Chapter Eight

Ezra

Ezra could hear that Eric was talking but for the life of him Ezra couldn't force himself to pay attention to the words. He hadn't expected to enter the kitchen to see Eric gulping down a bottle of water while topless with sweat pouring down his muscular chest.

The same muscular chest that Ezra had come all over just a couple nights ago. Damn! Did Eric live at the gym or what?

Ezra's eyes were transfixed on the lone drop of sweat that slowly crawled in between Eric's muscular pecs and down. Ezra's mouth was so dry. He tried to swallow.

Fingers snapping in front of his face drew Ezra's gaze back up.

Eric smirked. The cocky bastard. He knew exactly what he was doing to Ezra. Ezra wanted to…well he wanted to do a lot. Eric had eaten with them the previous night, played with Annabelle on the floor, before having to head back to work.

Ezra had the feeling that something had been wrong. Eric had seemed distant and had made both of them promise not to answer the door no matter what. Brandon had been worried too although he'd tried to hide it. Neither of them had done a very good job. They ended up settling on the couch with a movie while neither of them admitted they were waiting up for Eric to come home.

By three in the morning, they had both admitted defeat and gone to bed. Ezra had no idea what time Eric had gotten home or if he had even slept. He'd obviously just returned from a good, hard run.

Hard.

Ezra was hard. Painfully so.

"My eyes are up here," Eric told him as he cupped and lifted Ezra's face.

Crap, yep, his eyes had gone back to staring at Eric's amazing chest. Ezra met Eric's green gaze, hating to see the dark circles under it.

"See something you want?" Eric taunted.

Ezra's gaze dropped down. It wasn't his fault. Eric was wearing those damn gray sweatpants again and Ezra could see exactly what the thin fabric wasn't hiding. Had Eric gone out in public like that? That was indecent!

"I can see every thought flitter over your face." Eric drew Ezra's attention once again. "You want me, baby boy? It's all I've been thinking about since that night. Having you in my arms again. Touching you."

A hard shudder racked his body. Yes, Ezra wanted him. There was so much more to explore with the older man.

"Or you can tell me no," Eric said straightening. "I will respect both your words and your boundaries. I swear to that. Just because we shared…what we did does not mean that you can't say no now."

Ezra had no thought at all of telling Eric no. He just wasn't sure where to start.

"No problem." Eric backed off.

He must have taken Ezra's silence as rejection. Damn! Ezra needed to get his mouth to work but he was afraid if he opened it, he'd drool.

"How about I make us some breakfast? Pancakes work for you?" He turned his back to Ezra, heading toward the sink. He turned on the faucet and started to wash his hands.

Shit! Ezra had spent too much time locked inside his own head. "No."

Eric turned off the water and grabbed a towel from a nearby hook. "French toast?" he questioned while glancing over his shoulder.

"I mean yes."

Eric frowned. "Yes…to pancakes?"

Ezra shook his head.

"French toast?" Eric slowly set the towel down on the counter.

"No."

Eric turned to face him. He smiled. "I don't—" His eyes widened as he ran his gaze up and down Ezra's body. Ezra's lounge pants would not be hiding his erection.

"Blow job?"

"Yes," Ezra hissed. His body started to shake with need.

There was that smirk again. Eric took six long steps back, closing the distance once again. He grabbed the bill of his baseball cap and turned it backwards on his head as he dropped to his knees in front of Ezra.

Holy fucking shit! Ezra went weak at the knees at the vision in front of him. Such a strong man down on his knees for Ezra.

He reached for Ezra and Ezra pushed forward. Eric pulled down the front of Ezra's faded pajama bottoms. Ezra wore a small green pair of briefs. Eric buried his nose against the cotton as he breathed in.

That was hot.

"I'm going to make this good for you," Eric vowed.

Like there was any doubt. All Eric had to do was look at him with that heated expression and Ezra was ready to go.

"Please," Ezra whispered and tugged on his underwear. His pants and underwear hit the gleaming white tile floor, leaving Ezra in his sleep shirt.

"Take your shirt off," Eric directed. "I want to see all of you this time."

Ezra had never yanked off a shirt as fast as he did then. He pushed against Eric's strong palm as Eric's fingers wrapped around him. He already knew what Eric's touch felt like. It felt like he belonged to the older man.

"I have been dying to get a taste of you," Eric told him.

Ezra's voice was hoarse. Strained when he finally managed words. "I want this. I want you."

"Good boy." Eric didn't hesitate any longer. He sucked the tip of Ezra's cock in his mouth before sliding down.

