Page 20 of Frost Bitten
We both start to speak at the same time, but he turns wide-eyed to me when he hears what I said.
“Bro, I didn’t mean to. You have to know it was an accident that I stumbled upon you two this morning.” His face pales as he looks me in the eye, and I know that he wasn’t trying to spy. I can’t help but chuckle at his awkwardness.
“Hey man, it’s ok. I mean, in the future, I’d like to know in the moment, and for her to know and be ok with it, but as I’ve told you, I’m ok if she wants you all too.”
He sits and contemplates this as I finish my brunch. I can practically see the wheels turning in his head. It’s as if this whole possibility wasn’t realistic for him until just now. I finish my plate, take it to the sink, and refill my coffee before returning to my stool, expecting questions.
“So,” Bast begins slowly, “how did you see this happening with all of us? I mean, I’m not interested in you or either of the other two. But I’d love to have a shot at Cait. I know I need to make that happen, but beyond that, how does this work with all of us? Randi was just sex, not an actual relationship.”
“Well, I mean, yeah…” I hadn’t thought that far either, to be honest. “I’m guessing it’ll just work as if we are all friends who hang out and care for each other. I mean, I care for you as a brother and man, but Ireallycare for her. I just want to see her happy.”
Pausing for a second to contemplate my thoughts, the silence is welcoming. I think about watching Cait with him alone, and whether I’d be ok with them having time to themselves. Would I? I just want to see her pleased and loved, and I think I might want to be a part of it if I was there and had time. But could I walk away? That I’m not sure.
“So, how about this? We take things one step at a time, and we talk about everything. If there is a concern, we bring it up and no offense is taken.”
He sits silently for a moment, but then responds, “Yeah, I could do that. But first I need to figure out how to win her over.”
A slow smile spreads across my face, and I take a sip of my coffee before I ask, “Would you mind if I helped? I’m thinking she might need me to be ok with it, too. If I introduce the situation, she might be more… open to accepting the idea.”
“And just what did you have in mind?” he asks, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
“Do you have plans today?”
“No? Just training,” he replies.
* * *
“Good. So this is what we’re going to do…”
I’m so excited and nervous.This could really change our future,I think to myself as I drive Bast up to Lift. It snowed overnight, and while we all have chains for our vehicles, my Ford Raptor handles the challenge just a little bit better. At least I think so. It’s a little higher than his Land Rover, so I can manage over any drifts just a tad easier.
Car trouble is the last thing we need today. Bast and I both decided to get ready and look nice because for this to happen, it will be a team effort. I’m going to have to communicate that this is what I want, but we’re okay if that’s not what she wants. We’re both nervous, and I can tell by the way he is fidgeting in my passenger seat that this really has him in knots.
“Bro, we’ve got this.You’ve got this.You’ve seen how she looks at you,” I reassure him with a clap to his shoulder. “Remember the bonfire? Fuck, bro. The way she was dancing with you, I thought shit was going down that night. And don’t forget Purgatory. The way she melted at all of our touches makes me think she’s open to all of us. Specifically for you that night, if I remember correctly.”
“Yeah,” he responds, a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth. The way he stares out the window tells me everything I need to know about what he’s thinking. I can’t blame him; the way it felt to surround her, touch her, with all of my brothers. I never felt more like we were a team, working toward one goal – bringing her pleasure. It sucks it didn’t happen that night, but I can be patient. Bast and I need to be the ones to open that door before Dom and Cam can see it’s ready to walk through.
I pull into a spot off to the side and look in the mirror. Last look checks for both of us, and then we step outside my truck. I walk around to the sidewalk, clicking the remote to lock it up, then pocket my keys. I brace Bast’s arm to make him pause. “We got this. We can do this. Just like we planned, ok?”
“Sure,” he breathes out, jumping a few times from nerves. I’d grin at the reaction, but a lot is riding on the next few minutes, so I totally get it. I take a deep breath, hold it for a second, and then blow it out. The evidence of my breath billows out of me as fog wraps around me, and I worry that Cait might not have been warm enough in Bast’s clothes. I guess she’s alright though, she was only running from the house to the Jeep and then into work, and she had a jacket.
“Wait, I have an idea,” I say, just as we are about to walk into Lift. “Let’s go find a shop that’s open and bring her fuzzy socks or something. Since she’s wearing your clothes, she’s gonna be cold leaving, and at least this way we can say you thought of her and had something for her.”
Bast’s eyes scan the street before they light up with a smile. “There,” he says, pointing to a small boutique a few doors down and across the street. It doesn’t take long for us to visit the shop, and we end up with fuzzy socks and a warm blanket. We even get her a knit beanie, lined with a fuzzy material and Bluetooth speakers over where the ears go so she can listen to music. That was Bast’s idea, and I think it’s genius because she’s going to love it. The clerk bags everything up, and then we head back over to Lift.
As we walk inside, Lori yells out in greeting, alerting everyone that a regular is here. “Hottie alert!” she cries out in jest. The smirk on her face is proof of her teasing, and she chuckles as we walk up to the counter.
“Hey, boss woman, is Cait almost done?” I ask, ready to get this show on the road.
“Yeah, she was just finishing up the afternoon dishes, and she’s done after that. You all want something to drink?”
“Uh… yeah. Let me have a medium latte. What do you want, bro?” I ask, turning to Bast.
“Same, please.”
“Ok, two medium lattes, and we’ll take whatever Cait is drinking at the moment.”
“You know that she gets her drinks for free, right?” Lori questions.
