It had been at least twenty minutes since he had come downstairs, but he heard Sparrow moving around upstairs. He went over to his pack and crouched before it, grabbing the small bottle of whiskey he scored several weeks back when he and Mason scouted out a convenience store. He had been saving it, not sure for what occasion, but right now seemed like a good enough time.
With no shot glasses available, he took the bottle over to the table and sat his ass down. He was really fucking tired, but it wasn’t just about their long journey he had been on with Mason and now Sparrow, or the fact that he couldn’t remember the last time he slept in an actual bed. It was also because he was trying to wrap his head around his wants and needs, what was realistic, and how everything would play out.
They didn’t know if tomorrow would be their last or if they would ever finally reach Mason’s cabin. That had always been the goal, and they had kept to that plan, but with everything in life, and even more so now, things changed. It seemed like it was one thing after another.
He cracked open the whiskey and took a swig from the bottle. He certainly wouldn’t be getting drunk, not when Mace was held up with a bullet wound and there was too much danger still present. But a little warmth in his veins might go a long way in making him feel a little less off balanced.
He drank another long swig before he heard the soft footsteps of Sparrow coming down the stairs and then saw her step into the kitchen. She stopped when she saw him and eyed the bottle.
“Care to share?” She smiled, but he could see on her face and sense in her body language that she was a little uncertain about everything. Asher left before she and Mason stopped talking, but he didn’t know if Mason had actually gone through and told her that they both wanted her, wanted her to be more to them than just a female to sleep with. They wanted her as their partner in every sense of the word.
He held the bottle up and tilted the tip toward the empty seat across from him, but she surprised him when she took one of the seats right beside him. She reached out and curled her fingers around the neck of the bottle.
Their hands brushed together, and for several seconds, they stared at each other. Asher let go of the bottle and leaned back in his seat to watch her bring it to her lips and take a small sip.
The whiskey wasn’t anything top shelf, but it was decent and had a kick to it. She coughed after she swallowed, and his lips twitched with amusement. She was cute as hell. She handed him the bottle and shook her head, still coughing slightly. He took it back and capped it.
He got up and shoved it back in his pack and grabbed a bottle of water and a candy bar before moving back to her. “Not much of a drinker, huh?” He smiled and handed her the water.
She took one sip and set it back on the table. “Thank you.” Her cheeks were red and her eyes glossy. Yeah, she wasn’t much of a drinker. “No, I’m not much of a drinker. I can handle beer but not the hard stuff. Honestly, I never had a taste for it but figured I’d give it another go, given our situation.” There was a beat of silence.
“Were you able to get cleaned up?” He knew she did by the look of the clean, dry clothes she wore and the smell of lotion. They found the soap and lotion at McMillian’s, and even though there wasn’t any running water in the cabin, it did have a cistern, which was a godsend for them.
“I did, albeit it was cold, but I’m not going to complain.” She smiled. “You think we’re safe here?”
“I’m sure we will be fine. The cabin is isolated enough that we shouldn’t be bothered, and it’s clear it hasn’t been used in a very long time.” He wasn’t worried about the infected finding them, not when they were easy enough to take care of. It was the members of that rogue group that had him on alert.
He didn’t know if they had all ended up killing each other or not. But the windows had been boarded up, and all the exits were secured. They were ready. They were always ready. She nodded in response and ran her fingers over the scarred tabletop.
“It’s just… there was a guy at the camp who was helping me escape.” Asher knew instantly who she was talking about. “He had given me that gun, told me not to make a move until things got really bad between him and the guys.”