Chapter 11
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.
He was devastatingly handsome, lying there and stroking himself just for me.
And his size? I would be lying if I said I hadn’t wondered what it would feel like to be stretched open by him.
When he came across my breasts, the temptation to reach out and touch him was so agonizing, I still don’t know how I managed to hold myself back.
But thankfully I did, because licking his cum was bad enough already. Now I’ll never be able to play it cool in front of him when he knows I willingly tasted him. My cheeks heat up recalling his taste.
I decide to head to the Eden early, just as he suggested, hoping that the distraction that he suddenly turned into, won’t stop me from thinking about my exam.
My exam, right.
Once I remember my priorities, it’s easier to push the image of Ezekiel’s sculpted naked body out of my head.
And his tattoos. Those tattoos spreading across his ribs, chest and forearms. I saw them earlier when I treated his wound, but they weren’t as dangerous as last night in the dark of my room.
“Hi,” I greet the security guard at the door who checks me out from head to toe, clearly confused to see me arrive early. And probably even more confused by my casual outfit consisting of oversized sweatpants and a tiny white top. “Can I come in?”
Without saying a word, he nods and make space for me. I set foot into the poorly lit corridor at the staff entrance, feeling a shiver go down my spine. I’m still not used to how strange this whole place looks during the day.
Before I can take a turn left and head towards Ezekiel’s office, I hear voices coming from near the bar and turn around to say hello when I recognize Cohen’s voice.
It is almost a whisper as he is speaking to an older guy who appears to be in his early 60s.
From the way they’re talking to each other, it looks as if they’re related.
Maybe he’s Cohen’s dad. The guy is tall, with gray thinning hair and hard pale eyes.
Something about him tells me that he has seen a lot and been through a lot.
I notice he’s wearing two golden rings and a rather old-fashioned suit.
I might not be a fashion expert, but I could bet everything I own on the suit being more expensive than my entire apartment.
Who would have thought that Cohen’s dad was rich…
“Hi,” I wave at Cohen when he turns around and sees me.
He waves back, an awkward smile on his face, but the older guy still has the bitter look on his face he had just a minute ago when it seemed like he was angry at Cohen for something that he’d done.
I don’t stay around long enough to see how their conversation unwinds, even though a part of me is curious to know what Cohen could have possibly done wrong. But it’s none of my business and I have a more pressing matter on hand.
Well, two more pressing matters on hand, because I’m still struggling to figure out what is it about Ezekiel that’s making my body react to him. I’m aware that I’m not the most experienced girl out there to begin with, but I have found other guys handsome in the 25 years I’ve been on this earth.
There was a guy in high school who played basketball and I would go watch him practice every time I could. Of course, I never even spoke to him, let alone saw him naked or had him cum on my body.
“Come on in,” I hear his Ezekiels from the other side of the door before I even knock. “It’s open.”
“Were you waiting for me?” I ask as I walk in and close the door behind me.
Instead of replying, Ezekiel nods towards the security camera footage on his big screen, making me blush. It wasn’t a good joke to begin with, but the way he’s looking at me makes my pulse spike. It’s infuriating how a single look from him can make my skin prickle with awareness.
“Hand them over.” He extends a broad hand and it takes me a minute to realize he is talking about the flashcards.
I hesitate for a fraction of a second before placing them in his palm, our fingers brushing just enough to make my heart skip. He doesn’t miss it, his eyes flicker up to mine, a slow, knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips before he looks down at the first card.
“Go ahead, make yourself comfortable,” he points to the leather chair across the table from him and then leans back, flipping a card over. “Okay, future medic, let’s see what you got. Are you ready?”
I nod. “Ready.”
“Define perfusion.”
“It’s…” I swallow hard, forcing my brain to translate the biology text in my head instead of focusing on the way his fingers brush against the flashcards. “The delivery of blood to a capillary bed in the biological tissue.”
“Good,” He flips to the next one, his thumb rubbing the edge of the paper. “What are the four levels of responsiveness on the AVPU scale?”
“Alert, verbal, pain…” My breath catches slightly as he shifts his weight, leaning a little closer across the desk. The scent of him, now more familiar than I would like to admit and dangerous, wraps around me. “…and unresponsive.”
“And how do you test for a painful stimulus, Riley?”
The way his voice drops when he says my name makes my stomach do a slow, dizzying flip. He isn’t looking at the card anymore, he is looking directly at my lips.
“A sternal rub,” I whisper, my throat suddenly dry. “Or a trapezius squeeze.”
Ezekiel lets out a low, approving hum that goes straight to my thighs. He slides the card to the back of the deck, his movements deliberate and agonizingly slow.
“And if I squeezed right here,” His hand raises from the deck, his thumb hovering just a fraction of an inch above the sensitive skin of my collarbone without actually touching me. “What would your heart rate do?”
For a heartbeat, I can’t even remember what words are, let alone the answer to his question. The heat radiating from his skin is doing things to me that I would never dare admitting.
“It would… tachycardic,” I breath out, losing my grip on proper grammar entirely. “It would go up.”
“Is that a medical diagnosis,” He murmurs, his eyes darkening as he drops his hand back to the deck. “Or an admission?”
“It’s a fact,” I clear my throat, doing my best to pull myself together. “From my book.”
“Right,” he smiles, not breaking eye contact, as he pulls the next card.
All I can think of is how bad I need to get out of there before I do something stupid. “Would it be okay if I used the restroom?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
I don’t wait for him to say anything else before I jump to my feet and run to the bathroom attached to his office.
I close the door behind me and immediately let the cold water run.
Now that I’m far enough from him, I can breathe a little easier.
The water is cold and refreshing as I let it run over my hands for a while.
When I finally feel put together enough to face Ezekiel again, I splash a little water on my face and head back to his office.
Before I can properly step out into the room, the door opens with a loud sound and a young man steps in. The look on Ezekiel’s face changes the moment he sees his brother and I would almost be willing to bet that I see a trace of rage in his expression.
“We have a problem,” he speaks, completely unaware of my presence.
“What happened, Malachi?” Ezekiel leans back in his chair, his body ready to jump and take care of whatever business he might need to.
“Diana is missing.” As those words leave Malachi’s lips, I freeze.
Diana is the first dancer I got to know at Eden. I had my first rehearsal with her and she has been nothing short of welcoming and friendly. The thought of something bad happening to her is terrifying.
“When?” Ezekiel asks his brother.
“She was last seen here on her last shift,” Malachi proceeds. “Apparently no one has heard from her or seen her since.”
“That was last night,” Ezekiel recalls.
“We need to figure all of this out before it gets even bigger,” Malachi’s voice is filled with anger
Ezekiel nods and then turns around in his chair to face me. “I need to take care of this with my brother. Will you be okay on your own?”
“Yeah.” My voice comes out weaker than intended.
“Oh,” Malachi freezes when he notices me, but he doesn’t say anything. His attention goes back to his older brother, hurrying him. “Let’s go.”
“Please find Diana…” I find myself saying as they’re both heading out. Only Ezekiel stops and turns his head to me. “Please.”