Page 34 of Laid Bear

Chapter Eleven

It felt like she’d fallen into a fairy tale. Or at least a very sexy fantasy she didn’t want to wake up from. Zora stretched, throwing her arms over her head like a content, well-fed cat. She reached out to find the spot next to her empty. The other side of her was bare as well. She popped her eyes open and she sat up. She was the only one in bed now, even though she’d fallen asleep sandwiched between Logan and Gavin. Heath had opted to sleep in his own bed once playtime was over because he had to get up early for an important meeting and didn’t want to disturb them.

Missing her men, Zora slid out of the custom-made bed that was larger than any she’d ever seen. She yanked the sheet off and wrapped it around her body. She glanced at the clock to see it was nearly noon. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept in so late, but then again, her men had kept her up most of the night, fucking her mercilessly. Most mornings she woke up with a sore throat from screaming their names over and over again. And she loved every second of it. A smile curved her lips as she remembered the activities of the night before. She knew Heath and Logan were probably at work, but she wasn’t sure if Gavin had gone in to his practice yet.

It had been two weeks since they’d left the cabin and she was still adjusting to her new life. While her men had assured her they’d be more than able to provide for her, she was surprised when they brought her to their main residence. The cabin had been rustic and simplistic, but this mansion was something out of one of those television shows where celebrities showed off their glamorous homes.

They’d already told her their occupations—: Gavin was a physician, Logan ran a small business and Heath worked for a large corporation. What they didn’t tell her was Gavin had his own practice and the small business Logan ran was the flagship shop for one of the largest outdoor retailers in the country. Heath was the CEO of a food processing company which all the cousins apparently owned huge shares in, making them extremely wealthy. In fact, Zora felt like a fool for not connecting the dots when they’d told her their last names. The Lameres were well-known in the business world, not only for their success, but for the several charitable organizations they headed. Their names had even been mentioned in one of her business classes. They’d started with one small shop, which turned into what it was now. She admired their tenacity and drive, but best of all, even with all their success, they’d stayed humble.

Walking across the landing, she inspected the architecture of the house. The intricate details along the walls like the crown molding and the cathedral ceiling and the little knick-knacks that were strategically placed in each room spoke of great taste and wealth without being ostentatious. When they first gave her the tour of the house, they’d told her what every woman dreamed of hearing—she’d have free reign to redecorate the house as she pleased. She loved what was already done, but there were a few of her own touches she wanted to add.

It was hard to believe how only a month ago, her prospects seemed bleak, but now not only was she living in a beautiful home, she’d found the loves of her life.

As she walked toward the kitchen, she heard Gavin’s voice. She paused when she heard him speak in a tone she wasn’t used to. She eased closer to the door without making her presence known.

“What the hell do you mean? If it’s not—” He stopped abruptly.

Who was he talking to?

“Dammit, I don’t want to hear any more excuses. Find out for sure and I expect you to report back to me as soon as you know. Do we understand each other?” Another pause. “Good. See that you do that.”

Even though she’d only known her men for a short time, there was no way Gavin would talk to one of his staff in that manner.

“Zora, you can come in,” he called out.

She poked her head in the kitchen feeling sheepish. “How did you…?”

He turned to her, his smile wide. “Honey, I caught your scent the second you started down the stairs. It’s hard for you to sneak up on me.”

She laughed, moving into his outstretched arms. Zora raised her head for his kiss but paused, remembering the phone conversation. “Who were you talking to on the phone?”

For a second she thought she saw his smile falter, but it happened so quickly she could have imagined it. “Oh, nothing important, just handling a little business.”

“So if it wasn’t that important, why were you talking to the person like that? Sounded pretty serious to me.”

“Like I said, it was nothing.” He began to kiss her neck.

A wave of heat seared through her body and she felt her equilibrium slowly slipping away. He was trying to distract her, of that she knew for sure. Using her last bit of will power, Zora pushed away from him. “Gavin, we promised to be honest with each other, remember? If it’s not important, I’m not sure why you can’t tell me who you were on the phone with.”

He sighed, seeming reluctant to answer. “It’s a guy I hired to do some business for me. It’s not working out the way I’d anticipated.”

“What kind of business?”

He caught her face between his hands. “Zora, do you trust me?”

There was something in his eyes that compelled her to let this thing go. “Of course. I’ve told you I do.”

“Then trust that when the time is right, I’ll tell you everything you want to know. Right now, I can’t do that for reasons I don’t want to get into. Can you accept that?”

She wanted to argue, but sometimes one had to pick and choose their battles and this wasn’t one she wanted to fight. For now, she’d be patient and wait for him to tell her when he was ready. “Can I ask if it was someone from your office?”

“You may, and no, it wasn’t.”

“Good. I’d hate to think you spoke to your staff like that, although I didn’t think you would. You’re way too nice for that.”

He raised a dark brow, his lips curling in amusement. “Nice, huh?”

“Yes. You’re too much of a sweetheart to be mean to anyone…except whoever it was on the phone.”

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