Broken Open. Lauren Dane

sniff him. Don’t sniff him. Don’t sniff him.

      The moment stretched between them like a physical thing until he finally stepped back and turned, resuming their walk to her car.

      She unlocked her driver’s-side door, using that time to get herself in order before she leaped on him.

      She turned back to face him. “Thanks again for dinner. Oh, and for preventing a broken bone when I nearly slipped.”

      His mouth did a thing and it was impossible to look away.

      Mainly because it was perfection. Fringed by a minky pelt of a beard she wanted to get all up in. It was messing with her thinking. Like a magical item. Beard of confusion, ha!

      But the thing? She’d noticed over dinner that sometimes as she talked, he’d look at her mouth and then he’d lick over his bottom lip as if he was thinking about tasting her. That sweep of his tongue was like a physical stroke against her skin.

      Yes, she liked the thing a lot.

      She shivered, this time from the cold. He popped open the three buttons lining the front of his wool peacoat and opened it, inviting her.

      There was nothing else to be done but take those steps into the warm circle of his embrace, sliding her arms around his waist.

      Tuesday tipped her head back to see him better, stilling as their gazes locked a moment before his attention shifted to her mouth. And he did that thing again.

      She sucked in a breath this time.

      He heard. She knew it because his pupils got very big.

      Everything got very far off. Sounds all around them died away until only Ezra and Tuesday remained.

      And then his mouth was on hers, the arms holding the coat around her tightened as he pulled her to him.

      Snug.

      Body to body until there was no mistaking how interested he was in her.

      Musician wasn’t the only word Ezra could apply gifted to.

      Oh. Well. Yes, please.

      A breathy groan of appreciation came from her and he seemed to lick it from her lips.

      It was too much. So much her heart pounded and she fought the desire to run from him.

      She hadn’t felt anything this powerful with a man since Eric died.

      Maybe not even then.

      She shoved that far away.

      Despite it being too much she wanted more. Throbbed with an overwhelming need to roll around in everything Ezra brought to the table.

      Her teeth grazed his bottom lip and she loved the way his beard felt as she did it. She licked over it, squirming to get a little closer.

      “Fuckyeah,” he muttered right before his tongue slid into her mouth and his taste burst over her.

      Vanilla and a touch of brandy from the pears they’d shared after dinner. A little hint of coffee and whatever superendorphin he made with all that hotness.

      He kept on, his weight holding her in place against the car.

      Inside his coat, the heat of him burned her. But she wasn’t sweating from that.

      Her heart thundered in her head.

      Finally he pulled back a little, sucking in a breath. His gaze was on hers, open. There was pain there with desire and appreciation. Vulnerability.

       Please don’t apologize or say I should forget it.

      After long moments of silence, no apologies or panicked expectation management issued from him and she breathed a little easier even as his taste still lived on her mouth.

      Those deep brown eyes shifted his attention to her lips and then back to her gaze.

      A smile hinted at the corners of his mouth. “Was that my bounty for saving you from a fall?”

      She pursed her lips a moment, enjoying the flirting, and then smiled back. “Maybe.”

      “I’m always willing to take payment for services or goods via your mouth.”

      She swallowed. Excited and nervous. Flattered. Turned on. “So I guess I’m rooting for a long, icy winter then, huh?”

      He snorted a laugh, letting go and stepping back. The cold reasserted itself with a slap, which made it a little easier to think again.

      “Thanks for making my day a hell of a lot better, Tuesday Eastwood.” He opened her door.

      “Yes. What you said.”

      He kissed her again quickly. “I’ll be seeing you around. You coming to the shows next week?”

      Sweet Hollow Ranch, the band Ezra and his brothers created, was set to drop an album and do a short winter and spring tour.

      Ezra still wrote, recorded and produced the band’s material, but he’d left touring behind once he’d got out of rehab and taken stock of his life.

      And now, for the first time in years, Ezra was set to be back onstage with them at a few small fan club secret shows to try out new material before they left for the full tour.

      She imagined he was probably excited and nervous about it at the same time. He seemed so capable, though; she bet he wasn’t too worried about it.

      “We’ll definitely be at the shows. Nat and I are driving in together so I’ll see you then.” She got in her car and he closed the door. Two knuckle raps on the roof and he moved away so she could pull the car out and head home.

      He watched her until she turned the corner but she felt his mouth on her skin for hours.

CHAPTER TWO

      Now: May

      EZRA KNEW WHEN Tuesday had arrived backstage. Every time she was near, an arc of electricity shot up his spine as his hyperawareness seemed to draw them closer to one another. He turned to watch her move through the crowd, that fucking magnificent head of curls setting her apart.

      Natalie, Tuesday’s best friend and Ezra’s brother Paddy’s girlfriend, was at her side. The two of them made a picture. Both beautiful in totally different ways. Both fierce and a little wounded.

      Maybe a lot wounded. The closer he got with his brother’s girlfriend, the more he admired just what she’d overcome. He was uniquely positioned to understand wounded and to not judge it, either.

      Natalie squeezed Tuesday’s hand before she came over to Ezra. “Ezra, you’re looking very handsome tonight.” She kissed his cheek and gave him a hug.

      “Thank you, sweetheart. I’m glad to see you here. Glad you and Paddy patched things up.”

      Behind Natalie, his sister-in-law, Mary, had waylaid Tuesday so he forced himself to be patient.

      “I hear you were a pretty big part of that finally happening. He probably won’t admit it, but Paddy was so lost without your guidance.”

      Paddy hadn’t just said a bunch of stupid, hurtful stuff to Natalie, he’d said a lot to Ezra as well and then didn’t contact either one of them as he spiraled closer to the edge.

      Luckily, his brother wasn’t as dumb as he was pretty and he’d got his shit straight and made up with Ezra and Natalie both.

      “Sometimes you just need to hear someone tell you what you already know.”

      “You’re very wise. It must be why you look at my best friend the way you do.”

      He scoffed and then made a shooing motion at her. “Go on. Paddy is killing himself not rushing over here.”

      She gave him one last quick kiss on the cheek and