by Jade Kuzma
“I like it,” I said as I ran a hand over his sleeve.
I reached out and put my hand over the material of his dark gray suit. It wasn’t even the hard muscles underneath that left me impressed.
“I suppose there’s something to admire about a suit,” I said. “Never worn one myself.”
“I wear it for me. No one else. It’s a luxury. Maybe an indulgence. I can admit that. But if I have the opportunity to wear a suit, why wouldn’t I take it? Men wear suits for special occasions. Why not make every day special?”
“If every day is special, they wouldn’t be very special now, would they?”
I gave him a wink and took a sip of my liquor. The sting from the alcohol was followed by a warm buzz that worked its way down my throat and up and down my spine.
“My parents weren’t rich,” he said. “I grew up on a farm.”
“I remember you mentioned that before.”
“It was mostly torn denim and t-shirts that got worn-out as soon as you put them on. When it got hot during the summer, it was just the jeans.”
“That must’ve been nice to look at.”
“It was a good feeling, working out in the fields. The sun shining down on you and the wind blowing against your sweaty skin. You worked long enough and just taking a swig of water was the best feeling in the world on a parched throat.”
Ezra’s eyes looked like he was lost in whatever it was he was thinking about. It was the first time I’d ever seen him so distant.
“You grew up on a farm,” I said. “Then you just decided to go to the city? You must’ve hated it.”
“Just the opposite. I wouldn’t have traded my youth for anything else. But I left for the city because I thought that maybe something was out there. It’s the same reason I ended up in Ivory.”
“So, Ezra, did you find what you were looking for?”
I arched an eyebrow at him. He gave me a smirk, obvious intentions in his narrowed eyes. There were a few patrons at the bar tonight but all of them were minding their own business, leaving Ezra and me to have a private conversation all out in the open.
“I don’t know what I’m looking for exactly,” he said. “But I’m going to keep looking.”
I twisted my lips at him, trying to fight the smile from coming to my face.
“What about you?” he asked.
“Me?”
“Yes. Tell me all about what Lacey…”
“Nolan.”
“Tell me what Lacey Nolan was like when she was a child.”
“I…”
I laughed softly at the question, shaking my head because I knew there wasn’t anything to tell him.
“I wouldn’t know how to describe myself when I was a kid,” I said. “I guess I was just like any other young girl.”
“Did you grow up in the big city?”
“I… I spent most of my life there, yeah. I knew the city in and out. I went to school there. I started working there. And now I’m here…”
“What about your family?”
I bit my tongue when he asked. I took another sip of my drink while he waited for my response.
How do I put this?
“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly. “That’s a personal question. I shouldn’t have—”
“No, no! It’s all right. I… I don’t have any family. Not in the city.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Lacey.”
“Don’t be. It’s not like it’s your fault. Besides, I like to think that everything I’ve been through made me into the person I am today. I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for it.”
He peered down at my arm. A smirk slowly formed on his lips.
“What’s so funny?” I said.
“What’s this?”
Ezra reached out and pressed a finger against the tattoo along the inside of my bicep.
“Oh, this… Just a tattoo,” I said. “I was younger and thought it would be cool to have a heart on my arm. I guess I was hanging around the wrong crowd. Why? You don’t like it? Women get tattoos, too, you know?”
“They do. I just don’t usually see them get it on that area.”
“Right. I suppose it’d be more appropriate for me to get something on my lower back. Something nice for you to look at while you’re fucking me from behind.”
“Don’t try to change the subject by talking about that, Miss Nolan.”
We shared a laugh. The conversation was light-hearted enough. Even though I couldn’t remember the last time I talked to someone about myself, I was comfortable talking to Ezra about anything. Well, almost anything…
“I just thought it’d be nice,” I said. “A big, red heart over my arm that would always put a smile on my face whenever I looked at it.”
“Wearing your heart on your sleeve. Literally.”
“How about you, Mr. Grant. What’s the deal with your tattoos? You know, for a man who wears suits all the time, you’d think about getting bigger collars to cover it up.”
“I wear suits for me. I’m not trying to be anything else.”
“I see… You grew up on a farm.”
“You’ve been listening.”
“What would your parents say about you dressing the way you do? A poor farmboy who worked out in the fields now wearing a suit that looks like a million dollars.”
“I can assure you that my suit isn’t that expensive.”
“But what would they say?”
Ezra kept staring at me, that narrowed gaze of his so focused. He took a big gulp of his liquor and set his glass down on the bar counter. His lack of a response made me realize that I might’ve said something wrong.
Stupid…
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to talk about your parents. I was just—”
“It’s all right,” he said with a half-smile. “My parents probably would’ve laughed at seeing me in a suit. But they’d be happy, too.”
“Are your parents…”
“They’re still around. Back on the farm. I can’t imagine they’d trade that life for anything else.”
“Growing up on a farm. Being out in the open. Not having to worry about traffic or pollution or bumping into rude people on the streets. Must’ve been nice.”
