Taken By Ezra

by Caroline Peterka

  “I was talking to Taylor about Ezra, and he told me Ezra was a complete “screw ’em and leave ’em” kind of guy. He doesn’t do relationships unless it’s for instant gratification, and even then he never sticks with one girl for long. Taylor’s cousin Carter is best friends with Ezra, so I guess Carter would know,” she explains, and my heart instantly drops to my stomach.

  I didn’t think Ezra would be like that, given the way he was so delicate with me. I guess I really didn’t know anything about him except his brother is a tattoo artist, he owns a club that runs Tuesday through Saturday nights, and he has five other brothers, making him number six. I try to mask my disappointment at this new information; I knew deep down he was too good to be true. I didn’t do relationships either, but I didn’t go around having sex with strangers every night.

  Is that what would have happened if Claudia hadn’t interrupted us? Would I have been just another woman Ezra fucked in his office at his club? It didn’t seem to me like he could have that kind of personality, but I was slightly naive about some life experiences.

  The two of us finished our gross coffee and even brought one back to Jill once our break was over. The ER didn’t look any busier when we returned, but I noticed drops of blood on the floor near exam room one.

  “What happened there?” Claudia asked, craning her neck to see two large bodies hovering in the door.

  “Thirty-year-old male with a stab wound just came in. I guess some guy and his brothers got jumped,” Jill says, typing away at the laptop in front of her, her eyes never looking up at us as she continues on, “I’m waiting for Dr. Creepy to go in there to assess him.”

  “I’ll go check on the patient until Dr. Morgan gets here,” I say with a groan. This is the only part I hate about overnight shifts in the ER with one doctor on staff; it is rare that we can find the idiot. I step up to the door and tap one of the extremely tall, built guys on the back to get his attention. “Excuse me, please.”

  “Are you the doctor?” one of the men asks, and I shake my head.

  “Nope. I’m just the nurse who needs to get in to assess the patient.”

  “I’m so, so sorry,” I hear someone say when I’m allowed into the room.

  “Knock it off, Levi. You’re acting like a little bitch,” a voice snaps, and then comes the sound of someone getting slapped.

  “Shut it, Isaac. There’s a woman present,” someone else growls.

  I stop in front of the patient’s bed, my lips quirking up with amusement at these men until I meet icy-blue eyes staring back at me. “Ezra,” I breathe.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Ezra’s deep voice rasps, and it warms my heart to see his beautiful smile.

  I look around the room at the other men, seeing all the boys from the picture in the tattoo shop staring at me in surprise, and I take a step back. I’ve met Azriel and Ezra, but the other four are new to me. There are six tall men with bodies and faces like models, and they are scrutinizing me from the top of my ponytail all the way to my tennis shoes. “Um…” I’m not really comfortable with all of them in here, and Ezra senses that, because his booming voice causes me to jump.

  “Everyone out now so the beautiful nurse can look me over!”

  “But Mom said we had to stay with you,” Levi says, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his icy blues to me.

  The one in the suit slaps Levi on the head hard, making Levi yelp in pain, and I can’t help the laugh that comes out of me. With just one act, I feel the tension draining from my body as I walk around the bed to assess Ezra’s wound.

  “Do you need us to leave, nurse?” the suited one asks me, his eyes looking softer now that he isn’t scowling at his brother.

  “Call me Lanee, and it would help if you all cleared out. I need to look Ezra over, and you are all kind of…” My voice trails off as I glance at them all in awe. It is amazing how all six of them look so strikingly similar to one another, though the way they dress and carry themselves sets them apart.

  “Okay, we’ll be outside if you need us, bro,” Suit says, fist bumping Ezra and then leaving with the other hulking men.

  Once it is just the two of us, I blow out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I look over at Ezra, who is holding a gauze wrap to his left side carefully. “So, you do this often?”

  “Only when my idiot brother runs his mouth and gets jumped,” Ezra replies, his lips turning up at the sides.

  “Hmm… Well, the doctor has been paged, but let me see this wound.” I go into full nurse mode, looking at the gash in Ezra’s flawless skin. It will need a few stitches, but it’s nothing serious. It looks worse than it is, and I tell him that. “What happened?”

