Hissy Fit (The Southern Gentleman #1)(22)

Then I realized what I’d done, and immediately let him go.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I didn’t mean to touch your butt.”

Ezra laughed, and all of a sudden, we were once again in the bathroom, the light of the candle illuminating the entire tiny space.

Ezra set me down on my feet, and then grabbed both towels off the towel rack and started wiping down the small tub that looked to be half the size of a normal shower.

“This is quite a shower,” I teased as I turned off the flashlight and set it down next to the candle.

He looked at me over his shoulder and winked, and I tried not to melt into a puddle of goo right there on the floor by his feet.

There was only so much sexy Ezra that I could take…

“I guess that’s good enough,” he murmured. “Let me go grab the blankets and pillows from the couch. From the sounds of it, we’re going to be here a while.”

I cleared my throat and said, “Do you mind if I, uh, use the facilities while you’re gone?”

He snorted. “Hurry. I don’t want to get picked up by the tornado.”

I did hurry, because the thought of no longer having Ezra’s pretty face to look at actually had my heart panging in my chest.

I may not ever have Ezra, but at least a girl could look.

After washing my hands and yanking the door open, I was surprised to see Ezra standing there with an armful of blankets and pillows. “Where did you get all this?” I asked. “I only saw the one comforter.”

He grunted. “I raided my sister’s hall closet.”

Grinning, I backed out of the way and allowed him to throw every last bit of his burden into the floor of the shower. “Come on,” he urged.

I followed him down into the makeshift pallet, and then laughed when I saw him pull out his comforter and bring it over the top of us.

After some situating, he ended up with his back against one side of the tub, and me with mine against the other. His legs were tangled up with mine, and he was chuckling as he tried to find a more comfortable position.

“How does someone as tall as you get into this tub?” I wondered aloud as I scrunched up my feet.

Finally, I just gave up and stretched my legs out over his chest, which he gladly allowed me to do because it gave him way more leg room—legs in which he stretched out on either side of me, one foot going up under one armpit, and hanging out on the other side.

“I am much shorter than you and I barely fit in here.” I grinned teasing him. “I take it you don’t take baths very often.”

He snorted. “I don’t have time to take baths. I’m lucky enough to find time to take a shower.” He paused. “Sometimes I have to take them at the school.”

I could imagine.

“I know you’re busy.” I giggled. “That’s why I had to take over your sex-ed class, remember?”

He scooted himself over a little more, and then he leaned his head back and watched me.

“My nephew told me you were scared to death to teach that class,” he said hesitantly. “Are you?”

The blunt honesty in his question had my belly dropping.

I hadn’t realized that I’d been that transparent.

“I…” The loud boom of thunder overhead, followed by what sounded like a tree falling, had both of us tensing.

“Shit,” I whispered. “Does your sister have any trees?”

Ezra shrugged. “No. Not any that would make that sound when it fell.”

Both of us waited to see if we could hear more, and while we were waiting, Ezra absently took one of my feet—which were bare—into his hands and began massaging it.

I couldn’t help it.

I moaned.

I’d worn my prettiest, sexiest pair of shoes that I could find. However, the downside of the cuteness of those shoes was how freakin’ uncomfortable they were.

My toes curled when he hit one particularly sore spot.

“Sore?” he questioned.

I peeked open one eye and nodded at him. “Those shoes I wore today kill my feet.”

“Then why do you wear them?” he persisted.

Because they make my ass look good, and my legs look less stumpy.

“Because they matched my outfit,” I lied.

He made a sound of amusement in his throat, and I shifted again, feeling the stirring of arousal once again hit me.

God, I wanted the man more than anything.

“I never understood the appeal,” he murmured. “When I went pro for that first year, they forced us to wear suits and shit. The shoes were the worst. I swear to Christ, I dreaded game days just because I’d be forced into them.”

I smiled, which was followed shortly after by a shiver as the building around us started to shake.

I swallowed as fear started to clog my throat.

“Swear to God,” I murmured, seemingly to myself. “I never wanted to die a virgin.”

Everything froze.

His breathing. My breathing. The pounding rain and the ear-piercing wind.

Hell, I couldn’t even hear the tornado sirens anymore.

What was meant to come out barely a whisper sounded like an atomic bomb being dropped in the middle of Ezra’s miniscule bathroom.

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and started to count down from twenty in my head.