“How are we friends?”
Kit snorted. “Please. You love me. Now get your shoes on. Class starts in ten.”
Zep dragged his feet. “The gym is literally around the corner. I think we’ll be fine.”
Kit smacked Zep’s ass. “Come on. Frost will be there. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
Zep tied his shoes and tried not to sound too interested. “I thought you didn’t like Frost.”
Kit rolled his eyes. “I don’t like what he did to Lucky, and I don’t like him personally, but you’re not me. You’re strong and you know what you want. If he tries to pull any BS on you, I know you’ll shut him down. You’re an excellent judge of character. Plus, I’m not your mom. If you want to be friends with Frost, that’s your business.”
“All I just heard was blah, blah, I’ll say anything to see the sexy yoga instructor again.”
Kit didn’t as much as blink at Zep’s sarcasm. “Don’t be thick. I already have the sexy yoga instructor’s phone number. You know I’m not one to play coy.”
For a moment, Zep sat paralyzed with the desire to tell Kit everything. Kit didn’t play coy. He said his every thought, and that was why they were friends. Sometimes, Zep forgot that was why he enjoyed Kit’s company. He never had to worry Kit would lie to him or tell him only what he wanted to hear. Kit was Kit. He was one of a kind.
“We kissed.”
“Shut. Up.”
A smile snapped to Zep’s lips at Kit’s shock. It was rare for Zep to do anything shocking. He was boring. Zep stood. “We should go.”
Kit held up his hand, stopping Zep. “We’ve got a minute for this. How did this even happen?”
Zep shrugged. “It just kind of did.”
For a moment, Kit stared at him in silence. Finally, he shrugged. “All right. We better get going.”
Exasperation had Zep following Kit out the door. “Seriously, Kit. I’m pretty sure I recall you threatening to rip the guy’s balls off at one time. Now you’re ‘all righting’ me.”
Kit made his way to the passenger side of Zep’s truck. “Like I said, I’m not your mom. I’ve already threatened Frost in every way possible. All those threats still hold if he hurts you.”
That was fair. Zep decided to let the conversation go, especially since the last time Zep spoke to Frost, it was in anger. Zep still wasn’t over that two a.m. text message. He had already been worried he made a mistake by kissing Frost. Zep felt like Frost proved all Zep’s worst fears true with that one text. They hadn’t even slept together, and Frost thought it was okay to text him in the middle of the night. Zep had to stop thinking about it. He was getting pissed off all over again.
By the time they made it to Fitness Titan, Zep had—somewhat—let it go. Then he found himself sitting on a yoga mat, feeling out of place and wanting to go home. Suddenly, Zep missed that connection he had felt right before that last kiss. Zep craved being back with someone who got him and didn’t make him go to an exercise class so completely out of his comfort zone. Kit had promised no one would make him do anything, but if he didn’t, he would be the only one. Everyone else had obviously shown up to do this the right way.
A yoga mat unfurled beside him, and Zep glanced over to find Frost settling down next to him. Frost flashed him a sweet smile a half second before Kit’s sexy instructor started the class. Zep only half listened. Frost had shown up for him. It was impossible to stay mad now.
“If you showed up today to let the stress melt away, go ahead and get in corpse pose and let the sound of the rainforest wash over you.”
Zep looked Frost’s way. He had no fucking clue what corpse pose was. Frost settled onto his back with his legs straight and feet spread. With his arms on the floor at his sides and his palms up, Frost looked relaxed. Zep mimicked Frost’s pose. He didn’t know if he had the pose nailed, but he didn’t feel quite as dumb with Frost at his side. In fact, he felt downright happy. That was definitely new.
Up until Zep walked through the door, Frost hadn’t been sure if he would bother talking to Zep again. He liked Zep a lot more than he meant to, but Frost wasn’t free to jump right into a relationship with every guy who came along. It was obvious Zep didn’t plan to settle for less. He didn’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t needed to leave the last time that they were together. Frost felt certain the night would have ended in the bedroom. He thought Zep wanted him too, but now he wasn’t as sure. Frost wasn’t that great at trusting his instincts any longer. People were disappointments.
On the floor, side by side, Zep’s fingers brushed his. Zep immediately pulled away, as if embarrassed by the small touch. Frost moved his hand closer, intentionally bumping Zep’s hand. This time, Zep didn’t move away. A heartbeat passed and Frost couldn’t take the suspense any longer. He snagged Zep’s hand and linked fingers with him. Zep let it happen. A smile tugged at Frost’s lips when Zep’s hold tightened. There was an unfamiliar pressure in his chest. His shoulders relaxed as the sounds of the rainforest surrounded them. He could easily fall asleep holding Zep’s hand. Zep was a calm person. Being near him made Frost’s shoulders relax. He had several years’ worth of tension in every single one of his muscles. Frost didn’t know how else to hold himself together any longer other than to stay as hard as possible against the world.
He couldn’t recall the last time he’d held another man’s hand. Frost missed the sensation. The connection. Their yoga class passed in a blink of an eye. Frost noticed Zep dragged his feet cleaning his mat. Even though Frost did too, he didn’t think he would get even a moment alone with Zep. Kit was there. As if thinking about him conjured him, Kit bounded over, dragging a smiling Matthew along in his wake. Frost shook his head at the way Matthew eyed Kit’s body. Matthew had always had a weakness for bratty boys.
Kit didn’t spare a glance for Frost. “Matthew is taking me to lunch, so you don’t have to wait on me. Since you’re right around the corner, he’ll drop me at my car on his way back.”
“Okay. Have fun.”
Frost found himself focusing a little too hard on Zep’s tone. He had never asked what the deal was between the pair. For all Frost knew, they might be sleeping together without strings. Red hot jealousy struck from nowhere. He was sick of being forced to share.
Unfortunately, Frost’s mood was ruined, and his temper hadn’t cooled by the time Zep turned his way.
Zep had that shy look to him again, making Frost feel twice as possessive. “I guess it’s just us. Thank you for showing up to save me.”
“I told you I would.”
Zep blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. He glanced around the room. “Wow. Everyone cleared out quick.”
Frost cast a cursory look around. One half of the cavernous room was used for exercise and martial arts classes, while the other half was set up for boxing lessons. Nothing else was on the books for the room today until the afternoon. Matthew had obviously read the heat between them and closed them inside the empty room on his way out. “It’s just you and me... again.” He met Zep’s stare, letting Zep see his interest. “I like having you alone.”