He laid me down onthe bed, slowing our frantic kisses as he moved over my body. My blouse wasleft somewhere near the foot of the bed, and I was almost completely exposed tohim in my bra and panties.
It didn’t occur tome to be self-conscious. I was too wrapped up in the sensation of his lipsmoving over my skin, his teeth scraping across my nipple, his fingersdisappearing inside me, bringing me closer to an edge that I was restless tofind.
His mouth hoveredover my breast and I made a sound I had never made before, half-mad with needfor this man. His tongue moved slowly over my nipple, before he closed his lipsaround it and sucked it into his mouth. My fingers clutched the sheets to keepme anchored to the bed, the planet. His fingers did something wicked inside me,heightening pleasure until my back bowed off the bed and I lost my breath withneed.
He looked up at me,his gaze so hot I felt it blaze across my skin. He held me there, halfway tobliss and irrevocably forever feelings. “Perfect, Molly. You’re so fuckingperfect.”
“Ezra.” I didn’thave adequate words to reply with. I felt too much, wanted to say too much.There were a thousand thoughts racing through my head, at the same time my bodyhummed with desire for more of him, more of this, more of every single thing.Finally, I settled on a brave confession, something I didn’t know I had thecourage to say.
I placed my hand onhis pounding heart and whispered, “This is forever for me. You are my forever.I don’t care about your money or your job, or anything but you. I want you andthat’s it. I want you forever.”
He struggled toswallow, gazing down at me with those words still reflected in his eyes, hecould barely move his throat. And then, as if suddenly remembering what we werein the middle of doing, he snatched a condom out of the nightstand and got backto business.
He slid inside meand everything was right with the world. His hands braced his spectacular bodyover me while my legs wrapped around his waist. We wound together in a sweaty,desperate tangle of soul-deep emotions and fiery desire.
I had neverexperienced anything so satisfying or achingly lovely. He held onto me,whispering sweet, sexy things in my ear as his body moved over mine. I lostmyself in his words, and touch. This man meant everything to me.
When we were bothsated, limp with exhaustion and love, he pulled me against his body and wrappedhis strong, safe arms around me.
“So I’ve beenthinking,” he murmured over my racing heart. “Now that you’re jobless, I thinkI have a position that might interest you.”
“Oh my god,” Igroaned. “Are you seriously talking about worknow?”
He chuckled and hiswhole body vibrated with the relaxed sound. “You should know by now, I alwaystalk work.”
“You’re a maniac.”
“Socialmedia specialist for EFB Enterprises.It comes with a pay raise.”
“You don’t even knowwhat I make!”
“Then you shouldtell me, so I can guarantee a pay raise.”
I turned in hisarms, laying my head on his chest and tangling our legs together. The momentwas absolutely perfection. The kind of moment all other moments would becompared to for the rest of my life. “What does the F stand for?”
He sounded sleepywhen he murmured, “Hmm?”
“EFB. Ezra… what?”
“Felix. Ezra FelixBaptiste.”
Raising up on onearm, my hair fell in a curtain around his face. “I’m not going to work for you,Ezra Felix Baptiste. But I will let you make me something to eat.”
His sleepy eyesblinked. “I’ll change your mind,” he decided. “I always do.”
I didn’t respond,because I was afraid he was right.
That was the lastwe mentioned business that night. He threw on pajama pants and gave me at-shirt, which meant all other over-sized t-shirts in my collection wouldhereby need to be burned. I was basically the Cinderella of boyfriend t’s andI’d finally found the right fit.
We walked backdownstairs to his kitchen where he made me eggs and toast, bacon andhollandaise sauce from scratch. We laughed and talked for hours, getting toknow all the simple things about each other that would never get boring. Andthen he took me back to his bedroom where he made love to me again and thenagain.
I woke up the nextmorning wrapped in his arms and his blankets, with the crazy beautifulrealization that I’d found my very own happily ever after.
Chapter Twenty-Five
A month later, on ahot June Saturday morning, I walked into Bianca like I owned the place. Ididn’t, obviously, but dating the owner had its perks. Bianca andLilou, evenSaritaand Quince,were all completely familiar to me. I still didn’t always know what I waseating at them, but they were the places I spent the most time these days.
This morning, I hadsome finishing touches to make on the wall mural. It was finally finished.
