Ray of Time (Ray #4)

by E. L. Todd

  Zeke shot me a terrifying glare.

  “Hey, it’s true. He didn’t have all the information at the time.”

  “But he knew full well I was Rae’s man when he dropped two grand to dance with her.”

  Yeah...that was pretty bad. “Yeah, that was a dick move. But it’s over now. Your dick is bigger than his, Rae is your woman, it’ll be okay.”

  “I guess you’re right.” He pushed away his basket of fried wings even though he didn’t eat a single one. Now they were cold and soggy. “I’m never going to let her go, so Ryker will never get his chance to win her over. So, everything will be fine.”

  “That’s the spirit, man.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “And not that it matters, but even if you weren’t in the picture, I don’t think Rae would take him back. He was such a dick to her. Rae isn’t one to hold grudges, but she’s sensitive to men just leaving. She pretends like it doesn’t bother her, but I know our dad walking out killed her as much as it killed me.”

  Zeke’s eyes filled with sadness, and he gave a slight nod.

  “So, you really have nothing to worry about.”

  His suave calmness had returned, and now Zeke was himself once more. Ryker wasn’t on his mind, and he finally relaxed. “How are things with you and Kayden?”

  “Good. A lot better now that we’re boning again.”

  He chuckled. “How romantic.”

  “That’s what I was doing when you called.”

  He cringed. “Thanks for letting me know.”

  “Now that I have my own place, she comes over pretty often. She cooks dinner, sucks my dick, and compliments me all the time. It’s the coolest shit ever.”

  Zeke nodded with a smile plastered on his face. “Women are the best.”

  “When she wears my t-shirt around the apartment...” I savored the image in my head. “So damn sexy, man.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

  “I’ve never had a woman do that before, parade around my apartment in my clothes. Even when she wears my sweatpants, she looks sexy.”

  “It’s a woman’s touch,” he said. “They can make anything look sexy. Rae could dress up as Chuck E. Cheese, and she’d still look damn fine.”

  I couldn’t picture Rae looking attractive in any sense. Even when she looked nice, she looked like a big blur to me.

  “So, are you thinking about taking it to the next level?”

  I didn’t understand Zeke’s question, so I went with the most obvious possibility. “You mean anal?”

  He covered his face and released a painful sigh. When he lowered his hands, a repressed smile was on his lips. “No. I meant, are you gonna ask her to move in with you?”

  “Oh...” Now that made more sense. “It hasn’t crossed my mind. I love spending time with her, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for that. I’m still getting used to the idea of being a boyfriend. This is the longest I’ve ever been with the same woman, and it’s still strange. I’m not sure how I got here.”

  “Maybe she’s just the right woman.”

  “Right woman for what?” I asked blankly.

  “To settle down with.”

  Marriage and kids... No, thanks. “I’m definitely not there. Not sure if I ever will be.”

  Zeke didn’t push the subject. “You wanna go to the arcade?”

  Energy surged inside my body, and I almost jumped out of my chair. “More than anything in the goddamn world, man.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Rae

  I went to work like usual and was grateful Ryker didn’t stop by to visit me. If we spoke, the conversation would be tense. He and Zeke argued back and forth like enemies of war, and frankly, it was Ryker’s fault the war had been started at all.

  Jenny gave me a suspicious look from across the workbench, eyeing me like there was a stain on my face. “So, what was that all about?”

  “What?”

  “Mr. Price bidding on you.”

  I played dumb because I didn’t want to get into it. I’d kept our relationship a secret this long, and I wasn’t going to give it away now. “I have no idea. Zeke wasn’t happy about it. He almost punched him in the face.”

  “Yeah, I saw that. By the way, Zeke is fine.”

  Like I didn’t already know that. “Yeah, he’s amazing.” I couldn’t say the words without smiling.

  “So, what did Mr. Price say when you were dancing?”

  “Uh...” I made up a lie on the spot. “He asked me about my work in the lab...stuff like that.”

  Jenny still seemed suspicious, but she stopped her interrogation.

