Ezra slowly closed the gap between their lips, the night air charged with something fragile and real.But just as their breath mingled, his phone buzzed loudly in his pocket—sharp and unwelcome.He froze, jaw clenched in frustration. Shannon blinked, stepping back just slightly as the spell between them broke.Ezra cursed under his breath and pulled the phone out. One look at the screen, and his expression soured.“Kayden,” he muttered, jaw tightening.Shannon raised a brow. “Of course. He really does have supernatural timing.”He accepted the call with a curt swipe. “What?”Kayden’s voic
Ezra lowered his protective earmuffs and looked at Shannon with an expression that hovered somewhere between pride and amazement.“You’re a quick learner,” he said, watching her carefully unload the pistol and place it back on the table with steady hands.Shannon turned to him, the grin still on her face. “You’re not a bad teacher either.”He chuckled. “Not bad? I’m brilliant.”She rolled her eyes and pulled off her own earmuffs. “I said I’d take the compliment earlier. Don’t push it.”Ezra leaned against the edge of the table, arms crossed, his gaze lingering on her. “You know, you surprise me more every day.”
Shannon’s eyes fluttered open. She realized she’d been asleep for quite some time—they had already arrived at their destination.“Why didn’t you wake me?” she asked, turning to Ezra, who was casually scrolling through his phone.“I didn’t want to disturb you. You’ll need the energy. Are you ready?”“Energy? What are we doing?” she asked, curious. He never told her anything in advance. Every outing with him was a surprise.“You’ll see,” he said with a smirk.Shannon rolled her eyes in amusement.Ezra got out of the car and, before she had even finished unbuckling her seatbelt, he was already a
“It’s a good thing all of my cars are heavily tinted,” Ezra muttered as he drove out of the mansion gates and onto the main road.Shannon glanced behind them, checking to see if anyone was following.“You don’t have to worry about that. I already had them taken care of by security,” he said, grinning to himself.“What do you mean? That sounds like something you’re not supposed to do,” she said, her tone laced with concern.“You mean something illegal?” Ezra shrugged. “I wouldn’t say that… but honestly, the person after you is a cold-blooded killer. So why worry about her minions?”“It’s not them I’m worried about. It’s you.” Shannon scowled. “I don’t want you getting into trouble just because of me. You’re already doing more than enough. And it wouldn’t look good for someone like you—a public figure—to get caught up in something shady.”Ezra grinned, wide and amused, as her words sank in. She was worried about him.If only she knew the truth. If she had any idea what kind of world he
“I think this should be the first and last time I teach you Jiu-Jitsu. I’ll get someone else to help with your training, and I’ll just supervise,” Ezra said with finality.The words took Shannon by surprise, and she nearly tripped on the cobblestones as they walked back to the mansion from the dojo.“Why? Am I really that difficult to teach?” she asked, the question hitting her pride more deeply than she expected.Ezra shook his head. “It’s not you. It’s me. I might end up teaching you more about sex than martial arts.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Being too close to you... sometimes I just can’t help myself.”Shannon’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She felt suddenly shy, but then she noticed Ezra had started walking faster—probably even more embarrassed than she was. She had to jog a little to catch up with him. As soon as he noticed her walking by his side, he glanced at her sideways and gave her a small smile, which she returned with a much bigger one.He could
Shannon was focused on figuring out how to get Ezra onto his back when, suddenly, her mouth was filled with the warmth of his tongue. His lips ravaged hers as his hands caressed her face and neck. Her body went slack, and it was as if a switch had been flipped inside her—igniting something like an animalistic instinct—pushing her to respond with equal passion.Ezra’s hands roamed over her body, even through the thick fabric of her gi. When that no longer satisfied him, he broke their kiss, quickly untying her belt and peeling off her robe. His hand slid under her skintight top, exploring the contours of her abdomen and chest. He gave her left breast a firm squeeze, drawing a sharp yelp from Shannon.A sly smile curved Ezra’s lips. In one fluid motion, he pulled off her top, revealing a sports bra that clung tightly to her curves, h