Making Sense (2 page)

Bemused, Freya watched him go to the bar, conscious of Grace and Mia exchanging glances next to her.

“Hmm,” said Mia. “He’d just warned her off, and then he decides to introduce them. Very interesting.”

“I’ll worm it out of him later,” said Grace. “I’m good at extracting information from him.”

“I’m guessing you don’t use pliers and electric cables?”

Grace grinned. “No. My methods are far more fun.”

The girls laughed. Mia leaned forward conspiratorially. “So what’s the skinny on Nate then? What’s the dark past Ash referred to?”

“Oh, he’s not told me much. Only that Nate’s not from here. I think he’s from the Far North, well north of Auckland. I get the feeling he left his life behind up there.”

“Ran away?”

“Kind of. He flies under the radar down here. Ash tries to get him socialising, but as he said, Nate’s very private, very withdrawn. This gig was Ash’s idea—he’s been encouraging Nate to practise with the band. Nate’s lovely, funny, gentle and warm-hearted when you get to know him, but it’s like he wears a mask, you know?”

“So he really doesn’t date?” Freya asked.

“Never seen him with a girl. I think he’s hooked up with a few when they’ve been away. Probably because they’re safe—they’re not going to want anything more. He appears to have commitment issues, although I don’t know why. I don’t know if it was a past relationship that went wrong, but I think
someone
broke him, up in the Northland, I just don’t know who. Ash is trying to fix him, but it’s a long process. Someone obviously scarred him pretty badly.”

“Ash was good to take him on like he did,” said Freya.

“Yeah.” Grace frowned. “Which makes me think there’s more to it than a relationship gone wrong. Now I know Ash as well as I do, I can see he’s…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of the word.

“Horny?” Mia suggested.

“Otherworldly,” Grace said wryly. “And Nate has the same quality. Don’t ask me what I’m talking about, because I have no idea, but I suspect Nate has hidden talents only Ash knows about.”

Hidden talents? What did she mean by that? Something psychic? Freya studied him on stage, wondering how Grace knew. He didn’t look…otherworldly, as the brown-haired girl had put it. And yet, she kind of knew what Grace meant about Ash. There was something about him that suggested he had one foot in this world and one in the next. A thoughtful quality, as if half the time he was somewhere else in his mind, listening to voices nobody else could hear. Perhaps that was what Grace had referred to.

They all clapped as Nate finished the song, each member of the band taking a bow as the drummer announced them all. The girls hooted as he said Nate’s name, and he glanced over at them, giving them an amused smile.

Ash came back carrying another round of drinks, and Freya took her wine, determined to make it her last. She was tired, and she’d only had a light dinner. The alcohol was going to her head, and she didn’t want to find herself incoherent by the time she had to go home.

Nate jumped down from the small stage and pushed through the crowd, coming up to them. “Hey,” he said, taking the beer Ash handed to him. “Thanks for coming.”

“No worries,” said Ash. “Sorry we only caught the end. Great gig!”

“Yeah. Gave me quite a buzz, playing again.” Nate pulled out a chair and sat between him and Freya. “Suppose I’m going to have to listen to you say ‘told you so’, now, aren’t I?”

“Nah,” said Ash, “even though I did.”

Nate laughed, showing straight white teeth, and Freya’s heart missed a beat. Dressed in jeans and one of the new, skin-tight All Blac
ks tops, the man was all muscle, his arms tanned and toned. A Māori tattoo curled out from under his left sleeve almost to his elbow.
I think he’s from the Far North
, Grace had said, making Freya wonder if he was part Māori. He glanced at her, their eyes m
eeting the same way they had in the car several months ago. Something shot through her, as sharp as if he’d zapped her with a taser, making her inhale, her heart speeding up. She dropped her gaze and sipped her wine.
Jeez, he only looked at you. Get a grip, Freya.
 

“Anyway,” said Ash, “you’ve met these lovely ladies already, but in case you’ve forgotten, this is Mia and this is Freya.”

