expect you have some stuff to talk to me about, too. I need a Paddy update.”
Natalie’s features softened with love and it made Tuesday so happy to see it. “Deal.”
Her best friend’s joy was genuine. Even if tinged with worry. Tuesday kissed Natalie’s cheek. “Good. Be right back.”
Tuesday dashed up to her room to change. At first she tried to ignore the way the room smelled like him. Like sex and sin and hot, hot man. She’d made herself a promise not to think about what anything meant until they’d got past this situation with Maddie’s surgery and it all rushed in anyway.
But then it hit her.
She stood in her doorway, her hand on the light switch, and realized the step she’d taken by letting him up there and between her thighs was way bigger than she’d intended to make. Tuesday wasn’t sure what she thought before she’d led him up to her bed. Well, okay, she’d been thinking about riding him like a horse. But...
A man like Ezra marked a place with his presence. He filled up a room just by standing in it. But on top of that he emanated so much charisma and energy; a dark, wounded heart wrapped in so much talent it was a little intimidating.
He’d swept her up. She got caught in whatever it was between them. So powerful. He made her feel things more than just momentary pleasure. But he didn’t appear to be looking for anything long-term. Like her. Right? Was that even still the case?
Tuesday shook her head to stop that train of thought as she flicked off the light. There were other things to focus on.
* * *
PADDY WAITED UNTIL Ezra had tucked the phone back into his pocket before he got close enough to speak quietly.
“Hotel reservations made.”
“Good deal. I just spoke to Vaughan. Maddie is out of surgery and in recovery now. She’s stable and if all goes well they’ll let her go home tomorrow. I told him you were making hotel reservations.”
Paddy’s brow rose with appreciation. “Bravo. You cleverly made him think that he needed to be sure Mom and Dad got rest so he’d need to go with them. And it gave me something to do, as well.”
As if Ezra’d ever let on just how much he tended to manage them all. He just gave Paddy a bland look until his brother rolled his eyes and relaxed a little.
“Why don’t you call Mom and let her know about the room and then text Vaughan the details?” It would give Paddy something else to do, which would keep him busy, not feeling helpless.
Paddy nodded. “I just remembered, I called Damien but got his voice mail. Can you try again?”
“Handled. I called on the house phone. It woke him up. I told him there was nothing to be done so he needed to keep Mary in bed. I’ll call him now and fill him in on what Vaughan told me.”
Within ten minutes Ezra had got it all taken care of. All bases covered. Pregnant sister-in-law sleeping, all brothers accounted for and okay. His parents were headed to the hotel with Vaughan once they’d wrapped things up at the hospital.
Ezra had heard in Vaughan’s tone that his brother had a lot going on. More than just the immediate situation. Ezra planned to head to the hospital around noon so he could speak with Vaughn a little then.
“I’m sorry.” Paddy looked out the front windows. “For coming here and interrupting I mean.”
At first Ezra had no idea what his brother was apologizing for. He scanned his memory until he realized Paddy meant sex.
“Shit happens, Patrick.” He kept reminding himself of that because he was going to be nauseated all day from blue balls. He was trying not to even glance back into the kitchen because if she still had that scarlet robe on all silky next to her skin he was going to weep.
“But you guys...well finally, right?” Paddy waggled his brows.
Ezra’s laugh may have sounded a little less than amused. “Don’t worry about it. She and I know where the other lives. We’ll pick it up again once this is all behind us.”
“Shit. Now I’m really sorry.”
Ezra snorted, slapping his brother on the back. “I’ll let you make it up to me. Come on. We’ll fill Nat and Tuesday in and then I’m going home for a while to sleep before I head down to the hospital.”
“Should we cancel the show?” Paddy looked at his watch. “Tonight, I guess it is already.”
“I left it up to Vaughan. I’ll call Jeremy in a few hours to let him know what’s up. Vaughan says if she’s stable and fine, he thinks we should do it. He said we can play tonight and then he’ll head straight to the hospital from the arena.” And if he was smart, he’d be working on figuring out how to win Kelly back and get this new guy out of the picture.
When he and Paddy got back to the kitchen, Tuesday had changed into jeans and a T-shirt but she still looked sexy and gorgeous and his dick hurt at the memory of how she’d looked less than an hour before.
Ezra filled them in. Paddy sweet-talked Natalie into going home with him and Ezra wasn’t sure what to do with his disappointment at the idea of his own empty bed. He liked his bed. He liked sleeping alone, in the middle of his gargantuan mattress. But he bet Tuesday was warm and soft in the mornings. That might be worth sharing his mattress for.
Paddy and Natalie left and Ezra turned his attention to Tuesday, moving to her. “I’m sorry we got interrupted.”
“Well, all things considered, it’s all right. For me anyway.” She grinned a moment. “You? Well, I can help you out.”
He groaned at that. Her hands or mouth on him, quick and hard so he could get off. Yeah, that’d be fantastic, as it happened. And yet, not what he wanted. Not his first time with her.
He pulled her close, kissing her for a while until he felt a little better. “Are you coming tonight?”
She nodded. “Nat and I are driving out together with Mary.”
“You and me.” And like someone else spoke from his lips: “Come back to my house after the show. We’ll start over and do it far better this time around.”
He liked the smile he got.
“All right. Go home and rest awhile. I’ll see you tonight. I’m glad Maddie’s okay.”
He hugged her once more at her door before he headed out to the porch. He stepped away, pausing. “See you tonight, Tuesday.”
* * *
EZRA DROVE HOME with the windows rolled down. A thousand things he needed to do raced through his head. He went through them all one by one, assigning them some measure of importance and by the time he pulled into his garage, he’d tidied his thoughts.
Loopy, his sweet, silly Lab, woke up when Ezra came in from the garage. She looked slightly guilty, which meant she’d been on his bed until she heard the garage door open. “I got your number.”
That he said it while scratching
