by E. L. Todd
“Perfect.” Jessie scooted closer to him. “So, are you free right now?”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “Free as a bird, sweetheart.”
“Perfect.” She held up her empty glass. “You wanna buy me a drink?”
He continued to grin like it was his lucky day. “Like I’m gonna let you buy your own drinks. What will it be?”
“Cranberry vodka.”
“Coming right up.” He walked away and left us alone at the table.
Jessie craned her neck and stared at his ass as he walked away. “He’s got a sweet behind.”
“He hits the gym,” Zeke said. “I see him all the time.”
She fanned herself. “That sounds like porn. Two hot, sweaty guys working out together.”
“We don’t work out together,” Zeke corrected. “He’s just there when I’m there.”
“Too late,” I said. “You’re already in her fantasy. Just accept it.”
“I’m not gonna be in your fantasy with another dude,” Zeke said. “Absolutely not.”
“Fine,” Jessie said. “I’ll switch you out with Rex.”
Zeke sighed in relief. “Thank you.”
“I’m sure Rex will be thrilled when he hears about this,” I said with a chuckle.
Jessie made the conversation even more sinister. “Do you think Tobias is good in the sack?” She turned to Zeke like he might know the answer.
“Why would I know that?” he asked with furrowed eyebrows.
“Guys talk about that stuff, right?” Jessie asked.
“We don’t say how good we are,” Zeke said. “We say how good the women are.”
“But you must have some idea,” Jessie pressed. “Come on, we’re friends. Give me a heads-up.”
“I really don’t know, Jessie,” Zeke said. “And I’m not gonna ask him.”
“Just find out for yourself,” I said. “And even if he isn’t great, you could always teach him.”
“I don’t know.” She chewed on the inside of her lip again. “I’ve done that once before. It’s a lot of work. Zeke, maybe you can teach him when you work out together.”
He rolled his eyes and dropped his hand from my side. “I’m headed to the bathroom. I hope the subject will be different by the time I get back.”
When he turned away, I gave his ass a playful slap. “Don’t take too long.”
He glanced over his shoulder with a smile, his mood picking up again. “Alright, baby.”
When Zeke left, Tobias returned with Jessie’s drink. “I made it a double.”
She immediately took a long sip like the alcohol had no effect on her at all. “What a gentleman. But you don’t need to get me drunk to get me in the sack. I was just telling Rae I hope you’re good in bed.”
It still shocked me that Jessie spoke her mind so bluntly. No one else could pull off that kind of confidence without seeming arrogant. She was down-to-earth and flirtatious, but she didn’t cross that invisible line.
Tobias recovered his reaction quickly, probably used to Jessie’s unpredictability. “You won’t be disappointed.”
“Ooh...I like that.”
Now I felt awkward standing there. They were pretty much having sex with their eyes at this point. I silently excused myself and walked to the bathroom because I didn’t have anything else to do. I walked down the hallway and ran into Zeke. “They’re being nasty, so I thought I would come find you.”
“So we can be nasty?” His arms moved around my waist, and he directed my back to the wall. It was exactly the place where Zeke had kissed me the first time months ago. His chest pressed against mine, and he looked down into my face carnally, like he wanted to possess me then and there.
“I’ve heard worse ideas.” My hands snaked up his chest to his shoulders.
He grabbed my hands and interlocked our fingers as he kissed me. He pinned them against the wall and tightened his grip, giving me an embrace just as passionate as our very first one. When he pressed against me, the definition of his cock was right against my hip.
I forgot about the crowded bar and all the people potentially watching us. Whenever those soft lips were on me and the scruff of his beard rubbed against my bottom lip, my mind went to a different place.
“Geez, the first thing I have to see is the two of you going at it?” Rex’s irritated voice came from our left.
Zeke pulled away with a sigh, released my hand, and glared at his best friend with malevolence. “You can look away at any time.”
