Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

A fter showering and getting dressed, I stand in front of the mirror and dab some makeup on the reddish hickey on my cleavage. Then, I’m ready to talk to my husband, who is still waiting for me downstairs in the kitchen.

I check one last time to ensure the hickey on my neckline won’t show if my dress slips, but it looks fine. I still have no idea where this damn hickey came from because I’m pretty sure Ezra didn’t give me one in the car. But that doesn’t matter because I can’t worry about him now. After all, it’s time to discuss with my husband if we have a future together. Ezra has no place in my head. So I push everything to do with him to the back of my mind as I enter the kitchen.

Thomas is sitting on a stool at our kitchen island and has been waiting for me. He has placed the flowers in several matching vases. When I enter, he stands up and looks at me with concern.

I have deliberately not covered up the shimmering red glow on my cheek. He has to see what he has done to me. I won’t let it slide like I used to just because he brings me pretty flowers and gives me a remorseful look. He can try a little harder. He owes me that much.

I stop in front of him, keeping a safe distance with my arms crossed, and wait patiently. Thomas moves closer, reaching to free one of my hands. I take a step back and hold out my hand to signal that I don’t want him to come any closer.

He pauses and rubs the back of his neck, clearly unsure of how to handle the situation. In the past, he didn’t need to say much; by the time he arrived with flowers, chocolates, or other small gifts, I had already forgiven him.

“Oh, Cora, come on,” he says, bridging the distance between us despite my obvious rejection.

He stands close in front of me, looking into my eyes. My arms are still crossed in front of my chest, and my gaze is stern.

“ Oh Cora, come on? That’s your apology? Is that all you’ve got to say about yesterday?” I tell him.

“I brought you flowers and… Cora, you know me. You know what the roses stand for.”

I raise an eyebrow disparagingly.

“Fine. If we can’t discuss our extreme marital problems like adults and you don’t apologize properly, you’ll be sleeping in the guest room.”

Thomas’s jaw dropped at first, and he looked at me in amazement until he regained his composure and shook his head in disbelief.

“ Extreme marital problems ? Aren’t you exaggerating a little, Cora?” he replies reproachfully.

My eyebrows rise slightly, and I raise my chin a bit higher.

“If my husband falls back into old patterns and gets violent with me, then yes, I see that as a bigger problem than a fight over the remote control,” I counter dryly.

A contemptuous snort leaves his mouth, and he shakes his head again in disbelief as if I’m the one who’s done something wrong as if we’re arguing about me and my misconduct!

“You’re exaggerating wildly. Yes, I made a mistake yesterday, but I’ve apologized, and that should be all right now.”

Stunned by his lack of insight, I look at him in disbelief. I’m horrified by his coldness.

“Giving me expensive flowers is no apology, Thomas! And either you take me and the situation at hand seriously now, or you can leave for good!” I retort with all the sternness I can muster.

Thomas’s facial expression slips once again. I’ve never spoken to him like this before.

“Are you kidding me? Since when do you set the conditions in our marriage?” he demands to know, standing threateningly before me.

I want to say something back, but I hear the front door open and a voice calling me. June . I don’t want her to see us arguing.

“I’ve made my point! And if you don’t want to lose face in front of your daughter, you should play by my rules now. Oh, and I’d apologize to her if I were you. After all, she is your daughter!” I hiss, as I don’t want June to overhear this conversation.

Thomas can only growl menacingly as June joins us in the kitchen.

“Here you are,” she greets us and gives me a little kiss to say hello.

She only glances at her father and unconsciously reinforces the threat I have just made with her calm demeanor toward him. She only looks at me, but suddenly, her eyes widen, and she gasps in shock.

“God, Mom. What happened?” she asks me, horrified at my reddened cheek.

I grab my cheek and feel like punching her father in the face for a moment. But then I decided against it because I didn’t want her to know about his other side . So I give her an amused smile and touch my forehead, lost in thought.

“Oh, nothing, dear. I’m a bit clumsy at the moment and didn’t see the door,” I explain with a laugh and dismiss it with a wave.

June eyes me suspiciously for a moment but then nods. I briefly glance at her father. He stands behind me, a little stiff. We both put him in his place for once—and it shows. That’s good. Maybe he’ll learn something from this after all…

“Would you like something to eat?” I ask her, taking my stern gaze off him.

‘No, thank you. I wanted to say goodbye. I’m going back to college today,” she replies meekly, but you can hear her disappointed undertone.

I give her father a pointed look, raising an eyebrow as he stands before us, speechless and with his jaw dropped. He quickly regains his composure when June casts him a sharp, disapproving glance for his apparent ignorance.

