“I want another beer anyway,” I offered, getting up. “I’ll go make sure he didn’t fall in. Who else needs another drink?”
A chorus of answers rang out in the yard. Everyone was thirsty tonight.
Axel got up. “I better go help you carry all those.”
We headed for the back door of his house and let ourselves in. Loki and Oreo tried to follow, but we shut them out, knowing they’d just get under our feet. Sugar was busy enjoying a luxurious pet session with Emory, and Banshee stayed put by Holden’s feet, content to wait for nibbles to rain to the groundduring dinner. Holden spoiled her rotten, and I was sure he fed her extra bites of his dinner.
My oldest brother was so strict about some things, but he had a major soft spot for Banshee. Maybe because she was the only source of physical connection to him when he wasn’t up to touch with a person. And for years, he’d gone without any contact at all.
I was glad to see him holding hands with Shiloh, though. It must be a good day for him.
Axel opened the door ahead of me, and we walked into an empty kitchen. There was a completed salad on the kitchen counter, but no sign of our brother.
“Gray?” Axel called, venturing out to the living room.
He stopped short and snorted. “Holy shit.”
I looked around him and had to muffle a laugh. Gray was sacked out in a recliner, dead asleep and snoring softly.
Taz, the little Chihuahua who’d terrorized Gray for years, was curled up on his chest fast asleep too.
“Quick, get a picture,” Axel muttered. “We need evidence.”
I whipped out my phone and snapped a pic just as Gray opened his eyes.
“Wha—” He glanced down, jerked in surprise, and his eyes just about bugged out. “Taz…is…on me.” His gaze flicked to Axel, and he whispered like a man in a horror film, “Get him off me!”
I bent over laughing, and Tax opened his eyes and growled a little.
Gray went rigid with fear, and I laughed harder. He’d been so damn scared of this dog for so long, and now he looked as if he were on the verge of a heart attack.
“Relax,” Axel said, chortling. “He got up there because he trusts you now.”
“Well, I don’t trust him!” Gray hissed.
The door opened behind us, and Flynn called out, “Dinner’s ready! Guys?”
He came into the living room and spotted the tableau. My boyfriend was a better man than Axel or me. He immediately stepped forward and scooped up Taz. “Oh, who’s my pretty boy? Let’s leave Gray alone and get some dinner, huh?”
Taz’s tail thumped happily, and Gray exhaled noisily and dragged his hands over his face. “Thank fuck. Thought I was about to die. I bet that little demon could rip out my jugular.”
“You could try petting him,” I suggested as we made our way back to the door in the kitchen. “I think he’s over his trust issues. Now, you just gotta get over yours.”
Gray looked skeptical as he picked up the salad bowl. “Maybe I could start with dropping him a few bites of steak?”
“A solid plan,” Axel agreed, pausing by the fridge to pull out more beers. Flynn and I both took a couple off his hands. “Bribery is the best way to any dog’s heart.”
“Works on most men too,” I joked. “I give Flynn all my broccoli.”
“Only because you don’t like it,” he rumbled. “What about all my fries you steal when we go out?”
I shrugged. “Sharing fries is a rite of passage for any couple, right?”
“Seems legit,” Gray said with a quick grin. “And if he takes too many, you just give him a good spanking later. Right, brat?”
“Don’t tempt me with a good time.”
Flynn put down Taz at the open door, then reached back to cop a feel of my ass while my brothers went out the door. “You’re getting it now. Gonna redden this ass before I fuck it.”
