Page 56 of Storm of Stars
But the thought of Zaffir broke the moment. A cold, tight knot twisted in my chest at the thought of him. Was he okay? Did he know that Archon sent guards to kill us? Did he see us escape? Or did he think we were dead?
“Now you’re the one with worry all over your face,” Ezra said, his thumb brushing over the crease between my brows.
“I’m just thinking about Zaffir,” I answered quietly, my voice dropping, carrying the weight of unspoken fear. “If they sent guards to execute us…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. But Ezra knew.
“He’s smart,” Ezra said, his tone steady, unwavering. “He’s been watching this all from both sides. We had to focus on staying alive, but Zaffir... he’s been able to watch things from the other side of the camera. If he saw what was coming for us, then he knew what would come for him too.” He took a deep breath, his eyes locked on mine. “He’s safe. I feel it. I know it.”
I nodded slowly, the tension still tight in my chest, but the certainty in his voice made it easier to believe. Zaffir was safe. I had to believe that. Just like I had to choose to believe that the Runaways would be waiting for us when we arrived at Praxis.
“I was really worried about you,” I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper as I studied his face, his color nearly completely returned thanks to the medicine working its way through his system. “I thought we lost you.”
“For a minute there, you did,” Ezra replied, his voice rasped and low, tinged with something haunted, but there was warmth there too. The kind of warmth you can only feel after crawling your way back from the edge.
I leaned forward and pressed my forehead to his, our breaths mingling in the small space between us, syncing like they always did, like they were made to. A steady rhythm. A promise. Then he kissed me.
Soft. Gentle. Reverent. Like this was our first kiss again, not our thousandth. Like he’d clawed his way out of death’s grasp just to feel my lips on his. I melted into him, my hands curling around the back of his neck, careful not to brush the bandages, mindful of his wounds, but needing him close all the same.
My own injury ached with the movement, but I didn’t care. The salve had dulled most of the pain, and what was left was nothing compared to this moment. Compared to him.
His tongue ghosted across my lips, asking, not demanding, and I opened for him, letting him taste me, slow and languid. My fingers threaded into his hair as I leaned into him, needing to feel the life in him, to prove to myself that this wasn’t a dream.
His teeth caught my bottom lip and tugged lightly, coaxing a soft, involuntary moan from me.
“Love,” Thorne’s voice came from the front of the bus, barely audible over the purr of the engine. “You’d best keep quiet… or you’ll wake our guest.”
I froze, breath caught in my throat. Then slowly turned, locking eyes with Thorne in the rearview mirror. His gaze was molten, simmering with mischief and warning both. My whole body ignited under it, flushed and buzzing and very, very aware of how close Ezra still was, how his breath was hot against my cheek.
Ezra chuckled darkly beside me. “Yeah, love,” he echoed, mocking Thorne’s pet name for me, though the way it rolled off his tongue made my stomach flip. “Keep quiet.”
His lips trailed to my neck, his teeth grazing my skin as he nipped at the soft spot beneath my jaw. I bit down hard on my lip, struggling to stifle the noise building in my throat.
The memory of the limo flared hot in my mind, their hands, their eyes, the way I came undone beneath Zaffir’s touch while Thorne, Briar and Ezra watched. My body pulsed at the thought, need curling low and urgent in my belly.
“You’re barely recovered,” I managed, swatting at Ezra’s wandering fingers. My voice trembled, not from fear, but from how badly I wanted to surrender to this. To him. To them. But also how much I needed him to recover from his brush with death.
“I’m fine,” he murmured, voice low and playful, fingers ghosting along my thigh again. Teasing.
“Don’t you think Ezra deserves a reward,” Thorne said, his voice syrup-slick and dangerous, “for clawing his way back to you from the grave, love?”
His words sparked like a match to dry kindling. I felt the heat rise in my chest, pooling between my hips. Thorne’s eyes were still locked on mine in the mirror, as they flicked back and forth from me to the empty road ahead, challenging, coaxing. He was worried, I could tell. Just like I was. Ezra shouldn’t push himself. But maybe there was another way.
I leaned in close, brushing my lips against Ezra’s ear, my voice just a whisper.
“You survived death for me, Ezra. Let me remind you what living feels like.”
His breath hitched, and I felt his hands tighten ever so slightly where they rested on my hips, as I peeled out of his hold and knelt to the ground between his legs. My leg protesteda little, but I found a comfortable spot and looked up at him. Behind the wheel, Thorne didn’t say a word. But he didn’t look away either.
Devrin had stripped him to his boxers already when he was taking care of the burns on his legs, so all I had to do was slide the band far enough down to release his massive and hardened cock. Ezra’s eyes were burning into me, and I could feel the heat of Thorne’s gaze on the back of my head. I wrapped my hand around his length, and gently let my fingers stroke him. He groaned and I shot him a warning glance. “Now it’s your turn to be quiet,” I warned, just as I darted out my tongue to circle the tip of his cock. He grunted, low and quiet, his hands coming to tangle in my hair.
The bead of precum on my tongue was tangy, and sweet all at once, and I needed more. I opened my mouth and took him into it as far as I could. He slid into my warm and waiting mouth easily, his tip pressing against the back of my throat. The pressure was familiar and welcoming, I loved feeling filled by them. Being full of them. I ran my tongue along the underside of him and then slowly, gently, began bobbing up and down on him. He had a hold on my hair, but he didn’t drive my movements, content to let me steer the ship.
But he still led, whether he knew it or not. I watched his body's reaction carefully. Taking his cues and driving him crazy with need.
“Fuck baby,” Ezra whispered through gritted teeth as I sucked on the tip of him.
“She looks so good on her knees,” Thorne replied, quietly. I could hear the strain in his voice. I knew he was as turned on as the two of us were. I wished I could reach his cock to stroke it with my fingers. Or better yet, slide him into my wet and desperate pussy.
At the thought of it, I dipped my fingers lower, beneath the band of my pants and into my heat. I found myself wet and throbbing as I circled my fingers against my clit. I moaned around Ezra’s cock, which muffled the sound, but sent a wave of vibrations through him and he grunted, before pressing his hands in my hair and jutted his hips up until he was well and truly fucking my mouth. I let him take over now, content to let him use my mouth while my fingers chased my orgasm.
