by Anya Nowlan
“The pleasure is mine,” he replied, grabbing an extra chair and dragging it next to Kayla.
“Wait, your new roommate?” Lainey asked, furrowing her brow at Kayla. “What about Seth?” she asked, as Melanie was making the universal gesture for ‘stop talking, now’.
“We call him Shithead now, on the rare occasions he comes up,” Melanie quickly said, and it seemed Lainey and Maura caught on to what was going on, nodding and throwing compassionate looks Kayla’s way.
Andy just looked confused, but as he opened his mouth to ask something, Maura none-too-gently elbowed him in the ribs, and that shut the man up. Ezra was left to try and figure out on his own who this Seth person was. Clearly, he was persona non grata at this particular table.
With his shoulder bumping against Kayla’s and four pairs of curious eyes looking his way, Ezra felt comfortable, yet slightly on edge. Talking about himself was always a hassle, as he had to lie more often than he could tell the truth in human company. Since these were Kayla’s friends, though, he was oddly feeling the pressure to leave a good impression.
Usually, he only cared about having a good time. But this outing was different.
He was surprised Kayla had even invited him, but now that he was here, he wasn’t going to let a golden opportunity to learn more about his betrothed go to waste. The fact that he was as curious about her as he was, was something best left for later contemplation.
“So, Ezra, what do you do?” Melanie asked.
“I’m a freelancer,” he replied, keeping it vague on purpose. “I deal with property management, mostly.”
There was a grain of truth in that, as he did keep an eye on Stephen’s wide array of properties all around the globe. And he didn’t just party at all the fancy villas, he would check up on places, see if any of them needed restoration, or prepare them for Stephen’s events.
As head of his own line, Stephen had meetings all over the world, and the older members of his family loved discussing their business in lavish settings. Ezra found the get-togethers tedious, but he enjoyed taking care of the properties.
Over the years, he had found in himself an interest in architecture, and he always made sure any repairs the estates needed wouldn’t take away from the building’s original design.
“Kayla said you only just moved here. How are you liking Cleveland so far?” Melanie asked, as Kayla remained quiet.
Sitting at his side, Kayla seemed to be avoiding looking at him as she sipped her wine, her heartbeat faster than usual. Ezra guessed she was nervous about introducing a vampire to her friends. Or maybe it was being so close to him that had her so nervous.
“It’s different, but it’s growing on me,” Ezra replied, smiling at Kayla.
Her cheeks turned a little red at that, and he recalled how Melanie had teased her about blushing when he had walked in. Clearly Kayla had been discussing him with her friend, and Ezra found that he liked the idea of her thinking about him.
And the fact she would be blushing when talking about him wasn’t exactly a blow to the ego, either.
“Oh, by the way, Kayla,” Andy spoke up. “I read the mock-up article you sent me about that school shutting down and I really liked it. You should take it to Edgar. He’s a miserable bastard, but he must recognize quality when it’s handed to him.”
“Thanks, Andy,” Kayla replied, giving her friend a small smile. “I’ll try to get his attention. I’m sure he’ll call me ‘Taylor’ again, but as long as he reads it, I won’t care.”
“You wrote an article?” Ezra asked.
“Just as practice,” Kayla shrugged. “Not for publication or anything.”
“You’re being too modest,” Andy said. “It’s definitely publication-worthy. It could go on the homepage, for example.”
“Maybe,” Kayla replied quietly, and Ezra got the feeling she didn’t like the spotlight all that much.
“How about we make it so the next round is on the new guy?” Ezra interjected, earning nods from everyone, and a grateful smile from Kayla.
“I like him already,” Lainey commented.
The rest of the night sped by, with everyone around Ezra regaling him with stories from work, with most of the tales starring a man named Edgar, who no one seemed to like all that much.
The anecdotes were amusing, but what Ezra really enjoyed was watching Kayla laugh and let loose. Her friend Melanie seemed to draw out the more open side of her, as she talked about being a reporter on her high school newspaper and exposing the cafeteria’s use of expired milk.
