Page 71 of Devoted

Zeke was beaming at me, like he honestly couldn’t see any issues with his proposition. But the longer I stared at him, the more his smile slipped.

“I know they’re all idiots,” he said, tapping the phone. “But they’re well-meaning idiots. None of them will doanythingto make you feel uncomfortable. And trust me, there’s nowhere you’ll be safer.”

“But they don’t know what it’s like to live with me.” I flopped back down onto the sofa in resignation. “I’m not an easy person to be around, Zeke.”

To my surprise, he knelt down between my legs and put his hands on my thighs. The touch warmed me. “I disagree. I find it easier to be around you than anyone else I’ve ever met.”

“You say that because you’ve only just met me.”

Zeke squeezed my thighs gently. “Not true, Sam. I don’t understand why you’re trying to diminish what we’ve shared. Maybe you’re scared. In the grand scheme of things, people might think it’s weird, but I don’t, and deep down, I don’t think you do either. There’s a connection between us, Sam. I feel it, and I know you do too.”

The phone call from earlier came back to me. “Then why were you going to break things off?”

Zeke sighed. “I can explain that, and I will. But not tonight.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’ve been through enough,” he said quietly. “I don’t want to hide anything from you, Sam. If you want me to tell you now, I will, but just know that I’m only keeping it from you because it’s overwhelming. I don’t think this is the right time to dump it all on you.”

I swallowed, searching his eyes for any artifice. I found none. “Is it bad?”

“No.” He considered it. “At least, I don’t think it’s bad. It’s just a lot to process.”

I thought about it for a moment before nodding. “I think it’s better that we wait then. One more thing might make my head explode.”

“And, as we established earlier, that’d create a nasty mess and the guys aren’t here to clean it up.” We both laughed at that. As the sound faded away, Zeke squeezed my thighs once more. “Come and stay with me, please. We can get used to each other without any barriers between us, and there’s nowhere else you’ll be safer.”

I was wavering. I wanted to go with Zeke, but my brain was screaming at me.

‘You only met him tonight.’

No, I met him months ago.

‘He could be a murderer. He wants to hurt you.’

If that were the case, he wouldn’t have rescued me earlier.

‘His housemates will hate you.’

They said they want me there.

‘Spending time with Zeke will make him hate you.’

Like he could see the battle happening in my mind, Zeke smiled tentatively. “Do you trust me?”

Four little words, and all of those thoughts were silenced.

I did trust Zeke.

It might be stupid. It might be reckless. It could lead me down all sorts of dangerous paths.

Or it could lead me straight to happiness.

“Yes,” I whispered. “I trust you.”

“Then give me one week,” he said hoarsely. “One week, Sam. At the end of it, if you want to leave, I’ll help you pack your bags. I’ll put you up in a hotel or help you find a new place, whatever you need. But give me this. Let me prove that you’re worthy of friendship, of being around others. Let me show you that what you believe about yourself is false.”

I didn’t think he could make any of that happen, but I also knew I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. For once in my life, I was going to say ‘fuck it’ to all the things that could go wrong, and I was going to do what I wanted.

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