Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 127213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
“No. I’m sorry,” he said and grabbed the jug of freshly brewed coffee on the way to the table. He placed his hand on Frank’s forearm and rubbed the thick body hair with his thumb as he filled the two mugs prepared for them. “It’s just a bit overwhelming. I’m not used to being with someone every morning.”
Frank’s gaze was inquisitive when it settled on Ezra. Now this was new.
Ezra had always thought of Frank as this working class guy with simple needs, and that suited him. They’d had easy-going, fun dates, shared a sense of humor, and had amazing chemistry. But something in the way Frank eyed him now, as if he wanted to strip away all of Ezra’s barriers until he uncovered the truth about him, suggested Frank hadn’t shown him his real self either.
“I don’t know how long this will last, but we can arrange things differently if you need the time for yourself.”
And what was “this” exactly? Ezra being hunted by a cold-blooded killer? Them being in some kind of relationship with rules he didn’t understand? Either way, he needed to reassure Frank.
“It’s not like that. I’m always happy with your company, but I need to get my head around the change itself. I never really lived with another man,” Ezra said and returned to the cooker, cracking eggs over the second pan.
Frank sat close enough to reach out and pet his ass. “You never lived with a boyfriend?”
What was that question? Was Ezra going crazy, or did it imply Frank considered them a couple after last night? Was it a way to trap him here?
But the angry buzz in his veins died when he remembered how sternly Frank had attempted not to let this precise thing happen. He was just being overly cautious when Frank’s question was likely an attempt at conversation. If they were to spend a longer time together, it was natural to talk about all kinds of stuff.
And since they were no longer an escort and his client but… friends who fucked, it made sense that Frank wanted to speak about topics that had previously been off-limits. Ezra’s mouth dried as threads of insecurity wormed their way into his chest, but he was no longer meant to be only a beautiful commodity. It was an unfamiliar reality, but as he studied Frank sitting at the table with a smile curving the mouth that had left delicious marks all over Ezra, he had to admit a part of him liked this change.
It made him feel more human.
Frank wasn’t a bad guy. In fact, it was a miracle Ezra had someone like him to rely on.
So he chuckled, wiggling his butt at Frank while flipping the bacon, almost ready to serve the food. “I never had a boyfriend, period.”
Frank laughed and had a sip of coffee. “Now you’re just making shit up. Why would you have not had a boyfriend?”
Ezra frowned and got two large plates, which he started filling with the food, making sure that Frank’s contained more pancakes and more of… everything. “I just didn’t. I suppose I wanted one all the way back in high school, but I was really ugly before my glow-up, so the closest to that was hooking up with this other boy for a while.”
Frank snorted, looking him up and down. “I don’t believe that. You’ve got those beautiful eyes like two flames, and such a stunning face. Was it a style choice? Were you emo or something?”
Two flames? Ezra didn’t think Frank had enough grasp of metaphors to come up with that description, but it flattered him nevertheless. He could be like the beautiful concubines of yore, praised in song for their beauty and charm. Why not?
“No, but I had the worst acne, and I was pudgy. A guy like you wouldn’t have touched me with a stick.”
Frank smirked and grabbed a fork as soon as Ezra put the plate in front of him. “A guy like me? What kind of taste in men do you think I have? Because I can assure you I’ve never been with a solid ten before you.”
Ezra’s chest vibrated, as if Frank had pulled on the string attached to a bell hanging in the place of his heart. He’d normally tease Frank by calling him a solid seven, to prompt him into trying harder and paying more, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it and just sat next to him by his own meal. “And you can have the current me. Why would you waste your time on some pockmarked, awkward dude?”
Frank didn’t laugh. He cocked his head as he ate. “You really believe that?”
Ezra stalled, feeling as if Frank had just pushed him off a cliff, and he was now plummeting down, unsure whether there was something soft to land on underneath. “That’s how the world is, isn’t it? Everyone prefers hot people. I can tell you from my own experience that my life completely changed when people started finding me attractive.”