Pranked

  “How do you even know about Ezra?” I asked, pushing her off of me, which only caused more laughter.

  “It’s a small town, Jas. Plus, I was there the night of the auction and I know you well enough to see how you look at him. My playboy brother is all grown up,” she teased, wiping away a fake tear.

  “So, Dad, what’s for dinner?” I squeaked out, my cheeks already red from her teasing. The fact she hit the nail on the head with my feelings for him had me even more panicked.

  “I ordered Italian, it’ll be here in ten minutes or so,” he said, “now tell us about your boyfriend.” A mischievous glint was in his piercing eyes that made him look years younger, more like that dad I knew as a kid.

  “You asshole,” I grumbled, “he isn’t my boyfriend.”

  “Yet,” Claire sang out, grabbing some snacks out of her bag for the girls, only moments before they stormed through the room again. It was like she had a mom radar for these things. Now that she mentioned him, I couldn’t resist reaching for my phone, sending him a teasing text.

  Jasper: I’m getting grilled by my family over you. Apparently our future date is town news.

  Ezra: Of course it is, lol. This town needs more excitement. I had people offering prank ideas when we were still in our prank war.

  Jasper: Who said it’s over??

  Before I could see his response, the doorbell was ringing. I got a knowing look from Claire as I rose from the table, which I, of course, rolled my eyes at.

  We fell into lighter conversation as we unpacked and dished out heaping plates of pasta, salad, and breadsticks that were just delivered. Things calmed down once food was in front of us.

  Despite our bickering on occasion, I really did love my family. Gideon had a ways to go with his outdated views, views my dad didn’t even share. I had a feeling it had to do with the crowd he hung out with, but he was a grown man in charge of his own opinions. It was up to him to come to terms with that.

  Once dinner was over I wasted no time hurrying out to my car and pulling out my phone. I couldn’t help but smile at the texts from Ezra, the panic increasing with each one. I didn’t bother to text back, instead pulling up his number and hitting the call button.

  “You were joking about pranks, right?” he asked without greeting. I laughed at his intensity; Ezra was definitely coming out of his shell.

  “I was,” I promised. “I wouldn’t want to scare you away before I can impress you.”

  “More secrets, Mr. King?” Warmth spread through me at the husky way he said my name. I wanted nothing more than to speed home and rush over to him.

  “Oh it’s mister, now?”

  “Hmm, maybe.”

  “What are you doing?” I asked after a few beats of silence.

  “Would you judge me if I said I was watching a sappy movie again?”

  “I would never judge you,” I said, meaning it. I found everything he did adorable.

  “You could join me?” he offered, sounding a bit more awake now. My dick took notice of the proposition, clearly liking the idea as much as I did.

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” I stopped off at the store to grab the stuff for hot chocolate, hoping to impress him a bit with my thoughtfulness. It was a recipe my mom taught me, and perfect for movie night and snuggles. Though I’m definitely hoping for more than just snuggles.

  Standing outside of Ezra’s shop, knocking on his door, it hit me. For the first time in my life, I wanted more. I didn’t just want sex with Ezra, which I’d be crazy not to want, he was sexy as hell. But I wanted these kind of nights, and breakfast in bed, lots of dates, friendly debates, holidays, all of it.

  His eyes lit up when they landed on me, giving an adorable awkward wave as he hurried forward. He had on a vintage Beatles tee with gray sweatpants that fit just snug enough around his hips and ass to give me a good view. I bit back a groan as he ushered me upstairs and out of the cold.

  “Tell me you like hot chocolate?” I asked, already setting it on the counter and searching his cabinets for a pot. “Dude, where are your cooking supplies?”

  “Downstairs?” he deadpanned, laughing at the shock clear on my face. “I don’t cook.”

  “You own a bakery!” I said, snatching the tiny cheap pan he had and figuring it would have to work.

  “And? I bake, not cook,” he clarified, walking to his freezer and holding it open to show a ton of premade meals and processed crap.

  “You live like a frat boy, we’re going to have to change that,” I mumbled, throwing the ingredients in the pan and searching for a whisk, which I didn’t find. I grabbed a spoon and figured it would have to do in an emergency.

