Chapter Two
Zora’s head felt as if it had been slammed against a wall over and over again. There wasn’t supposed to be pain in the afterlife—unless she was in hell. She’d done some not so great things in her life, but did she actually deserve eternal damnation? Her last conscious thought was that she’d die as her car went spiraling off the road, so surely she must be dead. She opened one eye and winced at the light before quickly closing it again. After waiting a moment she tried again, this time opening both eyes.
It took a few seconds for her to focus properly. Where was the fire and brimstone? And the horned red man with pitchfork in his hand? She didn’t fool herself into believing she’d done enough good in her life to get a ticket straight to heaven. Maybe she was in purgatory and waiting for an angel to tell her what good deed to perform to get past the pearly gates.
She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand to rid her head of the remaining fog. Zora took in her surroundings again. Purgatory looked like the inside of a log cabin. If she wasn’t mistaken, she was in a bedroom, one that didn’t belong to her. Attempting to sit, she winced as a sharp pain tore through the side of her body. Gasping in agony, she fell against her plush pillow again. It felt as if she’d gone several rounds with a world class boxer and had come out on the losing end.
Zora was sure she was alive now, but where the hell was she? She glanced around the room, taking in as much as she could of the rustic yet spacious area. The wood paneling, stone fireplace in the corner and western-themed décor gave the place a rural yet comfy appeal. She was tempted to lie very still and continue letting the warmth of the fire soothe her aching body. The rust-colored curtains framing the bay window in front of her bed were open, shining enough sunlight on her face to make going back to sleep impossible.
There was no telling where she was or who had rescued her. She needed to contact her cousin. Zora had told Bernice she’d be there by this afternoon. Hopefully, the owners of this cabin would lend her the use of their telephone since she had no idea where hers was. With a plan formed in her mind, she slowly eased her body to a sitting position, careful not to make any sudden, jarring moves to aggravate her soreness. It surprised her that she didn’t have any broken bones considering the severity of the accident. Perhaps she had a guardian angel looking out for her.
Moving a bit at a time, she pushed the warm down comforter off her body, slid to the side of the bed and threw her legs over the edge. A shiver stole its way up her body when her feet touched the cool hardwood floor. Slowly wrapping her arms around herself, Zora stood. For the first time, she noticed her clothes. From the looks of it, she wore a man’s flannel pajama top. She was by no means a small woman, standing at a solid five foot ten. However, the shirt fell to mid-thigh and the cuffs of the sleeves fell past her fingertips. Whoever owned this article of clothing was a big guy. She wondered if he was the one who’d undressed her.
In normal circumstances, she would have been embarrassed, but her focus was on finding the owners of this cabin or locating some form of communication to get out of here. She slowly walked out the room, groaning slightly at the movement of tight muscles. Fortunately, she found the more she walked, the less stiff her joints became, easing the ache.
“Hello?” she croaked and winced. Her throat felt parched and tight from non-use. Zora swallowed to moisten her pipes before calling out again. “Hello? Is anyone home?”
No answer.
She tapped on the door of the room next to the one she’d just vacated. When she received no response, she opened it and peeked in. Zora saw an empty bedroom decorated a lot like the one she’d been in, but with darker colors. As she continued her search, she discovered one more bedroom and a full-sized bathroom.
Making her way downstairs, she hoped to find someone around. There was something intrinsically male about the place. There were no signs of a feminine touch and it made Zora nervous. What had she gotten herself in to? There was still no sign of life or a phone. Standing in the middle of a spacious living room, she noticed men’s clothing strewn on the ground in three piles. She didn’t have time to dwell on the tidiness of her occupants before a cramp gripped her stomach. Zora clutched her midsection with a gasp before realizing she was hungry. A delicious scent assailed her nostrils, beckoning her on with its heady aroma.
Despite her misgivings, Zora followed the smell and ended up in a spacious kitchen. Her gaze immediately fell on the feast of bacon, eggs, sausage, ham, steak, fried potatoes and hash laid out on the kitchen table. Stepping closer, she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand to make sure this wasn’t some kind of mirage. The food smelled real. The serving platters the food rested on were mostly empty indicating the occupants had already eaten. Unable to resist the edible temptation before her, she grabbed a slice of bacon and took a bite. Either she was hungry or this was the best damn piece of bacon she’d ever had.
