TableofContents

ChapterOne
ChapterTwo
ChapterThree
ChapterFour
ChapterFive
ChapterSix
ChapterSeven
ChapterEight
ChapterNine
ChapterTen
ChapterEleven
Epilogue
AbouttheAuthor
AlsobyAnnabelleJacobs
RecommendedReads

NotJustForChristmas

By

AnnabelleJacobs

Copyright

Coverartist:NatashaSnow

Editor:LyndsayPurdie

NotJustForChristmas©2017AnnabelleJacobs

ALLRIGHTSRESERVED:

Thisliteraryworkmaynotbereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,

includingelectronicorphotographicreproduction,inwholeorinpart,withoutexpress

writtenpermission.

Thisisaworkoffictionandanyresemblancetopersons,livingordead,orbusiness

establishments,eventsorlocalesiscoincidental.

TheLicensedArtMaterialisbeingusedforillustrativepurposesonly.

AllRightsAreReserved.Nopartofthismaybeusedorreproducedinanymanner

whatsoeverwithoutwrittenpermission,exceptinthecaseofbriefquotationsembodiedin

criticalarticlesandreviews.

WARNING

Thisbookcontainsmaterialthatmaybeoffensivetosomeandisintendedforamature,

adultaudience.Itcontainsgraphiclanguage,explicitsexualcontentandadultsituations.

Acknowledgements

Thankyousomuchtothefollowingpeople:Jay,Garrett,Davina,RJ,andNic.Yourhelp

withthisbookwasinvaluable.

AlsohugethankstoVikkiandhercousinforansweringallmymany,manyquestions

aboutvets,theRSPCA,andthetreatmentrequiredforastraycatthat’sbeenrunover.

TableofContents

ChapterOne

ChapterTwo

ChapterThree

ChapterFour

ChapterFive

ChapterSix

ChapterSeven

ChapterEight

ChapterNine

ChapterTen

ChapterEleven

Epilogue

AbouttheAuthor

AlsobyAnnabelleJacobs

RecommendedReads

CHAPTERONE

Ben parked out front of the three-storey apartment block and turned off the engine.

Thebuildingwasseventeenyearsold,stillnew-looking,andBengrinned.He’dlivedwith
threeotherpeoplebackupinNottingham.Sharingwithjustonewasgoingtobeheaven—
especiallysincethatonewashisbestfriend,Liam.

He grabbed his phone from the passenger seat, scrolled through to Liam’s number,

andclickedonit.

FourringslaterandLiam’sbreathlessvoicesoundedontheotherend.“Hey.Where

areyou?”

“Parkedoutsideontheroad.Whyareyousooutofbreath?”Itwasn’tasthoughhe’d

anystairstorundown.

Liamlaughed.“Iwasintheloo,hadtorunandgetmyphonefromthelivingroom.”

“Ihopeyouwashedyourhands.”

“Yeah,ofcourse.Hey,Icanseeyou.”

Glancing over at the building again, Ben looked from window to window until he

spottedLiamwavingathimfromoneoftheground-floorapartments.“Comeandletme
in,youidiot.”Hehungup,gotoutofthecarandlockedit.

For the end of November, the weather was mild. Ben left his jacket in the car, and

tuckedhisphoneandkeysinhisjeanspockets.

Liamboundedoutofthefrontdoorandmethimhalfwaydownthepath.“Hey.”He

pulledBeninforahug.“Can’tbelieveyou’refinallymovingbackdownhere.”

Ben hugged him back, rolling his eyes. “It’s only been two years since we finished

uni.”

“Iknow,butitseemslikeagessinceImovedbackhereandit’snotbeenthesame

withoutyou.Ibetyourmumanddadareoverthemoon?”

“TheremighthavebeenasquealandsometearswhenItoldmymum.”Hestepped

backand took agood look athis friend. The summerseemed ages ago,and in the three
monthssinceBenlastsawhim,Liamhadputonafairbitofmuscle.BengrippedLiam’s
bicepandsqueezed.“Beengoingtothegym?”

Liam’ssmilegrew.“Yep.”Heflexedhismuscles.“Noteverydayoranything,butthe

local one does this monthly deal, so I thought I’d give it a go since it seemed to be
working out so well for you.” He poked Ben in the stomach. “Christ. It’s as hard as a
rock!”

Avoidingtheobviouscomebackforonce,Benshrugged.“I’vehadalotofsparetime

withmostofmymatesmovingawayafteruni.”Hewashopingthatwouldchangenowhe

wasbackhome.Notthathe’dgiveupgoingtothegym,butit’dbenicetohavethingsto
dootherthantrain.

“Talkingofwhich….”LiamturnedtoheadbackinsideandbeckonedBentofollow

him.“Areyoustillinterestedinvolunteeringattheanimalshelter?”

“Yep. I’ve got a month to kill before the new job starts, I’m going to need to do

something.” Ben walked down the hallway after Liam, and they stopped outside a door
with1Aonthefront.AccordingtoLiam,theapartmenthe’dboughtneededabitofwork
doingtoitbeforetheymovedin.Bendidn’tcare;he’dbeenastudentnotsolongago.It
couldn’tbeanyworsethansomeoftheplaceshe’dlivedin.

Liamstartedtoopenthedoor,thenstoppedandturnedtofaceBen.“NowIknowyou

saidyouweren’tbotheredwhatstateitwasin,andIneversentyouanypictures,sojust
keepinmindthatthisisnotwhatit’llbelikewhenwemovein.”

BensighedandmotionedforLiamtohurryup.“I’msureit’snotthatbad.Justopen

thebloodydoor.”

LiampushedthedoorwideandledBeninside.“ThisiswhyIgotitsocheap.”

Thedooropenedintoashorthall,whichapartfromsomepeelingwallpaper,looked

finetoBen.Whentheyreachedthelivingroom,Benletoutalowwhistle.“Wow.Who
thefucklivedherebefore?”Thespaceitselfwasempty,makingthestateofthefloorand
thewallsevenmorenoticeable.Thebeigecarpethadmorethanonestainonit,andifBen
wasn’tmistaken,acoupleofburnmarkstoo.Darkbluepaintcoveredthebackwall,andit
looked as though someone had been playing with samples on the others. Saying all that
though, it was just cosmetic. If there’d been anything majorly wrong with the place,
Liam’sdadwouldneverhavelethimbuyit—hewasajoinerbytrade,workingmainlyon
newbuilds,andknewwhattolookforinabuilding,

Benstoodinthemiddleoftheroomandlookedoutthewindow.“Itmightneedalick

ofpaint,”Liamscoffedbesidehim,“Theview’snothalfbad,though.”Thehousingestate
wasbig—Benhadgotlosttwicetryingtofindtheplace—buttheirbuildingwasrighton
theedgeofit.Beyondtherewerestillfarmers’fields.Whetherornotthey’dremainfields
Benhadnoidea,butfornowitwasgreat.

“Yeah. I’m hoping they won’t build more houses, but I reckon it’s inevitable,” He

turnedandrubbedhishandstogether.“Anyway.Thisisjustoneroom.Letmeshowyou
therestofit.”

Liamtookhimonatourofthekitchen,bathroom,andthetwobedrooms.Thedecor

wasshitineveryroom—clearlysomeonehadafixationwithpaintsamplers—butthatwas
easilyfixed.Theonlyroomthatneededsomeseriousworkwasthebathroom,whichwas
thelastroomLiamshowedhim.

Ben eyed the cracked sink and then the toilet missing its seat. “Why didn’t the

ownersfixthisbeforeselling?Imeanitworkedoutokayforyou,butsurelythey’dhave
gotalotmorewithafewrepairs?”

“The estate agent said the last tenants left it like this. I think they’d been a lot of

trouble and the owner wanted to get rid of it quickly.” He poked a toe at the toilet.

“Whatever.NotsureAuntKate’smoneywouldhavestretchedfarenoughifthey’dfixedit
up.Nowthough,IcanaffordtosplashoutabitandgetithowIwant.Especiallywithyou
payingmerent.”HenudgedBen’sshoulder.“It’sgoingtobegreat.”

“Yeah,itis.”HeflashedLiamagrin.Thiswaswhyhe’ddrivendowntoday,tosee

whatneededdoingbeforetheymovedin.Hehadaweekorsobeforehehadtobeoutof
hisoldplace,andhewashopingthatwaslongenoughtogettheflatreadytomovehis
stuffinto.Hedidn’twanttohavetodumpitallonhisparentsifhecouldhelpit.“Where
dowestart?”

“I’m so glad you asked.” Liam waved a hand at the whole bathroom. “Since Dad

knowseveryoneinthetrade,he’sorganisedsomeguystocomeinandtilethefloorand
walls,andfitanewbathroomsuite.“I’vealreadypreparedthewalls.”Hepointedtoatub
of PVA in the corner, with a mini roller on top. “That was fun. They’re due tomorrow
morning,sohesaiditwouldbehelpfulifwecouldemptyitofanyclutterandripupthe
carpet.”HeturnedtofaceBen.“Whoputscarpetinabathroom?”

“Myparentshavecarpetintheirs.”

“Oh.”Liamfrowned.“Yeah,minedotoo,cometothinkofit.Anyway,ifyoucould

help me get this room clear, I reckon that’ll do for today. It’s already three o’clock, and
Mum’sinvitedyoufordinnerifyou’refree?”

Clappinghishandstogether,Bengrinned.“Comeonthen.”Aftersittinginacarall

morning, he was itching for some exercise. “And food at yours sounds good, I haven’t
seenyourfolksinages.MumsaidsheandDadweregoingoutanyway,soit’sperfect.”

Liam handed Ben a screwdriver and pointed at the cabinet on the wall. “You start

withthat,andI’lltakethecurtainraildown.”

Ascasuallyashecould,Benasked,“Willitjustbeusandyourparentsorthewhole

family?”

JudgingbythesmirkonLiam’sface,Ben’sattemptatsubtletyhadfailedmiserably.

“Ohno,yougetthewholeArmitagefamilytonight.”

Arse.Bendidn’tknowwhethertobehappyornot.He’dhadacrushonLiam’seldest

brothersinceaboutagefourteen.Thewholefamilyknewit—hehadn’tbeenverysubtle
theneither.“That’sgreat.It’llbegoodtoseeeveryone.”

Liambarkedoutalaugh.“Yeah,Ibetyoucan’twaittoseePete.”

PetewasLiam’sotherbrother.Jasonhadbeentheobjectofhisschoolboyfantasies.

Andstillstarredinmostofthemnow.

LiampointedatthecabinetthatBenhadyettostarton.“Stopdaydreamingaboutmy

brotherandgettowork.”

“Fuckoff.”Bengrinned,gavehimthefinger,andgottowork.

Butforthenexthourorso,hisminddriftedbacktodarkhair,greeneyes,andavoice

thatusedtomakehimshiver.Woulditstillhavethesameeffect?

Ataroundfiveo’clock,Liamstoodandstretched.“Ireckonthat’lldo.”Hegestured

tothenowbarefloorandwalls.

Ben put the tools he’d been using back in Liam’s toolbox and brushed dust off his

jeans. He smiled and looked around at what they’d accomplished. “Feels good to get
going, though. I can’t wait to move in.” Staying at his Mum and Dad’s was great for a
couple of nights—he loved catching up with them—but any more than that and they’d
starttoannoyoneanother.Ithadbeenyearssinceheorhissisterlivedathomeandhis
parentswereusedtohavingthehousetothemselvesnow.

“Once the bathroom’s sorted, we can stay here while we decorate, yeah?” Liam

lookeddesperateandBenlaughed.

“Yeah,soundsgoodtome.”Heglancedoverhisshoulderandoutthebathroomdoor,

gesturingwithhisthumb.“What’reyouplanningondoingwiththerestoftheflooring?
Maybeweshouldsortthatbeforewemoveourstuffin?”

Runningahandthroughhishair,Liamsighed.“Goodpoint.Dadsuggestedthesame

carpetthroughoutwasprobablythebestoption,sothat’swhatI’vegonefor.They’renot
comingtodothatuntilWednesday,though.”

“Thatworksoutallright.I’vegottogobacktoNottinghamonSundaytopackup

therestofmystuffanyway.I’vegotfourdaysleftintheoffice,soIcanbringeverything
downonFriday.Howdoesthatsound?”

Liamgrinned.“Perfect.”HepackedtherestofhistoolsawayandshooedBenoutof

thebathroom.“Mumsaiddinnerwouldbeaboutsix-ish.Thatenoughtimeforyoutoget
toyourparents’andshower?”

“Yeah,plenty.”Benfollowedhimthroughtheflat,excitementbubblinginhisbelly

asheimaginedlivingtherewithLiam.Hiscurrenthousematesweren’tbadoranything,
buttheytendedtokeeptothemselves.“Hey.”HesnaggedLiam’sarmandstoppedhim.
“Thanksforlettingmemoveinhere.”

Pulling him into another hug, Liam none-too-gently ruffled his hair. “I needed

someonetohelppaythemortgageandmybestfriendhappenedtobemovingbackdown
tothearea.WhoelsewasIgoingtoask?”AfterlettingBengo,Liam’sexpressionturned
serious.“I’vemissedyou.It’sgoodtobeabletotalktoyouface-to-faceagain.”Hissmile
returned.“Becauselet’sbehonest,we’rebothshitatusingaphone.”

So true. Ben smiled back. “Yeah, good point.” He turned and headed for the front

doorwithLiambehindhim.“Right,I’dbettergetgoing.”

“Yeah,metoo.”

Onceoutside,LiamstoppedandpointedtheoppositewaytoBen’scar.“I’mparked

roundtheback.Seeyoulater.”

“Bye.”

Withawave,LiamdisappearedaroundthecornerandBenwasonceagainleftalone

with his thoughts. He was absolutely not going to spend ages picking out what to wear.

Therewasnobodyheneededtoimpress.Nope.

Despite repeating that mantra all the way home and during his shower, Ben still

foundhimselfstoodwearingatowelandfrowningattheclotheshe’dbroughtwithhim.
Laid out on the bed, the three long-sleeved T-shirts and two pairs of jeans were
uninspiringtosaytheleast.Onlyexpectingtobehereforaweekendspenthelpingoutat
theflat,Benhadn’tpackedmuch.

InhindsightheshouldhaverealiseddinnerattheArmitageswouldbeagiven.When

theywereatschool,heandLiamhadvirtuallylivedatoneanother’shouses.AndKaren
Armitagelikedallherboystogetherwhenshecouldmanageit.ClearlyBen’sreturnwas
oneofthosetimes.

OutofthethreeT-shirtsondisplay,Ben’sgazekeptgoingbacktothedarkgreyone

ontheend.Afterwashingitatfortydegreesinsteadofthirty—he’dlearnttoreadlabels
afterthat—ithadgonefrombeingalittlelargeonhimtosnug.Itshowcasedallthehard
workhe’dputinoverthelastcoupleofyears,butwasthattoomuchforafamilydinnerat
hisfriend’shouse?

Thelasttimehe’dseenJasonwasabouttwoyearsago,whenhe’dbeenabitskinny,

and still a little shy. Fending for himself at uni had done a lot to bolster his self-
confidence.Whenhefinishedhiscourse,havingtolivenolongersurroundedbyhisuni
mateshadforcedhimtobemoreoutgoing,andtoomuchtimeonhishandshadresultedin
moremuscles.Hewasn’thugeoranything—althoughnotaslivelyashisuniyears,he’d
stillhadagoodsociallife—morelikehe’dfilledoutabit.AswouldbeevidentinthatT-
shirt.

Fuckit.

Snaggingitoffthequilt,Benpullediton,followedbyboxersandhisblackjeans.A

quickglanceinthemirrorhadhimgrinning.Yep,that’ddonicely.

Feelingeveryinchtheconfidenttwenty-four-year-oldhewas,Bengrabbedhiswallet

andkeys,shoutedgoodbyetohisparents,andsetoffforLiam’shouseandtheinevitable
chaosthatwaitedforhimthere.

He’dbarelyfinishedknockingbeforeLiamopenedthedoorandlethimin.Twosteps

intothehallandheheard,“OhmyGod,lookatthesizeofyou!”

Walking towards him with a big grin on her face was Liam’s mum. Like her boys,

KarenArmitagewastall,dark,andslim.Shewasalsoloudandoutgoing,andoneofthe
friendliestpeopleBenknew.

“It’sonlybeenayear,forGod’ssake.Whatthehelldotheyfeedyouupnorth?”She

reached up and ruffled his hair, and judging by the glint in her eye, was probably well
awarehe’dtakenagoodfifteenminutestostyleit.

Benaccepteditallwithawrygrin.“I’monlyinNottingham.It’snotthatfar.”

“Farenough.Ibetyourmum’soverthemoontohaveherboymovingbackhome.”

“Yeah, she said she’s looking forward to having me and Sarah round for Sunday

dinners again.” Sarah went to uni in Sheffield, but she still managed to get home more
oftenthanBen.She’dspentallsummerattheirparents’andBenhadbeenalittlejealous
whenheknewshewasthere.

“Ibet.”Karengavehischeekapat.“Food’llbereadyinaboutfifteenminutes.”Ben

felttheyearsslipawayasshewenttojoinLiam’sdadinthekitchen.HeandLiamheaded
into the living room, where Liam’s brothers were perched at either end of the sofa like
bookends.

Pete stood when they walked in and came over to give Ben a hug. “Christ.” He

laughedasBensqueezedhimhard.“IthoughtMumwasjustbeingnice,butfuckinghell,
you’vegotsomemuscleonyou.”

“LanguagePete!”Karenshoutedfromthekitchen.

“Mum,I’mthirty-one,forGod’ssake.”Peterolledhiseyes,grinningwhenhismum

shoutedback,“Idon’tcarehowoldyouare.”

Bentriednottolook,butinevitablyhisgazewasdrawntoJasonstillsatonthesofa.

HestoodasPetesteppedback,andBengotaproperlookathim.Benwasn’ttheonlyone
who’dchangedalittleoverthepastcoupleofyears.Thelasttimehe’dseenJason,hishair
hadbeenshort,likeanarmycut,andhe’dhadabeard.He’dlookedhotthen,butnow….
Benhadtoforciblyshuthismouthsohedidn’tgape.

Jason’s thick dark hair, still shaved at the sides, was now a good couple of inches

longer on top. And he was clean shaven. Ben kind of missed the beard, but without it
Jason looked much younger, and his strong jawline was a thing of beauty. He looked
thinner,too.BenfrownedbecauseJasonatelikeahorseandhadalwaysbeenbulkierthan
hisbrothers.ThatthoughtsomehowmadeitswayoutofBen’smouth.

“Haveyoulostweight?”

Jasonlaughedsoftly,onehandimmediatelygoingtohisstomach.Hepattedhisbelly

andsighed.“Goddon’tyoustart.Mum’salreadybeenonatmeaboutnoteatingproperly.”
HepulledBeninforaquickhug.“It’sgoodtoseeyou,evenifyoudoputtherestofusto
shame.”

OhGod,thatvoice.AssmoothanddeepasBenremembered.

Jason stepped back and then reached up and ruffled Ben’s hair, exactly like Karen

haddone.“Liam’swellchuffedtogethisbestmateback.Maybenowhe’llstoppestering
metogooutallthetime.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Twice. And that was only because my other mates were

working.I’dhaveaskedPetebuthe’sallloved-upattheminute.”

“Well now you’ve got Ben to go out and get pissed with. Just don’t expect me to

cleanupafterthetwoofyoulikeIusedto.”JasonlaughedatLiam’slookofoutrage.

“Wewerewhat,fifteenwhenthathappened?Whydoyoualwayshavetobringthat

up?”

“Becauseyoutwowillalwaysbemyidiotbabybrotherandhisequallyidioticbest

friend,whothoughtsneakingvodkashotswasagoodidea.Honestly,I’mscarredfromthe
amountofsickIhadtocleanupsoMumwouldn’tfindout.She’dhavekilledmefornot
keepinganeyeonthepairofyou.”

Benlistenedtothetwoofthembanterwithasinkingfeeling.Eachwordreminded

himthatJasonwouldforeverseehimasakid—nomatterhowoldhewas,orhowmuch
he’dchangedsincethen.Withasigh,heleftthemtoitandploppeddowninoneofthe
armchairs. Oh well, he’d just go back to admiring Jason from afar, like he always had.
DatingJasonhadneverbeenarealisticpossibilityanyway.Althoughelevenyearswasn’t
a huge age difference, it seemed it when Jason used to babysit them and had witnessed
firsthand all the stupid things they’d done as kids. Maybe that was why Ben liked him.
LikingJasonwassafe,becausenothingwouldevercomeofit,sohecouldfantasisetohis
heart’scontentwithoutthefearofbeinghurt.

Soonenough,Liam’smumcalledthemintosetthetableandgetdrinksforeveryone.

Ben relaxed as the cheerful banter surrounded him, and he settled into a chair between
LiamandPete.Dinnerwasaloudaffair,justlikeBenremembered,andwarmthfilledhim
astheyteasedeachotherandhiminequalmeasures.

God, he’d missed this. Liam’s house had been like a second home growing up and

eventhoughtheywerealloldernow,theatmospherewasthesameasitalwayshadbeen.
Loud,livelyandwelcoming.HavinghisfamilyandLiam’saroundthecornergavehima
senseofsecurityhe’dlackedforthepastsixyearswithoutevenrealising.

Bensmiledtohimselfasheate.Yeah,itwasgoodtobehome.

CHAPTERTWO

JasonsatacrossthetablefromhisbrotherandBen,stillalittlesurprisedeverytime

helookedupandsawthemtogether.Christ,hestillrememberedwhentheyusedtohave
sleepovers and giggle so much they almost wet the bed. They’d certainly changed a lot
sincethen.

Settinghiscutlerydownonhisnowemptyplate,Jasonsatbackinhischair.“How’s

theflatlooking?Dadsaidyou’regettinganewbathroomtomorrow?”

Liamgrinnedandwrinkledhisnose.“Yeah.MeandBencleareditoutforthem.That

old carpet reeked.” He started to tell them all the plans he had for the flat, and Jason
watched him with a smile. He hadn’t seen his brother this excited about something in a
longwhile.HavingBenbackwasgoodforhim.

Hisdadgotupandpausedwithhisplateinhand.“They’llberoundearly.Probably

abouteight.Makesureyou’retheretomeetthemandletthemin.”

Liamnodded.“Willdo.”

Hismumanddadleftthetable,takingtheirdrinkswiththem.“Areyoulotokayto

clearupwhenyou’vefinished?NotBenobviouslybecausehe’saguesttoday.”Hismum
eyedthemallinturnandtheynoddedasone,thenshesmiledatBen.“Excellent.We’ll
leaveyoutoitthen.”Theybothdisappearedintothelivingroom,closingthedoorbehind
them.

AsJasondebatedanextrahelpingoflasagne,Peteglancedoverathimandsmirked.

OhGod,whatwasheuptonow?“So,Ben.AreyouassingleandlonelyasLiam,orhave
yougotsomeblokeupinNottinghamthat’sgoingtobepining?”

Jason tried to catch Pete’s eye, but couldn’t. He’d better not try and embarrass

anyone.SometimesPetewenttoofar.

Liam stared back at his brother, sighing dramatically. “For the tenth time, I’m not

lonely. Just because you’re happily shacked up with Helen—and where is she, by the
way?”

“Working.”

“Ahh.WherewasI?Ohyeah,thatdoesn’tmeantherestofushavetosettledown.

You’vegotsevenyearsonmeanyway,shouldn’tyoubenaggingJason?”

Ugh.JasonhadafeelingLiamhadplayedrightintoPete’shands.

“That’s a very good point.” Pete turned and grinned at Jason. “You’ve been back,

what?Aboutayearandahalf?”

Jasonnodded.“Aboutthat.Why?”

“You’regettingoninyears,oldman.”

Rolling his eyes, Jason ignored him and decided on that extra helping after all.

Maybethey’dfindsomethingelsetotalkaboutifhedidn’tengage.

Petekickedhimunderthetable.“Hey,I’vehadagreatidea.”

“No.”

“Don’tbelikethat.Youhaven’tevenheardityet.”

Jasonhuffedoutalaugh.“PrettysureIdon’tneedto.I’llhateit,andtheanswerwill

stillbeno.”

Carryingonregardless,PetepointedhisforkatLiam,thenBen,thenbackagain.“I

betthesetwoknowallthebestpubsandclubsforpickinguphotguys.”OhGod. “Your
problemisyoudon’tgooutenough,orprobablyever,cometothinkaboutit.”

“Igooutplenty,thankyouverymuch.”Hewasn’tafuckinghermit.Hehadasocial

lifeforfuck’ssake.

“Idon’tclassafewdrinksafterworkordinnerroundatyourhappilymarriedfriends’

housesasgoingout.You’renevergoingtomeetsomeonelikethat.”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I do have single male friends who I go out

with.Sothanksforyourconcern,butI’mgood.Really.”

Peteshrugged.“Fairenough.Iwasjustthinkinghowitmightbefuntogooutwith

BenandLiam,letthemshowyouayoungerscene.”

“Fuckno.”Thirty-fivewasn’toldbyanymeans,butJasonwascertainitwastooold

tobetaggingalongwithhisbabybrotherandhismate.Godonlyknewthesortofplaces
theywentto.“Nooffence,butIdon’tthinkanyofuswantthat.”He’dseenfirsthandhow
much beer Liam could put away, and no way did he want to wake up feeling like shit,
whichwasexactlywhatwouldhappen.Hehadn’tdrunklikethatsinceuni.

Besides,workingatthepracticeworehimoutmoreoftenthannot.Alotofthetime

he couldn’t be arsed to get ready and go out in town. If he wanted sex, then he knew a
couple of guys who were in a similar position. It worked for him. He had his dog, his
family,hisfriendsandhisfuckbuddies.Fornow,hewashappyashewas.

The table had gone suspiciously quiet, and when Jason glanced up all three were

lookingathim.Itfeltlikehewasbeinginterviewed.“What?”

LiamandPetehadmatchingexpressions,bothsmirking.Thosetwoteamingupnever

endedwellforhim.Liamsaid,“Ithinkit’dbefuntogooutwithmybrothers—wecould
dragPetealong,too.Idon’treckonwe’veallgoneouttogetherlikethat.”

HehadtoadmitthethoughtofPeteinagayclubwasappealinginallsortsofways

—he hated dancing for starters, and somehow managed to catch everyone’s eye by
accident.Asaresult,heinvariablygothitonwaymorethanJason.Whichwasbothfunny
anddepressing.“That’sbecausewhenIwasgoingoutdrinkingyouwereaboutnine.”

Peteraisedbotheyebrows,actuallylookingalittleworried.“Christ,Jason,youmake

itsoundlikeallyourgooddaysarebehindyou.”

“That’snotwhatImeant.”Hefelthimselfcavingwithbothhisbrotherslookingat

himlikethat.

“Comeoutwithusthen.”Asthoughsensingvictory,theyleanedforwardinunison,

elbowsrestingonthetable.

It’d be funny if he wasn’t about to agree to something he was going to regret. In a

last-ditch attempt at reasoning, Jason focused on Ben, who’d been silent throughout the
whole exchange. “Admit it, Ben. You don’t really want me coming out with you guys,
crampingyourstyle,doyou?”

Ben’scheeksflushed,andLiamattemptedtodisguiseabarkoflaughterasacough.

Arse, did Ben still have a crush on him after all this time? Jason had assumed that

wasathingofthepast,butBen’sblushmaybesaidotherwise.Jasonusedtogooutofhis
way not to embarrass the kid when they were younger, hating how Ben got all flustered
andshy.Nowaywouldtheygetthroughaneveninginagayclubtogetherwithoutalotof
awkwardness.

To Jason’s utter surprise, Ben met his gaze and flashed him a smile. “Oh I don’t

know…Ireckonit’dbefun.”

Okaythen.Benhadfoundabucketfulofself-confidencewhileupinNottingham.It

wasstillaterribleidea,though.“I’llthinkaboutit.”

Petecrowedasifitwasayes,andnudgedLiamintheside.“Toldyou.Youowemea

tenner.”

“Fuckoff.He’snotsaidyes,yet.”

“It’sasgoodas,andyouknowit.”

They’dplayedhim.Heshouldhaveknown.“Youbastards,”hesaid,unabletofighta

smile.

Liamshrugged.“Wejustthinkyouneedtogetoutmore.”

“Soyoudecidedtobetonit?”

“Well,it’smorefunthatway,andIhonestlythoughtwehadmorechanceofsetting

youuponGrindrthandraggingyououttoaclub.”

Jasonshudderedatthethoughtofthosetwosettinghimupwithanyone.Besides,he

alreadyhadaGrindrprofile,notthattheyneededtoknowthat.“Icanorganisemyown
hook-ups.” And that was far too much discussion about his sex life, thanks. Standing
abruptly,hestartedtogatherthedishes.“Come,on.Helpmecleanup.”

Jason arrived home around eight-thirty and opened the door to excited barking and

tail-wagging.Daisyjumpedup,herfrontpawslandingonhisthighs.Whenhe’dthought
aboutgettingadog,he’dpicturedsomethingbigger,likeaRetrieverorLabrador.Instead
he’dfoundDaisyoneFridaynight,abandonedinacardboardboxoutsidethelocalTesco.
He’d only nipped out for beer and a ready-meal, but came back with a five-month old
Beagle-crosspuppy.Well,that’swhatshelookedlikeanyway.

“Hey,girl.”Hebentdowntofussher.“Didyoumissme?”

Shebarkedinreturnandtriedtolickhisface.Jasonlaughed,anddodgedoutofher

way,beforestandingupagain.

Normallyhetookherwithhimwhenhewentovertohismumanddad’s,buttonight

he’d gone straight from work. Luckily his very nice neighbour, Caroline, was always
happytotakeDaisyoutforaquickwalkwheneverheneededherto.

Daisyranaroundhisfeet,almosttrippinghimtwiceonthewaytothekitchen.Jason

flickedonthelights,anddebatedbetweenmakingacupofteaorhavingabeer.Forfuck’s
sake,itwasaFridaynightandtherehewasinhiskitchen,thinkingabouthavingabloody
cupoftea.Maybehisbrotherswereright.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he stared at it for a second or two. It was still

relativelyearly;hecouldalwaysseeifanyofhisusualhook-upswerefree.Nah.Forsome
reasonhefeltalittleoff,andnotinthemoodforanymorecompany.

Daisysatathisfeet,tailwagginglazilyacrossthetiledfloor.

Jasonlookeddownatherandgrinned.“Wanttogoforawalk?”Shebarkedathim

excitedly,turninginacircleandthenjumpingupathim,makinghimlaugh.“Okaythen,
let’sgo.”Hegrabbedherleadoffthehookbythedoorandslippedacoaton.Itmightstill
bemildintheday,butthenightshadachilltothem.

Onceoutside,Daisycalmeddown,contenttotrotathissidesniffingthegrassalong

theverge.Jasonhadbeenincrediblyluckytofindthisplace.Twobighousingestates,on
opposite sides of the ring road, were nearby, but this little village remained nestled
betweentheedgeofoneestateandagolfcourse.Therewasonlyasmallvillageshopand
apub,butwithinafive-minutedrivewasahugeSainsbury’s,aTescoExpress,andalocal
shoppingarea.Nottomentionthevetspracticewhereheworkedwithhisuncle,andhis
reasonformovingbackhomeinthefirstplace.

Location-wiseitwasgreat,andeventhoughhecouldonlyaffordatwo-bedsemi,it

wasagoodsize,withacottageyfeeltoit,andbestofall,asurprisinglybiggarden.

He led Daisy along the street to the end where the access to the bike path was.

Everywhere was well lit, but Jason didn’t plan on going far tonight— just enough to
stretchhislegs,andgivehimandDaisysomefreshair.

The odd runner passed them, along with a couple of cyclists, and Jason nodded in

greeting. His mind wandered, idly going over what he needed to do at work in the
morning, before ending up at tonight’s dinner. Specifically focusing on the guest who’d
beenatdinner.

Ben Slater wasn’t the same boy who’d left six years ago to do his degree in

Nottingham. Jason had seen him briefly since then, when they’d both been home for
Christmasorotherholidays,butthistimehe’dreallynoticedthechangeinhim.

Itsuitedhim.JasonhadalwaysfeltkindofsorryforBen—Liamwasoutgoingand

fearless,itmusthavebeentoughbeinghisbestfriendwhenBenwasthetotalopposite.
Thatseemedtohavechangedsomewhatthough.Goodforhim.

Jason’sbrothershadbeenrightaboutthemnotspendingenoughtimetogether.Itwas

frighteninghowquicklytimewentbythesedaysandheshouldmakethemostofitwhile
they were all in the same place. Pulling out his phone, he typed out a quick message to

Liam.

Ifyouneedahanddecoratingoranything,letmeknow.Icanswingbyafterworka

coupleofnightsandI’mfreeallnextweekend.

The reply was almost immediate. Unsurprising, as Liam’s phone was practically

gluedtohishandallthetime.That’dbegreat.Willletyouknowovertheweekend.

Hesmiledasheslippedhisphonebackinhispocket,theweirdfeelingfromearlier

dissipating.

AfterDaisyhadhadenough,Jasonturnedthemaroundandheadedhome,hisstepsa

littlelighter.

CHAPTERTHREE

Benwoketothesoundofvoicesdownstairsandthesmellofbaconcooking.Staying

athisparents’certainlyhaditsperks.Hepickeduphisphonefromthebedsidetableand
groanedwhenhesawthetime.8:35am.DidtheynotfancyalieinonaSaturday?

Afewminuteslater,therewasasoftknockonhisdoor.

“Comein,”herasped,voicecroakywithsleep.

Hismumpoppedherheadaroundthedoor.“YourdadandIaregoingforawalkina

bitsinceit’ssuchabeautifulmorning,soI’mcookingbreakfastnowifyouwanttogetup
andcomedown?”

Benyawnedandnodded.“Yeah,okay.I’llbedowninasec.”

Shesmiledandclosedthedoor.

Runningahandoverhisface,Benyawnedagain,thenstretched.Hewasn’tusedto

getting up this early on a weekend, but then back up in Nottingham he didn’t have his
mummakinghimbreakfast.AfterpullingonhisjeansfromyesterdayandacleanT-shirt,
Benheadeddownstairstofindhismumanddadsatatthekitchentable,eachwithamug
ofteaandabaconsarnie.

“There you go, sweetheart.” His mum gestured to the chair opposite, where Ben’s

breakfastsatwaitingforhim.

“Thanks.”Hegrinnedandtookhisseat.“It’sgoodtobebackhome.”

Hismumlaughed.“Youmeanit’snicetohavesomeonecookforyou?”

“Thattoo,butIhavemissedyouboth.”Hetookasipofhisteaandsighed.“When’s

Sarahcomingback?”

HissisterwasinherthirdyearatSheffield.Theykeptintouchregularly,andshe’d

probablyalreadytoldhim,buthehadamemorylikeasievesometimes.

Glancing at the calendar next to the fridge, his mum narrowed her eyes as she

squintedtryingtoreadit.“Ican’tseewithoutmyglasses.Canyoureadit?”

Ben scanned the days until he found his mum’s handwriting, saying Sarah home.

“Decembersixteenth.Imightseeifshewantsmetopickherupfromuni.”

“That’dbelovely.I’msureshe’dappreciatethat.”

“So…” his dad said, as he set his empty mug down and leaned back in his chair.

