Page 51 of Grind
Frank approached him with a curious smile. “A what bag?” he asked and, to Ezra’s absolute mortification… pulled on the cat ear of the pink hairband Ezra forgot he’d put on to keep hair out of his eyes as he slouched over items.
He froze, then pulled the thing off. “I look so silly. I’m sorry, but I just got so excited. I know you don’t have time for any of this, but I could do it for you. If you let me,” he added more flatly when it occurred to him that Frank might not be happy about this development. What if he worried Ezra might steal from him? Just because Jag considered Ezra Frank’s“mate”didn’t mean Frank did.
Frank chuckled and stroked his hair, but Ezra was still nervous about the potential fallout. “You’re excited about what? What have you been doing? Show me.”
Jag butted in. “He knows all the names of these things.
Ezra cleared his throat and zipped up the jacket. “Maybe not all of them, but I have a fairly good idea about some, and I could look up others, if you consent. I started cataloging them, measuring, and taking photos. I’m sorry I had Jag lead me here without asking you first, but I thought I could help you out,” he added, meeting Frank’s gaze, which focused on him with the warmth of hot chocolate. The kind Ezra no longer allowed himself but still remembered from childhood.
“I wasn’t expecting this, but it would be a huge help. I know there’s valuables here, but I don’t always have the time to deal with them. I hate having to describe items for eBay. Then people ask me endless stupid questions about the items, complain I’m not answering in a ‘timely manner’ and shit like that. It’s such a hassle. I don’t want you to feel obligated…”
The way he stroked Ezra was so tender he wanted to lean into it as if he were a cat, and then lick Frank’s thumb, crawl into his lap—
“No, no, I’ll gladly do it. I like researching things, and if it could free up some of your time, then that’s my gain,” Ezra said, pushing back his hair to make it a bit tidier.
Frank smiled at him and leaned down to whisper into his ear. “You are such a good boy.”
That whisper. The scent of soap and musk. It was all Frank, and Ezra felt a delicious jolt in his groin, even though Frank hadn’t touched him. “Of course I am. A real prize,” he said, winking at Frank despite currently feeling like a subpar version of himself.
“Let me treat you then, and if you want, you can come back here tomorrow. Jag will make sure you know the safest passage.”
Which also meant Frank trusted him with all of these valuables, because if they weren’t cataloged, he’d have no way of knowing what disappeared. And weirdly enough, Ezra didn’t consider it naive. Frank trusted him. That was all.
It was a powerful thing to know, and Ezra couldn’t stop himself from grabbing Frank’s hand. “Treat me? Are we going out?” he said as hope lit in his chest.
Frank swallowed, leading him out of Aladdin’s Cave. “Kind of. A change of scenery. I’m sorry I can’t exactly take you to a fancy restaurant.”
Right.
Paul.
Ezra had gotten so absorbed by his new reality he’d almost forgotten why he was here in the first place instead of on a yacht off the Californian coast. While the threat to his life and the discomfort of having to stay in one place at times made him feel hopeless about his future, he had no regrets about being around Frank, or even Jag, Ros, and all the others. For the most part, he felt useful, appreciated for his contributions, and while Frank was away so often, he always showered Ezra with attention whenever he was present. It was a mundane life, but also one of peace and devoid of the constant stress of having to be enough.
“Oh, at home?”
Frank kissed his lips as they walked out. “Better.” He looked back at Jag. “Lock everything up, okay?”
Jag nodded with a serious expression. “Dane told me there’s a blood moon tonight. Be careful.”
Frank smirked. “We will, thanks for the warning.”
“Blood m—” Ezra stumbled over a can when his gaze settled on the massive orange-ish circle in the sky. “Oh, wow!”
Frank led him through a different passage, one that eventually took them to the truck parked in the middle of a narrow road between discarded furniture piles. He opened the door to the vehicle for Ezra as if it were a limo, not a beat-up piece of junk.
“Jag has some superstitions about it, I just think it’s pretty. And we have a warm cloudless night, so why not enjoy it?”
Ezra licked his lips when his body smoldered under the weight of Frank’s gaze. “I feel underdressed. Should we make a quick shower stop at the house?” he tried. “I didn’t know it was date night.”
Frank snorted and started the engine. “Sure. I wanted to surprise you, so it’s my fault. But you know I think you’re cute like this?”
They weren’t far from the house either, so Ezra leaned in and rubbed his nose against Frank’s cheek, smelling him again. “I’m sorry. It’ll only take five minutes, and you won’t have to endure my sweaty smell all evening.”
Frank’s smile widened. “I sure hope I can get you sweaty later.”
Ezra grinned, light at heart. “It’ll be a different kind of sweaty,” he said, resting his head on Frank’s shoulder as the truck moved.
He might have taken more than five minutes to shower and change into fresh clothes, but while still casual, the new outfit was a much better fit on Ezra and didn’t optically shorten his legs. And since he knew they’d be spending a few hours at a yet undisclosed location, he packed some snacks before joining Frank in the car.
