Chapter Ten Closer
The house is quiet.
Gideon has been asleep for hours.
Ezra’s friends left not long ago after a catastrophic defeat involving poor tactical strategy, resulting in the near annihilation of nearly an entire orc horde.
“Not a word,” Ben hissed in my general direction.
I simply raised a glass and toasted the fallen.
The whole table dissolved into a fit of laughter.
Now it’s just Ezra and me.
We stand shoulder to shoulder in silence. Ezra is at the sink, bubbles sliding over his hands as he washes one of my chip bowls. I can’t decide what’s more unnerving—the comfortable silence or the way I keep staring at Ezra's forearms. Muscles flex and release beneath his sun-kissed skin.
I stare far too long before realizing I’m supposed to be drying.
“Don’t tell me there’s another portal to Hell hiding in the dirty dish water,” he says, jarring me from my thoughts.
“What?” I ask as I resume my drying duties.
Ezra hands me the bowl he was washing.
“You were staring.”
“I was not.”
“You definitely were. I was just wondering if there was another portal in the sink or if something was going to climb out. In which case, you will be handling it.”
I lose the fight not to smile and lean over as if inspecting the water.
“Don’t worry, Professor Pookey Bear. I’d protect you from the demonic big bad. Fear not. No portal.”
Ezra’s hand stills before he turns his head to look at me.
“Appreciation for the protection detail, but why do you sound surprised there’s no portal in the sink?”
I shrug. “Statistically speaking, the odds are high. Especially given there’s already an open summoning line connecting Hell to your house.”
I take the bowl from Ezra’s hands as his mouth drops open.
“You’re joking.”
“Am I?” I tease.
Ezra lets out a breath.
“You know, prior to your arrival in my life, my biggest concern was if Gideon was meeting his milestones.”
“And now?” I ask curiously
“Now I’m discussing the statistical probability of Hell portals appearing in my sink.”
“So what you’re saying is I’ve broadened your horizons.”
“What I’m saying is that every day with you is adding six months to the therapy I’m going to eventually need.”
I reach my hand down into the water and splash Ezra. “The nerve,” I tease.
“Hey!” Ezra laughs, splashing me back.
The next thing I know, we’re in a splash battle. Water flies across the kitchen, making a slippery mess of the floor as the two of us cackle like complete lunatics.
Then Gideon's tiny voice drifts down the stairs.
Ezra looks at me, a radiant smile on his face, and my heart skips a beat.
He should smile more.
Not because it transforms his face from handsome to devastating.
Not because it makes his topaz eyes dance with delight.
It’s because it’s open and unburdened.
For a moment, he doesn't look like the single father doing the work of two parents. He doesn’t look tired. He doesn’t look stressed.
He looks like the man who loves fantasy movies. Who’s funny and witty. The guy who would buy someone they barely knew five different flavors of potato chips just because it made them happy.
I see him.
And he looks happy.
Which breaks my heart a little.
Because I know I’m going to have to leave.
“I should go check on him,” he says as I fight back the stinging in my eyes.
“I’ll clean this up,” I say, grabbing a towel.
Ezra disappears from the kitchen and heads up to Gideon, each of his soft footsteps falling in sync with the renewed thrum of the tether. It pulses beneath my skin, a persistent reminder that I’m here for a case, not to catch feelings for the source and his son.
I finish wiping up the water and drape the towel over the sink the way Ezra does, then slowly make my way upstairs. Ezra’s soft voice floats from behind Gideon’s room door. I can’t make out the words, just the soothing notes of hushed, comforting whispers.
Tears prickle my eyes as I hurry into my room. Flopping back, I will the emotions away and try to sleep. Ezra leaves Gideon’s room several minutes later. He pauses in the hall, likely ensuring Gideon is asleep, before crossing to his room. The door closes with a soft click that rattles me.
I heave out a breath of frustration.
This is not how things were supposed to happen.
I came here to close a summoning case. Simple as that.