“Whatareyourplansfortherestoftheweekend?”

Swallowing the bite of sandwich he’d just taken, Ben ran through everything he

wantedtodobeforehehadtogobackupnorthtomorrow.“IthinkI’mgoingtotheanimal
shelterwithLiamatsomepointtodayandI’llprobablyhelpoutabitmoreintheflatifhe
needsit.Apartfromthat,I’venotgotmuchplanned.”

“Oh.”Hismumbrightened.“Soyou’llbehereforSundaylunch?”

Benthoughtofhismum’shome-cookedroastpotatoesandYorkshirepuddings,and

smiled.“Yep.Beenlookingforwardtoitallmonth.”

Shebeamedathim.“IthinkI’llmakeanapplecrumbletoo.”

Yes!“Withcustard?”Benaskedhopefully.

“Ofcourse,withcustard.”

His dad patted his belly. “You better limit your visits to once a month or I’ll be

needingnewtrousers.”

Hismumtsked.“Ohshush.Hecancomeasoftenashelikes.Youcanalwayssayno

todessert.”Shefixedhimwithalook,andhisdadrolledhiseyes.

Ben listened to them banter back and forth with a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Yep,

he’dmissedthis.

After breakfast, his mum and dad left to go for their walk, and Ben went back

upstairstocleanhisteethanddosomethingwithhishair.Hisphonechimedwithatext
fromLiamashewasrinsinghismouth.

Stillupforgoingtothesheltertoday?

Yep.Whattime?

In about 30 mins? I’m at the flat. Can you swing by and pick me up cos mum

borrowedmycar?

Noprobs.Bethereinabit.

Ben set his phone back down on the linen basket and glanced in the mirror,

wondering if his hair was a lost cause or not. His messy dark brown curls were more
unrulythanusualthismorning.Withnotstartinghisnewjobforafewweeks,hehadn’t
botheredtogetitcutasoftenasheusuallydid.Itwasstillshortatthesides,butthetop
waslongerthanithadbeeninawhile.

Decidingtherewaslittlepointeventryingtotameit,Benshruggedanddidn’tbother

withmorethanaquickcombthroughwithhisfingers.Theywereonlygoingtotheanimal
shelter.Whowashegoingtosee?

ThistimewhenhearrivedatLiam’sflat,hefollowedthedirectionsLiamhadgiven

him and parked in the car park around the back. He also had his own keys now, and
althoughitstillfeltabitweird,sincehedidn’tlivethereyet,Benlethimselfinthemain
entranceandwalkeddownthehalltoflat1A.Thedoorstoodslightlyajar,andBencould
hearthechatterofvoicesandthesoundoftoolsfrominside.Hepushedthedooropenand
shouted,“Liam?”

“Inthekitchen,”camethereply.

Wandering through, he found Liam making several mugs of tea. “All right?” Liam

wavedahandatthemugsinfrontofhim.“Wantacuppa?Kettle’sonlyjustboiled.”

“Yeah,goonthen,thanks.”BenleanedagainsttheworktopandwaitedforLiamto

finish.

“I’mjustgonnatakethesethrough,onesec.”

Ben glanced around the kitchen as he waited for Liam to come back. The cabinets

wereanold-fashionedlookingpine,butappearedtobeingoodcondition.Thewallsand
ceilingwereabrightyellowcolourthatreallydidn’tgowellatall.Andwhopaintedthe
ceilinganythingotherthanwhiteanyway?Hedidn’trealisehewasfrowninguntilLiam
camebackinandsaid,“Yeah,Iknow.Thatbloodyyellowneedstogo.”

Benlaughed.“It’snotthatbad.”Itwas.

“Mhmm.” Joining him against the worktop, Liam took a sip of his tea, then set his

mugdown.“Dadsaidratherthanforkoutforawholenewkitchen,whichIreallycan’t
afford,Icouldreplacethedoorsandhandlesandthat’llgiveitawholenewlookformuch
lessmoney.”

“Soundsgood.”

“Yeah,Ireckonit’lllookgreatwhenit’salldone.GoodoldAuntKate.”Liam’saunt

haddiedalmostayearagoandhavingnokidsherself,hadleftherbungalowtoLiam,Pete
andJason.“There’snowayI’dhavebeenabletogetanythinglikethisotherwise.House
pricesareridiculousaroundhere.”

Bennodded.“Yep.”

They finished their tea, and Liam had one last check on the guys fitting his new

bathroombeforecomingbackintothekitchenandclappinghishands.“Shallwego?”

Fishinghiscarkeysoutofhispocket,Bensmiled.“Leadtheway.”

Onceinthecar,BenfastenedhisseatbeltandturnedtoLiam.“Wherearewegoing,

then?”

“Right.Driveasthoughwe’reheadingtoBradleyStoke,butturnrightatthelights

just after the bridge—where they’ve built that new pub. I’ll direct you when we get
closer.”

“Okay.”Benreversedoutofthespaceandsetoff.

Traffic was light, and Ben tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel as they cruised

alongthedualcarriageway.“Whatsortofstuffdoyoudothere?”

VolunteeringattheanimalshelterwasLiam’sidea.Withmorethanamonthbefore

heneededtostarthisnewjob,Benhadthought,whythehellnot?Helovedanimalsand
hehadashitloadofsparetime.

Liamturnedandgrinnedathim.“Allsorts.It’samixedshelter,soIsometimeswalk

thedogs,orhelpwithfeeding,cleaningoutthecatcages,chippingthenewarrivals.I’ve
evenhelpedoutintheshopacoupleoftimes.ButbearinmindI’vebeendoingthisfora
fewyearsnow,andI’vedonelotsofthefreecourses.”

“And?”

“Well, since you’re new and only doing it for a bit, they’ll probably have you

cleaningoutthecagesandmaybedoingthefeeding.”

“Lovely.”NotthatBenwasaversetogettinghishandsdirty,but…yeah.Cleaningup

catshitwasn’ttopofhislistofthingstodo.

Liamnudgedhim.“It’snotthatbad.Andifitmakesyoufeelbetter,I’llhelpyouon

clean-upduty.”

“Thanks.”

Whentheygottotheanimalshelter,Liamdirectedhimwheretoparkandtookhim

throughtotheoffice.Lucy,whoBenassumedwasthemanagerorwhatever,greetedLiam
withawarmsmile.“Hi,”shesaid,holdingoutahandforBentoshake.“Itakeityou’re
Ben?”

“Yeah.”Heshookhands,andsatwhenshepointedatthetwochairsinfrontofher

desk.

“Whatareyoulikewithcats,Ben?”

“Ilovecats.”Heloveddogs,too.

Shesmiledathim.“That’sgreat,becauseCarriephonedinaboutthirtyminutesago

sayingshe’ssprainedherankleandwon’tbeinforthenextfewweeks.”

Sittingupabitstraighter,Liamasked,“Howdidshedothat?Issheokay?”

“She’sfineapartfromherankle.Andwouldyoubelieveshetrippedoverhercatand

slippeddownthestairs?”

Liamlaughed,thenquicklyputahandoverhismouth.“Sorry,Ishouldn’tlaugh.”

Lucywavedawayhisapology.“Ilaughedwhenshetoldme,don’tworry.Anyway,

we’vehadquiteafewnewcatsinoverthelastweekorso,andsinceCarriedidalotofcat
socialisingyoucoulddothatifyouwant?Liamcanshowyouwhattodo,sincehe’san
oldhand.”

Benfrowned.“Catsocialising?”Whatthehellwasthat?

BeforeLucycouldanswer,Liampipedupwith,“Yep,thatsoundsperfect.”

Smiling at Liam and shaking her head, Lucy turned to Ben. “It’s basically playing

withthecats,groomingthem,gettingorkeepingthemusedtohumancontact.”

“Thatsoundsgreat.”

“You’llstillhavetodoabitofcagecleaning,ifthat’sokay.Noonereallylikesthat

job,soweshareitout.”

Bennodded.“Yeah,that’sfine.”

“Okaythen.”Lucyopenedafolderandpulledoutastackofpapers.“Wejustneedto

getthepaperworkoutoftheway,thenLiamcantakeyoutomeetthecats.”

Forty minutes later, after Ben had filled out all the required forms and agreed on

whenhe’dvolunteer—Saturdaymorningsonly,untilhefinishedwork,andthenacouple

of mornings a week after that—Liam led him out to the building where the cats were
housed.Bothwallswerelinedwithcages—well,morelikeunitswithbigglasswindows,
probablyforviewing.

HefollowedLiamdownthemiddleoftheroom,hisgoodmoodslippingalittleas

theywalked.“Fuck,there’ssomanyofthem.”

Liamsighed.“Yeah.Somepeoplesuck.”

Most of the cats perked up as they passed, some rubbing against the glass, others

meowing,andBenfeltasuddenlumpinhisthroat.Heknewanimalswereabandonedall
the time, but seeing it for himself really brought it home. Some looked so desperate for
attention,Benwantedtogetthemalloutandfussthem.

Liamstoppedattheendoftherowandpointedatthegingercatstaringback,looking

lessthanhappytoseethem.“ThisisTom.”

Bensnorted.“Original.”Asifheknewtheyweretalkingabouthim,Tomturnedto

face the wall and flicked his tail a couple of times. “Do we have to feed him, or
anything?”Hepeeredinsideandsawacleanlittertray—thankGod.

“No,they’veallbeenfedbynow,andcleanedoutbythelooksofthings.”

Duh.Ofcourse.Itwasprobablyalmostlunchtime.Lucyhadsuggestedhemightlike

tocomeinearliernextweekend.“Sowejustwhat…playwithhim?”Tomstillsatfacing
thewall.“Ihavetosayhedoesn’tlookallthatenthused.”Lucyhadmadeitsoundeasy,
butascuddlyasmostofthemlooked,catscouldalsogiveyouanastyscratch.

Liampattedhimontheshoulder.“He’snotsobad,hadabitofaroughstart.”

Tryingnottothinkaboutwhatthatmeant,Benasked,“Howoldishe?”

“Jasonsaidhe’sprobablyaboutsixmonthsold.”

“Whowouldmistreatakitten?”Bengrumbled,thenhismindcaughtupwiththefirst

partofthatsentence.“Jason?”

“Yes,mybrother.Thevet.”

“Iknowhe’sabloodyvet.Ijustdidn’tthinkhewasavethere.”Withoutthinking,

Benranahandthroughhishair.Fuck,heknewheshouldhavemademoreofaneffortthis
morning.

“He’snot,sostoptryingtomakeyourselflookpretty.”LiamlaughedwhenBengave

himthefinger.“SomeonebroughtTomintohispracticewhentheyfoundhim,andafter
Jason checked him over, he brought him here. They have to treat stray or wild animals
moreoftenthanyou’dthink.”

While that sounded interesting and probably something Ben would have paid more

attentiontonormally,insteadheasked,“SoJasondoesn’tcomehereatall?”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Sometimes he pops in to check up on his patients, but he

didn’tmentionitlastnight,soIdoubthe’scomingheretoday.Youcanrelax.”

Benshrugged,tryingtolooknonchalant.“Iwascurious,that’sall.”

“Courseyouwere.”

Keen to change the subject, because Ben was never one hundred percent sure that

LiamwasokayabouthimlustingafterJason,BenpointedatTom.“Dowehavetogethim
outthen?”

Thankfully Liam easily went with the change of subject. “That’s the general idea,

yes.He’snotnastyoranything.”

“You sure about that?” Ben got the feeling Tom would happily sink his claws into

anythingthatcamewithinreach.

“Honestly,Iwouldn’tstartyouoffwithanaggressivecat.He’sjustabittimidand

shy,andbasicallynonplussedaroundhumans.Wejustneedtobepatientwithhim.”

“Okay.Ifyousayso.”

“First,comewithme.”LiamshowedBenwhereeverythingwas,introducedhimtoa

fewothervolunteers,thenfetchedsomecattoys,afewtreats,acombandhandedthemto
BentoholdwhileheopenedTom’sdoor.

Tom watched them warily, and Ben half expected him to leap at Liam any minute.

Afteracoupleofseconds,TomstoodandslowlywanderedovertosniffatLiam’sfingers.
Hestilldidn’tlookentirelyhappyaboutthesituation,butwhenLiamsteppedbackoutof
theway,Tomwalkedtotheedgeandjumpeddownontothefloor.

Benstoodstockstill,notwantingtostartlehim,andhemetLiam’sgazewitharaised

eyebrow.“Nowwhat?”

“We’llplaywithhimforabit.Idoubthe’llletyoustrokehim,butyoucantry.He

won’tscratch,honest.”

Trusting Liam not to lie, Ben waited for Tom to get near, and when he stopped to

sniffathisshoes,heslowlycroucheddownnexttohimwithhisfingersoutstretched.Tom
hadaquicksniffofthem,butwhenBenwenttostrokehishead,Tomdancedoutofthe
way.

Hedidn’tgofar,justoutofreach,whichmadeBenlaugh.“HeknowsIcan’tgethim

fromhere.”

“Cats aren’t stupid.” Liam pulled a pack of treats out of his pocket and sat cross-

leggedonthefloor.“Buttheycanbebribed.”

Benfollowedsuitandwatched,fascinated,asLiamcoaxedTomnearerwithacouple

oftreats.Hedidn’tattempttostrokehimthough.PointingtooneofthetoysBenheldin
hislap—astickwithafeatheredthingontheendofsomestring—Liamsaid,“Playwith
himabit.”

“Okay.”Alittledubiously,becausequitefranklyTomlookedabovesuchthings,Ben

grabbedtheendofthestickandflickeditnearTom’sfeet.

LiamlaughedwhenTomstaredfirstatthefeathers,thenbackupatBen,asiftosay,

“Really?”Wavinghisfingerbackandforth,Liamwhispered,“Swishit.”

Withasighandaneyeroll,Bendraggedthefeatheredthingslowlyoverthefloorin

frontofTom,thenbackagain.Hediditagain,andthistime,Tom’sgazefollowedit.Ben
diditabitquickerthistimeand…Yes!

Pouncingonthefeathers,Tomrolledontohisback,bitingatthetoyandkickingatit

withhisbacklegs.

Success.

Bengrinned,andglanceduptocatchLiamsmiling.God,theyweresuchsaps.

With Tom now fully engaged, they sat there for a good ten minutes, chatting about

theshelterwhileBenflickedthestickbackandforth.WhenTomfinallycollapsedonthe
floor,nolongerinterested,Benreacheddowntostrokehimwithoutthinking.Hemanaged
onegoodrunalonghisbackbeforeTomgotupandsaunteredoutofreach.

Disappointed,Bengroaned.“Ithoughtweweregettingsomewhere.”

“Youneedtohaveabitmorepatiencethanthat,mate.That’sprogress,trustme.”

“Really?”

Liam nodded. “He wouldn’t come near me for at least three days.” Liam scooped

Tomupandquicklyputhimbackinhiscagebeforehegotagitated.AsLiamfastenedthe
door shut, Tom sat down watching them forlornly, and Ben got a sudden lump in his
throat.Liamnudgedhimgently.“Iknowwhatyou’rethinking,butthisissomuchbetter
than where he was. And look at him.” They both glanced through the glass as Tom lay
downandsprawledoutonhisside.“He’snotgoingtobeherelong.”

“Yeah,Iguess.”

Nudginghimagain,Liamwavedatalltheothercages.“Comeon,we’vegotworkto

do.”

By the time Ben left the shelter, he wanted to adopt all the cats in there. Liam was

adamantthattheygotadoptedoutonaregularbasis—notmanyofthemwereinforlong
—but it still seemed wrong to leave them there and go home. They’d helped with some
othernotsofunstuff,butasBendrovehomeallhecouldthinkaboutwashowfriendly
mostofthecatswerewhenyouopenedtheircagedoors.

Probably just as well he was staying with Liam. If he had his own house, Ben was

pretty sure he’d be taking at least one of them home with him. Assuming he passed the
homecheck,ofcourse.

His mum and dad were out when he got home, but they’d left him a note on the

kitchenworktop.

NippedroundtoyourAuntMaggie’sfortheafternoon.

Wasn’tsureifyou’deatensothere’sbeefsandwichesinthefridge.

Mum

His stomach rumbled at the mention of food, and Ben walked over to retrieve the

sandwichesfromthefridge.Hesenthismumathankyoutext,andthensettledonthesofa
toeatthem.

As soon as he set his phone down beside him, it chimed with a new message from

Liam.

Stillupforadrinktonight?Managedtodragbothmybrothersoutthistime.

Ben’s stomach did a traitorous little flutter. Yep. Just let me know where/when. And

howdidyoumanagethat?

Withmynaturalcharm.

Laughing,Bentypedback,Noreally.Howdidyoudoit?

Pissoff.Youcangetthefirstroundinforthat.MeetinTheMillabout8.

BeforeBencouldreplyLiamsentanother.Pete’sgfiskeentomeetyouandImade

Jasonfeelguiltywhenhesaidno.

Haha,knewit.Naturalcharm,myarse!

Yeah,yeah.Seeyoulater.

Benfinishedtherestofhissandwichandwasheditdownwithaglassofwater.He

had ages yet until he needed to get ready, but like last night, he had a bloody clothes
dilemma.Anightoutatthelocalpubwasn’tsupposedtoincludeJason,forfuck’ssake.

Hismumanddadcamebackwhilehewasstillsatonthesofa,contemplating,and

hisdadwanderedoffintothekitchentomakeeveryoneatea.

Bennoddedinhisdirection.“You’vegothimwell-trainedthesedays.”

Shegrinned.“Tookmeawhile,butIgotthereintheend.”

Hisdad’smuttered,“Icanhearyou,youknow,”madethembothchuckle.

“Offouttonight?”Hismumrelaxedbackintothesofacushions,andturnedtoface

him.

“Yeah,meetingLiamandafewothersdownattheMill.”

“Oh?Whoelseisgoingout?”Shewasn’tsubtleintheleast.

Bensighed.“What?”

“Well,wenippedintoTescoonthewayhomeandbumpedintoLiam’smum.”Ben

groaned,andshereachedouttoprodhim.“Don’tbelikethat.Shejustmentionedthatit
was nice that all three of her boys were going out together and that she was happy you
wereheretostay,ifthiswastheresult.”

Forfuck’ssake,wordtravelledfast.

“Charming.”

“Stopthat.Youknowshethinkstheworldofyou.”

Hisdadchosethatmomenttobringinatrayofteaandbiscuits,thankGod,because

Bendidn’tlikewheretheconversationwasheaded.

“Sooo,” his mum started as soon as Ben had his mouth full of chocolate digestive.

Shehadaglintinhereyethatheknewalltoowell.Benglaredather.“Don’tlookatme
like that, I was only going to ask if you were still planning on being here for lunch
tomorrow,that’sall.”

Shesowasn’t,butBenletitgo.“Yeah,ifthat’sokay?I’mgoingtoheadbackabout

three,getsomemorepackingdone.”

“Right,I’llgetitallreadyfortwelvethen.”Shepickedupherteaandtookasip.Ben

waitedforhertosaysomethingelseabouthisnightout,becauseheknewithadbeenon
thetipofhertongue,butitseemedshe’dsaidallshewasgoingtoonthetopic.

It wasn’t until later that night, when he came downstairs freshly showered and

dressedinhislastcleanT-shirt,thatshetookonelookathimandgrinned.“Haveanice
night.”Shepulledhimintoahug.“I’msogladyou’recomingbackhometostay.I’msure
I’mnottheonlyone.”

Benrolledhiseyes.“Idon’tknowwhatyoumean.”

ShestraightenedouthisT-shirtandsteppedback.“Ifhedoesn’tnoticeyouthistime

aroundthenhe’safool.”

“Mum…”ThatdrunkenChristmas-nightconfessionalwayscamebacktobitehimin

thearse.“It’snotlikethatanymore.”

Herlooksaidshethoughthewastalkingbollocks.“Ifyousayso.Haveagoodnight,

anddon’tforgettotakeyourkey.YourdadandIwillmorethanlikelybeinbedbythe
timeyourollin.”

“I’monlygoingtotheMill.”Hepattedhispocket,janglinghiskeys.“Butyes,I’ve

gotthem.”

Heleftwithawaveandbreathedasighofreliefashegotoutsideintothecoldnight

air.Notthathehadanyonetoblamebuthimself—theonlyreasoneveryoneknewheused
tofancyJasonwasa)becausehe’dtoldthemall,andb)he’dbeensoobviousaboutitat
thetime.God,hecouldkickhimselfforthatnow.

Butthatwassixyearsago.Withanyluckhecouldwriteitoffasaschool-boycrush

andthey’dsoon—eventually—forgetaboutit.

The main road was already decorated for Christmas, and Ben glanced up at the

illuminatedbellsandhollyattachedtoeachlampposthepassed.Thehugetreenexttothe
villagehallnowhadbluefairylightsweavedthroughoutitsbranches,andthevillagehall
itself sported a huge lit up Santa’s sleigh complete with reindeer. They always went up
around the sixteenth/seventeenth, which was way too early in Ben’s opinion, but they
lookedgood.ItmightonlybeNovember,butthecoldbitetotheairandthelightswere
makinghimfeelalittlefestive.

Thepubwaslitup,butnotwithChristmasdecorationsyet,andthankfullynothugely

busyconsideringitwasaSaturdaynight.HespottedLiamandPeteatthebar,andwalked
overtothem,slippinghiscoatoffashewent.“Hey.”

Liamhalf-turned.“Perfecttiming.Whatd’youwant?”

“PintofThatchersplease.”Bentriedtosubtlyglancearoundtoseeifhecouldspot

Jason,buthewasnowheretobeseen.“Wherearetheothers?”HefacedPete.“Ithought
yourbetterhalfwascoming?”

“She is.” Pete’s smile was huge. He looked so happy Ben didn’t have the heart to

take the piss out of him. “She’s just nipped to the loo. And Jason’s running late, of
course.”

“Animalrelated?”

Petesighedandheldouthishands.“Whoknows?”

Helen arrived back from the toilet just then, and Pete took the opportunity to make

longanddrawnoutintroductions.Benfocusedontheconversation,notwantingtoappear
rude,buteverytimethedooropened,hisgazeflickedovertoseewho’dcomein.When
hecaughtLiam’seyeandgotaneyeroll,hepositionedhimselfwithhisbacktothedoor
topreventanyfurthertemptation.Christhe’donlybeenbackforaday,whatwasitgoing
tobelikewhenhelivedhereagain?

Withanyluckitwasjusttheinitialshockofbeingincloseproximitytohischildhood

crush.Jasonwasagood-lookingguy,butBenwasn’tgoingtopickupwherehe’dleftoff
all those years ago and pine after him like a lovesick puppy. He had other options now,
andwhenhemoveddownhereproperlyhewasgoingtoexplorewhatBristolhadtooffer.

“Aboutbloodytime!”PeteglancedoverBen’sshoulder,abiggrinonhisface,and

thehairsonthebackofBen’sneckprickled.Peteraisedhisalmostemptypintglass.“You
can get the beers for being so late. We’ve probably only got time for a couple more
anyway.”

Wellhewasgoingtotry.

CHAPTERFOUR

Jason rested his hand on Ben’s shoulder as he eased himself into the group. “Yeah,

sorryaboutthat.Therewasanemergencyattheclinic.I’mnotoncallthisweekend,but
they asked if I could pop in and I can’t say no.” Not that I wanted to. Helping animals
wasn’tjustajob.Herubbedhishandstogetherandlookedaroundatthemall.Benducked
hisgazetothefloor.“WhatcanIgeteveryone?”

They all gave their orders, and when it came to Ben, he turned to face Jason and

faltered. “Um…” Jason smiled at him, then nodded at his almost empty glass. “Same
again?”

“Yeah, but probably make it a half. I want to head back early tomorrow afternoon,

don’twanttobehungoverforthedrive.”

Jasondidaquickrun-throughtocheckhe’dgoteveryone’sorderright.“Okay,back

in a sec.” He walked up to the bar, surprised when Ben joined him there a few seconds
later.

“Thoughtyoucoulddowithahand.”Bensmiledandleantonthebarnexttohim.

HiseasystancesuchadifferencetohowJasonrememberedhim.

“Thanks.”HegavethebarmanhisorderandshiftedtofaceBenalittlebetter.“Liam

saidhetookyoutotheanimalsheltertoday.Whatdidyouthinktoit?”

Blowingoutabreath,Benranahandthroughhishair.“I’mnotsure,tobehonest.I

mean,it’sgreatthatthereareplaceslikethat,butthereweresomanyanimals.”

Jasongavehimasadsmile.“Yeah,Iknow.IalwayswanttotakeafewhomewhenI

visitthere.”

“God,metoo.”Benlookedup,hisbrightblueeyesseemingmorestrikingthanJason

rememberedandhesuddenlyrealisedwhy.

“You don’t wear your glasses anymore?” He didn’t know why he’d not noticed

earlier.

Laughing,Bensmiledathim.“NotthosehorrendousthingsIusedtohave,no.Iwear

contacts a lot of the time, but I still have my glasses. Just a more stylish and expensive
pairnow.”

Ibettheysuityou.

Not sure where that thought came from, Jason shook his head and changed the

subject.“Areyougoingtovolunteerattheshelteronaregularbasis?LikeLiamdoes?”

“Maybe. I mean I’ve taken holiday for the last three weeks of work, since I had to

givetwomonths’notice.MylastofficialdayisjustbeforeChristmas,soIdon’tstartmy
newjobuntilJanuary5th.IthoughtI’dseehowitgoesupuntilthen.I’dliketokeepitup,
Ithink.Maybecutdowntoonedayaweekorsomething,butIlikeditthere.Thepeople
aregreat,andIloveanimals,so…whynot?”

Thebarmansettwopintglassesnexttothem,andBenstraightened.“I’lltakethese

twoover.Youokaywiththerest?”

“Yeah.”Jasonwavedhimaway.“Icanmanagetheothers.”

Afterpayingforthedrinks,Jasonarrangedhispint,Ben’shalf,andHelen’sbottleof

Peronisothathecouldcarrythemeasily,andheadedbacktotheothers.

“Thanks.”Bentookhisdrinkwithanothersmile.“WewerejusttellingHelenabout

Tom.”

Jasongrinned.“Thegingerkitten?”

Bennodded.

“Didyounamehim?”Helenasked,beforetakingasipofherbeer.

“Nope,theveterinarynursesgetnamingprivileges.Theythinkthey’refunny.”

Helenlaughed.“That’sbecausetheyare.”

BennudgedJason’sside,andheturnedtofacehim.“Liamtoldmeyoutreatedhim?”

“Yeah.” Liam sighed. Sometimes being a vet wasn’t pleasant. “One of my regulars

brought him in. They’d found him in a box. Skinny, covered in fleas—in a bit of a shit
state.”Themoodinthegroupdippedalittle,andsohequicklyadded,“ButIsawhimthe
other day, and he’s doing great now. They hope he’ll be ready for adoption soon.”
Conversationsabouthisworktendedtoendupalittledepressing,soJasonsteeredthem
ontohappiertopics.“Iguessthiscountsasgoingoutwithyouguys,soI’moffthehook.”

Pete shook his head, struggling to swallow his mouthful of beer so he could speak.

He waved a finger in Jason’s direction. “This was not what I meant when I said ‘going
out’.”

Jason grinned at him, gesturing to their surroundings. “But we’re out drinking, and

I’mwithmytwobrothersandBen,likeyousuggested.”HewinkedatHelen.“Withbonus
excellentcompany.”Shelaughedathimandsalutedhimwithherbeer.

PetelookedfromLiamtoBen.“Helpmeouthere.”

Benshrugged.“We’reallout,drinkingandhavingagoodtime.”Heflashedaquick

glanceatJason.“Ireckonhe’sgotapoint.”

Narrowinghiseyes,Peteshookhisheadinmockdisappointment.“You’vechanged,

Ben.Livingupnorthhasruinedyou.”

Iwasthinkingtheexactopposite.

PeteturnedtoLiam,eyebrowraised,andLiamsighed.“I’mjusthappytobeoutwith

allofyou.Idon’treallycarewherewego,andIknowyoudon’teither,sostopgivinghim
grieforhe’llneverjoinusagain.”

Petehuffed,butthensmiled.“Yeah,okay.Thiscounts.Itwasn’tasthoughweever

thoughtwe’dgetyoutogooutout,anyway.Butlet’snotmakethisaone-off,okay?”

Thereliefatnothavingtoendureanightofclubbingmadehimagreeable,andJason

found himself nodding. “Yeah, that sounds good actually.” He glanced around the Mill.
Notthatitwasabadplace,butitlackedcharacter.God,hesoundedlikehisdad,buthe
likedapubwithabitofanoldfeeltoit.“Maybewecantryafewotherplacestoo?”

LiamclinkedhisglassagainstJason’s.“Deal.Nexttimeyoucomeoutwithus,you

canchoosetheplace.”

“Allright.Sorted.”

Theyfinishedtheirdrinksbeforelastorderswerecalled,butnoonefanciedanother.

Jasonsaidgoodnighttoeveryone,andthencalledforataxi.Theeveninghadgonemuch
betterthanhe’dexpected.Forsomereasonhe’dthoughtitwouldbestilted,maybealittle
awkwardattimes—probablybecauseLiamandBenwereyoungerthanhimandPete.

Insteadithadbeeneasyandfun.

They’dgrownup.Besides,theywerehisbrothers,andhe’dknownBenforever.He

should’vehadmorefaith.

On Wednesdays, Jason finished work at 3.30pm, so he arranged to go round to

Liam’s flat and help with whatever he needed doing. When he got there, Liam was also
justpullingintothecarpark,soJasonwalkedovertomeethim.“Allright?”

Liam eased himself out of his car with a groan. “Been stripping wallpaper the last

two nights and my back’s killing.” He stretched his arms above his head, sighing as
somethingclicked.“God,that’sbetter.Beentryingtodothatallday.”

“Maybeweshouldgoeasytonight.Oryoushouldatanyrate.”

Leading the way to the front door, Liam shook his head. “Nah, it’s fine. I’ve taken

someibuprofen,sothatshouldkickinsoon.I’vedoneallthewallpaperanyway.Wanted
to get it out of the way before the carpets were fitted.” He opened his front door and
stoppedalmoststraightawaytokickhisshoesoff,pickthemupandsetthemonthenice
newshoerackbesidethedoor.

Jasonlookeddowntoseepristinebeigecarpetrunningthelengthofthehallandinto

thelounge.“Maybeyoushould’vepaintedfirst,too.”

“Yeah,Iprobablyshould’vedone.”HewaitedforJasontotakeoffhisshoes,thenled

himintothekitchen,whereapileofoldbedsheetssatonthefloor.“ButIdidn’t,soMum
sentmethesetocoverthecarpetwith.”

“Okay, then.” Jason poked at the sheets with his socked toe. “Where’re we starting

first?”AsfarasJasoncouldsee,thewholeflatneededpainting.

Liamwalkedalongtheshorthallway,stoppedatthedoortothelounge,andpointed

atthebackwall.“Ireckonthat’llneedafewcoats.”

Following his line of sight, Jason spied the dark blue paint and grimaced. “Yeah.

Probably at least three, I’d say.” Why anyone would paint their lounge that colour was
beyondhim.

Afterpullinghisjumperoffandchuckingittoonesideonthefloor,Jasonrubbedhis

handstogether.“Right.Let’sgetthosesheetsspreadoutandgettoit.Ineedtoleaveby
aboutten.”

Betweenthem—withLiamdoingthecutting-inandJasonusingtheroller—theyhad

thefirstcoatdoneinnotime.Liamsethisbrushdownandstretched.“Maybeyou’reright
abouttakingiteasy.”Herubbedahandoverthebottomofhisbackandgroaned.

Carefullysettingtherolleronthepainttray,Jasonstoodandwipedhishandsonhis

jeans.Surprisinglyhe’dmanagedtoremainalmostpaintfree,whichwasafirstforhim.
“Comeon,let’sgogetacuppa.”

With a grateful smile, Liam followed him into the kitchen and watched as Jason

madethembothadrink.

“Have you heard much from Ben since he went back?” Jason glanced over his

shoulder as he fished out the tea bags and dumped them in Liam’s makeshift bin on the
sink.

Liameyedhimforasecondbeforereplying.“Yeah,Ispoketohimlastnight.He’s

gotnearlyallhisstuffpacked.Idon’tthinkheofficiallyneedstobeoutofhisplaceuntil
thethirtieth,butsincehislastdayintheofficeisthe23rd,he’sgoingtobringitalldown
overtheweekend.”

“And then he’s on leave, right?” Jason added milk and one sugar to Liam’s tea,

glancingoverathimagainwhenhedidn’tanswer.“What?”

“Nothing.”

Hepassedthemugover,andturnedtoleanonthecounter.

“Thanks.”Liamsetitdownnexttohim“Andyeah,heis.Whichisawesomeforhim

—three weeks’ paid leave. I wouldn’t mind a bit of that right now.” Liam worked as a
softwaretesterandwhileJasonneverheardhimcomplainaboutwork,hedidn’tthinkit
washisdreamjobeither.

“Yeah.Same.”

Liamlaughedandraisedhiseyebrows.“That’ssuchbollocks.You’dneverstayaway

fromtheclinicthatlong.I’dgiveyoutwodaysmaxuntilyouwerepoppingintocheckon
theanimalseitherthereorattheshelter.Youjustcan’thelpyourself.”

“That’snot—”Yeah,itwassotrue.Jasonshrugged,andtookasipofhistea.“Fair

enough.”

“I’mnotsayingit’sabadthing.IwishIlovedmyworkasmuchasyoudo.”

They stood in silence for a minute, and Jason took the time to glance around the

kitchen.“Yousaidyou’regettingnewdoorsandhandlesforinhere?”

“Yeah.Dad’ssortingitoutforme.”

“Ifyouneedahandfittingthem,Imightbeabletocomeover,dependingwhenyou

getthem.”

“Thanks.I’mhopingit’llbebeforeChristmas,soBenshouldbearoundtohelp.”

Jason set his mug back down and crossed his arms. “How’s all that working out

then?”

“Whatdoyoumean?”

“Well,you’vegotBenhelpingyougettheplacefittolivein,buthe’sonlygoingto

rentoffyou.You’llstillbetheowner.Soessentiallyit’sallforyourbenefit.”

Liamstaredathimasthoughhehadtwoheads.“Ben’smybestmate.He’dhelpme

out even if he wasn’t moving in. And I’m not the only one benefitting from the place
lookingnice.He’llbelivinginitaswell.”

“Yeah, sorry.” Jason rubbed his eyes and yawned. “I’m tired and my brain’s

obviouslynotworkingproperly.”

Liamlaughed.“Likeiteverhas.”

“Fuckoff.”

Theyfinishedtheirtea,andLiamrinsedthemugsoutandsetthemtodrain.“Why

thesuddeninterestinBen?”HeraisedaneyebrowashelookedbackatJason.“Something
youwanttotellme?”

“What?”Jasoncaughthismeaningandshookhishead,withahuffoflaughter.“No,

nothing like that. I was just curious.” Liam continued to stare at him, so Jason punched
him lightly on the arm. “Seriously, he’s like my third brother or something. It’s good
seeingyouhappy,andyou’llbespendingalotoftimetogether,soIthoughtI’dtryand
gettoknowhimagain.”

