Chapter 6
Harry only escaped his hosting duties by begging his dad to abandon his in-depth discussion about the long-range weather forecast with his sailing buddies to please-for-the-love-of-God get his mum out of the kitchen because she was driving them all mad.
Jago was more than happy to come to the rescue and he whisked Rachel outside for a dance.
The patio had been cleared of furniture and plant pots to create a makeshift dancefloor and lots of couples were taking advantage of it, including Harry’s two older brothers and their girlfriends.
Given he’d rather poke his own eyes out than watch any of his family smooching, Harry grabbed a fresh beer from an ice-filled tub and wandered inside.
There was no one he wanted to talk to in the kitchen so he continued through into the hallway.
A familiar burst of laughter caught his attention and he followed the sound into the lounge to find Ed holding court.
He had a beer in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other, both threatening to spill on to the carpet as he gestured wildly to emphasise whatever tall tale he was telling.
At a casual glance you’d think his twin was having the time of his life.
But Harry knew better.
He wove through the gathered guests until he was at Ed’s side. ‘And here he is!’ Ed crowed, followed by another bellow of laughter. He slung the hand holding the beer bottle around Harry’s shoulder, nearly hitting him in the side of the head with it in the process.
Harry quickly relieved him of the bottle and put it out of the way on the mantelpiece. ‘It’s a long way to midnight, bro, you might want to pace yourself.’
‘Lighten up, H!’ Ed protested. ‘You never used to be such a killjoy! I was just telling everyone about the time I got you to pretend to be me because I’d double-booked myself!’
Harry cringed. Of all the bloody stupid things they’d done together, that had to be right up there.
Swapping places had been different when they were little and there was no harm in it, but that poor girl had been smitten with Ed and was clearly excited about being asked out on a date by him.
Harry hadn’t been able to keep the pretence up for long and had made an excuse about feeling unwell and got out of there in under half an hour.
He should’ve told the girl the truth, and the shame of leading her on still bothered him.
‘That’s not something I’m particularly proud of, mate,’ Harry said, keeping his voice low so the others wouldn’t hear. ‘And definitely not something you should be boasting about either.’
‘Come off it, H, I’m only having a laugh!’ Ed protested.
‘That’s the story of your bloody life, isn’t it?
’ Harry snapped as he shrugged off Ed’s arm.
The flash of anger burned out almost before it started and Ed’s shocked expression only served to make Harry annoyed with himself for letting it out, especially in such a public setting.
He prided himself on his hard-won self-control, and letting Ed get under his skin was as stupid as it was pointless.
He took a deep breath and reached out to give his brother a quick hug. ‘Sorry, mate, it’s been a long day.’
Ed only hesitated for a moment before he returned the gesture. ‘I guess it wasn’t my proudest moment and I shouldn’t have dragged you into my mess.’
Harry pulled back so he could look Ed square in the face.
There was a slight flush to his cheeks. It was warm in the busy room, but he wondered if the colour had more to do with his brother going at it two drinks at a time.
‘Fancy a bit of fresh air?’ he suggested, hoping if he got his brother outside where things were quieter they’d be able to talk better.
Ed shook his head. ‘No, I’m fine, you go ahead.’ His gaze was already wandering, as if he didn’t want Harry studying him too closely. His mouth spread wide in a grin. ‘There’s someone I want to talk to over there.’
Something tightened in Harry’s gut and he knew who Ed was looking at before he turned to confirm it.
Kat was standing near the door, her back against the wall as she looked up at a man who was looming over her in a way that instantly set Harry’s teeth on edge.
Kat appeared to be smiling, but Harry didn’t miss her body language cues.
Her shoulders were pinned to the wall as if she was hoping it would open up and swallow her, and the hand holding her drink was raised in front and across her body, like a barrier.
Whoever it was that was making her feel uncomfortable, Harry would deal with him in a minute.
First, though, he needed to make something very clear to Ed. ‘Leave Kat alone.’
Ed dragged his attention back to Harry. ‘What do you mean?’
That wide-eyed gaze wasn’t fooling anyone, especially not Harry, who knew Ed almost as well as he knew himself. ‘She’s had enough shit to deal with lately without you mucking her around.’
‘I’m only having a la—’ For once Ed’s too-often absent self-preservation instinct kicked in and he had the grace to look contrite. ‘You know I’d never hurt Kitty.’