In most cases she wouldn’t be so ill-mannered as to eat her host’s food without permission, but these weren’t normal circumstances. She noticed three dirty plates stacked by the sink confirming the diners had already eaten. Since the food was still on the table, she could only assume they’d be back shortly to clear the table. But with all the leftovers. Surely they wouldn’t miss one more slice of bacon.
One slice of bacon, however, became two, then three followed by sausage, potatoes and a steak. By the time she finished pigging out, she’d put a considerable dent in the buffet. She couldn’t remember eating so much in her life, as if she hadn’t eaten for days. She groaned, clutching her belly, this time because it was full. The headache she’d suffered when she woke up with now gone, most likely from the carb infusion. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes briefly as lethargy worked its way through her body.
A loud roar from the distance brought Zora out of her near food-coma. Startled, she leaned back in her chair so far it tipped over. Fortunately she was able to gain her balance before she hit the floor.
“Shit!” Another roar ripped through the air and this one sounded even closer. Were the doors securely shut? Then a noise greeted her ear that made her heart plummet, someone fiddling with the kitchen door behind her. Hopefully whatever wild animal lurked outside didn’t have opposable thumbs.
Without bothering to turn around to see what was behind her, she rushed to the living room only to run into something akin to a brick wall. The air whooshed from her lungs and she felt herself tumbling backward before a pair of hands gripped her forearms and held her up. Not a wall at all, but a man. She lowered her gaze.
A naked man—with an obscenely large dick, which seemed to be growing harder by the second.
Embarrassed, she lifted her head and for several moments of stunned silence, she stared at the hard wall of the giant’s sculpted chest. Zora was just shy of six feet, but she still had to tilt her head back to look into the stranger’s eyes.
Handsome wasn’t a word that could be used to describe the behemoth of a man, but he had the kind of face that was hard to look away from. With short, spiky white-blond hair, his features were masculine and rough. Light-brown, thick brows slashed over deep-green eyes. His long nose was slightly off center, almost as if it hadn’t been set correctly after being broken. With a mouth that was nothing more than a thin determined line, one wouldn’t think a face like this would be so arresting, but somehow the combination of features worked for him.
This was a man’s man—the kind of man other men attempted to emulate and women wanted to be with. Zora couldn’t tear her gaze away from him. It was as if some magnetic hold kept her rooted to the spot. As her gaze remained locked with his, Zora saw a flash of emotion in his eyes that made her inhale sharply.
Hunger.
The blond hulk looked as if he literally wanted to devour her. She should have broken out of his firm hold, kicked, screamed for help even, but she remained frozen in his arms. It was almost as if she’d been hypnotized. She’d never laid eyes on him in her life, yet there was something familiar about him.
He continued to stare down at her, as though he were attempting to memorize every line and contour of her face without saying a word. Zora opened her mouth to talk, but the only thing that came out was a high-pitched squeak. She licked her parched lips nervously and his gaze narrowed even more, locking on that little movement.
Before she could make another attempt at speech, a low growl rumbled from the blond’s throat and he lowered his head. Zora had no time to react before his mouth clamped down on hers. Again her astonishment was too great to move—at first. At the feel of his tongue pressing against the seam of her lips, Zora found herself melting against his kiss.
This was absolutely crazy but her body seemed to awaken beneath his touch. He clutched a fistful of her locks and deepened the kiss, devouring her mouth as his other hand slid down her back to cup her ass. He squeezed aggressively as he exerted his dominance over her. Her nipples pebbled painfully against her shirt making her realize for the first time that she wasn’t wearing anything beneath this shirt besides a pair of panties which was now soaking wet.
With this realization, Zora shot into action. What the hell was wrong with her to give in to a kiss from a man she’d just met? She balled her fists and beat at his chest to no avail. She broke the kiss, twisting her head back and forth which did no good because he shadowed her every turn, his mouth clamped firmly back on hers. His grip in her hair tightened, resurrecting the dull throb in her head.