Liam hmmd, and Jason got the feeling he didn’t totally believe him. “Okay fine,

maybe I did look twice when we were over at Mum and Dad’s, but he’s grown up a lot
since I last saw him.” Liam didn’t say anything, and Jason didn’t want to ruin this
newfoundclosenessthey’dsuddenlydeveloped.“But,he’smykidbrother’sbestmate.No
waywouldIevergothere.”

Figuring a change in topic was desperately needed, Jason pointed through to the

livingroom.“Comeon,wecangetanothercoupleofwallsdonebeforeIhavetogo.”

Liamsnappedoutofwhatevermoodhe’dslippedintoandclappedJasononthearm.

“Yeah,okay.Let’sdoit.”

Thursday morning found Jason at the animal shelter. He wasn’t due to start work

untilonethatafternoon,sohe’dstoppedbytocheckonTom.

Lucygreetedhimwithahugesmileashesteppedintoheroffice.“Jason!Younever

said you were dropping in today.” She stood and walked around her desk to give him a
hug.

“Itwasaspurofthemomentthing,thatokay?”

“Of course. We’re always pleased to see you.” She let him go and gestured to the

door.“HeretoseeTom?”

“Yeah.”

“Come on, then. I think they should have finished in there by now.” She led him

outside and down the path to the building that housed the rescued cats. “Your brother
cameinonSaturday,withanewvolunteer.”

Jasonnodded,andsmiled.“Yeah,that’shisbestmateBen.”

“TheyspentquiteabitoftimeplayingwithTom.Heseemstobefinallycomingout

ofhisshell.”

TomandBenboth.

As it always did when he came here, the sight of all the abandoned animals made

Jason’schesttight.He’dbeenavetforalmosttwelveyears,andhadseenhisfairshareof
heart-wrenching scenes, but some things still got to him. A couple of the cages were
empty,andhesmiledastheypassed.

Lucycaughthisexpressionandgrinned“Iknow.Istillgetridiculouslyexcitedwhen

theygetadopted.TrudyandTrixiebothwentyesterday,tothesamecouple.”Theywalked
totheendoftherowofcages,comingtoastopinfrontofthelastone.

Theyounggingercatsatstaringbackatthem—tailswishinglazilybackandforth.

Jason’s smile widened, and he leaned closer to the glass. “Hey, Tom.” Turning to

Lucy,hesteppedbacksoshecouldopenthedoor.“Helookssomuchbetter.”

“Iknow,right?”Shedidn’treachinorattempttostrokehimrightaway,andneither

didJason.

Eventually,Tomyawned,stood,thensaunteredovertohaveasniffatJason’sfingers

wheretheyrestedonthedoorframe.Helookedatotallydifferentcattotheunhappyfeline
thathadbeenbroughttoJason’sclinic.“Heythere,”hecooed,andmovedhisfingersjust
alittletostrokeunderTom’schin.Jasonfullyexpectedhimtoflinchaway,butinsteadhe
tiltedhisheadandleanedintoJason’stouch.

“SeewhatImean?”Lucysoundedlikeaproudparent.“Ireckonhe’llbereadytobe

putupforre-homingsoon.”

“That’s great.” He gave Tom another couple of soft scratches under his chin, then

movedbackoutoftheway.“Withanyluckhe’llbeoutofhereinnotime.”

“Yeah, I don’t think we’ll have any trouble finding him a home.” She gave Tom a

strokeandalittlefuss,thenclosedhisdoor.

They made their way back up the row, spending a little time with the other cats as

theywent.WheneverJasonvisitedhetriedtoallowenoughtimetostayforabit.Noneof
theanimalswereputtosleephere,butthereweren’tenoughvolunteerstogivethemthe
attentionmostofthemcraved.

JasonwasbusyfussingasmallblackfemalecatbythenameofSmudgewhenLucy

said,“SoBenandyourbrother…aretheytogether?”

Liamwasopenlybi,andhe’dbeenvolunteeringattheshelterforafewyearsnow,

butevenso,Lucy’squestiontookJasonbysurprise.Hewasn’tusedtobeingaskedabout

hisbrother’ssexlife.“Um….”

Sheflushedandclappedahandoverhermouthforasecond.“OhGod,I’msosorry.

Howunprofessional.It’sjustsomeofthegirlswereaskingaboutBen,andIdidn’tknow
if—Youknowwhat?It’snoneofmyortheirbusiness.PleaseforgetIsaidanything.”

Ifshedidn’tknowBenwasgay,Jasonwasn’tgoingtobetheonetotellher,sohe

smiled.“That’sokay.ButItrynottogetinvolvedinLiam’slovelifeifIcanhelpit.”The
thoughtofLiamandBenbeinganitemlefthimfeelingmoreuncomfortablethanitought
to.“Right,IguessIshouldbegettingamoveon.”

Lucy’sfacefell,andsheputahandonJason’sarm.“I’mreallysorryifI’veoffended

you.Ihonestlydidn’tmeanto.”

“No, it’s not that.” He smiled at her, hoping it came across as reassuring. He liked

Lucyalot.“Ihavetobeinworksoon,andIwanttogetabitoflunchfirst.”

“Oh,okay.Ifyou’resure.”

“Iam.”

Shewalkedwithhimbacktotheoffice,andgavehimahuggoodbye.“Itwaslovely

toseeyouasalways.”

“Youtoo.LetmeknowwhathappenswithTom.”

“Ofcourse.”

Heleftandheadedhome,andtriedinvainnottopicturehisbrotherandBenasan

item.

CHAPTERFIVE

Benlockedthedooronhissharedhouseforthelasttimeandpostedthekeythrough

the letterbox. His car was loaded with the last of his things and ready to go. Renting a
fully furnished room meant he didn’t have that much stuff to transport, and Liam had
alreadysaidhe’dgotallthefurnishingsforBen’sroomsorted.

Everythingwasworkingoutgreat.

The trip down to Bristol would hopefully only take around two hours and fifteen

minutes,dependingontraffic,sowithanyluckhe’dbetherearoundlunchtime.Arriving
Friday had been his original plan, but he’d had to buy leaving drinks for his old
departmentonThursdayafternoon,andthey’dendedupstayingoutallnight.

Fromwhatherememberedithadbeenagreatnight,buthe’dspentmostofFridayin

bednursingagianthangover,andhe’dhadtorearrangehisshiftattheanimalshelterfrom
SaturdaytoSundaymorning.

Todayhefeltrefreshedandraringtogo.ThankGod.

Thejourneytookalittlelongerthanplanned,butBenpulledintothecarparkbehind

Liam’sbuilding—well,his building too, now—just before one o’clock. Armed with his
key,helefthisstuffinthecarfornowandheadedinside.

Afterstandingoutsidethedoortotheflat,debatingwhethertostillknockornot,Ben

rolledhiseyesathimselfandunlockedthedoor.

OhGod.Ishouldhaveknocked.

Jason stood in the hallway, roller in hand, wearing a pair of low slung shorts and

nothing else. He might be slimmer than Ben remembered seeing him, but Christ he was
stillfit.

“Um….” Ben gestured to Jason’s shorts. “You do realise it’s nearly December, not

themiddleofJuly.”

Jasonlaughed,eyescrinkling,andBen’sstomachflutteredinresponse.“Ifyoucome

insideandshutthedoor,you’llseewhyI’mdressedlikethis.”

Frowning,Benclosedthedoorbehindhimandkickedoffhisshoes.Ittooklessthan

two minutes for him to feel it. “Fuck’s sake, it’s roasting in here.” He quickly took his
jacketoffandhungitupontherack.“Istheheatingonfull?”

“Yep.” Jason gestured over his shoulder, and Ben’s gaze caught on the flex of his

bicep.“Weglossedthewoodworkinthelivingroom,andhe’stryingtogetittodryout.”

“Becauseittakesagesanditstinks.”Liam’svoicerangoutfromthebathroom.He

appearedmomentslaterwipinghishandsonatowel,andgrinnedatBen.“Comeandsee

thebathroom.Itlooksgreat.”HebeckonedBenoverwithanimpatientflickofhisfingers.

Careful to keep away from the wet walls in the hallway, Ben slid past Jason,

accidentallybrushingahandoverhiship.Thefeeloffirmmuscleunderhisfingersmade
Benitchwiththeurgetoflattenhispalmandsqueeze.Insteadheclenchedhisfingersand
hurriedpast,aflushwarminghischeeks.

LiamstoodbackandletBenseeinside.“Whatdoyouthink?”

The cracked old suite had been replaced and grey marbled-effect tiles covered the

floor. The walls were all tiled too: white all over with a slim grey insert running about
shoulderheightaroundtheroom.Itlookedsomuchbetter.

“Wow. It’s great.” Ben walked in and turned around, admiring. “They did a really

goodjob,didn’tthey?”HeglancedbackatLiamtofindhimsmilingwidely.

“Yeah,Ithinkso.”Liampointedoutafewmorefeatures,prideevidentinhistone,

andBenlistenedintently.Owninghisownhomeseemedtoagreewithhim.Benhadnever
seen him so animated about property before. Clearly it was different when it was your
own.

“Sothat’soneroomdone.”

“Andaboutfivetogo!”Liamlaughed,andsteppedbackwardsoutofthebathroom,

beckoningBentocomewithhim.“I’vehadJasonhelpingmeabitthisweek.”

“Abit?!”Jasonshoutedfromthehallway.“He’saslavedriver.”

Liamscoffed.“Thisisthesecondtimeyou’vecomeover,don’ttelllies.”

Ben followed Liam out into the hall, once again brought up short by the sight of

Jason in just his shorts. He swallowed around his suddenly dry mouth and pushed his
sleevesup.

Liamsawhimandofferedhimanapologeticshrug.“Yeah,sorryit’ssohotinhere,

butlikeIsaid,it’stakingagestodryanditsmells,soheatingon,windowsopen.”

“Butshouldn’titbecoolerifyou’vegotthewindowsopen?”

Jasonpointedhisrolleratthecloseddoorsoffthehall.“Theykeepslammingshut,so

none of the cool air gets through to here, just the heat.” He wiped his arm over his
forehead,andBenwatched,transfixedasabeadofsweatrandownJason’stempleandgot
caughtupinhisfinelayerofstubble.

“Yeah,” Ben agreed, finally managing to tear his eyes away, whilst tugging at the

collarofhisT-shirt.“Itisalittlewarminhere.”

Jason resumed his painting of the hallway wall, but Liam met Ben’s eye, the

beginningsofasmirkinplace.“Takeyourshirtoffifyou’rehot.”

“Um…”Heplayedwiththehemofhislong-sleevedT-shirt.Considering.

“Seriously,” Liam added, gesturing to the vest top he had on, expression sobering.

“Onceyou’vebeeninherelongerthantwentyminutes,you’llfuckingroastinthehalland
kitchen.”

Fuckit.Liamwasright;Bencouldfeelthematerialstartingtosticktohim.

Grabbing the bottom of his T-shirt, he pulled it up over his head. The relief was

immediate,andhesighedastheairhithisnakedskin.Itwasstillwarm,butwithouthis
topstickingtohim,itfeltsomuchbetter.HelookedaroundforsomewheretoputhisT-
shirt,andcaughtJasonhurriedlybendingdowntogetmorepaintonhisroller.

Washecheckingmeout?

Probablywishfulthinking.

Liampointedatthecoatrackfixedtothewall.“ChuckyourT-shirtonthere,thatbit

inthecorner’sdry.Jasonpaintedityesterday.”

ThankGod.Benhadn’tgivenitasecondthoughtwhenhehunghiscoatthereearlier.

HedutifullyhookedhisT-shirtontopofhiscoat,thenfacedLiam.“Whatdoyouwantme
todo?”

By half-past five they’d painted both bedrooms and the rest of the hallway. Ben

achedeverywhere,andhesethispaintbrushdownwithagroan.“Fuckme,arewefinally
done?”

Liamglanceddownfromthestepladder,rollerinhand.“Ijustneedtogetthatbitin

the corner, then yep, I think we are.” He yelled out into the corridor. “Jase, you about
done?”

“Just washing off my brushes.” A couple of minutes later, Jason walked into the

bedroom,hisbarechestnowsplatteredwithflecksofOrchidWhitepaint.Hisshortshung
alittleloweronhiships,asthoughthey’dslippeddownintheheat,andBenhadahard
timekeepinghisgazefromdippingdownandstayingthere.“I’mgoingtoheadoffina
secandgetcleanedup.Whatareyoutwodoing?”

Benscratchedatalongstreakofpaintonhisarm.“I’vegotallmystuffinthecar.I

needtogetitmovedin.Mightshowerfirstthough.”HelookedatLiam.“Ifthat’sallright
withyou?”

Jason’s gaze flicked between the two of them. “You’re not thinking of staying here

tonight,areyou?”

Liam frowned. “Well, that was the plan. I already told Mum not to expect me

tonight.”

“Yeah,ItoldmineI’dbemovingstraightinhere.”

“Guys.” Jason had that expression he used to get when they’d done something

incredibly stupid as kids. “Not to put a damper on your plans, but you can’t sleep here.
Thepaintfumesareawful.Atleastwaituntiltomorrow?”

Bensighed,“Itwon’tbethatbad.Ilovemyfolks,butI’mnotsureanyofusareup

foranotherweekendtogethersosoonafterthelastone.Ineedmyspace.”Hewaslooking
forwardtogettinginandsettled.

“AndIthinkMumsaidsomethingaboutusingmyroomasaguestroomtonight.At

anyrateshewaskeentogetmeoutsoshecouldstripmybed.I’mnotsurestayingthere
tonightisanoption.”Liamgrimaced.“Idon’twanttoupsetherplans.”

Bendidn’trelishtheideaofsleepingwithpaintfumesallnight,buthecouldleaveall

thewindowsopenandgetLiamtoleavetheheatingon.They’dmanage.

Jason bit at his bottom lip, the way his teeth pressed into it distracting enough that

Benalmostmissedwhathesaidnext.“Whydon’tthepairofyoustaywithmetonight?
Thatwayyoucanlettheroomsairoutabit,andnotgetunderanyone’sfeet.”

“Except yours,” Liam offered, and Ben wanted to thump him. Staying the night at

Jason’ssoundedlikeanexcellentidea.

Jasonhuffed.“Iliketothinkyoudon’tclassmeinthesamecategoryasourparents.

I’mnotthatold.”

NotwantingJasontorescindtheofferorforLiamtopisshimoff,Bencutinwith,

“Thatsoundslikeagreatidea,thanks.”

Liamglancedoverathim,butthankfullykepthiscommentstohimself.“Yeah,Ben’s

right.Thanks,Jase.That’dbegreat.It’sbeenagessinceI’veseenDaisy.”

“Daisy?”Benstraightened,frowning.He’dalwaysthoughtJasonwasgay,butmaybe

—

“Mydog,”Jasonoffered.Bencouldn’ttellfromhistonewhetherJasonknewwhat

he’dbeenthinking.

“Liamnevermentionedyouhadadog.”BencaughtLiamsmirkingoutofthecorner

ofhiseye.Thebastard.

“I’venothadherlong.Shewasastray;foundheroutsideTescosandthatwasthat.”

HegrabbedaT-shirtoffthefloorandpullediton,muchtoBen’sdisappointment.“Right,
wellI’mgoingtogetoff.Youtwoshowerhere,andthencomeonover,allright?I’llorder
somefood.TheChinesetakeawaynearmeisgreat.”

Climbingdownfromthestepladder,LiamhandedhisrollertoBen.“Holdthatfora

sec.”Helefttheroomandappearedafewmomentslaterwithhiswallet.“Dinner’sonme,
asathankyouforallyourhelp.”

Jasonstartedtoprotest,butLiamwashavingnoneofit.

“Seriously,itwould’vetakenagesonmyown.It’stheleastIcando.”

Grinning,Jasonpattedhimontheshoulder.“Thanks.I’llseeyoutwoinabit.”

Showeredanddressed,andwithallhisstuffnowpiledinthespareroom,Benwaited

in the kitchen for Liam. “You about ready?” he called, rubbing his belly as it rumbled
loudly.“I’mbloodystarving.”

Liamsaunteredintothekitchen,pullingajumperoverhisstillwethair.“Yeah,just

about.”Heglancedatthewhiteplasticclockonthewall—whichhe’dalreadyvowedto

replace—and rolled his eyes. “It’s only been forty-five minutes since Jason left. Surely
you’renotmissinghimalready?”

“Fuckoff.I’mjusthungry.”

Liamopenedhismouth,thatfamiliartwinkleinhiseye,andBenraisedhishand.

“Don’t.”

“What?”

“Don’tsaywhateverfilthyinnuendoyouwerethinking.”Benpickeduphiskeysand

jangledthem.“Canwegonow?”

Liamstaredathimforasecond,thennodded.“Leadtheway.”

Finally. Ben grabbed his wallet and jacket, and walked to the front door, holding it

openforLiamtopass.

Almost to the car, Liam caught Ben’s arm. “Sorry, if I go a bit far sometimes. I

rememberhowbigyourcrushwasonJason,andoldhabitsarehardtobreak.Ipromise
nottokeepteasingyouabouthimnowthatwe’realladults.”

Benbarkedoutalaugh.“I’llbelievethatwhenIseeit.”

Liamnudgedhiminthesidewithhiselbow.“Doyoustillhaveathingforhim?”

Turningtofacehim,Benfrowned.“Er….”

“Fuck, don’t answer that. I really don’t want to know.” He walked around to the

passengersideofBen’scarandtappedhishandsontheroof.“Let’sgoeat.”

Afterunlockingthedoor,ittookBenafewsecondstogetin.Liamwasanopenbook

aboutalmosteverything,butBenstruggledtoreadhimwherehisfeelingsforJasonwere
concerned. Maybe he didn’t want to see it or maybe Liam’s feelings were complicated.
Whothefuckknew?

Ignoring it seemed like the best option for now— nothing was likely to happen

betweenhimandJason,sohe’dneverneedtoaddressit.Problemsolved,orshelvedfor
now,Bengotinthecar.

FollowingLiam’sdirections,ittookthemabouttwenty-fiveminutestogettoJason’s

house. They drove past the Chinese takeaway that Jason had mentioned, and Ben’s
stomachrumbledagainatthethoughtofit.

Laughing, Liam pointed to a turning on the left. “Jason’s is down there, number

three.Justpullupbehindhimonthedrive.”

ThehouseswereolderthantheestatewhereBenandLiamnowlived,andhadasort

of quaint cottagey feel to them. If he was honest, Jason’s was smaller than Ben had
expected with him being a vet and everything, but this area was quite pricey. It looked
lovely from the outside though—a well-tended patch of grass with flowers and a low
hedge bordering it. The drive was surprisingly long, too. Ben parked behind Jason’s
Qashqaiandturnedofftheengine.

Astheygotoutofthecar,thefrontdooropenedandadogdartedouttowardsthem.

Jason followed at a more leisurely pace, wearing a black T-shirt and what looked like
pyjamabottoms.Benswallowedthickly.Hesowasn’tpreparedforthisversionofJason.

Liam was already crouched down, making cooing noises at what had to be Daisy.

BenwalkedaroundtotheothersideofthecartofindLiamundersiegefromasmallish
brown dog. She had her paws on his shoulders and was trying to lick his face, much to
Liam’samusement.

“Don’tencourageher,”Jasoncalledfromthedoorway.“I’vebeentryingtogetherto

stopjumpingupatstrangers.”

Liamstoodandbrushedhairoffhisjeans.“Butsheknowsme.”Heleantdownand

strokedherears.“Don’tyou,girl?”

Shewoofedathim,thennoticedBenandcameovertosniffathisknees.

BensmiledandbentdowntostrokeherlikeLiamhaddone.Hercoatwassofttothe

touch,andBenlaughedasshejumpeduptoputherpawsonhislegs,tonguelollingout.

“Stopteachingmydogbadhabitsandcomeinside.Thefoodarrivedjustbeforeyou

didandthesmellisdrivingmemad,I’msohungry.”HeshoutedDaisyandshedutifully
trottedinside.BenandLiamfollowedher.

Onceinthelight,Bengotabetterlookatherasshepatientlysatbyherbowlwaiting

whileJasonpouredfoodinit.Herfurwasalightcaramelcolour,andhernoseandthetips
ofherearswereblack.“Whatsortisshe?”

Jason stood and walked over to the sink to wash his hands. “Some sort of Beagle

cross.She’sabouttenmonthsold,butIdon’tthinkshe’llgetmuchbigger.”

“She’slovely.”

Jason’ssuddenwidesmilelituphiswholeface,andBen’sstomachswooped.

The clatter of dishes behind them had them both turning to where Liam was busy

gettingoutplatesandcutlery.

“I thought you were both starving?” He started getting containers out of the two

whiteplasticbags,andBen’sneedforfoodtookover.

HejoinedLiamattheworktopandpeeredatallthecartons.“Jeez,howmuchfood

did you buy?” It smelled delicious, and Ben didn’t know where to start. “Who’s got
what?”

Jasonwavedaforkatallthefood.“Iforgottoaskwhatyouliked,soIorderedabit

ofeverything.Helpyourself.”

Notneedinganymoreinvitationthanthat,Bengrabbedaplateandgotstuckin.

“Fuck,Ineedtoundomybelt.”Liampattedhisbellyandsighed.

BenandLiamwerecollapsedonJason’sincrediblycomfysofa,withJasonsprawled

intheoversizedchair.Benhadhiseyesclosed,headrestingbackonthesofacushions.He

absently patted Liam’s thigh. “I can’t believe we ate it all.” Although the way his jeans
werenowtootightwasapainfulreminder.“Ineedtoputsomethingmorecomfortableon.
Maybesomethingwithanelasticatedwaist.”

Liamlaughed.“That’sanexcellentidea.”

“ExceptIcan’tbearsedtomove.”

“Meneither.”

Jason’shuffhadBenopeningoneeyetopeeroverathim.“Whatwasthatfor?”

“Youpairoflazybastards.I’vegottotakeDaisyforawalk,whydon’tyoujoinme?

Abitoffreshairwilldoyougood.Wakeyouupabit.”

Liamgroaned.“Idon’twanttowakeup,I’mcomfy.”

“Wellforstarters,it’sonlyhalf-pastnine,andsecondlythatsofayou’reonpullsout

intoabed.Whichoneofyouwillbesleepingon.Soyou’llneedtomoveatsomepointin
thenextfewhours.”

Liamwavedhimaway,eyesclosed.“TakeBenwithyou.Helikeswalks.”

Benglaredithim,expectingtoseesomesortofknowingexpression,butLiam’seyes

remainedshutandhedroppedhishandbackintohislap.Whenhedidn’tmoveafterthat,
Bengrinned.“Ithinkhe’sasleep.”

“Looks like it.” Jason pulled a blanket off the back of his chair and covered Liam

withit.“Tobefair,he’sdonealotofworkontheflatthisweek,especiallylastnightand
today.I’mnotsurprisedhe’sknackered.”

Benfeltinstantlyguilty.“That’sprobablymyfault.Imeanttocomedownyesterday

morning,butIwassohungoverIcouldn’tdrivewithoutbeingoverthelimit.”

Jasonwalkedovertohim,andputhishandonBen’sshoulder.Hisvoicewasquiet

whenhespoke.“Iwasn’thavingago.Heshouldbedoingmostoftheworkonit,it’shis
bloodyflat.”

“Iknow,but—”

“Butnothing.”Jasongavehisshoulderasqueeze.“Now,areyoucomingforawalk

ordoyouwanttostayhere?Iwon’tbeoffendedifyouwanttostayinthewarm.”

Bendidn’tneedtothinkabouthisanswer.“Letmegetmyshoeson.”

Jasonsmiledathim,thenlefttogetDaisy’slead.

Arse.Benrestedhisheadinhishandsforasecond.

Why did Jason have to be such a nice guy as well as being hot? At this rate, he’d

nevergetoverhisbloodycrush.

Friends.

We’rejustfriends.

Ifherepeateditenoughtimes,maybeitwouldsinkin.

Ben had just finished tying his laces when Jason joined him in the hallway. He’d

swappedhispyjamasforjeansandhadonathickblackcoat,withdarkgreyglovesanda
matchingbeanie.Hehadasimilarlookingblacksetinhishand,whichheheldouttoBen.

“Youmightwanttoputtheseon.It’sgoingtobenippyoutthere.”

“Thanks.”Bentookthemwithasmile,whichJasonimmediatelyreturned.

“Ready?”

Bennodded,andJasonopenedthedoorandheadedoutside,withDaisytrottingout

first.

Heglancedoverhisshoulder,waitingonthepathasBenpulledthedoorshut.The

lock clicked loudly. “You’ve brought your keys, right? Because I don’t hold out much
hopeofLiamhearingusknock.”

Jasonpattedhiscoatpocket,thefaintjinglereassuringBenthattheyweren’tlocked

out.

“Okay,then.Afteryou.”

Steering them onto what looked to be a bike path, Jason let Daisy’s lead out a bit,

givinghermorerange.“I’mnotplanningongoingtoofartonight,justlettingherdoher
businessandstretchherlegs.”

“Youcangofartherifyouwant?I’mokaywithwalking.”Truthbetold,afterbeing

insideallday,itwaslovelytofinallygetsomefreshair.

Jasonglancedathim,meetinghisgaze.“Let’sseehowDaisy’sfeels,allright?”

“Yeah,okay.”

Theywalkedinsilenceforabit;Daisyfascinatedwiththeleavesskitteringaboutin

thebreezeandBentryingtolookupatthestarswhilenotfallingoverhisfeet.Thesky
wasclear,probablywhyitwassochilly,andBenloveditlikethis.

“Liamsaidyou’rebothgoingintothesheltertomorrow.”Jason’svoicestartledhim,

andhestumbled.Onlyafirmhandonhisarmstoppedhimfromgoingover.

“Thanks.”BenfocusedonDaisyashefelthischeeksheat.Whatanarse.“Andyeah.

We couldn’t go this morning like we’d planned, so we swapped it to tomorrow. Lucy
seemedokaywithit.”

“Yeah,she’sgreat.Andyou’reavolunteer,it’snotlikeyouhavetogo.I’msureshe’s

thankfulforanytimeyoucanspare.”

“True.ButIdon’tliketoletpeopledownifI’vesaidI’lldosomething.”Hezipped

hiscoatabithigherasthewindgotup.“We’replanningonanearly-ishvisitsowecan
getsomemoreworkdoneontheflat.AndLiaminsistsIneedtoexperiencecleaningout
thecagesorit’snotpropervolunteering.”

Jasonlaughed.“Somethingtolookforwardto.”

“Ihighlydoubtthat.”Cleaninglittertrayswasaboutthelastthinghefancieddoing,

but then everyone probably thought that. “I’m looking forward to seeing how Tom’s
comingon,though.”

“I saw him on Thursday when I popped in. He’s doing far better than I expected,

considering.Lucyreckonshe’llbeupforre-homingsoon.”

“Yeah?”Bensmiled,warmthfillinghimatthethoughtofTomgettingtoleaveand

gotoalovingfamily.HecaughtJasonwatchinghimoutofthecornerofhiseye.“That’s
great.”

“Itis.It’sgreatwhenanyoftheanimalsgetadopted,butIalwayshaveasoftspotfor

anythatI’vehandedovertothem.Especiallywhenthey’vebeenmistreated.”

Daisy stopped to sniff at the bottom of a hedge and they drew to a halt, shoulders

brushing.Itwasprobablyallinhisimagination,butBenfeltthewarmthofJason’sbody
nexttohimandtheurgetoleaninabitwashardtoignore.Todistracthimselffromdoing
justthat,heasked,“Doyougetmanystrayanimalsbroughtin?”

Jasonsighed.“Notloadsno,butmorethanyou’dthink.Mostpetsarechippedthese

days,butwestillgetsomethataren’tandunlesssomeoneringsup,there’snowaytotrace
theowner.We’vealsohadtheoddwildanimalbroughtintoo.”

DaisychosethatmomenttojumpupatJason’slegsandbarkathim.Heglancedat

her, and reached to stroke her head. “Had enough now?” Another soft bark. “Come on
then.”TurningtoBen,headded,“Readytoheadback?”

Ben could happily have stayed out longer. Talking to Jason like this felt all too

comfortable.Henoddedanyway.

Jason smiled at him, his cheeks and nose all pink from the cold air. “Thanks for

coming with me. I don’t mind taking her on my own, but it’s always nice to have
company.”

“Youwereright;itwasgoodtogetsomefreshair.”

WithatugonDaisy’slead,Jasonheadedforhome,hisbroadshouldersfillingouthis

coatnicelyfrombehind.

Bengroanedinwardly.

Friends.JustFriends.

Nope.Itwasn’tsinkinginanytimesoon.

CHAPTERSIX

JasonwokeuponSundaymorningwitharaginghard-onandtheremnantsofafilthy

dream lingering in his head. He couldn’t picture a face but there’d been kisses and
nakedness,andhereacheddowntolazilystrokehimself.Yeah,thatfeltgood.

Whatever,orwhomever,he’ddreamtabouthadlefthimwounduptight,notneeding

much to send him over the edge. Shifting onto his back, he closed his eyes and tried to
recaptureanimage,anything.Hetightenedhisgripandmovedhishandalittlefaster,toes
curlingasthefamiliarfeelingstartedtobuild.

Hepicturedsomeoneontheirknees,hishandwoundintheirdarkcurlsasheslidhis

cockbackandforthintotheirmouth.Asmallmoanescapedhim.Jasonbithislip,coming
inthickstripesoverhisbelly.Hisbackarched,fingersfistingthequiltaspleasurewashed
throughhim.

Pushing the covers back to try and save them from the mess, Jason grabbed some

tissues from his bedside table and wiped up, then settled back to enjoy his post-orgasm
glow.

“Jase?Youupyet?”Liam’svoicewasaccompaniedbyaknockonhisdoor.

Shit.He’dtotallyforgottenhe’dgotguests.Thankfuckhe’dbeenquiet.Withasigh,

hegotoutofbed,pulledonhispyjamabottomsandopenedthedoor.“Iamnow.What’s
up?”

Liamgrinnedandpointeddownthestairs.“Yourdog’sharassingBen.”

“What?”

“She’ssatonhim,leadinhermouth,lookingpitiful.”

Jasonbarkedoutalaugh.Hecouldn’thelpit.“Whydoesn’thetellhertogetdownor

putheronthefloor?She’snotexactlybig.”

Liamrolledhiseyes.“ThisisBen.Youknowhowsoftheis.He’sdowntheretalking

toherlikesheunderstands.Idon’tmindfeedingherandtakingheroutforawalk,butI
didn’t know if you had some morning routine going that you didn’t want me to mess
with.”

Shaking his head, Jason shooed Liam back down the stairs and followed him. “I

don’t have a routine, I just let her out the back first thing while I sort her food. I’m
surprisedshedidn’tbarkatthebackdoor.”Theygottothelivingroomdoorandpeered
inside.DaisysatwithherpawsonBen’schest,leadatherfeet.Pantingathim.“Oh,for
God’ssake,Daisy.Getoffhim.”

AtthesoundofJason’svoice,Daisybarkedandjumpedontothefloor,elicitingan

oomphfromBen.

“Wasn’tsheheavy?”Jasongesturedtohisdog,ashestrokedherears.

“Abit.”Bensatup,andtheblankethewasundersliddowntohiswaistrevealinga

verytonedchestandstomach.Jasonfoundhimselfstaringforasecondbeforerealising.
HesnappedhisgazeuptofindBenmid-yawn.ThankGod.Hedidnotneedtobecaught
pervingonhim.

Daisy glanced at her lead, now in Ben’s lap, and back at Jason, but she wasn’t

barkinglikeshenormallydidinthemorning.“Dideitherofyouletheroutalready?”

Ben’scheeksimmediatelyflushedwithcolour.“Yeah,Idid,abouthalffive.ShouldI

not have done?” He looked a little embarrassed, and the blush made his blue eyes stand
outevenmore.

Itwasagoodlookforhim.OnethatJasondidn’tneedtobenoticing.Christ,whydid

hethinkhavingthemstayoverwasagoodidea?“No,that’sfine.”Jasonaddedquickly,
not wanting Ben to feel awkward, “Thanks. She usually gets me up way too early on a
Sunday.Thelieinwasmuchappreciated.ButI’dbettertakeherforawalkdowntheroad
beforeIcookyouguysbreakfast.”HewenttograbDaisy’slead,thenthoughtbetterofit.
“Canyouchuckmeherlead?”

Benthrewittohim,butdidn’tmovefromthesofa.

Didhehaveanythingonunderthere?

ThenBenranahandthroughhishair—histhick,messy,curlybrownhair—andJason

wasimmediatelytransportedbacktohisdreamandeverythingthatfollowed.

Fuck.Heneededtogetoutofthere.“Right.I’llbebackinabouttwentyminutes.”He

benttocliptheleadtohercollar.

“Um…Jase?”Liamtappedhimontheshoulder.

“What?”

“Aren’tyouforgettingsomething?”

Narrowing his eyes, Jason stood, lead still in his hand, much to Daisy’s frustration.

“Suchas?”

LiamgesturedtoJason’spyjamabottomsand—Oh.

“Shit.”Christ.What’swrongwithmethismorning.“I’dbettergochangefirst.”

“Ithinkyourneighbourswouldappreciatethat.”

ShovingtheleadatLiam,hesaid,“Holdthatandplaywithherabittooccupyher.

I’ll be two minutes.” He raced up the stairs two at a time and hurried into his bedroom.
Grabbing the first pair of joggers he could find, Jason quickly swapped his pyjamas for
them and grabbed a thick hoodie from the end of his bed. Rushing back downstairs, he
metLiamandDaisyinthehallway.

Daisysatpatientlyatthedoor,withLiamholdingherlead.Hegrinneddownather

thenpattedherhead.“She’sverywellbehaved.”

Jasonofferedhimawrysmile.“Shehashermoments.”

HeslippedonhistrainersandtooktheleadfromLiam.“I’llbebackinabit.You’ve

gottimeforbreakfastbeforeyou’redueattheshelter,right?”

Liamcheckedhiswatch.“It’sonlytenpasteight,soyeah,we’vegottime.”

Wow,forsomereasonitfeltmuchlater.Maybehejustwasn’tusedtohavingpeople

inhishouse.“Okay.Goshowerorsomething.”

“Yes,Mum.”Liamshooedhimoutthedoorandcloseditbehindhim.

“Fuckme,it’scold.”Jasonshivered.Thecrispmorningairbitathischeeksasthey

walked down the drive. Thank God he’d thought to grab his hat and gloves on the way
out.

TheroadwasquietatthistimeonaSunday,andtheygotallthewaytothebikepath

withoutmeetinganothersoul.Daisydidherbusiness,sniffedateverythingwithinrange,
andtrottedalongwithhertailwagging,happytobeoutinthefreshair.

Jason was definitely feeling more alert than he had back at the house. If those two

everstayedoveragain,he’dinsistBentookthespareroom.Findinghimhalf-nakedonthe
sofa wasn’t something he could be expected to deal with first thing in the morning.
Especiallynotafteradreamlikethat.

Benwashislittlebrother’sbestmate.Surelytherewererulesaboutthatsortofthing?

He’dbabysathimforfuck’ssake.ImaginingBenonhiskneesgivinghimablowjobmade
himfeelalittleuncomfortable,butnotasmuchasitprobablyshould.

Ugh.It’swaytooearlyinthemorningforthis.