‘I know you’d never mean to,’ Harry replied, his tone full of sympathetic understanding.
For all he could be frustrating as hell, Ed truly had a heart of gold.
He shot a quick glance over his shoulder and saw Kat’s smile had wilted and her eyes had taken on a somewhat glazed expression.
He needed to get over there, but he needed to make sure Ed had got the message too.
He turned back to his brother. ‘Look, I don’t know the ins and outs of it but it’s clear something’s not right with Kat.
I think her dad’s being an arse again.’ Asking for a nuclear strike on her family home had been a clue even he couldn’t miss.
‘Yeah, she didn’t seem happy when I asked her about Christmas earlier. Poor Kitty. What she needs is someone to comfort her.’ Ed’s knowing grin said he was more than willing to volunteer for that job.
The idea of his brother and Kat together set off something dark and possessive inside Harry. If anyone was going to comfort Kat it would be him. The strength of feeling shocked Harry to the core. Where the hell had that come from? ‘Leave her alone.’
Ed held up his hands in surrender, spilling half his champagne in the process.
‘Hey, hey, it’s just a joke. Jeez, H, did you have a sense of humour bypass earlier, or what?
’ He glanced over Harry’s shoulder. ‘Speaking of sense of humour bypasses, it looks like Kat’s got herself cornered by Charlie Hicks, which is no one’s idea of a good time. ’
Harry turned fully this time and could see Ed was right.
The man who was talking to Kat had shifted sideways and their former classmate’s profile was immediately recognisable.
He’d placed a hand on the wall, not quite over Kat’s head but too close for comfort.
She’d moved a bit from where she’d been standing, but she was close to being hemmed in between Charlie and the back of the open door.
That weird possessiveness towards Kat came roaring back at full force. ‘Come on.’
Knowing Ed would be less than a step behind him, Harry strode across the room, raising his arms wide. ‘Kat, there you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere.’ Ignoring Charlie, he held out a hand to her. ‘Sorry, I got caught up talking to Ed and didn’t mean to leave you on your own for so long.’
‘Yes, it’s my fault as usual,’ Ed said with a laugh as he all but barged Charlie aside to lean on the wall next to Kat. ‘You know I can’t be left unsupervised for a minute!’
The glazed look in Kat’s eyes vanished and she grabbed for Harry’s hand like he was offering her a lifeline. ‘That’s okay, Charlie was keeping me company.’
Harry and Ed both made a show of turning to look at Charlie, as if they’d not noticed him there. ‘Oh, hey, Charlie, long time no see.’
‘Hi, Harry.’ Charlie’s voice was as flat and as hard as the look he was shooting at him. It was all Harry could do not to laugh in the other man’s face. It’d be a cold day in hell before the likes of Charlie Hicks could intimidate him.
‘No greeting for me, Charlie-boy?’
The animosity in Charlie’s eyes turned white-hot with rage. ‘Piss off, Ed,’ he growled before stomping away.
Ed shook his head, his expression one of amazed innocence. ‘What did I do?’
‘Apart from sleeping with his girlfriend, you mean?’ Kat asked him with wry amusement. She hadn’t let go of Harry’s hand, and he found himself liking the feel of her soft fingers curled around his.
‘Oh, that!’ Ed waved a hand as he huffed out a breath. ‘He can’t still be angry about that, surely? And, besides, Natasha came on to me.’
‘You could’ve turned her down,’ Kat pointed out, still smiling.
‘Oh, yeah, I suppose I could’ve. Never mind, water under the bridge and all that.
’ Harry didn’t miss the spots of red on Ed’s cheeks as he raised his glass of champagne and drained what was left of it.
‘Right, who wants another drink?’ Ed disappeared off towards the kitchen before either of them could reply.
‘Is he all right?’ Kat asked, her smile vanishing into a frown of concern. ‘I was only teasing him about Natasha. We all know she got off with Ed as an excuse to break up with Charlie.’
Harry sighed. ‘I’m not sure what’s going on with him,’ he admitted.
‘Things have been manic at work in the run-up to the holidays so I’ve not had chance to spend a lot of time with him.
’ It was true, but it didn’t help Harry feel any less guilty.
It might be only by a matter of minutes, but Harry was Ed’s big brother and it was his job to look out for him.
