Chapter 25
SCARLETT
“Oh my God.” Panic shoots through my body, and it’s ice-fucking-cold.
My eyes widen as I grip Ezra’s arm, fingers digging into his skin. “Ezra, those were cameras. Paparazzi—someone took pictures of us. Do you think they saw…”
Me completely losing myself on his lap.
“I don’t know.” Ezra curses under his breath, but when he sees my worried expression, the anger in his gaze fades away.
He rests his hands on my shoulders, facing me. “Hey, breathe,” he says, even if I can see the tension in his jaw. “We’ll figure this out.”
Memories from my past relationship flash through my mind.
The internet was full of headlines with speculation about every relationship choice I ever made.
My books were dissected. I felt like I had been ripped open for the vampires to feed on me.
I was followed around the city like a celebrity and hated every minute of it.
I wanted to write, not be in anyone’s spotlight.
The thought of reliving that humiliation makes me ill. It almost broke me.
“Who would even do something like—”
Realization hits me, and our eyes lock.
We say her name at the same time.
“Sara.”
Ezra’s jaw tightens. He runs a hand through his disheveled hair. Frustration rolls off every rigid muscle. “Of course. That makes sense. She was pissed off this morning and knows how to hurt me. Wouldn’t surprise me if she’d called them when we were together, too.”
“Me either.” I shove my hands in my pockets. “What do we do? I can call my publicist first thing in the morning, but it might already be too late. Plus, I don’t know what to tell her.”
“I’m so sorry, Scarlett. I was reckless.” His voice grows apologetic. “It’s been years since I had paparazzi track me.”
“Because you and Sara broke up,” I mumble.
“Very happy about that.”
Our eyes meet, uncertainty flickering between us. “How much media training have you had?”
He lets out a weary laugh. “From the moment I could speak. My mom made sure I was prepared for a world that was too eager to tear me apart.”
I exhale. “Okay. So a lot.”
“Yeah.” He reaches for my hand, pulling me toward him. “We can ignore it and go on about our lives like nothing happened.”
I shake my head. “I tried ignoring rumors with my ex. I know how quickly speculation can ruin something special.”
A brief silence settles between us. Ezra tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, thumb grazing my cheek. “It will work out.”
I force a faint smile at the realization that my pants are still unzipped and unbuttoned, so I fasten them.
“Do you happen to have anything stronger than wine?”
He laughs, and it eases some of the tension. “What about some whiskey that’ll make hair grow on your chest?”
“God, yes.”
Ezra grabs a thick bottle that’s full and hands it to me. With his finger hooked onto mine, he leads me into the cozy glow of the living room. He presses a button, and the gas fireplace ignites.
“Wow, fancy,” I tease, appreciating that he still gave me what I craved outside—quiet time with him by the fire.
I sit cross-legged on the couch, the heavy whiskey bottle balanced awkwardly in my hands. The amber liquid sloshes as I lift it to my lips and drink. It burns the entire way down, and I make a face, trying to shake the bitterness away. I cough a little, eyes watering.
Ezra chuckles as he settles beside me. “You gonna make it?”
I hand him the bottle. “Debatable. I forgot whiskey is just sophisticated gasoline.”
He grins, tipping it back, taking large drinks until bubbles emerge. “It’s an acquired taste. Actually got me in trouble in my younger years.”
“Oh?” I raise an eyebrow. “Like what?”
His eyes sparkle. “Well, I slept with my college professor.”
My mouth falls open. “Really? Did you get an A?”
“A-plus, baby,” he says. “But don’t act like you’re little Miss Goody Two-shoes. I want to hear about your scandals.”
“Nah. I save them for the pages,” I say, taking another swig, then hiccup.
Ezra nudges me. “You’re not giving me anything?”
“Hmm.” I pretend to think hard. “I once dated identical twins.”
Ezra’s eyebrows shoot up. “And let me guess, you wrote about it?”
“Obviously.” I shrug. “They wanted to play games, but little did they know, I was into that shit.”
“Damn.” Ezra wears a cocky grin. “Scandalous.”
We fall quiet for a moment; the whiskey soothing my racing mind.
I study him. “How did you do that?”
“Do what?” he asks, reaching to twirl a lock of my hair around his finger.
“You pulled me out of my spiral,” I whisper. “One minute, I was panicking, and now I’m here. Calm. With you.”
Ezra’s smile softens. “Because I see you, really see you, Scarlett. That kind of connection is the rawest intimacy two humans can share.”
My heart flutters. “I wanted more quiet moments with you before the world started nitpicking us apart,” I confess. “I wanted memories that belonged only to us.”