Nate smiled at them both. “I haven’t forgotten. Thank you for coming. It was nice to see some friendly faces.”

“Oh you’re welcome. It’s nice to do something on a Friday night, isn’t it?” Mia directed the question to Freya.

“Yeah. I don’t get out much,” she admitted.

“Usually to be found in front of the TV with a packet of Tim Tam biscuits,” teased Mia.

“Tim Tams rule,” said Nate. “Especially the mint ones.”

“Absolutely,” Freya agreed. “I can quite easily eat a whole pack in one sitting.”

“Only the one pack? Amateur.” He grinned at her, and she smiled back.

Feeling slightly braver now, she indicated his distinctive tattoo. “Are
you part Māori?”

“Yes. My grandfather is.”
 

“Oh, mine too!”

Mia winked. “Freya’s middle name is
luuuurv
in Māori.”
 

Nate laughed. “Then I shall call you
Aroha
from now on
.
”

Freya smiled, but a shiver ran all the way from the top of her head to the base of her spine. Most people pronounced it like the Hawaiian word
aloha
, but Nate said it perfectly, giving each syllable the same emphasis, slightly hardening the ‘R’ until it was almost a ‘D’.

“
Freya
is also the Norwegian goddess of love,” said Ash.

“The other side of my family’s from Scandinavia,” said Freya, “like yours. Hence the colour.” She gestured to her shoulder-length hair. It was also blonde, although much lighter than his.

“Nothing to be proud of,” said Mia. “Blondes are dumb as. No offence, Ash.”

“None taken,” he said wryly. “Allegedly they also have more fun.”

“Then clearly most blondes don’t do shiftwork,” said Freya, making them all laugh.
 

Nate’s gaze lingered on Freya’s hair for a moment before he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, sipping his beer. The table was small, and his knee rested against hers beneath the surface, but he didn’t move away. Perhaps he assumed it was the table leg, thought Freya. But she decided not to put him straight.

“Mia?” They all looked up as a man appeared behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry I’m late.”

“Oh, hi.” Mia stood. “That’s okay, I wasn’t expecting you until now anyway.” She smiled at the rest of them. “This is Ross.”

“Hey Ross,” everyone said. Freya studied him with interest. She hadn’t known Mia was meeting him tonight. They’d only been out on a couple of dates, as far as she knew.

“Hey.” Ross nodded at them all and then beckoned with his head to Mia. “Shall we?”

“Yeah. See you all later. Nice to meet you again, Nate.” They threaded their way toward the doors, disappearing into the crowd.

“Huh,” said Grace. “Well
that’s
never going to work.”

“Why not?” said Ash. “He seemed nice enough.”

“He’s shorter than her. Mia would
never
get serious about a man who was shorter than her.”

Ash laughed. “Maybe this one’s got an extra special something you don’t know about.”

“It’s going to have to be a very big special something to keep her interested,” said Grace. They laughed, and Grace sighed. “I just want her to find what I’ve got, you know? I feel guilty sometimes. She deserves to have someone make her feel special, too.”

Ash slipped a hand behind her neck. “She’ll find someone, honey. And you shouldn’t feel guilty. You deserve some happiness as well.” He leaned forward and kissed her.

Freya watched them, smiling. They weren’t usually given to public displays of affection, and it was nice to see Grace flush prettily, her hand coming up to touch his face. She’d had a difficult time of it, dealing with his unusual job and coming to terms with being the stepmother to his teenage daughter, but they were so happy now that they were together. Freya was pleased for her flatmate, if somewhat jealous.

She looked away, meeting Nate’s eyes. He watched her, smiling slightly, and her cheeks grew warm at his intense, curious gaze. “What?” she asked self-consciously.

“Your eyes. They’re different colours.”

“Oh.” She laughed. “Yes. I forget most of the time.”

He moved closer until he was only a foot away, looking deeply into them. “One’s blue, one’s green.”

“It’s called heterochromia,” she said, wishing it didn’t sound like a sexually transmitted disease. She felt suddenly breathless. His eyes were a very dark brown, almost black, and the obvious interest in them made her heart pound.