Ezra had to grasp Eric's shoulders tight to keep his knees from buckling.

Eric popped off his shaft as he smiled. "That's right, hold on to me. Don't let go, baby boy." Eric lowered his mouth back to Ezra's cock, sucking him down again. Sucking him hard and deep.

He didn't know what he expected. That somehow Eric would go slow. Maybe that he would tease or play with Ezra. There was nothing playful when Ezra's cock hit the back of Eric's throat.

Ezra groaned. He had to tighten his fingers on Eric's shoulder. His legs shook harder. Eric used strong suction, but it was more than that. While Eric bobbed his head up and down Ezra's shaft, he was also running his hands all over Ezra's body. All over. Eric's fingers trailed down his ass cheeks and over his taint.

There was no way that Ezra could remain quiet. He cried out in pleasure as he gave himself over. Ezra refused to close his eyes though. Eric was too gorgeous as he bobbed on Ezra's dick.

Ezra was having a hard time remaining still too. He didn't want to thrust too hard and choke Eric. Or come too fast. Ezra was about to try to think of anything that could delay his orgasm because he never wanted this to end.

Then Eric was urging Ezra to thrust by cupping his ass and pulling him forward.

"Oh!" Oh, that was wonderful. Eric's tongue played under the head of Ezra's cock and that was different. New. No one had ever done that before. He thrust deep, unable to help himself. Eric just let the head of Ezra's cock hammer against his throat. Ezra's breath caught before he let out the longest moan in existence.

Eric drew back. "Fucking beautiful, baby. Do you want to come in my mouth?"

Panting hard, Ezra nodded quickly.

"I want that too," Eric told him. "Do it for me, baby." He sucked Ezra's shaft back in his mouth.

Ezra's fingers spasmed on his shoulders.

Eric licked, sucked, and tongued every inch of Ezra's cock. He acted like it was the best thing that he'd ever had in his mouth. Ezra was almost out of his mind. His entire body throbbed with the need to come.

"Please," Ezra begged. It was so close to being perfect. He just needed something more.

Eric added a finger inside his own mouth while continuing to suck on Ezra. That…that wasn't what he expected. Until Eric used that finger to probe at Ezra's hole. A rough calloused finger probing at his entrance.

So long. Too long. That same tease that he had felt as Eric had jacked him, except this time Eric's fingers popped through the resistance. It had been years since Ezra had been fucked, had been with another man, and he wanted that more than anything at the moment. Ezra wanted Eric to claim him.

The tip of Eric's finger barely breached Ezra's tight ring but the suction increased. The warm, wet heat, the pressure in his ass, it was all he needed. It was perfect. His balls tightened. He could barely stand. Ezra shouted while coming hard.

His vision whited out for an instant before he was somehow in Eric's arms. Eric held him tight as he kissed Ezra hard. Ezra fought to respond. To show Eric how good he felt. He loved Eric's kisses. Especially tasting himself on the older man's tongue.

"Are you fucking kidding me? In my kitchen!"

Eric jerked his head away as he dropped his hands down to cover Ezra's ass. Like that would help.

Oh God! Brandon had just walked in.

Ezra dropped his forehead to Eric's chest. He knew that his face would be beet red.

"Could you give us a minute?" Eric asked his brother.

"I think you've had a lot of minutes," Brandon quipped.

Ezra was just going to hide there forever. This was so embarrassing. He'd literally been caught with his pants down. His bare ass on full display. It wasn't helping that Eric was still hard, leaving Ezra feeling just how much the other man had enjoyed blowing him.

"Unless you want to see more of me than you've ever seen, you might want to give us a few minutes," Eric said sternly.

"Fine." Brandon sighed. "But my kitchen better be spotless when I get out of the shower. And I want pancakes this morning. Blueberry." Brandon made enough noise stomping away that Ezra knew he had gone.

Eric cupped Ezra's face, drawing Ezra's head up. "Hey, baby."

Ezra bit his lower lip. There was so much he needed to say. Should say.

"It's okay." Eric kissed his forehead. "Bran won't tease us too much."

Ezra laughed. He knew that Brandon had a wicked streak, and that statement wasn't true at all.

"Okay, I'm lying. My brother is going to taunt us relentlessly. It'll all be in good fun though."

He nodded.

"Are you okay other than that?"

Ezra looked up. He met Eric's gaze. "I…"

"What is it? You can tell me."

"I sort of feel like I should…thank you?" That was stupid, wasn't it? Who thanked someone after a blow job?

