10. Chapter 10
Chapter 10
J orie had been in the shower for a while when Ezra noticed she’d forgotten her shampoo and conditioner. The little shit needed her ass reddened—she didn’t listen worth a damn. But God, it turned him on when she argued.
Grabbing the bottles, he knocked on the bathroom door, but there was no response. Letting out an exasperated breath, he pushed the door open. The shower room was so thick with steam he could barely see two feet ahead. For Christ’s sake, she was going to come out red as a lobster if she didn’t hurry up.
Ezra was ready to give her hell again, but the sound that reached his ears stopped him cold—a muffled, broken sob.
Fuck. She was crying.
Despite knowing he was wading into dangerous territory, Ezra stripped off his clothes and pulled back the shower curtain. Jorie didn’t even notice. She was huddled against the tiled wall, her hands covering her mouth in a futile attempt to muffle her sobs.
Ezra stepped into the shower, wincing as scalding water hit his skin. Quickly, he turned the temperature down before wrapping his arms around her trembling frame.
She didn’t fight him. She didn’t argue. Instead, she cried harder, clinging to him as if he were a lifeline. Ezra held her tightly, his heart breaking with every shuddering sob.
“Stop crying, sweetheart. You’re going to make yourself sick,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “Sweet girl, you’re breaking my heart.”
“Y-You don’t h-have a heart.” There she was—his fiery, sassy girl couldn’t stay down for long.
Ezra let out a relieved sigh, though he knew his work was far from over.
“That’s true,” he said, a soft smile curving his lips. “I had one once, but I gave it away. To a girl in pigtails who wears nerdy safety glasses and baggy coveralls. She’s smart, beautiful, and has the sassiest mouth. I need her so much it hurts. You wouldn’t happen to know where I could find her, would you? Because I think I did something to hurt her, and I’m terrified I’ve lost her.”
“You d-don’t need her. Y-You were just using her. You didn’t even want me h-here.”
“Yeah, for about a minute.” Jorie stiffened, but Ezra didn’t let her pull away. Instead, he tightened his hold and pressed on. “After what my ex did, I thought another woman—any woman—was the last thing the garage needed... or that I needed. Then we went to Vegas, and Aaron dragged me to AMAC after our first meeting with the TV people.”
He paused, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “I heard your voice before I ever saw you, did you know that?”
Jorie shook her head, sniffling as she wiped her nose against his chest. Ezra winced at the smear of snot on his bare skin but reminded himself that, thankfully, they were still in the shower.
“Then I saw you in one of the images on the slideshow at your booth,” he continued. “I was mesmerized... and disgusted.”
“Disgusted? Why? What did I do?” Jorie yelped, her eyes wide.
“You didn’t do anything except be your adorable little self. I was disgusted with myself, Jorie. Disgusted by the lust I felt just from catching a glimpse of you in a photo. I’m twelve years older than you, for Christ’s sake! I’m almost old enough to be your father. Hell, in some countries I probably am!”
“Does that mean I should call you Daddy?” she quipped, a mischievous glint lighting her eyes.
Ah, the little smart ass. Ezra’s lip curled into a half-smile as his hand slid down her body, pinching her rear in retaliation. Jorie jumped, a trilling giggle spilling from her lips.
He wanted nothing more than to banter and play with his girl, but there were more important matters to address. He needed to finish their conversation—and clean up the mess the executive producer had created. That bastard would get his, either from Ezra or Aaron.
“Jorie,” Ezra said, his tone serious now. “You are one hell of a mechanic. Aaron and I both saw that—not just in your work, but in the way your team respected you. You earned this job through your own skill and competence. Did we have other candidates in the running? Yeah, we did. But do you know what the deciding factor for hiring you was?”
Jorie bit her lip, nerves dancing in her gaze as she met his eyes, then nodded.
“You were the only one willing to relocate to Wintervale. You got this job because you’re the best fit for the position. Nothing more, nothing less. As for the show? The negotiations weren’t finalized, and the contract wasn’t signed until last week.”
“Really?” Excitement lit up her face, her eyes sparkling.
“Really. Want to know something else?” A teasing smile curved his lips.
“What else?” she asked, her tone demanding but laced with curiosity.
“I really want to fuck you—but the water’s turning cold.”
Jorie rose onto her tiptoes, looping her arms around Ezra’s neck. “Pick me up,” she commanded, her voice low and breathless.
Ezra obliged, his large hands steadying her as her soft, wet skin pressed against him. Her perfectly rounded breasts molded to his chest, her legs curling around his waist to trap the growing heat between them. With her hips tilting forward, she locked her heels at the small of his back and leaned in close to whisper in his ear.
“Then maybe you should turn it off… Daddy.”
Ezra threw his head back, laughter rumbling through him, deep and unrestrained. Then he tightened his hold and made it abundantly clear who was truly in charge.