The blond reached between her thighs and palmed her warm sex with his large hand, holding her captive to his passionate assault. He raised his head, staring down at her with a lust-filled gaze. “You’re already hot and ready for me.” Zora whimpered and wiggled, managing to put a few inches between them, only to be dragged forcefully against his body. He pressed his erection against her pelvis and gave her hair a hard tug. Zora cried out, more in surprise than pain.
Taking advantage of her parted lips, he pushed his tongue into her mouth again. She placed her palms against his chest with every intention of pushing him away, but then something happened she didn’t expect. Her body betrayed her. Her pussy tingled and a delicious warmth spread throughout her entire being. The hands she’d meant to push him away with were now used to feel the hard planes of his body.
He released her hair and cupped her ass and lifted her off the ground, forcing Zora to throw her arms around his neck and wrap her legs around his waist. Intellectually, she knew this was all kinds of wrong. Here she was in the middle of God knows where, kissing and dry humping a naked guy she’d never met. But the need to be near him shredded all vestiges of common sense. Shyly at first, she pushed her tongue out to meet his before pulling back. Growing bolder, she did it again. He groaned and caught her tongue between his lips, sucking it hard and deep.
Zora was so caught up in the kiss she didn’t feel herself being carried the short distance to the couch. It was only when she lay on her back, crushed by his hard body that she realized how far things had gone. This was a stranger for Christ’s sake.
Turning her head to the side, she gasped for breath. “No.” The word came out as an uncertain whisper, so it was no wonder he ignored her. A large calloused palm grazed the inside of her thigh, moving higher, stopping only when it met the cloth-covered folds of her pussy.
A quiver stole its way up her spine. She couldn’t remember feeling this hot for anyone. Her panties were soaked and a fever raged through her body. Modesty dictated that she clamp her thighs together, denying him access to the most intimate part of her. Denying herself. But the part of her that hadn’t been laid in over a year screamed, hell yes!
“So wet,” he growled, his breath caressing her heated skin as he buried his face against her neck, while his fingers pushed the crotch of her panties aside to expose her wet cunt to his probing digits. “I knew you’d feel like this. Taste like this.” He bit into the side of her neck, not hard enough to break skin, but with enough pressure to sting.
Zora cried out, placing her hands against his shoulder. She should push him away, she really should, but those fingers…
As he continued to nuzzle and nip at her neck, he ran his forefinger along her wet slit before slipping past her labia. When he touched her clit, Zora arched her back, giving up all pretence of protesting. She might not be in hell now, but she was certainly going there for this.
She dug her nails into his broad shoulders, pulling him closer and wanting more of the decadent sensations he caused throughout her body. Complying with her silent pleas, he slipped his middle finger inside her wet sheath. She wiggled and bucked her hips against him.
“That’s it, baby, ride my hand,” he ordered before clamping his teeth on her earlobe, giving it a quick nip. She was no innocent by a long shot, but nothing had prepared her for the intense need that filled her from head to toe.
“Oh God, yes,” she moaned.
“Not God. Logan. Open your eyes, Zora.”
Logan. She liked the sound of it. The name suited him of the broad shoulders and good looking, rough-hewn features. Slowly, she raised her lids to meet his passion-filled gaze. How this beautiful stranger was able to make her lose her inhibitions on such a short acquaintance was a mystery to her, but she was lost from the second she laid eyes on him, enslaved when he touched her and absolutely sizzled when he said her name.
How did he know her name?
Zora didn’t have time to process the question before a gruff voice that didn’t belong to her or Logan shattered the moment.
“Just couldn’t wait, could you, Logan?”
Logan lifted his head with an impatient growl, not seeming a bit embarrassed at being caught on the couch with her. “Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?”
Zora was mortified, not only by being caught in a compromising position with a man she didn’t know, but by his nonchalant attitude as if this were something that happened to him all the time. She was almost too embarrassed to turn her head to see who’d intruded on such an intimate scene, but curiosity got the better of her.
