embarrassing. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“He doesn’t seem like the type who’d want to be tied up.”
“Never know until I try it,” Liam purred, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.
Chris’s eyes widened and Zoe felt her cheeks get even hotter. This was so embarrassing.
“It’s rude to eavesdrop,” she snapped, choosing to ignore that she’d done it to him just the other day.
“How else would I know if I need to kill him or not?” Liam kissed that spot on her neck he loved so much like he hadn’t just threatened her best friend.
Zoe glared at him over her shoulder. “Don’t kill him.”
“Anything you say Zoe.” Liam grinned down at her. “Food is ready.”
“Ah, it all makes sense now,” Chris teased, pushing off the counter and heading for the stairs. “Did you know that Zoe loves homecooked food but refuses to cook herself?”
“I spent most of my life cooking,” she snapped, letting Liam pull her along. “I worked my ass off, so I never had to cook again.”
“And you never will,” Liam promised, running a soothing hand down her spine. “I’ll cook for you every day.”
Warmth spread through her chest, and Zoe had never felt anything quite like it. She felt cherished and loved – it made her feel complete in a way she hadn’t felt since before her mother had left. Tears pricked her eyes as she followed Liam and Chris up the stairs to the main level, blinking them back as much as possible before they saw her about ready to cry.
It wasn’t just the promise Liam had made her – it was the absolute confidence he had that he would be there to cook for her. There was no doubt in his mind that he would always be there to make sure she ate and had outlets for her anger and irritation like exercise and sex.
Zoe had always taken care of others and it was what made her feel safe, in control, and protected. But taking care of Liam didn’t have to look the same as the way he took care of her. It was something she didn’t think she’d ever want, but this…
This was worth everything.
“What do you like to eat?” Liam asked, taking two plates full of food from his twin, Noah.
She watched him set them on the table next to each other before he pulled out his chair for her. Zoe could feel Chris and Noah watching them, but she pretended like they weren’t there as she quietly thanked Liam.
“I’m not a picky eater,” she admitted, settling a napkin on her lap. “I’ll try anything once.”
“She literally ate bugs once when we went to Thailand,” Chris told Liam, sitting down across from her. “This other time she ate a scorpion.”
“Chris threw up just watching me,” Zoe admitted, smiling slightly when Liam set hot cocoa in front of her before sitting down.
“It was the way it crunched. Then she snapped the tail off!” Chris shuddered and eyed Noah sitting down next to him. “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten?”
Her mate grinned as he tossed a piece of bacon in his mouth. “Do you really want to know?”
Chris’s face turned a little green, but he nodded anyways, and Zoe hid her grin with her mug of cocoa.
“Raw rabbit is the best thing you’ve ever tasted,” Noah said, leaning in close to Chris like he was telling him a secret. “It’s the way the blood gushes in your mouth.”
“Raw rabbit is nothing compared to some tasty Bambi though,” Liam said, grinning as Chris’s face turned even greener. “But that’s probably not the weirdest thing I’ve ever eaten.”
“Durian fruit is probably the worst thing I’ve ever eaten,” Noah admitted, making a face. “That smell was an assault to my very sensitive nose.”
Zoe found herself smiling more than usual as she listened to the three of them chat and talk while they ate. It was exactly what she needed to soothe the jagged edges of her mood after dealing with Rodriguez begging her to come back.
But strangely, Zoe had no desire to go back to Salem Hospital. She did want to keep working as a nurse, and preferably in an ER. La Grande had a few hospitals and an urgent care per her quick search online.
Staying with this pack still wasn’t something she was sure she wanted to do, but Liam had mentioned there was a townhouse in Portland and no one there to really monitor the city. He’d presented that as an option as well, and Zoe was