Laid Bear by Eve Vaughn (e books for reading .TXT) 📕

Another knock on the door echoed throughout the room.

“Zora, if you don’t open up I’ll kick the door open, and I’d rather not do that.”

If she did as he directed, would he do what the blond had done downstairs? The thought sent a shiver down her spine in fear and anticipation. She moistened her now dry lips with the tip of her tongue and called out, “If I let you in, do you promise you won’t touch me?”

Her query was briefly met with silence before she received an answer. “You have my word.”

She wasn’t sure she trusted that pause, but what choice did she have? If these men had really meant her harm, would they have brought her here and taken care of her? Zora strode toward the door on wobbly legs. Her hand trembled as she fumbled with the lock and opened the door. Standing on the other side was the dark haired man she’d seen earlier.

Her eyes widened in astonishment as she got a good look at him for the first time. Like with Logan, she needed to tilt her head back in order to meet his gaze. She found herself mesmerized by a pair of deep-green eyes. It was apparent that he and Logan were related in some way. They had similar features, like their noses and their angular bone structure. But where Logan was fair, this man was dark. His midnight black hair was longer than fashionable, falling to his collar in dark waves. His lips were full and the hard, rugged planes of his face weren’t as harsh, giving him a more classically handsome look.

Though he was as tall and broad-shouldered as Logan, he had a more slender build. But it was no less imposing in his stance. Zora felt dwarfed by him. What puzzled her was how she instantly felt at ease in his presence when she had no reason to. Usually she was wary of men until she got to know them better, yet with this stranger she felt none of her usual tension. Instead, her body tingled beneath the heat of his jade stare. First Logan and now this guy? What the hell was wrong with her? When he seemed like he was going to move forward, she took a few steps back allowing him in the room.

Zora suddenly felt self-conscious of her outfit and she wished she wore more than just a pajama top. “What do you want?”

He gave her a thorough perusal from head to toe, his eyes darkening and making her even more self-conscious than she already was. Zora took another nervous step backward. His lips slanted into an easy smile. “There’s no need to be frightened. I won’t hurt you.”

Zora opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out at first. She swallowed and tried again. “And I’m supposed to know that how? I don’t know any of you men from Adam, except that you and your friends like to walk around in the buff.”

His lips turned down into a sympathetic grimace. “I regret that was our first meeting, but I hope you don’t hold that against us. Name’s Gavin Lamere.” He held out his hand to her.

Zora looked at the large, muscular hand he stretched out to her, but she didn’t take it, not trusting herself to touch him.

He didn’t seem put out by her hesitation, instead he walked farther into the room. “How are you feeling?”

His question took her off guard. What was he playing at?

“What do you mean?” she asked, taking yet another step away from him.

“Relax, I won’t bite, Zora.”

“Stop calling me that!”

He raised a dark brow. “Your name is Zora, isn’t it?

According to the identification we found on you, that’s what it is.”

“It’s my name, but you’re speaking to me as if we’ve known each other for years. We’re strangers, and I’d like it if you stopped pretending we’re old friends. I need to know where the hell I am so I can leave.”

“That’s not possible right now. First off, you have no means of transportation at the moment and you were badly injured. Though you may be feeling better, you’ll need to take it easy for the next couple days.”

He didn’t say anything she hadn’t already expected with her vehicle, but she