Rex had his hand wrapped around Kayden’s, his face still contorted into a look of disgust. Kayden was smiling at me, probably thinking our visit down memory lane was romantic. “Or you could just not do it,” Rex argued.
“If I were making out with some other chick, you wouldn’t care.” Zeke stepped away from me, leaving a foot of space between us. “You’d probably stare with your hand down your pants.”
“Well, that’s different.” Rex let go of Kayden’s hand and crossed his arms over his chest. “This chick is my sister.”
“You better get used to it, man. Because your sister is my lady, and I’m gonna make out with my lady as much as I want. I’m gonna grab her ass, in the most respectful way possible, I’m gonna grope her in the dark when no one’s looking, and I’m gonna pull her away for a quickie every now and then. Get over it.”
Damn, I’ve never been hotter for Zeke.
Rex rolled his eyes and walked away. “Come on, baby.”
Kayden gave me a sad shrug and followed him.
Zeke turned back to me, the annoyance burning in his eyes like the sun on a hot day. “Sorry, I got a little—”
“I’m so turned on right now.”
Both of his eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“I’m glad you put Rex in his place. He deserved it.” My hands returned to Zeke’s chest, and I pulled him to my body. “So let’s make out again.”
He chuckled against my mouth and pinned me to the wall. “So, all I have to do is tell Rex to shut up, and I’ll get some action?”
“It’s one extra thing you can do.” I cupped his face and slowly ground against him. “You’ve already nailed everything else.”
He brushed his lips past mine in a teasing way, making me tense in anticipation of his scorching kiss. When his mouth finally pressed against mine, it was even better than our last kiss. His hands touched me in the right places, and Rex could come back and watch us for all I cared.
After the make out session became too intense for the public, Zeke stepped back. “If we don’t slow down, I’m gonna fuck you against this wall.”
“Fine with me.”
His eyes smoldered before he grabbed me by the hand and pulled me back to the table where our friends were waiting. Our drinks were nearly empty with watered down ice, so Zeke returned to the bar to grab a few more.
Rex didn’t hide his annoyance. He wouldn’t even look at me.
Kayden, on the other hand, couldn’t stop smiling. “You guys are so cute together.”
“I know,” I said with a sigh. “I love this phase, when you can’t keep your hands off each other.”
Jessie and Tobias were talking quietly, so close together they could kiss. He wore a constant grin as he listened to her talk, and his eyes were glued to her mouth more often than her eyes.
Rex tried to change the subject. “I can’t believe the Mariners are out of the play-offs. So ticked.”
Since Rex was obviously uncomfortable with the entire situation, no matter how stupid it was, I let him get his way. “They played hard. That’s all that matters.”
“Hell no, that’s not all that matters,” Rex argued. “Winning is what matters.”
Zeke returned with the drinks and placed his hand around my waist. His lips moved to my ear. “I was gonna make it a triple, but I figured I would get you in the sack anyway.” His fingers squeezed my lower back.
I took a drink. “And you’d be right.”
He pressed a kiss to my
ear then whispered, “When can we get out of here? I want your ass in the air. I’ve been thinking about that fine piece of meat all night.” His hand moved to my ass, and he squeezed it.
“A few hours.”
He growled into my ear.
As much as I wanted to get to the good stuff, I liked making him wait. When we finally got home and the clothes came off, the sex would be unbelievable.
Kayden faced us across the table, and her gaze was directed over our shoulders. “Shit...”
“What?” Without getting an answer, I knew exactly who she saw. Ryker must have just walked inside, and he and Zeke would have another battle over who had the bigger cock and ego.
Zeke sighed beside me, jumping to the same conclusion.
“Stop touching each other,” Kayden commanded. “Quick—too late.”
“What?” I asked blankly. Just because Ryker was there didn’t mean Zeke and I would drop the affection. Ryker could deal with it, or he could leave. Not my problem.
