Page 54 of Doubling Down

Ezra

Ezra paced in front of the living room window. He couldn’t settle and knew that until he saw Eric again, all the feelings that were tangled up inside him weren’t going to allow him to sleep.

He’d assured Brandon that he would wait up for Eric. There had been a few messages exchanged over the night, so they knew Eric was safe and that Joey still hadn’t been found. Ezra strolled to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water before returning to the living room.

Headlights flashed through the curtains and Ezra rushed back over to the window. Eric’s black SUV pulled into the drive. Finally! Ezra ran to the entrance, waiting impatiently until Eric had unlocked the door and stepped inside.

“Is it over? Did you put him in jail?” Ezra wanted Joey in his past so he could concentrate on his future, his baby girl, and Eric.

Eric’s head snapped up. He looked tired. Worn-out. Dark circles under his eyes and stress lines visible on his forehead. He smiled at Ezra though. “Not yet, baby.” Eric closed the door and locked it behind him.

Ezra shuffled forward. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Eric pulled Ezra into his arms. “I spent all night staking out the casino. I was sure that he’d show up there. There hasn’t been a trace of him though.”

He had to tilt his head back, but Ezra could see the same need staring back at him from Eric’s eyes.

“I want you.” Ezra put it all on the line.

“I want you too. So damn bad.” Eric ran his hands down Ezra’s back to cup his ass. “Except this time, I want you in my bed.”

That was exactly where Ezra wanted to be. “Do we need to talk about what I called you?”

Eric smiled. “I wondered if you remembered you said that.”

“I didn’t realize it in the moment but reflecting. Yeah, I remember saying it.”

“And you regressed when you were playing with Bran in his room,” Eric stated. “I was watching for a while. You’re a little.”

“I was,” Ezra told him. “In college. My roommate and I stumbled across a kink club one night even though we had no business being there. I was horrified by some of the scenes at first. Then I came across the playroom.”

“That must be quite the story. I’d love to hear it.”

“And I’ll tell you sometime.”

“As well as why you gave it up?”

Ezra bit his lip. “I have Annabelle. Nothing comes before her. Not even my desires.”

“It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.”

Ezra thought about that. Really thoughts about what Eric was saying and the last three years. “It did. I left everything behind so that Annabelle wouldn’t live the kind of life that I had. The past three years haven’t been easy, but I did right by my girl.”

“You are raising a bright and happy little one,” Eric said. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I know that.” Ezra was a good father. He didn’t doubt that about himself. “But I couldn’t be the father she needed without sacrifices. I’m not in the same place I was three years ago.”

“No, you’re not.” Eric urged him closer until their bodies were pressed close together.

“I needed to be safe. To have found my own way. I’m happy with where I am in life. And I feel safe with you,” Ezra confessed.

Lowering his head, Eric brushed their lips together. “I feel safe with you too.”

Ezra wrapped an arm around Eric’s neck. “Then I want you to take me to bed. I want to start building something with you.”

“Me too. I’ve never wanted anyone like I want you. I felt it the first time I laid eyes on you. I have no idea what this thing between us means but I’m all-in, Ezra. I want to see where this goes.”

“Annabelle will always come first,” Ezra told him. “I need you to acknowledge that. To put her first too.”

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