Standing in the living room was an equally large man who looked similar to Logan with darker coloring. An equally naked large man. If that weren’t enough, another man entered the cabin, just as nude as the other two.
What the hell had she gotten herself into? Going into panic mode, Zora gathered all the strength in her reserve and gave Logan a hefty push. The element of surprise must have done the trick because he went tumbling to the ground.
Wasting no time, she jumped off the couch and ran out of the room, not bothering to look back to see if she was being chased. Not sure where to go, she took the stairs two at a time and tore down the hallway until she found herself in the room where she’d awakened. Slamming the door behind her, Zora locked and pressed her back against it before sliding to the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest and began to rock herself. This was not happening. She was stuck in a cabin with three bear-sized men who apparently liked walking around naked.
Was she destined to be unlucky with men?
Zora’s former neighbors thought she was crazy for uprooting her life in Covington so abruptly. She might have stayed had it not been for the lewd phone calls that started shortly after her grandmother’s death. The caller never revealed his identity, but it could be no one else but Dale. The ex she believed she’d never see again. She’d dated a handful of guys since attending college, but he was the first she believed herself to be in love with. With his charm, good looks and popularity, Zora was flattered when he’d pursued her.
Zora was honored to be his girlfriend, until she discovered him to be possessive, controlling, abusive and a cheater. He’d wreaked havoc on her self-esteem with his cutting words, which made it difficult for her to break up with him. Her grades suffered and she couldn’t concentrate in class.
With her academic future at stake, Zora had found the courage to break it off. As she tried to move on with her life and distance herself from him, he got really scary. Despite the restraining order, he stalked her mercilessly until a brutal event put him away for several years. The incident had left her shattered. Zora now wondered if she’d have been better off taking her chances with Dale finding her rather than dealing with the nightmare she’d landed herself in.
Logan took his time getting off the floor. His senses were still reeling from having Zora in his arms, feeling her heat, inhaling her scent and tasting her. He needed more. Had to have more. Having her in his arms had been even better than he’d imagined! He was sorely tempted to follow her up the stairs and finish what they’d started. The past several days of having her near without being able to touch or hold her had been driving him crazy.
Who would have thought after all these years he and his cousins would find their onida at their vacation retreat? Every year he, Heath and Gavin came to what they called their little corner of the world for a month to get away from the hustle and bustle of their stressful lives. This year, however, was different because it was to be their last year coming together.
It wasn’t because they no longer needed the solitude and freedom this month-long sojourn afforded them. It was because the three of them had decided they would give up the search for a woman they could mate with in order to continue their line. Each one of them was approaching forty and they all wanted the companionship only a female could provide. They also knew that if they were to settle for a ‘regular’ woman, sharing her would be out of the question. She wouldn’t be able to bear their seed, making it unnecessary to maintain the triad.
They’d decided after this particular trip they would each seek out a woman they found tolerable enough to settle down with. Because this land they’d built their cabin retreat on had belonged to their ancestors and held special meaning for them, bringing just anyone who’d never fully understand their nature wouldn’t seem right. It had been their plan to hold on to the land until they figured out what they wanted to do with it.
Logan had not been as eager as his cousins to capitulate so easily, wanting to wait just a little longer until they found the one who was meant to be theirs, but there was only one of him and two of them. So begrudgingly he’d agreed. Though he wanted to make the best of his vacation, his heart was heavy until nearly a week ago when Gavin came tearing into the cabin, carrying Zora’s broken body in his arms. It was like the gods had heard his silent prayer for intervention and granted their blessing.
For days, he’d sat by helplessly watching as his cousin did his best to heal the woman he’d known instantly was their mate. As she healed, her beauty became more apparent. Her body was a work of art, and he wanted nothing more than to sample each inch of her delectable, chocolate-colored skin. His animal half was raging to break free, to claim what was theirs, but he had to practice patience, a trait he wasn’t known for. So when he’d decided to come back to the cabin ahead of his cousins from their morning run and found her standing in the middle of their living room looking good enough to fuck, there was absolutely no way he could pass up the opportunity to do what he’d been waiting for since Gavin had rescued her. And he was damn sure not going to apologize for it.
