“Best for me?”He barked out a harsh,ugly laugh that ripped through me and hurt my heart for the pain I knew it caused Ezra. “What the hell do you know about what’s best for me? You don’t evenknowme, and this whole conversation proves it. Because if you did?” He exhaled a huge rush of air. “You’d know whatyouwanted wasn’t what I wanted at all.”
Doggedly, she kept on picking away. “You and Monroe were such different people, from different backgrounds. And you can’t tell me you hated your college years. You and your friends were out every night at parties and football games. You had a wonderful experience.”
“And where are they all now?” Ezra asked with a mixture of bitterness and regret. “Andy, my first roommate, sits in jail for securities fraud. Jeff is still married, but he and Cherie haven’t lived together for years. They can’t stand the sight of each other, but he won’t divorce her because he’d have to pay too much money. And Bryce?” He closed his eyes momentarily. “He’s dead because he thought he was too rich for anything really bad to happen to him. But drugs don’t discriminate.”
“That was them. What about you?” She brushed off Ezra’s heartfelt recap by ignoring what he said. “You’re at the top of your field, have a wonderful roster of clients, and have been all over the world.”
“And I’m lonely as hell, dammit.” He made a fist while squeezing my hand tighter, and my heart was busy breaking, listening to Ezra. “I wake up alone, go to bed alone, and even when I’m with my friends I’m alone.” He breathed heavily. “Alone and lonely.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve been pining away for Monroe for all these years. That’s ridiculous,” she scoffed at him.
“Of course not,” he snapped. “But that doesn’t mean I forgot him either. You and Dad made a conscious decision to alter the course of my life, and now that I’ve called you out, you refuse to take responsibility. I’m done with this conversation. It’s late, and I’m tired.”
“Where does that leave us?” Trepidation crept into her previously confident speech.
“I have no idea. Good night.”
In the midst of her begging him not to hang up, Ezra ended the call and tossed the phone aside. Still holding his hand and without saying a word, I tugged him to my chest and wrapped my arm around him. A gust of his hot breath hit my neck before his lips touched my skin, and he rested his head on my shoulder.
“What the hell, Roe? How could they have done that to me…to us?”
“She didn’t want me around,” I said simply. “And you were easy to manipulate because you trusted her. There was no reason not to.”
“What do I do now?” His eyes met mine, and their amber depths reflected desolation.
“You don’t have to decide anything now. I think you should get some sleep and start tomorrow fresh.” I half rose, but he pulled me down.
“You’re not leaving, right?” He clutched my shoulders.
“You’re sure you want me here?”
His lips quirked in a smile. “It’s taken us over twenty years, Monroe Friedman, to get to this place. I’m more sure about wanting you now than I am about the sun rising tomorrow. I just want you to hold me. It has nothing to do with sex.”
“I already said I’ll stay.” I brushed my lips to his. “And it’s late. We should get to bed.”
I put my arm around his waist, figuring he’d need my support and comfort, and walked him to the bedroom.
“By the way,” he said, a twinkle returning to his eyes as we slid under the covers, “I know I said no sex, but I can always be persuaded.”
“You’re impossible.”
I pretended to glare, then took him in my arms and pressed my mouth to his, our eager tongues meeting in a sweet, hot kiss.
* * *
The bonus of waking up next to Ezra proved itself early in the morning when a rough cheek rubbed against mine.
“Good morning.” He molded himself around me, and a very hard cock prodded my ass.
“I can feel that it is.” I rolled over and nuzzled into his neck. “And about to get even better.”
We pulled off our boxers with impatient hands, and I took hold of both our erections. Precome slicked my fingers, and I grasped us and began to leisurely jerk us off, the friction sending delicious tingles down my spine. Ezra’s breathy moans, the rhythmic creaking of the bed, and the steely soft skin of our cocks under my questing fingers brought me all too soon to an abrupt climax.
“Ahhhh.” I sighed and squeezed hard, feeling Ezra’s hot length pulse out his release a moment later.
He laughed unsteadily and collapsed on the bed, his head coming to rest on the pillow. “Damn. Wow.”
I wiped my hands on the nearest pair of boxers. “Yeah. You took the words out of my mouth.”
