Her nose wrinkled as she wiggled next to him, then she yawned and stretched. "But we're both still really, really hungry."
Simon laughed and squeezed her close before beginning to untangle himself. "Then I'll feed you."
He pulled on sweatpants after he tucked her in, and headed for the door. He braced for four sets of raised eyebrows in the kitchen, but only Ethan waited downstairs. And Ethan knew better, though he couldn't quite hide a smirk as he slid a pair of steaks into the skillet. "Just going upstairs to get clothes, huh?"
Simon frowned at the giant platter of fried fish, tortillas, avocado, scrambled eggs, and salsa on the island. "This for me?"
"Of course. When you didn't reappear after a couple of minutes, I sent the guys off to work. And then the moaning started, so I took a nice long walk." Ethan gave him a sideways look. "You might have to speed up the timeline for building the cabin out back, friend, or none of the guests will get any sleep."
Simon refused to be embarrassed, but a bit of heat gathered in his cheeks as he dug through a drawer for some utensils. "I'll get right on that. Maybe mind your business."
"Maybe gag the girl," Ethan said under his breath, then dodged as Simon aimed a kick at him. "Or at least invest in some soundproofing for the walls and door."
"Are the guests still scheduled to check in tomorrow?"
"Yes. Cooper will pick them up in town and drive them up." Ethan frowned at the steaks, flipping them before he leaned back on the counter to face Simon. "And the wrecker dragged the Land Rover back up here so we can try to fix it or chop it for parts. Luckily it was Mel, not his cousin, so he didn't blink when we told him the girl survived. He just assumed she's like us."
Simon ran his hands through his hair. Great. Because Rosie met the girl at the bar and knew perfectly well Zoe wasn't a shifter. If Mel ended up back in town and mentioned it to the bartender, Simon would have a great deal of explaining to do. Shifters policed themselves, and the community wouldn't like someone being turned without giving permission first. But he only picked up the platter of food. "We'll be down later. Maybe."
Ethan snorted and returned to the steaks. "Don't worry about it. We're going to town for dinner. Coop'll stay the night so he doesn't have to drive back down tomorrow for the guests. So you and the girl can be as loud as you want."
"Great. Maybe you should all stay down there. Call when you're headed back, though. So we can clean up." Simon took the stairs two at a time, already thinking of laying blankets in front of the fireplace and spreading Zoe out in the flickering firelight. Lust surged at the mental picture of her smooth skin and soft curves on display on the soft sheepskin rugs.
He definitely needed to build that cabin.
Simon managed to shoulder the door to her room open and kick it closed without dropping the food, and eased through the dim room to sit on the bed next to Zoe. Her green eyes reflected the light at him as she stretched and sat up, the sheets falling away until her round breasts distracted him still more. Simon cleared his throat as he offered her the food. "Eat, Zoe. It's all for you. I'm going to take a quick shower."
All of her attention went to the food and she didn't even bother with the utensils, instead using her hands to start filling a tortilla, so Simon edged into the en suite to clean up. He didn't want to wash away any evidence of her, but at least if they used the same soap, they would smell alike without the hint of sweat and sex.
By the time he wrapped himself in a towel and returnedto the bedroom, Zoe had finished all of the fish and most of the eggs and avocado. Simon raised his eyebrows, impressed in spite of himself. Maybe they needed to take another trip to the river. "Do you want more?"
She groaned and sprawled across the bed, arms and legs akimbo, and patted her stomach. "I might burst if I eat another bite."
"We can't have that," he said. He finished off the rest of the breakfast, pleased she was well-fed, and left the tray outside the door to deal with later. He toweled off his hair and slid into the bed next to her, pulling her close to spoon. She fit against him perfectly. His bear grumbled, content.
Her bear made an answering noise. Simon kissed the back of her neck, listening to the steady drumming of her heartbeat. "Will you stay here, Zoe?"
Her hand stroked his forearm where it draped over her side, and for a moment she stretched and wiggled and then settled back against him. She sounded half-asleep already. "There's nowhere else for me to go."
Simon stared at the wall past her shoulder, his own pulse racing. She was right, of course, but her feeling like a prisoner of her circumstances didn't make for a happy relationship. His arms tightened around her reflexively, wanting to keep her close. "That's not true. If you don't want to stay here, we can find a place you do want to go."
She pulled away enough to lay on her back and look up at him. "Do you want me to stay?"
"So much I almost can't breathe." He smiled and leaned down to kiss her.
Zoe made a contented sound and turned toward him, resting her head on his bicep as her fingers drifted up and down his side. "One more stray for your little group?"
"You're not a stray." Simon pulled the blankets up higher and tucked them close around her before pulling her againsthis chest. "I've been waiting for you my whole life. I never thought Tate would bring the other half of my soul back to me."
She yawned and stretched again, then sighed. "I have to learn how to be a bear, right?"
"Yes. But you're off to a good start already." He chuckled without meaning to, and she looked up at him with a drowsy smile. Simon kissed her again. "You growled at Ethan when he wouldn't give you food. That's pretty bear-like."
Zoe snorted, patting his side. "No, that's more Zoe-like. Don't get between me and dinner."
"Good to know." Simon laughed and shook his head, playing with her hair. "I can't believe you used 'Simon says' against me. I haven't heard that in years."
"It seemed like a good way to tell you what to do." She smiled. "Simon says you should go to sleep so you can catch me more fish later."