Pushingittothebackofhismind,Jasonenjoyedtherestofhiswalk—thegrasswas

coveredwithalayerofdew,wettingtheendsofhistrainers,andtheskywasthatlovely
clearbluethatmadethecoldwinterdaysbearable.Althoughhisbreathproducedpuffsof
fogandhisnosewasfreezing,itwaslovelytobeout.

ButBenandLiamprobablyneededtobeoffsoon,soafteranotherfewminuteshe

turnedDaisyaroundandwalkedback.

With the pair of them being a little wet and muddy, he walked around to the back

door this time. The smell of bacon cooking greeted Jason as he let himself in, and he
smiled as he kicked his shoes off and unhooked Daisy’s lead. He gave her feet a quick
rubdownwiththeoldtowelhekeptbythedoorandlethergo.

“Hey,” he said as he entered the kitchen, mouth-watering at the sight of scrambled

eggs,bacon,beansandtoastbeingsetoutonthetable.

“Goodtiming.”Benhandedhimacupoftea.“Wethoughtwe’dcook,sinceyoulet

usstayover.”

Jasongrinned.“Thanks.Itlooksgreat.”

Ben ushered him to a seat at the table, then took the chair next to him with Liam

opposite.“Tuckin,Iguess.”

They all helped themselves to food, and Jason’s normally quiet kitchen was filled

with easy conversation and the clang of cutlery. A curl of satisfaction settled behind his
ribs, and he smiled down at his plate. Living on his own was great; he was quite

comfortableinhisowncompanymostofthetime.Butifhewashonestwithhimself,he
missedthissometimes:familybreakfastswithhisbrothersribbingeachotherandhismum
anddaddoingthecrossword.Thiscameaclosesecond,andhelikedtheideaofdoingit
onaregularbasis.

Ben’sthighbrushedagainsthisunderthetable,firmmuscleeasytofeelthroughtwo

layersofclothing,andashiverranthroughhim.Asmuchashetriedtodenyit,heliked
theideaofthat,too.

ThelastweekinNovemberseemedbusierthanusual,andJasonrubbedhiseyesas

he said goodbye to his last patient on Friday afternoon. He’d not seen anyone since
Sunday,wellanyoneoutsideofwork,andthepulloffamilywashardtoignore,especially
whenhewalkedoutintothewaitingareaandsawthetwoboxesofChristmasdecorations
onthecounter.

Jennyleanedoverthem,peeringinside.She’dbeenareceptionistatthepracticefor

tenyears,longbeforeJasonjoinedthem,andwasbothexcellentatherjobandoneofthe
nicestpeopleJasonknew.Inherearlyfifties,Jennyhadsilverhaircutintoanasymmetric
bob,andremindedJasonofanolderversionofKatyPerry.

Raising an eyebrow when he caught Jenny’s attention, he said, “Decorations

already?”

She rolled her eyes, and started pulling tinsel out of one of the boxes. “It’s

December.”

“Only just.” God, he never got his tree out before Dec 15th. In fact, he might not

even bother this year. If he wanted to experience full on Christmas decorations, he’d go
roundhismumanddad’s.Theystillwentallout,eventhoughitwasonlythetwoofthem
now.

Jennyhungthetinselaroundtheedgeofthefrontdesk,thenpickedoutaChristmas

wreathfromtheotherbox.WithaslylookoveratJason,shesaunteredovertohisdoor
andstuckiton.“There.We’llgetyouintheChristmasspirit,yet!”

Figuring there was no point arguing, he sighed and walked over to the two boxes.

“Fine,youwin.WhatcanIhelpwith?”

Laughing at him, and patting him on the arm, she handed him another bunch of

tinsel.“Gohangthatsomewhere.”

Withthehelpofoneoftheveterinarynurses,Kate,theysoonhadthepracticedecked

outwithtinsel,lightsandasmallartificialtree—highuponthedeskwherenodogscould
getit.

AsJasonwascarryingtheboxesouttheback,thephonerang.Jennyanswered,and

then he heard his name being called. Setting the boxes down, he walked back in to the
waitingarea.

“Whoisit?”hemouthed.

“Lucy,fromtheRSPCAshelter.”

Hetookthephonefromherwithasmileofthanks.“Hello?”

“Hey, Jason. I’m calling to tell you the good news; Tom just left to go to his new

home.Ithoughtyou’dwanttoknow.”

Jason’ssmilespreadacrosshisface.“That’sgreat.Andquick!”

She laughed down the line. “One of the volunteers took him. She’d already been

throughthehomevisits,soitwentthroughquickly.Anyway,that’sallIwantedtosay.I’ll
letyougetoff.”

“Thanksforcalling,Iappreciateit.”

Theysaidtheirgoodbyesandhungup.

“Goodnews?”JennyandKatelookedathimexpectantly.

“Yep.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the counter. “Remember that

gingercatbroughtinafewweeksago?”

Kategrinned.“YoumeanTom?”

“Yeah,him.WellLucyrangtosayhe’sbeenadopted.”

“Aww,”Katesaid.“That’swonderful,blesshim.”

JennynudgedJasonwiththeendofherpen.“Iloveitwhentheyfindgoodhomes.I

havetosaythough,Ifullyexpectedhimtobegoinghomewithyou.”

Jasonhadbeensorelytemptedmanytimes.“Ifhe’dnotbeentakenbyChristmas,I

think I might have adopted him. Probably just as well though. I’m not sure how Daisy
wouldtaketoacat.”Hetappedhisfingersonthecountertop.“Anyway,I’mgoingtoget
off.”

Katesighed.“Luckyyou.I’vegotonemoreappointmentatquarterpastsix.Seeyou

tomorrow.”

Hesaidhisgoodnightsandleftthemtoit.

Itwasn’tusualforhimtofinishsoearlyonaFriday.Hemightaswellmakethemost

of it and pop in on his parents. Daisy’d be okay for another few hours; Caroline would
havejustcomebackfromtakingherforawalk.

His mum answered the door wearing her apron, and the glorious smell of stew had

Jasongrinningfromear-to-ear.“Gotenoughforyourfavouriteson?”

Shepattedhimonthecheek.“OfcourseIhave.YoucantakesometohimandBen

onyourwayhomeifyouwouldn’tmind?”

“Funny.”Jasonleanedintogiveherakiss.“I’mgoingtotellPeteyousaidthat.”

She laughed and beckoned him inside. “You’re letting all the heat out. Get in here.

AndofcourseI’vemadeenoughforoneofmysons.Ialwaysliketosavesomeandfreeze
itifIcan.”

Theyateatthekitchentable.

Thestewwasheavenlyasalways,especiallysinceshe’dmadedumplingstoo.Jason

pattedhisstomachashesatbackinhischair.“Thatwasdelicious,thanks.”

“You’rewelcome.”

Hisdadstoodtocleantheirplatesaway,andJasonimmediatelygotuptohelphim,

whilehismumdealtwiththeleftovers.

Twocontainersofstewsatontheworktop,andhismumpickedthemupandsetthem

onthetable.“Idon’tsupposeyou’regoingpastLiam’sonyourwayhome?”

Itwouldaddabouttenminutestohisjourney,butJasondidn’tmind.“Icanpopin,

yeah.”

“Ohgood.I’vegotsomeChristmasdecorationsforhim,andyoumightaswelltake

thisstewforhimandBen.Theycaneatitnoworsaveitfortomorrow.”

Jasonrefrainedfromrollinghiseyes.“I’msurethey’requitecapableofcookingfor

themselves.”

She pointedly looked from the pots in the dishwasher to where Jason stood next to

thesink.“Likeyou,youmean?”

Okay,shehadapointthere.

Smiling,hereachedoutandpulledherintoahug.“Fine.I’lltakethemthestewand

thedecorations.”

“Thankyou.”

Armedwithsupplies,JasonsetoffforLiam’splace.

Traffic was light for a Friday night. Once he’d parked out the front of Liam’s

building,hesenthimatexttocomeandhelphim.Theboxofdecorationswasbigenough
toneedbothhands,sohecouldn’tcarrythestewandotheressentialshismumhadpacked
aswell.

Liam appeared a few minutes later, grimacing at the cold. “Fuck me, it’s freezing.

Whendidthathappen?”

The weather wasn’t as mild as last week, but Liam didn’t help matters. “Maybe if

youputonacoat?”

“I’monlypoppingouttohelpyouthough.Didn’tseethepoint.”

Jasonhandedtheboxtohim.“Takethisthenandgobackin.”

Peeringinside,Liamgrinned.“Blessher,she’ssentmeloads.”

Jasonheldupthebagoffood.“That’snotall.”

“Awesome.”Heturnedandstartedbacktowardsthedoor.“Comeonthen,stoparsing

around.”

“Wanker.”

Liamjustlaughedathimandhurrieddownthepath.Hestruggledtobalancethebox

onhishipwhilegettinghiskeysinthelockuntilJasontookpityonhimandhelped.

Theflatwasthankfullyatanormaltemperature,withnostronglingeringpaintsmell.

JasonfollowedLiamintothekitchenandstoppedattheentrance.“Wow.Whendidthis
happen?”

Theoldcupboarddoorshadbeenreplacedwithsleekwhiteones,completewithnew

silver handles. The old yellow paint had been replaced by a light greeny-grey colour on
the walls and white on the ceiling. Even with the old worktops in place it looked like a
brand-newkitchen.

Jasonwalkedinandcarefullysethisbagoffooddown.“Itlooksgreat.”

“Thanks.”Liamcametostandbesidehim,beaming.“Dadorderedthemforme,and

brought them round Tuesday night. Me and Ben fitted them.” He plucked open the bag
andstartedemptyingthecontents.“OhGod,isthatstew?”

“Yep.Youjammybastard.MumseemstothinkyouandBenneedfeeding.”

Liam’sheadsnappedup,andhegaveJasonashrewdlook.“Thestew’sstillwarm.If

youwentroundthere,thenyoudefinitelyhadsometoo.”

“Mighthave.”

“Yeah, so fuck off.” Liam unloaded the rest of the contents of the bag and sorted

them into the fridge and one of the cupboards, leaving the stew out. “Hey, Ben?” he
yelled,“Youhungry?”

“Fuckingstarved,”camethesomewhatmuffledreply.

Jasonfrowned.“Whereishe?”

“InhisroomlookingforBluTack.”

“BluTack?”

Liamputoneofthestewcartonsinthemicrowave,thenleanedagainstthecounter.

“Yeah.Weputthesefairylightsupinthewindowandonebitkeepsfallingdown,soBen
saidhehadsomeBluTackinoneofhisbags.”

Jasonpointedattheboxofdecorationshe’dbroughtwithhim.“Areyougoingtoput

thoseupnow?”

“Yep.”

Washetheonlyonewhothoughtitwaswaytooearly?“It’sonlythefirst,what’sthe

rush?”

Liam laughed at him. “You’re such a miserable bastard. Christmas decs are up all

overtheplace.They’vebeenupforovertwoweeks.”

“Iknow,butthat’sallforcommercialpurposes.”

“Look,thisisthefirstChristmasI’vespentinmyownhouse.Ijustwanttomakethe

mostofit.”

Sighing,Jasonaccepteddefeat.“Fairenough.”

ThemicrowavepingedandLiamswappedcartons,thenputitonagain.Jasontried

peeringintothelounge,butthedoorwasclosed.“Haveyouevengotatree?”

Liamlaughed,andafaintflushcolouredhischeeks,“Ohyeah,we’vegotatree.”

“WhydoIsensethat’snotasstraightforwardananswerasitshouldbe.”

“BecauseImayhavegoneabitoverboard.”

“Got it!” Ben’s voice sounded much clearer this time, and a few seconds later he

appeared in the kitchen doorway brandishing a pack of Blu Tack. “Oh, hey,” he said,
smilingatJason.“ThoughtIheardvoices.”

Ben had his glasses on, thin black frames that suited him far too much for Jason’s

liking.

“IjuststoppedbytobringyoustewanddecorationsfromMum.”Jasongesturedto

theboxandcartonontheworktop.

“Awesome.Letmegostickthisinthelivingroom.”

“Right,wellI’llleaveyoutoit.DaisywillthinkI’mnevercominghome.”

Liamopenedthecupboardstogetbowlsout,andsaidoverhisshoulder,“Beforeyou

go,haveaquicklookatthetree.”Hegrinned,andasusualJasoncouldn’trefusehisbaby
brother.Itdidn’tmatterhowoldhegot.

“Fine.”

“Comeon.”Benleft,BluTackinhand,andJasonfollowed.

“Fuckinghell.”

“Yep.”

Theystoodinsidethelivingroomdoorway,staringatthetreetakingupspaceinthe

baywindow.Takingupallthespace,becauseitwasbig.

“TypicalLiam.Neverdoesthingsbyhalves.”

Benwalkedcloserandstoppedjustinfrontofit.Jasonjoinedhim.“Tobefair,it’s

gotagreatshape,andhesaiditlookedsmallerintheshop.”

“Shop?”

“HepickeditupatB&Qonhiswayhome.”

“Ahh.”

Ben stood close, and Jason was hyperaware of their proximity. After his dream the

other morning, everything was starting to feel different where Ben was concerned. He
tookwhathehopedwasasubtlesteptotheside.“I’dbettergo.”

“Yeah,pooroldDaisy’llbecrossingherlegs.”Benledthewayout,butstoppedin

thedoorway.HefacedJason,didn’tsayaword,justpointedafingerupwards.

Jasonlookedupand—He’sgottobekidding.

Asprigoffakemistletoehungonthetopofthedoorframe.

“Liam bought it when he got the tree. There’s one on the bathroom door too. He

thinksit’sfunny.”

“Butonlyyoutwolivehere,so….”NotsomethingJasonwantedtodwellon,notthat

itwasanyofhisbusiness.HemetBen’sgazeintimetoseehimshrug.

“We’llhavelotsofgueststhough,especiallyasitgetsnearerChristmas.”Hewaited

expectantly,eyebrowraised.

“What?”

“It’smistletoe.”

Jasonswallowedandinstinctivelylickedhislips.“Iknowthat.”

Benloweredhisvoiceandwhispered.“Thenyouknowtherules.”

Theairturnedthickwithtension,andJasonhesitated,notsurewhattherightcourse

ofactionwas.Aquickpeckjustforalaughor—

“Stopoverthinking.”

Notgivinghimthechancetoreply,BentookJason’sfaceinbothhands,thenleaned

inandkissedhim.

Softlips,stubbleandahintofaftershave.

JasonwasstillprocessingallofthatwhenBendrewback,histhumbsstrokingalong

Jason’sjawbeforeheletthemdroptohissides.

“There,”Bensaid,asmallsmileonhisface,buthiseyeswerewary,asifnotsureof

Jason’sreaction.“Thatwasn’tsobad,wasit?”HissmilewidenedwhenJasondidn’tsay
anything.“I’mgoingtogetthatstewnow,itsmellsdelicious.”Withthat,helefttheroom,
leavingJasonwonderingwhatthehellhadjusthappened.

Hadanything?Itwasakissunderthemistletoe.Maybenotaquickpeck,butnota

full-on,press–up-against-the-wallkisswithtongueseither—hereallyneededtonotthink
aboutthatandBenatthesametime.

Jasonranahandoverhisface.Benwasright,hewasoverthinking.

It’dbeenalongweek,thatwasall.

Heheadedtothekitchenandstuckhisheadaroundthedoor.“Right,I’moff.”

Liamwavedhisspoonintheair,mouthfulloffood,andBenwinkedathim.“Bye.

Thanksforbringingthis.”Hegesturedtothestewandsmiled.

Jasontriednottoreadanythingintoit.Heturnedtogo,thensuddenlyremembered.

“Oh,Imeanttotellyou.Lucycalledmeearlier;Tom’sbeenadopted.”

Ben’ssmilewidened.“Awesome.”

Liam’seyeslitupandhestruggledtoswallowhismouthfuloffood.“That’sgreat.I

meanI’llmisshim,but…yeah.Greatnews.”

“Yeah,itis.”Jasonwavedhiskeysattheminagoodbye,andlethimselfout.

Christ,itwasalmostnineo’clock.He’dhadalatestartthatmorning,butstilldidn’t

likeleavingDaisyonherownfortoolong.He’dtakeheronalongwalktomakeupforit.

As he walked down the path to his car, he put his fingers to his lips, remembering

Ben’swords.“Thatwasn’tsobad,wasit?”

No.Notbadatall.

CHAPTERSEVEN

Assoonasthefrontdoorclickedshut,Liamsethisspoondownonthetable.“Isaw

you,youknow.”

Ben choked on the drink of water he’d just taken, coughing violently until Liam

slappedhimontheback.“Sawwhat?”hetried,fullyexpectingthewitheringlookLiam
shothim.

“Youandmybrothergoingatitunderthemistletoe.”

“Jesus, we weren’t going at it. It was a harmless bit of fun—anyway, you were the

onewhoinsistedonputtingitup.”

Liam sighed. “I know I did. I thought it’d be a laugh when we have a few friends

round.”

Theyresumedeatinginsilence,butBenknewLiamhadn’tsaideverythinghewanted

to,andsureenoughafewminuteslaterhesethisspoondownagainandsatbackinhis
chair.

“It’sjust…fromwhereIwasstanding,itdidn’tlooklikeabitoffun.Atleastnoton

yourpart.”

“Fuck.” What had possessed him to do that? Getting the tree had put him in the

Christmasspirit,andthenthemistletoewasthere,andsowasJason…ithadseemedlikea
goodideaatthetime.“Areyoupissedoffwithme?”

Liam’sbrowscrunchedinconfusion.“Whatfor?”

“Forkissingyourbrother,whatthefuckelse?”Benpulledafaceathim.

“It’snotsomethingIwanttobeseeingeveryday,Ihavetoadmit.ButI’mnotpissed

off.”

If he was ever going to ask Liam about this, now was the time. “Are you sure?

BecauseIalwaysgotthefeelingthatyou’dhateitifJasonandIevergottogether.”

“When we were like sixteen, yeah. Because that was a gross thought; Jason was

twenty-seven.”

Yeah,whenheputitlikethat.“Iguess.”

LiamshiftedinhisseatuntilhewasfacingBen.“Look,I’llbehonestwithyou.Jason

wouldn’tbemyfirstchoiceforyou,becauseyou’relikepartofmyfamilyandI’dhatefor
thattogetallawkwardifyouandJasongottogetherandthensplitup.DoyouseewhatI
mean?”

Bennodded.“Yeah,Igetthat.ButIdon’tthinkyouhavetoworry.PrettysureJason

feels the same about me as he always has, and it’s not like that.” Although he hadn’t
pushedBenawayafterthatkiss,he’dlookedmoreshell-shockedthanturnedon.

“Ican’treallycommentonthat.It’snotsomethingI’veeverdiscussedwithhim.But

Icanseeyourfeelingshaven’tchangedmuch.”HenudgedhiskneeagainstBen’s.“Didn’t
yougethimoutofyoursystematuni?”

Benshrugged,asmallsmiletuggingathislips.“Yourbrother’shot.Ithinkhe’sonly

gothottersinceI’vebeenawayand—”

“God,stop.”Liampickedhisspoonbackup.“Let’sfinishthisandthendecoratethat

bloodytree.I’mnotbotheredifyoufancyJason,butcanwenottalkaboutit?Andifyou
do get together, try and make it an amicable break-up.” He started to eat his stew again
whileBensatandstaredathim,notsurewhethertobeoffendedthatLiamassumedthey’d
splitupiftheyevergottogether.

Butsincethatwasunlikelytoeverhappen,heletitgo.“Deal.”

BenwokeupThursdaymorningtoanemptyflat,likehehadeveryweekdaysofar.

Beingonholidaywasgreat—itwasnicetobepaidnottowork—butsometimeshegota
littlebored.Thiswasn’thowheusuallyspenthisvacationtime.

Even though he was off, everyone else was busy. He’d volunteered at the shelter

yesterdayafternoonandwasn’tduethereagainuntilSaturday,sohehadthedaytofill.

Hecheckedthetimeonhisphone:10.45.Oh,wellmaybenotthewholedaytofill,

especiallysincehewasmeetingLiamatfourtogoChristmasshopping.Ajobwhichboth
ofthemhatedwithapassion.Mightaswellbemiserabletogether.Benhadalreadydone
mostofhisonlineanyway.

Pulling on a hoodie, Ben made his way into the kitchen and flicked the kettle on.

They’dputuptinselaroundtheoldclockonthewallandstucksomehaphazardlyonthe
door in some sort of wreath-like pattern—it’d looked good after a few beers on Friday
night.

Hemadeacupofteaandsometoastandtookthemthroughtothelivingroom.

Passingunderthemistletoemadehimsmile.

Everytimehedidit.

Liamhadgivenupteasinghimashesaiditwasnofunafterthefifthtime.Butthe

moreBenthoughtaboutthatkiss,themorehewonderedifmaybeJasonwasstartingto
seehimdifferently.BecausenotonlyhadhenotpushedBenaway,hehadn’ttoldhimto
neverdoitagaineither.WhichasfarasBenwasconcerned,wasabigthing.

OrmaybeitmeantBenjusttookhimbysurprise?

Fuck,hehadnoidea,andhedidn’tgetmanyopportunitiestoseeJason.Afterhistalk

with Liam, he couldn’t really bring it up either. Liam might be all right if anything
happened between Ben and Jason, but that didn’t mean he wanted to play matchmaker.
Bensethisteaonthecoffeetableandsankintothesofatoeathisbreakfast.

ShouldhetryandseeifJasonwasinterested?

He chewed his toast and mulled it over, trying to weigh up the pros and cons of

pursuingJason.Liamhadmoreorlessgivenhisblessing,sortof.AndJasonwasn’tthe
type to hold a grudge, so if by some miracle they did get together but didn’t last, Ben
couldn’tseethingsbeingawkward.Wellnotafterawhileanyway.

AndJasonwasalovelyguy:handsome,funny,andgenuinelynice.Benstruggledto

findadownside.

Evenifheturnedhimdownflat,atleastBenwouldknowhe’dtried,anditwasn’tas

thoughJasonwasn’tawareBenhadhadacrushonhimforever.Maybehe’dthoughtBen
hadgrownoutofitbeforethatkiss,butprobablynotanymore.

Perhapshe’dletthingsplayout,seehowJasonwaswhenhenextsawhim.Noone

had been round to their flat since they’d got everything finished and put the Christmas
decorationsup.HecouldsuggesttheyinvitePeteandJasonfordrinksandtakeout,sortof
alow-keyhousewarming.Admittedlytheyshouldprobablyasktheirparentstoo,butthey
couldhavethemroundforlunchorsomethinganothertime.

Yeah,thatmightwork.

Heglancedaroundthelivingroom,washingthelastbitoftoastdownwithhistea.

Thatbloodytreewashuge,consideringthesizeoftheroom,butevenwiththeirhaphazard
ornamentplacementitlookedgoodinaclumsy,homeysortofway.Bengrinned,afuzzy
feelingsettlinginhisbelly.ThiswasshapinguptobeagreatChristmas.

Thelastfewyearshadsuckedbeingsofarawayfromeveryone.He’dmissedouton

drinksanddinnersintherunuptoChristmasday,butthisyearhe’dbehereforallofit.

Whichremindedhim.

Pickinguphisphone,Benscrolledthroughforhissister’snumber.He’dmeanttoask

hertheotherweek,butforgotwithleavinghisjobandmovinghouse.

Heysis,wantmetopickyouupfromunionthe16th?

Thereplycamebackalmostimmediately,makinghimlaugh.

OMG,wouldyou?Thatwouldbeawesome,I’llprobablybehungoverandthetrain

wouldsucksobad.

Yeah, Ben had been there many a time. A packed, hot train was no fun when you

werefeelingdelicate.Noproblem,justletmeknowwhattime.

ThanksBenxx

That done, he yawned and stretched, bones cracking and making him sigh in

satisfaction.Beingoffworkforanothercoupleofweekswasgoingtobegreat.Nottaking
muchholidayoverthesummerhadworkedoutreallywellintheend.

By the time Ben was due to leave to meet Liam, the sky had gone that ominous

white-greycolour.Hefrownedashelookedoutthewindow.Theweatherforecasthadn’t
predicted snow, and they rarely saw any snow down here, not more than a short flurry

anyway.NotlikeupinNottinghamwhereBenhadhadhisfairshareofdrunkensnowball
fightsatuni.

Zippinguphiscoat,hegrabbedhiswalletandkeysandlefttheflat.

The odd flake started to hit his windscreen as he drove into town, coming down a

littlefasterandthickerasheapproachedoneofthemaincarparks.Thelastfewdayshad
beendry,andthesnowstuckwhereitfell,coatingparkedcarsandunusedpavementsina
thin,whiteveil.Asniceasitlookedonthetreesandgrass,Liamhadn’tseenanygritters
outontheroads,andhewasn’tkeenondrivingonthemafterafewhoursofthis,ifitkept
up.

Haton,gloveson,Benwalkedthroughthecarparkandupthestepstothelevelthat

connectedtotheshops.Thewindwhippedthroughashewalked—onesidewasopento
theelements—andheshovedhishandsinhispockets.Thewalkwaybroughthimtothe
topflooroftheshoppingcentre,andhe’darrangedtomeetLiamonthegroundnearthe
fountain.

Aquickcheckofthetimetoldhimhehadabouttenminutes,sohetookaleisurely

walk down the steps instead of using the escalators. He had a great view of the huge
Christmas tree as he strolled down. The decorations were up in force, and even without
beinglituptheylookedimpressive.Whenhereachedthefountain,Liamsatwaitingfor
him,atakeawaycupofcoffeewarminghishands.

Benpointedatitashedrewnearenoughtospeak.“Youcouldhave—”Hegrinnedas

Liampluckedanothercupfrombesidehimandhandeditover.

“There.You’venofuckingpatience,haveyou?”

For some reason, Ben thought of all the years he’d been pining after Jason and

shrugged. “I’ve got the patience of a saint, so piss off.” He took a grateful swallow and
sighedasthehotcoffeewarmedhiminside.“Andthanks.It’ssobloodycoldtoday.Why
thehellareyousatoutsidewhenit’ssnowing?”

Ithadeasedoffabit,butflakesstilllandedonBen’seyelashes.

“It’s just a bit of snow, which we hardly ever get down here. I wanted to make the

most of it since it’ll probably be gone in an hour or so.” Liam stood and brushed snow
from his trousers and his coat. “But my arse has gone numb, so let’s go walk for a bit.
There’sthisnewshoproundthecornerIwantedtohaveaquicklookin.”

They walked and drank coffee, and Ben considered the best way to bring up his

dinneranddrinksidea.“Youknow,noneofourfamilyhaveseentheflatsincewedidit
allup.”

Liamglancedathimoverhiscoffee.“And?”

“Well,Ithoughtwecouldinvitethemround.”

“When you say them, do you mean someone other than my brother?” Liam was

smirkingashedrank,andBenstrugglednottoblush.

OfcourseLiamhadseenstraightthroughhim.

“Imeantwecouldaskourparentsroundforlunch,mymumwillprobablybringan

applepieorsomething.”

“Alwayswelcome.”

“And maybe we could invite your brothers over for a takeaway tomorrow night or

onenightnextweek?”Hetookahastysipofhiscoffee,waitingforLiam’sresponse.

Tohissurprise,Liamhmmdandsaid,“That’sagreatidea.WecouldaskHelentoo.

Petesaysshekeepsaskingwhatourplaceislike.AndIwanttoshowoffthattreenow
we’vedecorateditinsuchspectacularfashion.”HenudgedBen’sshoulder.“Toldyouit
wasn’ttoobigforourflat.Whatdoyouknow,eh?”

Laughing,Benshookhishead,“Yeah,whatdoIknow?”

That had gone so much easier than Ben had expected, they could sort out specifics

later.AtleastLiamwasonboard.Benrelaxed,notevenmindingtheywereoutshopping
inthesnow.

Twoandahalfhourslater,theyweredone.

Ben had bought the last of his presents, and Liam had decided he’d had enough of

beingfreezingcoldthenroastinghotastheywentinandoutofshops.EvenastopatKFC
hadn’tcheeredhimupmuch.

“God, you’re such a miserable fucker today.” Ben grinned to show he was half-

kidding.

“IhateChristmasshopping.”Hewavedahandatthecrowdsaroundthem.“It’stoo

fuckingbusy.”

Benlaughed.“Itwasyoursuggestion.”

“Iknow,becauseIwanttogetitalloutoftheway.It’llonlygetbusierthecloserto

Christmasweget,andIcan’tfacethat.”

“Goodpoint.”Benglancedup—snowstillfellsteadily,nowilluminatedagainstthe

dark sky by the many lights adorning shops and lampposts. He blinked some out of his
eyesandturnedtoLiam.Atleastthey’dspottedacoupleofgrittersoutonthemainroads.
“Youreadytoheadback?Traffic’sgoingtobeshitasitis.”

“Yeah,comeonthen.”Liampointedatasidestreetupontheleft.“Ifwecutthrough

there,wecangettothecarparkwithouthavingtogothroughalltheshopsagain.”

Benhadavagueideaofwherethatled.“Allright,let’sgo.”

Nowthatthey’ddecidedtoleave,theywalkedwithpurpose,headsdownagainstthe

snow.

“Itakeitback.”Liampulledupthecollarofhiscoatandmuttered,“I’mallforsnow

atChristmas,butitcouldhavewaitedacoupleofweeks.”

“Yep.”Benwincedaswetseepedthroughtheendsofhistrainers.Picturesqueornot,

hecouldhappilydowithoutanysnowatall.

Much to his relief, it started to ease off and Ben relaxed, walking a little straighter

nowhedidn’thavesnowflakeslandingonhislashes.Theywalkedalongsideaparkthat

Bendidn’trememberseeingbefore,andhenudgedLiam’sshoulder.“Areyousurewe’re
goingtherightway?Idon’trememberthisplace.”

“Yes, I’m sure. They built it about three years ago. I’ve been inside once. It’s all

right;biggerthanyou’dthink.”

Benglancedoveragain,tryingtoseehowfarbacktheparkwent.Couldn’tbetoobig

beinginthemiddleofthecitycentre,buthehadtoadmititdidlooklargerthanhe’dfirst
thought,evenintheneardark.Itwasvirtuallyempty,thewhiteblanketcoveringthegrass
andtreesmakingitlookprettylikeaChristmascard.

“Whatd’youfancyfortea—”

Loud barking sounded from the park, and they both glanced over to see a border

colliebarrellingtowardsthem,chasingastreakofblackthroughtheoncepristinesnow.
Theparkwasfencedinwithrailings,andthedogandwhateveritwasafterwereheaded
straightforthem.

Ben watched, transfixed, as the streak of black—which turned out to be a cat—

skiddedtoahaltandslitheredthroughthegapintherailings.Thedog,stillinhotpursuit,
chasedafteritbarkingwildly,theshoutsofitsownergettinglouderinthebackground.

When the dog reached the railings he jumped up, paws resting on the top. For a

second Ben thought it was going to leap right over them, and obviously the cat did too,
becauseitstartledanddartedforwardstraightintotheroad.

The screech of tyres sounded deafening in the otherwise quiet street, and both Ben

andLiamgasped.

“Oh,fuck.”Benstartedofftowardsthecaratajog,Liamhotonhisheels.Helooked

overhisshouldertoseethedogbeingquicklyledawaybyitsowner.Arsehole.

“Diditgethit?”Liamwhispered.

Benshookhishead.“Idon’tknow.”Headlightslituptheroaddirectlyinfrontofthe

car,buttheroadwasempty.

The car door flung open and Ben grimaced as a young woman got out, clearly

heavilypregnant.SheglancedoverandsawBenandLiamheadedtowardsher.“Didyou
seewhereitwent?”Shesniffled,andtheclosertheygot,Bensawhereyeswerewetand
tears streaked down her face. “He just shot out in front of my car. I didn’t mean to hit
him.”

God,Benwasnotequippedtodealwithdistraughtpregnantwomen.

Thank fuck for Liam. He walked up to her, but kept a reasonable distance between

them.“Isaw.Thedogscaredhim,therewasnothingyoucould’vedone.Areyouokay?”
Heglancedatherbelly.

“Yes,I’mfine,Ijust….”Shegesturedtothefrontofthecar.“CouldyouseeifIhit

him?ImeanIfeltsomething,but—”ShesniffedloudlyandBensteppedforward.

“Whydon’tyousitbackinyourcar,andmeandLiam’llhavealookaroundforthe

cat.”

Shelookedbetweenthem,andnodded.“Thankyou.”

She’dstoppedunderoneofthestreetlights,sotheimmediateareaaroundhercarwas

fairlywelllit.Bendidn’tknowwhetherthatwasagoodthingornot;itdependedonwhat
they might find. He and Liam took opposite sides of the car, and when he heard Liam’s
soft,“Ohno,”hisstomachsank.

HurryingaroundtowhereLiamcrouchedinthemiddleoftheroad,hereallyhoped

thiswasn’tgoingtoendbadly.Theroadwasstillemptyapartfromthem,thankGod,but
Liamcouldn’tstaycrouchedthereforlong.“Isit…?”

“No.”Liamlookeduphimandgrimaced.“Butit’snotgood.Weneedtogetittoa

vet.” A soft, pitiful meow underlined Liam’s words, and fuck if that wasn’t an awful
sound.

“And you need to get out of the road.” Ben stripped off his coat without really

thinking about it. “Here, wrap him in this.” He handed it to Liam, and peered over his
shoulderashecarefullymanoeuvredthelittleblackcatintoBen’scoat.Moremeowsand
ahissmethisefforts,andBencouldonlyimaginehowmuchpainthepoorthingmustbe
in.

Liamsighedashelookeddownathim.“Sorry,mate.Iknowthisisgoingtohurt.”

He gently scooped up the cat and coat, and Ben bit his lip as he watched, heart in his
throat.“What’rewegoingtodowithhim?”

“TakehimtoJason.Wecancallhimonthewaytothecar,comeon.”

The woman stopped them as they rounded the front of her car. “Is he okay?” She

wenttopeerinsidethecoat,butLiamturnedsoshecouldn’tsee.

Ben stepped in front of him to hide the cat even more. She didn’t need to see that.

“He’sabitbangedup,sowe’regoingtotakehimtothevettogetsortedout.”

Herhandflewtohermouth.“OhGod,thepoorthing.Ican’tletyoudothat.Iwas

theonewhohithim.”Sheglancedbackathercar,andonlythendidBennoticethechild
seatintheback.

“It’sokay,really.”HepointedatLiam.“Hisbrother’savet,sowe’regoingtotake

himthere.”

Shehesitatedforasecond,thenhershouldersrelaxed.“Thankyousomuch,ifyou’re

sure.”

“Weare.”

Thenshereachedintohercarandfetchedherphone.“Whichvets?I’dliketoknow

whathappenstohim.”

LiamrattledoffthenameofJason’spractice,andshenotedthedetailsonherphone.

“Weshouldgetgoing.”

“Yes,ofcourse.Thankyousomuchfordoingthis.”

“Noproblem.”WithasmileandanodatBentostartmoving,Liamsetofftowards

thecarpark.

The bundle in his arms had gone suspiciously quiet, and Ben was almost afraid to

ask.“Isitstillalive?”

“Yeah,butinshockIthink.CanyouringJasonandlethimknowwe’recoming?My

phone’sinmybackpocket.”

