Page 12 of Savage Romance
I hope to God there’s lots of strong coffee with that breakfast. Zoe needed at least two cups of decent java before her brain started to function in the morning. And it turned out she needed all her faculties when around this man.
A little over twenty minutes later, she went to find the person she’d expected to hate on sight and was now married to. Her recent memories of Michael and the way Dennehy acted around her didn’t add up with her earlier beliefs. From what she observed, Dennehy was well-liked and respected by his friends and their spouses, and although his staff held a healthy dose of esteem for their boss, they didn’t fear him.
She rubbed her temple. It just didn’t make sense.
Coffee. I need coffee.
Chapter Nine
As they returned to work the following week and settled into their married life, Ben took it upon himself to bring Zoe a cup of coffee first thing every morning. It didn’t take much time for him to discover Zoe wasn’t a morning person, and she needed a strong brew to switch her mind on.
They also made love several times each night, and where Ben had worried about getting bored by bedding the same woman night after night, he discovered he enjoyed the deeper connection he had with his wife. Fucking had never been bad for him, but with Zoe, it held something extra special he couldn’t put a name to at the moment. Aside from ordering her around a bit in the bedroom, he hadn’t taken out his rope to play but she responded well to his commands. At least, when it came to sex.
On Wednesday, he came out of the bathroom with a towel around his hips and smiled as he discovered her sipping from the cup.
She flicked her gaze to him but didn’t lower the cup from her lips. His grin widened.
Definitely not a morning person.
Still, their marriage wasn’t one-sided at all. Zoe made life easier for Ben by taking over directing the cook and cleaners at the mansion, and she had his Kansas City hotel running without a hitch. Not only did she fix the problems within the housekeeping department with efficiency, but she also took care of the unhappy event planner with tact and people skills. Every single employee was happier and more relaxed these days.
Ben stumbled to a halt as he entered the walk-in closet. He hated to pick out his suits and ties and having to match them with the right shirts was a nightmare. He’d tried to convince his personal shopper to stick to white shirts, but according to the expert, he needed to keep up with fashion and not dress bland and boring. Even so, the hassle of combining ensembles—knowing nine out of ten times he chose wrong—added stress to Ben’s mornings.
Why can’t modern-day billionaires have valets like eighteen-century nobilities?
Again, he glanced at the contents of his side of the closet. It looked… different.
Soft scuffling behind him alerted Ben of Zoe’s approach. He half-turned and raised his eyebrow. Leaning against the doorjamb, she looked adorably disheveled: bed hair, oversized T-shirt, and a sleepy expression. The coffee hadn’t kicked in yet, and he was dying to know what she wore underneath the shirt—probably nothing. He stalked toward her, but she held up a hand with a lopsided smile. “You need to be on your conference call in twenty minutes.”
Ben growled his annoyance, but, of course, she was right.
It was something else she’d begun to do, keeping track of his meetings and appointments.
Fuck if I don’t like how she takes care of me.
Speaking of… “Did you do this?”
Shielding her face with her hair, she gave him the barest bow of her head, and sucked on her bottom lip. It wasn’t anywhere near a satisfactory answer as far as he was concerned. He didn’t know how such a competent and alluring woman could be so insecure. It had him wondering about her upbringing. She never spoke of family, parents, or siblings. Was she alone in this world?
“Seriously, you really did all this?” He repeated the question as he gestured toward the inside of the closet but kept his attention on her.
She took a hesitant step forward. “Uh-huh.” She peeked up at him from under thick eyelashes.
“Wow.”
Once she was in arm’s reach, he pulled her in front of him, her back against his front, and turned to face the rows of rearranged clothes.
“Can you explain to me what you did?”
Her shoulders stiffening, she said, “If there’s anything you don’t like, I can change it. Put everything back as it was.”
“I’m not sure what you did, but I think I like it just fine already.” The corner of his mouth curled. Zoe might be confident in her job, but in their relationship, she bumbled about as much as Dorothy after she started her journey on the yellow brick road.
Well, if she resembles Dorothy, that will make me the Tin Woodman and I would swear I could already feel the emptiness inside my chest being filled more every day I spent with her.
He squeezed her shoulder to reassure and comfort her. “Show me, darlin’.”
“Oh, okay.” She squirmed in his arms and looked over her shoulder at him. “I noticed how you have these lovely clothes but appear to find it hard to choose from them.”
