Esme shook her head. “No, thank you. We’re heading out soon.”
The waiter turned to Tash. “Would you like me to cork the bottle for you? I’d hate for it to go to waste.”
“That’d be great, thank you,” Tash said.
As the waiter left with a promise to return soon with Tash’s wine bottle, Freya’s gaze ping-ponged around the table. Xander was looking at the two women with suspicion, and they were both not so subtly avoiding his gaze and staring at each other with widening eyes and intense stares. Freya could only look on with amusement as a silent conversation, one she wasn’t privy to, was happening around the table.
She missed that talk-without-words kind of friendship, which these three obviously had. It had been so long since she’d had that.
Her mind flashed to the pictures she’d received the other day of Sarah, and her chest clenched painfully tight. But that was her own fault...
Pushing the melancholy thoughts away, she cleared her throat, gaining the women’s attention. “Why don’t you two join us for dinner? I’m sure we can snag a couple menus when our waiter comes back with your bottle of wine.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” Xander said, giving the women a pointed stare. “They’re leaving.”
Chuckling, Freya shook her head. “Don’t listen to him. You’re more than welcome to join us. He’ll survive.”
Tash laughed and stood. “As much as we’d love to, we’ll get out of your hair. God forbid, we turn your first date into a girls’ night.” She held out her hand. “It was nice meeting you, Freya.”
“Likewise,” she said, shaking Tash’s hand.
Esme smiled at her. “It was nice officially meeting you.” Her gaze shot to Xander and then back to Freya. “I’m sure we’ll see you around.”
“It was nice meeting you too. Have a nice night.”
Both women slapped Xander on the shoulder as they left. Her gaze followed them as they made a pit stop at the bar to grab Tash’s corked bottle of wine. After they were out of sight, she turned to Xander. “Well, those two are really sweet.”
He coughed, choking on a bite of his fish.
After taking a sip of water, he cleared his throat and leaned back into his seat, amusement playing on his handsome face.
“What?” Smiling, she picked up a slice of her flatbread. She took a bite of the savory steak, earthy mushrooms, and the sweet and tangy caramelized onions, and her taste buds sang.
Wiping his mouth with his napkin, Xander chuckled. “Let’s just say that those two aren’t exactly known for beingsweet. More like intimidating and intense.”
She grinned around her bite of food. “Oh, believe me, I can definitely see that,” she said after she’d swallowed. She set her flatbread down and shrugged. “But they also seem really nice. It’s obvious you’re all close.”
“I don’t have any family, not by blood anyway, but those two are my sisters through and through.” The smile he gave her warmed everything inside her. It was soft and sweet and held a tiny bit of awe. Then, as if he’d realized what he’d said, he dropped his gaze and cleared his throat. “As Tash mentioned,” he said, picking up his fork, his tone more playful and less reflective, “we’re on the same personal security team, and Esme’s our director of logistics. Both of those women are tough as nails, so it’s amusing to hear someone call them sweet. Especially, Es.”
Her heart squeezed, immediately missing the softer side of him, but she knew he hadn’t meant to get sentimental with her. If he wanted to keep things light, she’d take it. Takehimhowever he was comfortable. “Why is that?” she asked.
“Don’t get me wrong, both of them are complete badasses. But Esme? She’s got a little added scary in there as well. And she’s damn proud of it. Believe me, I’m gonna love telling her that you thought she wassweetandnice.”
Freya rolled her eyes. “God, you sound just like my brothers.”
He grinned, pointing his fork at her. “Hey, family is family. Blood or not, right? And as her pseudo-brother, it’s my right to give her shit.”
It was her turn to point at him, but with her slice of steak and mushroom flatbread instead of a fork. “You are trouble, mister. Now eat your dinner.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He scooped some of his grilled mahi and chimichurri rice onto his fork and took a bite, shooting her a wink.
How that little gesture could be both sweet and sexy at the same time, she had no clue. All she knew was that the more time she spent with Xander Bonetti, the more she liked him. How could she not, really? The man was truly something else...
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Xander stood at the side of the bar and waited for Freya. They’d been on their way out when Hazel had called Freya’s name and rushed over. She’d enveloped Freya in a giant hug and pulled her off to the side to chat. From where he was standing, he could see Freya’s forced smile. He was a heartbeat away from stepping in when she mouthed, “I’m okay” and held up a finger before turning her attention back to Hazel.
Hazel was beaming as she pointed to someone on the other side of the bar, and both women waved. Then they hugged once more before Freya turned back toward him with her to-go box in hand. She gave him a smile that conveyed her relief, and it socked him right in the gut.