Ben pulled out Liam’s phone and scrolled through to Jason’s number. “It’s gone

straighttovoicemail.”

“Shit.He’sprobablyinwithapatient.Callreception,it’sunderJasonwork.”

Trying again, Ben sighed in relief when it rang once and then was answered. He

quicklyexplainedthesituation,andwasassuredthattheywereokaytobringthecatinas
quicklyaswassafetodoso.Jasonwouldbewaitingforthem.Hehungupastheyreached
thecarpark.

AfterlettingLiamintohiscar,Benranovertotheticketmachinetopay.ThankGod

therewasn’taqueue,buthestillmanagedtodrophischangeinhishastetogetitintothe
slot. “Fuck.” Grabbing the money off the floor, he tried to calm down; less haste more
speedandallthat.Thestampedticketpoppedout,andhepluckeditfromthemachineand
hurriedbacktohiscar.

Fingerscrossedthetrafficwasn’tasshitashewasexpecting.

Thecatstayedsilentastheywoundtheirwaythroughthecityandheadedouttothe

suburbs.Bysomemiracletheroadswereclearerthanhe’deverseenthematthistimeof
nightandtheymadeitoutontotheringroadinrecordtime.Thecatmoanedeverynow
and again, and it took a lot of effort for Ben not to ram his foot down and speed. But a
layerofsnowstillcoveredtheroadsurfaceandhedidn’tneedtogettheminanaccident
ontopofthis.

It seemed like an age later, but was only about fifteen minutes, when they were

pullingupinthevets’carpark.Benjumpedoutandrushedroundtothepassengersideto
openthedoorforLiam.“How’shedoing?”

Liamblewoutabreath.“Wellhe’sstillmeowing,sothat’sagoodsign,right?”

“Ihopeso.”

ThewaitingroomwasemptyexceptforamanandhisLabradorpuppy.Thepuppy

perkedupastheyentered,tailswishingbackandforth,butthereceptionisttookonelook
atthemandusheredthemstraightthroughtotheback.

“Jason’swaitingforyouinthere.”Shepointedthemtotheoperatingroom.

“ThanksJenny.”Liamofferedheragrimsmile.

Benwentfirst,andheldthedoorforLiam.

Jason hurried over to them, concern etched into his features as he inspected the

bundleinLiam’sarms.Ben’sheartstutteredlikeitalwaysdidwhenhesawJason,even
moresoafterthatkiss.ThecatmadeanotherpitifulmoanwhenJasontoucheditandBen
washitbyarushofguilt.He’dwantedsobadlytoseeJasonagain,butnotlikethis.

“Bringhimovertothetable.”JasondirectedLiamovertowherehewantedhim,and

Liamcarefullylaidthecoatandcatonthetable.

Benbithislip.“Howbadisit?Canyousavehim?”

Jasonwasalreadyfocusingonthecat.Heglancedup,catchingBen’seye.“Ihopeso.

Notsureaboutthatbacklegthough.I’llletyouguysknowassoonashe’soutofsurgery.”

Theveterinarynursewasalreadyguidingthemoutthedoor.“Thanks,”Benreplied,

thenheandLiamwereoutsideinthehall.

“Fuckinghell.”Liamranahandthroughhishairandsighed.

“Yep.” Ben didn’t know what to do with himself now. Adrenaline coursed through

his veins still, but the drama was over and all they could do now was wait. He hated
waiting.“Howlongdoyoureckonthat’lltake?”Henoddedatthecloseddoor.

“Noidea.”Liam sighedagain,then startedwalkingback towardsreception. “Jenny

mightknowthough.”

Benfollowedhimtothefrontdeskandwaitedtooneside,whileLiamleantonthe

counterandspoketoJenny.

Thewaitingroomwasnowempty;themanwiththepuppyeitherbeingseenorhad

alreadyleft.Benwalkedovertotheseatsonthefarsideandsatdown.Herestedhishead
againstthewallandclosedhiseyes,feelingtiredsuddenly.

The Christmas lights in the vets danced behind his eyelids and for a minute Ben

imaginedtheywerebackhomeintheirflat.Anudgetohisshoehadhimlookingupinto
Liam’sface.“Whatdidshesay?”

Liamsatdownintheseatnexttohim.“Well,shesaidshecouldn’tsayforsure,but

thesethingstendtotakeafewhours,sowecouldbeinforalongwait.Shesuggestedwe
gohomeandwaitforJasontocallwhenhe’sdone.”

Neitherofthemmadeamovetoleave.

They’dbroughthim—orher,possibly—in,anditseemedwrongtojustabandonhim.

Buthewasn’ttheircat.

BenturnedhisheadtofaceLiam.“Whatabouttheowners?”

“Ifhe’schipped,thenitshouldbeeasytotracethem.Hewasn’twearingacollar,so

ifhe’snotchipped….”

Hedidn’tneedtofinishthatsentence.

“Whopaysforthetreatment?”Benmightnothaveanypets,butevenheknewhow

expensivetreatmentlikethiswas.Vet’sbillscouldrunintothethousands,andthatwasn’t
abillanyonewantedjustbeforeChristmas.“Notthewomanwhoranhimover?”

Liam shook his head. “No. We don’t have any details for her anyway. I think the

practicewillcontacttheRSPCAandthey’lltryandworkoutsomesortofagreement.We
canaskLucyonSaturday,becauseifnooneclaimshimthenthat’swherehe’llprobably
endup.”

“LikeTom.”

Liamsighed,andheleanedintoBenabit.“Yep,justlikeTom.”

Well,thatsucked.

Onecatgetsadoptedandanotherimmediatelytakesitsplace.

TheysatthereforabitlongeruntilJennyshoutedovertothem.“Boys,seriously.Go

home. As soon as he’s out of surgery Jason will call you.” She glared at them with that
disapprovingmumlookandBenfelttheurgetodoashewastold.

Grudginglytheybothstoodandsaidtheirgoodnights.

The ride back home was a sombre affair. Ben was glad of the cheery Christmas

decorations lining the main road of their estate. “What do you fancy for tea?” he asked,
tryingtolightenthemoodinthecar.

Liam yawned and then laughed softly. “God, look at the state of us. All choked up

becauseofacat.”

“Itwasprettyshitthough,poorthing.”

“Yeah,Iknow.Ihopehemakesit.”

“Metoo.”

TheDomino’sPizzasigncaughthiseye,andBenpulledintoaparkingspotonthe

road.Hepointedupthestepswithhisthumb.“Fancypizza?Ireallycan’tbearsedtocook
afterallthat.Ineedpizzaandbeer.”

“Soundslikeaplan.”Liamundidhisseatbelt.“Meteorokay?”

“Yeah,thanks.”

Hegotoutandjoggedupthestepstothepizzashop,beforedisappearinginside.Ben

turnedofftheengineandwaited.Itdidn’ttakelongforthecartostarttocoolinside,so
Benreachedinthebackforhiscoat,beforerememberingwhereitwas.

Bollocks.

Ohwell,he’dneededanewoneanyway.

Liam returned about fifteen minutes later, two large boxes in hand. The smell of

cheeseandmeatfilledthecarandBen’smouthwatered.“I’msobloodyhungry.”

“Getthecarstartedthenandlet’sgohome.”

TheywereontotheirthirdepisodeofOutlanderbythetimeLiam’sphonerang.Half

emptypizzaboxesandacoupleofemptybeerbottleslitteredthetable,andLiamhadto
searchforasecondtofindit.

“Hello?”HesatforwardinhisseatandBenimmediatelyknewitwasJasononthe

otherend.“Howdiditgo?Ohhangon,letmeputyouonspeaker.”Settingthephoneon
thetable,hepressedacoupleofbuttonsandJason’stinnyvoicefilledthelivingroom.

“Youready?”

BenshotLiamagratefulsmile.

“Yep,goahead.”

“Okay,he’soutofsurgery.”Soitwasahe.“Andseemstobedoingfine.”

BothBenandLiambreathedasighofrelief.“Whatabouthisleg?”Liamasked.

Jasonletoutadeepbreath,andBenknewwhatwascoming.“Wecouldn’tsaveit.”

“Shit.”Ben’sheartsank.Thepoorlittlething.

“Look.”JasonpausedandBenimaginedhimrunningahandthroughhishair.“This

course of action was far better for him in the long run. He’ll recover much quicker, and
honestly,catsmanagefineonthreelegs.AndIdon’tmeantosoundcallous,buthewasn’t
chipped, so this is also the cheapest option by far. If we find the owner they might not
haveinsurance,andifwecan’tfindthemthenthevetsandtheRSPCAwillhavetofoot
thebill.”

Ben tried not to be pissed off with that. Rationally he knew that what Jason was

sayingwasalltrue.“Sohe’sgoingtobeallrightthen?”

“Yep.He’syoung—onlyaboutayearoldI’dsay—andappearstobeingoodhealth.

Heshouldbeupandmovingaroundbymorning.”

Benperkedupatthat.“Really?”

Softlaughtersoundedontheotherend.“Yes.Animalsareamazinglyresilient.We’ll

keep an eye on him for the next few days, make sure the wound is healing nicely, but I
don’tseeanyreasonwhyheshouldn’tmakeafullrecovery.”

Sitting forward, Ben tapped the edge of the coffee table. “What happens if no one

comesforwardforhim?”

“Thenwe’llhopefullyhandhimovertotheRSPCAshelterforre-homing.”Noisein

thebackgroundsoundedlikesomeoneaskingJasonaquestion,thentheyheardamuffled
response.“Look,Ihavetogo.Ifyouwant,youcanpopinandseehimtomorrow?”

Liam glanced at Ben, eyebrow raised. Ben nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’m at work, but

Benwillcomedowninthe…?”

“Morning,”Benadded.“Aboutten-ish,ifthat’sokay?”

“Yeah,that’sfine.JusttellJennywhyyou’rehere,andshe’llaskoneofthenursesto

takeyoubacktoseehim.”

BenwantedtoaskifJasonwouldbetherebutmanagedtoholdhistongue.“Thanks.”

“You did a good thing bringing him in. I’m sure someone out there is going to be

veryhappyhe’sallright.”

Benhopedso.

Jasonhungupandtheroomfellquiet.Liamun-pausedtheTVandsettledbackon

thesofaagain,themoodalotmorerelaxedthanithadbeenearlier.“Youupforwatching
another?”

“Yep, go for it.” Ben got comfy with one of the cushions shoved behind his head.

Knowingthecatthey’drescuedwasokaymadehimfeelgreat,andthefactthathemight
gettoseeJasontomorrowwasjustabonus.

CHAPTEREIGHT

Jasonclosedthecagedoorandshookhisheadatthenamecardonthefront.Socks.

That was the name the poor cat was stuck with unless someone claimed him and said
otherwise.Thenurseshadobviouslypickeditbecausehewastotallyblackalloverexcept
forfour—well,threenow—whitefeet.

Thecat,Socks,lookedupathimwithadrowsyexpressionandJasoncouldn’thelp

butreachintothecageagainandgivehimagentlestroke.“Youshouldgetsomesleep,”
he whispered. “You’re going to have everyone fussing over you tomorrow.” He was
definitelyacuteone.Ifheendedupattheshelter,Jasonhopedthathimonlyhavingthree
legswouldn’tputpeopleoff.Sockswasyoung,hehadawholelotoflifeinhimyet.

Closingthedoorforgoodthistime,Jasonleftforhome,knackeredafterhisextended

shift.

Hedidn’tbegrudgehavingtoworktheextrahours,helpinganimalswashisjob,but

thedayhadbeenalongone.ThankGodhehadtomorrowafternoonoff.

Daisymethimatthedoorwhenhearrivedhome,excitedtoseehimasalways.Jason

stopped for a minute, crouching down to give her some attention and let her know he’d
missedhertoo.“Youfancyaquickwalk,girl?”Shewaggedhertailandbarked,dancing
aboutonthespot.“Where’sthatlead?”Sheracedofftowardsthebackdoor.

Jason followed her and plucked the lead off its hook. As knackered as he was, the

night was dry and clear, and a walk in the fresh air was always appealing after a day
inside.Heneededtounwindalittle.

They walked down the path. Daisy trotted along sniffing everything in sight, and

Jasonlethismindwanderbacktotheweekend.SpecificallyFridaynight.Beingkissedby
Ben should have been awkward at best; eleven years between them and his younger
brother’sbestmate.JasonhadveryrarelythoughtofBeninthatway,andifhehadithad
been fleeting and probably with a touch of guilt. But the kiss had been anything but
awkwardandhadleftJasonfeelingslightlyoffkilterfortherestoftheweek.

So much so, he’d almost dreaded bumping into Ben again. As it turned out he’d

worried over nothing. The circumstances no doubt had a lot to do with it, but Ben had
beenthesameashealwayswas;therewasnoweirdtensionbetweenthemlikeJasonhad
expected. Maybe the kiss hadn’t meant anything — just Ben getting into the Christmas
spirit.

Jason yawned and rolled his eyes. For fuck’s sake. It was only a kiss under the

mistletoe.Heneededtostopanalysingeverysecondofitandchalkituptooneofthose
things.

Ithadhappened.

Moveon.

Theywalkedforawhilelonger,thenJasonheadedbackhome.Inhisheadhewent

over everything that needed doing at work the next day: getting in early to check on
Socks,andthenhehadacattoneutermid-morning.Allthewhilehisbraintickedthrough
hismentalchecklist,averysmallpartofhimwasstilllostinthatkiss.

Kate,oneofthenurses,greetedJasonashewalkedthroughthedoorintoworkthe

nextmorning.“Ourpatientisupandabout,ifalittlegingerly.”

Jasonsmiled.“That’sgreat.I’llgocheckonhimnow.”Hehunguphisjacketandput

hislunchinthefridge,thenwalkedthroughtowhereSocks’scagewas.

“Well,lookatyou.”

Socksgottohisfeetandslowlymovedtowardsthefrontofthecagetosniffandrub

atJason’sfingers.Carefullyopeningthedoor,Jasonreachedinsidetoticklehimunderthe
chinandstrokehisears.Sockspurredloudly,makingJasonlaugh.“Notfazedatall,are
you?” Socks settled down, and his eyes drifted shut as Jason stroked him. When he fell
asleep,JasonquietlyclosedthedooragainandwentouttofindKate.

“Helooksgood,doesn’the?”sheasked,whenJasonfoundherinthestoreroom.

“Yeah.BetterthanIexpectedconsideringhemightbeastray.”

Kate frowned and leant against the cupboard she was looking in. “He’s so fussy

thoughandlookswellfed.I’mhopingforahappyendingforthisone.”

“Yeah, me too.” But without a chip or a collar, the odds weren’t good. Especially

consideringJason’spracticewasquiteafewmilesawayfromwherehe’dbeenfound.“I
need to go ask Jenny a favour. Keep an eye on Socks and let me know if anything
changes.”

“Of course.” She smiled and turned back to what she’d been doing before Jason

disturbedher.

Jenny had arrived and was taking off her coat as Jason entered the reception area.

“Canyoudomeabigfavour?”

Sheeyedhimcuriously.“Wellthatdependsonwhatitis.”

“YouknowthecatLiambroughtinyesterday?”

“YoumeanSocks?”

“Yeah. I thought it might be worth letting some of the practices in the area

surrounding the accident know that we’ve got him, in case anyone calls up looking for
him.”

Shesmiledandnodded.“Ofcourse.I’lldothatnow.”

The door opened, and Jason glanced up to see Ben walk in, shaking his head and

brushingrainoutofhishair.Hischeekswereflushedpinkfromthecoldandhehadhis
glasseson;dropsofwaterstucktothelenses.

WhenhesawJasonwatchinghim,hesmiled.“Bloodyawfulouttherethismorning.”

Nosignofawkwardnessatall,soithadn’tjustbeendowntocircumstanceyesterday.“I’m
alittleearlierthanIsaid,hopethat’sokay?”

Jasonsmiledback.“Yeah,that’sfine.”

Bentookhisglassesoffandwipedthemonhisjumper.“That’sbetter,Icanseenow.

Should’veputmycontactsin.”

The words tumbled out of their own accord. “Oh I don’t know, I think glasses suit

you.”

Ben’sstartledgazemetJason’s,andafterasecondhissmilewidened,reachingallthe

waytohiseyes.“Thanks.”

When Jenny delicately cleared her throat beside him, Jason jumped. Fuck. He’d

forgotten she was there. Catching her smirk out of the corner of his eye, he stood and
beckonedBentowardshim.“Comeon,I’lltakeyouthroughtoseeSocks.”

“Socks?”Benraisedaneyebrowashewalkedover.“Didyounamehim?”

“Nope.Thenursesalwaysgetthathonourwithstrays,remember?”

Benshouldersslumpedalittle.“Noone’sphonedupabouthimyet,then?”

“No. But Jenny’s going to ring around some of the vets near where you found him

andletthemknowwhereheisincasesomeonecallsuplookingforhim.”

“Ihopetheydo.”

JasonopenedthedoorandhelditopenforBentowalkthrough.“Yeah,metoo,”

HeledBenthroughtowheretheykepttheanimalsinrecovery.Socksperkedupabit

attheirarrival,nosetwitchingasthoughscentingtheair.

Ben hesitated a couple of feet away from the cage, but Jason ushered him forward.

Heputhisfingerstotheholesinthecagedoor,chucklingwhenSocksleanedintosniff
them, then licked the pads. “I had sardines on toast for breakfast. I guess he can smell
them.”

Jasongrimaced.AndwhenSocksnippedtheendofBen’sfingers,said,“That’swhat

yougetforeatingcatfood.”

“Theyweredelicious,youdon’tknowwhatyou’remissing.”Benpushedhisfingers

alittlefartherin,ticklingSocks’searswhenhe’dgotboredoflickingBen’sfingers.“He
looks so alert, considering. To look at him, you wouldn’t believe he got run over
yesterday.” Loud purrs filled the cage, and Ben grinned at him before meeting Jason’s
gaze,hisexpressionsuddenlyserious.“Thankyouforsavinghim.Ireallythoughthewas
goingtodiewhenwehadhiminthecar.”

HissinceritytookJasonbysurprise,andheswallowedthickly.“It’smyjobtosave

them.”

“I know that.” Ben focused his attention back on Socks. “But that doesn’t mean I

can’tthankyoufordoingit.”

WarmthfilledJason’schest,andwithoutthinkingheedgedalittleclosertothecage

untilheandBenwerealmosttouching.“Igetatremendousamountofsatisfactionwhen
thisistheoutcome.”HegesturedtothealmostsmileonSocks’sface.“AndlikeItoldyou
guys yesterday, it might seem harsh to remove his leg, but it was so badly damaged the
rehabilitation would have been lengthy, painful and expensive. This is by far the best
option.”Asiftoprovehispoint,Socksstoodupandwalk-hoppedtothefrontofthecage.
“See?”

“Yeah,okay.”Benlaughedalittle.“Pointtaken.”

“Look, I have to get ready for surgery soon, but you can stay a little longer if you

want?”

Ben sighed, and gave Socks one more tickle under the chin before stepping away

from the cage. “I can’t. I promised Dad I’d help him move some stuff in the garage.”
Jasonfeltatwingeofdisappointment,whichwasridiculous—he’dbebusywithpatients
anyway.

AndBenwasafriend.

Hisbrother’sbestfriend.

Nothingmore.

“But I might come back tomorrow to check on him.” Ben shot a wary glance at

Jason.“Imean,ifthat’sokay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m sure he’ll appreciate the attention.” Although from the way

everyone cooed over him—Jason included—he wasn’t going to be lacking for visitors.
“We’ll have to send him to the animal hospital over the weekend, so if you want to see
him,bettertocomebeforeweclosetomorrowlunchtime.”

“Oh,okay.”Benseemedalittleputout,soJasonexplained.

“It’swhatwedowithallin-patients.Eitherofferfortheirownerstohavethemback,

withtheoptiontocalltheemergencyvetsifanythingshouldhappen,orhavethehospital
monitorthem.”

Ben’s head snapped up, and Jason knew what he was thinking, so his next words

cameasnosurprise.“Maybewecould—”

“No.” Jason shook his head. “You’re not the owners. He’ll be fine at the hospital.

They’ll take good care of him, and bring him back here Monday morning, then we can
discusshandovertoLucy’sshelter,hopefully.”

Bendidn’tlookimpressed,buthedidn’tmakefurthercomment.“Right,Ibetterget

off and leave you to your work.” His gaze dropped to Jason’s mouth, and for a split
second,JasonthoughtBenwasabouttoleaninandkisshim.Butthenheseemedtocatch
himself,andsmiled.“ByeJason.”

“Bye.”Jasonwatchedhimgo,disappointmentcurlinginhisgutagain,becausefuck

he’dwantedBentokisshim.

Friend,hewhisperedtohimself.

Friend.Friend.Friend.

He went home, took Daisy on a long walk down by the river, and had to bath her

aftershe’dgotasfilthyasshepossiblycould.Thenhespentthenighttryingnottofeel
guilty about sending Socks off to the emergency cover vets, and not think about Ben in
anycapacity.

Hefailedonbothcounts.

TheSocksthingbaffledhim.He’dtreatedplentyofcuteanimals,somehelikedmore

thanothers,butforsomereasonSockshadgotunderhisskin—alotlikeTomhad.Maybe
itwasbecausetheywerestrays,orapossiblestrayinSocks’scase.Thethoughtthatthey
were unwanted, unloved, tugged at his heart more. But it wasn’t the first case like this
he’d treated and it wouldn’t be the last. He needed to get a grip. Socks required
supervisionincaseanyinfectiondeveloped,andJasonwasn’treadytohandhimoverto
theshelteryet.

It’d been a relief when the RSPCA agreed to take him. Three-legged cats weren’t

alwayseasytore-homeandunfortunatelythesheltercouldonlyaffordtotaketraumacats
thathadagoodchanceofbeingadopted.Sockshadyouthandhealthinhisfavour,andof
coursetherewasstillthepossibilitysomeonemightclaimhim.

Asforhisotherproblem,Jasonfounditincreasinglydifficultnottoimaginekissing

Ben again, but actually taking a more active role this time. It felt like he’d wasted an
opportunity,butforfuck’ssake,atthetimehehadn’trealiseditwassomethinghewanted.
Notthisbadlyanyway.

It wasn’t until he got up Saturday morning that he realised he hadn’t told Ben he

wouldn’tbeatthevetstoday.Notthatitmattered,he’dbecomingtoseethecat,nothim.
Butstill….

Whenhearrivedatworkjustaftereleven,withDaisyintow,Jennywassatbehind

thefrontdesk.Sheraisedhereyebrowsathim.“Whatareyoudoinghere?”

He shrugged. “Thought I’d make sure Socks was okay before he went off for the

weekend.”DaisymadeabeelineforJenny,andJasonletherleadhimaroundthebackof
thecountersoJennycouldgreether.

“Of course.” Jenny glanced up at him while she stroked Daisy. “By the way, your

brotherandhisfriendarebackwithKate,visitingSocks.I’msurethatcomesasagreat
surprise.”

Jasonignoredherknowinglook.“IsitallrightifIleaveDaisywithyouforabit?”

Shesmirked,buttookDaisy’sleadwhenheofferedither.“Ofcourse.”

“Thanks.”

HeheardLiam’svoiceasheroundedthecorner.

“Wow, I can’t believe he looks so good. I thought he’d be all… I don’t know. But

he’sjustlostaleg,you’dthinkhe’dstillberecoveringmore.”

Jason reached them and put his hand on Liam’s shoulder making him jump. “He is

stillrecovering,that’swhyhe’sbeingmonitoredbythevetsovertheweekendandnotthe
shelter.Andhemightneedalittletimetogetusedtobalancingproperly,butI’mreally
happywithhisprogresssofar.”HesparedBenaquickglance,heartstutteringwhenBen
smiledathim.

“Stillnonewsonhisowners?”BengaveJasonhisundividedattentionforasecond.

Jasonsighed.“No,Idon’tthinkso.”Jennywouldhavelethimknowassoonashe

walkedin.“Butit’searlydays.Theymightgiveitacoupleofdaysbeforestartingtoget
worried.”

While he was there, Jason had a quick check of Socks’s stitches to make sure he

hadn’t irritated them. They looked good still, no signs of infection. Stroking his fingers
downSocks’sback,Jasonwhispered,“Keepawayfromthese,buddy,orit’llbethecone
ofshameforyou.”

Benlaughedfrombehindhim.“Doyoutalktoallyourpatients?”

“Yep.”Jasonlockedthecagebackupandsteppedback,justasKateappeared.

ShegesturedtoSocks.“Theguysareheretotakehim.”

“Okay.Hashebeeneatingokaythismorning?Drinking?”

“Yep, all fine. And he’s had all his medication, so he’s good to go.” She smiled at

BenandLiam.“Ineedtotakehim,ifyou’refinished?”

They both nodded and moved out of the way, letting Kate do what she needed to.

Jason nodded his head in the direction of the waiting room. “Come on, then. I’ve got
someoneelsewho’llbepleasedtoseeyou.”HeledthemouttowhereDaisysatatJenny’s
feet.

She immediately jumped up when she saw Jason, tail swishing madly across the

floor.Benbentdowntostrokeher,andcaughtLiamshakinghisheadathim.

HecrouchednexttoBen.“AsmuchasI’dloveone,wecan’thavepetsinthatflat,

youknow.”

Ben met Liam’s gaze. “I know that. That’s why I’m making the most of other

people’s.”

“Have you two been at the shelter this morning?” Jason asked, wanting to prolong

theirtimetogether.Hehadnoplansfortherestofthedayandfoundhimselfwantingabit
ofcompany.

“Yeah,” Ben said, laughing while he tried to avoid Daisy’s kisses. “We helped

exercise some of the dogs this time. I really like it there. Hopefully I can keep
volunteeringonaSaturdaywhenIstartmynewjob.”

“I’msureLucywillappreciatethat.”

AfterpettingDaisysomemore,theystoodandLiamelbowedBenintheribs.“Let’s

gogetsomethingtoeat,I’mfuckingstarved.Asusual.”HeturnedtoJason,“Youfancy
joiningus?”

“Iwould,butI’vegotDaisy.”

Benlookedoutthefrontwindowsforasecond,thensaid,“It’saniceday.Wecould

alwaysgetSubwayandeatitinthepark.”

“It’sfreezing,”Liamprotested,eyeingBenlikehewascrazy.

“Don’tbesuchawuss.You’vegotyourcoatinthecar.Abitoffreshairwilldoyou

good.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Mum, but I had all the fresh air I wanted this

morning.”

Watching them bicker like this took Jason back to when they were teenagers. Not

howhewantedtothinkofthemanymore.EspeciallynotBen,anyway.

“Look,it’sfine,”heinterjected,causingthembothtofacehim.“Icangetsomelunch

athome.”

Liamnarrowedhiseyes.“You’renotworkingthen?”

“No.”

Bennudgedhim.“Katetoldusthatearlier.”

“Iknow,butwhyelsewouldhecomeintoworkonhisdayoff?”LiammetJason’s

gaze,eyebrowsraised.

Jasonpointedbackthroughthedoorthey’djustcome.“IwantedtocheckonSocks

beforetheytookhim.”

Liamstilllookedlikehehadsomethingtosayonthematter,butinsteadheasked,“If

you’renotworking,wemightaswellgrablunchandthengobacktoourflat.Daisycan
comeinsideforabit.”

“Um….”CommonsensetoldJasonheshouldprobablysayno.Butwhenheglanced

at Ben, he got a small smile in return and he was nodding and saying yes before he
realised.

“Great.”Benwhippedouthisphone.“Tellmewhatyoubothwant,andI’llnipand

getit.We’llmeetyoubackattheflat,Jase.”

“Okay.”HeledDaisyoutsidetohiscar,offeringawaveasBenandLiamwalkedin

the opposite direction. Subway was about a three-minute walk away, but by the time
they’d ordered and paid, Jason would easily beat them back to their flat. He decided to
takeDaisyforaquickrunaroundtheparkfirst.Hopefullyitwouldtideheroveruntilthey
gotbackhome.

When he pulled up outside Liam’s flat, his brother had already texted him to ask

wherehewas.Jasonrepliedassoonasheturnedtheengineoff,smilingasthefrontdoor
openedacoupleofminuteslater.

ButitwasBenwhocameout,notLiam.“Whatkeptyou?”

Daisy barked excitedly, and Jason grinned. “She did. I took her for a quick stroll

aroundthepark.ThoughtI’dbetterbeforebringingherinyourflat.”

“Probablywise.Liamwouldfreakifsheweedonhiscarpet.”

“Icanimagine.”Notthatshewouldeverdothat,butitwouldbenicetositdownand

enjoyhislunchwithouthavingtogetuphalfwaythroughandtakeheroutside.

“Comeonthen,weneedtoeatwhilethey’restillwarm.”Bensetoffatajogupthe

pathtothebuildingandopenedthemaindoor.Jasonhurriedtokeepupwithhim.

Hepausedashegottothefrontdooroftheirflatandlaughed.

“What?”Jasonfrowned,notknowingwhatwasfunny.

“Theydecoratedthehall.”

“SoIsee.”Redtinseldrapedalongthewalls,withfairylightsacrosstheceilingand

eachdoorhadasmallwreathonit.“Butwhat’sthatgotodowith—”

“Liam’saddedtoit.”

Jason looked around the hall again, trying to see if he’d missed anything, and sure

enough….Helaughedtoo.“Ofcoursehedid.”Aboveeachdoorinthehallway,stuckto
thetopofthedoorframe,wasaplasticsprigofmistletoe.WellJasonassumedtheywere
plastic.Hardtotellinthislight.HelookeduptofindBenhadsteppedcloserthanbefore,
noglassesthistime,buthisblueeyeswerenolessstriking.Jasonlickedhislips,knowing
whatwascoming,andnervousanticipationflowedthroughhim.

HeshouldstopBen.

Once,theycouldwriteoffasabitofharmlessfun,buttwice?AndJasonwantedit,

wantedmorethanapressoflipsthistime.“Ben,I—”

The door swung open and Liam stood there, frowning, with his hands on his hips.

“Forfuck’ssakegetinhere,youknowSubwaytastesshitifitgetscold.”Heturnedand
marcheddownthehall,leavingJasonstaringafterhim.

Right, lunch. He walked in after Liam, but not before catching Ben’s muttered, “I

guessthat’sthat,then.”

Anditshouldbe.

But Jason couldn’t help himself. He glanced back over his shoulder to find Ben

watchinghim.Theireyesmet,andBen’sheatedgazefeltlikeajoltofelectricity.There
wasnomistakingthatlook.

In the next room was the reason why they shouldn’t do this though, and with great

reluctance,JasonturnedaroundandheadedintothekitchenwhereLiamwaitedforthem.

After their almost kiss, Jason didn’t see Ben for the rest of the weekend. He went

back into work on Monday morning and was pleased to see that Socks was doing great

whenhegotdroppedoffatthepractice.Hiswoundwashealingnicely,andbyWednesday
hewasreadytobetransferredovertoLucy’sshelter.

Jasonmadethejourneyhimself,wantingtohandoverproperlyandmakesureSocks

settledinokay.

Lucywaswaitingforhimwhenhegotthere,andshewalkedhimdowntotheempty

cagereadyforSocks.“Pophiminthere.”

Opening the top of his carrier, Jason reached in and picked him up. As usual, the

minutehewasinJason’sarms,thepurringstarted,andSocksclosedhiseyes,rubbinghis
headagainstJason’schin.Jasonhadprobablypickedhimupalotoverthepastfewdays,
butSockswassoaffectionateandhehatedtothinkofhimaloneinhiscageallnight,so
every morning he’d started his day with a cuddle—much to the amusement of Kate and
Jenny.

“Youknow,”Lucystarted,whenJasonstillhadn’tputhiminthecageandSockswas

almostasleepinhisarms,“I’msureyou’dpassthehomecheckwithflyingcolours.”

Jason’sheadsnappedup.“What?”

“Ifyouwanttotakehimhome,youcan.”

He shook his head, but his hold on Socks tightened a little. “I can’t. I’m not sure

Daisywouldcopewithacat,andbesides,theownersmightstillshowup.”

“Theymight,”Lucyconceded.“Andtheymightnot.YouknowaswellasIdothata

tripod cat will be harder to re-home. Not impossible,” she added when Jason started to
protest.“Andheisacutelittlething.Butit’llbeharderthanifhewaswhole.Asshittyas
thatis,it’sthetruth.Sojustthinkaboutit,that’sallI’msaying.”

Jasongrunted,noncommittal.

HeheldontoSocksforafewminutesmore,slowlyticklingthatspotunderhischin

thatmadebothofthemsmile.Thenwithadeepbreathhegentlylaidhimontheblanketin
the cage. It was stupid to get attached, he knew that, but sometimes he couldn’t help it.
WithonelaststrokeoverSocks’ssleekblackfur,Jasonsteppedbackandclosedthefront
ofthecage.

Lucyputherhandonhisarm.“We’lltakegoodcareofhim,Ipromise.”

“Iknowyouwill.”

Theybothignoredthewayhisvoicecameoutalittlerougherthannormal.

Astheywalkedawayfromthecage,sheglancedoverathim.“Iknowwedealwith

animals all day long, and want the best for every one of them. We can’t take them all
home,buteverynowandagainoneofthemisspecial.”Shedidn’tsayanythingelse,and
neitherdidJason,buthethoughtaboutitallthewaybacktothevets.

The week passed slower than usual, and more often than not, Jason found himself

thinkingabouteitherBenorSocks.Sometimesboth.Noonehadcalledaboutalostcat,

and by the end of the week Jason had just about given up hope when Jenny answered a
callandbeckonedhimover.

She put her hand over the receiver and whispered. “It’s a lady calling up about a

missingblackcatwithfourwhitefeet.”

“I’lltakeit.”

Jennyinformedthecallershewasbeingtransferredtothevetandhandedthephone

over.

“Good afternoon, this is Jason Armitage, I understand you’re enquiring about a

missingcat?”

“Yes,mySootywentmissinglastweekandwhenIcalledthelocalvethegaveme

yournumber.”

Jasonaskedforadescriptionofthecatandtheroughareaofwhereshe’dlosthim;

bothmatchedSocks.Hethoughthe’dberelievedwhenhisownerswerefound,butallhe
felt was… well he wasn’t exactly sure. “I’m almost certain we treated your cat last
Thursdayfortraumacausedbyacaraccident.”Thesharpintakeofbreathontheotherend
hadhimquicklyadding,“He’sokaynow.Wehadtoamputateoneofhisbacklegs,butI
expect him to make a full recovery. He’s been transferred to the local RSPCA animal
shelter,butIcangiveyoutheaddressandyoucangoseeifhe’syourcat.”

Silencegreetedhim,andforaminuteJasonthoughtthecallhadbeendisconnected.

Butthenadeepsighfollowedaquietsniffling.“Thepoorthing.”Shesighedagain,and
Jasonbegantothinkthiswasn’tgoingtoendwell.Shewasn’texactlyoverjoyedtohear
they’dfoundhim.Morelikeshewasresigned.

Still,hegaveitashot.“Wouldyoulikethenameandaddressoftheshelter?”

“Thethingis,that’swherewewereplanningontakinghimanyway.TotheRSPCA

or something like that. He was my sister’s cat, but she moved last month and I said I’d
havehim,butit’snotworkingout.AndIcan’taffordthevetsbills,so,Ithinkit’sbestall
roundifhejuststaysthere.”Shepaused,andthenadded.“Idon’tthinkhe’smycatafter
all.”

