Chapter 26
Twenty Six
Kaeli
After that reality-defying, brain-short-circuiting confession, which I skillfully (not) ignored, he took a U-turn and dropped me back at my place to freshen up and change after we created a mess of ourselves.
Contrary to what my survival instincts screamed at me, before exiting his car, I invited him in to freshen up, too, because I couldn’t get the image of the wet spot I left, combined with his own release, on his shorts out of my mind.
His hands tighten to a death grip on the steering wheel, which seems to happen a lot in my presence. He clears his throat and respectfully denies my invitation in his low, timbre voice, which sounded too gravelly for my thighs not to rub together, and the slight action didn’t escape his notice.
His exact words were, “If I step into your house with you, knowing what you look like when you come and that you’re desperate for my cock, I’ll not be held responsible for what would happen when that door shuts.
And you’re not yet ready for it, for me.
So no, Kaeli, I’m not coming inside. I’ll head over to my place and come back. ”
My eyes practically bulged out of their sockets at his words, and I ran inside the house with my heart beating out of my chest. Once my heart calmed down, his words turned me on enough to make me make myself come to the memory of the car and everything it witnessed.
His warm breath on the back of my neck at my door, the lingering graze of his lips on my hand, the heated stares, and the last shred of his patience deteriorating with my cold shoulder.
His dirty words, his kisses, and his hands roving over me, edging me to my release in the middle of the goddamn road.
God, he’s sinfully hot, and I’m desperate for his brand of hell.
So, when I finally met him an hour later outside my house again, I was sated. For now.
That’s how I find myself looking at the empty and isolated trail leading to the top of a small hill. I feel the wind swirling and whistling as it ruffles the tree leaves with no one in sight.
My confused gaze flicks to him as he parks the car. “Is this the part where you off me in the middle of nowhere by chopping me limb from limb and disassociating my head from my body and burying it somewhere no one would ever find me?”
“Kaeli…that’s oddly specific. Are you sure it’s not what you’re planning to do to me?” he asks, more bemused than anything.
I roll my eyes at him, only half joking with what I said. If he unalives me here, no one would even realize I’m missing for days. I have no friends or lovers here. And my family is miles away.
Wow, that’s some depressing thought even for you, Kaeli. I’m ruminating on my morbid thoughts when Ezra opens the door for me. I blink, surprised because I didn’t even hear him get out of the car, so lost in my own theoretical demise.
I shake my head and unbuckle my seat belt. He holds out his hand for me to take, and when I look dumbfounded at his face, he rolls his eyes and does a come-hither motion.
I put my hand in his large one, and he clasps my hand. I think he will drop it now that I’m out of the car, spoiler alert: he doesn’t.
Instead, he presses a button on the key fob, consequently locking the car, and pulls me with him on the desolate path as the sun finally finds home behind the evening clouds, accompanied by a chilly wind.
He doesn’t drop my hand, and I don’t pull away.
I revel in the warmth that the embrace of his hand offers to mine, as goosebumps litter my exposed skin. He must have felt me shuddering because he comes to a halt and hauls me to stand in front of him.
This time, he wore a jacket, so he unzips it and drapes it over my shoulders without a second thought, misunderstanding the reason for my tremors. But I don’t correct him.
I open my mouth to protest, but he places a finger on my lips, effectively shutting me up with a glare. Knowing when to choose my battles, I put my hands through the sleeves, and he zips it up for me, until it’s swallowing me whole.
God, he’s so big.
His eyes gleam with possessiveness, but I must have imagined it. Or at least that’s what I tell myself as I follow him on the hike.
Glad that he’s in front of me, I pull the collar of the jacket and take a deep drag of his scent and sweat, loving every second of it as it tingles my nose and makes my heart flip. I get high on the masculine scent that is uniquely him. Woodsy with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Like every other time, I’m so lost in my own little world that I don’t pay attention to when Ezra stops walking in front of me and sidles to my side.
“Did you just sniff my jacket?” His voice so close to my ear, startles me, causing me to jump and lose my footing. He holds me up with an arm around my waist, a big, smug smile plastered on his face as if he caught me red-handed doing something I shouldn’t have done.
On second thought, he did catch me sniffing his jacket like a creepy pervert.
Even still, I do what any upstanding citizen of a great nation would do: I blatantly deny.
“Of course, not. You wish.” I roll my eyes for extra measure as if what he’s suggesting is simply too outrageous, even though I can feel my skin flushing crimson.
His eyes spark with amusement as if I were an object of his entertainment. “Oh, I desperately wish it were so, Feather.”
With a squeak, I pull myself out of his grasp, because he’s too close for my heart to beat normally, and stomp ahead of him with an offended huff.
I curse myself all the way, but let my lips kick up at the side when his deep chuckle follows me.
Almost half an hour later, we reach the top of the hill, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I see a cliff point. “Thank God! My body is not made for physical labor for longer than ten minutes.”
