Page 52 of I see you Beauty

Ezra approaches me with a grin and puts his helmet on me. His unmistakable scent immediately penetrates my nose and fogs my brain. Even if I had been afraid, those fears have vanished now. All I can see, smell, and feel is him. Ezra.

After he closes the strap, he nods contentedly. I can’t see much through the dark visor. I don’t even have a clue what time it is. But since Thomas thinks I’m out with Kelly, and there’s been no angry call from him, he probably won’t think anything of it. I got lucky this time.

Ezra swings onto his bike and then pats on the small seat behind him. I feel a little queasy in my stomach because I’ve never ridden a motorcycle. I only rode a scooter once in my youth.

Unsure, I climb onto his bike and tentatively hold on to him. With a broad grin, he looks over his shoulder, grabs my hands, and pulls me tighter against him so that I’m pressed completely against his back while he folds my arms around his waist.

“We don’t want you to get lost, little lioness,” he replies with a laugh before starting the engine, which hums heavily beneath us.

He speeds out of the parking lot quickly, and I suppress the impulse to scream. Instead, I clutch the front of his leather jacket a little tighter and press myself closer to him to be sure I won’t fall off. I feel a shaking ripple through his body, which tells me he is laughing at me. Shame glows in my cheeks, but I don’t feel bad. On the contrary, I suddenly feel like I did when I was seventeen, before life made its decisions for me. So I turn my brain off and enjoy the ride until we turn into our street and finally arrive in front of his driveway.

Ezra turns off the engine, and now the ride with him feels way too short. I realize I wouldn’t have minded if we’d gone for another little spin. I even enjoyed it when he sped around the bends. Although Ezra and I probably have a different definition of driving fast. But it was still a great experience, and I would like to have it with him again.

I slowly climb off his bike with soft knees and pull the helmet off. My hair, still wet, sticks to my face, and I’m sure I look ridiculous. Ezra gets off his bike and turns to me. When he sees me, he grins broadly. I wipe a few stray strands from my face as he stands and looks down at me. I return his gaze and swallow as his fingertips run tenderly over my glowing cheeks. But when the light in the neighbor’s kitchen across from us is switched on, I step back and look at Ezra apologetically.

“Good night, Mrs. Shepherd. It was a pleasure working out with you today.” Ezra bids me farewell before turning away with a sly grin, and we walk to our respective porches.

When I arrive at mine, I glance over at him again, only to realize that he is doing the same. I smile as I finally step inside and lock the front door behind me, immediately turning on the alarm. Glancing at the clock downstairs in the hallway tells me it’s well past midnight. I can’t believe it’s so late, but I wouldn’t want to miss a second of the time I’ve spent with Ezra today.

My heart is still pounding in my throat as I walk up the stairs, lost in thought, to get ready for bed.

I quietly enter my bedroom so that I don’t wake my husband. My guilty conscience immediately gnaws at me when I see him sleeping peacefully in our bed. Thomas has spent the evening here at home while I’ve been doing all these wicked things with Ezra. I’m a terrible person, mostly because I want to see him again. Damn.

As I try to sneak quietly to my side of the bed, Thomas’s bedside lamp suddenly turns on, and I freeze in my tracks.

“It’s pretty late. I thought you’d call and let me know when you’ll be home,” Thomas reprimands me in a sleepy voice as he glances at his alarm clock.

“Do you always tell me when you’re coming home from a business dinner?” I reply more sharply than I intended.

My gaze automatically wanders briefly to Ezra’s window. But his bedroom is still completely dark.

A dangerous hiss makes me look at Thomas again. He stares at me angrily and shakes his head disapprovingly.

“I’ve been waiting for you! I don’t enjoy waiting, Cora,” he replies gruffly.

“But… you wanted me to go out. I…” I try to defend myself.

But I don’t actually want to argue with him right now. My guilty conscience is already killing me anyway, so I don’t want to look him in the eye.

“That’s right. I hoped giving you more freedom would help you come to your senses. But this… all these recent developments… I don’t like them at all, Cora,” Thomas spits angrily and gets up from the bed.

A little panicked, I glance at Ezra’s house, which is still in darkness, and quickly take a few steps to the window to draw the heavy curtain so we’re out of sight. I don’t want Ezra to see us arguing and stir up more unrest or perhaps false hope because I can’t and won’t leave my husband for him. We’re having an affair, but I remain committed to my promise—I can’t leave my husband because of June. Even though the voice of reason keeps reminding me that June is the only thing holding me back from cheating or even leaving my husband, I push those thoughts aside. They don’t belong here, not now.

“What are you wearing?” he says, looking at me with his head tilted.

My heart stops momentarily and sinks into my stomach before I try to calm down again and not let it show. However, I can’t stop my hands from nervously tugging at Ezra’s training jacket, which still has his unmistakable smell on it.

“I was training with Kelly, and then we went to a self-defense class. It was really educational, and I had a good time. I thought that was what we discussed when you gave me a few days off?”

Thomas narrows his eyes to slits for a moment until his expression becomes contorted with anger, and he points his chin at my chest, which is decorated with the boxing club logo.

“Isn’t that our neighbor’s place?” he hisses and grabs my upper arms.

I nod and try to keep my face neutral.

“I can’t stand that guy.” I can’t say I blame you…

He shakes his head reprovingly.

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