Page 48 of Bully for Sale
As clarity rolled around again after the next knot, Ned gave them both a sponge bath, and then pulled on a robe before feeding Ezer the stew he’d prepared. Ezer ate greedily, watching Ned with a cautious eye, until he pushed the bowl away and collapsed on the pillows.
“I want to go outside,” Ezer murmured as Ned washed the bowl out and prepared one for himself.
“Now?” Ned asked. “The heat will be back soon.”
“No,” Ezer said, struggling up to his elbows. “I think it’s slowing. I don’t feel any prickles yet. Please. I just want to see the sky.”
“Of course.” Ned put his bowl aside and helped Ezer stand. His legs were shaky like jelly, and he struggled to pull on his robe, but Ned helped him with that, too. Ezer leaned against him, weighing almost nothing it seemed, as Ned opened the front door to the cabin and the fresh sea air rushed in, washing away the heavy, musky scents of sex, heat, and stew.
The front porch was small, but there was a rocking chair, so Ned led Ezer toward it, the shade of the covering casting off the warmth of the pale sun but letting the cool sea breeze sail through. Ezer sighed as he collapsed into the chair, his overheated skin still flushed from their last coupling. He opened the top of his robe, exposing his pink flesh, and Ned sighed to see how his gorgeous ruddy nipples peaked.
Ned took a seat at Ezer’s feet, daring to rest his head against his knee, as they gazed out across the sandy dunes toward the splashing water, and the soft blue sky sped away into the distance, merging with the horizon.
Fingers entered Ned’s hair, soft and timid, carding through it, and it was all Ned could do not to curl toward Ezer, nuzzle his thigh with his cheek, and cry. Was this acceptance? Forgiveness? He didn’t know. He held very still and let it happen.
“You keep telling me you want me to understand.”
“I do. I want to tell you everything.”
“Then I think you should start talking now,” Ezer said after a few sweet moments had passed. “The heat will be back, I know. This is just a reprieve. But we have some time now, and I want to hear you out.”
“What should I tell you about first?” Ned asked, not wanting Ezer to disappear into silence again. “I’ll tell you anything.”
Ezer laughed under his breath. “You know what’s crazy? I believe you would.” He touched Ned’s hair again, then pulled his hand away, tucking it beneath his arm and looking out toward the ocean. “When did you decide you liked me? Was it when you and your pals were harassing me on the first day of school?”
“No.” Ned shook, relieved to confess this truth. He’d lived with it on his own for so long. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
“No.”
“I do.”
Ezer rolled his eyes. “Oh, no, Ned. Don’t even pretend that you—”
“I’m not pretending,” Ned said fervently. “I saw you on the first day of school, and my heart…” Smiling, Ned clutched his chest to demonstrate. “Just like that, I fell in love with you.”
Ezer frowned. “That’s not what I want to hear from you. I don’t believe in it for one thing. For another, it just makes the rest worse.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do or how to protect you.”
“You didn’t know how to protect me?!”
Ned nodded. “From Braden and Finch.” He dove in with explaining his connection to Braden and Finch and admitting he loathed them now and always had. “I should have protected you better,” he said. “I was afraid if I called more attention to how much I liked you, then they’d hurt you even more.”
“You’re too much of a coward to tell your father to make better business deals that don’t rely so heavily on the opinions of teenage boys?”
“I guess I am.”
Ezer sighed, his eyes the same color as the blue sky he was peering into instead of looking at Ned. “Okay, so maybe you’re good in bed, and gentle during a first heat, and that’s good, since I’m contracted with you now. But I’m already regretting asking about all this. You’re full of excuses.”
“Wait, please hear me out.”
“No,” Ezer said, diverting his attention to the sea. “For now, through this heat, I’d rather pretend nothing about my life existed before I came to this house. ThatIdidn’t exist. This is my life now, so I should get used to it.”
Ned chewed on his lower lip. This house wasn’t Ezer’s entire life. It couldn’t be. This was just an interlude, and he had to make Ezer understand that, so that they could move forward together like Adrien and Heath had, in full awareness of each other, and maybe even with love. He didn’t want to raise a child in a loveless home.
An idea came to Ned. Backwards, maybe, but it might help. He turned to face Ezer, sitting between his feet, and he said, “Tell me about the Ezer here with me in this heat house, then.”
Ezer narrowed his eyes at him, as if looking for the hidden blade and finding none. “I don’t think I can. It’s too much.”
