Trust Me, page 15
The dejection in Harrison’s voice pierced Ezra’s chest. He loved his sister-in-law dearly. He loved her and Harrison together. The thought of anything happening to their marriage made him feel physically sick.
As they exited the law office, Ezra tapped Harrison on the shoulder.
“Look man, if you need to talk anything out, you know you can always call me, right?”
A barely there smile tipped up the edge of Harrison’s mouth. He brought Ezra in for a one-arm hug. “Thanks, man. See you at Dad’s for Sunday dinner?”
He nodded. “See you on Sunday.”
* * *
Mack set her reading glasses on the table and shoved her fingers through her hair, her frustration level fast approaching cataclysmic. They’d spent the past three hours poring over the newest documents Ezra had received from his Right to Information filing, which was way more documentation than she had been expecting. It made her rethink everything she said and did while in the capacity of a city council member. They kept records of everything.
That should have meant good news for their current investigation, but so far all this reading had not yielded a damn thing. Mack had been so sure the smoking gun was lurking somewhere within the hundreds of memos and meeting minutes that had been unearthed, but there was nothing here. Nada.
She released another frustrated sigh, banging her fist on the table. Ezra reached over and covered her hand.
“Don’t get discouraged. We’ve only scratched the surface with these newest documents.” His unflappable calmness helped to put Mack at ease. He looked over at her and grinned. “Did you think this would be easy?”
“Sorta,” she admitted. “It always seems to happen so easy in the movies. The characters do a little searching and then, boom, the proof falls right into their laps.”
His deep chuckle rippled through the air. “How I wish investigations went as smoothly as they do in the movies,” he said. He squeezed the hand he still held and looked into her eyes. “If there’s something to be found, we’re going to find it. Just stick with it. It’s not always on the surface.” His thumb brushed back and forth along her wrist, eliciting a bevy of tingles up and down her spine. He took his hand away much too quickly.
No. He took his hand away just in time.
Ezra Holmes-induced tingles were a bad thing. She’d done everything she could to convince herself of that.
“Do you know how long I searched before I found that connection between your ex and Starlight Enterprises?” Ezra asked. “That took months. Months of painstaking researching and tapping sources I hadn’t contacted in well over a year.”
Mack grabbed her water bottle and took a large gulp before asking, “How long had you been investigating me?” She tipped her head to the side. “Actually, the better question is why were you investigating me at all? What sparked it?”
“An anonymous tip,” Ezra answered.
Mack’s head jerked back. “What? What did the tipster say?”
“She said you were profiting from your position on the council, but never said exactly how. That’s why I had to dig.”
“It was a woman?”
He nodded. “I still have the message.” He took the phone out of his pocket. “I have a calling service that people can use to leave me tips.” He dialed into a number and put the phone on speaker.
Mack listened closely as a female voice she didn’t recognize encouraged Ezra to look into Mack’s background because she had it on good authority that Mack was cutting deals with companies seeking city contracts.
“I never found any evidence of you cutting deals directly with companies seeking city contracts—”
“Because I never have,” she interjected.
“I know that now,” he continued. “In my searching, I uncovered the stuff on Starlight. Of course, as it turns out, you weren’t directly tied to that either. I just figured with you being married to Carter at the time, you had to have known something about it. Because, you know, married couples talk and share and shit.”
Mack snorted. “You definitely are a Holmes.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve seen the married couples in the Holmes family. Trust me, that kind of happily wedded bliss isn’t always what you get.”
Ezra rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well, apparently not all of the Holmes marriages are as happy as they appear either.”
Mack frowned, but before she could inquire further, Ezra continued, “So, there you have it. It was that anonymous tip that started my initial investigation.”
“Do you remember when this person called?”
“Give me a minute. I can get the exact date for you,” he said. “The call service comes with an app that time stamps everything that comes in.” He swiped his fingers across the touchscreen. “I got this call back in April.”
It only took Mack a couple of seconds before the light bulb went off. “It was April 11th, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah.” He held the phone out to her. “Just after six o’clock that evening.”
“I should have known,” she murmured. “I think I know who your anonymous tipster is.” She pointed to his phone. “Pull up the message again.” Ezra did as she asked. As the nasally voice came through the phone, Mack huffed out a humorless laugh. “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize her voice the first time around. It’s my ex-husband’s new wife.”
“You sure?”
“Without a doubt,” Mack said. “Carter and I had a huge argument that day. He threatened to ruin my reputation in the city.”
“Why?”
“Because I refused to give him the boat I got in our divorce settlement. I didn’t take his threat seriously, because I knew I had never done anything inappropriate while in office. I guess siccing you on me was his fiancée’s way of helping Carter to get back at me.”
“And this is all because of a boat?”
Mack considered the incredulousness in Ezra’s voice a sort of vindication for how she’d felt this past year.
“Yes, because of a boat,” she said. “And because Carter is an asshole, of course. He could go out and buy a brand new boat tomorrow; he’s just upset that the judge awarded this one to me. I don’t even want the stupid boat, but I’ll be damned if I let him have it.”
Ezra’s brow arched as his mouth angled upward with a mischievous smile. “I like this side of you, Councilmember Arnold.”
