Page 29 of Devoted

I groaned silently, parting my knees wider to accommodate my stiffening cock. “If you’re half as sexy as you sound, I bet it is.”

“My voice has nothing on yours, Sam. I’ve imagined it a thousand times, but my imagination doesn’t measure up to the reality. It’s fucking perfect.”

I bit my lip. “You’ve thought about me? When we haven’t been chatting, I mean?”

“More than I should probably admit.”

Sinking lower in my seat, I looked up at my ceiling like it might have the answers written up there for me. “What are we doing, Zeke?”

“Fuck if I know.” To his credit, he sounded as confused and frustrated as I was feeling. “I’m trying to keep this to an online-only thing, but I don’t know what it is about you. Thirty seconds of speaking to you has my guard slipping. I can’t help it, and what’s more, I don’t want to stop it.”

“Me neither,” I whispered.

6

Ezekiel

You’d think that after hearing Sam’s voice and realising it was even better than in my imagination, I’d be in a better mood.

But I wasn’t. I knew why too, I just wasn’t ready to admit it yet.

Not even to myself.

Storming along the corridor, I glared at Nox as he stepped out of a doorway and into my path. He raised a brow at my expression. “You okay?”

I bristled. The absolute last thing I wanted to do was have a conversation with Nox about myfeelings.

“Are you going to move?” I grunted. “Or are you auditioning to be a living statue?”

The sneer he gave me might’ve made a lesser man cringe, but I was used to it. It was how everyone looked at me when I was in this mood. “Were you not taught manners as a child?”

I hid how deep that remark hit. This was what I’d been taught. The lessons my mother had imparted earlier, those that prioritised kindness over demands, had been erased by my father’s education. “I was taught not to hold people up when they’re in a rush.”

Nox stood to the side, sweeping his arm out in an overly dramatic gesture. “Well, don’t let me stop you. You must be far busier and more important than I’d realised.”

Embarrassment rolled through me at my behaviour, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Micah would have my head if he knew how I was speaking to his mate. “Been here a few months and you already know everything.”

“I know an arsehole when I see one,” Nox called after me, not bothering to hide the amusement in his voice. “And you’re definitely not one of the fun ones.”

With self-loathing and humiliation added to the mix, I knew I had to do something before I made an even bigger fool of myself. Sam was working, so messaging him was out. For once, we were on top of all the paperwork.

That left the gym.

I was into my fifteenth set on the bench, sweat rolling down my chest, when Rami appeared in my periphery.

“Okay, enough. Spill.”

“Spill what?” I cranked out another rep.

“The reason you’re slamming around here like a bear who put his paw into a wasp’s nest.”

“There’s no reason. I’m always like this.”

“True,” Rami mused, “but it’s worse today. It’s hanging around you like a cloud. Makes me wanna spritz you with holy water to see if that helps.”

I glared at him between reps. “What’s your point, Rami?”

“My point is, something must be bothering you. The twins have been behaving, Benji said you’re all caught up on paperwork, and I haven’t done anything to irritate you, so what is it? What’s got your goat?”

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