  “You cook?” he asked, hopping onto the counter just out of reach of the stove.

  “I do. My mom taught me,” I said, the memory of the first time she took me in the kitchen and forced me to learn how to help her cook popping into my head. Luckily, she was a patient teacher.

  “I’m sorry about your mom,” he whispered, his own voice sounding sad. I nodded, mixing the warming liquids and glancing over at him, desperate to see his smile again.

  “How do you not own a whisk?” I asked, throwing a pointed look at the hot chocolate and the spoon in my hand. He snorted, giving a shrug.

  “I don’t need one?”

  “Yes, you do.” I glared playfully, finally turning off the stove when it was all mixed. It would need a second to cool, so I stepped between his legs and pulled him toward me. He melted into the kiss, like it was exactly what he needed to survive. Our kiss went from sweet to heated, his lips parting on a moan, giving me access. I wanted to taste him, my tongue darting out and exploring as we kissed, loving the taste of red wine on his lips. I was rock hard from his kiss alone, but I needed him more than ever.

  “Please, Jasper,” he whimpered, rocking his hips forward and cracking any hesitation I had. I wanted this to be amazing for him, no rushing… but here we were, acting like horny teenagers.

  “You sure, Sweetheart?” I asked, pulling away and studying his face. His eyes were dark with lust and he whimpered again, the sound desperate and needy and shooting straight to my cock. Please say you’re sure!

  It was like a switch flipped, my sweet, timid baker was gone, replaced by a man who knew exactly what he wanted. He slid off the counter and dropped to his knees in front of me, not bothering to ask, instead just unbuttoning my pants and yanking them and my boxers down, my cock popping out of its confines to slap against my belly, precum already leaking out at the sight of him on his knees for me. He wrapped his fingers around the base, licking the precum off of me and groaning, like it was the best dessert he’d ever eaten.

  My hands tangled in his hair as he took my length in all at once, gagging a bit at the end before he relaxed, letting me down his throat and refusing to let me pull away. I gripped his hair harder making him look up at me with heat in his eyes as I started slowly fucking his mouth. Hearing him gagging and choking on my dick made me groan. Way too soon my stomach tightened as pleasure coursed through me, an orgasm building far faster than it should have. I pulled out of his hot mouth when I was close to the point of no return.

  “I want you, Ezra. Tell me now if you’re not ready,” I commanded.

  “I’m ready,” he said, his voice low and husky, my cock twitching in appreciation. He stripped out of his clothes, leaving himself naked in front of me. I growled, loving the sight of him. He was beautiful and lithe, his body perfectly toned.

  “God, you’re perfect,” I whispered, his eyes widening in shock before I launched myself at him, moving an arm under his legs to pick him up. He took the hint and wrapped his legs around my waist, moaning as he rocked his hips forward, using my body to get the friction he needed.

  I slanted my mouth over his claiming him in a consuming kiss as we stumbled out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Once we got to the bedroom, I tossed him on the bed. He rolled over and grabbed a pack of condoms and lube from his bedside table, setting it next to him
with a smirk before lying back. Stalking forward without hesitation, I crawled over him, resting my weight mostly on my arms. He smiled as I brushed a soft kiss across his lips once, twice. Ezra tried to push up against me, but I grabbed his hands and pinned them on the bed beside him. The restraint made him moan in frustration.

  “I don’t want to go slow, I need you too bad,” he whimpered, rocking his hips up again so our dicks were rubbing together, leaving both of us breathless.

  “Well we can’t rush it,” I warned, licking my way slowly down his body, avoiding his erection that was hard and leaking. I teased his balls with my tongue, the sexy little noises coming from him made me want to see how much I could make him lose control.

  The moment my tongue moved over his hole, he bucked his hips forward, unintelligible words flowing from his mouth. I skimmed my tongue over his sensitive flesh, teasing and tasting as his body slowly relaxed enough to let me in. The moment my tongue plunged into him, he cried out, my name sounding like a prayer on his lips.