"Okay. You're welcome."

Ezra snorted. Slapped his hand over his mouth then started to laugh.

Eric lit up as he began to laugh with him.

Suddenly Ezra realized that the darkness, the worry that Eric had held the night before had faded. Even the dark circles under Eric's eyes seemed to lighten. He'd done that for Eric. And it made Ezra feel almost as good as the blow job had. And it had been fucking fantastic.

"Why don't you go clean up? I need to get breakfast started."

"Yeah, good idea." It was time to get back to being the adult that Ezra didn't want to be. But Annabelle would be awake soon. She'd need to be changed and fed.

Eric caught him by the back of his head. He drew forward and kissed Ezra gently. "One more kiss."

He happily gave in to the request. Until they were panting against each other's mouths. Eric was the one that broke the heated kiss.

"Shower," Eric ordered. He bent and grabbed the clothes pooled at Ezra's ankles, reminding Ezra that he was still standing there naked. "You'll have to use the bathroom in my room since Brandon's in the hall bathroom."

Ezra blushed again but helped Eric get the underwear and pajama pants back over his hips. He nuzzled the underside of Eric's chin before stepping back. "I'm going to go shower," Ezra told him.

Eric groaned. "I don't need that picture in my head right now." He motioned down to his crotch.

"You could always imagine your brother walking in on us again," Ezra teased.

"And that will do it," Eric agreed.

It was harder than it should have been to walk out of that kitchen. Still, Ezra knew he had too much to do that morning to dawdle any longer. He had to push open the door to Eric's room to get to the ensuite.

The big unmade bed that dominated the room was too inviting. Ezra wished he could climb on top of what looked like a soft mattress. Ezra would love a nap at the moment but yeah, not going to happen. Neither would any other fun activities that he and Eric could engage in on that bed. Not yet. But Ezra hadn't gotten his hands or mouth on Eric yet and he was going to change that. It was Ezra's turn to have a little fun.

* * * * *

Eric

Eric peeked into the living room, making sure that Annabelle was absorbed in her cartoon before motioning his brother and Ezra into the kitchen. Brandon was still giving him the stink eye, but Eric did not regret what happened with Ezra earlier. Although, damn it, he was eventually going to get Ezra into a bed.

"What's going on?" Brandon asked as he followed Eric into the kitchen. "Is this about the two of you dirtying up my kitchen?"

Predictably Ezra's cheeks flushed red and he dropped his gaze.

Eric refused to smile. His brother didn't need any encouragement to tease them. "If anything," Eric quipped, "the kitchen is more Ezra's since he's been fixing all our meals."

Brandon grinned. "It has been nice."

Ezra shrugged. "It's the least I can do."

"Baby." Eric tugged Ezra to his side. "Your stay here doesn't come with terms. You don't have to cook for us."

"I enjoy it," Ezra said. "Annabelle's still in the cheese phase. Where she wants cheese on everything. It sucks to cook for one."

"I agree," Brandon said. "So what's up, bro?"

"I need to talk to you about my case," Eric told them. He tightened his arm over Ezra's shoulder.

"Did you get it wrapped up? Is that why you had to go back to work last night?" Ezra questioned.

God, Eric wished he could give Ezra good news. "No, our suspect got away. We're looking for him. We've picked up who we know was working with him but there haven't been any signs of our main suspect."

"Who?" Ezra asked.

"Joey Collins."

Ezra's eyes widened. "The head of security?"

"He's been running drugs," Eric told him. "It's why Jesse Lambert brought me in. Why I went undercover. We finally had enough to arrest him, but he somehow got word we were coming after him."

"That's why you told us to lock up and not answer the door," Brandon said.

This was the part that Eric hated to share. "When he ran, Collins rushed the coffee shop. He demanded that Dom tell him where you were. When Dom refused, he hit him."

"Is Dom okay?" Ezra demanded. He patted the pocket of his lounge pants.

Did Ezra not hear him? "Dom is fine. I left him and Remi arguing about whether or not Dom needed to see a doctor."

Ezra's face was pale. "You don't understand! Dom…he is…"

"He'll be fine," Eric assured him. "What bothers me is that Collins was looking for you. Do you have any idea why?"

"No." Ezra shrugged. "I've had a few run-ins with him. None of them good. He asked me out several times, but I always said no. Remember we talked about it."

"That time he cornered you by the dumpsters?" Eric should have taken Collins out that day. He'd known something was wrong.

"Wasn't the first time. Dom usually took out the trash so Joey couldn't bother me, but Dom wasn't working that day."