“Now that’s a breaking story,” Ezra remarked, among the laughter of the rest of the table.
“I was so proud,” Kayla replied, smiling as she leaned back in her chair.
Ezra was right in the middle of staring at that gorgeous face of hers, when a crackle in the air made him sit up straight and pay attention. Something in the atmosphere shifted and changed, as something akin to a low current slid over his skin.
A vampire just walked in, he thought, the feeling all too familiar to him.
11
Kayla
Melanie, Lainey, Maura and Andy were busy laughing and chatting away, but Kayla was fixed on Ezra. Something about the way he had suddenly tensed up was putting her on edge, and she wanted to know what was wrong.
“I think I’ll go get another drink. You?” she asked quietly, and Ezra nodded.
“Sure,” he replied, as they both got up from their seats.
Melanie raised a brow at her as they left the table, but the rest of the guys barely noticed they were leaving.
“Be right back,” Kayla said to Melanie as she brushed past him, and only got a loaded “Mm-hmm,” in response.
The bar was busy, with a line of people waiting for their turn to order, and other patrons milling about, holding drinks or heading outside with a pack of cigarettes in their hand. Kayla and Ezra settled into one corner of the bar, as far away from the shuffle as they could.
Kayla could barely see their table anymore as she looked ad Ezra, his gray eyes subtly scanning the crowd. The place was packed now, with the buzz of voices making it hard to hear each other.
“What’s wrong?” Kayla asked, leaning toward him.
He stepped even closer to her until they were inches apart, his elbow resting on the bar and boxing her in. Kayla had to force herself to stay calm as she was face to face with him now, his flawless skin almost glowing, with deep shadows underneath his cheekbones.
He even smells great. That’s not fair.
“There are other vampires here,” he said, quietly enough for her to barely hear.
“What? How do you know?” she asked, resisting the urge to look around.
What would I look for anyway? Fangs? A long, billowy cape? she scoffed, fully aware of how out of her depth she was.
She would never have pegged Ezra as a vampire if he hadn’t told her, so she had to assume whoever he was talking about now would be just as inconspicuous.
“I can sense it,” he replied. “This might sound paranoid, but I think maybe Stephen sent someone to spy on me.”
“You know him better than I do,” Kayla shrugged. “Is that something he would do?”
“It could just be a coincidence, it’s not like vampires are rare or anything. But Stephen does have connections all over the world,” Ezra replied.
He leaned in even closer, his body crowding hers, and some crazy part of her wanted to let her body mold against his, to have him wrap his arms around her and make her feel wanted, desired even.
His breath tickled her ear as he whispered into it, and Kayla couldn’t help the goosebumps spreading out all over her skin.
“If there’s the slightest chance this isn’t a coincidence, we have to act like our engagement is real. Just follow my lead,” he said.
Kayla gulped, before nodding at him as he pulled away. Clearly this fake engagement was very important to Ezra, as he didn’t want to take any chances with Stephen becoming suspicious. Since
Kayla hadn’t had to do anything on her part yet, while Ezra had already given her more than enough to cover three month’s rent and also kept cooking her breakfast, the least she could do was play along.
To be honest, she was already halfway there when it came to acting infatuated with Ezra. The way they were standing now, their bodies almost pressed together after he had just whispered in her ear, anyone walking by would come to the reasonable conclusion they were involved.
And by the way Kayla’s heart was racing, she was more involved than she wanted to be.
This isn’t real. And it can’t be real. I’m not ready to move on yet.
Ezra was staring right into her eyes, his gaze intense and his lips curving into a slow, sexy smile.
“You really are something else, Kayla Clarke,” he said, reaching out to brush her hair to the side, his fingers trailing down her neck for a second before he pulled his hand away.
Kayla was a trembling mess at that point, caught between wanting to kiss him and running away. She didn’t have to make that choice, however, as Melanie suddenly appeared behind Ezra, pushing people aside as she rushed to get to them.
“Oh, here you are,” she said, sounding slightly out of breath.