People never seemed to consider how much animals could cost. Jason pinched the

bridgeofhisnoseandtriednottoreact.Itwasn’thisplacetojudge;hehadnoideawhat
her circumstances were, but… he hated it when people treated animals like something
theycouldthrowawaywhentheydidn’twantthemanymore.Insteadhesighedandsaid,
“Wouldyoulikemetoinformtheshelterthathecanbeputupforadoption?”

“Wellhe’snotmycatso….”

“I’llletthemknow.”

Shehungup,andJasonstoodholdingthephone.

Fuck.Iguessthat’sthat.

Jennytouchedhisarmandmouthed,“Everythingokay?”

Snapping out of his daze, Jason handed her the phone back. “She says it’s not her

cat.”

“Butitsoundedlike—”

“When I mentioned vet’s bills and the leg amputation, it wasn’t her cat anymore.”

Thatwasn’texactlytrue,andJasonleantagainstthecounter,anothersighescapinghim.
“Sorry,that’sprobablyunfair,buttheendresultisshe’squitehappyforSocks”—noway
washecallinghimSooty—“tobeputupforadoption.”

Jennyfrowned.“Oh,that’s….”

“Itiswhatitis.I’llletLucyknow.”

HeshouldprobablyletBenandLiamknowtoo.Insteadofreachingforhisphone,he

decidedtodropinonhiswayhome.Hehadn’tseenLiamsincelastSaturday,it’dbegood
tocatchup.Ithadabsolutelynothingtodowithhisflatmate.

Nothing.

Jason parked his car on the street outside Liam’s flat and walked up to the front

entranceofthebuilding.Liamhadgivenhimasetofkeyslastweek—forjustincase—
and told him to use the key for the entrance so he and Ben wouldn’t have to let him in
wheneverhevisited.Jasongotthemoutnowandlethimselfin,butheknockedwhenhe
gottotheirfrontdoor.

Nooneanswered,soJasonknockedagain,thencheckedthetimeonhisphone:seven

fifteen, on a Friday night, this close to Christmas. They were twenty-four years old, of
coursetheyweregoingtobeout.Hecursedhimselffornotcallingfirstandhadturnedto
leavewhenthedooropened.

“Sorry, I was in the shower.” Ben stood there, towel wrapped low around his waist

andwaterdrippingfromhishair,downoverhisshouldersandchest.

Jasonswallowedthickly,unabletodoanythingbutdrinkinthesightbeforehim.

Ohfuck.

CHAPTERNINE

Ben stood in the doorway, a shiver of excitement running through him as Jason’s

gazetravelledthelengthofhisbody.Thatwasn’tthewayyoulookedatafriend—unless
itwasoneyouwantedtobang,obviously.

Whenhe’dgotoutoftheshowerandheardtheknockonthedoor,he’dhadapretty

goodideawhoitmightbe.Asfarasheknewtheonlyotherpeoplewhohadkeystotheir
flat, were Pete and Jason at the minute. He had a fifty-fifty chance of getting the right
brother,soinsteadofslippingsomeclotheson,he’dansweredinhistowel.Hismuscles
weren’thugeoranything,buttheywerethereandhe’dworkedhardforthem.

JudgingbythelookonJason’sface,they’dcertainlyhadanimpact.

“Hey, Jason.” Ben grinned at him, not bothering to hide the fact he’d caught Jason

checkinghimout.

“Hey.” Jason’s voice cracked, and a faint blush coloured his cheeks. “I was just

um….”Herolledhiseyesathimselfandstartedagain.“IsLiamin?I’vegotsomenews
foryouboth.”

“Nope.” Ben leaned against the door frame, bringing him a little closer to Jason.

“He’soutonhiswork’sChristmasdo.Theystartedatlunch,soIexpecthewon’tbetoo
late, although he’ll no doubt be shitfaced when he gets home.” Lowering his voice a
touch,headded,“Wanttocomeinandwait?”

Jasonhesitated,andBenwonderedwhichwayhe’dgo.Surelyitwasobviouswhat

Benwasoffering,andfromtheheatedlookinhiseye,Jasonwasinterested.Butwouldhe
takethatnextstep?

Benheldhisbreathandwaited.

HewatchedthebobofJason’sthroatasheswallowed.

Whenhespoke,hisvoicecameoutlow,rough.“Icouldcomeinforalittlewhile.”

Smilingwide,Benstepbackininvitation,butassoonasJasonsteppedfootoverthe

threshold,Benstoppedhimwithahandonhischest.Hepointedupatthemistletoeabove
theirheads.“We’vetriedthistwicenow;thefirstwasokayIguess,butthesecondwasa
non-starter.” He hooked a finger in Jason’s belt and tugged him closer until they were
almosttouching.“Thirdtime’sthecharm,right?”

Jason grinned back, and Ben saw the exact moment he gave in to what was

happening between them. Sliding his hands around Ben’s bare waist, he whispered, “So
theysay.”Andthenhekissedhim.

Ben closed his eyes as Jason’s mouth covered his; warm lips, the soft scratch of

stubble and the sweep of Jason’s tongue set his blood alight. He moaned into the kiss,
wrappinghisarmsaroundJason’sneckandpressingagainsthim,hisclothesroughagainst
Ben’sbareskin.

A door slammed down the corridor, and they both flinched, breaking apart but not

movingaway.Wordlessly,JasonurgedBenbackintohisflatsotheycouldshutthedoor
behindthem.Assoonasitclicked,hekissedBenagain,pinninghimagainstthewalland
wedgingathighbetweenhislegs.

BenfelthistowelcomeundoneasJasongroundagainsthim,butmadenomoveto

stopitfalling.ThebuckleofJason’sbelttouchedhisbellyandBengaspedatthecoolness
ofthemetal.“Shitthat’scold.”

Jason hmmd, and kissed his way along Ben’s jaw and down his neck. He reached

betweenthem,wrappedabigwarmhandaroundBen’scock,andwhispered,“Whatabout
that?”

“That’sjustfine.”

Jason kissed him again, all the while lazily stroking Ben’s length with a teasingly

loosegrip.AsmuchashewasenjoyingbeingpinnedagainstthewallwithJason’shands
onhim,hewasprettysureLiamwouldmurderhimifhefuckedhisbrotherinthehallway.
Oranywhereelsethatwasn’thisownbedroom.

HeputhishandsonJason’schestandeasedhimbackenoughtomeethisgaze.“My

bed’s much comfier, and I’m getting kind of cold.” Not strictly the truth, the flat was
toastywarm,butmentioningLiamwouldkillthemoodforsure.

“Let’s go warm you up then.” Jason smirked at him, eyes twinkling with mischief

anddesire.Benwantedtoseehimlooklikethatallthetime.

Laughing, Ben let his towel drop to the floor, took Jason’s hand and led him to his

bedroom.Jason’smuttered“ohGod,”madehimfeelincrediblysmugandheaddalittle
swaytohiships.

Hisbedlayunmadefromthatmorning,anddirtyclotheslitteredthefloor.He’dbe

embarrassedabouthowmessyitwasifJasonwasn’tlookingathimlikehewantedtoeat
him.TwostepsintotheroomandJasonhadhisshirtoff,shoesoffandwasintheprocess
ofundoinghisbelt.

BenreachedoutforthetopbuttononJason’sjeans.“Letmehelp.”Hishandsshook

alittleasheundidthebuttonandslidthezipundone.Nineyearshe’dwaitedtobeinthis
position,andnowitwasfinallyhappening.

Fuckinghell.

Jason’sfingersclosedoverhis.“Youokay?”HemetBen’sgaze,andtheconcernin

hiseyesstayedBen’snerves.

“Yeah. I’m good.” Slipping his hands under the waistband of Jason’s jeans, Ben

pushed them down trailing his fingertips over the front of Jason’s underwear. Dark grey
materialhuggedhiships,therigidlineofhiscockpullingittaut.

Hewantedtogethismouthonit.

Walkingbackwards,tuggingJasonwithhim,Benfeltthebednudgethebackofhis

legsandhesatdown,bringinghimeye-levelwithJason’sgroin.Heleanedforwardand
brushedhislipsoverJason’slength,elicitingasoftmoan.Sohediditagain.

“Fuck,”Jasonwhispered,voiceragged.“Takethemoff.Please.”

Doingasasked,Benpeeledthemdown,andletthemfalltothefloorwithhisjeans.

HewaitedforJasontostepoutofthem,thentookholdofJason’scockwithonehand,and
rubbed the head along his bottom lip. Jason moaned again, his fingers finding their way
intoBen’shair.

Opening his mouth, Ben took him inside, teasing with shallow little sucks before

slowlysinkingallthewaydownonit.

Jason’sbreathcaught,hisgriptighteningonBen’scurls.“Oh,God.”

Chancing a glance up, Ben hummed at the sight of Jason—head back, lips slightly

partedasBendraggedhismouthupanddownhisdick.

“Stop.” Gently pushing him back, Jason looked down at him, meeting Ben’s gaze

withaslightlydazedexpression,“I’mgoingtocomeifyoucarryon.”

Benleanedbackonhishands,lickinghislips.“That’skindofthepoint.”

Climbingintohislap,Jasonkissedhim,longanddeep.WhisperingagainstBen’slips

hesaid,“Iwanttotouchyouaswell.”

Bencouldworkwiththat.

Grinningupathim,Benmanoeuvredthemuntiltheylaydownfacingeachother.He

tookJason’shandandguidedhimtowrapitaroundhiscock,moaningalittleatthefeelof
him. Yeah, not going to take long at all. Considering Jason was the star of a lot of his
fantasies,Benwassurprisedhe’dlastedthislong.Heleanedinforakiss,closinghiseyes
astheirlipstouched,andslidahandaroundJasonatthesametime.

“How’sthis?”hewhispered,movinghishandslowlyup,thenbackdown.

“Good.”

Ben kissed him again, hard and insistent this time, as they both began to move in

earnest.Eachslideupandbackdownfilledtheroomwithharshbreathsandthesoundof
skin on skin. Fuck, this was everything he’d wanted for years, to have Jason touch him
likethis,holdhiminhisarmsandkisshimlikeheneededitasmuchasBendid.

“Gonnacome.”Jason’shandstilledashespilledoverhisstomachandBen’swrist.

Ben stroked Jason through his orgasm, waiting until he half-heartedly pushed him

awaybeforeremovinghishand.

Ben was two seconds from taking care of himself when Jason’s grip tightened,

makingBengasp.

“I haven’t forgotten about you.” He grinned, and swiped some of the come off his

belly.WhenheputhishandbackaroundBen,itslidalonghislengthquickandeasy.Four
morestrokeslikethatandhewasdone,spillingoverJasonandthebedinequalmeasure.

Benrolledontohisbackwithasatisfiedsigh.Nineyearsofimagininghowitwould

bewithJason,andtherealityofitfarexceededhisexpectations.Therewasstillsomuch
morehewantedtodowithhim,tohim,hereallyfuckinghopeditwasn’taone-off.Buthe
didn’tfancyraisingthatquestionyet,notwhentheywerebothbaskingintheafterglowof

orgasm.Thattalkcouldwaitforlater.

Muchlater.

Movement beside him had Ben turning his head to find Jason lying on his side,

lookingathim.

“Sooo….”Jasonbithislip,andBenfrowned.

“Thisisn’tgoingtogetallawkward,isit?”

Jason laughed and gestured to the mess on their bellies. “I think we’re beyond

awkward,don’tyou?”

“I don’t know.” Ben felt the corners of his mouth curl up into a smile. “In my

experiencethere’salwaysroomforalittleawkwardnesstocreepin.”

“That’strue.ButI’mnotabouttogetdressedandrushoff,andI’mprettysureyou’re

not about to kick me out. And we already have each other’s phone numbers. So what’s
left?”

Oh, just the fact that you’re my best friend’s brother, and tonight is the first time

you’vereallylookedatmeasanythingdifferenttothat.“NothingthatIcanthinkof.”

“Good.AndIwasonlygoingtoaskifyouweresupposedtobegoingouttonight?”

“What?”

“Well, you’d just come out the shower when you answered the door, and it’s the

secondtolastFridaybeforeChristmas,soIassumedthat—”

“Ohshit!”Benleaptoutofbedandgrabbedhisphoneoutofhisjeanswheretheylay

inaheaponthechair.“Iwassupposedtomeetafewmatesatthepubdowntheroad.”He
pulled up their last text message and typed out a message. The reply came back almost
straightaway,makinghimlaugh.

“If you’ve got somewhere to be, I can go?” Jason sat up in bed, looking uncertain.

Beforehecouldgetup,Benwalkedbackoverandsatdownontheedge.

He placed a hand on Jason’s thigh, making sure he didn’t go anywhere. “It’s fine.

There’sagroupofthem,sothey’renotgoingtomissme.Itoldthemsomethinghadcome
upandIcouldn’tmakeitafterall.”

Jasonstilllookedsceptical.“Andwhatdidtheysaytothat?”

“Variationsof‘Youfuckinglet-down,’and‘Niceone.’”

“Niceone?”Jasonraisedaneyebrow.

“Yes, because like you say, why else would I blow off a night out this close to

Christmas? If I’m not going out, and I don’t give a reason, odds are they’re going to
assume it’s sex related.” He yawned and quickly covered his mouth. “I’m knackered
anyway.IdroveuptoSheffieldtodaytopickmysisterup.Hadn’tlonggotbackbefore
yougothere,sostayinginisgreat.Honest.”

“I guess.” Jason still didn’t look convinced, so Ben turned, climbed over him and

resumedhispositionlaidoutnexttohim.

HeranafingerdownthroughthepatchofdarkhaironJason’schest,stoppingabove

hishappytrail.“I’mrightwhereIwanttobe.”

“Ifyou’resure.”

“Iam.”Shufflingalittlecloser,hecaughtJason’smouthinakiss.He’dmeanttodip

inandout,justaquickbrushoflips,butJasonslidahandintohishairandkepthimin
place,histonguesweepingoverBen’sbottomlip.

Openinghismouthonasigh,BenrolledthemoversoJasonwasontopofhim,his

cocktakinganinterestinallthatbareskin.

Jasonlaughed,obviouslyfeelingBenhardeningagainsthisbelly.“Youmightneedto

givemelongerthanfiveminutes.I’vegotelevenyearsonyou,remember.”

Ben was hardly likely to forget, but he didn’t want Jason focusing on their age

differencebecausethatwayledtothinkingaboutLiam,andnothinggoodwouldcomeof
that, Ben was certain. He trailed his hands down Jason’s back and grabbed his arse,
distractinghim.“Howlongdoyouneed?Anhour?Maybetwo?Orhadwebetterwaittill
morning?”

“Oh, fuck off.” Jason ducked his head, and nipped at the base of Ben’s throat,

soothingthestingwithhistongue.“Tenminutestops.”

“Whateverwillwedointhemeantime?”

Jasonpushedhimselfupontohiselbowsandstartedtoshuffledownthebed,kissing

hiswayoverBen’schestandstomach.“Icanthinkofsomething.”Withthat,hetookBen
inhismouthandthatwastheendofanyconversation.

They finally dressed and left Ben’s bed around half-past ten. Neither of them had

mentioned what might happen after tonight, and while Ben had been okay avoiding the
topicwhiletheywerenaked,hekindoffelttheneedtodiscussitnow.He’dlikedJason
forsolong,ifthiswasonlyaone-off,itwouldprobablykillhim,butheneededtoknow.

Leaningagainstthekitchenworktop,Benflickedonthekettleandfetchedtwomugs

outofthecupboard.“Soo….”

Jason met his gaze, and Ben could tell from his expression he knew what was

coming.“Whatnow?”Jasonasked.

“Yeah. Something like that.” Ben dropped tea bags into the mugs and added water,

hopingthatJasonwouldtakethehintandstarttheconversation.

“Well….”Jasonsighedandranahandthroughhishair.Thatdidn’tsoundominousat

all. “I’ll admit this has kind of taken me by surprise a bit.” Ben pushed a mug of tea
towardshim.“Thanks.I’veknownyouforwhat?Thirteen,fourteenyears?”

Bennodded.“Iguess.”

“And for all that time, I always thought of you as Liam’s best mate. I mean, I still

thinkofyouthatway,butlately….”HeflashedBenawrysmile.“Latelythat’snotallI’ve

beenthinking.”

Ben grinned. “I noticed.” He glanced in the direction of his bedroom and Jason

laughed.

“Yeah,Iguessthatwasprettyobvious.”Hetookasipofhisteaandsighed.“Idon’t

know,Ben.I’vespentthelastweekorsotryingnottothinkofyoulikethatand—”

“Why?”

“BecauseIdon’twanttocomebetweenyouandLiam.He’sreallymissedyouthese

pastfewyears,andIdon’twantthis—”hegesturedbetweenthetwoofthem“—tomake
thingsawkward.”

AflareofhopeburnedinBen’schest.“Sothisisn’taone-time-onlything?”

Jasonlookedtakenabackatthat.“Oh,shit.Ijustassumedthat—”

“No,youwererighttoassume.Christ,I’velikedyouforyears,youknowthat.”

His smile reappeared, and Jason nudged him with his elbow. “I may have had an

inkling.”

“Yeah,yeah.”

Silencesettledbetweenthemwhiletheysippedtheirtea,butBenneededadefinitive

answer.HesethismugdownandturnedtofaceJason.“Soarewedoingthisthen?Us,I
mean.”Pleasesayyes.

Jasonbithislip.

“Wealreadyknoweachotherprettywell,”Benadded.“Sothat’sthehardpartdone

with.”

“Iknow.AndIlikeyouBen,Ireallydo.”

“Isenseabutcoming.”

Withanothersigh,Jasonsaid,“But,whataboutLiam?”

Ben frowned. “What about him? If you’re worried about what he’ll say, then you

don’thavetobe.He’sabsolutelyfinewithmeandyoubeingtogether.”

Jason’seyebrowsshotup.“Heis?Thetwoofyou’vediscussedthis?”

“Of course. He’s my best friend and you’re his older brother. I don’t want to cause

anytroublebetweenanyofus.It’sadelicatesituation.”

“It is.” Jason seemed surprised that he and Liam had talked about it, so Ben

elaborated.

“He’salwaysbeenabitcageyonthetopic,buttobehonestit’sneverreallycomeup

before,sinceIneveractuallythoughtIhadachancewithyou.”Jasonglancedatthefloor,
ablushstaininghischeeks.Bensmiled.“ButrecentlyIkindofgotthefeelingyouwere
startingtoseemedifferently.Anyway,itwasLiamwhobroughtitupactually.Hesawme
kissyouunderthemistletoe.”

“Didhe?”

“Yep.Hesaiditwasabitweird,butaslongashedidn’thavetoheardetailsthenit

wasokaywithhim.Orwordstothateffect.”

“Huh.”

BenreachedoutandpulledJasoncloser.“Soo,ifthat’sallthatwasbotheringyou….”

“It was.” Jason let himself be guided until they were touching. “And the age

differencedoesn’tbotheryou?”

Laughing,Benshookhishead.“Nope.I’vehadagoodfewyearstogetusedtoit.”

“Iguessyouhave.”Jasonleanedintokisshim,justastheyheardthescrapeofakey

inthefrontdoor.Hejumpedbacklikehe’dbeenburned—Bentriednottobeoffended.It
was still new after all. “Sorry.” Jason gave him a quick peck on the lips before putting
somedistancebetweenthem.“I’drathertellhimbeforehecatchesusatit,andnotwhen
he’sdrunk.”

“Goodpoint.”

Liam still hadn’t opened the door, and Ben rolled his eyes. “I better go and rescue

him.”Hehurriedtoopenthedoor,catchingLiamashefellthroughit.“Whoa!”

Giggling,LiamreachedupandpattedBen’scheek.“Fancymeetingyouhere.”

Ben laughed, and tried to right him, but Liam was fucking heavy when drunk. “A

littlehelp?”heyelled,gratifiedtoseeJasoncomingtowardsthem,chuckling.

“Christ.Howmanyhashehad?”

“Afuckinglotjudgingbythesmellofhim.”

WithJason’shelp,theymanagedtogethimuprightandproppedupagainstthewall

whileBenshutthedoor.

WhenLiamnoticedhisbrother,hissmilewidened.“Jaaaase.”Hereachedouttopat

Jason’scheek,too,butmissed.“Stopmoving.”

Jasonsnorted,andslippedanarmaroundLiam’swaist.“Let’sgetyouintobed.”

“’Mnottired,”Liamwhispered,buthiseyeswerealreadyclosing.

Ben quickly took position at his other side, and together he and Jason manoeuvred

him down the hall to his room. After laying him out on the bed, Ben started to take of
Liam’s shoes and jeans, while Jason nipped into the kitchen to get water and some
ibuprofen.

Liam opened his eyes when Ben started to tug his jeans off. He waved a hand in

Ben’sdirection.“Ialreadytoldyou,you’renotmytype.”

“Shutup,youpissedbastard,unlessyouwanttosleepinyourjeans.”Bengrinnedas

Liampulledaface.

“Where’s Jason, thought I saw ’im.” Liam’s head lolled to the side, a lazy smile

appearing.“Thereyouare.”

Jason walked back into the bedroom, and set the water and painkillers on Liam’s

bedsidetable.“Taketwonowanddrinksomewater.Yousmelllikeabrewery.”

Liamgrinnedandaftertwoattempts,managedtopushhimselfupright.“Twoofmy

fav’rit people.” He beckoned Ben over to the edge of the bed as he took the tablets and
drank some of the water. Ben did as directed, sitting down when Liam patted the bed.
“Fuck,Imissedyou.Don’tgoawayagain,’kay?”Hemadeahalf-heartedgrabforBen’s
hand,soBentookpityonhimandlinkedtheirfingers.“Loveyou,man.”

Benlaughedathim.“Iloveyoutoo,youdrunkenarse,andI’msogoingtoremind

youofthisinthemorning.”

LiamlookedupatJason,foreheadscrunching.“Whyareyouhere?”

“Ohshit,Ialmostforgot.”Jason’ssmiledimmedalittle.“WefoundSocks’sowner.”

Ben’sgazeshottohim.“And?Whenaretheygettinghim?”

“They’renot.He’sgoingtobeputupforadoptionwhenhe’sfullyrecovered.”

“Oh.”Bendidn’tknowhowtofeelaboutthat.Itsuckedthathisownersdidn’twant

him,buthe’dbeenwonderinghowopposedtohavingpetsLiamactuallywas.He’dsaid
noanimals,butwasthatjustLiamorbuildingrules?Benneededtoinvestigatefurther.He
hadasoftspotforSocksandthethoughtofhimgoingtoanyoneelsemadehischesttight.

Liam yawned, waving a hand in Jason’s general direction. “But why are you still

here?S’late.”HisgazedriftedtoBen,andhenarrowedhiseyesalmostcomically.“You
can’t have Ben, you know, I just got him back. He’s mine. Find your own friends, big
bro.” Liam’s grip tightened on Ben’s hand, and when Ben looked up, he didn’t like the
expressiononJason’sface.

“What?”Benmouthed,butJasonwouldn’tmeethiseyes.

Fuckingawesome.

Jasonclearedhisthroatandranahandoverthebackofhisneck.“IguessI’dbetter

getgoing.”

“Bye.”Liam’seyesdriftedshutandhewavedatthewallinsteadofJason.

UntanglinghisfingersfromLiam’s,Benstood.“I’llbebackinasec,”hewhispered

toLiam,butjudgingfromthesuddensoftsnores,Liamwasoutforthecount.

“Hey.” Ben caught Jason slipping on his shoes near the front door. “Running off

withoutsayinggoodbye?”

“No,Ithoughtyou’dhaveyourhandsfullwithLiam.”

Ben snorted. “He’s flat-out asleep.” Jason concentrated on tying his laces, still not

looking at him. Ben put a hand on his shoulder. “Is this about what Liam just said?
Becauseyouknowhe’soffhisface;hehasnoideawhathe’ssaying.”

Finally,Jasonstraightenedandfacedhim.“You’dbesurprisedwhattruthscomeout

whenpeoplearedrunk.”

“ButIalreadytoldyou;LiamandI’vediscussedthis.”

“Whatifhewastellingyouwhatyouwantedtohear?”Jasonpointedinthedirection

ofthebedroom.“Youheardhim.Hemightbedrunknow,butit’sobvioustoanyonewith
eyeshowhappyheistohaveyouaroundagain.Idon’twanttoruinthat,forhimoryou.”

“Youwon’t.”Benfelthisgrasponthesituationslippingthroughhisfingers,andhe

hatedit.He’dbeensofuckingclosetohavingeverything:bestfriendandfamilyback,and
the man he’d pined over for years. And now…. “So what are you saying? You want to
stop?Actlikethisneverhappened?”Hesethisjaw,preparinghimselfforJason’sreply.

Jason sighed and closed his eyes for a second, and Ben’s stomach sank. He took a

step closer, and cupped Ben’s jaw in both hands. “I’m not saying that. Tonight was
wonderful. I don’t want to forget it. But.…” Ahhh, here we go. “I want to talk to Liam
whenhe’ssober,beforewetakethisanyfurther.”

Ben couldn’t help but mutter under his breath. “I think we’ve taken it pretty far

already.”

“YouknowwhatImean.Ican’tdothiswithyouifit’sgoingtohurthim.”

“But—”

JasonslidhisthumbsoverBen’smouth,shushinghim.“Letmetalktohim.Please.”

Heleanedinandrestedtheirforeheadstogetherforamoment,beforegivingBenakiss.
HismouthlingeredonBen’s,hisgriptighteningalittle,anditfeltverymuchlikealast
kiss.

“I’llspeaktoyousoon.”Jasonsmiled,butitseemedtingedwithsadnessthistime.

“Yeah,okay.”Benreachedbehindhimandpulledopenthedoor.“Drivecarefully.”

“Willdo.”

Heleftwithoutlookingback,andBenclosedthedoorandlockedit.Lettinghishead

fall against it, he closed his eyes for a second. “Fuck.” Liam always said weird random
thingswhendrunk,usuallythingsthatmadenosensetoanyone.NotthatheblamedLiam
forJason’scoldfeet,butwhydidhehavetobeacoherentdrunktonightofallnights?

Ben walked down the hall, stopping in the kitchen to collect the washing up bowl.

TakingitintoLiam’sroom,hesetitonthefloornexttothebedandsatdown.“Hey,”he
whispered,andgentlyshookLiam’sshoulderuntilhiseyesflutteredopen.

“Wha?”BlearyeyesstruggledtofocusonBen’s.

“Drinksomemorewater.”HewaitedforLiamtocomply,albeitwithagrumble,then

added,“I’veputthebowlonthefloornexttoyou,incaseyoucan’tmakeittotheloo.”

Liamfrowned.“Notgonnabesick.”

Hewassogoingtobesick.BengotawaftofalcoholfumeseverytimeLiammoved.

“Wellit’stherejustincase.”HepattedLiam’shandandstood.

Beforehelefttheroom,Liammuttered.“Where’sJase?”

“Hewenthome.”

“Oh.Tha’sshame.”Liam’seyesclosedagainandthatwasthat.

Yeah.Benagreedwholeheartedly.Itwasashame.

“OhGod.”Liam wandered into the kitchen the next morning holding his head and

grimacing.

Ben looked up from his breakfast and grinned. “Morning, Sunshine! You look like

shit.”

“Thanks.Ifeeljustpeachy.”HeglanceddownatBen’splate.“Isthatbacon?”

“Yep.”

“Pleasetellmethere’smore?”Helookedsopitiful,Bensighedandgotup.

“Yes,Ididsomeforyou.ThoughIdidn’treallyexpecttoseeyouanytimesoon.”He

pulledoutsomebreadandmadeupanothersandwich.“Sitdown.Wantacuppa,too?”

“Ohfuck,yes.”Liampulledoutachairandfellintoit.WhenBenputthesandwich

andmugofteainfrontofhim,hemoaned.“God,Iloveyou.”

Bensmirkedashesatbackdown.“Iknow.Youtoldmelastnight.”

Sandwichhalfwaytohismouth,Liamlaughed.“Iwassopissed.”

“Ididnotice.”

“Itwasagreatnight,I’msure,butIcan’treallyremembermuch.”

Ben thought about bringing up the part that he remembered, but Liam looked truly

awful. Now definitely wasn’t the time. Without meaning to, he let out a heavy sigh,
catchingLiam’sattention.

“Everythingallright?Ididn’tdoanythingstupid,didI?”

Managingasmallsmile,Benshookhishead.“Nope.”

They ate in silence for a minute, then Liam stopped again. “Was Jason here last

night?”

Benswallowedhismouthfulofteaandsethismugdown.“Yeah,hepoppedintotell

usaboutSocks.Doyouremember?”

“No.Ikindofrememberseeinghim,butnotmuchelse.Whatdidhehavetosay?”

Sighingagain,becausethemoreBenthoughtaboutit,themorehedecideditsucked.

“Theyfoundhisowners,welltheythinkso,buttheydon’twanthimback.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“Well,that’sshit.”

“Iknow.Jasonsaidhe’llbeputupforadoptionwhenhe’sfullyrecovered.”

“Ugh.” Liam finished his sandwich, and pushed his plate away. “I really wanted a

happyendingforhim.Iknowit’sdaft,butIfeelkindofresponsibleforhim,youknow,
probablybecausewebroughthiminorsomething.”Heshookhisheadasthoughitwas
ridiculous,butBenknewjusthowhefelt.

“Iknow.Same.”

Liam stood and put their plates in the sink, then got some painkillers out of the

cupboard.“Wecangoseehowheisthismorning.”

Benfrowned.“You’recomingwithme?”

“Well,yeah.WhyelsedoyouthinkI’mupatthisGod-awfulhouronaSaturday?”

Checkinghisphone,Benlaughed.“It’squartertonine.”

“Exactly.”

Ben was fully dressed and about ready to go because he honestly thought he’d be

doingitonhisownthismorning.ButifLiamfelthewasuptoit….“Goshowerandget
dressedthen,ifyou’recoming.”

“Iam.”Swallowingdownthetabletswithaglassofwater,Liamleftthekitchenand

headedforthebathroom.

“Andhurryup,”Benshoutedafterhim.

Liamlookedalittlegreenthroughoutthecarridetotheshelter,soBenloweredthe

windowstoletsomefreshairin.

“Yellifyou’regoingtobesickandI’llpullover.”

“I’m fine,” Liam mumbled, turning his head towards the window. “Threw up twice

lastnight.Don’tthinkthere’smuchleftanyway.”

Bendidn’tpointoutthebaconsarnieandcupofteahe’dhadearlier.IfLiamwasn’t

thinkingaboutit,thenprobablybestnottomentionit.Theypulledintothecarparkand
Ben turned off the engine. A quick check of his phone revealed no new messages. He’d
hopedthatJasonmighthavegotintouch,evenjusttoaskifLiamhadmentionedanything
aboutlastnight,buttherewasnothing.

He could always message Jason, but Ben had said his piece, so as far as he was

concernedthenextmovewasuptoJason.Sighing,heslippedhisphoneintohispocket
andglanceduptofindLiamwatchinghim.“What?”

“Nothing.”

Opening his car door, Ben said, “Come on then, we’re later than usual as it is. No

pointlingeringinthecar.”

Thankfully the cat cages had already been cleaned out and fresh litter put in. Ben

wasn’tsureLiamwould’vehandledthatwithhishangover.TheywalkedwithLucyover
tothecatsandBenasked,“Ihearyou’vegotanewinmate.How’shesettlingin?”

Shesmiled.“YoumeanSocks?”Bennodded.“Good,I’dsay.He’ssocuteandfussy.

Seemstobeadjustingtoeverythingremarkablywell.”

“That’sgreat.”

“Yes,itis.JasonsaidyouandLiamweretheoneswhobroughthimin?”

Liam looked like he had no intention of answering, so Ben replied. “Yeah. We saw

himgetknockedoverandtookhimtoJason’spractice.”

Lucy opened the door and ushered him and Liam through first. “Between you and

me,IthinkJasonhasabigsoftspotforthislittleguy.”

They walked down the aisle to Socks’s cage. His was one of the few with a mesh

front.“Jason’sbeenhere?”

“Brought Socks over himself. And he’s checked on him a couple of times. He was

hereabouthalfanhourago,youjustmissedhim.”

Bollocks.Ifonlythey’dbeenalittleearlier.Heonlyrealisedhewasscowlingwhen

Lucysaid,“Everythingallright?”

Snappingoutofit,hesmiled.“Yeah,course.”Socksmeowedwhenhesawthemand

gottohisfeet,stretchingandwobblingalittle.Ben’ssmilewidened,moregenuinenow,
andhesteppedtowardsthecage.“Oh,wow,lookatyou.”Meowingagain,Sockshopped
towardshim,rubbinghisheadwhereBen’sfingerspokedthrough,andpurring.“Canwe
gethimoutforabit?”

“Sure,justbecarefulwithhim.Don’tlethimjumpdownortrytojumpbackin.”

“Okay.”

Withapatonhisarm,sheleftthemtoit.

“Right,”Liampipedupassoonastheyheardthedoorshut,signallingLucy’sexit.

“Nowyou’regoingtotellmewhat’swrong.”

Ben opened the front of Socks’s cage and carefully scooped him up into his arms.

“Whatdoyoumean?”Socksimmediatelystartedpurringagain,rubbinghisnoseagainst
Ben’schin.God,Benwouldtakehimhomerightnowifhecould.

“You’vebeeninaweirdmoodthismorning.AndI’mprettysureit’sgotsomething

todowithlastnightandmybrother.”

Benblewoutabreathandloweredhimselftothefloor,settingSocksdownnextto

him.Grabbingoneofthetoysthey’dbroughtwiththem,Bengentlyswisheditbackand
forthinfrontofhim.“Well….”He’dneverkeptasecretfromLiam,andhewasn’tabout
tostartnow,especiallynotaboutthis.Jasonhadsaidhedidn’twanttoforgetaboutthat
night—well,neitherdidBen.

AndLiamhadalreadyseenthemkiss.

“Well?”Liamprompted.

“He came round while you were out and we—” He met Liam’s gaze and couldn’t

helpbutgrin.

Rollinghiseyes,Liamlaughed.“IthinkIcanguesstherest.Sowhythelongface?

You’vebeenwantingthatforyears.”Hegrimaced,thensaid.“Ican’tbelieveI’maboutto
askthis—wasn’titallyouwereexpectingittobe?”

AsurprisedlaughburstoutofBen,andLiamkickedhimashesatdown.

“Fuckoff.YouhavenoideahowmuchIdon’twanttothinkaboutthat.”

“Sorry.”HenudgedLiam’sshoulder.“Iknowthismustbeallkindsofweirdforyou.

Andtoansweryourquestion,itwasgreat.”

“So what’s the problem? Doesn’t he want to see you again? Because I know you’d

wantmorethanaone-offwithhim,afterallthesebloodyyears.”HestaredatBenfora
couple of seconds and then realisation dawned in his eyes. “I said something, didn’t I?
WhenIwasshit-faced.”

Benwinced.“Kindof.”

“For fuck’s sake.” Liam stroked along Socks’s back and huffed out a breath. “He

knowsItalkbollockswhenI’mpissed.”

“Youwerequitecoherentforonce.”

Liamgroaned.“WhatdidIsayexactly?”

