Jake smiled. “Yep. We made that pact, and we’ve never been apart for longer than a few weeks. We all went travelling in our twenties to see a little of the world.”
“You all came back here?”
Jake nodded his head. “I guess there is no other place to settle down than where you grew up.”
Zoe smiled. The only place she’d considered home was where she lived before her parents died. No way would she be going back to that place. The pain of it was too hard for her to bear.
“This is your home now, Zoe,” Jake said.
She stared at him wondering what he was implying.
“Your home is with us.”
“This really is not a one-time deal, is it?” she asked.
“I think you already knew that.”
Zoe blushed when her stomach growled. Jake chuckled. “I think that is my cue to leave and let you get dressed.”
She watched as he moved towards the closet. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a checkered shirt. “Here, we bought you these.”
“You got me clothes?”
“Yeah, we all started buying stuff for you six months ago.” Zoe climbed out of the bed, wrapping the sheet around her waist. She went straight to Jake and hugged him close. No one, besides her parents, had ever gone out with the intention of buying her something. His arms surrounded her. She felt tears well up in her eyes. The emotion was too intense and unexpected.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Where it comes to you, Zoe, nothing is ever too much.”
****
Jake walked down the stairs giving Zoe some privacy. He knew the clothes had made her happy. The tears he’d seen in her eyes were evidence of that. Brent was at the counter reading the morning paper while Connor was pulling out another tray of croissants from the oven. He knew Connor was dealing with a little bit of guilt. Understandable considering what the bastard had done last night.
“How is she?” Connor asked.
“Fine.” He poured himself a mug of coffee and waited for the woman in question to arrive. She’d looked so soft and inviting in her bed. Jake had wanted to get rid of his clothes and join her. Work, however, was on the cards for him.
“Do you really think she’s going to eat all this?” Brent asked, pointing at the plate of pancakes, the two dozen croissants along with eggs and bacon. “I bet she doesn’t touch this food.”
Jake laughed at the glare Connor sent Brent. It was obvious Connor had been dealing with his guilt and not thinking clearly.
“She needs to keep her strength up.”
“If she eats all this, she’ll need her strength to carry her out of the door.”
“Look, why don’t you stick to writing porn, and you stick to whatever it is you do. I’ll handle the cooking.”
They still hadn’t figured out what he did to earn his extra money. He loved being anonymous with his time. The attic room upstairs which he’d converted to a studio was incredibly private.
“I don’t write porn. I write erotic romance.”
“Same difference,” Connor said.
A growl emitted from Brent.
“There is a huge difference actually,” Zoe said, standing in the doorway. They all were startled and turned towards her.
The jeans were a perfect fit, and the checkered shirt moulded to her curves perfectly.
“You’re a writer?” she asked with her gaze on Brent.
“Yes.” Jake laughed when he saw the blush stain Brent’s cheeks.
“And you write saucy romances for women?”
“And men. Just because we’ve got dicks doesn’t mean we don’t like a little bit of hot romance either.”
“You sound like a girl,” Connor said.
“Coming from the guy who owns a pink standing mixer,” Brent said.
Zoe chuckled. “Not only that, you do bake.”
“Baking makes me a girl?”
“No, but in the past it was considered to be a woman’s place in the kitchen. I guess in this partnership, you’re the woman,” Zoe said.
Connor advanced on her. Within seconds he had her pinned against the refrigerator.
Jake watched to see Zoe’s reaction. She was smiling at Connor, and her body was completely open to him.
“Do you need me to remind you how much of a man I am?” he asked.
He watched her rub her hand against Connor’s crotch. She was teasing, and he saw the sparkle in her eyes.
“Why would I want to do that when you walk away afterwards?” She pulled out of his hold, kissed Jake on the lips and then did the same for Brent.
The message rang throughout the kitchen. She was pissed at Connor and showing him by taking favour with Jake and Brent.
“I didn’t think you’d want me after,” Connor said. His arms were folded over his chest. Jake saw the defensiveness inside his friend.