“You’re going to put us to work?” she asked with a laugh.
“That’s right, sweetheart.” The corner of his mouth quirked up. “I’ll give you something that requires bending over.”
She cocked an eyebrow, trying not to give away just how much she would enjoy being bent over for him—both of them. “You really are a charmer.”
Ezra ignored the quip and crossed the room to open a closet. He withdrew a broom and dustpan. He held them out for her, and she accepted with a scoff. “I won’t disappoint you, Dad.” The thought of spending the day completing chores was oddly funny. From kidnapping victim to house cleaner.What the fuck is my life?
Again, he ignored her sarcastic remark and instead went to Ryker to instruct him on some task outside that needed doing. Ezra was intentionally keeping them separated, it seemed. The growing jealousy and suspicion between them was something she needed to watch carefully. She hadn’t expected to feel conflicted over playing them like this, and she especially hadn’t foreseen not needing to get away. If they did find out she’d been fooling around with both of them, then they might get in a fight.
That outcome left a sour taste in her mouth. She barely knew them. What if they decided to hurt her instead?
Then I’ll run. Like I should have run from Billy.
She hadn’t thought of him deeply in so long, but being with these two, and the intimate games they’d played, had her recalling too much.
Willow wandered off without taking any more direction from Ezra. She knew how to sweep a house. Plus, she wanted to be alone for a little bit to reflect.
She started in the room they had initially tied her up in. With slow methodical moves she dragged the broom across the floor, stirring up puffs of dust and gathering the months of neglect into a pile close to the door.
The bristles caught on something that was under the dresser. She bent down to retrieve it—maybe a piece of paper. She slid it out and wiped the layer of accumulated dust on the leg of her shorts. It was a photo. There was a young teenage boy—maybe thirteen—with shaggy, brown hair standing next to an older man with a hand clapped on his shoulder. The boy wore an embarrassed grin as he stood next to the beaming man at hisside, holding up a dead fish. It was such a sweet picture. Even with the obvious teenage rebellion on the boy’s face, he was happy to be there.
“Telling you to bend over was a joke, but I’m not going to complain,” said a voice behind her.
She nearly dropped the photo out of surprise, but clutched it quickly to her chest as she bolted up to her feet.
“What did you find?” His tone turned darker.
Willow took a step away as he advanced, not wanting him to take it away from her. His eyes found the item, and he reached out calmly to pry it from her grip. A muscle in his jaw ticked as he looked it over.
“Is that him?” she asked. “Your uncle?”
Ezra cleared his throat. “Yeah.”
“What happened?”
He sighed and leveled her with a pained expression. “You first.”
That had her hackles up. “No.”
He dropped his hand, the photo still pinched between his fingers. He was about to walk away when she asked, “Are you actually a mechanic?”
“Yeah…”
“Does Ryker have a job?”
A wry smile touched his lips. “Why? You like him?”
Her cheeks flushed as she searched for an answer. The truth was she liked them both. To a fucking stupid degree.
“Shut up,” she muttered, reaching out to take his hand in hers. Ezra stilled at the unexpected contact. The photo was still there as she brushed her thumb along his palm.
He pulled her into an embrace and locked her in a deep kiss. Their hands groped and explored each other, but not in an entirely sexual manner. There was something beneath their hungry clutches.
Guilt and lust swarmed her senses. Playing this game and only getting to have half of what she wanted—what sheneededleft a deepening hollow. How could she possibly have both? That was even crazier than everything else about her life.
Too soon, Ezra broke off the kiss. Heat still radiated from him, but again, it wasn’t merely sex. This peek under his hard façade, her prying into his life, was having an effect.
Willow only hoped that she wouldn’t get burned.
