Page 11 of His to Unwrap

She falls silent again.

“Goodbye, Madison.” I leave before I do something caveman—like throw her over my shoulder, drive to Vegas, and marry her.

Thoughts like that are a stark reminder of just how scrambled my brain has become after the attack. Having a chunk of metal lodged in your skull will do that.

I nod at Caleb who is standing near the dessert table. Caleb's eyebrows are raised as he looks at me, then to where I danced with Madison and back. There's a question there. One I don't have an answer for. Heading out into the snow, I climb into my truck and head home.

At least Cooper will be waiting for me.

Chapter Six

Madison

“And then he justleft!” Standing at the island in Amanda’s kitchen, I throw my hands up in exasperation. Last night, Ezra gave me the hottest kisses of my life. His broad chest and wide shoulders blocked out the chilly wind, and the heat we generated nearly made me pant. Then that dance… he made me feel like Cinderella, and dammit, it wasn’t enough.

Amanda pours milk into a saucepan on the stove and slowly stirs in more chocolate, while her other friend, Harmony, digs in the pantry for different spices. We’ve been testing out peppermint mocha recipes all morning, trying to find Sasha’s secret. I’ve had so much coffee and chocolate that I’m vibrating. Maybe that’s what’s driving my frustration. Or maybe it’s the buzz beneath my skin that I’ve felt since Ezra backed me upagainst the wall and caged me in with his big body. I press my thighs together to stem the ache the memory brings.

“I’m surprised he came to the gala at all,” Amanda says.

I’m lucky he showed up? “How does that help?”

Harmony gives a soft laugh. “I think what she means is that Ezra isn’t known for being social. Ever. I don’t know much about him, but Caleb and Everett served with him for years. After the party last night, Caleb told me that Ezra had been seriously injured. Once he was released from the hospital, and the military, he disappeared. It took them over a year to track him down.”

I lean closer, eager for every detail. He was hurt? I’m not surprised about the military. There’s something in his bearing, and the feeling of safety I have when I’m with him. I mean, he’s virtually a stranger, and I practically climbed him like a tree last night. My cheeks burn, but neither woman seem to notice. “Where was he?”

Harmony runs her fingers over the spice rack, but her gaze is on a box of cereal. “Caleb didn’t say. Only that they’d been really worried about him. My brother even convinced me that we should give him our family’s cabin.”

“I didn’t know that’s where he lived,” Amanda says.

Harmony nods. “I hadn’t been there since I was little, so it wasn’t really a big deal. Gideon—that’s my brother—was in special ops for years with Caleb, Everett, and Ezra. They take care of their own, especially when a man is down or in need of help.

I don’t know Caleb or Everett apart from meeting them last night at the gala. My respect for them, and for Ezra has only grown through this conversation. “Do you know how Ezra was injured?”

“Sorry.” Harmony shrugs helplessly. “These guys keep everything close. Secrets are their job.”

Amanda takes the peppermint extract from me and adds a little to her mixture on the stove. “One thing I do know, since Ezra’s come to White Falls, he doesn’t come to town often. When I’ve seen him, he’s never with anyone other than Caleb or Everett.”

“Definitely no women in his life,” Harmony adds.

I measure out more cocoa powder for the next round, then add some white chips to a ramekin. “I don’t know why this is bothering me.”

Except I do.

For the first time in my life, I felt something deeper than mild interest in a man. There was an electricity between us. He was all I could think about when I tried to sleep last night. How good he smelled and the way my heart beat hard as he held me close on the dance floor.

Only Amanda knows that I never dated in high school. Afterward, I went straight to culinary school and was far too busy to take an interest in any of my classmates. I’ve pursued my career ever since, barely giving a thought to dating. Except one day, I want to have the type of loving relationship my parents have. They married on Christmas Eve, just a month after they met and are still in love after thirty years of marriage. I know it’s rare for a relationship to last that long. But after a lifetime of seeing them together, how can I want anything less?

“It’s okay to like him,” Amanda says softly.

“More than okay,” Harmony adds. “I think Ezra needs love.”

“Just not with me, I guess. If he was into me, wouldn’t he have stayed? Or hell, even taken the hours that I donated? Hours he paid so much for?” The man confuses me. Why spend so much for hours you don’t even want? “Does he have a bunch of money to throw around? Is that it? Was he just contributing to the charity?”

Amanda laughs. “No, that wasn’t it. I mean, I don’t know his financial situation, but I saw the way he looked at you last night. He likes you.”

Harmony nods in agreement. “Maybe he felt something, but he’s been alone so long that he's forgotten how to react?”

Amanda points her wooden spoon at me and a glop of mocha drips onto the floor. “You’re feeling that right now. Is it so hard to believe that he would experience something similar?”

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