Zeke (The Powers That Be, Book 2) by Harper Bentley Page A

drove.
    “Nooooooooo!”
    I nodded.
    “Oh, my God,
Scar! You’re gonna need to rent a wheelchair ‘cause you won’t be
able to walk for days!” She giggled then let out her donkey
bray.
    “Having Grammy
call her friends tomorrow to see if I can borrow one.” It was best
to just go along with Jay when she was trashed because she’d argue
until she heard what she wanted to hear anyway.
    “Scar! You
finally got laid!”
    “Calling
Channel 4 News when I get home and seeing if they’ll air it on
their morning show.”
    At this, Dex
snorted.
    “I’m so happy
for you!” she replied and then she passed out, her head hitting
Dex’s lap which made him let out an “Oomph!” and made me
chuckle.
    I stared out
the window the rest of the way thinking I’d be ruined for anyone
else for the rest of my life. How could another man top what’d just
happened? They couldn’t.
    “Thanks, Dex,”
I said when he pulled into my drive.
    “Any time,
Scarlett.”
    I got out and
closed my door then as I walked to the front door, I heard the car
window go down.
    “Scarlett?”
Dex called.
    I turned to
him. “Yeah?”
    “It’s all
gonna work out.”
    I smiled softly
at him. “Thanks, Dex.” Then I went inside wishing I had as much
confidence in the situation as he did .
     
     
     

 
*Week Three—Zero
Encounters—Nil—Nada*
     
     
    Zeke didn’t show up at
The Nook the next morning which meant the pep talk I’d given myself
in preparation of seeing him had gone to waste. Then as I drove to
class, another pep talk ensued, as I fully intended on giving him
back his textbook, thereby breaking any ties between us. But he
hadn’t been there either, which I was kind of grateful for.
Grateful not because I didn’t want to see him, although what
difference would it make, but grateful because I was still feeling
him just as he’d said I would and I knew if he showed up, I’d get
all blurt-y with my words and probably tell him all about
it .
    I worked all
weekend and he didn’t come in.
    He also didn’t
show up for breakfast or class the next Monday.
    Or
Wednesday.
    Or Friday.
    Dang.
    He didn’t make
an appearance that weekend at The Nook either.
    It was almost
as if he’d never existed in my life.
    As if we’d
never had sex.
    As if it
really hadn’t mattered.
    And it was
ridiculous, I knew, but I was actually bummed about not seeing
him.
    God, I was
stupid.
    I mean, I’d
told him exactly what I wanted and he was giving it to me. I’d told
him I didn’t have time for anyone and he was leaving me alone. And
I should’ve been happy about it, but I wasn’t. Actually, my mood
regarding his playing by the rules had left me pretty morose.
    Saturday
morning, Jay noticed my mood and tried cheering me up by inviting
me over for “hard liquor and porn” (or had it been “liquor and
hard-core porn”) that night, but being around her and Dex right now
would have only made things worse, watching how happy they were
together, so I decided to stay home and mope.
    Yep. I’d turned
into that girl and I hated myself for it. I mean, I’d been
fine for two years until Mr. Zeke Powers had come along and shown
me what I’d been missing out on, which made me want it and him even
more. Damn it .
     
     
     

 
*Week Four—7 th Encounter*
     
     
    When the next Monday
morning came, I don’t know why, but I found that I was somewhat
excited for class hoping Zeke would be there. I really shouldn’t
have been .
    Entering the
room, I saw that he was gone again which made me frown, but after I
was seated and just as Dr. Weston started taking roll, Zeke
sauntered in looking hot as ever. His eyes landed on mine and one
side of his mouth tipped up as he moved toward his seat. But he
didn’t go to his seat. Nope. He went to the one next to me.
Shit.
    “Good morning,
Scarlett,” he whispered, his voice all deep and sexy, and when he
sat, his thigh knocked into mine and his forearm brushed against my
own. Gah.
    My breathing
sped up at