“They’re fascinating.”

“Thank you,” she said, unable to think of anything wittier to say. His gaze dropped to her mouth. Her lips parted involuntarily, and his curved in response. He was thinking about kissing her. She gave a slight shake of her head and thought
Oh no,
not realising she’d said it out loud until she saw his eyebrows rise. She bit her lip. The mere thought of this gorgeous man taking her in his arms nearly gave her a panic attack.

She glanced at Grace and Ash, seeing they’d pulled apart and were now watching her and Nate with amusement. Nate just smiled and finished off his beer. Freya leaned back in her chair, flustered. This wouldn’t do at all. She had exams coming up, lots of double shifts, and a life plan she was very close to implementing. Now was not the time to be going starry-eyed over some rock star wannabe she barely knew. The wine made her head ache, and the room felt stuffy.
Time to go home
, she thought, picking up her handbag. “I think I’ll be off.”

“We’d better go too,” said Ash, checking his watch. “I’m shattered. Ready, love?”

“Yeah.” Grace finished off her wine and stood.

Ash looked at Nate and nodded toward Freya. “Do me a favour—make sure Freya gets home safely?”

“Sure thing.”

“It’s okay,” said Freya hastily. “I walk home alone all the time. It’s perfectly safe and well lit.”

Nate shrugged. “I could do with some fresh air. Clear the head.”

Freya shot Grace a glare, but the other girl just grinned. “Night, you two.”

“Night,” Freya said, moving the glare to Ash, but he just laughed and put a hand in the small of his girlfriend’s back, guiding her through the crowd, leaving them alone.

Subtle
, thought Freya, sighing and finishing off her wine.
Real subtle
.

Chapter Two

Nate watched Freya finish off her drink, observing her flushed cheeks. She thought Grace and Ash were trying to fix her up with him. He frowned, knowing that hadn’t been Ash’s plan. Ash would have known Nate was the last person who’d be interested in a blind date, and he would have been intent only on making sure she got home safely. Grace, however, was another matter. She occasionally teased him about his single status, and she’d promised she’d see him hooked up with a decent girl before too long. He’d have to have a word with Ash about that. He didn’t want her springing her female friends on him like this, even if they were as beautiful and elegant as the lovely Freya.

He retrieved his guitar, brought the strap over his head and let the guitar rest against his back, and then gestured for Freya to precede him, watching her as she pushed her way through the crowd to the exit. He’d first seen her at the Michael Fowler Centre when Ash had performed there a few months ago, and he remembered thinking how gorgeous she was then. Average height, maybe five-foot-six or -seven, she had a curvy figure with a generous bust, and although she wasn’t overweight, she wasn’t stick thin either, just nicely rounded. Her beautiful, shiny blonde hair looked as if it would feel like silk in his hands, curling where it lay on her shoulders. She had a tempting, plump bottom lip that she tended to nibble thoughtfully, and those amazing, unusual eyes, mismatched like a pair of odd socks. Tonight, she wore practically next to nothing because of the heat, just a thin black vest and a pair of light blue cotton cut-offs that showed her shapely calves. Also, judging by the mesmerising movement of her breasts and the lack of a VPL, she wasn’t wearing any underwear.
 

Hmm. His thermostat rose.

She slipped through the people choking the doorway to the cooler air outside, taking a moment to absorb the summer night, breathing in deeply, out slowly. She took a small tube out of the pocket on her hip, and he saw it was lip balm, red, probably cherry or strawberry flavour. She slid off the lid and twisted the base, smoothing it across her lips in a quick slick. They now looked soft and glossy, and she pressed them together in an age-old feminine gesture, stirring his blood.

She slid the tube back into her pocket and glanced up at him. “You really don’t have to walk me home, Nate. I’m a big girl, and I walk home from work all the time when I finish my shift.” She gestured to the bar with her head and grinned. “And I saw all the attention you were getting in there. I wouldn’t want to cramp your style when you’re so obviously in luck tonight.”