Zeke looked over my shoulder to get a look at him. When he did, he tensed noticeably beside me.
What the hell? I turned around to face Ryker head on, to see what the problem was.
And I came face-to-face with Rochelle.
Oh, shit.
She ignored me and stared at Zeke with devastation. A thin film of tears had formed in her eyes, and her cheeks were already turning red from the tears she hadn’t shed. She didn’t blink once, absorbing the scene right before her eyes. Her chest rose and fell with deep breaths, her emotion building to a crescendo.
Zeke didn’t say a word because there was nothing he could say to make the situation better. He was caught red-handed with his arm around my waist—and probably his hand on my ass too.
Nearly a minute passed, and she continued to stand there, frozen in shock by what she saw. I pitied her because I’d been in her shoes once before. When I saw Ryker pick up a girl and take her home, I was devastated. It was one of the worst nights of my life. I locked myself in my room and cried while I held Safari.
Rochelle’s sadness suddenly disappeared and was quickly replaced by rage. She snatched his drink off the table and threw it in his face, splashing the liquor in his hair and t-shirt.
Everyone at the table gasped under their breath.
Zeke opened his eyes and didn’t wipe his face.
“You’re a fucking asshole.” Every syllable was prominent and loud, full of hurt.
I didn’t correct her because I knew Zeke wouldn’t want me to. In fact, she had every right to feel this way. If she’d slapped him, I would’ve probably still let it slide. They’d only been broken up for a few months, and he was already with me. Rochelle probably figured out what really happened, the real reason Zeke dumped her so suddenly.
She grabbed my drink and threw it into my face, soaking my face and hair. The ice-cold drink quickly dripped down my body and soaked into my thin dress. I wasn’t wearing a bra underneath, so the form of my tits and nipples was immediately obvious. “And you’re a fucking whore.”
“Oh, hell no.” Jessie slammed her hand down on the table. “You can pull this shit on Zeke because he’s your ex, but if you think we’re gonna let you do that to Rae, you’ve got another thing coming. Hope you look good with two black eyes.”
“And a broken nose,” Kayden added.
I wiped the alcohol from my eyes, so I could look at Rochelle as she stormed off, pushing through the crowd in her haste to exit the bar and finally be alone. “Let her go.”
Rex immediately grabbed a ton of napkins and handed them to both of us.
“It’s okay.” I wiped my face then threw my hair up because it was sticky against my shoulders. “Let her be.”
Rex unzipped his jacket and immediately wrapped it around my body. He zipped it up in the front like I was a child who couldn’t do it on her own. “You alright, Rae?” He kept his voice quiet so only I could hear him.
“I’m fine,” I whispered. “It won’t stain my clothes.”
“You know what I mean.”
I looked him in the eye. “Really, I’m fine. But Zeke and I are gonna go home and shower. We’ll see you guys later.”
All Rex did was nod.
“Come on.” Zeke grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bar. There was a chance we might bump into Rochelle on the way out, but neither one of us cared. She’d already done her damage, and there was nothing left to be said.
Chapter Sixteen
Rae
We didn’t say anything on the drive home, and once we were in the shower, we didn’t say anything either. Our mutual arousal had died the second we looked at Rochelle. Once the drinks had been thrown on our faces, we felt worse. The action she took didn’t bother either one of us. It was obvious that pain motivated her.
Zeke scrubbed shampoo into his hair until the smell of beer was finally gone. Even though we were naked together, he didn’t look at me. His thoughts were a zillion miles away, thinking about Rochelle, no doubt.
I could read his mind, like always. “I feel terrible too.”
Zeke’s eyes finally moved to mine. “I didn’t think I’d run into her anywhere. But that was a stupid assumption. That’s how we met to begin with.”
“I didn’t think about it either...”
“If I had, would it have changed anything?” He dragged his hands down his face. “No, probably not.”
