Chapter 52

Chapter Fifty-Two

M y shoulders tense up so much that it almost hurts as I see Thomas’s distorted expression. He doesn’t like that Ezra is here, and he’s not trying to hide it.

I try to ignore Ezra as best I can, but unfortunately, it doesn’t work because his presence alone is enough to make my body vibrate. His arm, lying next to me on the table, radiates such heat that I feel myself burning. Just as I can feel his thigh next to mine. The longing tugging between my thighs only gets worse and makes me want to climb the walls if I don’t gradually pull myself together.

“Thank you again for the invitation,” Ezra addresses June and me in equal measure.

I give him a forced smile and quickly shove another fork in my mouth so I don’t have to answer because I have no idea how I will get through this without being found out. How could he accept June’s invitation? And looking at my daughter, she’s already completely fallen for him. It’s not okay that my daughter adores the guy who was… Okay, no! Focus!

“Just wait for the lasagna; it’ll blow your mind,” June enthuses, grinning ear to ear.

“I’m sure your mother cooks wonderfully. I’m looking forward to trying more,” Ezra replies, and I can hear his voice getting darker and more insinuating.

I would have liked to step on his foot under the table to get him to pull himself together. Still, since Thomas is already eyeing him suspiciously, I prefer not to draw any more attention to us and instead treat myself to a generous sip of wine.

“I’m sure you’re welcome to come to dinner more often,” June offers, beaming with delight.

Ezra laughs and then shakes his head.

“Judging by the mood, I doubt it. But it’s nice of you, and I’m glad I’m welcome at your place,” Ezra replies to my daughter a little too kindly.

“I’ll check on the main course,” I interrupt their conversation and stand up so hastily that I bump into the table, which clatters loudly.

Ignoring my awkward stumble, I disappear into the kitchen to calm down. Surely I can’t be jealous of my daughter? That’s sick, yet I can’t deny that I didn’t like how he responded to her flirting. I know I shouldn’t think like that and should pull the emergency brake here and now, but I can’t help what I think and feel for him.

“You seem tense, Beauty. Do you want me to relax you a little?” Ezra’s rough voice sounds close behind me.

I brace myself on the kitchen counter to regain my composure. Ezra is now standing close—too close—behind me and burying his nose in my neck.

“Stop that!” I hiss, yet I can’t stop the hot shiver he’s giving me just by being so close.

“Why are you baring your claws, little lioness?” he jokes and turns me to face him in one swift movement.

Our bodies collide against each other, panting, before he pushes me back against the kitchen counter with my backside and rests his hands on the granite to my left and right, holding me completely captive. His amber-colored irises darken with desire as he brings his soft lips closer and closer to me until I feel his hot breath on my mouth, making everything pulsate with desire.

“Behave,” I admonish him breathlessly, trying to resist the urge to kiss him as his soft lips lure me in.

“Baby, believe me when I tell you I’m behaving well. Because if it were up to me, I’d be doing completely different things to you right now,” he growls darkly before planting a breathy kiss on me, making me moan against his lips without being able to hold it back.

“You could be my daughter’s boyfriend, and if it were up to her, you would be… I can’t do this, Ezra,” I gasp, trying to convince myself more than him as my belly throbs so hard I can barely get a clear thought.

“Your daughter is cute, pretty, and smart, yes. Any guy should consider himself lucky if she’s got her eye on him. But she’s not you. I want you, Beauty. Only you! Now shut up and let me taste you for a second before we return to your family, and don’t let on,” he growls demandingly. Then he hungrily presses his mouth to mine and conquers it not a moment later with his tongue.

As if of their own accord, my arms wrap around his neck so he is closer to me. My heart shouldn’t be beating so hard against my ribs at his words. I should push him off me and throw him out of my house for being so bold and daring to kiss me here and choose me over my daughter. But… I can’t do it. I want him far too much. Damn it!

The beeping of the oven makes us scatter. Panting and with pounding hearts, we stand close together and try to collect ourselves before I grab the oven mitts to get the lasagna out. Meanwhile, Ezra prepares the wooden board so that we can carry the hot casserole dish to the next room and place it on the table.

“It smells delicious,” June enthuses as Ezra places the lasagna in the middle of the table a moment later, and we sit with them again.

“May I?” Ezra asks Thomas if he can cut the lasagna and dish it out.

I’m always amazed by his extremely good manners and how politely and confidently he avoids all of Thomas’s jibes. I’ve forgotten what it’s like when a man is so controlled and well-mannered. Not that Thomas doesn’t know how to behave, but Ezra does it with a bit more style. It impresses me, and I imagine him taking me to a fancy restaurant or doing the same at a dinner party. The thought of Ezra in a suit and how he would score points with all my friends and acquaintances with his good and polite behavior is, unfortunately, far too appealing to me. Stop it, Cora ; I admonish myself over these thoughts because I know it will never happen.

After Ezra cuts the lasagna and divides the pieces onto our plates, he sits down again and we started eating. I wait, spellbound, for Ezra’s reaction to see how he likes my food.

“Mmm,” he mumbles, so low and sexy that the sound jolts me so hard I have to squeeze my thighs together to fight this treacherous feeling. But it only makes it worse. God!

“It’s delicious, Mrs. Shepherd. The best lasagna I’ve ever eaten,” Ezra praises me, and I can’t help but smile widely at his words.