“You don’t have to do that. Stay for the weekend. Pumpkin… I’m sorry. I’m under a lot of stress at work, and then there’s the news that you don’t want to return to law school. It was a bit much all at once,” he tries to somewhat apologize to his daughter.

June looks at me uncertainly, but I nod at her. At least he’s apologized to her, and I don’t want her to hold a grudge against her father as long as it is a one-off slip-up. But I think Thomas has understood. At least he looks relieved when June approaches him, and he embraces her.

“How about you two go out for dinner and talk? You could tell your father about your plans, and maybe you can find a solution together that you can both manage.”

June grins ear to ear, looks up at her father, and waits to hear what he has to say.

“Sounds like a plan,” he replies, not with the same enthusiasm as June, but it’s a start.

“June, go to the car. I’ll be with you shortly. I need to talk to your mother,” Thomas instructs June, handing her the keys to his Mercedes.

She nods, gives me another kiss on the cheek, and disappears through the back door leading to the garage.

“This new behavior…” he begins darkly, grabbing me unexpectedly by my upper arm and pulling me close to him. “…I don’t like it, Cora! But to show you my goodwill, I’ll play your little game. When I return, I expect my wife back!”

After giving me another intense look, he pushes me hard against the kitchen island at my back and follows our daughter.

I gasp in pain and rub my back. I stand frozen for a long moment, not knowing what to do with my wild thoughts. Is he threatening me again? Does he not care at all about his behavior toward me?

Even after hours of distracting myself with cleaning the house, I can’t get his words out of my head. But at least I don’t have to deal with him today because June texted me they probably won’t be home until late since movies and bowling are now on the agenda.

At least she has forgiven her father and is enjoying a lovely evening with him. This makes me happy and helps me reconsider my anger toward him. After all, we are a family, and we have a child. Even though June is almost an adult, it would put a lot of strain on her if her father and I were to split up. Oh, damn it!

I don’t know what to do, but since I don’t have to decide this today or tomorrow—after all, June is still with us over the weekend—I postpone this problem and all thoughts about it until Monday. And if the two of them are going to have a lovely evening, I’ll do the same—with a bottle of wine in my hot tub.

After putting on my black bikini, I go to the hot tub behind the house, armed with a bottle, a glass, a towel, and my cell phone. Once there, I turn on the fairy lights I’ve hung on the reed wall. The wall offers privacy, ensuring I’m undisturbed.

The bluish light beneath the water creates a soothing ambiance, casting a gentle glow in the dark. I love sitting here late in the evening, letting the jets work their relaxing magic.

My phone plays some calming music, which I set on the dark wood before pouring myself a glass of wine and stepping into the pool. The water feels heavenly, and I happily settle in. Relaxed and smiling gently, I lean back and enjoy the jets on my back, melting away all my tension.

I’m now on my third glass and feel good at this moment. I don’t think about anything and just let my mind wander. Being slightly drunk is exactly what I need right now—not thinking about anything, not worrying, not looking for solutions, just switching off and enjoying myself.

“Hello, Beauty.” I hear an unexpected whisper close behind me, and I am scared half to death.

“Good God!” I gasp and turn to face him.

Ezra is standing by the pool, grinning rakishly and looking at me with a tilted head.

“Ezra will do,” he jokes, making me laugh—stupid idiot.

“What are you doing here?” I ask him, looking around cautiously, because we’re here in my garden, and my husband and daughter could come home any minute.

“I heard the music and thought I’d check on you,” he replies, shrugging his shoulders and continuing to grin before unexpectedly reaching back and pulling his shirt over his head.

“You’ve checked on me, so why are you losing the shirt?” I ask him with a raised eyebrow.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he replies, pulling off his pants.

“Ezra, you can’t do that! My husband and June could come home any minute!” I tell him sternly but in a lowered voice. After all, I don’t want anyone to hear us.

But I don’t get more than a sexy smile, and he joins me in the hot tub, dressed only in his boxers. I swallow dryly when I see the bulge in his pants and quickly avert my eyes. I take a big sip of my red wine to distract myself from being alone in the water with Ezra. Almost naked, mind you.

Ezra sits close to me, and as he rests his arms on the hot tub edges, he touches my shoulder with his fingers. The hickey tingles immediately, and I want more, even though I’m not allowed to. What are you doing to me?

My pulse quickens, and my core starts throbbing, even though he hasn’t touched me yet.

“Ezra, please,” I breathe because I can hardly bear to resist him.

I’m not the kind of woman who seeks thrills, cheats on her husband, and does so in her own home. That’s not me, and yet I want nothing more right now than for Ezra to touch me everywhere.

“Do you want me to leave, Beauty?” he murmurs in that damn seductive voice of his, tilting close to my neck so that his lips graze me as he speaks.

