Ezra finished with my right leg, and I propped myself up on my elbows to look at him.
“I don’t think you’re an awful person at all. In fact, I’ve felt that way myself before.”
“With Molly?”
I swallowed. Did I want to tell him about our situation?
“It’s admirable that you’re trying to help your parents pay for her education,” he continued, and I bit back the truth I was about to share with him. “Taking that on must feel like a lot.”
He curled his fingers around my calf and started to massage it, earning a hiss from me.
“Yeah. Well, it’s the right thing to do.”
Ezra nodded, keeping his focus on his hands. I plopped back down on the mat and tried to keep my brain from turning into mush. Despite the heavy topic, his hands were working magic on my body, and heat was pooling between my legs. He switched to my other calf, and I bit my lip, telling myself that getting turned on in the middle of the gym floor was completely inappropriate.
“You’re really tight,” he noted at some point, and I blubbered something incomprehensible in response as my mind definitely wentthere.
When Ezra’s face hovered over mine, I was sure he could make out my blush.
“Done.” His cheeks also wore some color, but that must be from the workout we’d just done.
As we walked toward the change rooms, a young woman stopped Ezra and asked him for an autograph. She gave him admiring looks as he signed inside a notebook she produced before asking for a hug.
“I’m all sweaty,” he explained with a rueful smile.
“Oh, I don’t mind,” the fan assured him. I couldn’t hold back a snort, and Ezra gave me a dark look in response.
“I’ll…see you outside,” I told him and rushed to the shower.
When I came out, Ezra stood by the door with two smoothies, and I burst out laughing at the embarrassed expression on his face.
“She’s never going to wash that shirt again,” I told him as he handed me one of the drinks.
“Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do to please the fans.”
“I think you underdelivered over there if you were looking to really please her,” I teased, earning a gruff laugh in response.
“So does that happen often to you guys?” I asked him as we walked through the parking lot.
“It’s not so bad here. River Valley is small enough, and people are used to seeing us around every few years. In LA, it’s definitely crazier. We’ve had people follow us to our homes, or burst into hysterics when they meet us, which can get messy. We like interacting with fans and always try to take the time to chat and whatnot, but sometimes it does get a bit intense,” he concluded.
“Poor you,” I said in a mocking voice, “having to deal with all those nubile fans throwing themselves at your feet.”
He laughed again. “It’s a tough life.”
I noticed he didn’t deny that it did happen, and I felt a pang of irrational jealousy. He was a rock star, for fuck’s sake. Of course he slept with groupies. Even if he weren’t a famous musician, his looks alone would ensure his bed never got too cold.
When we made it into the studio to begin working on the second track, the rest of the band was already there.
“You guys have that post-workout glow,” Cole commented. “It’s not too different from Ezra’s post-coital glow, actually. You are coming from the gym, right?”
I choked on my smoothie. Ezra came to my aid by slapping me on the back.
“Jesus, Cole. You want to kill her? Adeline’s not used to your dirty mouth.”
“If you want to get more familiar with it, Ade, just let me know. It takes appointments, especially with beautiful women.”
Thankfully, I had recovered enough to respond to that myself. “I’m sure you’re all booked up for the rest of the year.”
