Free Another Mazzy Monday by Savannah Young, Sierra Avalon Page A

not.”
    As he brushes by me on his way to the cabinets I can feel the heat radiating from his body and I get all tingly in response.
    No good can come of it , I remind myself.
    He removes two giant coffee mugs from the cabinet and places them on the counter.
    “I thought I saw wine glasses in there,” I hint.
    Ignoring me he pours the wine into the mugs and hands one to me. “Wine always tastes better in a mug.”
    “If you say so.”
    “We should toast,” he suggests.
    “To what?”
    “Your engagement , of course.”
    I glare at him and he holds my gaze for a long moment. I feel the air between us electrify. I could get into a lot of trouble if I drink too much.
    Stick to a few sips , I tell myself.
    “Lunch is ready,” my sister announces, breaking the spell between me and Austin.
    Each of us takes a plate with a portabella mushroom sandwich and a small side salad with Balsamic dressing.
    “Are you sure I can’t interest you in some wine?” Austin asks Suzie as we take seats at the kitchen table.
    “I’ll stick with water,” she replies then looks at her watch. “I’ve got to be out of here in about fifteen minutes if I want to get to work on time.”
    Austin holds up his wine mug. “Now the toast.”
    “Wonderful,” I mutter to myself.
    “To the wonderful life you’ll no doubt have with my brother.” He doesn’t even wait for me to clink his mug, he just downs the wine.
    I frown. “That wasn’t much of a toast.”
    “You’re right,” he agrees. “To us getting wasted.”
    This time he does clink my mug and stares at me until I take a sip. The most expensive wine I’ve ever had before this was a fifteen dollar bottle of wine that my sister and I splurged on for our twenty-first birthday. I thought that was good. It doesn’t even compare to the intense flavor of this wine. It’s like drinking black licorice and melted chocolate.
    “Good?” Austin asks.
    “Exquisite.”
    “Drink up,” he urges.
    When I glance over at my sister she’s got a scowl on her face. No good can come of it , she mouths to me.
    I know , I mouth back.
    “Is that some kind of twin thing?” Austin asks.
    “What do you mean?” I reply.
    “The two of you seem to be communicating, but you’re not actually speaking to each other.”
    “It’s Twinspeak,” my sister jokes. “Haven’t you heard of it?”
    Austin shakes his head. “I’ve never actually seen identical twins in real life before.”
    “Never?” I’m surprised.
    “Never,” he assures me.
    We eat our meals in silence for a few minutes until Austin remarks, “The food is really good. You’ve got talent.”
    “That’s what I always tell her,” I glance in Suzie’s direction.
    She rises from the table. “I’d better get going.” Then she gives me the narrow-eyed glance I’m always treated to when she’s not very happy with me. “Can I talk to you for one minute in the foyer?”
    I nod and get up from my chair. “I’ll be right back.”
    “You’d better,” Austin says. “We’ve got a bottle of wine to finish.”
    Once we’re in the foyer and out of earshot of Austin Suzie lays into me, finger pointing and everything. “This is a very slippery slope, Mazzy. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
    “Nothing is going to happen,” I assure her.
    “I want to believe you, but I don’t. Just be careful, okay?”
    I nod and she gives me a big hug before she heads out the door.
    Austin has already filled his mug with more wine when I return. He pats the chair next to him and I take the seat.
    I take a small sip of wine and hope that it eases the nervousness I’m starting to feel. The more time I spend with Austin the more attracted to him I find myself.
    “Mazzy is an unusual name. Were you named after Mazzy Star?”
    “What’s a Mazzy Star?”
    He laughs. I enjoy his laugh. It’s big and raw and full of joy. So much different than his brother’s, which always seems forced and restrained. “Mazzy Star is an alternative rock