  My phone lit up with a text message from Zeke. It was sitting on the counter next to my workstation, protected inside a plastic bag so I wouldn’t spill anything on it. Wanna play ball?

  I typed a message back. If you take off your shirt.

  I’m not just a fine piece of ass.

  You’re right. You’re my fine piece of ass.

  You wanna dick pic?

  Hell yeah.

  I was kidding...

  I wasn’t.

  Alright. One dick pic coming right up.

  I turned my phone over, so when he texted me, the picture wouldn’t pop up on the screen. I didn’t want Jenny to see my man’s package. That cock was all mine.

  A few minutes later, my phone vibrated. I turned it over and saw the picture. He was hard and erect, and Zeke’s fingers were wrapped around the shaft of his enormous dick. Part of his balls got into the picture as well, along with the bottom of his abs and his happy trail.

  I never thought dick pics were hot, but this was on fire. Very nice.

  You like that, baby?

  Oh, yeah. I might have to take my break early today...

  Send me a pic when you do.

  Will do.

  ***

  I couldn’t believe what I did, even after I did it. I touched myself in the bathroom, took a picture of my fingers down my panties, and sent it to him.

  Very, very nice.

  A few minutes after the high was over, I started to feel ashamed of my actions. I was open-minded and adventurous, but that was straight-up slutty. I’d exchanged nasty pictures with my boyfriend while on the clock—Ryker’s clock.

  After work, I changed and met Zeke at the basketball courts just a few blocks from my apartment. Safari was on his leash and excited to be outside. When he walked in this direction, he knew exactly where we were going, and he wagged his tail happily.

  We arrived at the courts and saw Zeke making three-pointers, practicing his shots. Unfortunately, his shirt was on. But it looked like he was working up a sweat, so it wouldn’t take too long to get him shirtless.

  I tied Safari’s leash to the pole before I walked onto the court in my black leggings and t-shirt. “Ready to get creamed?”

  He tucked the ball under his arm. “I could ask you the same thing.”

  I blushed the instant my words were turned back around on me.

  With a cocky grin on his face, he walked up to me and kissed me. “I really like the picture you sent this afternoon.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I tried to wait until I saw you, but I couldn’t. I jerked off when I got home.”

  Picturing his hand around his cock as he took strong strokes made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. “You should have gotten a video of that.”

  “Wow. You’re kinkier than I realized.”

  “I guess you make me that way.” I snatched the ball out of his hand and dribbled it behind me.

  “How about you catch a live show?” He walked toward me, his hands tense at his sides in preparation to steal the ball back.

  “Ooh...that sounds like fun.” I continued to dribble the ball while holding his gaze, knowing he was trying to distract me so he could snatch the ball back. I’d played this court with him too many times not to know his tricks.

  His hand shot out, aimed for the ball as it bounced against the ground.

  But I was too quick. �
�They don’t call me sticky fingers for nothing.”

  He grinned. “You’re right. There’s definitely a reason.”

  I blushed again when I walked right into that one. “So, one-on-one?”

  “Unless Safari wants to play.”

  Safari lay on the concrete under the basketball hoop, watching us with his tongue hanging out.

  “Nah. He’s too good for both of us.” I dribbled the ball then dodged around him. I sprinted to the hoop, and before he could catch me, I did a lay-up. “That’s a good start.” I dribbled the ball then spun it on one of my fingers.

  “Things are about to change.” He pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his chiseled physique. Nothing but powerful muscle and sweaty skin, the image was distracting. I remembered the last time we played together I purposely dragged my hand down his chest—even though he was with Rochelle.

  “Goddammit,” I whispered. My eyes kept breaking contact with his, so I could look at his sweaty muscles.

  That’s when he slapped the ball out of my hand and dribbled to the opposite side of the court. “Sucker.”

  I chased after him, but he was way too fast. By the time I reached the opposite end of the court, he’d already dunked the ball into the hoop, showing off because I wasn’t tall enough to do the same.

  “Winner’s take out?” he asked. “But you may not get the ball back.”