“What’s wrong?” Kayla asked, frowning as Melanie’s eyes darted around the bar and she chewed on her bottom lip.
She can’t sense vampires too, can she? Kayla thought for a moment, before Melanie managed to blurt out what was happening.
“Seth’s here. And he’s not alone,” Melanie replied, watching her reaction closely.
“What?” Kayla exclaimed, loud enough to turn a couple of heads.
The warm, fuzzy feeling that had been taking over her limbs was now suddenly gone as she took a step back from Ezra, her insides turning cold.
“He knows Rooney’s is our hangout spot,” she said, the drinks she’d consumed having nothing to do with how her head was now starting to spin. “Why would he come here? Who’s he with?” she rattled off, turning to Melanie as Ezra took a step aside, listening quietly.
“I don’t know the why, but he’s here with some girl. And they look pretty cozy,” Melanie replied, grimacing a little. “Do you want to get out of here?”
Kayla wanted to say ‘yes’, but something about the way Ezra was looking at her made her reconsider. Why did she have to leave? It was Seth who should have known better than to bring a date to a bar he knew Kayla frequented, mere days after their breakup. If anyone should leave, it was him.
“I’m not going to run away,” she resolved, squaring her shoulders. “I guess I was bound to run into him eventually,” she sighed, reaching up to smooth out her hair without even meaning to.
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Ezra said, drawing her eyes to him. “But just to clarify, I’m assuming this Seth character is an ex, and that the breakup was not friendly?”
“Yep. He’s also an asshole who stuck Kayla with an apartment they were supposed to share and moved out with no warning say… four days ago?” Melanie helpfully informed him.
“Mel!” Kayla exclaimed, giving her friend a pointed look.
“What?” she asked, slightly annoyed. “It’s the truth, isn’t it?”
“Not the point right now,” Kayla replied through her teeth, sneaking a glance Ezra’s way. “Thanks for the heads up, Mel,” she sighed. “And if you’d restrain yourself from kicking his ass, I’d be very grateful.”
“No promises,” Melanie replied, with a flick of her hair. “Anyway, you carry on getting your drinks, we’ll be at the table,” she said, before turning to leave. “Don’t let Shithead ruin your evening,” she warned over her shoulder, before disappearing into a mass of people.
“If you’ll excuse the unsolicited opinion, your ex sounds pretty terrible,” Ezra remarked, looking down at her as he stood by her side.
“He’s not all bad,” Kayla said, unsure who she was trying to convince. “He just lacks a certain sense of… I don’t know, empathy? Consideration? Yeah, those things he’s never been real good at.”
Ezra just quirked a brow at that, and Kayla was thinking up a better way to explain what she meant, when a familiar figure started to approach the bar, with a thin, black-haired girl on his arm. Kayla felt nailed into place as she just watched Seth walk right over to her, giving her a smile like they were the best of friends.
“Kay-Kay! Good to see you,” he exclaimed, as the girl on his arm looked distinctly bored.
“Hi, Seth,” Kayla replied after a second of stunned silence, doing her best to plaster an entirely insincere smile onto her face.
“Oh, this is Amber, by the way,” Seth gestured toward the woman.
Amber was pretty and tan, wearing a tight dress and expensive-looking shoes, with her eyes rimmed with that perfect winged eyeliner that Kayla could never master.
“Yeah, hi,” she drew out, giving Kayla a brief smile. “Can we get that drink, now?”
“Just a minute,” Seth replied, grabbing a drink menu from the bar and handing it to Amber. “Here, babe,” he said to her, before turning back to Kayla. “So, how are you doing?” he asked, the way he glanced to her right telling her that he finally noticed Ezra standing by her side.
“Hello,” Ezra said smoothly, stepping forward and towering over Seth. “I’m Ezra,” he added, reaching out to shake Seth’s hand.
“Hey there, buddy,” Seth grinned, but his expression changed when Ezra squeezed his hand.
