Page 109 of Booked on You
“Yeah.” He reaches for my hand, pulling me toward him. “We can ignore it and go on about our lives like nothing happened.”
I shake my head. “I tried ignoring rumors with my ex. I know how quickly speculation can ruin something special.”
A brief silence settles between us. Ezra tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, thumb grazing my cheek. “It will work out.”
I force a faint smile at the realization that my pants are still unzipped and unbuttoned, so I fasten them.
“Do you happen to have anything stronger than wine?”
He laughs, and it eases some of the tension. “What about some whiskey that’ll make hair grow on your chest?”
“God, yes.”
Ezra grabs a thick bottle that’s full and hands it to me. With his finger hooked onto mine, he leads me into the cozy glow of the living room. He presses a button, and the gas fireplace ignites.
“Wow, fancy,” I tease, appreciating that he still gave me what I craved outside—quiet time with him by the fire.
I sit cross-legged on the couch, the heavy whiskey bottle balanced awkwardly in my hands. The amber liquid sloshes as I lift it to my lips and drink. It burns the entire way down, and I make a face, trying to shake the bitterness away. I cough a little, eyes watering.
Ezra chuckles as he settles beside me. “You gonna make it?”
I hand him the bottle. “Debatable. I forgot whiskey is just sophisticated gasoline.”
He grins, tipping it back, taking large drinks until bubbles emerge. “It’s an acquired taste. Actually got me in trouble in my younger years.”
“Oh?” I raise an eyebrow. “Like what?”
His eyes sparkle. “Well, I slept with my college professor.”
My mouth falls open. “Really? Did you get an A?”
“A-plus, baby,” he says. “But don’t act like you’re little Miss Goody Two-shoes. I want to hear about your scandals.”
“Nah. I save them for the pages,” I say, taking another swig, then hiccup.
Ezra nudges me. “You’re not giving me anything?”
“Hmm.” I pretend to think hard. “I once dated identical twins.”
Ezra’s eyebrows shoot up. “And let me guess, you wrote about it?”
“Obviously.” I shrug. “They wanted to play games, but little did they know, I was into that shit.”
“Damn.” Ezra wears a cocky grin. “Scandalous.”
We fall quiet for a moment; the whiskey soothing my racing mind.
I study him. “How did you do that?”
“Do what?” he asks, reaching to twirl a lock of my hair around his finger.
“You pulled me out of my spiral,” I whisper. “One minute, I was panicking, and now I’m here. Calm. With you.”
Ezra’s smile softens. “Because I see you, really see you, Scarlett. That kind of connection is the rawest intimacy two humans can share.”
My heart flutters. “I wanted more quiet moments with you before the world started nitpicking us apart,” I confess. “I wanted memories that belonged only to us.”
“I get it,” Ezra tells me in a kind voice. “But you know in your heart, privacy was never truly possible. Not with who either of us are.”