  “Shut up and play.”

  “Ooh...” He dribbled and smiled in that arrogant but handsome way. “You’ve always been a sore loser.”

  “I’m not losing. We’re tied.”

  “For now,” he said with a chuckle. He bounced the ball to me, and I bounced it back to complete the take out exchange. Then he walked onto the court and dribbled the ball between his legs, his eyes glued to mine.

  I was crouched and ready to block him once he sprinted around me. Even if he was my boyfriend, I wouldn’t let him win just so he could feel macho. I’d bring my A game, like always.

  He faked to the left and sprinted to the right, getting around me at the speed of light.

  My feet worked as hard as possible, and I placed myself between him and the hoop. Just when he jumped to take the shot, I slapped the ball down and got a turnover. “Now look who’s the sucker.” I dashed to my side of the hoop and lined up the shot.

  Unexpectedly, he scooped me up into his arms and kissed me on the mouth, holding me underneath the hoop where Safari sat.

  My instinct was to argue, but I didn’t once his lips were on mine. The ball rolled away from my hands, slowly bouncing away until it rolled to the next court. The kiss was the only thing on my mind, and I didn’t care about the score. I didn’t even care about winning—which was so unlike me.

  All I cared about was him.

  ***

  I slipped my heels on by the door, my hand against the wall for balance.

  “I don’t want to go out.” Zeke wore denim jeans with a gray V-neck, the muscles of his chest visible before he threw on his black hoodie. Naked or not naked, he looked hot as hell. Six foot two of pure and unbridled sexiness. “Let’s stay here and order a pizza. And forget the pizza and just eat each other.”

  “As amazing as that sounds, I already told Jessie we were coming.”

  “She doesn’t need us. That woman can work a bar all on her own.”

  “I know.” Jessie had the confidence of a supermodel. She could hold her own in any given situation. If she wanted to pick up a guy, she swooped in on her own. “But I already told her we would be there. Believe me, I want to hide away with you forever, but we can’t ignore everyone. They’ll give us shit.”

  “Whatever. I’ll take their shit as long as I’m inside you.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and gripped my ass, his large hands squeezing the muscle tightly. My short dress rode up, revealing the bottom of my ass. “How am I supposed to behave myself tonight when you look like this?” He looked at my lips instead of my eyes. “So sexy. So perfect. So goddamn fuckable.”

  Now I really wanted to stay at his place. More than anything in the world. “Then don’t behave yourself.”

  He raised an eyebrow, looking sexy even when he looked confused. “What happened to PG conduct in front of our friends?”

  “Let’s just not do it in front of our friends.”

  ***

  Zeke and I hugged Jessie when we arrived since we were the first ones there. She stood at a tall table in the center of the room, wearing a short dress and insane heels that made women cry just from looking at how high they were. With perfectly sculpted legs from doing yoga every day and princess hair, she was the bombshell of the night. Men were looking her way, wanting to talk to her but too intimidated to do it.

  Zeke immediately put his arm around my waist, probably trying to make sure all the onlookers knew I wasn’t the single one. “What do you want, baby? Lemon drop? Wine? Or a shot so I can get you good and drunk.”

  “You know you’ll get me into bed even if I’m sober.”

  His hand tightened on my waist then inched toward my ass. “True. So what will it be?”

  “I’ll take a cosmo.”

  “Alright.” He squeezed my ass then walked away.

  When he was out of earshot, Jessie started running her mouth. “It seems like that nightmare from last week is over.”

  “Yeah, we’re over it.” I hadn’t even thought about the incident with Ryker since it happened. “And our fight didn’t last long. Since there was amazing sex at the end of it, it worked out just fine. He basically fucked me like Ryker might be watching.”

  “Oh, god.” She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. “I haven’t had amazing sex like that in...forever.”

  “Really?” I knew Jessie had her pick of the crop. She got what she wanted, when she wanted it.

