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Joe grunted "I can’t putwithto do with the fact that she’s a beautiful woo of her terror at being surrounded by a horde of really bigto be utterly bewildered by all the children cla for her attention To me, she just looks like a fish out of water She’s probably scared shitless, bro Cut her some slack"

At his brother’s soft reprimand, Joe felt like a first-class asshole Van was probably right She’d literally been thrown to the wolves with no advance warning And Van was correct about another thing too His fa Loud, boisterous Irreverent, and at tiht obnoxious But he wouldn’t have theer wouldn’t likely feel as the rest of the fae, norhts turned to the observations he’d aze found her once net, and already he had an uncanny way of finding her, of knowing just which direction to look in order to see her again

She was beautiful in a quiet, understated way She looked natural, not made-up as someone she wasn’t Even the faint freckles that dusted her flawless skin added to her appeal She appeared wholesome, innocent even, and as Van had inferred, way over her head What was Rusty thinking tossing her into the deep end to sink or swiued Joe, his curiosity piqued, not that he’d ever admit that to any of his brothers and especially not to his mother They’d be all over hiet randchildren to add to the already growing nuht no one was observing her that hten The way she seemed to duck her head and attempt to remove herself from the focus of attention each time it was directed her way No, this wasn’t so mother, because Zoe hadn’t so much as looked in his direction the entire ti her discomfort

It riled his protective instincts, and at that realization, he went rigid

"Fuck me," he muttered under his breath

He was attracted to her And not just in a sexual way His interest was more than simple curiosity She was a puzzle, and he didn’t like mysteries, especially one that existed in the midst of his family Not to mention, his attraction was pointless since she’d barely spared hilance and a timid hello when it had been his turn to be introduced

What was her dae? Her story? She had the look of someone who’d seen the worst humanity had to offer, and God knew he’d seen that look often enough in his years in the army and noith KGI to knohat stared hi he’d learned was that it wasn’t the women one only had to look at to know they’d been broken who’d endured far worse than others No, it was those who covered it up that broke his fucking heart The ones who held theether only by sheer will and desperation and the vow to the in front of the world Women who looked a lot like Zoe, who fro but a beautiful, intelligent young woliht to her soul--that told him this woman had been to hell at some point in her life

Denial rose sharply within him No, he wasn’t in the least interested in her, beyond wanting to make sure she wasn’t a threat to his family He was simply curious When the opportunity presented itself, he’d pull Rusty aside and ask what Zoe’s story was Then his sudden fixation would be resolved and he’d go back to exactly the kind of life he’d outlined just a few days earlier when his tas giving hi the next to fall He barely held back the snort over the absurdity of the idea that he was in any way attracted or even e about

So why the hell was he besieged by the urge to pull her into his arms and offer comfort and reassurance? Let her know that she was safe here? No one would ever hurt her as long as she was firmly ensconced in the bosom of his family

Clearly he’d been subjected to his brothers’ nauseating adoration for their wives and the fact that they were utterly captive to their every whi complete asses of themselves in the process--to n on to that kind of coive up his freedowhat it would be like to kiss her was akin to his bachelor days being over

Kiss? Jesus Noas fantasizing about kissing a woo? He needed to separate hi on around hiotten Rachel back and then Sam had fallen head over ass, it had been a dooodsuit

He’d just make sure to steer clear of Zoe until her visit was over, and proble sensation that sos weren’t at all as they seeed hi hi himself scarce was pretty da was up with Rusty’s friend