  “Levi and I were at a baseball game, and some guy was running his mouth about the Cubs, so Levi decided to get vocal with the guy. I was pulling Levi away when this guy pulls a knife and tries to stab him, but I was in the way,” he explains to me, his gaze drifting over my scrubs the whole time. “You look sexy as hell in those.”

  “Wait a minute. You drove forty minutes with a stab wound to come here,” I shriek, pushing away the things he just said.

  “Uh…yeah?”

  “Why?” I snap at him, knowing I’m overreacting now.

  “It’s not serious.”

  “But it could have been.”

  “If it was worse we would have gone to Chicago Memorial, but it’s fine. I swear. Besides, maybe I wanted to see you again.”

  Ezra grabs my hand and yanks me closer to the bed, careful not to get blood on me. His lips land on mine, and I melt into him. He feels just as wonderful as he did that night at the club, and weird tingles of desire start coursing through me when his tongue slips past my lips, tangling with mine for a deep kiss.

  Holy hotness, he can kiss.

  “Excuse me, nurse?” Dr. Morgan’s voice breaks into my lust-hazed mind, and I pull away from Ezra quickly. “Is everything all right here?”

  Oh, fuck! I search my scattered brain to come up with something, but it is Ezra who saves me from possibly getting fired right now.

  “I’m sorry, Doc. This medicine they gave me was making me loopy. I just grabbed her.” Ezra’s cheeks flame red, and he looks genuinely embarrassed that we just got caught making out in the hospital.

  “Oh,” Dr. Morgan says, his brows pulling together. “Are you going to be okay while I stitch him up, Lanee?”

  “Yes,” I squeak.

  Ezra smirks at me, and I go to get everything Dr. Morgan is going to need to stitch up the small gash in Ezra’s side. I have to keep my face stoic the whole time, feeling his intense gaze on me while Dr. Morgan works his magic on Ezra. If I didn’t, I was afraid I might leap into the bed and continue to kiss the man senseless. He makes me forget about everything in just seconds of being in his arms. Instead I focus on his skin, looking at the tribal tattoos on his shoulders and even the sketch of a dragon coming around on his right side.

  I know Claudia says I need to steer clear of Ezra, but he came here to this hospital when he could have stayed in Chicago to be fixed up. Deep down it feels great to know he still wants to kiss me like he did last weekend.

  But what if he just wants to get me into bed? I start wondering, my gaze focusing on him until the doctor is done. I didn’t have sex with Ezra. What if that is his game? I’m not sure I could handle something like that right now. I may feel stronger with him, but I don’t want to be used again.

  Once Dr. Morgan is done and I’ve cleaned up the supplies, I go to tell Ezra’s brothers that he is ready to be released. There wasn’t any real damage done, but I give them instructions on keeping the stitches clean and dry for the next week. Apparently my other coworkers are busy flirting with the Lanphear men, and I can’t help watching the way the brothers act together. It’s amazing that they all showed up to support Ezra, no matter the cause, and it is easy to see they care about one another very much.

  “Thanks for helping him out, Lanee. I’m Micca, by the way,” the one in the suit says,
shaking my hand.

  “I didn’t do much. Dr. Morgan was the one doing the stitching,” I say, looking up at the powerful man. I still can’t believe how tall these freaking men are or how beautiful they look. It just doesn’t seem normal that men should be so good-looking.

  “I’m Isaac and this is Issiah. We’re twins.” Another man with softer features and dressed in slacks and a white button-down shirt steps up to me. His twin—they all look similar to one another—is dressed in black pants and a Led Zeppelin shirt.

  “Its nice meeting you all, but you guys need to seriously explain to your brother that he should have gone to the hospital in Chicago.” I can’t help the nurse part of me that kicks in and scolds them for making him come home to see someone. I don’t have any say over Ezra. I look at them all, and it is Azriel who pipes up to agree with me as he glares at his brother Levi.

  “He wouldn’t listen to me anyways.” Levi sulks, hanging his head.

  “Ezra’s the most stubborn of us all and has a problem with listening to reasoning,” Micca tells me with a smirk.