  “It’s been, like, a year since I had something really incredible. Seeing you and Zeke paired off together, and hearing Kayden say how amazing Rex is in bed—” She cringed when she realized what she’d said. “Sorry...I’m just gonna roll past that part. It makes me want a guy. Not just any guy, but a great one.”

  “Well, they’re hard to find.”

  “Tell me about it.” She drank from her glass and nearly finished it.

  “You want me to tell Zeke to get you another?”

  “No.” She ran her finger along the rim. “I’ll get it myself. So, Rex told me Tobias kinda has a thing for me and wants to ask me out. I said I’d be into it but...he hasn’t made a move, and it’s been a few weeks now.”

  “Tobias?” I asked in surprise. We’d known him since high school, and it never seemed obvious he had a thing for Jessie. But then again, all men probably did have a thing for her, but they were way too intimidated by her perfection.

  “Yeah. And the more I think about it, the more I think he’s pretty hot. I mean, he’s got a nice body and a handsome face. I just put him in the friend zone a long time ago, so I never really considered it.”

  “Sounds familiar.” I was with Zeke, Rex was with Kayden, and if Jessie ended up with Tobias, that would be supernatural matchmaking.

  “So, I’m not sure what happened.”

  “Maybe he’s still gonna go for it, but he hasn’t had time.”

  “I’ve seen him a few times since then...” She looked down into her empty drink. “Maybe I did something to make him change his mind.”

  “Well, do you want to go out with him?”

  She considered it, chewing on her inner lip. “I wouldn’t mind taking him for a test drive.”

  “Then why don’t you ask him out?”

  “Hmm...good point.”

  I’d seen Jessie ask out tons of guys. I didn’t see why Tobias was any different.

  “I’ll do that,” she said. “Thanks for the heads-up. You’re my guy guru.”

  “Me?” I pointed to my chest and raised an eyebrow. “Geez, I’m the worst person to get advice from.”

  “Are you kidding me?” She placed one hand on her hip, her skintight dress under
neath. “Rae, you’ve dated two super gorgeous guys in a row. Ryker was scorching hot, and Zeke is even hotter. You know a lot more than you give yourself credit for.”

  “Well...I think that was just luck. And you’re forgetting what the first hot guy did to me.”

  “But you had months of awesome sex.”

  “True...”

  “And now Zeke is awesome in the sack.”

  “Double true.”

  “So, you’re doing something right if you ask me.”

  Zeke returned to the table, so we stopped talking about all the awesome sex I’d had in the past year. He set my glass in front of me and got a beer for himself. His arm snaked around my waist again, like a magnet sticking to steel. “Talk about anything interesting while I was gone?”

  Jessie blurted out the truth. “Just how good you are in bed.”

  He grinned. “Damn, I should have stuck around.”

  “To hear everything you already know?” I asked as I looked up at him.

  “Hey, it doesn’t hurt to get some feedback from time to time.” His hand slid up my back to the middle of my shoulder blades. “Did you tell her about the incident against the door?”

  “Do you want me to get into the details with my friends?” I asked incredulously.

  “Like you don’t already.” He turned away and drank his beer.

  He was right. I did tell them everything. “Well, you tell Rex everything.”

  “I definitely, absolutely, don’t talk about us to Rex,” he said quickly. “That would be the most awkward conversation.”

  “Tobias is here.” Jessie spotted him grab his drink from the bar and join us at the table. In a t-shirt and jeans, he was just as laid-back as Zeke. With dark brown hair and a prominent five o’clock shadow, he was easy on the eyes. I’d never noticed Tobias because we weren’t very close, but now I wondered why Jessie hadn’t flirted with him before.

  “Hey.” Tobias stood at the table beside Jessie, seeming cool and indifferent in her presence. If he had a thing for her, I wouldn’t have noticed. “What’s going on with you guys?”

  Jessie pivoted her body toward him and laid it out. “You wanna go out sometime?”

  Tobias stilled at the table, his eyes moving to hers and widening in surprise. He quickly covered up his reaction, trying to keep himself as calm and collected as possible. “Absolutely. I never say no to a pretty woman.”