Only it’s not simple.
Images of the last few days play before my eyes like a movie.
The tension of my arrival.
Ezra, buying me a ridiculous amount of potato chips just because I was excited.
The diaper disaster.
Watching Lord of the Rings together.
And Gideon. Sweet little Gideon with his smiles and adorable baby noises.
It’s not fair. I’m not supposed to feel this way.
The tether pulses annoyingly, the sensation causing me to surge to my feet.
But I do feel this way.
I feel connected to a man I’ve only known for a few days. More than anyone else, ever. And I don’t want to run from that. I want to run to it.
My body moves before my mind registers the action.
I open the door and freeze.
Ezra stands in his doorway, a look of determination on his face.
“Ezra,” I breathe.
He closes the distance between us in two long strides. One arm wraps around my waist, pulling me close as his other hand cups my face. He leans down and presses his forehead to mine, breathing deeply.
“We shouldn’t,” he says in a voice laced with want and need, “But I can’t seem to care enough to stop.”
My arms wind around his waist, pulling him closer.
“Tell me we can’t, Princess. Tell me to go back to my room. Tell me to let you go.”
“No.”
And then his lips are on mine, firm and demanding and possessive.
I moan as pleasant tingles travel through my body.
Ezra’s tongue swipes at the seam of my lips as his grip on my hip tightens. I open for him instantly. Our tongues meet and dance as if we’ve done this a thousand times before. With each passing moment, the kiss deepens, as tensions that have been steadily building between us finally snap.
We break apart, gasping for air, chests heaving. His fiery gaze sweeps over me as he licks his lips.
He takes my hand and pulls me into his room, closing the door gently behind us.
I pull him back to me, crushing his lips to mine as if the only air I can breathe is from his mouth.
“Syn,” he says breathlessly, “Let me see you.”
My hands find the hem of his shirt and begin to tug it up.
“Me?” I ask, as he takes over and rips the shirt over his head, then leans down to pepper kisses along my jaw.
“Without the glamour.”
My heart is in jeopardy of beating out of my chest. I’m overcome with emotions knowing he wants me. Not this carefully constructed facade I use to fit into his realm, but me. Demon wings and all.
The glamour falls away as his mouth blazes a path down the column of my neck. He pauses when my wings emerge, watching as they flutter behind me.
“Beautiful.”
He kisses me again, hands traveling down my sides to cup my ass. I can feel the moment he begins to bend and realize what he’s about to attempt. I pull back, guiding his hands to my waist and shooting him a wicked smile.
“Allow me,” I purr just before I bend my knees and slide my hands under his ass and use my wings to lift us off the floor.
Ezra’s eyes saucer as his legs wrap around my waist. I glide to the bed and gently land us so that I can lie back with Ezra straddling me. My eyes travel down his body, stopping at the bulge in his pants where his cock stands fully erect and weeping if the spot on his pants is any indication.
“Fuck, that was hot.”
“I do my best,” I sass, reaching for him.
His hands tug at my shirt before he pauses. “I want to rip this off of you, but I don’t want to hurt your wings.”
I snap my fingers for dramatic effect and watch the surprise on Ezra’s face as my clothes vanish.
I watch Ezra’s Adam's apple bob as he swallows.
“You’re exquisite,” he murmurs before running his hands up my torso to cup my heavy breasts. I arch into his touch eagerly. He kneads them, feeling their weight in his hands, before rolling my nipples between his fingers.
A needy sound escapes me before I can stop it.
“Do you like that, Princess?”
“Mmmm, yes. But I need to feel more of you,” I manage to say between pants.
Before he can respond, I grab his waist and flip us over.
Erza gasps, then chuckles. “My man card is so going to be revoked because I love the way you handle me, Princess.”
With smug satisfaction, I run my claws gently down his chest, enjoying the way his body spasms beneath my touch.
The tip of my claw follows the path of each tattoo, fascinated by the trail of raised bumps that follow in my wake.