“The spiteful bitch side?”
“The no-nonsense side that refuses to take any shit.”
“Ah, that one,” she said, returning his grin. “It happens to be my best side.”
Ezra’s gaze traveled from her eyes to her lips, sending a torrent of tingles down Mack’s spine and across her skin. The fact that he could set off this kind of reaction within her with a single look didn’t bode well for her vow to ignore the attraction pulsing between them. His gaze lingered for several moments more before returning to her eyes.
“Still think it’s a bad idea?” Ezra whispered.
Her brain warred with the rest of her body. She’d gone through the litany of reasons why sleeping with Ezra wouldn’t be the smartest move, yet the urge to ignore them all was so strong it took everything Mack had within her not to climb onto his lap and attack his mouth.
With a sigh, Mack finally answered, “Yes, it’s still a bad idea.” Probably. Maybe?
“Are you willing to hear my counter argument?” he asked.
“No,” she said. She had enough counter arguments of her own.
His lips tipped up in a rueful grin. “Thought so.”
“Ezra, we’ve been over this already.”
“I know,” he said. He stood and stretched his arm over his head. The motion caused his shirt to rise, revealing two toned rows of a six-pack. Mack barely held in a moan.
“I need more coffee,” Ezra stated. “Can I get you some?”
She didn’t want coffee. She wanted him.
“I’m—” She cleared her throat. “I’m good.”
The moment Ezra turned away, Mack dropped her face into her hands and sucked in a breath. How long could a person exist in a state of irrepressible lust before their entire body burst into flames? She had a feeling she would soon find out.
She pulled in several more of those controlled breaths. By the time Ezra returned, she’d managed to tamp down her horniness to a more manageable level.
They resumed their probing, systematically searching through the massive amount of documents. After another hour, Mack tossed the transcript she’d been reading on the table and outright growled.
“I can’t do this anymore. My eyes are going to roll out of my head if I try to read one more line.” Her shoulders sagged in defeated misery. “I’m starting to feel as if this is hopeless.”
“Look, if the mayor manages to keep whatever he’s hiding under wraps in this day and age, he deserves to get away with it. But he won’t,” Ezra said. “We’ll find it.”
She looked over at him. “You really think so?”
Ezra nodded. “Uncovering what people want to keep hidden is my job. And I’m damn good at my job.”
Once again, his steady, intent gaze found its way to her mouth. He licked his lips.
“Stop looking at me that way,” Mack said.
“How am I looking at you?”
“Like you want to eat me alive.”
Mack could practically see the shudder that ran through him. His eyes slid shut and he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. With a deep sigh, Ezra said, “If you only knew how badly I want to eat you.”
Oh. My. God.
Mack tried to ignore the instant wetness between her legs. She squeezed her thighs tight as her mind conjured an image of the toys in her bedroom drawer. She didn’t want anything to do with those toys tonight. Not when she had the most delectable flesh and blood man right here.
No. She wasn’t doing this. She’d told herself over and over again that this could not happen.
With more conviction than she thought she could muster, Mack said. “I’m not going to sleep with you.” She paused for a moment before adding, “Tonight.”
Ezra’s eyes popped open. He pointed to the clock on her microwave. It read 11:59.
“It’s almost tomorrow,” he said.
Desire pulsed through the air with every second that ticked by. Weeks of pent-up need weighed heavy against Mack’s skin, saturating her in a barely suppressed yearning that was impossible to fight. When the clock changed to midnight, Ezra said, “It’s tomorrow.”
She sucked in a breath and, with a firm nod, said, “Okay, now I’ll sleep with you.”
Mack reached forward, clamped her hands on either side of his face and pulled his head to hers. She attacked his mouth, plying it with insistent strokes of her tongue, relishing the decadent flavor. Ezra returned her fervency with equal passion. He scooped her up and set her on the table, shoving her knees apart and wedging himself between them.
His eagerness fueled her arousal, the brush of his skin stimulating her every nerve ending. His palms skimmed up and down her sides, before he brought them to her breasts and squeezed.
“Do you know how much I’ve been dreaming about these?” Ezra asked before dipping his head and covering her breast—shirt, bra and all—with his mouth. Mack eased back and yanked her shirt off. Ezra pulled the cups of her bra down, exposing her breasts to his eyes, lips and tongue. He pounced with relish, lapping her nipple with his tongue, before sucking it into his mouth.
A mewl escaped her throat as she clamped her hands on the back of his head and held him to her breast. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pumped her hips upward, needing to feel him against her center. Needing relief.
“My bed,” Mack murmured. “Let’s go.”
She yelped as Ezra lifted her from the table and carried her to her bedroom. He set her on the mattress and made quick work of his clothes. Mack did the same, stripping off what few pieces of clothing she still wore.
Her mouth watered at the sight of Ezra’s heavy erection. Goodness, but it had been a long time since she’d been treated to something that beautiful. Mack backed herself up on the bed, spread her legs open and crooked her finger.
But Ezra didn’t move. He remained at the foot of her bed.
“Not yet,” he said.
