Page 78 of Wrecked By a Devil

“Hey,” I answer the phone on speaker. The moment is now ruined anyway and I’m back into the mindset of a responsible adult.

“Hi, Riley,” Maria’s tone is a little too cheerful for the early morning. “I hope I didn’t wake you up.”

“No, I was already awake,” I explain. “What’s up?”

“Remember that charity event next week?” She asks. “We’ve decided to include some textbooks and supplies for med students that can’t afford buying new books. Do you have anything that you can donate?”

“Hmm,” I try to remember what the world outside of Zeke’s bed looks like as I watch him slowly sit up. He’s only wearing a black pair of boxers and I can’t help but stare at the ink of his skin. It’s crazy how he looks as if he was born with it. I couldn’t imagine Zeke without his tattoos. “I have a few textbooks at home from last year, I think. I’ll check it out and bring them on my next shift.”

“That’d be great!” Maria responds. “Thank you, Riley!”

“Sure,” I smile.

“See you later.” With that, we end the phone call and I find myself smiling like an idiot even after the conversation has ended.

“You really have a big heart, Riley,” Zeke has already put his sweatpants on and for some reason the grey fabric stretching over his crotch is even more distracting than him parading in his boxers a minute earlier. He leans in over the bed, his lips claiming mine in a possessive, short kiss that ends with him gently biting my lower lip.

“I just know what it’s like,” I sigh. “Charity events like this often helped me get the things I needed for my classes. If I can help someone else in the same way, I’m more than happy to do it.”

“I stand corrected,” his lips turn into a proud smirk. “You have a great heart.”

And you have a big dick.

My eyes once again drift lower to his crotch and I have to cover my eyes with my hands and force myself not to look or even think about it.

“I’m going to be late” With a determined sigh, I get out of the bed.

“Shower first?” He raises an eyebrow in expectation.

“I wish.”

Because if I get into that shower with you, I’ll never leave.

“I’ll just drop by my place quickly to change and then head straight to the hospital,” I explain, leaving out the part about taking a shower at my place. Far from him and his distracting nakedness.

“In that case,” he bridges the space between us, grabbing my ass with both palms as he presses me against him, before placing a long, deep kiss on my lips, leaving me completely breathless. “Just so you’ll have something to think about while you’re working.”

The moment he leaves me and takes a step back, my skin feels oddly cold in the places where he’s touched me. I blink, trying to pull myself together, as I watch him throw a clean towel over his shoulder with a proud smirk on his face. He knows that kiss is going to haunt me for the rest of the day.

“Elliott is waiting downstairs,” Zeke adds. “He’ll drive you to the hospital after you grab your things at your place.”

“Okay,” I nod, too weak to argue because I already know arguing doesn’t work with Zeke. He’ll get his way no matter how much logic I try using.

The rest of the day passed in a blur and before I can blink, it’s already noon. I struggled to focus on my work during the entire shift and couldn’t wait to see the end of it. Maria approached me at one point asking if I was feeling okay. I explained that I just hadn’t gotten much sleep last night and that I was feeling tired. Thankfully, she bought it and didn’t insist further.

“Get some sleep when you get home!” Maria stops me as I walk out of the break room, on my way to the exit. “Don’t let your friend keep you out for too long.”

“I will, don’t worry,” I respond, the warmth around my heart spreading. Maria’s way of treating me, touches me in ways I can’t quite put into words. I guess it’s because I never had an older sister or a mother that cared enough to remind me that I needed to rest. “You too, make sure to get a nice rest.”

“Oh, I’ve got a spa date with my husband planned for tonight.” A wide smile spreads across her face. “I’m going to rest my peach off.”

I laugh at Maria’s peach comment. She always finds creative ways to refer to body parts and replace swear words. “Good, you deserve it more than anyone. See you next shift!”

As I step out of the hospital, the afternoon sun hits my face and I stop, closing my eyes and allowing myself to enjoy it’s warmth. The truth is, I’m exhausted. I’ve been running on empty for a while now, but with the exams being over, I can finally slow down a bit.

I find a nearby bench in the park in front of the hospital and make myself comfortable before I pull out my phone and dial Mia’s number. Today we’re supposed to meet up here after her meeting with her potential new boss.

I let the phone ring, and when she doesn’t answer I give it another try. But with each ring, the knot in my stomach grows bigger.