He comes up beside me and murmurs, “Then we’re gonna have a problem when I finally fuck you.”
Appalled at his outrageous comment, I jab him with a sputtered chuckle. “Don’t be so crude, Ezra. You know what I mean.”
He grabs his stomach and feigns being hurt in a high-pitched voice. “Ouch, Kaeli. Don’t be so violent. You know what I mean.”
“Oh, fuck off.” I roll my eyes at his obnoxious acting skills and poor imitation of what I sound like.
Our laughter subsides, and we soak in the tranquil evening as the essence of the scenery in front of us seeps into our very being. The setting sun behind the skyscrapers casts an orange and pink hue as it gives way for the moon to ascend and keep the lonely souls company for the night.
I close my eyes and exhale a huge breath, letting the cool zephyr ruffle my long tresses and tangle them as they tickle my exposed skin. “It’s breathtaking,” I whisper, referring to the view.
“It is,” comes his husky voice.
Blinking my eyes open, I find his vibrant orbs locked on me. A blush creeps up my cheeks, and I swivel my head, lest I melt into a puddle at his feet.
“Don’t do that,” his gravely voice stuns me.
My brows furrow at him in confusion. “Don’t do what?” I search his face for any indication of what he might mean.
His jaw clenches as his hands curl into fists, as if inhibiting himself from throttling me to death on this vacant cliff and pushing off it so no one ever discovers this. I’ll become a statistic and one of the millions of missing persons.
“If you don’t want me to fuck you right here on this rugged cliff, then don’t fucking blush and look like a wet dream, Kaeli,” he grits between his teeth, seeming like it pains him to admit such a thing.
“Oh.” Then my eyes widen in realization of his warning. “Oh,” I drawl.
Not wanting to draw whatever the fuck is happening before he executes his threat, I change the topic. “Let’s click the shots before it gets dark.”
Ezra seems to shake this funk, too, as he agrees, “Right, yes.”
Taking out the pocket camera from my pocket, I get into position and instruct him to strike a few poses. Showing the view enough that people understand what it is, but not where it is.
I don’t think he would want to lose his spot and be riddled with unsuspecting fans. He doesn’t have to say a word for me to discern how important this place is to him. It’s where he comes to clear his head, get away from prying eyes, and seek solace within nature.
After capturing a ton of pictures and videos, we make our way down the hill as the night descends, and our footfalls are the only voice, along with those of nocturnal creatures.
This time, he walks beside me, our hands brushing again and again, but neither of us makes a move to hold the other’s hand.
An awkward silence seems to have enveloped us, and I desperately want it to disintegrate. Throwing jibes at him right now to achieve that doesn’t feel right. Not after he brought me here.
So, I thaw at the quiet. “I’m famished. Should we head to a drive-thru or something?” I suggest, glancing at his figure from my passenger seat.
He picks his head to look at me from where it was resting on his fist against the window, letting his hand join the other one on the steering wheel.
And as if to emphasize my point, my stomach emits an embarrassingly loud rumble. That succeeds in bringing a small smile to his face, and I mentally jump in the air at the achievement, even if it’s at my expense.
“You aren’t lying, huh?” Amusement coats his words as he flicks his gaze to my stomach once and then turns to look back at the road.
I mock a gasp. “Lying?! A true lady would never do such a deceitful thing, my good sir.”
Surprised at my dramatics, he chortles as he shakes his head at me. And seeing the earlier tension bleeding from his body, I join in.
“Yes, my lady. My bad for ever accusing you of a notion way below your station. Pardon me, my lady.” Ezra plays along, pressing a hand to his chest, causing another round of laughter to ensue as I swat his bicep with the back of my palm.
Oh, that was thick.
My filthy brain adds, but I choose to ignore it. But God, he has such a beautiful laugh.
I commit his features to memory as he continues to chuckle. His eyes lighting up as they crinkle at the corners. The left side of his lips kicking up just a little more than his right side. His pearly white, straight teeth bedazzling.
This is not the side he displays to those around him. I have never seen him laugh or smile so openly or calmly, even with his team. It’s like he carries the pressure of being a captain and maintaining that composed image all the time.
It might sound selfish, but I like that he feels like he can be himself around me and not hide his emotions.
God! He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on. The woman who will get to call him ‘mine’ would be so fucking lucky.
The thought of knowing that that woman won’t be me leaves a sense of loss in its wake.
He must notice my silence and stare because he looks at me. “What?”
I shake my head with a small smile playing on my lips.
Shrugging his shoulders and letting it go, he informs with mirth lingering in his words, “We’re here.”
I look out the window, too lost in him, and see that he pulled the car in front of a food truck.
He again rounds the car and opens my door for me. Offering me his hand, he says with a grin, “Shall we, my lady?”
“We shall, my good sir.” Even though I return his smile as I place my hand in his. Inside, I feel the first crack in the walls I’ve worked so hard to build. And I fear he might not be there when they crumble.
I just hope I can pick myself up when he’s gone.