Page 24 of Doubling Down

“Easy there. I got you.” Eric reached over and unbuckled him.

Fuck it! Ezra leaned against Eric as he was helped from the SUV. The house he was directed to surprised Ezra. The green grass was well-maintained, thick, and gorgeous. Living in the desert, most of the homes tended toward rock yards. It must cost a fortune to keep up. Did that mean that the backyard was just as nice? A big, beautiful backyard was something that Ezra had always wanted for Annabelle. The residence was also a lot bigger than Eric would need for just him.

Eric wasn’t married, was he? At that horrifying thought, Ezra stopped walking, jerking Eric to a stop as well.

“What’s wrong? This is my house. Let’s get you inside.”

“Are you married?” Ezra asked.

“What? No! Why would you think I was married?”

“It’s not like I actually know anything about you!” And didn’t that just suck. “I didn’t know you were a cop, after all.”

“Okay, that’s fair. But I’m not married. I did mention my interest in you at your apartment. Or Dane actually brought it up, if you remember. It’s a long story but it’s just me and my brother.” Eric continued to urge him forward.

Oh yeah. The big, tattooed cop. He’d said that Eric had a crush on him. A crush. That word sounded so silly when Ezra was sure they both wanted to fuck each other’s brains out. Oops, maybe Ezra shouldn’t think like that. His cock didn’t need any more excuses to become interested around the older man. Think about something else, Ezra scolded himself.

“Brother?” Eric had mentioned this brother before.

“Brandon. He’s a nurse. I want him to check you out.”

Oh yeah. “Sure.”

The front door opened as they reached it. A small, younger version of Eric stared back at him dressed in mint-green scrubs. He shifted from foot to foot as he stared at Ezra with wide eyes.

“I came home and you weren’t here,” Eric’s brother said. He didn’t look happy. “Who’s this?”

“Brandon, meet Ezra and Annabelle. Ezra, my little brother Brandon. Bran, Annabelle has been sick for a few days and it appears that Ezra might have caught the bug.”

Immediately the younger guy, Brandon, reached for him. “Oh! You poor thing! There’s a nasty bug going around that lasts about forty-eight hours.” He pulled Ezra away from Eric before towing him into the house, talking the entire time. “Let’s get the two of you settled. If Eric would have given me a heads-up, I would have been prepared.”

“I don’t think he expected to run into me,” Ezra offered.

“It’s a good thing that he did if he brought you here—he must be worried.”

“He’s kind of overprotective,” Ezra shared.

“You have no idea. We’ll exchange notes about him later. Right now, let’s get you settled in one of the guest rooms.”

“Annabelle,” Ezra said.

“Don’t worry about that cutie. Eric will take care of her while I check you out.” They reached the hall. “You don’t look completely comfortable but let me assure you that nothing bad will happen to you or your precious angel while you’re here. Ihave the personal number of nearly every cop in the city. Eric made sure of it. You’re safe here.”

Ezra might not have any reason to believe Brandon but for some reason he did. His instincts were screaming at him that he was in good hands. As exhausted as Ezra was, he needed this help.

Brandon opened a door before leading Ezra into a dim bedroom. “Eric’s room is right next door. We can put Annabelle to the left of you.”

“I want her in here with me,” Ezra insisted.

Pursing his lips, Brandon stared at him. “Compromise. You need rest. Good, solid, uninterrupted sleep. Let us take care of your girl but we’ll keep your door open and bring her in when we check on you.”

The last of his energy was quickly leaving him. “Please.” Ezra swallowed hard. “She’s all I have.”

“I swear on my life that your little angel is gonna be fine. You don’t know me, so I don’t really have the words to convince you. If you know anything about Eric though, you should believe that he would do whatever he needs to do to keep all of us safe.” Brandon squeezed his hand.

“I do trust Eric,” Ezra confessed.

“Good. Let’s get you lying down.”

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