Contracted To You-Chapter 69: Between the sheets
As they stepped inside, Janet was jolted from her sleep by the sound of rushing footsteps. Both Ezra and Evie stood there, drenched from head to toe, and she blinked her tired eyes at them.
"The rain has started?" she asked, and Evie replied while Ezra moved to shut the windows. Janet’s heart swelled at his attentiveness.
She hadn’t noticed the rain approaching because she had been sleeping soundly, completely unaware of her surroundings.
With the windows now closed, plunging the parlor into a darker ambience, Janet switched on the lamp.
The wind howled outside, and the sky was a deep gray as the rain poured down, heavy and relentless.
She turned her gaze to her daughter. "You need to change, Evie" she said, then shifted her focus to Ezra. "And you too, Ezra." Seeing how they were completely soaked and it wouldn’t be advisable if they were to remain like that.
"Of course, we’ll take care of that," Ezra responded respectfully.
"I’ll go arrange the rooms you’ll be using," Janet declared, adding, "With rain like this, it won’t stop until morning. I doubt you want to drive home tonight."
Ezra and Evie exchanged glances. "Don’t worry about the room, Mom. We can handle it," Evie insisted, not wanting to burden Janet when they could easily manage on their own.
Janet paused, observing them intently. "We’re adults," Evie said with a smile, and Janet nodded, understanding her point. She simply wanted to prepare for their stay because as the host, she wanted to ensure they felt welcome throughout their visit.
"Right, Ezra?" Evie nudged him playfully.
Ezra nodded in agreement.
Finally relenting, Janet said, "I’ll head to my room. I don’t know why, but I’m unusually tired today."
"Oh, I’ll check on you later," Evie assured her mother.
Janet nodded as she started toward her room.
"Have a good rest, Janet," Ezra said, and Janet smiled at him before disappearing to her room.
A silence settled between Evie and Ezra, his gaze fixed on her.
"We should go change," she stated, noticing his lingering look as her rain-soaked hair clung to her face and neck, her pretty yellow dress now clinging to her figure. He couldn’t tear his eyes away.
"Ezra?" She called him.
"Evie," he finally replied, captivated by her appearance, "we really should change. I don’t want you getting sick."
She pursed her lips, leading him toward the area where they would stay, but then she stopped. "You should probably change here while I take the room," she proposed.
"Why?" Ezra asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Because you’d see my body..." she whispered, "and I think the water soaked through my underwear. I need to change that too, you understand?"
"You brought extra underwear?" he raised an eyebrow, skeptical but intrigued, and she nodded firmly.
"You’re not going to follow me to the room, are you?" Evie challenged, sensing the mischief in his expression.
"I wouldn’t decline the opportunity if you invited me," he replied, the corner of his mouth twitching upward.
Evie shot him a pointed look, and he quickly turned serious.
She grabbed the bag she had left in the sitting room and began rummaging for her clothes. "The remaining clothes are yours, so get changed, and then come meet me later to clean the room," she instructed, a playful authority in her tone that made Ezra smirk.
"Aye," he replied with a light chuckle.
As Evie slipped into her room, closing the door firmly behind her, Ezra approached the bag and pulled out a fresh pair of comfortable pants.
He changed swiftly, peeling off his wet clothes and feeling the chill hit him, raising goosebumps on his skin. He slipped on a clean white shirt and joggers, reveling in the comfort of being dry. He ran his fingers through his still-damp hair; he’d definitely need a towel from Evie.
She had to have packed one; with everything she brought, it was likely.
As he approached the door to her room, he paused, deciding to give her some privacy before entering.
Knowing Evie, she would probably waste time changing into another outfit. Why did all women have to be like this?
They had a knack for dragging things out, whether it was dressing, doing makeup, or fixing their hair. Men could be ready in minutes, while women often took their sweet time.
After waiting a while, Ezra knocked on the door. Once. Twice. Then he announced, "I’m coming in, Evie."
As he opened the door, Evie cursed, pulling her shirt down. Ezra leaned against the doorway, amused by the sight before him.
"Can’t you hold on?" she shot back, brow furrowed.
"If I gave you all the time in the world, you still wouldn’t finish," Ezra replied. He knew he had indeed given her time before knocking.
Evie huffed at his words, swiftly gathering her clothes to squeeze into the bathroom, where she spread them out. "Your clothes?" she asked.
"They’re in the bag," Ezra responded coolly.
"Wet?" she asked, eyes wide.
He remained silent, and Evie shook her head in disbelief.
"You’re supposed to wring out the water and spread them. Did you even separate the jeans and the white?" she pressed.
His eyes narrowed; he might have mixed them up.
"What the hell?" Evie gasped. "It must have stained now," she said, rushing to the bag.
It wasn’t even her shirt, but she still worried about it. Ezra probably spent a lot on that shirt, yet here he was treating it carelessly.
She lifted the shirt to check for damage, only to find none.
"I don’t wear fake clothes, Evie," he said, folding his arms.
So the jeans were of good quality and wouldn’t stain the whites even when wet.
She had assumed he didn’t care or didn’t know because he had a butler to handle everything. But it turned out his clothes were just superior.
So fortunate to be rich.
"Here, wring this one out," Evie said, handing him the jeans. He took them, squeezed out the water, and she spread the white shirt before he spread the jeans as well.
A smile crossed his face as he watched her adjust the jeans he had spread.
She would truly make a great wife, he thought.
Hold on.
Why was he even considering that now?
But why couldn’t he?
When it came to Evie, he felt an urge to take action immediately.
"We don’t have much to do in the room. Just clear the bed and sweep," Evie said, noting that the room was fairly clean but needed a quick dusting and some sweeping.
"Got it," Ezra replied, and she designated him the task of sweeping, which he accepted without complaint.
Evie moved to the bed, clearing away the clothes and tossing on a clean sheet, tucking it into the corners.
Ezra finished sweeping first; the room was not particularly large, but it was manageable for the two of them. He joined her by the bed to straighten the pillows.
When Evie tossed the last pillow into place, she flopped onto the bed, arms spread wide, kicking her feet out as she giggled. Ezra smiled and joined her.
It was that perfect moment when rain was falling, and the sheer joy of kicking feet on the sheets was undeniable. Evie was engulfed in that serene feeling.
"Wanna cuddle?" she asked.
Ezra, ever the man he was, didn’t hesitate. He pulled her in close as they wrapped the duvet around themselves.
This felt incredible, Evie thought. Being so close to Ezra, enveloped in his warm, masculine scent, she smiled against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she loved being held like this, wishing she could stay there forever.
But then a mischievous thought crossed her mind. She raised her hand, trailing her fingers up Ezra’s arm.
Unbeknownst to her, her actions stirred something within him. Ezra clenched his teeth to keep himself in check.
"Stop doing that," he whispered.
"Why?" Evie blinked innocently, looking up at him.
"Don’t you like it?" she asked, her voice laced with seduction as her hands kept moving, tickling Ezra. His grip around her waist tightened.
"You haven’t answered, Ezra," she said sweetly, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"What?" he groaned, and she relished in the sound he made. His shirt wasn’t too thin or thick, but he could feel an electric current as her fingers danced across his chest. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
"Do you like it?" she asked again, and he found he couldn’t respond.
