“Me either. Music has always been an escape for me.” Sara ran her free hand down one of the binders. “A couple of years ago I met an author at a library event. She talked about how she always had a story in her head and joked that her characters would bug her until she finally wrote their story. It’s like that for me. Notnewmusic because I’m not a creator like you, but I always have a song playing in my head.”
“I can’t shut it out.” Ezreal liked meeting someone outside of his department who understood. “Would you like to hear what my team’s been working on?”
“I’d love to, though I don’t know how much longer those two will be entertained.” She indicated her children.
“Let me give them a couple more to play with then.” Ezreal released her finger and retrieved two more cars. “How about you try these?”
Janna went for the hot pink sports car that was always Lessa’s go-to car too.
He’d have to expand his collection with more colors. If Rafe ever came by with his siblings while Sara was here with her kids, Ezreal didn’t want the two little girls to fight over them. He glanced around his apartment, liking the image of Rafe’s family here at the same time as Sara’s. It felt . . .rightsomehow.
“You’re prepared for little ones, aren’t you?” she asked, coming to stand beside him to watch the children.
“Rafe sometimes watches Nik and Lessa, so Francie and Alex can go out. That’s often when we have our game night. We rotate locations, but I think we end up here more often than any of the others. That’s why I made that track for the kids. It should entertain Janna and Brand for a little while.”
Ezreal risked lacing his fingers with Sara’s, his heart pounding. When she didn’t pull back, he sighed. He could get used to this.
“Show me your place,” she said.
“This is the largest room.” He stepped to the side and opened the hidden doors. “This is my in-home office.”
“I’m jealous of your work station.” She ran her free hand along the door. “I’d love to have a space like that where I can spread out when I'm grading papers during the school year and yet close it off from the kids.”
Ezreal thought about the layout of her house, considering ways to maximize the space so she could have an office like his. It could be done without messing with any load-bearing walls.
“What are those doors?” Sara pointed to the hallway.
“That one’s my bedroom. I like to be close to my office in case I need to record something in the middle of the night.”
“Do you dream music?” Sara turned her head.
Suddenly, her face was close to his, enough that he could feel her breath on his neck, making the hair on his arms stand up. Ezreal inhaled the soft sweetness of her perfume, different from what it was in the bottle. Janna had gotten into it once. It smelled totally different on her mother. The next thing he knew, Sara had nuzzled against the bottom of his chin—and breathed in like that time when she’d taken his measurements. A jolt of desire raced through his nerves.
“I like your aftershave,” she said in a whisper. Sara turned to face him and reached up to cup his cheek. “I’m tired of skirting around this.” She pressed her soft, warm lips to his.
Ezreal hesitated for a second but only because she’d surprised him. He wrapped his arms around her and gave himself to the experience of holding her, kissing her. At least he could figure out how to do that much. She circled her arms around his neck, and he let her take the lead. His entire being seemed to fill with happiness, and he discovered that the feelings of his body and his heart could merge to create something so much more powerful than just the combination of the two.
Finally, Sara broke the kiss, and Ezreal was surprised to find his breathing ragged.
“I feel like I’ve just run a 10k race,” he gasped. “Is it always like this?”
“Oh, Ezreal,” she said, a tender expression crossing her face as she ran a finger down his cheek, “was that your first kiss?”
His ears went even hotter but he nodded.
“I hope you’re not disappointed,” Sara whispered, looking worried.
“It w-w-wasamazing.” Ezreal slid his arms around her waist again and pulled her close.
“But haven’t other women expressed interest in you, tried to get your attention?”
“A few, but if I don’t know a woman well, I try not to look directly at her.” He shrugged. “It’s a matter of trust.”
“You trust me?” Sara asked, her eyes glistening.
“I’ve been waiting for you my whole life. I could do this forever.” That time, he kissed her.
“Mama?” Janna called.