Eyes darting between the two men, Kayla couldn’t help but notice the smile Ezra was wearing looked distinctly predatory, like he was baring his teeth at Seth more than anything else. And on his part, Seth looked downright pained as he looked down at his hand, enveloped in Ezra’s huge palm.
When he managed to pull his hand away, Seth looked a bit rattled as he looked Ezra up and down.
“So, this is a new colleague?” he asked, turning to Kayla. “I already walked past Melanie, and those other guys.”
Kayla knew ‘those other guys’ was a weak attempt to hide the fact Seth had never bothered to learn Lainey’s, Maura’s and Andy’s names. And the fact that he had immediately assumed Ezra was nothing but a colleague stung. Seth had certainly moved on with a beautiful if slightly rude girl, but Kayla finding a date was somehow out of the realm of possibility?
Suddenly, Kayla wished she had run away when Melanie told her Seth was here. Tucking tail wouldn’t have been very brave, but it sure beat the humiliation she was feeling now. How could Seth just stand there and smile at her after what he did? Did it give him some sort of sick pleasure to taunt her with how quickly he had left their life together behind?
“No, we don’t work together,” Ezra answered for her, and it hurt Kayla to see how that confused Seth.
“Oh… Old friends?” he asked, brow furrowing.
“I’d love to stay here, playing twenty questions with you,” Ezra said lightly, but his shoulders were tense and his eyes slightly narrowed. “But this line is too long and I’d rather drink at home, where I’ll have this one all to myself,” he continued, wrapping an arm around Kayla’s shoulders and pulling her close.
“Uh…” Seth stuttered, but Ezra just ignored him.
He was staring down at Kayla, his body pressed against hers, and suddenly, the last thing Kayla cared about was Seth or his new girlfriend. The air between them was electric, the pull she felt toward Ezra now inescapable and irresistible.
And when he leaned down slowly, his eyes fixed on her mouth, all she could do was sigh softly, and let herself melt against him. As his lips softly brushed against hers, nothing mattered but him.
This is crazy, a part of her said.
But she didn’t care.
12
Ezra
Ezra and Kayla all but fell inside their now shared apartment, entangled with each other, having only broken their kiss long enough for her to unlock the door. He barely remembered getting out of the bar, that first kiss with her having opened the floodgates for both of them, it seemed.<
br />
They had spent the cab ride home making out in the backseat like teenagers, and Ezra was fairly sure he had given the cabbie the tip of a lifetime as he had just thrown bills at the man in his hurry to get out of the car.
Not that he cared about that, especially when he finally had his arms around her, and her soft lips against his.
Pressed up against each other, they stumbled their way inside, heading for the master bedroom. Kayla sighed softly as their tongues rubbed together, a slow and sensual dance. Their kiss seemed to deepen the closer they got to the bed, and Ezra was overcome with how badly he wanted to make her his.
This soft, gentle, warm woman he had been taken with since the moment he laid eyes on her was now kissing him like they were the last two people on earth, and Ezra couldn’t have been happier.
He hadn’t even realized how much he’d wanted to grab her close until he actually did it, and now, it was like she was a drug to him. And even though running into her ex at the bar had been an unpleasant experience, if only due to the fact it was clear how much seeing the man hurt Kayla, Ezra would have to remember to thank Seth.
Making sure that man knew exactly what he had lost when he let Kayla go, and letting him know he wasn’t the only one who had already moved on had prompted Ezra to take the leap. Ezra still couldn’t believe Kayla was even ever involved with such an obviously careless man, but he was grateful that running into Seth had led him and Kayla to where they were now.
Which was in her room, falling into bed together.
The mattress sank under their weight, with Kayla’s hands trailing down his shoulders and his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling their bodies together. Writhing around him, Kayla was as free and unrestrained as he’d ever seen her. But when Ezra’s mouth trailed down to her, she suddenly stilled.
“What’s wrong?” Ezra asked, pulling himself up to look into her eyes.
Cheeks flushed, lips swollen and hair in a wild tangle, Kayla looked sexier than ever as she looked hesitant to reply.