  “I see.” I look to Claudia and Jill who are practically panting over the incredibly hot men in our ER. I smile and go to finish filling out the discharge papers while the guys go back into the room with their brother.

  “They are so flipping hot,” Jill blurts out, fanning herself as she leans against the desk.

  “The one with the tattoos that was talking to me is Azriel,” Claudia says dreamily.

  “I want to take one home with me,” Jill says with a sigh.

  I laugh as the two of them carry on about which one would be the best to bring home. It looks like our boring night at the hospital has definitely turned into an interesting time with the Lanphear men. I hear the men laughing in the exam room, and it warms me to the core that they seem so close. Growing up I had always wished I had siblings. I wonder if I would have the relationship they obviously have with each other. They are playful with one another, while I had no one but my parents at home to entertain me. It must have been fun to have a sibling to talk to about problems, or to just argue with. I didn’t have to worry about a sister “borrowing” my clothes. There was no one to fight over video games with. I wasn’t lonely as a child, but I always wonder what it would be like to have a brother or sister.

  After twenty minutes of getting the discharge papers in order, the Lanphear men leave to take their brother home, and the hospital is quiet for the rest of the night. Jill and Claudia help me sterilize the exam rooms again, and my mind seems to continuously turn to Ezra. Dr. Morgan had given him pain meds, and Ezra seemed a little dopey when he smiled and waved at me. Part of me was a little disappointed he didn’t try to kiss me before he left. I chalked it up to him not wanting the doctor to catch us again and get me fired, but it was still on my mind.

  There was something about Ezra that called to me on another level. It made me crave his touch. My heart beat erratically when he was near, and I wanted to be close to him. I didn’t know what it was, but I really wanted to take a chance and see what happened with him despite his reputation with women.

  I felt something for Ezra deep in my soul. I wasn’t sure what it was I was feeling, but it made me forget about the bad things that had happened to me in the past. I was usually so skittish with touch, but he healed me.

  I wanted to be better.

  I wanted to be better with him.

  I felt better with him.

  Chapter Seven

  Early Morning Coffee

  I’d never been so happy to be done with work as I was when the next shift of nurses came in to relieve us. Claudia and Jill were both yawning like crazy, which made me do it, and I just wanted to crawl into bed. I swear I could sleep for days after the long week I had. I followed Jill and Claudia to the parking lot, thankful I had the next few days off to recuperate.

  “Holy shit,” Claudia squeals, stopping dead in front of me. I run right into her.

  “What?” I ask and look up to see why she is standing there with her mouth open. My eyes meet Ezra’s. He is leaning against her car with his arms crossed in front of his broad chest, a ghost of a smile on his lips as he watches us approach. I can feel my heart start pounding harder the closer I get to him. I lick my lips as I take in his freshly showered body in tight jeans and a white shirt clinging to his chest.

  Holy hotness, the man is gorgeous!

  “Hi,” I say, trying to not smile at the fact he is here and not in bed sleeping after his late night at the hospital.

  “Hi.” He smiles, and my heart melts all over the pavement. He nods to my friends before he takes a step closer to me. “How was your night?”

  “Eh, the usual. A bunch of rowdy Vikings came in and caused the nurses to swoon all over them,” I say with a shrug.

  Claudia snickers and Ezra laughs loudly, reaching out to grab me around the waist and pulling me flush with his body. He dips down and kisses me sweetly on the lips. “Should I be jealous?”

  “Nah.” I don’t know where this flirty thing I’m doing is coming from, but I can’t help how giddy he makes me right now. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was hoping I could take you out for coffee.” His eyes penetrate deep into mine as I look at him.

  “Coffee?” I smirk.

  “I need sleep, girl,” Claudia interrupts, clearing her throat.

  “I’ll take her home in a bit,” Ezra says, his eyes never leaving mine.

  “I’ll see you at home later, Claud,” I say, smiling at him. I was really tired when I got off work, but now that he is here I feel like I could leap in the air.

  Claudia fidgets and takes me by the arm. She seems worried when she pulls me off to the side, her voice low enough that only I can hear. “Do you think this is a good idea? I mean, you know, his reputation and all.”