Bentoldhim,inasmuchdetailashecouldremember.

“Oh.”Hescruncheduphisnose.“Butdidyoutellhimwetalkedaboutthisalready?”

“Yep.”BengaveasmallsmileasSockspattedatthefeatherheteasedhimwith.“He

wasn’tconvinced.Wantstotalktoyouhimself.”Whichinthelightofday,Benkindof
understood,butitstillstungnottobebelieved.

“Ofcoursehedoes.”LiamnoticedBen’sgloomyexpression.“Hehatesthethought

ofupsettinganyone,especiallyfamily,youknowthat.Trynottotakeitpersonally.”

“Kindofhardnotto.”Benleanedbackonhishands,andSockstooktheopportunity

toclimbontohislapandsettledown.Thatgotridofhissourmood.Loudrumblingpurrs
filledthesilence,andBenlaughed.“God,he’ssoloud.”

“Like a tractor.” Liam stroked his head and then down his back, and the noise got

louder.

Theybothgrinned.

“Iwishwecouldtakehimhome,”Benwhispered.

“Metoo.Butthere’snowhereforacatflaptogoandIdon’tthinkhe’dtakekindlyto

beingkeptinallday.Hedoesn’tstrikemeasanindoorcat,andbothofusareoutatwork
alldayanyway.”

Alltrue,butwithSockscurleduponhislap,purringaway,Benhatedthethoughtof

somestrangertakinghim.“Yeah,Iknow.”

TheycarefullyliftedSocksintohiscageandsettledhimontohisblanketwithouthim

wakingup.

Liam locked the cage door. “You know I’ve got no problem with you seeing my

brother,right?Itmightbeabitweirdatfirst,butI’llgetoverit,andIknowneitherofyou
wouldtreatmeanydifferentjustbecauseyouweretogether.”

“Nope. Never.” Ben slung an arm around Liam’s shoulder. “Because I know how

muchyouloveme.”

Liamrolledhiseyes.“Pissoff,Iwasdrunk.Itmeansnothing.”

“Lies.”

LiamdughisfingersinBen’sribs,makinghimshriek.“Fuck,shh.You’llscarethe

cats.”

SureenoughSocks’seyesopenedandhestaredatthem.Benquicklyopenedhisdoor

andstrokedhimuntilhestretchedandfellbackasleep.

Whenheshutthedooragain,Liamsaid,“Comeon,let’sgetsomeoftheothersout.”

“Okay.”

“AndI’llhaveawordwithJason.It’llallworkout,trustme.”

“Thank you.” He pulled Liam into a hug, despite his protests. “You really are the

best.”

“Just you remember that when you’re thinking about doing stuff with my brother

anywhereotherthaninyourbedroom.”

Benlaughedandruffledhishair.“Noted.”

Hehopedhegotthechance.

CHAPTERTEN

Jason had spent most, if not all, of the weekend thinking about Friday night—both

whathappenedwithBenandthenwhatLiamhadsaid.

It had been so easy with Ben, nothing at all like he would’ve imagined. All things

considered, he’d expected it to be weird and maybe a little awkward, especially
afterwards.Butbeingtogetherfeltlikeanaturalprogression,andtheyfittogethersowell.

LikeBenhadsaid,theyalreadykneweachotherbetterthanmostpeopledidatthe

startofarelationship.Kneweachother’sstrengthsandshortcomings.Thehardworkwas
alreadydone,andafterjustonenighttogetheritwaseasyforJasontoseetheirpotential.

Andthatwasanotherthing.

Elevenyearsdidn’tseemmuch,butJasonwasinaplacewherehewashappywith

hislife.He’ddonealotofthethingshe’dsetouttodoandwasreadytofindsomeoneto
shareitallwith.Benwastwenty-four,notlongoutofuni.AtthatageJasonwasnowhere
nearreadytosettledownandbewithoneguy.Butthat’swhereJasonwasatnow,andan
openrelationshipwasn’tsomethinghewanted.EvenifitturnedoutLiamreallywasokay
about the two of them together—and Jason had doubts about that—what sort of
relationshipwouldBenwant?Theyhadn’tdiscussedanythingotherthanFridaynotbeing
aone-off.

MainlybecauseJasonhadskippedoutassoonashe’dgotthechance.

Fuckinghell.

Hemightbetheonewhowasolder,buthehadn’tactedlikeit.

LiamsenthimatextSundaynight.Youaroundtomorrowafterwork?

Staring at his phone, Jason was pretty sure Ben must have told him about Friday

night.Tuesdaywouldbebetterforme.OutforafewdrinksafterworkonMonday.

Can’tTuesday,gotanotherXmasdo.GotWedsoffthough.Youaround?

Jasonglancedathiscalendartocheck.Icandothemorning,ifthatworks?

Yep,I’llcometoyouaboutten.

Seeyouthen.

Jason relaxed back into his sofa with a sigh. Not a conversation he was looking

forwardtohaving.HardtotelltonefromtextmessagesandLiamhadn’tgivenhimmuch
togoon.MaybeBenwasright.MaybeLiamreallywasn’tconcernedaboutthemgetting
together.OrmaybeLiamwassavinghisrantuntilhesawJasoninperson.Hisbrotherhad
alwaysbeenmoreofaface-to-facekindofguy.

Staringdownathisphone,JasonthoughtaboutBen.They’dnotspokensinceFriday

night,andthatdidn’tsitwellwithhim.Theywereadultsafterall.Hescrolledthroughto
Ben’snumberandsent,Hey.Youokaytotalk?

Thereplycamebackquickerthanhe’dexpected.Givemefiveminutes.

Jason closed his eyes, trying to work out what he wanted to say. This wasn’t a

situationhe’dbeeninbefore.HeknewBenwell,almosttoowell,insomeways.Butin
othershedidn’tknowhimatall.

Hisphonerang,startlinghim.Ben’snameflashedonthescreen.

Heregoes.Heansweredwitha“Hey.”

“Hey.”Asigh.“Howwasyourweekend?”

Smalltalk.Jasonhatedsmalltalk.“Itwasgood,thanks.Wellitwasallright.Look,

Ben.” He stopped and ran a hand through his hair, struggling for the right words. “I’m
sorryifitseemedlikeIleftabruptlyonFridaynight.”

Ben’sscoffmadehimwince.“Youpracticallyranoutthedoor.”

“Iknow.I’msorry.”

Silence.

Jason forged ahead. “It’s just… I know Liam was drunk, but he voiced all my

worries, and I suddenly felt like the shittiest brother ever. I needed some space. But I
shouldn’thaveleftlikeIdid.IrealisedthatassoonasIgothome.”

Bensighedagain,butwhenhespokehisvoicelostsomeofitsbitterness.“Tookyou

thatlong?”

“Icanbepig-headedsometimes.”

“Youdon’tsay.”Anothersigh,whichsoundedkindofresignedthistime.“Ilikeyou

a lot, Jason. I have done for years. But I’m not trying to force you into anything. If me
beingLiam’sbestmateistooawkwardortooweirdforyou,wecanleaveitasonegreat
nighttogether.Nohardfeelings.ThelastthingIwantistoaffectyourrelationshipwith
Liam.”

Jasonfrowned.“Ithoughtyousaidhewasokaywithitall.”

“Heis,notthatyoubelievemeaboutthat,butIwastalkingaboutyou.”

“Oh.”Hemadeagoodpoint.Jasonwasalreadyactingweird,andthey’donlyfooled

aroundalittle.“Andyou’dbeallrightwiththat?Justleavingthings?”

“OfcourseIwould,ifthat’swhatyouwanted.I’dbegutted,don’tgetmewrong.But

it’snotonlyusweneedtoconsiderinthis.Wecan’taffordtoactlikearseholeswitheach
other.”

Jasonlaugheddespitetheseriousnessoftheconversation.“You’reabsolutelyright.”

“IknowIam.”Ben’ssmilewasevidentinhisvoice.

TheeasinessfromFridaynightreturned,andJasonfoundhimselfsettlingbackmore

into the sofa cushions, some of the tension leaving him. If Ben could be so open and
honest,thensocouldhe.“Idon’twanttoleaveitatonenight,but—”

“ButyouneedtotalktoLiamforyourselfbeforeyoudecide.”

“Yes.It’snotthatIdon’tbelieveyou,eventhoughthat’swhatyouprobablythink.I

justneedtoseehisfacewhenIspeaktohimaboutit.”

Anotherpause,andJasonbithislipashewaited.

“Yeah,Igetit.IwasalittlepissedoffFridaynightafteryouleft,butIunderstand.”

Rustlingsoundedontheotherendoftheline,kindoflikeaquilt,andthethoughtofBen
beinginbedsentathrillthroughhim.Whenhespokeagain,itwasalmostawhisperin
Jason’sear.“TalktoLiam.Makesurethetwoofyouarereallyokaywiththis.Thencall
me,andwe’lltakeitfromthere.”

“Okay.” It didn’t seem right to mention Liam was coming over on Wednesday

morning.IfLiamhadn’talreadytoldBenthentherewasareasonforit.“Ibettergo,got
anearlystarttomorrow.”

“Night,Jason.Talktoyousoon.”

“Night,Ben.”

LiamarrivedjustaftertenWednesdaymorning,lookingalotbrighterthanJasonhad

anticipated.

Jason opened the door, and an excited Daisy ran past to give Liam an enthusiastic

greeting.“Iexpectedyoutobehungover.Weren’tyououtlastnight?”

Blushingalittle,Liamduckedhishead.“Iwas,butItookitalittleeasierafterthe

weekend.”

“Ahh.” Jason stepped aside to let him in. Once inside the door, Liam stopped and

glancedaround.“What?”

“Youdoknowit’sChristmasinfivedays,right?”

“Yeah,why?”

Liamsweptanarmoutinfrontofhim.“Whereareyourdecorations?”Heslippedout

of his shoes and hung his jacket up, then marched in to the living room. “I thought you
justcouldn’tbebotheredwithoutsidelights,butyou’vegotnothingupanywhere.”

“I’ve got that.” Jason pointed to the Lindt advent calendar on the kitchen worktop,

safelyoutofDaisy’sway.

“Thatdoesn’tfuckingcount.”Heturnedinacircle,surveyingJason’slivingroom.“I

knowyou’vegotdecorations.Ibroughtthemoverlastyearwhenyoumovedin.AndI’m
prettysureyouputthemup.”

“Mumputthemup.”

Liamgrinned.“Ohyeah,Iremember.YoubettersortthisshitoutorI’mgoingtotell

her.”

“Fuck no, Liam. She’ll worry I’m miserable or something. Don’t upset her for

nothing.”

“ThenpullyourfingeroutandgivethisplacesomeChristmascheer.Haveyougota

tree?”

“Er…IthinkI’vegotthatartificialonefromlastyearupintheloft.”

Liamgrimaced.“Itwasonitslastlegsthen.Ithoughtyouwouldhavechuckedit.”

Hegotagleaminhiseye,whichJasonknewspelledtrouble.“Comeon.”

“Where?”Althoughhecouldhazardaguess.

“Togetabloodytree.”HeheadedforthefrontdoorwithJasontrailingafterhim.

“ButIthoughtyouwantedtotalk?”

Liam stopped pulling his shoes on and looked at him. “About what?” He raised an

eyebrow,anditinstantlytookJasonbacktoallthetimesLiamhadlookedathimlikethat
when they were younger, knowing full well what Jason was on about but being
deliberatelyoblivious.

“AboutmeandBen.”

Liamsmirked.“Istheresomethingtotell?”

“Youknowthereis.YouandBentelleachothereverything.”

“Okay,fine.Butwecantalkinthecar.Comeon.”

Jason rolled his eyes, but slipped his own shoes on, knowing there was no point

arguingwithLiamwhenhe’dsethismindonsomething.Anddespitetheupcomingtalk,
hewasenjoyingthis.Maybeheshouldgetatree.Hedidn’treallywanttobethemiserable
bastardthatcouldn’tbearsedtodecorateforChristmas.

OnceJasonpulledoutontothemainroad,Liamshiftedalittleinhisseatuntilhewas

more or less facing him. “Right. Yes, I know about you and Ben. And I also know you
didn’tbelievehimwhenhesaidIwasokaywithit.”

“That’snotexactly—”

“Letmefinishbeforeyouinterrupt.”

JasonglancedovertofindLiamlookinguncharacteristicallyserious.“Okay,sorry.”

“Ben is my best friend, and I love him like a brother. And you are my brother.

Admittedly the thought of you two actually together is a bit weird, but he’s liked you
forever.It’snotexactlynewstome.”

“Iknow,butyouhatesharing.”

Liamfrowned.“What?”

“Youusedtohatesharingyourstuff.Irememberyouthrowingyoursetoffelttipsat

mewhenMumtoldyoutolendthemtomeforaproject.”

“I was fucking seven! Jesus, Jason. I like to think I’ve changed a little since then.”

Liamstaredathim,incredulous.

“Yeah, sorry. I don’t know why I brought that up.” He gripped the steering wheel

tighter.“You’remybabybrother.Idon’twantyoutothinkI’mstealingyourbestmateor

anything.”HefeltLiam’shandonhisshoulder.

“IwasdrunkwhenIsaidthat.Ididn’tmeanit.Iknowneitherofyouwoulddothat

tome.”Heyawned,makingJasondothesame.“LikeItoldBen,I’msureit’llbealittle
weirdatfirst,butIwantyoubothtobehappy.Justdon’thurthim,andwe’regood.”

Jason’s eyebrows shot up. “Hey! I’m your brother. Shouldn’t you be saying that to

Ben?”

“Alreadydid.”HeturnedtoJasonandgrinned.“Doesthatmeanyou’regoingtodate

him then? Because he’s been a grumpy arse all week and I’m fed up of seeing his sad
face.”

AsmiletuggedatthecornersofJason’smouth.“Maybe.”

“Maybe?Fuckoff,I’veseenthewayyoulookathim.”

Jasonflushed.“Idon’tknowwhatyoumean.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I’ll leave it to the two of you now. I’ve done my bit. Now

let’sgetthistree.”

JasontooktheturningtotheChristmastreefarm.“Fine.Butyou’renotpickingit.”

Forty minutes later Jason was strapping a large Nordic pine to his roof rack while

Liam stood and laughed at him. He turned and pointed a finger at Liam. “This is your
fault.”

“Getlost.”Liamhelpedhimsecureittotheroof.“Youpickedit,notme.”

“Butyoumademecomehere.”

“Becauseyourhousewassad.”Hesteppedbackoncetheywerefinished.“AndBen

loves Christmas and everything that goes with it. You can’t have him round with yours
likeitis.Irememberyoubeingthefirsttodemandweputupthedecorationswhenyou
wereathome.Whathappened?”

“I don’t know, I just didn’t get around to it, and then there didn’t seem any point.

Mum’sgotloads;you’vegotloads.”

“Andnowyouwillhavetoo.”

“Hmm.”Jasoncouldn’tdenyhewaslookingforwardtoit.Liam’senthusiasmforall

thingsChristmaswasinfectious.

TheygotinthecarandLiamadded,“IwonderwhatDaisywillmakeofitall.”

Ohshit.

“Iguesswe’llseesoonenough.”Jasonstartedtheengineandsetoffforhome.

It turned out that after an initial thorough sniff, Daisy soon got bored when she

realisedthetreedidn’tactuallydoanything.Atleastshehadn’ttriedtoweeonit.Liam
helpedJasongeteverythingdownfromtheloft,andtheymanagedtogetthelightsonthe
treebeforeJasonnoticedthetime.

“Shit.Ineedtogetreadyforwork.”Heglancedatthemessonhislivingroomfloor.

“I’llsortthislotoutlater.”

Liam straightened from where he’d been digging through the box of decorations.

“Yougogetready,andI’lltidyupabitforyou.”

Jasoneyedhimsceptically.“Yousure?”

“Yeah,course.”HewavedJasonoffupthestairs.“Goon.Youdon’twanttobelate.”

Uptosomethingornot,Liamwasright,Jasonneededtogetamoveon.

Afterquicklychangingintohisworkclothes,JasonjoggeddownstairstofindLiam

satonthesofa,waitingforhim.Theboxeswereallneatlytuckedagainstthefarwall,any
ornamentsputawayagainfornow.

Jasongrinnedathim.“Thanksforthat.”

“Noproblem.”HestoodandfollowedJasontothedoor.

Aftermakingsurethelivingroomdoorwasclosed,JasonkneltandruffledDaisy’s

fur.“Nogoinginthereforyoutoday,I’mafraid.”Shebarkedathim,thenlickedhisnose.
“Caroline will be round in a few hours to take you out, and I’ll see you later. All right
girl?”Hescratchedherears,andstoodup,turningtoLiam.“Ready?”

“Yeah.” Liam bent down to stroke Daisy goodbye before reaching for the door

handle. “You’re such a softie. I can’t believe you haven’t ended up with a houseful of
pets.”

Jasonofferedhimawrysmile.Sometimeshewonderedtheexactsamething.“That’s

becauseIhavewillpower.”Helockedthedoorbehindthemandwalkedtohiscar.“I’mno
longerswayedbyacutefaceandpleadingeyes.”

Liamnudgedhimwithhisshoulder.“IbetBenwillsaydifferently.”Helaughedat

Jason’sshockedexpression.“Comeon,thatwasfunny!”

“Idon’tthinkwe’reatthejoke-makingstageyet.We’renoteventogether.”

“Yet.Right?”

“IneedtotalktoBenabouteverything.”

Liam rolled his eyes as he walked around to the driver’s side of his car, parked

behindJason’s.“What’stheretotalkabout?Youlikehim,helikesyou.I’mnotbothered
about you guys being together.” He spread his arms out wide. “I see no problem. Stop
making things more complicated than they need to be. You’re not proposing marriage.”
Crossinghisarmsandleaningonthedoorframe,heraisedaneyebrow.“Orareyou?Want
tomakeanhonestmanofhimbeforeyouhaveyourwickedway?Iguessinyourday—”

“FuckoffsoIcangotowork.”JasonglaredathimuntilLiamshruggedandgotinto

hiscar—stilllaughing.

Hedidn’tgetaroundtocallingBenuntilgonetenonWednesdaynight.Heyawned

as it rang. Work had been hard going and he hadn’t finished until half-seven. “Hey,” he
saidwhenBenanswered.“Sorryit’slate.”

Softlaughter.“It’sonlytwentypastten.”

Right.Twenty-fourandnoworkatthemoment.

“IsawLiamthismorning.”

“Yeah. He told me you’re now the proud owner of a tree to rival ours.” More

laughter,andJasonsmiledintothephone.“Youshouldknowbetterthantolethimhelp
youchooseaChristmastree.”

“I know. But I can’t blame him for it really.” He fiddled with the seam on his

pyjamas.“Wetalked.”

“Iimaginedyouwouldhave.”Ben’svoicewassmooth,alittledeeperthaninperson

andJasonclosedhiseyes,listening.“Aboutanythinginparticular?”

“Yes.Hasn’thetoldyou?”Jasonassumedhewould’vedone.

Bensighed.“Hesaidhe’dbeenroundthismorningandthatyou’dsortedstuffout.

Hedidn’tofferanydetails,andIdidn’task.”

“Oh.”

“We don’t tell each other everything, you know. Some things are still private, like

importantconversationswithhisbrother.Idon’twanttostartusingLiamasago-between.
IfIwanttoknowwhatyousaid,I’llaskyou.”

God,hewassomature.

WasIlikethatathisage?Idon’tthinkso.

“Youwereright.Hedoesn’thaveaproblemwithusbeingtogether.”

“Iknow.”

Jasonrestedhisheadagainstthebackofthesofa.“I’msorryIdidn’ttakeyourword

forit,but—”

“It’sokay.Ialreadytoldyou,Iunderstandwhyyouneededtohearitforyourself.”

Heletoutadeepbreath,andJasonhadthesuddenurgetotouchhim.

“Iwishyouwerehere.”

“Metoo.”

“I don’t want to do this over the phone, I want to see your face, kiss you… touch

you….”Hereacheddownandpalmedhimselfthroughhispyjamas.

A door slammed on Ben’s side of the call, and Liam’s voice followed, faint but

audible.“Comeon,Ben,I’mnotpausingitallbloodynight.”

Jason snatched his hand away with a groan. God, was that what it was going to be

like?FeelingalittleguiltyeverytimeheheardLiam’svoice?Orsawhim?

“Look,I’dbettergo.Wewereinthemiddleofwatchingsomethingandtheadverts

aredone.”

“Yeah,ofcourse.”

A rustle of clothes sounded, as though Ben had just got up. “I can’t see you

tomorrow,butwhataboutFridaynight?”

Shit,he’dalreadymadeplans.“Ican’tFriday.Saturday?”

“Yeah,Saturdayworksforme.Wecansortouttimes,later.I’vereallygottogo.Bye,

Jase.”

“Bye.”

Theyhungup.Thathadbeenoddlyanti-climactic.Weretheydatingnow?Hesighed

loudly, causing Daisy to look up at him from where she was sprawled across his feet.
Jasonwasn’tsurewhathe’dexpected,butitallstillfeltunfinished.JustlikewithLiam,he
reallyneededtoseeBenface-to-facebeforeanyofthiswouldseemreal.

RollonSaturday.

OnFridaynight,Jasonstoppedoffattheshelteronhiswayhome.Notthatthevets

lookingafterSocksnowweren’tcapable,but…hewantedtoseehim.

Lucywasjustleavingherofficeashewalkedin.“Oh,Icancomebacktomorrowif

you’reoff.”

Shesmiledupathim,aknowinglookinhereye.“Wecanwalkbyandsayhelloto

Socksonourwayout,ifyouwant?”

“AmIthatpredictable?”

Laughing, she patted him on the shoulder. “Jason, in the sixteen months or so I’ve

knownyou,you’vecheckeduponeveryanimalyou’vepassedovertous.”

“Therehasn’tbeenthatmany.”

“Iknow,butyoufollowupwiththemall.WhywouldIthinkyou’dbedifferentthis

time?Hmm?”Shebumpedhisshoulderastheywalkedtowardsthecat’sbuilding.“ButI
thinkyouhaveabigsoftspotforthisparticularone.”

“Rubbish.I’mjustbeingthorough.”

“Ofcourseyouare.”

They entered the building, and made a fuss of the other cats as they walked down

between the cages. When they got to Socks’s cage, he was fast asleep, snuggled in his
blanketwithhischinrestingonhisfrontpaws.Jasongrinnedathim,chestalittletightas
his gaze landed on his back end. The wound looked good—healed nicely, no sign of
infection.

HeturnedtoLucy,keepinghisvoicelowsoasnottowakehimup.“Whenareyou

goingtoputhimupforadoption?”

“Well, we’re closed now until after Christmas, but probably early January. He’s

adaptedwellalready,andhe’ssuchanaffectionatething.Heneedsalovinghometogo
to.”

“Yeah.”JasonstrokedtheendofSocks’stailwhereitbrushedupagainstthefrontof

thecage.“Let’shopethere’ssomeonewillingtogivehimachance.”

Shehmmd,andhefacedheragain.

“What?”

“Nothing.”SheglancedfromJasontoSocksandthenbackagain,eyebrowsraised.

“No.” He shook his head for emphasis, but not quite sure who he was trying to

convince.“Icouldn’tpossibly.”

CHAPTERELEVEN

“Today’stheday,right?”LiamshotBenawinkastheywalkedouttoBen’scar.

“Ithoughtyoudidn’twanttoknowdetails?”

“Idon’t,obviously.”Hegaveafakeshudder.“Butthisisn’tthesamething.You’re

offroundJason’stonight,yes?”

Bensighedastheygotinthecar.“Yes.”

“Andyou’vesortedeverythingoutbetweenyou?”

“Ithinkso.”They’dnotspokensinceWednesday,butBenwasprettysuretheywere

onthesamepagewitheverything.

Liamglaredathimasheputhisseatbelton.“Youbetterbloodywellhavebecause

we’vegoteveryonecomingroundtomorrow.”

“HowcouldIforget?”Heturnedontheengineandsetofffortheshelter.

Instead of their original idea of having parents one day and siblings another, Liam

had decided they’d run out of time, so why not have everyone round together, on
ChristmasEve.Ithadsoundedlikeagreatideaatthetime,butnow,notsomuch.Neither
ofthemhadrealisedhowmucheffortitwouldinvolve.Thankfullytheirmumshadtaken
pityonthemandwerehelpingwithfood.

“Well,justmakesureyou’rebacktomorrowintimetohelpmesetup.”

Ben looked at him as they stopped at the lights. “What makes you think I’ll be

stayingthenight?”

“Oh,please!”Liamrolledhiseyes,andgavehimawitheringlook.

A shiver of anticipation ran down Ben’s spine as he imagined it. The evening he’d

spentwithJasonseemedanageagonow,almostlikeadreamifhewashonest.Tonight
wouldbedifferent.Everythingwasoutintheopen.Well,Liamknew.Also,possiblyPete
andHelen;Liamhadabigmouth.Hewasn’tsureabouttheirparents,butthatwouldno
doubtchangetomorrowifthingswentwelltonight.

TheyarrivedatthesheltertothesoundofChristmassongsfilteringoutfromLucy’s

office.

“Morning,boys.You’reherebrightandearly.”Shegreetedthemwithahugesmile,

whichmeantonlyonething.

Bengroaned,andLiamclappedhimonthearmincommiseration.“We’vegotclean

upduty?”

“Yep.”ShedancedaroundherdeskasMichaelBubléfilledtheroom.“Butafterthat

youcanplaywiththecatsifyouwant?They’llneedlotsofattentionaswe’llbelowon
volunteersoverthenextfewdays.”

Bencouldcopewithabit—wellalot—ofshit-clearingifthat’swhattheygottodo

fortherestofthemorning.“Noproblem.”

They left Lucy singing along to “All I Want for Christmas” and headed to get

cleaningsupplies.

Someone had moved the radio into the cat’s building, and since the animals didn’t

seemtomind,Liamturneditupandtheysangtheirwaythroughcleaningouteachcage
andaddingfreshlitter.

BenreachedSocks’scage,andgrinned.“MorningSo—Oh.”

Liamglancedoverathim.“What’sup?”

Staring at the now empty cage, Ben beckoned Liam over. “Socks is gone.”

Everythinghadbeenclearedaway,asthoughhe’dneverbeenthere.Benswallowedpast
the sudden lump in his throat. “Lucy would’ve said if something had happened to him,
right?”

Liam nodded. “I would’ve thought so, yeah. She was a bit distracted this morning,

maybeitslippedhermind?”

“Maybe.”Benlookedawayfromthecage,notwantingtoseeitsoempty.“Ididn’t

thinkhewasupforadoptionyetthough?”

“Neither did I. But it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. They don’t let people adopt

after December eighteenth; it’s too close to Christmas and they worry about them being
givenaspresents.They’dhavetowaitforJanuarynow.”

“But then, where is he?” Ben refused to believe the other option; he’d seemed as

healthyasanythinglasttimethey’dseenhim.

“Idon’tknow.”Liamsighedandpointedatthecoupleofcagesstilllefttodo.“Let’s

getthesedoneandthenwe’llgotrackLucydown.”

Benwantedtogoandfindherstraightaway,butinsteadhenodded.“Yeah,okay.”

They made quick work of the final cages, the mood a lot more sombre than it had

beenfiveminutesago.AssoonasBenwasdone,hepackedupallhisstuffandwaitedfor
Liamtodothesame,tryingnottotaphisfingersimpatiently.

ThewalktoLucy’sofficefeltlikeatriptothegallows.Thefairylightsandswathes

oftinseldidnothingtolightenhismood,andtheMerryChristmassignsmadehimscowl.

“Hey,what’sup?”Lucylookedupinsurprisewhentheyenteredheroffice.Shewas

satatherdeskwritingChristmascards,bythelooksofthings.

“Where’sSocks?He’snotinhiscage.”

Sheblinkedatthem,asthoughprocessing,andthenrealisationdawned.Sheclapped

ahandtohermouth,thensaid.“I’msosorry.Ishouldhavetoldyoubeforeyouwentin.”

Ben’sheartdroppedlikeastone,butshewassmilingwideso…“Tolduswhat?”

“Sockshasbeenadopted.”

“Areyousureyoudon’twanttocomewithme?”Benasked,asheandLiamwalked

outtohiscar.

“Yeah,positive.”

“ButwebothfoundhimandtookhimtoJason.”

Liamsmiled,andopenedthecardoorforhim,usheringhimintothedriver’sseat.“I

know, and thanks for trying to include me, but I’m really okay with sitting this one out.
Besides,therearecatsthatneedplayingwith.”

Benfeltguiltyalloveragain.“Fuck,Ishouldstayandhelpyou—”

“God,it’sfine.Honestly.HowmanytimesdoIhavetosayit?I’llhavetocuddlecats

andkittens,it’snotlikeit’sachore.”

“Iknow,but—”

“Just go. I’ll get Mum to come pick me up.” He moved back and shut the door,

laughing when Ben started the engine and immediately rolled the window down. “Now
what?”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. And take lots of pics.” He frowned as if realising what he’d just

said.“OfSocks,Imean.Notanythingelse.”

“Iknewwhatyoumeant.”

Withawave,Benpulledoutofthecarparkandontotheroad.

He smiled the whole journey, so much so that his cheeks hurt when he eventually

pulled onto the driveway. Lights had been hung around the doorway and a big holly
wreathdecoratedthefrontdoor.Itcertainlylookedalotmorefestivethanlasttimehewas
there.

Excited barking greeted his knock on the door, and when it opened, Jason stood

there,cradlingablackfurrybundleinhisarms.“Hey.”

Ben’ssmilewidened.“Hey.”HeglanceddownatSocksnowhappilypurringaway,

white front paws kneading on Jason’s jumper. “I see you have a new addition.” Daisy
chose that moment to slip out past Jason’s legs, wagging her tail and sniffing at Ben’s
shoesandjeans.Hecroucheddowntostrokeher,lookingupatJasonashedidso.“How’s
thatworkingout?”

Jason grinned back at him. “Come inside and see for yourself.” Stepping back, he

maderoomforBentosqueezepasthim.

Bencouldn’tresiststoppingandrunninghisfingersdownSocks’sheadandalonghis

back.Thepurringgotlouder,andhelaughed.“Someoneseemshappy.”

“Yes,butIcouldbehappier.”

Glancingup,hefoundJasonpointingupatthedoorframe,andwhenhecranedhis

headbackhesawwhy.“Liam?”

“Yep.”

Abovethemhungasprayofmistletoe,matchingtheonesinBen’sflat.

GoodoldLiam.

He leaned in close and placed a soft lingering kiss on Jason’s mouth, pulling back

with a chuckle when he felt claws prick his chest. Socks had moved on to pressing his
pawsagainstBennowhewassoclose.

“Comeonin.I’llshowyoumybigtree.”Jasonwinked,andBenbarkedoutalaugh.

“Ihopethat’saeuphemism.”

Sighing,JasonglancedoverhisshoulderasheledBenintothelivingroom.“Sadly

not.”Hewavedtowardsthewindow,andBenwaslaughingagain.

ThetreestandingtherewasbiggerthantheoneLiamhadpicked,thatwasforsure.

Fullydecoratedittookcentrestageintheroom,andeventhoughitwasprobablytoobig,
itlookedfabulous.“It’sgreat,”Bensaid,walkingovertoit.“Especiallyforsomeonewho
wasn’tgoingtobother.”

Jasoncarefullysatdownonthesofa,stillcradlingSocks.Benjoinedhim,stickingto

theothersidefornow,notwantingtocrowdthem.

“Thanks.It’stakenabitofahitthismorningthough.”Hepointedtothebackofthe

tree, and Ben leaned over to get a better view. A section of lights hung down near the
floor,andatleastthreebaubleshadbeenknockedoff.

“Ahh.”BentickledSocksunderthechin.“WasthatyouorDaisy?”

“Both,”Jasonanswered.HesetSocksonthefloor.“Watch.”

AssoonasJasonsatbackup,Daisytrottedover,tailwaggingasusual.Bentensedas

shenearedSocks,butJasonputhishandonhisarm.“Shewon’thurthim.”

Sureenough,whenDaisysanktothefloor,Socksstretched,thenhop-walkedoverto

her,meowingsoftly.Daisywoofed,butstayedstillasSocksrubbedupagainsthernose,
androlledonhisbackinfrontofher,touchingherwiththetipsofhispaws.

Ben’sgrinwashuge,hecouldn’tcontainit.“Godthey’resobloodycutetogether.”

“Iknow.Iwasworriedabouthowthey’dgeton;Daisy’susedtohavingtheplaceto

herself, but looks like I needn’t have worried.” They watched as Socks got back up and
wandered over to the tree, Daisy hot on his heels. “Well apart from how much trouble
they’llgetintogether.”

WithSockspattingatthelowestornaments,andDaisy’stailswishingbackandforth,

Bencouldseethelowerpartofthetreebeingbareinminutes.

Jasonsighed,andgotuptoshoothemaway.“Iwasintheprocessofmovingthings

upabit.”Daisydidasshewastold,andploppeddownnearthesofaagain,butSockssat
andwatchedasJasonbegantomovetheornaments.

Feelingidle,Benstoodandwenttohelp.“Youcould’vesaidyouweregoingtoadopt

him,someandLiamdidn’tdiscoverhisemptycagethismorningandthinktheworst.”

Jason looked aghast. “Shit, sorry! I only decided for sure this morning—well, late

lastnight—andInevergaveitathought.”

“NeitherdidLucy.”Snaggingastraypieceoftinsel,Benswisheditbackandforthon

the floor for Socks to chase. “He looks great, though. I can’t believe how well he’s
managing.”

Jason stopped what he was doing and watched them. “I told you cats can cope

perfectlywellwiththreelegs.Hecan’tjumpashighashecouldbefore,soI’mtryingto
limit where he has access to for now, until he’s more used to it, but I think he’ll be just
fine.”

Boredwithtinselchasing,Socksleftthemtothetreeandwanderedofftoflopdown

alongsideDaisy.

“Whatmadeyoutakehimhome?”BenglancedatJasonashespoke.“Imeanoutof

allthestraysyousee,whyhim?”

Jasonletoutaheavysigh,andshifteduntilhewasfacingBen.“Idon’treallyknow.”

Socksyawned,stretchedandendeduplyingwithhisfrontpawsrestingononeofDaisy’s.
“I just couldn’t get used to the idea of him going with some stranger. So I thought I’d
bringhimhomeandseehowtheygoton.”

Ben grinned and pointed at Daisy, who was now happily licking Socks’ ears—his

wholeheadmovedwitheachswipeofhertongue.“Theyappeartobegettingonallright.”

“Yeah.”Jasonchuckled.“Theydo,don’tthey?”

Theysatinsilence,watchingDaisygiveSocksathoroughcleanuntilbothanimals

eventuallyfellasleep.

“So….”Bentappedhisfingersonhisknees,uncharacteristicallynervous.

Jasonmethisgaze.“You’rehereearlierthanIwasexpecting.Iwasgoingtocookfor

you,wooyouwithmyculinarytalents.”HewinkedandBenchuckledathim.

“Youcanstilldothatlater.”

“I can. We’ve got a few hours to kill then. I wasn’t planning on feeding you until

abouteight.”Heedgedclosersotheirshouldersbrushed.