“Yes, my wife is a great cook. Maybe one day you’ll be lucky enough to find a woman who can cook just as well,” Thomas replies, clearly staking out his territory, which couldn’t be more embarrassing.

My smile collapses, and I look at him with a stunned expression. I can’t believe what he’s said.

“You’re what, 24? It might be time to start looking for that one woman,” Thomas continues.

“I’m 25, but yes, you’re absolutely right. And believe me, when I find the one, I’ll treat her like a queen and won’t let her go,” Ezra replies. I can feel his gaze on me, but I suppress the impulse to look at him so that things don’t escalate further between him and my husband.

An enraptured sigh defuses things a little, and we all look at June, who is staring at Ezra with hearts in her eyes. Damn.

I push aside the realization of his actual age, which makes him more suited to be my daughter’s boyfriend than someone I should be with. What am I doing?

“What about you, June? Your mother told me you’re studying law,” Ezra changes the subject and couldn’t have introduced a worse one.

“That’s right. She’s studying law, like I once did, so she can join my firm one day,” Thomas says proudly, seemingly oblivious to the conversation from the other day when he and June agreed she didn’t have to pursue law if she had other interests.

“Actually…” June begins meekly, looking back and forth between her father and me. “I’ve figured out what I want to do now, so I’ve decided to drop out of law school. I was planning to move out of the dorm next weekend. Would it be all right if I moved back in here by January when the new semester starts?”

June smiles tentatively at me and then at her father, waiting for his reaction.

“You… what ?” Thomas growls, dropping his cutlery on his plate with a clatter.

“We talked about this, Dad. You promised to support me when I knew what I wanted to do,” June reminds her father of their conversation.

Gritting his teeth, he looks first at her, then at me, until he seems to remember we’re not alone.

“And what do you want to study instead of law?” he presses out with an understatement.

“Maybe interior design so I could be a decorator like Mom. I’ve decorated many of the girls’ dorm rooms, and they were all so excited. I think that would be something I’d enjoy doing,” she talks her head off, and I can’t hold back my smile, even though I know Thomas is about to explode.

Hearing that my daughter shares my passion and wants to pursue it as a career, essentially living out my dream and allowing me to experience it through her, fills me with such immense pride that I can’t be concerned about my fuming husband right now.

“Oh, June! I think that’s great,” I blurt out, and I’m beaming from ear to ear, just like her.

“And how do you intend to pay for it?” Thomas snaps reprovingly, dampening his daughter’s joy.

“I’m… looking for a job. I don’t want to be sitting around until January. But I can’t change majors any sooner, and I think it’s a waste of my life to keep studying something I don’t enjoy until then,” June replies huffily, and I notice how the mood continues to change.

“I’m sure you’ll quickly find a job that you can do temporarily. We’ll pay the tuition fees, of course. Won’t we, darling?” I reply and give Thomas a warning look.

“Of course. Provided she finds a job because I’m not paying a penny for her laziness,” he snorts angrily.

“Laziness?” June hisses angrily. Oh boy…

“Maybe I could help,” Ezra interjects, just as Thomas is about to say something back.

We all look at him, and I shake my head imperceptibly, but Ezra doesn’t let that stop him and he speaks up again.

“I really don’t want to interfere in family matters.”

“Then don’t!” growls Thomas threateningly, piercing him with his stern gaze.

But even that doesn’t stop Ezra.

"Respectfully, I’d like to employ your daughter. It would be quite convenient for me as my house urgently needs furnishing. Right now, I only have a kitchen and a bed, and the place could really use a feminine touch if I want to make it feel like home. It would be a huge favor to me, and starting with a project like this could be a great way for her to begin her studies. What do you say? Of course, only if you approve," Ezra says to Thomas, surprising me once again with his thoughtful approach.

“Really? That would be awesome! Dad, please,” June begs, looking at him with her big green eyes and batting her eyelashes pleadingly.

I can tell that Thomas wants to freak out, but he doesn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Ezra by failing as a father now. After all, Ezra has just passed him the ball perfectly so that Thomas can put himself in the right light.

“If the job pays well and you help your mother with the housework while you live here again, I don’t have a problem with it,” he agrees reluctantly.

June jumps up with a squeak and hugs her father, beaming with joy, before jumping around the table to hug Ezra from behind and kiss his cheek.

“Thank you so much! I promise you; I’ll certainly do a good job. First, I’ll need to see inside your house and make a rough sketch of the space. Just let me know when is convenient for you,” she says excitedly and sits down opposite him again, beaming at him from ear to ear.

“Any time,” he replies with a friendly smile.

A strange pang spreads through my chest. I should burst with pride and happiness for my daughter, who has her first job before even starting her studies. But the way he looks at her and she at him feels strange. Just as my thoughts threaten to overflow and I can no longer follow June’s excited words, I unexpectedly feel a hand on my thigh.

In the corner of my eye, I see Ezra’s hand slide under the tablecloth and feel his fingers slowly and gradually move under my dress as he listens attentively to my daughter’s ideas. This is so wrong!

And yet, it’s not my fault that I automatically open my legs for him so he can move higher. I want to feel him so badly, even though it makes me the worst mother and wife ever. I’m going to hell because of you, Ezra King! And damn it, I want to burn for you.