“It was. Maybe I’ll go back to it. One day. I could even take you with me.”
“Sounds like a date.”
We shared another laugh. Even though I still didn’t know much about Ezra, the comfort I had just from being around him was something I couldn’t ever remember having around another man. It was a security that made me indifferent to everybody else around me.
Ezra raised a hand up and the bartender poured him another drink. I scanned the bar and noticed a group of bikers sitting in a corner booth. They were staring right at Ezra and me.
Must be my imagination…
I blinked my eyes and shook my head. I looked away for a second but when I turned back, the bikers were still staring in my direction. Every single one of them was focused.
“Don’t look now,” I said. “But it looks like we’re getting a bit of attention.”
“What?” Ezra said.
He turned and looked toward the corner where the bikers were looking at us.
“They are looking at us, aren’t they?” I said.
“It appears that way.”
“Do you know them?”
“Never seen them before in my life.”
“Desert Rebels,” the bartender said suddenly.
“What?” I said.
“Desert Rebels,” the bartender repeated. “They’re a nomad MC. Not from around Ivory.”
“They must be somebody if you know who they are even though they’re from out of town,” Ezra said.
“There are enough MCs in Ivory that I hear all the chatter,” the bartender explained. “It’s not that big of a deal though. You just look at the patch on their chest and take note of it, then you move on with your life.”
“Is there any reason they might be lo
oking in our direction?” I asked.
The bartender glanced at me then turned to Ezra. He shifted his eyes up and down and chuckled to himself.
“Must be the suit,” he said.
He left to tend to some other customers on the bar. I laughed softly then reached out to straighten Ezra’s tie.
“I told you the suit was going to give you trouble,” I said. “Why wear a suit when a nice pair of denim and a comfortable cotton shirt would do the job?”
Ezra hadn’t taken his eyes off the bikers in the corner. The motorcycle club wasn’t budging. They weren’t even trying to hide the fact that they were staring at us. They were so focused that I started to feel a little nervous.
“Ezra.”
“Yeah?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“You’re planning on opening a restaurant in Old Town.”
“That’s the plan.”
“I figure if you’re going to be in that area, why wouldn’t you want to just drink at the bar there?”
“Why would I do that?”
He finally looked away from the MC and turned back toward me.
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “Get to know the locals. Make some potential customers. What was that place called again…”
“Hades. I don’t think Hades is the name of a club that seems very inviting.”
“From the looks of things, this place doesn’t seem very inviting either.”
I finished the rest of my drink and stood up from my seat in an attempt to fight the anxiety building in the pit of my stomach.
I moved closer to Ezra, looking up at him. The focus in those blue eyes of his almost distracted me enough to make me forget what I was about to say.
“Listen,” I said. “I… I think I’ve had enough to drink tonight. Why don’t you and I get out of here?”
“Where’d you have in mind?”
“The place I’m staying at. It’s not far from here. Give me a ride?”
I bit my lip as soon as I said it. Just thinking about it was enough to make me grin.
Whatever Ezra himself was thinking about, I wanted to make him forget it. Some bikers staring at us wasn’t going to ruin this night for me. I’d gotten to know Ezra even more. Now I was planning on getting closer to him.
He finally returned the grin I’d given to him and nodded.
“All right, Lacey. Let’s go for a ride.”
Chapter 9
LACEY
The wind blew against my face and through my hair as Ezra and I raced through the streets. The anticipation racing through me was already bad enough but the liquor in my blood made it that much more exciting.
I held my arms tight around Ezra, enjoying how hard his muscles were underneath his suit. Just thoughts of what we were about to do made me tremble with the kind of excitement that only a good fuck could bring out of me.
I was so distracted that I didn’t even notice where Ezra was going. We headed down the streets and down the highway. The buildings started to disappear and the road became unpaved.
“Ezra!” I shouted. “Where the hell are you going? My place is that way!”
“Hold on. I want you to see something.”
We kept moving down the road until we were so far away from Ivory that I could see the lights of the small town only in the distance.
Ezra veered off the road suddenly and on the dirt to the side. Abandoned buildings that looked like farmhouses or barns surrounded us.
I wondered where exactly he was taking me when he suddenly pulled the bike to a halt.
“All right,” he said. “We’re here.”
I slowly got off the bike and examined my surroundings. It was a warm night with nothing but the wind and creatures skittering in the bushes around us to keep us company. I spun in place, searching for whatever it was he was trying to show me.
“Are you sure we’re here?” I asked. “All I see is empty farmland…”
“I grew up in a place like this. Same kind of barn. Same kind of farmhouse. The land didn’t stretch as far but it was always full. My parents made a good living doing what they did. Enough to give me everything I needed.”
Ezra had his hands in his pockets as he stared out into the open field. There was nothing but dirt before us.
“Look at it,” he said. “All that land. It used to be fertile soil but now it’s nothing but dry dirt.”