“What the hell was that all about?” Gavin raged, yanking his jeans off the ground and sticking his legs angrily inside.
Logan stalked over to the middle of the living room and grabbed his jeans. He put them on in no particular hurry and shrugged in response to his cousin’s angry query.
Gavin, however, would not be ignored. Usually the most even-tempered of the three, it took a lot to raise his cousin’s temper to the boiling point. From the look on the other man’s face, he’d reached it. His cousin was in his face almost nose to nose. If Logan didn’t know better, it looked as if Gavin was ready to take a swing at him.
Logan narrowed his eyes and glared at his cousin, who matched his six foot seven stature. “Hey, I didn’t do anything the two of you wouldn’t have done. She’s ours, right? And if you didn’t notice, she wanted it just as much as I did.”
“That’s beside the point! We agreed to go slow with her.” Gavin pushed his index finger against Logan’s chest, emphasizing each word.
“No, you said we should. And I bet Heath agrees with me.” He turned to his other cousin who was currently shrugging on his plaid shirt.
Heath raised his head from his task as if he were unaware of the commotion. “You two already know where I stand. I’m with you, Logan. I believe we should start how we intend to continue. She has to get used to us sometime.”
Logan’s lips tilted to a self-satisfied smirk. “See Gav, I told y—”
“But Gavin has a point,” Heath interrupted. “I’ve been thinking about it for a couple days and as much as I would like to have done exactly what you did, we should at least give her a little bit of time.” He held up his hand when Logan opened his mouth to protest. “By a little bit of time, I mean at least a few days. I don’t intend to spend the rest of our vacation walking on eggshells around her. But I figure she probably doesn’t know about her heritage and that could take some getting used to. I say we give her a few days, let her get to know us better and then we make our move.”
Logan didn’t want to hear it. How was he going to keep his hands off of her when he’d already had a taste? His cousins didn’t know what they were missing, but he did. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Are you two blind or did you not see her respond to me? She’s ours. Why shouldn’t we have her?”
“Because there’s a little thing called consideration.” Gavin shoveled his fingers through his dark hair in obvious frustration. “She’s our woman—our mate, and we have the rest of our lives to be with her. What’s a few days? Although I think we should at least give her a week, maybe two.”
Logan shook his head. “Oh, hell no. Do you expect me to be calm around this?” He held his fingers under Heath’s nose, the ones that had been inside Zora. His cousin inhaled deeply and his eyes seemed to roll to the back of his head.
“I second that hell no,” Heath agreed, taking another sniff. “A few days is all I’m willing to concede. And by a few, I mean no more than three.”
Gavin twisted his face in apparent disgust. “Do you two have to be so vulgar?”
Logan grinned. “What? Do you want a whiff?”
Gavin seemed tempted but finally he took a deep breath and placed his hand on Logan’s forearm. “Look Logan, there’s so much more involved here. We at least have to contact any relatives she has who may be worried about her. Let them know she’s okay. And we have to find out what she was running from. You and I both heard her delirious ramblings. Yesterday, when I made that impromptu trip into town, I got in contact with a private detective to find out everything he could about Zora. When I go back for supplies at the end of the week, we’ll better know how to handle the situation. That will be exactly three days. Can you at least wait until then?”
“This hasn’t been any easier on me and after catching her scent it’s going to be even harder, cousin, but for her sake, I’ll find a way to manage. So if I can so can, I don’t see why you can’t,” Heath reasoned with Logan.
Logan flared his nostrils in annoyance. He knew when he was at the end of a losing battle, but dammit, his whole body ached. Just thinking about her made his cock stiffen to the point of near pain. As much as he hated to admit it, his cousins were probably right.
“Fine,” he bit out through clenched teeth. “Three days tops and then all bets are off.” Without waiting for a response, he kicked his pants out of the way and headed for the front door.
“Where are you going?” Gavin called to him.
Logan wrenched the door open. “For a run.”
Gavin raised a brow. “We just got back from one.”
Logan didn’t bother to answer because he knew if he didn’t get out of the house now, there was no holding him back from going up those stairs and claiming his woman.