkled with sweat. His body looked sexier when it was being used to its full capability, pushing me into the mattress with his size and strength.
I was swept away by lust, using his body as an anchor to move into him, taking his cock just as hard as he was giving it to me. I didn’t feel any pain because all I felt was pleasure. I wasn’t thinking about anything other than this gorgeous man buried deep inside me. “Ryker, I’m gonna come...”