He reached down, wrapped his palm around his hardening cock and began to stroke. His eyes zeroed in on the spot between her legs and Mack’s right hand immediately headed there. She licked the fingers on her left hand and touched herself, rubbing her swollen clit, circling it several times before gliding first one, and then another, finger inside her.
Ezra groaned. So did she.
“Are you going to make me do this all night, or are you going to help me out here?” she asked.
She saw his throat bob with his deep swallow.
“I’ll help,” he said.
He reached for the pants he’d kicked off and retrieved his wallet from his back pocket. He pulled out a condom, tore off the packaging and rolled it over his stiff erection. Mack was two seconds from spontaneously combusting when he finally walked over to the bed and climbed on top of her.
“I’ll try to make this last, but I’m not making any promises,” he said.
“I don’t care how long it lasts, as long as you make me come.”
He covered her mouth with his own, his tongue delving inside, plunging and retreating, swirling around as he explored her mouth. At the same time his erection teased her center, brushing against her slippery lips, pressing lightly against her clit, driving her absolutely insane.
“Ezra, please,” Mack breathed. “It’s been too damn long for me. I need you inside of me. Now.”
He lifted his head and stared down at her, complete and total wonder in his eyes. “You’re begging,” he whispered.
“Yes, I’m fucking begging. Can you please screw me already?”
That look of awe remained on his face as he slowly shook his head. “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think Mackenna Arnold would beg me to have sex with her.”
“You need to dream bigger,” she said with a laugh. “Now, do you want to get started on this making me come thing or what?”
That irresistible grin reappeared. “My pleasure.”
With that he drove his long, heavy erection inside her, and Mack experienced her first true relief from the ache that had built up over way too many months of using only battery-operated toys to find sexual pleasure. She concentrated on the slide of his thick length against her inner walls, already coaxing an orgasm from her with every deliberate plunge. He captured her hands and braced them above her head, threading his fingers through hers as he drove deep, over and over and over again.
Ezra bent his head and pulled her right nipple into his mouth while his hips continued to work, the ebb and flow of his strokes enough to light her entire world on fire. Mack squeezed his hands, gripping tightly, needing the steady support he provided as he sent her soaring to new heights of pleasure.
She whimpered when Ezra freed his hands from her grip, but the whimper soon turned into a pleasurable moan when he levered himself up on one elbow while sliding his other hand between them and zeroing in on her clit. He pinched the bundle of nerves between his fingers, rolling it into a tight bud. His tongue worked back and forth in rapid succession over her nipple, while his very strong, very thick, very capable cock continued to drive into her.
Mack locked her ankles at the small of his back and bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from screaming. She moved with him, thrusting her hips up as he thrust downward.
Just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, Ezra changed his angle and lifted her right leg over his shoulder, sliding impossibly deep.
Mack’s world lit up like Fourth of July fireworks.
“Oh, my God,” she breathed. “More. Please…more.”
He drilled into her, pummeling her with powerful lunges, his lips sucking on her nipple, setting off so many incredible sensations within her that Mack just knew she would die from the sheer pleasure. She planted her heels into the mattress and pushed herself up to meet his thrusts, lifting her hips until she and Ezra were practically fused together.
She felt her orgasm began to build deep within her belly. Before she could even grasp what was happening, her entire world erupted in a burst of scorching hot pleasure. It ricocheted off every nerve ending, sending her spiraling to places she had never been before.
She collapsed back onto the bed, her limbs shaking as Ezra continued to pound into her. He braced both hands on either side of her head and quickened his strokes, surging one, two, three times before his arms and back stiffened and he came with a thunderous surge. He fell onto his back and let out a whoosh of air.
“Well, damn,” Ezra said. “That was better than I imagined it would be.” He looked over at her. “And I’ve imagined this for a long, long time.”
Mack released a throaty, exhausted laugh. “Happy I could live up to the fantasy.”
He rolled over and captured her mouth in a kiss that had desire stirring within her belly once again. He caressed her bare thigh, rubbing his palm over her damp skin.
Trailing his tongue along her jaw, Ezra whispered, “My fantasies had nothing on the real thing.”
Chapter 9
Ezra sat on the edge of his desk, his feet crossed at the ankles, his arms folded over his chest. He was usually eager to get to class and mold tomorrow’s journalists. He especially enjoyed his Ethics in Journalism class. But today? He just wasn’t feeling it.
I wonder why?
He did his best to ignore the annoying inner voice that had badgered him all day, but he should have known better than to think it would be that easy. He’d never been one to turn a deaf ear to his own conscience. This morning, it proved to be impossible to ignore it.
How could he teach his students about ethics when he’d been questioning his own since the moment he’d left Mackenna’s bed?
With gargantuan effort, Ezra pushed aside thoughts of Mack and forced himself to concentrate on doing the job that, at the moment, paid his bills. Clapping his hands together, he said, “Last week I asked you all to come up with different scenarios that would present a conflict of interest for a journalist. You each have three minutes to explain your case. As each student presents, the rest of you should consider ways you would handle the situation if you were to ever find yourself involved in it.” He pointed to the student in the front row. “Mr. Callahan, the floor is yours.”