  Figuring he’d had enough torture, I reached for the lube and slicked my fingers, before slipping one inside, his body warm and tight around me. I groaned, knowing how fucking good he was going to feel once I managed to sink my cock into him.

  “More,” he begged, pulling his legs up to give me access. I added a second finger, teasing his body slowly until I felt his muscles relax, then adding a third. He hissed, making me pause for a moment to let his body adjust, I continued when he started to rock against my fingers. It snapped any of the control I had left. I reached for a condom, ripping it open and rolling it over myself, needing him more than I needed air.

  I teased his entrance with my cock, slowly pushing forward. His body resisted at first, but the moment I slid inside of him we both let out a contented sigh. He stilled, a pained whimper making me pause.

  “Should I stop?” I asked, concerned until he locked his eyes on mine.

  “Don’t you dare,” he growled, rocking his hips, the movement causing me to go even deeper, sinking in the rest of the way. His encouragement was all I needed before I pulled almost all of the way out, slamming back in until he was crying out. I didn’t think I would last long, his whimpers and moans were unraveling me just as much as the tight, heat around me.

  “So tight, you feel so good, Sweetheart,” I panted, slamming my hips into him over and over, shifting slightly each time so I could find the spot that would be his undoing. I needed him to lose control. The blissed out look on his face was something I wanted to see as often as possible.

  The moment he shifted his legs to my shoulders, he was moaning with renewed vigor, the babbling and pleading hitting a new level as I hit his prostate again and again. I loved how vocal he was, his sounds guiding me, showing me what he wanted and needed.

  He stiffened after a few more thrusts, screaming my name as cum shot over his stomach and chest, rope after rope of it decorating him. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, letting out one last grunt as I came, my orgasm slammed into me with such force that I felt dizzy.

  “Fuck, that was amazing,” Ezra whispered as I pulled out of him, tossing the condom in the trashcan near his bed before grabbing tissues off of his night stand and cleaning off his chest. I collapsed next to him as we caught our breath, both covered in sweat and panting. He curled into me, resting his head on my chest, and I couldn’t help but think how perfectly we fit together.

  “I bet our hot chocolate is cold now,” I joked, both of us laughing at how far the night went from the original plan.

  “When I can walk again, we can go heat it up and settle in for a movie,” he offered, snuggling in further. I didn’t care if we ever moved, I was happy right where I was. He belonged in my arms and I was going to convince him that this wasn’t just simple attraction, it was so much more.

  Ezra

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  The sound of my alarm had me groaning as I flung out my hand to turn it off. Blearily blinking and trying to wake up, I suddenly realized there was a heavy arm lying across my stomach and warm puffs of air against my ear. Jasper. Memories of last night had my face heating and my dick twitching. God it had been so long and it was so fucking good. Instantly my anxiety came rushing in after, but what did this mean? We’d hung out a few times but he didn’t know me, not really. Hell, I didn’t really know him.

  I could feel the panic rising but before I could spin out of control Jasper’s arm tightened around my waist pulling me against him. He nuzzled my neck as I felt his dick rub against my ass.

  “Good morning.” His voice husky from sleep sent more dirty thoughts straight to my dick making it throb.

  “Morning.” I cleared my throat trying to sound normal, but it came out as more of a squeak.

  Jasper chuckled slightly and rolled me over to face him. Jasper was something to behold during the day, but damn if he didn’t look better just waking up. He even made bedhead look somewhat attractive, which I honestly didn’t think was possible. His smile grew as he saw me taking him in and he leaned forward to brush a soft kiss against my lips.

  “You had an alarm set. Any particular reason?”

  “Alarm?” I whispered against his lips as I darted my tongue out to run along his bottom lip.

  Jasper groaned and gave me a quick, hard kiss before pulling back. “Yes. You had an alarm set for your day off? Plans?”

  I tried squinting at his slightly off tone trying to make out his expression, but it was no use. I needed my glasses. Turning slightly, I leaned over and grabbed my glasses on the edge of the bedside table and slipped them on before looking back at Jasper who was watching me carefully. I watched him for a minute before tilting my head, curious. “Are you jealous?”