  “It’s just coffee, Claudia. I think it will be fine,” I say softly.

  “I worry,” she admits.

  I smile at my overprotective friend. I love her to pieces, but I want to go with Ezra. The two of us are just going to a café to have coffee. There is no promise of anything else. I remind her again that it is just coffee, and she visibly relaxes.

  “Okay, see you later,” Claudia says and gets into her little car. She waves at me and then drives off.

  “How did you know that was Claudia’s car?” I ask when he takes my hand in his, leading me away from her spot.

  “Lucky guess,” he says, winking at me.

  I really could swoon when he winks at me. I know I’m smiling like an idiot, but I can’t help the excitement that rushes through me when he holds my hand like this. “How does your side feel?”

  “Good.” Ezra stops in front of a newer black truck. It’s monstrous. He opens the door and lifts me up, carefully placing me on the seat. I can’t help laughing when he gets in with no problems, his brows rising when he looks at me. “What?”

  “Is everything you have so freaking huge?”

  “Hmm…I could show you later,” he says waggling his brows, and I realize the sexual innuendo.

  I bite my lip and bow my head, feeling my cheeks warm up. I guess lack of sleep is making me flirty and open, but I still am embarrassed that I said that. I feel him shift closer to me, his hand pushing some of the hair that fell out of my ponytail behind my ear. “I just meant that you and your brothers are so tall…and you know this truck is big,” I say shyly.

  “Lanee,” he says softly, gripping my chin and turning my face so I can look at him. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

  “It’s okay. I’m just not good at the flirting and…everything,” I tell him, glancing down to his lips. I lick my lips quickly, and I hear him groan before he is on me, his mouth covering mine and his tongue sweeping into my mouth for a deep kiss. I move my hands to his neck, my fingers playing with the hair at his nape the whole time he kisses me senseless. I could get lost kissing him all day, but I don’t want us to get caught in the hospital parking lot in broad daylight, so I pull
away. “We should go for that coffee now.” My voice comes out all breathy sounding.

  Ezra breathes out slowly. “Uh, yeah.” He kisses me quickly on the lips before scooting back to his side. He starts the truck and it roars to life. He is quiet the whole time he drives, but his right hand reaches out to take mine.

  I smile down at his fingers laced with mine, noticing how much larger his hands are compared to my own. I’ve never held hands with a man before. It is strange and satisfying. I feel grounded for some reason. It’s like having an anchor let me know that this is real. I like how it stirs something up inside of me. I really could get used to this feeling. Ezra’s kisses alone make me yearn for more with him, but there are little niggles in the back of my head that says Claudia might be right. I’m not a one-night-stand kind of girl, or at least I don’t think I am, but I want something more with Ezra. I want to feel like I did in his office last week when he was touching me. I just don’t think I’m brave enough to ask him what is going on here.

  “Lanee?” he asks, his voice breaking into my reverie.

  “Hmm?”

  “We’re here.” His gaze searches my face for something, probably the reason I became quiet and lost in my head. He gets out of the truck and is at my door before I can get down. He gently grabs me around the waist to help me out and slides my body down his until my feet reach the ground.

  My breathing is coming fast, our eyes locked onto each other’s and his body pressed against mine. He dips his head and kisses me softly on the lips, and then the two of us walk into the little coffee shop hand in hand. I can’t get my heart to stop racing at how sweet he is acting toward me. There’s no way he’s like this with all the girls he dates. He makes me question the things Claudia has heard about him. How can a man act like this and be so callous in relationships? He is acting the opposite of what I’ve heard.

  Ezra finds a booth for us and goes to order our coffees. The whole time he is gone, my brain and heart are dueling over what is right and wrong with this. Do I take a leap of faith with him? Do I dare open my heart to someone after being shut down for so long? I do know for sure that I will never tell him what happened in the past. That is something I need to leave there so I don’t ruin whatever this is between us. I don’t want to dirty his view of me by confessing my dark secrets. I know everyone carries around baggage in life, but mine constantly haunts me. I just want to move on and be happy.