“I get it,” Ezra tells me in a kind voice. “But you know in your heart, privacy was never truly possible. Not with who either of us are.”
I lean my head against the cushions, my gaze fixed on the ceiling. He’s right; that is my reality, but I didn’t want to accept it. For once, I wanted and wished for things to be different. I’d thought that when I’d escaped the city, I’d left these worries behind.
We pass the bottle back and forth for twenty minutes, staring at the flickering flames. At some point, I can’t taste it anymore.
Ezra breaks the quiet. “You’re about to launch a best-selling book. That has to be the priority.”
I lean back, eyes drifting toward him, and I listen to what my heart tells me.
“Yeah, and my readers value honesty,” I finally say, tracing invisible patterns on the whiskey bottle. “They’d want me to be real with them. That’s my thing. Sharing too much, being too damn vulnerable. It’s who I am.”
“You’re sure?”
I meet his gaze and nod. “Absolutely. There is no other choice but to be transparent and put us out there. I’m just scared this could turn messy—”
“Scarlett,” he says lovingly. “I’m prepared for messy. Whatever chaos comes, we’ll face it together.”
“Together,” I echo, my shoulders relaxing. With my ex, I was in the trenches alone, navigating fame and fortune without a support system. In the end, I lost my creativity and almost myself.
He lifts the whiskey bottle, taking a swig before handing it to me. “A toast to being brave.”
“To being brave.” I take two long drinks, then set the bottle down and pull out my phone.
Ezra does the same. “So, what’s the plan? How do we announce this to the entire world?”
“I don’t know, but it has to be real,” I whisper.
“Agreed. Turn on your camera timer, ten seconds, and hold it out like this.” He demonstrates.
I do it and nod.
“Click the button and then we’ll kiss,” he tells me. “Ready?”
“Oh, wait.” I grab some courage and climb onto his lap, straddling him. My chest presses against his, and our faces are much closer. “Okay. Now I’m ready.”
Ezra growls, his lips dangerously tempting.
We hold our phones out, pressing the buttons simultaneously.
My hair spills over my shoulder just as our mouths collide. Our lips remain locked long after the countdown ends and photos snap. When we finally break apart, Ezra checks his phone, face softening as he looks at the image.
My phone holds a similar photo taken from a slightly different angle, the two of us tangled together.
“Wow,” I say and pause, noticing the look on my face. “We’re undeniably electric.”
“Fuck yes, we are,” he confirms.
The phones slip from our hands, forgotten immediately. Ezra’s mouth finds mine again, more urgent this time. The whiskey on his tongue sends fire racing through me. His fingertips trail beneath my shirt, skin touching skin, and each movement drives me wild.
“I want you,” he breathes, pulling back to meet my eyes.
“I need you,” I whisper, grinding against his cock, creating much-needed friction. “So damn badly.”
“I’m yours, Scarlett.” His gaze burns into mine, filled with possessiveness.
Ezra’s lips trace fire across my skin, unraveling me.
In this moment, nothing matters but him, me, and this wild, perfect surrender.
I lie back and unzip and unbutton my jeans.
He slides them off me, along with my panties.
My shirt falls on the floor, then my bra, until I’m naked and waiting.
Ezra moves closer, stealing a kiss as my hands slide down his chest, lifting his shirt until it’s on the floor.
Sitting up, I reach forward and undo his jeans, and he slides them down. Clothes are removed until nothing separates us but bare skin and anticipation.
He trails hot kisses along my collarbone and between my breasts.
My breath increases as his teeth graze across my skin.
I arch into him as he drags his lips lower, worshipping every inch of me as though I’m the rarest work of art he’s ever touched.
His hands are strong but tender, gliding along my ribs, holding me steady beneath him as he continues exploring me.
“Ezra,” I gasp, my fingers threading through his dark hair. He pauses just long enough to look into my eyes.
“Tell me what you want,” he whispers, his gaze locked on to mine.
“You,” I whisper back, my voice trembling, my fingers threading tighter into his hair. “I want all of you.”
When his lips find mine again, it’s hungry, and so fucking needy that it leaves me breathless.
His jaw clenches with a raw, possessive edge as his cock waits at my entrance. As our eyes meet, he slides deep inside me. A groan escapes him as he fills me slowly, perfectly. I adjust to him, my breath catching at the intensity, and I see entire constellations when I close my eyes.
“Scarlett,” he breathes, voice shaking with emotion and pleasure. His forehead presses against mine. “I can’t imagine a life without you.”
I wrap my legs tighter around his hips, urging him even deeper, holding him, not wanting this to ever end. “I can’t either,” I confess.
He drives us over the edge.