  Jasper considered it then nodded his head. “Yeah, I kind of am. You went out dancing, we aren’t anything official so there’s no reason you couldn’t have met someone.”

  “After I went dancing, Leo and Jax crashed here and I talked to you. Then last night I invited you over and we had sex. Unlike some people I don’t just have sex with just anyone.” I couldn’t keep the barb from slipping out and Jasper didn’t seem too happy to hear it either as he sat up looking me over. Jasper stood up with a sigh and threaded a hand through his hair as he picked up his clothes off the floor. I just watched him as he slipped his jeans on because I wasn’t going to apologize for stating what I’d heard about him or put up with undeserved jealousy.

  “Look, Ezra.” Jasper leaned down on the bed planting his hands on either side of me. “I’m not apologizing for my past, everyone has one. So… I dated a lot of people and slept my way through quite a few. I shouldn’t have made the comment about you going out dancing, but at the same time I don’t deserve the judgement on my life either. I was supposed to volunteer at Second Chance today, but I think that’s not a good idea right now. I’ll talk to you later, Ez.”

  Jasper gave my cheek a soft kiss then he was gone. I heard him stop to grab his shoes as he opened the door then the click of the door told me he had left. I dropped my head into my hands and groaned. Why did this always happen? My anxiety always got the best of me and my mouth sometimes, too. I was such an ass. His question was from jealousy, but maybe it wasn’t that ridiculous of a question? And now that he was gone and I was replaying it in my head, his tone wasn’t accusatory but playful. I’m such an ass.

  That’s when what he said last fully sank in. Second Chance. Volunteering. Shit that’s why my alarm went off. Leo did mention he couldn’t make it today and had asked someone to fill in, but I never realized that someone was Jasper. My phone buzzed and I lifted my head enough to see it was a text from Brooks. I reached over and unlocked the screen to see what he said.

  Brooks: Ezra! There has been a family emergency so the pantry won’t be open today. Don’t worry Kat is covering starting tomorrow and I shouldn’t be gone long.

  Oh no, what happened? I hoped it wasn’t too serious, but the words ‘family emergency’ reminded me of my mother’s death and emergenc
ies were, as a rule, serious.

  Ezra: I’m sorry about whatever is happening, but if you need anything just let me know.

  Brooks: Thanks Ez. I’ll let you know.

  I threw my phone down on the bed and sighed. Well, there went any chance at a distraction today. Reaching down to the floor I swept up my sweats from last night and slipped them on. Not bothering to make the bed I walked to the bathroom and took a piss before padding out to the kitchen. Once there, I spotted the cold, hot chocolate, that Jasper had made us last night still in the pan. His mom’s homemade recipe. Why couldn’t life come with an instruction manual? I collapsed onto a barstool and stared sullenly at the hot chocolate that seemed to sit there staring back accusingly. Great, now I was giving things emotions. Maybe it was time to go back to a therapist like Leo had been suggesting.

  I worried my lip as I got up and dumped the wasted hot chocolate down the drain. I wanted to think over what happened just now with Jasper but I still felt like regardless of what he meant or didn’t mean I shouldn’t have thrown his past in his face. My eyes went back to the pan in my hand and I knew exactly what I was going to do. He was going to share his mom’s favorite recipe with me and I could tell from his voice how much his mom meant to him. I was going to share a little of my mom with him too. I was going to try.

  Nodding at my decision I dropped the pot into the sink and went to take a shower. After a brisk shower and quickly dressing I hurried down to the bakery and threw on an apron. Thankfully, I had already set myself up for Tuesday so I could make what I planned without messing up my stock for the next few days. In no time at all flour was all over and I got lost in the familiar motions of kneading dough and the heat of the ovens as they pre-heated.

  I had always wanted to own a bakery. This bakery held lots of memories of coming here with my mother as a child and pretending to be a baker. The previous owner always smiled and indulged me letting me help customers pick out the best treats. My mother was always watching with a big smile on her face and laughter at the ready when I didn’t know how to pronounce something correctly. It took me years to get croissant right.