He’d been neglecting that responsibility and getting caught up in his own business too much.
Everyone made the mistake of thinking Harry was the more troublesome of the twins, but it wasn’t true.
When things had gone wrong, more often than not it had been because of something Ed had done.
He’d always been more devil-may-care, act now and apologise later if you happened to get caught.
And when things got out of hand with Ed, they could end in real disaster.
Like just before they’d turned fourteen, when Ed had dared Harry to go climbing on the treacherous rocks beneath Boscowen Castle known to all the locals as the Hound’s Teeth.
That day had changed their lives in so many ways – none of them good.
‘If you want to go and find him, I’ll be okay on my own.
’ Kat squeezed his hand then dropped it.
The urge to reach for her again, to take more than her hand, was another shock to his system.
He’d blame the booze but he’d barely started on his second bottle of beer.
This was something else – something new and he wasn’t quite sure what to do about it.
Not wanting to let her get away while he tried to figure things out, Harry shook his head.
‘And let Charlie trap you again?’ He lounged back against the wall, hoping he looked a lot more relaxed than he was feeling.
‘I doubt he’ll come near me after that act the two of you pulled,’ Kat replied with a grin. ‘But I only popped in here to look for Chloe so I’m heading back to the kitchen anyway so you can play bodyguard and check on Ed.’
‘That works for me.’
Her expression grew serious. ‘You really are worried about him?’
Harry shrugged. ‘It’s probably nothing more than me arriving late for the party and him being a couple of drinks ahead of me. Come on.’ He tucked his free hand in his pocket to stop himself from grabbing hers again.
There was no sign of Charlie in the hall, which was good, but no sign of Ed in the kitchen, which wasn’t so great. ‘Maybe he’s outside with everyone else?’ Kat suggested.
Before Harry could reply, Chloe came in from the garden, her eyes lighting up when she spotted Kat. ‘There you are! I was just coming to find you.’
‘And I’ve been looking for you,’ Kat responded with a laugh. ‘But I got waylaid.’
‘Charlie Hicks cornered her,’ Harry put in.
‘Ugh! What’s he even doing here anyway?’ Chloe hooked her arm through Kat’s. ‘Come on, everyone’s outside.’
Harry followed them outside, shivering a little at the difference between the heat of the house and the icy cold air.
Most of the people in the garden had abandoned the patio dancefloor and were huddled in groups chatting beneath the warmth of the patio heaters set up in each corner.
Harry was relieved to spot Ed talking with their father, two brothers and a tall blond man he recognised as Liam’s business partner, Adam Mountjoy.
With Chloe hanging on to Kat, Harry decided to make himself scarce.
His cousin was too perceptive for her own good and he didn’t want anyone cottoning on to these new feelings he had for Kat until he’d had a chance to sort through them himself.
He wandered over to join the others. Harry didn’t miss the way his father’s eyes lit up when he saw him.
Jago reached out and pulled him close to the warmth of the heater with a quick, one-armed hug.
‘I was just saying to your brothers how happy I am you were able to make it tonight. It’s been too long since I had all my boys together. ’
‘Hardly boys, Dad,’ Liam replied with a laugh.
‘Oh, look, I know you think you’re all that now you’re the owner of your own business, but you’ll always be my boys.’
‘You’re getting sentimental in your old age,’ Ed teased.
‘No, I really mean it. You boys mean the world to me and your mum,’ Jago insisted. He was addressing them all, but his eyes were fixed on Harry as he said it.
Harry knew his dad still felt guilty over what had happened, but there were only so many times he could tell him things were okay now.
The reason his father felt bad was a Pandora’s box Harry was determined to keep the lid tightly shut on, especially with the mood Ed was in.
His father held his gaze a few moments longer as though willing Harry to say something, but this wasn’t the time or the place.
After a long minute, his dad gave him a sad smile and shook his head.
‘Well, I’d better go and see what your mum’s up to. ’
A swirl of tangled emotions wove through Harry’s gut as he watched his father walk away.
As he always did when those unwanted feelings stirred up, he stuffed them down to deal with later.
Time to change the subject, and with Adam present, and his dad safely out of the way, he had everyone he needed.
‘I’m glad I’ve got you all in one place because I’ve had an idea and I’d really like your input on it. ’