Page 27 of The Rule of 3

They had to wait a little longer than they expected.

Finally, Eli joined them with a satisfied look on his face. “All set. Let’s go home,” he said with a grin and a wink.

Once in the car, Zoë asked, “What was all that about?”

“I just let them know that in an hour and a half a certain individual will meet them at the truck stop by the highway entrance. They will exchange the key to the house for the rest of their ‘travel money’ and some personal property of theirs that they wanted back. I’m sure this will incentivize them to leave right away. Now, who’s ready for anap? I find that I’m completely worn out.” He winked at Zoë who was staring at him.

Once they were back home, Zoë mentally shook herself. She’d been shocked at the revelation she’d discovered at her old house. Looking from Tanner to Eli, she asked in a hushed voice, “Will you both sit down with me a moment, please?” When they were comfortable on the couch, she went on, “It was you guys all along? You paid all of that money out for me and never said a word? Why?”

Tanner reached for Zoë’s face and stroked her cheek lovingly. “It was Eli’s doing really. I told him how I was sure you were struggling to make ends meet. I tried as far as I could to get the teachers all better salaries, but I can only do so much. So, Eli swooped in and threw money at the problem as only he can do.”

Zoë turned to Eli, and said, “I’m flabbergasted. You didn’t even know me, and you did all of that?”

“I did it for Tanner. You’ll come to realize that there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him. At that point, you were an extension of him and it made him happier knowing you were taken care of. The money didn’t mean much to me, so it was an easy decision. I’m glad I could help. And now that I know you, I’d do it a hundred times over if I had to.”

The light went on in Zoë’s eyes and she gasped, “You guys had the painters fix up the house too, didn’t you? It wasn’t that asshole Brandon after all!”

“Hey, don’t give assholes a bad name by putting ol’ BJ into that category,” laughed Tanner. “When I realized he’d led you to believe he’d done something generous for you, I couldn’t stand it. I’m just sorry you had to suffer any grief over that creep.”

“Why didn’t you say something to me? You let me think all of these things happened because of other people.”

“Zoë,” Tanner explained, “I wasn’t trying to buy your love or make you feel in any way that you owed either of us something. We were concerned with your well-being, and that’s what was important. Eli was more than happy to help.”

“Well, color me floored. I feel like I’ve had two guardian angels.” She stared at them for a few seconds and then smiled sweetly and thoughtfully. “So, maybe there’ssomethingI could do to express my gratitude,” she suggested.

“I’m completely certain there is,” chuckled Eli. “I need to make a couple of calls, and then I’ll meet you in bed. Put your heads together and see what you both can come up with.” He gave them both a quick kiss and headed to the guest bedroom. He thought of it now as more like his home office because he sure didn’t plan to sleep in it.

Chapter 24

Eli first contacted a cleaning crew to take care of Zoë’s house, and then he called his sister Caro to make some arrangements with her. She would be there in three weeks and was apparently anxious to get started helping out. Caro had plenty of talents he could take advantage of.

One of Caro’s first assignments was going to be a makeover for Zoë. Yes, she was gorgeous and polite to everyone she met, but she dressed like… a kindergarten teacher. Plain slacks or skirts with tights and chunky sweaters over bland blouses. She needed to discover her own, more sophisticated style and embrace it. Soon Zoë would look every inch the beautiful young first lady of Kentucky. People would want to look like her, act like her, talk like her. With a little bit of the right packaging, she could become an icon like Jackie Kennedy.

Caro was thrilled by the prospect, and Eli was sure the two of them would become fast friends. At leat he hoped. Now he just had to break it to Zoë in a way that didn’t sound condescending.

That settled, he figured it was time for some relaxation. It was awfully quiet in the master bedroom, and when he opened the door, he discovered why. Tanner and Zoë were naked, wrapped around each other, and sound asleep face to face. He chuckled, knowing how tired they all still were, pulled off his own clothes, and slipped into bed. The side with the most room was next to Zoë, so he sidled up to her and spooned her. He also reached across her to contact Tanner. Then he too fell asleep with a smile on his face. If this was what the future held for them, he’d be a happy man.

Zoë awoke a couple of hours later feeling overly warm. She also felt some things prodding her tummy and her bottom that made her smile. Opening her eyes, she looked at Tanner who was grinning and looking past her.Oh wow, a girl could get used to this. We’ll never even need to turn on the heat with these two guys.

Zoë felt lips on her shoulder and then the back of her neck. She sighed as Tanner leaned in to kiss her lips. Hands seemed to be roaming all over her body—big, warm masculine hands. Then someone was nibbling her earlobe. It tickled a bit and made her feel all squiggly inside.

“Do we need to figure out what we’re doing, you guys, or should we just do what comes naturally?” she asked softly.

“Hmm,” mused Eli.

Tanner smiled crookedly and suggested, “Maybe you can tell us about some of the ideas from your ‘research’ since we’re all new to this. Do you have anything that sounded especially decadent and fun? Anything you’ve fantasized about that you’d like to share with the class?”

Zoë thought for a moment and then excused herself, slipping out from between the two men. She grabbed her Kindle and scrolled through her library. “Aha. Here it is,” she muttered to herself. “Now, let me find the scene.” She scrolled some more and then her eyes lit up. “Okay, this has always been one of my favorites, but it takes some imagination to figure out just how it physically happens.” She handed it to Tanner, and Eli scooted over so the guys could read it together.

“Oh!” Eli exclaimed. “Wow… Oh, I like the idea of that!” He looked up at Zoë who was chewing her lip and turning a little pink. “So, I get how you fit in, Zoë, but, Tanner, which one do you want to be?” he asked with a little laugh.

Tanner, whose breathing seemed to be speeding up, pointed to a passage and announced, “Oh, I’d like to do what this guy is doing right there.” He turned to Zoë, asking, “You ready for this?”

Her eyes were dilated, and she was already reaching for their bottle of lube to give to Eli. “So ready.” Then she pulled the blankets down so no one would get caught up in them. She looked at Eli and asked, “Can I watch you get Tanner ready?”

“Not only can you watch, I think you’d enjoy helping.” Eli looked at Tanner, “You ready, Tan?”

“Just give me a moment,” he answered, hopping out of bed and heading to the bathroom. A few minutes later, he was back with an eager grin in his face. “Where do you want me, Eli?”

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