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

his two-legged form. Logan walked inside to see his cousins in a deep conversation. Zora was not in sight. “Where’s Zora?”

“Taking a nap. She had a busy morning.” Heath’s tone was even but his expression said it all.

“You two rode her hard, huh? No matter. I’ll get my time with her later. What were you two talking about?” He asked, grabbing the pair of jeans he had thrown over the couch.

“Actually, we were talking about Zora. Not sure if you’ve noticed it, but she’s seemed a little distant these last couple days.”

Logan nodded. “Guess we’re all on the same page, because I was just thinking about the same thing and for the life of me, I can’t figure what that’s all about.”

“Yeah, she seemed happy to be here with us, but now it feels like she’s holding a part of herself away from us. It’s like she’s shut down,” Heath added.

Gavin nodded. “That’s pretty much what I noticed too. The only time she actually lets down her guard is when we’re intimate, and even then there’s a slight disconnect that wasn’t there before. Maybe she thinks this is simply a vacation fling?”

Logan raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“How the hell could she possibly think that when we’ve explained to her how much she means to us?”

“It could have something to do with someone from her past. I know we agreed we wouldn’t intrude on her thoughts without permission, but like you guys, I’ve felt her pull away in the last few days. It’s frustrating as hell.” Heath pounded his fist into his palm.

“So are you going to tell us what you found out or leave us guessing?” Logan demanded.

“I didn’t delve too deeply, but I believe she’s frightened.

Someone from her past has hurt her and she still carries the pain with her.”

“Maybe it’s her parents. She’s estranged from them. So maybe she still has some unresolved issues there,” Gavin theorized.

Heath shook his head. “No, that’s not it. I think she’s at peace with the idea of her parents’ lack of affection. It’s something else. A man. Someone she may have been in a relationship with. I believe he hurt her.”

Logan’s blood boiled at the thought that someone could hurt their woman to the point where she would still carry the wounds. If he found the fucker responsible, he’d rip him apart and eat his entrails. “Who was it?” he bit out between clenched teeth.

“I’m not sure. But I intend to find out,” Heath answered.

Logan had no desire to pussyfoot around the issue. He wanted to know now. “So do I.” He pushed away from the table and strode out of the room.

“Where are you going?” Gavin was on his feet in an instant.

“To get answers.”

“Let her rest,” Gavin and Heath said at the same time.

Logan wasn’t going to be put off. “She can rest later.”

His cousins stood up as well, but they all stopped in their tracks once they caught a familiar scent. Leaning against the doorframe was Zora.

“No point in coming to get me, I couldn’t sleep. I heard the tail end of your conversation.” She seemed a bit distracted, worried even, and Logan’s protective instinct kicked in.

He closed the short distance between them and pulled her into his arms. He loved the way she melted against his body, the perfect fit. Dropping a kiss on the crown of her head, Logan whispered, “Babe, you’ve got to tell us what’s going on with you. You’ve been shutting yourself off from us and I don’t like it one bit. We don’t like it. Whatever problem you have is also ours.”

She raised her head to look up at him, the worry in that deep brown gaze evident. “It’s… Never mind. It’s nothing really.”

Heath walked over to them. “It is something if it’s bothering you and causing this disconnect between us.

Everything was perfect these past weeks, but the past few days, you’ve been pulling away from us. Don’t you think we deserve to know what’s going on?”

Gavin joined them, standing on the other side of Logan.

“Yes. We love you, Zora. Of course, whatever it is