“I’vegotafewideasonhowwecanpassthetime.”Tiltinghishead,Benkissedhim,

moaningasJasonopenedhismouthinresponse.Theroughscrapeofstubbletickledhis
skin,andhewantedmoreofit,neededtofeelJasonpressedagainsthimeverywhere.Only
pullingbacktobreathe,Benwhispered,“I’vewantedtodothateversinceyouopenedthe
door.”

Jason smiled, eyes shining with a mixture of heat and amusement. “Ahh, you only

wantmeformycat.”Hedippedhishead,kissinghiswaydownBen’sthroat.

“He’stheonlyreasonI’mhere.”

Jasonhummedagainsthisneck.“Thoughtso.”

The vibrations went straight to Ben’s groin and he spread his legs wider, trying to

easethebuildingpressure.Jasonputhishandonthebulgethere,andBengroaned.“Can

wegoupstairs?Iwanttobenakedwhenyou’redoingthat.”

Withawink,andasqueezeofhisfingers,Jasonwhispered,“Let’sgo.”Hestoodand

offeredBenhishand.“Iwantyoutobenaked,too.”

They stepped over the sleeping animals as though they were live mines, and Ben

stifled the urge to giggle. Once upstairs, though, the urge disappeared as Jason led him
intohisbedroomandovertohisbed.

“Wait there.” While Jason went to draw the curtains, Ben pulled off his T-shirt and

begantoundohisjeans.“Iwantedtodothat.”JasonputhishandsonBen’sandtogether
theyslowlypushedhisjeansandunderweardownuntiltheyfellintoaheaponthefloor.

Stepping out of them, Ben stood there in all his naked glory and let Jason look his

fill.“Nowyou.”

TearinghisgazeawayfromBen’sstomach,andlower,Jasonmadequickworkofhis

own clothes, shedding them with little finesse, but Ben didn’t give a shit. He wanted to
feelJasonagainsthim,skin-to-skin,assoonaspossible.

“Comehere.”Benbeckonedhimcloser,andJasonwentwillingly,notstoppinguntil

theytouchedfromchesttothigh.AllthatwarmthpressedalonghisfrontmadeBen’sheart
raceandhiscockhardenbetweenthem.“Whatdoyouwant?”hewhispered.Atthispoint
hewasupforwhateverJasonwanted.

“I don’t know.” Jason slipped his arms around Ben’s waist, and dipped his head to

nipalongthebaseofhisthroat.“What’sonoffer?”HehitaticklishspotbehindBen’sear,
andBenlaughed.

“Iwanttowatchyoucome.”

Jasondrewbacktofacehim,eyesdarkening.“Fuckme,then.”

Oh. Not what Ben had been expecting him to say, but he wasn’t about to turn him

down.Hewasrockhardatthethoughtofit.“Yeah.I’dloveto.”

They climbed onto the bed, kissing and touching everywhere within reach. Ben

laughedasJasontoppledhimbackwardsandlandedontopofhimwithanoomph.

“Sorry.” Staring down at him, Jason’s eyes were darker in the dim light of the

afternoon.Hislipswerered,alittlepuffyfromwhereBenhadn’tshaved.

Helikedit.

RunninghishandsthroughJason’shair,hetuggedhimdownforakiss.“It’sokay.I

likeyouontopofme.”

Theykissedagain,slow,yetheated,andBenfeltitallthewaydowntohistoes.“We

couldfucklikethis?”hewhispered.“ThenIcanwatchyou.”

Jason rutted against him, his cock long and hard where it pressed into Ben’s hip.

“Yeah,okay.”Onemorekissandthenheleanedovertothesideofthebed,openingthe
topdrawer.Afteraquickrummage,heproducedacondomandlube.

Bentookthemfromhim,andJasonsatup,watchingintentlyasherolledthecondom

down his length. He added a squirt of lube, generously coating himself before meeting

Jason’sgaze.“Nowyou?”

Shaking his head, Jason rose up on his knees and shuffled closer. “No. I’m good. I

wanttofeelyou.”

Hesitating,Benplacedahandonhiship.“Yousure?”

“Yeah.”

Positioninghimself,BenguidedJasondown,easingintohimalltheway.“Fuck.”He

linked their fingers together, squeezing tight in an effort not to come, because this was
Jasonhewasinsideof.

Fuckinghell.

Jason’smumbled“Move”caughthisattention,andBengrinnedupathim,because

hecouldn’tgoanywhereuntilJasondid.

“Goon,then.”HegaveJason’sthighanudge,andJasonlaughedasherealisedwhat

he’dsaid.

“Ohyeah.”

Thenheliftedupalittlebeforesinkingbackdown,andBenforgotabouteverything

otherthantheslideofJason’sbody.

Itfeltsogood.

JasonrodehimwithaslowtorturousrhythmthathadBenfistingthesheets,pleasure

buildinglowinhisbelly.HereachedforJason’scock,handstillslickwithlube,andbegan
tostrokehimhardandfast,needinghimtocomefirst.

“Letmeseeyou.”

Jasonglanceddownathim,bitinghislip.“Harder.”

Ben tightened his grip, and Jason rode him, thrusting into his fist again and again

untilhecriedout,spillingoverBen’schestashecame.

“Oh fuck!” Ben let go of him to grab Jason’s hips, holding him steady while he

fuckedintohim,once,twicemorebeforehisorgasmsweptthroughhim.

Jasoncollapsedforwardbreathingheavily.“Bloodyhell.”

“Yeah.” Ben laughed, wheezing a little under Jason’s weight, until Jason eased

himselfoffandstretchedoutbesidehim.

Ben lay there trying to catch his breath, staring up at the ceiling. A pitiful meow

soundedfromdownstairs,andJasonhuffedoutalaugh.

“I guess someone’s awake.” He reached for the box of tissues next to the bed,

grabbedahandful,andpassedtheboxtoBen.

“Thanks.” After cleaning himself up, Ben turned to face him, frowning. “Can he

managethestairsokay?”

“Yeah.He’salreadybeenupthemacoupleoftimes.Gettingdownwasabittrickier,

buthemanaged.”

Afewminuteslatertheyhearditagain,thistimealotcloser.

BenproppedhimselfuponhiselbowsintimetoseeSocksjumpontotheendofthe

bed.Assoonashesawthem,hemeowedintriumphandstartedtomakehiswayupthe
bedtowardsthem,purringloudly.Hestumbledafewtimesashewalkedoverthem,but
eventuallycametoastopsatonJason’schest.Helookeddownathim,thenacrossatBen.

Swallowingdownlaughter,Benmuttered,“Ifeellikewe’rebeingjudged.”

Socks shifted in position until he was facing off to the side and then lay down, his

backendnowfacingBen.

Jason raised an eyebrow. “And found wanting by the looks of things.” He glanced

towardsthehalf-opendoor.“I’msurprisedwe’venotgot—

FootstepsthunderedupthestairsandthedooropenedallthewayasDaisybargedin,

tail smacking the door frame as she wagged it hard. Walking round to Ben’s side of the
bed,shestaredathim,woofingindisapproval.

BenshotaquicklookatJasonbeforeeyeingDaisyagain.“AmIinherspot?”

“No.Ineverletheronthebed.”SomethinginhistonetoldBenthatwasaloadof

bollocks.

He turned to face Jason and caught him fighting back a smile. “You’re such a liar.

Shesleepswithyou,doesn’tshe?”

“Maybe.” Putting his hands above his head, Jason half-laughed, half-sighed. “This

wasn’tquitehowIimaginedtonightgoing.”HegesturedtoSocksasleeponhischest,and
DaisynowsatstaringatBen.“Sorry.”

Bengrinned,reacheduptolinkhisfingerswithJason’sandshuffledcloseruntilthey

weretouching.“Iloveallofthis.”ItwasexactlyhowBenimaginedlifewithJasonwould
belike,notthathewasabouttosaythat.“Iloveanimals,youknowthat.”

“Yeah,Ido,butstill.”

“Butnothing.”Andhewasn’tlying.GreatsexfollowedbycuddlinginJason’sbed

was pretty much all he’d ever wanted. Socks and Daisy were a bonus. Granted he
wouldn’tbethinkingthatifthey’darrivedtenminutesearlier.Butasitwas,havingthem
theremadeitallfeelcomfortable,homey.

“Hey.”Jasonsqueezedhisfingers.“Whatareyouthinking?”

“How nice this is.” Ben lifted his head and planted a quick kiss on Jason’s mouth.

“Andhoweasyitwouldbetogetusedtoit.”Wow,hehadn’tmeanttosaythat,butitwas
outnow.“Justus.”HenoddedatSocks,thenDaisy.“Andthem,obviously.”

“Yeah?”

Bensmiled.“Yeah.”

“That’sgood,becauseIreallylikehavingyouhere.”Jasonkissedhimthistime,just

asBen’sstomachrumbledloudly.SmilingagainstBen’slips,hesaid,“Comeon,letme
makethatdinnerIpromisedyou.”

Jasonslippedonhispyjamas,andthrewapairforBentoborrow.WhenBenraised

hiseyebrows,Jasonsaid.“Youweren’tplanningongoinghometonight,wereyou?”

Ben’schestfeltsuddenlytight,andheshookhishead.“Nope.”

Jason’ssmilewidened.“Putthoseonthenandlet’sgomakedinner.”

LeavingJasoninbedthenextmorningwashard.Punintended.Ben’salarmwentoff

atnine,andhewokeuptoJasonsemi-hardwithhiscocksnugagainstBen’sarse.

Thelastthinghewantedtodowasgetoutofbed.Buthe’dpromisedLiamhe’dbe

hometohelp,andnowaywashegoingtolethimdown,especiallynotsohecouldstayin
bedwithhisbrother.

Withagroan,hecarefullyextractedhimselfsohedidn’tdisturbJason.Afterslipping

onhisjeans,T-shirtandsocks,Benleftthebedroomtoheaddownstairs.

He tried to be as quiet as possible, but the house was old and he cringed as nearly

everystepcreaked.

Daisyperkedupwhenheenteredthekitchen.Jasonhadalreadygotupafewhours

earliertoletheroutforawee,butbythelooksofthingshehadn’tfedher.Benhadseen
whereJasonkeptthepetfoodlastnight,andhefilledDaisy’sbowlfirstandthenadded
some cat biscuits to Socks’s bowl. He was just wondering where Socks was when he
climbedoutofDaisy’sbasketandwanderedover.

Ben laughed as he put the food away. “I see. It’s like that, is it? And you had the

nervetojudgemelastnight.”Predictablybothanimalsignoredhiminfavouroffood.Ben
madehimselfapieceoftoastandglassoforangejuice,whichhewolfeddowninrecord
time.

JasonwasstillasleepwhenBenwentbackupstairstosaygoodbye.Hesatonthebed

andranhishandthroughJason’shair,thestrandssoftbetweenhisfingers.Darkstubble
coveredhisjaw,andBenleaneddowntoplaceakissthere,thenonhislips.

WhenJasonstirred,Benwhispered,“Ihavetogetgoing.”

Jasonreachedforhishand.“Stay.”

“Ican’t,IpromisedLiam.”

“Oh.” Jason roused at the mention of his brother. “Yeah, in that case, you’d better

go.”Hesmiledupathim,andBenmeltedalittle.

“You’recominglater,right?”

“Ofcourse.I’mnotgoingtomissmylittlebrother’sfirstdinnerparty.”Helaughed

asBensqueezedhishand.“Sorry.Yes,I’llbethere.It’sChristmasEve,Iwanttobewith
myfamily.”HereachedupandtuggedBendownforakiss.“Allofthem.”

Bensighed,deepeningthekissforaslongashedaredbeforedrawingback.“They’re

goingtoguess,ifwe’relikethistonight.”

“Doesthatbotheryou?”

“No,butIwonderedifitmightbotheryou?”

Jason smiled, his thumb stroking along Ben’s cheekbone. “Like I told Socks

yesterday,thisisnotjustforChristmas.”Hissexpressionturnedserious.“Ifwe’redoing
this,thennosecrets,Ben.Iwanteveryonetoknow.Idon’twanttohidethis.AndIwantit
tobejustus.Exclusive.”

Ben beamed at him. That was everything he wanted to hear. “Good. I want all that

too.”

Yawning,Jasoncoveredhismouthandsankbackontothepillow.“Goonthen.I’ll

seeyoulater.”

Benlefthiminbedanddrovehome,floatingoncloudninealltheway.

Liamtookonelookathimwhenhewalkedthroughthedoorandgroaned,loudly.“I

takeitallyourChristmasescameatonce?”Bengapedathim.“God,Ididn’tmeanitlike
that.”

Laughingatthelookonhisface,Benkickedoffhisshoesinthehallwayandjoined

himinthekitchen.“Sorry.Andyes,Ihadagreatnight,ifthat’swhatyoumeant.”

“PleasetellmeyouandJasearetogethernow?”

“Yep.”

“Wow.Itfeelskindofstrangenottohaveyoumopingoverhimanymore.It’lltakea

whiletogetusedtothisnew,happyyou.”LiamwavedahandatthesmileBenwasstill
sporting.

“Takeyourtime.I’mhopingitwon’tgoawayanytimesoon.”

“Oh,Iwouldn’tbesosure.”Liamfixedhimwithawrygrin.“Wehavethewholeflat

tocleanandfoodtopreparebeforeeveryonearrives.”

“Ugh.”Bensighed,hissmiledimmingatthethoughtofallthatcleaning.Whyhad

theyleftitsolate?“Comeonthen.Let’sgetstarted.”

They worked with Christmas songs filling the flat and singing at the top of their

voices.DespitehavingtocleanonChristmasEve,Benenjoyedhimself.Arsingaboutwith
Liam,havingacoupleofbeersastheyworked,andknowinghisfamilywouldberoundin
afewhours.Allinall,agreatafternoon.

Theywerejustaboutdressedwhentheirparentsarrivedwithinminutesofeachother.

“MerryChristmas!”Benansweredthedoor,kissingeveryoneastheycamein.Liam

followed and showed them into the kitchen, where they all started sorting out the food
they’dbrought,whileBentooktheircoatsandlaidthemonLiam’sbed.

LiamhadgrabbedtwobeersfromthefridgeandmetBeninthehall.“Cheers.”

“Cheers.”Bentooktheprofferedbeer,anddownedhalfofitinonego.

“They’vetakenoverthekitchen.Iofferedtohelp,butyourmumshooedmeoutof

theway.”

Benpointedattheloungewithhisbeerbottle.“Mightaswellgositdownforabit

then.”

PeteandHelenappearedabouthalfanhourlater,withSarahintow,havingmether

inthecarpark.Liamfetchedthemalldrinks,andBentooktheircoats—theyhadagood
systemgoing,sotheystucktoit.

Another half an hour and Ben started to watch the door. He thought he was being

subtleuntilSarahwalkeduptohimandsaid,“Whoareyouwaitingfor?”

She glanced around the room then back at the door, a smirk appearing. “Jason,

right?”

“Yep.” Ben smiled. He knew he was probably giving himself away, but he didn’t

care.

She peered closely at him. “Oh my God,” she hissed. “Are you and Jason a thing

now?”Sheslappedhimonthearm.“Whydidn’tyoutellme?”

“Itonlyjusthappened.Sorry.”

“Iwantallthedetailslater.Imeanit.”

Beforehecouldreply,someoneknocked,andBenhurriedtoanswerit.

Jason stood on the other side of the door, a box of beer tucked under one arm, and

holdingabottleofchampagne.Snowflakesclungtohiseyelashes.Blinkingthemoutof
theway,Jasongrinned.“It’sChristmasEve,andit’sstartedtosnow.”

“Youoldromantic.”Bensteppeduptohim.“Talkingofwhich….”Heglancedupat

themistletoe,thencuppedJason’sjawandkissedhim.“I’mgladyou’rehere.”

“Metoo.”Jason’ssmilelituphiswholeface.“NowhelpmegettheseinsidebeforeI

dropthem.”

Takingthebeerfromhim,Benturnedtowalkintothekitchenandfoundthehallfull

ofpeople.“Oh.”

Hismum’ssmilewashuge,andhewatchedherreachdownandgrabhisdad’shand.

Jason’s arm snaked around his waist, and Ben thought his mum might burst with
excitementbythelookofher.“Yeah…soJasonandIaretogether.”

Petesnorted,butBenignoredhim.TentativelyhesoughtoutJason’smumanddad.

Theywerehissecondfamily,hewantedthemtobeokaywiththis.

John Armitage looked as though this was no great surprise, but Karen appeared

totallyshocked.Wasthatgoodorbad?

Momentarilylostforwords,BenwasgratefulwhenJasonspoke.“Allright,Mum?”

For a second she just looked at them both, then she smiled, her eyes crinkling and

lookingalittlewatery,ifBenwasn’tmistaken.God,pleasedon’tcry.

“Yes!”HereyesnarrowedasshefixedhergazeonJason.“Whydidn’tyoutellme?”

“Er….”Jasonfloundered,lookingtoBenforhelp.

“It’sarecentdevelopment.”Thatseemedtoappeaseher.Benglancedaroundatthe

facesstaringbackathim.

TheonlyonemissingwasLiam,andheappearedacoupleofsecondslater,peeking

overthetopofhismum’shead.“Soeveryoneknowsnow?Good.Maybewecanfinally
eat.”Heclappedhishandstogetherandstartledeveryoneintomoving.

BenfacedJasonagain,andshrugged.“Thatwaseasy.Youthinktheyalreadyknew?”

“Ithinktheyweren’tallthatsurprised.”Scrunchinghiseyebrowstogether,headded,

“Well maybe my mum was.” He motioned for Ben to go down the hall to the kitchen,
wheretheyputeverythinginthefridge.“Comeon,let’sgetsomefood.”

Theyateanddrankwiththeirfamily,andBenletitallwashoverhimwithJasonby

his side. When he’d decided to move back to his childhood town, he’d hoped he was
makingtherightdecision,andlookingaroundhimnow,hewascertainhehad.

Jasonwasanunexpectedbonus.

Atmidnight,theyopenedthechampagne.

Glassinhand,BentuggedJasonawayfromthelivingroomtotherelativequietof

the hall. He pressed him gently against the wall. “I never thought I’d get to do this.”
Leaning in and only swaying slightly, Ben kissed him, tasting beer and champagne on
Jason’slips.

“Me neither.” Jason wrapped an arm around his waist, drawing him in tight and

steadyinghim.“ButI’msohappythatwedo.”

Heclinkedtheirglassestogether.“MerryChristmas,Ben.”

“MerryChristmas.”

EPILOGUE

Oneyearlater

December16th

Benpulledhiscoatuparoundhisnecktoshieldhimfromthewind.“Fuckme,it’s

cold.”Atleastitwasn’tsnowing.

Yet.

Theskywasawhite-grey,butsofartheweatherremaineddry.

“Here.”Liamhandedhimhistakeawaycoffee.“Stopcomplainingandsitdownfora

sec.”

Bentooktheprofferedcupandsankdownbesidehim.“Thanks.”

They were late with their Christmas shopping this year, and neither of them were

keen to enter the throng of people currently rushing around the shopping centre buying
presents.

Butithadtobedone.

LiamleantagainstthebackofthebenchandturnedhisheadtofaceBen.“Yougot

allyourstuffpackedup?”

“Yeah,Ireckon.”Bentookasipofhiscoffeeandsighedinsatisfaction.“I’mgoing

totakeitroundtoJason’stomorrowsometime.Can’tbelieveyou’rekickingmeoutafter
onlyayear,though.”

“Fuckoff.”Liamnudgedhimwithhisknee.“Ican’ttakeJason’ssadfaceeverytime

hehastogobacktohishousealone.”

“Yeah,right.It’sgotnothingtodowiththefactthatAllison’sbeenstayingovermore

oftenthannot?”

Liam laughed, two spots of colour adding to his already pink cheeks. “Maybe.”

They’d started dating a couple of months ago, soon after she started volunteering at the
shelter.Allisonwasgreat:funny,kind,anddidn’ttakeshitfromanyone.Shealsothought
theworldofLiam.

Ben had liked her the minute he met her, and despite Liam’s attempts to dodge the

subject,heknewLiamwasinlovewithher.Maybetheyweren’tatthemovinginstage
yet,butiftheycarriedonliketheywere,itwouldn’tbelong.

“Well,withmegone,youcanhavetheplacetoyourselveswheneveryoulike.”

“That’strue.”Liamsmirkedintohiscoffee,andBencouldeasilyimaginewherehis

mindhadgone.“I’mstillgoingtomissyou,though.”HebumpedBen’sshouldergently.
“I mean, I’m happy you and Jason are so good together, but… just don’t be a stranger,
yeah?”

Benrolledhiseyes,butslungandarmaroundLiam,pullinghimclose.“I’llbeabout

twenty minutes down the road, you’re not getting rid of me that easily. And at the very
leastI’llseeyoutwiceaweekattheshelterandonceforfooty.”

Liamgrinned,restinghisheadonBen’sarmforasecond.“Goodpoint.”

“Andyouknowyou’rewelcomeanytimeroundatJason’s.”

“Shouldn’tyoubesayingours,now?”

Benpulledaface.“Iguess.Butitfeelsweird.MaybewhenI’vegotallmystuffin

there,itwon’tfeelsostrange.”

“Atleasthe’salreadygotabloodytreeupthisyear.Howdidyoumanagethat?”

“Itoldhimifhedidn’tgetonethisweek,thenthetwoofuswouldgoonSaturday,

andI’dletyoupick.”

Liam laughed. “Nice one. Although to be fair, the one I got this year wasn’t that

bad.”

“BecauseIwentwithyoutoreinyouin.”

“Rubbish.”

Finishing the rest of his coffee, Ben eyed the shopping centre with disdain. The

Christmastreelookedgorgeous,andthedecorationsstrungupthroughoutthecentrewere
greatthisyear,butitwastheamountofpeoplemillingaboutinfrontofthemthatputBen
off.

Withasigh,hechuckedhiscupinthebinandstood.“Comeon.Let’sgetthisover

with.”

Twohourslater,Benwasdone.Sodone.

Theywalkedbacktothecarparkjustasthefirstflakesofsnowstartedtofall.Ben

glancedupatthesky,smilingassnowlandedonhisface.Itwasn’theavy,andprobably
wouldn’tstick,butitwasfestiveandstillanoveltydownsouth,soheenjoyeditwhileit
lasted.Astheypassedthepark,hesaid,“Rememberthistimelastyear?”

Liam’sgazedriftedtotheroad.“Yeah,poorSocks.”

Benshiveredasherememberedthescreechofthetyres.“Atleasthe’sdoingallright

now.”

“Yep.Allthingsconsidered,hecameoutofitokay.”

Socks fit in so well with Jason and Daisy, Ben couldn’t remember him not being

there.

They’d rounded the edge of the park, the car park entrance now in sight, when a

noisecaughtBen’sattention.Hestoppedandlookedaround.“Didyouhearthat?”

“What?”Liamfrowned.

“Itsoundedlikea—”

Benhearditagain,andwhenheturnedtoLiam,Liamsaid,“Likeameow?”

“Yeah.”

“Forfuck’ssake,notagain.”Liamturnedinacircle,squintingashetriedtoseeinto

the park. “I’m sure it’s fine. Just someone’s pet complaining about the snow. You know
howcatsare.”

Hewasprobablyright.

They came to the edge of the park, the car park entrance just a few feet away, and

Benwasjustthinkingaboutwhattohavefordinner,whentheyhearditoncemore.Alot
louderthistime.

“Fuckit,holdthese.”HehandedhisshoppingbagstoLiam.“I’mjustgoingtohavea

lookaround.”WhileLiamwaitedforhim,Benclimbedovertheparkrailingandscanned
theareaforanysignofthecat.

Nothingjumpedoutathim,andhewalkedbackthewaythey’dcomeforabitbefore

turningaroundandreturningtoLiam.Thestreetlightonlyilluminatedsofar,sohefished
his phone out and turned on the torch. Not that that was much better, but he waved it
aroundinanarc,strainingtoseeinthedimlightofthepark.

Anothermeow.

“Youknow,”Liamcalled,lookingofftowardsthecarpark,“Idon’tthinkit’scoming

frominthere.”HenoddedinthedirectionoftheparkwhereBenwasstood.

“Yeah, I think you’re right.” He hopped back over to Liam’s side and they walked

slowlyintothecarpark.

Ben stopped on the ground floor, head cocked to one side, sure he’d just heard

rustling.“Ithink….”Heturnedleft,followingthelowwalltothefarendofthecarpark
wheretherewerelotsofemptyspaces.“It’scomingfromoverhere.”Heshinedhistorch
outinfrontofhim,andtheybothstopped.

“Shit.”

Asmallcardboardboxsattuckedinthecorner,anothermeowcomingdirectlyfrom

it.Ben hurried overto it, Liamhot on his heels.When he croucheddown and lifted the
flaps,hisheartaboutbroke.Inside,lookingupathimwithitsbiggreeneyes,sataginger
kitten.

Whoeverhadleftithadatleastwrappeditinagreyfleeceblanketandleftitsome

food, but why the fuck hadn’t they taken it to the RSPCA. Maybe they thought it’d be
foundjustaseasilyintheshopper’scarpark.Whoknew?

Itmeowedagain,andBenquicklyscoopeditupintohisarms,blanketandall.“Shh,”

hewhispered,strokingafingergentlyoveritshead.“Noone’sgoingtohurtyou.”

The kitten looked up at him, stayed silent for a couple of seconds, then started to

kneadtheblanketandletoutsoftlittlepurringsounds.

Benwasdone.

“Comeon,let’sgetbacktothecar.”

Liamwalkedbesidehim.“It’sabitlateonintheyearforkittens.Iguessit’sallthe

mildweather.”

“Well,it’snotsomildnow,poorthing.”

“No,it’snot.”LiampluckedBen’skeysoutofhisbackpocketandunlockedthecar.

Afterputtingtheirshoppingintheboot,Liamgotinthepassengerseatandheldhishands
out.“Youcan’tdrivewiththatinyourarms.”

Forwhateverreason,Bendidn’twanttoletgoofthekitten,buthereluctantlyhanded

himtoLiam.Apartfromalittlemeowingashewaspassedover,thekittensettleddown
soonenough.

Benstartedtheengineandtheysetoff.

“Arewetakinghimtothevetsortheshelter?”Liamaskedastheypulledoutonthe

mainroad.

“Neither.”

Benpulleduponthedriveandturnedofftheengine.He’ddroppedLiamoffatthe

flatfirst,andthenmadehiswayhere,andonlynowdidhestarttowonderifthiswassuch
agoodidea.

JasonopenedthefrontdoorjustasBengotoutofthecar.“Hey.”Hewalkedtowards

Ben,withDaisyathisheels,wagginghertailasusual.“Howwastown?”

“Busy.”BenwrappedhisarmsaroundJason’swaistandleanedinforakiss.Itnever

failedtomakehisstomachflutterwheneverJasongreetedhimthisway.Daisyjumpedup
at his thigh, so he reached down to give her a quick fuss before straightening again and
meetingJason’sgaze.“Howwasyourday?”

Jason sighed, and buried his face in the crook of Ben’s neck, breathing him in.

“Hectic.Gladtobehome.”HepeeledthecollarofBen’sT-shirtasideandkissedalongthe
exposed skin. “Even better now you’re here.” He kissed him again, and Ben closed his
eyes,enjoyingtheattention.“Lockyourcarupandcomeinside.”Hesteppedback,letting
Bengo.

“Ijustneedtogetsomethingfromit,andthenI’llberightin.”

Jasonraisedbotheyebrows.“Isitapresentforme?DoIneedtogoinside?”

“Kind of.” Ben bit at his lip. “And no, you can stay out here. It’s sort of an early

one.”

Frowning, Jason glanced at the car, then back at Ben. “I can wait a few more days

youknow,I’mnotthatimpatient.”

“Iknow,but….”Takingabigbreath,heslippedhisarmsaroundJasonneck,drawing

himcloseagainforasecond.“IthinkI’vegottoknowyouprettywelloverthelastyear.”

“Ithinksotoo.”Jasoneyedhimcuriously.

Bencarriedon.“So,I’malmostcertainyou’regoingtolovethis.”

“I’msureIwill.”

“Right.” He walked backwards, facing Jason, until his arse bumped the passenger-

sidedoor.Jasonfollowed,stoppingwhenhecaughtsightofthecardboardbox.

“Ithoughtyouweren’tbringingyourstuffoveruntiltomorrow?NotthatImind,of

course,”headdedwithasmile.“ButIthoughtyou’dhavehadmoreboxes?”

“Ido,andthat’snotmystuff.Well,itkindofis,but….”

“Ben?”

Benopenedthecardoor,andhesitated.“Justrememberthatyouloveme,right?”

Jasonlaughedandcamecloseenoughtopeeroverhisshoulder.“Allright.Justshow

me.”

“Okay.” He reached into the car and opened the box. “Come on, then.” Carefully

liftingthekittenupandout,hesnuggledittohischestandturnedaroundtofaceJason.
“It’salmostChristmas.Icouldn’ttakehim,orher,totheshelter,andyou’rehereso….”
HetentativelymetJason’sgaze,onlytofinditlockedonthekitten.

Reaching to tickle him under the chin, Jason looked up, a small smile in place.

“Bring him inside.” He turned, ushering Daisy in before him. Ben locked his car and
followed.

Onceinside,Jasongesturedforhimtogointothelivingroomandsitdown.“May

I?”HewaitedforBentonodbeforereachingforthekitten.

“Heythere,littleguy,”Jasoncooedasheexaminedhim.Heglancedup.“Anditisa

he,justincaseyouwerewondering.Wheredidyoufindhim?”

“Atthebottomofthemulti-storeycarparkintown.”

Jason’s jaw clenched, but his touch on the kitten remained gentle. “I’d like to take

him into the clinic in the morning for a thorough check over, but as far as I can tell he
seemsinrelativelygoodhealth.”

Benletoutasighofrelief.“Andyou’renotmad?”

Frowning,Jasonasked,“Whatabout?”

“Bringinghimhomeinsteadoftakinghimtotheshelter.”

Jason set the kitten on his lap, where it proceeded to curl up on the bottom of his

jumper.“OfcourseI’mnotmad.”

“Good,becauseI’vebeenstrugglingtothinkofwhatpresenttogetyou,so…Merry

Christmas?”

Jasonlaughedasherolledhiseyes.“Thisischeating,youknowthat,right?”

“Why?”

“Because how am I supposed to top this?” He ran a finger down the kitten’s spine,

makinghimstretchouthispaws.

Ben grinned, warmth filling him. “Just say we can keep him, that’ll be present

enough.”

“Ofcoursewecankeephim.”Hestrokedhimagain,andquietpurrsweretheresult.

“WeneedtointroducehimtoSocks.”

“Talk of the devil.” Ben nudged Jason’s arm and pointed to the floor, where Socks

hadappeared.

HesatontherugnexttoDaisy,eyeingthenewcomer.

Jason reached down to stroke him, and Socks rubbed against his hand, then sniffed

hisfingers.Hedidn’thissorseemallthatbothered,whichhadtobeagoodsigninBen’s
opinion.

“Nowwhat?”hewhispered.

“Iwonder….”Jasongentlyliftedthekittenandsetitonthefloorbyhisfeet.

Socks watched it for a few seconds before hop-walking over to it and giving it a

tentativesniff.Benheldhisbreath,tryingnottolaughwhenthekittenarcheditsbackand
gavealittlehiss.

“Howolddoyoureckonheis?”

Jasonhmmd.“Hardtosay,butI’dguessabouteightornineweeks.”

They watched as Socks continued to sniff at the kitten, thankfully ignoring its

attemptsatbravado.

“Oh,thankfuck.”BenletoutabreathasSocksfinallydecidedthekittenwasokay,

andsetaboutcleaninghim.

Jason wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in close. “Although I

don’tadvocategivingpetsasChristmaspresents,thankyou.”

“You’rewelcome.IfiguredIcouldtrustyounottogivehimback.”

Jason smiled down at Socks and the kitten. “Not a chance.” He kissed the top of

Ben’shead,thepairofthemrelaxingbackintothesofa.“Heneedsanamethough.”

“WhataboutSpice?”

“Spice?”

Bengrinned.“Yeah,becausehe’sginger.”

Groaning,Jasonlethisheadfallbackontothecushions.“Fine,Spiceitis.”

“Ithoughtyou’dputupmoreofafight.”Heturnedhisheadtofacehim,andJason

didthesame.

“SocksandSpice.Ilikeit.”

Ben leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “I like you. A lot.” He laughed as

Jasonrolledhiseyes.“Seriously,though.Thankyouforbeingsogreataboutthis.I’venot
evenmovedinandI’malreadybringingpetsintoyourhome.

“Ourhome.Youneedtogetusedtocallingitthat.”

Kissinghimagain,Benwhispered,“Iknow.”

Ben looked down to see the kitten fast asleep on the rug, with Daisy and Socks

watchingoverhimlikeproudparents.

“Ourhome,”Bensaid,softly.Itdidn’tsoundstrangeanymore,nowhewassatthere

withJason.WhatwasIworryingabout?

Jasonbeamedathim,cuppingBen’sjawwithhisfreehand.“Iloveyou.”

“Iloveyou,too.MerryChristmas.”

“MerryChristmas.”

AbouttheAuthor

AnnabelleJacobslivesintheSouthWestofEnglandwithherthreerowdychildren,and

twocats.

Anavidreaderoffantasyherselfformanyyears,Annabellenowspendsherdayswriting

herownstories.They’reusuallyeitherfantasyorparanormalfiction,becausesheloves

buildingworldsfilledwithmagicalcreatures,andcreatingstoriesfullofactionand

adventure.Hercharactersmayhaveatoughtimeofit—fightingenemiesandadversity—

buttheyalwaysfindloveintheend.

https://annabellejacobs.com/

Twitter:@Ajacobs_fiction

Facebook:AnnabelleJacobsFiction

Email:[e-mail]

AlsobyAnnabelleJacobs

TheChoosing

TorsereSeries:

Capture

Union

Alliance

TheLycanaerisSeries:

TheAltered

TheAltered2

TheAltered3

ToyWithMe

Will&PatrickSeries:

ACasualThing

ASeriousThing

Magic&Mistletoe

ChasingShadows

AlwaysAnotherSide

TheRegent’sParkPackSeries

BittenByMistake

BittenByDesign

BittenByDesire

AllHallows’Eve

AChristmasKiss

MaybeThisTime

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SecretSanta-JayNorthcote

“Keepingsecretsisneveragoodwaytostartarelationship”

Link:

https://jaynorthcote.com/my-books/secret-santa/

DesperatelySeekingSanta–EliEaston

“HechasesastoryaboutamysteriousSantaandfindsthemanofhisdreams”

Link:

http://elieaston.com/books-by-eli-easton/desperately-seeking-santa/

LoveHappensAnyway–RJScott

“HiringaboyfriendforChristmas;whatcangowrong?”

Link:

http://rjscottauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/love-happens-anyway-coming-6-

december.html

YoursForTheHolidays–DJJamison

“Thebestgiftmayjustbethemanhelovestohate…”

Link:

http://readingdj.com/yours-for-the-holiday/

TableofContents

ChapterOne

ChapterTwo

ChapterThree

ChapterFour

ChapterFive

ChapterSix

ChapterSeven

ChapterEight

ChapterNine

ChapterTen

ChapterEleven

Epilogue

AbouttheAuthor

AlsobyAnnabelleJacobs

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