"Until we find Collins, I don't want you to be alone ever," Eric stated.

"I have to go to work," Ezra said.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"I can't let my friends deal with this on their own. Dom has already been hurt."

Eric sighed.

"I won't leave the coffee shop. If we have to take the trash, we'll go together." Ezra turned to stand in front of Eric, gripping his shirt. "I know you're worried for me, but this is my job. I already promised to be back today."

"I don't want you driving," Eric said. "I can take you. I need to meet with my team at the casino anyway but—"

"I can pick him up," Brandon offered.

Eric didn't like that idea any better. "Uh…"

"Come on," Brandon said. "This guy wouldn't know who I am. I'll pick Brandon up and bring him home after his shift."

It really was the best plan. "Okay." Eric would have Dane watch out for the boys. Remi had assigned Dane temporarily to Eric's team for the duration of his case. They had to bring Joey Collins in.

"What about Annabelle?" Brandon asked.

"Oh, she goes to the program," Ezra said.

"The program?" Eric asked.

Ezra smiled. "It's a day care center that Jesse Lambert has for his employees' children. It's a state-of-the-art facility and free for us. The teachers and workers are certified, bonded and insured, and background checked. It's the best program in the city. People work for Lambert Entertainment for the benefits alone."

The more that Eric heard about Jesse Lambert, the more he was impressed. The man really did have a heart of gold. He put his money where his mouth was, as the saying goes.

"What if she stayed with me today?" Brandon asked.

"I work an eight-hour shift," Ezra told him.

"I don't mind," Brandon replied. "The little one can keep me company and I can take her to pick you up."

Ezra pressed his lips together as he looked up at Eric. Eric was a fan of the idea but he didn't want to influence Ezra's decision. Ezra knew what was best for his little girl.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Ezra asked. "I would feel better with her not being anywhere connected to a Lambert property. Joey worked at the casino for years. Who knows how many friends he had out there?"

"I would feel better keeping Annabelle," Brandon said.

"Yes," Eric agreed. Hopefully Eric could find Collins fast and this would all be for nothing.

"I should get ready for work then," Ezra said.

Eric nodded and let him go. Brandon waited until they heard Ezra's bedroom door close.

"You really like him?" Brandon asked.

"I think I made that more than obvious this morning," he teased.

Brandon snorted. "I'll never recover from that."

Eric laughed. "I've been attracted to him for months. I had to make the case a priority, but I had hoped that I could ask him out once it was wrapped up."

"Instead, you moved him in."

He winced. "I'm sorry about that. I couldn't leave him and Annabelle in that apartment. Sick and alone. This wasn't in my plans. I'm surprised he's still here."

Brandon shook his head. "That's not what I mean. It feels like he and Annabelle belong here. With us. That it's the way it was meant to be."

Eric felt the same way.

"But—" Brandon shifted from one foot to the other.

"What is it?" He lowered his voice.

"What if he doesn't want me here?" Brandon asked. "If you get more serious and I'm in the way—"

"No!" Eric barked. He marched across the room and cupped Brandon's cheeks. "I left you behind once. That will never happen again."

"But—"

"Bran," Eric said softly. "I love you. You are my little brother, and you belong with me. If anyone has a problem with that, then they can fuck off."

"You really like Ezra though."

"I do. And I don't think that Ezra would ever complain about you being here. It doesn't matter if he did though. I told you when I bought this house that it belonged to both of us. That you never had to leave. This is your home."

"I like Ezra. You two fit."

"I've already figured out that Ezra and Annabelle are a package deal."

Brandon snorted. "Duh."

"So are we," Eric declared firmly.

"I like that," Brandon told him.

"Me too," Eric agreed. He grinned. "Plus built-in babysitter."

Brandon giggled as he nodded his head. "I totally get Best Uncle title."

"Of course you do." Pulling away, Eric smiled. "Okay. I need to get ready for work too."

"Annabelle and I are going to do facials and mani and pedis."

"Sounds fun." Not really but Brandon was the best person to entertain a toddler. Eric had also noticed that the longer Ezra and Annabelle were in the house, the more Brandon seemed to be thriving.

Eric didn't know if it was having someone to take care of or another little around, but the nightmares had lessened, and Brandon seemed happier.

Ezra might not realize it, but Eric was going to have an argument ready when the young man wanted to leave. And eventually Ezra would insist it was time for him and Annabelle to go. With Brandon's help, he hoped they'd both be able to convince Ezra to stay.