I wouldn’t have changed my routine for the possibility either. If I ran into Ryker, I wouldn’t drop Zeke’s hand and pretend we weren’t together. Lying wasn’t in my nature. I’d rather live my life honestly, even if people disagreed with my choices.
“I’ve never seen her that upset...”
I watched him, seeing the steam rise up from the bottom of the shower.
“When I ended things, there was a lot of crying and begging. She said she would do anything to make us work. But that look in her eyes tonight... That was something new. She probably thinks I cheated on her. No wonder she’s so worked up.”
I’d be worked up too.
“I’m sorry she threw a drink in your face. I expected her to do something to me but not to you.”
“It’s really okay.”
“I would have done something about it, but—”
“Really, it’s fine. If she’d slapped me, you bet your ass I’d slap her back. But a drink in the face is pretty tame. It’s nothing I can’t get over. And she was in a really difficult situation. To see the love of your life with his best friend... It’d make you wonder what happened right under your nose.”
He nodded. “Thanks for being understanding.”
I chuckled because the gratitude was ridiculous. “You’ve put up with so much from Ryker. The least I could do is take a drink to the face.”
“But Ryker hasn’t touched me.”
Give it time. “Let’s just forget about it.”
He rinsed his hair under the shower then slicked it back with his palm. “I’m not sure if I can. I think I’m gonna talk to her.”
“And say what?”
“I need her to understand there was no cheating involved. And I want her to know that I didn’t just jump into bed with you. I waited a month before I made my move, out of respect for our relationship. That might make her feel better.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“You wanna come with me?”
I almost laughed. “You’re joking, right?”
“It might be better if she heard it from both of us. You guys were friends.”
“Uh...I really don’t think she wants to look at your new girlfriend.” I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a room with Ryker’s current girlfriend. It would just be awkward.
His voice turned serious. “Rae.” He said so much with just a single word. His tone wasn’t commanding, but it was full of influence.
I sighed. “If you think it’ll help, of course.”
“Thank you.” He pulled me into his arms and held me under the warm running water. His chin rested on my hea
d, and his fingers massaged my back gently. The intimacy was stronger than the kind we shared during sex. He wanted to hold me just to hold me, to feel my heartbeat against his chest. “Every time I feel guilty, I remember what I have. I know I broke Rochelle’s heart, but it was worth it to have this. I’m so happy with you, happier than I ever thought I could be. I’ve wanted you for so long, and now that I finally have you...it’s even better than I could imagine. I don’t feel as guilty because I know you’re the woman I’m supposed to be with. I don’t feel guilty because you’re my destiny. And if you’re my destiny, that means someone else is hers.”
***
I was snuggled into Zeke’s side, my arm draped over his chiseled stomach with my face against his chest. Safari usually slept at the edge of the bed, but he’d crawled up in the middle of the night and lay on the other side of me, his face on a pillow. The three of us took up the entire space of the king-sized bed.
The doorbell rang, loud even in the bedroom that was located at the rear end of the house. I moaned when I heard the sound, irritated that something obnoxious woke me up on a Sunday.
Safari immediately sat up in bed and barked.
“Shh.” With my eyes closed, my hand reached for his fur, and I gave him a good rub so he’d lie down again.
The doorbell rang again.
Now Zeke was awake. “Go away.”
I sat up and looked at the clock on his nightstand. “Who shows up at...ten?” It felt much earlier at the time. Zeke and I hardly ever slept in that late. We were usually awake by nine at the latest.
Zeke sat up and kicked the covers off. “It’s probably Rex to watch the game.”
“Did you invite him over?”
“No. But he shows up whenever he wants.” Zeke pulled on his sweatpants and walked to the door.
I grabbed one of his t-shirts and my jeans that were on the floor and followed him.
Zeke opened the door without checking to see who it was. “Jessie?” He stepped aside so she could walk inside. “What brings you here?”
She looked at his naked chest, her eyes wide. “That is one pretty sight to see first thing in the morning.”