A hot shiver runs over my body, and I can no longer speak. The butterflies in my stomach fly loops, and my heart flutters. My breathing is getting ragged, and I can’t help it. My whole body craves his touch.

“Tell me what you want.”

My brain switches off entirely, and without even thinking about it, I turn my head in his direction and kiss him. I press my lips to him, and my heart leaps out of my chest. When his hand finds my cheek and his thumb tenderly caresses my skin, I finally let myself go.

After a moment, Ezra breaks away from me and grins mischievously at me. I frown and look at him, not knowing what his grin means.

“Lean back and relax Beauty,” he instructs me before he dives right in front of me, leaving me no chance to respond.

I watch him with wide eyes as the water’s surface swallows his entire body up, and he doesn’t resurface. When I feel his fingers on my bikini panties, he takes them off. I shake my head in bewilderment. He can’t possibly be serious. Here, now? Oh God!

He firmly pushes my legs apart to make room for himself. I still can’t believe what we’re doing here. But when I feel his tongue on my clit, my mind goes blank, and I gasp softly. Ezra resurfaces briefly, takes a deep breath, and then disappears again.

I quickly put the glass on the rim and leaned back as Ezra asked me to. I want to savor his heavenly tongue play for just a tiny moment before I must end this.

Ezra places my legs on his solid shoulders and grabs both hands under my bottom, pressing me even closer to his mouth. His tongue licks incessantly over my throbbing clit, making me gasp louder and louder until I bite down hard on my lower lip to stop myself from moaning out loud. Even though it feels a little strange—feeling the tub’s bubbles combined with his skilled movements—it’s not a bad feeling. On the contrary, the bubbling water is the icing on the cake.

My hand finds the back of his head, pressing it against my core. I want more, so much more, even if I’m not allowed to do any of this, and my guilty conscience is already hammering against the top of my head again. I completely block it out because I need this right now— I want it!

Ezra surfaces again briefly, only to disappear under the surface of the water again after a deep breath and find himself between my thighs. His tongue immediately glides back to my clitoris and licks it devotedly. Sometimes more vigorously, sometimes more gently. His tongue play excites me so much that I start grinding on his face. I can hardly stand it any longer and beg for my release, yet Ezra continues similarly.

Unexpectedly, I feel his thumb running between my butt cheeks and exerting light pressure on my anus. This new feeling tears me apart, and I crave more. Much more!

I let Ezra spoil me with everything he has to offer. And when his thumb penetrates my anus, I can no longer stop the fervent moan that escapes my throat. The feeling of his thumb pushing further and further into my anus excites me much more than it should. I’ve never felt such arousal before.

Ezra comes up again, but I don’t let him go down again this time. As soon as he comes up, I grab him by the back of the neck and pull him to me to kiss him ravenously. As his tongue brashly enters my mouth, I taste myself and only want him more.

My hand slides into the water and further into his shorts. When I then take his bulging—but above all impressive—length in my hand, I have to swallow briefly before I slowly trace it.

“Fuck, Beauty! I want you… now!” he moans against my lips, and before I can react, Ezra turns me around, leans me slightly over the edge, and positions himself close behind me.

I rest my hands on the dark wood and glace over my shoulder. Ezra kisses my neck as I feel his tip pushing slightly against my core and sigh softly because I can hardly wait for him to bury himself inside me finally.

“Mom?” June’s voice echoes from inside the house, catapulting me back to harsh reality.

“Shit!” I curse, and Ezra lets out a curse before he quickly pulls away from me and jumps out of the hot tub.

“You’ll get this back on our first date,” he says, holding my bikini panties before my nose before giving me a quick kiss, then grabbing his clothes and disappearing into the shadows.

Breathless and with my head buzzing, I lean against the tub wall momentarily before my daughter’s approaching voice snaps me out of my stupor. I’m not wearing any panties…

I quickly get out of the pool and wrap the towel around my body, not a second too late, just as June comes around the corner.

“Mom?… What are you doing here?” June asks incredulously, looking at me in confusion.

“I’ve been relaxing a bit,” I reply with the half-truth, trying to continue to control my voice and a guilty conscience.

My heart is pounding, and I feel slightly dizzy from the adrenaline rush, intoxicating my body.

“How was your evening?” I quickly ask before June has a chance to ask any more questions.

A broad smile immediately appears on her lips, and she tells me about her lovely evening with her father. I let her tell me all about it while we go back inside.

Just before we reach the patio door, I look over my shoulder again. I know Ezra is still here, watching me. It’s as if I can feel his fingers on my body again. And even though I should be dying of shame right now, I long for his touch.

It is wrong. More than that, and yet I can no longer escape him. I am utterly addicted to you, Ezra King.