Freya filled her in about the neighbors. Sophie seethed like she did, throwing out suggestions on how they could smuggle the woman out of there. Shaking her head, Freya said, “She has to figure it out on her own. Zane pretty much offered to kick his ass whenever she is ready, and I let her know I’m a nice person that would be happy to help.” She drained the last of the beer. “I’ve never been in anything even close to what our neighbor woman is going through, but I understand getting lost in someone, and no one can tell you what a mistake you're making.”
Rising from the bench, Sophie turned and pulled Freya up. “So you are preemptively avoiding Zane because you are too attracted to him.”
“Yes. He’s even got that brooding thing down, and I’ve always wanted to explore the tortured hero type.” She found herself grinning at the absurdity of it. Sophie took her empty bottle while Freya gathered her completed work and the easel.
As they wandered back into the house, Freya was welcomed by the scent of roasted vegetables and sausage keeping warm in the oven. She nearly drooled at the scent. “Remind me again how I got so lucky as to live here with you?”
Sophie grinned as she pulled a serving dish from the cupboard. “Because if you didn’t live here, Asher would, and we’re not ready for that.”
She quickly stashed her art supplies in her bedroom, then hopped on a stool and considered that one for a moment. “We can be mutual buffers then. You keep me from sleeping with our garage neighbor, and I’ll keep you from moving too fast with Asher?”
“Like a virgin alarm fromSpaceballs? Or you could get a chastity belt. That Mel Brooks was on to something,” Sophie chuckled as she got another round of beers out of the fridge.
“I’d use the words virgin or chaste lightly.” Just as the words were out of her mouth, the front door swung open and Asher and Zane strolled in. Zane faltered as he saw her, his gaze darkening, but the corner of his lips turned up somewhere between a dare and smug satisfaction.
A foolish flutter zinged through her, vibrating until the rush of warmth floodedeverywhere, including her cheeks. Hopping up, she grabbed another pair of beers and glasses from the cupboard.
Asher didn’t pause, heading straight for Sophie and pinning her against the cabinets, lips locked before they even said a word to each other.
Turning away, Freya tried to give them a little privacy. After all, they hadn’t seen each other in at least twelve hours. She grinned at their joy, indulging in the niggling jealousy that teased in her belly.
Moving to her side, Zane popped the tops of the beers and started pouring. As Freya took the first sip, already buzzed from the beer she’d downed a little too quickly on a pouty and empty stomach, she let out a soft moan as the suds coated her throat.
Zane took a testing sip from his glass, watching her reaction over the rim. “Good?”
She nodded. “Really good. I’m trying to figure out where Sophie got these.”
While Zane seemed to ignore her, that mysterious smile resting on his face as he wandered to look out the window, Asher reached around her and snagged the beer she’d poured for him. He took a big sip and raved, “Damn, Zane. This might be my new favorite.”
Freya watched Zane’s reaction. “You made this?”
He nodded. She wanted to flick him on the forehead to get him to use his words.
Asher answered for him, “We got really bored one weekend a few years ago, so the three of us decided to see who could brew the best beer.”
“Zane won?” Sophie asked as she set dinner on the table. Freya grabbed a stack of plates to pitch in.
Zane shrugged, “We messed up the first batch and were all too chickenshit to try it, convinced we’d poison ourselves. The other two slackers were too lazy to try again, but we had so much material left over, plus we’d spent a fortune on supplies, so, well, I made use of it.”
Despite the lightness of the conversation, the easy friendship between Asher and Zane, Freya felt the missing part of their trio tugging at her, her breath a little heavy as she resisted the urge to wrap her arms around Zane and ask if he was okay.
Shoveling in the last bite of rosemary roasted veggies, Zane popped up and cleared his plate. Having spent the last half hour sitting inches away from Freya, he needed space. His leg still burned from the moments he’d accidentally relax and bump into her. An odd aching sensation filled his fingers as he’d spent the whole damn dinner resisting the strangest urge to hold hands with her. What the hell was wrong with him? Since when did the idea of holding a woman’s hand turn him on?
Didn’t help she was a little tipsy from downing the two beers after skipping lunch; he ought to have warned her how strong this batch was. Normally, drunk people annoyed the shit out of him. Not Freya; she was hilarious. Clearly not used to it, she giggled now and again, let something slip she probably hadn’t intended.
Except when she’d trailed her fingers along the edge of his shorts, seemingly a mindless gesture for her, but it had raised the room temperature to beyond sweltering.Combining sharper hops, maybe an apricot concentrate, something to lighten the brew… he’d planned alterations to his latest recipe in his head before he embarrassed himself and let a little tenting action show.
He went in to start on dishes, but Asher stopped him. Whispering, Asher nodded to Freya, “Take this lightweight for a walk to sober her up before she tries to go to bed and ends up with a nasty hangover tomorrow.”
Glaring, Zane nudged him aside, “No.”
“Why not? I mean, no, don’t sleep with her when she’s drunk, but may as well lay down some groundwork.”
Shaking his head, Zane muttered, “Groundwork? Shit, man, that’s cold.”
“Okay. I tried. What I mean is, I’m leaving for training in three days. I’d rather spend a nice night with Sophie rather than worrying about my cousin. Come on. Wingman? I know it’s been a while.”
Zane shut off the water and dried his hands. “You owe me.”