I lean down and begin to kiss and lick my way down his torso, tracing the silvery lines at the sides of his rounded stomach with my tongue.
When I reach his waistband, I lick a path along the band, grazing my teeth on his hips before sucking the flesh there.
“Syn,” he moans, threading his fingers through my hair.
I sit up and scoot down his body. My eyes find his as I slide two fingers under his waistband.
“Yes,” he practically growls.
Wanting to draw this out as long as I can, I slowly slide his pants down his body.
His cock springs free, a trail of cum dripping down his length.
It’s thick, with dark blue veins pulsing beneath the surface.
My mouth waters as I watch the drop slide down the length and pool in the tangle of hair just above his sac.
Seven circles of Hell be damned.
I take in every detail of Ezra’s naked form. From tattoos I’m ready to trace again, this time with my lips, to the gentle slope of his stomach, down to the powerful muscle of his thighs. He was sexy dressed. Devastating as a dad. But lying naked like an unwrapped gift just for me...this is deadly.
“Princess,” Ezra groans, rolling his hips.
“Yes, Professor Pookey Bear?”
“I’m in serious jeopardy of embarrassing myself and coming just from the way you’re looking at me.”
I hum, inhaling the musky scent of his arousal as another bead of cum appears at his tip.
My wings open as I sit back on my heels. I use them to lift me so that my chest hovers just above him. Leaning forward, I position his cock between my breasts before using my hands to push them together.
“Oh fuck,” Erza gasps, rolling his hips again.
I slide my breasts down the length of his cock, then back up, letting his sticky cum coat my tits. Ezra arches his back, cock chasing my tits as they continue to glide up and down his length.
In no time, we find a rhythm.
Erza thrusts his hips up as I glide my breast along his length.
My chest becomes a sticky slip and slide that mirrors the mess I’m making between my legs. My pussy aches to be filled, for Ezra to be buried inside, but the bliss on his face and the gorgeous sounds he makes as I choke his dick between my boobs are more than satisfying.
“Syn. Fuck, Princess, I’m gonna cum,” he moans, fisting the sheets.
In response, I push my breasts tighter to his cock.
“Make a mess of me,” I purr before allowing myself to swipe his slit as it surges toward my mouth.
My name is a muffled yell as he bites down on his fist.
His cock erupts, hot jets of cum splashing my face and painting my chest a milky white. I slow my pace as he continues to shallow thrust. When his body finally stills, I close my wings and release my breasts. Ezra watches as I gather his essence from my body and lick it off my fingers.
“So incredibly, fucking sexy,” he mutters as if in a trance.
Once I’m done, I crawl up his body and curl into his arms.
He runs his fingertips along my arm that I lay across his stomach.
“There are no words in elvish, entish, or the tongues of men,” he trails off a little breathlessly.
I tilt my head up to him to ask, “Is that a good thing?”
He leans down and kisses me softly. “Yes, Princess. That is a very good thing indeed. Now allow me to return the favor.”
I kiss him again and lay my head on his chest. “I am more than satisfied. Watching you cum all over me was the most satisfying peak I’ve ever reached. Besides, this was about you,” I say, placing a kiss on the tattoo closest to me.
“Syn,” he protests.
“Ezra.”
He tries to roll us, but I hold him firm.
“Just hold me,” I say, melting into his side.
I feel the moment Ezra relents. He pulls me closer, wrapping an arm around my waist. As the comfortable silence settles between us, Ezra's breathing evens out. I can feel myself slipping into sleep when the tether surges.
I can sense it.
The reason, the want, the desire that opened the summoning that brought me here.
Something deeper than the lust.
Something buried beneath the desire.
I reach for it, but it slips through my grasp.
I’m getting closer.
I should feel a sense of victory. Instead, I’m filled with dread.
The sooner I can close the case, the sooner I can return home.
As sleep drags me under, my last thought is that I don’t want to go.
But I don’t think I have a choice.