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An hour later,I arrive at my house, the smile fading from my lips when I see that the house looks completely dark. I expected that after almost a day, Ezra would be here, waiting for me. I park my car and start heading to the door, right as Kyle arrives.
“Hi,” I call to him and wave. His face is grim.
“What's wrong?”
“He’s not in fine form today, Ms. Heart,” he answers.
My brow lifts. “Does that mean he’s inside?”
Kyle hesitates but then nods. I open the door and let myself in, but Kyle doesn’t enter, choosing to turn his back to the door. “You aren’t coming in.”
“Nope.”
Shrugging, I close the door and lock it. It might be a good idea if no one hears or witnesses what could possibly happen. My cheeks heat and my core tightens just thinking about it. I’m going to have some explaining to do, but once Ezra hears what I’ve done, I can only imagine the rest of our day will be spent in bed.
The kitchen is empty and so is the living room. Grinning, I run up the stairs to the bedroom and open the door. The room is dark, and I reach for the lamp. My stomach drops when I notice the bed is empty, the sheets and blankets are perfectly made, as if they were never slept in. Dread swirls in my stomach. I pull out my phone.
Me
Where are you?
I pace around my room and quickly change out of the jeans and shirt I was wearing and into some sweatpants and a cropped t-shirt. I check my phone again and there isn’t a text back. I start panicking a little and head back downstairs to ask Kyle. Right as I pass the basement door, I hear a grunt. Stopping dead in my tracks, I turn toward the door, frozen. My hand reaches for the door knob and I quietly walk down the stairs. I hear a few more sounds that sound more like groans. A light is on and I walk farther into the basement. Or what is left of my basement.Huge mats are set up and a boxing ring is in the center. My eyes widen when I see Ezra and another man, who I don’t recognize, sparring in the ring. Even more alarming is the deadly look in Ezra’s eyes. Hard. Unyielding. Cruel. Red and purple marks mar the skin around his ribs and his lip is swollen and cut. The other man doesn’t look much better. They both look exhausted.
“Ezra,” I say his name quietly. His attention snaps to mine and everything in the room seems to stop. I can feel the energy around the room heighten while he takes me in from my bare toes, to the end of my freshly washed hair, over my face and to the top of my head.
“Leave.”
My heart stutters at the command and I open my mouth to say anything when the other man starts packing up his things and getting out of there as fast as he can. Ezra doesn’t move, our eyes stay locked in a deadly battle.
“Can you come down here so I can take care of you?”
His jaw clenches, but he takes his gloves off and sets them down before climbing out of the ring. His legs move stiffly and his arms almost shake.
“How long were you in the ring?”
He slips past me and grabs a water bottle. “Last night maybe.”
“Ezra!”
He shrugs and glances around the room at just about anything but me. “I’m sorry, Ocean. I know I’ve been pushing for things that you aren’t ready for. You’re not ready to be mine and after everything, I need to be fair to you and meet you where you’re at.”
“What does that mean?”
His head drops, and his eyes fall to the floor. “I’ll give you your space. I’ll stop being demanding. If you want, I’ll hold onto the ring until you decide you want to wear it. I even…I evenfucking bought condoms. It will kill me to wear them now, after having felt how perfect you feel raw and completely mine, but I will. That’s it, though. I want us to keep moving forward as you’re ready. I still plan to stay here every night and oversee all your security.”
I can’t help the smile that curves my lips. I want to shake him. Slap him. Kiss the shit out of him. “What if that's not what I want anymore?”
His eyes darken and his shoulders seem to cave in more. A wildness comes over his features. “I won’t give you up, Ocean. If that's what you’re saying, I can’t do that. If you need space, time, anything, okay. It will fucking kill me, but I’ll leave. Just don’t say we’re done.”
Tears spring to my eyes, listening to the gravely way his voice breaks, and the absolute heartbreak on his face. This isn’t the man I know, and suddenly the weight of my decisions start to catch up to me. “No, Ezra.” I go to him and wrap my arms around his waist, hugging him to me. I don’t care that his sweat soaks the front of my t-shirt. I just want to reassure him.
“That's not what I meant. That's not what I want at all.”
I let go of him and thrust my hand in front of his face. “I didn’t come home because I was meeting with Mia, Jade and Tabbi to best share the news that we’re engaged. I wanted to do it on my terms in a way that best protects us. I know you could have done it, but it was important to me that I did it. I wanted to protect you for once.”
Ezra’s eyes flare and he drops his water bottle as he reaches for me. “You’re not leaving me?”
I shake my head no. “I love you. Even when you’re a controlling asshole.”
