Page 27 of Wrecked By a Devil

“This place is incredibly small.” I still can’t process the size of her room and how she can possibly feel comfortable living in such a tiny space. “How are you not claustrophobic?”

“It’s the best thing I can afford right now,” She puts her underwear back on and jumps into her jeans. “That’s why I’m working so hard to graduate…”

“You want to build a life that doesn’t feel claustrophobic,” I nod, continuing to look around the room out of pure curiosity.

“Are you really that surprised that not all people live in suites and palaces?” She’s trying hard to sound serious but I notice she’s holding back a laughter.

“Yes,” I say sarcastically. “I never knew something like this even existed.”

“Well, I’m glad to be the first to introduce you to a different world,” She seems to regret those words the moment they leave her lips and she turns her back to me as she finishes dressing up.

“What’s this?” I notice a tiny sticky note on her desk and reach out to pick it up. Riley tries taking it from me before I read it but I pull it up so she can’t reach it.

“That’s private!” She complains, making the whole teasing even more enjoyable.

“You’re too slow,” I wink at her and proceed to read the note. “It’s from Elena. She says she won’t be here to help you with the flashcards. I guess she likes staying over at her boyfriend’s.”

“You have no idea,” Riley tries once again to take the note from me, and this time I let her. “Damn it…”

“Do you have another exam soon?”

“Yes,” she explains. “And I study best when someone quizzes me.”

“So Elena is the one who helps you study for every exam?”

“Yes,” She nods. “Well, technically, I study by myself first and then she helps me solidify everything with the flashcards. But I’ll just manage somehow, it’s not my first time studying by myself.”

“If you come to the Eden early tomorrow and bring the cards,” I find myself speaking before even realizing what I’m saying. “I can help you.”

“And put myself in a position to owe you once again?” Riley looks up at me with her eyebrow raised.

“Well,” I lean in closer to her, enjoying the way she blushes. “You can’t say that paying out tonight’s debt wasn’t fun.”

“I’ll pass.” She responds, trying to sound cold, but after seeing the pool between her legs, I’m not so easily convinced that she’s not affected by me.

“It’s up to you,” I laugh, running a hand through my hair. “If you decide that you want my help, you know where to find me.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Riley

You can do this by yourself, Riley.

The voice in my head is quite confident in its belief that I could just skip using the flashcards. Maybe I can just come up with a new and innovative way to replace them. Or memorize things word for work from the book.

Anything really, at this point I’m desperate.

Maybe accept his help?

No, that’s one thing I cannot possibly do. I can’t put myself in the position to own Ezekiel Kavanagh anything else. The memory from last night flashes in front of my eyes and I feel my heart skipping a beat. It was my first time doing something intimate with a man simply because I chose to and I didn’t know I would end up liking it.

He didn’t force you to do it. You know he won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to.

While Ezekiel might be many things, that part is true. He is respectful. The type of man a woman wouldn’t feel threatened by because he would never lay a finger on them without their consent. I would never admit this to him, but I wish more guys were like him.

I sigh, realizing that at this point I can’t expect a miracle to help me. Elena is not coming home earlier than planned. I could still call Mia, but Mia tends to be more of a distraction than a reliable study partner. The last time I tried asking her to help me study, we ended up discussing a dating show that neither of us even knows how we came across, and I had to pull an all-nighter to finish preparing for the exam.

“I trust him with this,” I say at loud even though there is no one to hear me. As I turn in my chair and my eyes catch a glimpse of my empty bed, another memory of Ezekiel starts playing in my head.