He stood proudly underneath the moonlight, his eyes lost in whatever he was thinking about. I swallowed anxiously.
“I hope you didn’t bring me here because you were going to do something crazy…”
He smiled softly. Despite his intimidating stature and the intensity on his face, Ezra still gave me the comfort I had ever since I first met him.
“Farms aren’t always successful,” he said. “Sometimes the market gets saturated and there’s unexpected competition. Sometimes the weather gets bad and months of crops go to waste. Sometimes people in the city change their tastes but they just lose interest. Farmers lose money because they’ve got a bunch of product that nobody wants.”
“It’s rough. I guess it’s just like any other business, unfortunately.”
“Just like any other business. You’re right. My parents… They were able to make it. They’re still making it. Lacey…”
He moved toward me and took both of my hands in his.
“…My folks ran a farm and they were successful. I made money in the city. I know I can do the same thing here in Ivory.”
“Still going with this restaurant thing,” I said with a laugh. “You really are serious.”
“I’ve always been serious. I’m going to get it done. And I want you to be there, Lacey. I want you to be in that kitchen.”
“Ha!” I scoffed. “You’re giving me that kind of position after meeting me at a diner.”
“You’re more than qualified.”
“I think opening a restaurant takes someone with just a little bit more expertise.”
“I don’t think so. I’ve made it wherever I’ve gone. What makes this any different?”
“I…”
I looked up into Ezra’s eyes. As much as I wanted to laugh at how ludicrous the idea was, there was a bigger part of me that believed him. He stared at me with a sincerity that couldn’t be faked even if I didn’t want to see it.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “Why me?”
“…I don’t know. I just… It’s a feeling I have.”
“And that feeling wouldn’t happen to be in your pants right now, would it?”
I grinned at him and he did the same.
My hands pulled away from his and moved up his collar. I reached up and around his neck, resting my hands on his broad shoulders. I pulled him close and he moved the rest of the way to kiss me.
His tongue split my lips apart and moved between my teeth. The scruff on his face was rough against my skin. I moaned softly into his mouth, his hard body pressing up against me as he brought me in even closer for his kiss.
“Let’s not talk about that right now,” I whispered. “I just… I want this…”
I reached down and searched between his legs. It didn’t take much effort to find the thickness already swollen behind the silky fabric of his pants. I gripped his shaft and it pulsed with life.
“Is that what you want, Lacey?” he said.
“That’s what I want…”
Throaty whispers and heavy breaths interrupted any conversation we might have been having.
I gave Ezra a few pumps while I worked my hand over his belt. I undid the buckle. Then a button and a zipper and his pants slowly fell down toward his knees. I reached down with both hands, gripping his underwear on both sides while our tongues continued to dance together. I pulled the restraints on his cock and tugged until his length finally popped up free and erect.
I glanced down and just the sight of him was enough to make my mouth water. I wrapped my fingers around the
stiff flesh and gave him a few pumps. A sharp breath left his mouth and went into mine. We stared hard at one another as I primed him for what was next.
It didn’t matter that we were out in the open. It didn’t matter that anybody driving down the side of the road would be able to see us if they were looking. I wanted Ezra. Now.
And he felt the same way.
His hands moved to my shoulders and pushed me down to my knees. I gasped from the sudden movement but didn’t object. His cock right before me, I licked up the side of his shaft and made his cock twitch with life. Another lick and his dick trembled again. I kept licking his shaft, coating his length with my spit before finally sealing my lips around his tip.
A deep gasp escaped from him. The kind of loud, masculine groan that turned me on unlike anything else.
I reached around and gripped the firm muscles of his ass to brace myself. I bobbed my head back and forth, slowly at first. My tongue slid underneath his shaft and toward his base. Ezra was big enough that he filled my mouth completely. I wasn’t embarrassed to admit that I’d had enough experience to do this before. I was a woman living in the city. I enjoyed it every fucking time. But having a man like Ezra with me now… I’d never wanted to satisfy a man so badly before.
I sealed my lips around him and took him into my throat. I held him there, swallowing so he could feel every inch of my mouth. My eyes started to water. Choking on him made it impossible for me to breathe. His deep grunts were enough to make me stick on him for as long as I could.
He squeezed his hands on my shoulders. His knees buckled slightly. I held on for just that extra second before finally giving him the mercy he was looking for.
My mouth pulled off his cock and a deep gasp rushed all of the air back into my lungs. I gave myself a second before putting my mouth back on him.
I moved faster, sucking and swallowing him as best as I could. Through blurry vision, I blinked my eyes and stared up at him.
Most of the men I dealt with in the city were ordinary. Average men just looking for a good time the same as the women they were hooking up with. But Ezra… I’d never been with a man who dressed the way he did with the kind of confidence he had.
He stared down at me. Teeth gritted. Jaw tense. Hands firm on my shoulders. Hard breaths through his nose. His suit was still on him with just the tattoo peeking up just around his neck. The view was magnificent.
