picked up his wine glass and looked at the contents for a moment. ‘There was a scene. There usually is at Christmas and birthdays—any occasion, really.’
‘What happened?’
He took a slow breath in and released it in a whoosh. ‘I didn’t like the way my parents were treating Cricket. He’s not the sort of dog you can lock outside, especially as they’d had him in the house since he was a puppy. We got into an argument and things escalated. My father’s solution was to have Cricket euthanised.’
‘Oh, no!’
‘Oh, yes.’ His look was grim. ‘I left with Cricket and drove back here and had a perfectly lovely evening with the Carstairses and their kids. It was the best and worst Christmas, if you know what I mean.’
‘I do,’ Kat said. ‘But how lovely that you’ve got him now. He adores you. It’s like he’s always been yours.’
That smile that made her insides melt was back. ‘I haven’t quite figured out the logistics of what to do with him when I go away on holidays or business,’ he said. ‘He doesn’t strike me as the boarding kennel type.’
Kat reached down to scratch Cricket underneath his chin. ‘Is your daddy calling you fussy, my sweet? You’re not a fusspot, are you? You just love the comfort of home and I don’t blame you one little bit.’
When she looked up again she caught Flynn looking at her with that odd look on his darkly handsome features. ‘What’s wrong?’ she said. ‘Why do you keep looking at me like that?’
His expression became blank. Unreadable. The stage curtains not only pulled across but the lights turned out as well. ‘How am I looking at you?’
‘I don’t know...as if you’re uncertain about something...about me.’
He reached for the wine bottle to refresh their glasses. ‘It’s just work stuff playing on my mind. Big cases, big egos, big bucks involved.’
‘I guess it’s another good reason to avoid marriage,’ Kat said. ‘You see the other side of it—the dirty and bitter side. No wonder it puts you off.’
He put the wine bottle back in the silver cooler. ‘Not all marriages end up in the divorce court. Some couples manage to last the distance, but you can never know if you and your partner are going to be the success story or the soul-destroying showdown.’
‘True,’ Kat said. ‘But do you think it’s more about good luck than good management?’
‘A bit of both, probably,’ he said. ‘When I look at your brothers and sister and their partners, I can’t imagine any of them ever wanting a divorce. But life can throw up some curve balls. Relationships can get knocked off course by all sorts of things. Bad health, financial stress, kids or the lack thereof, interfering relatives... The list is endless.’
‘I guess communication is the key,’ Kat said. ‘Being able to talk about stuff—really talk, I mean. Not locking stuff away only for it to blow out in an argument when it’s too late to fix it.’
He gave a wry smile. ‘Listen to us. The experts on the institution both of us are actively avoiding.’
Kat smiled back but for some reason it felt false. ‘Yeah, well, I didn’t rule it out entirely. Just not right now.’
A long silence passed.
All Kat could hear was the ticking of the mantle clock in the sitting room next door.
‘It’s tough finding a partner once you’re famous,’ Flynn finally said. ‘You can never know if people want you for you or for the social esteem it gives them to be associated with you. Both your brothers have struggled with that.’
‘Has Miranda experienced it too?’
‘She lost her boyfriend Mark when they were teenagers,’ he said. ‘Cancer. She hadn’t dated since. She martyred herself until Leandro whisked her away to Nice to help him sort out his late father’s estate. He’s had a thing for her for ages. Everyone could see it except Miranda.’
Another silence ticked past.
‘Does it happen to you?’ Kat asked. ‘The celebrity thing? I mean, you’re so close to the Ravensdales. Do people use you to get to them?’
‘Lovers, you mean?’ he said. ‘Occasionally, I guess. It doesn’t really bother me, to be perfectly honest.’
‘Because you only want them for sex?’
He looked at her for a beat or two. ‘Putting it baldly, yes.’
Was that all he wanted from her? Their relationship was based on the physical chemistry they had, not on anything else. No lasting bond was being formed. No future path was being laid out. No plans were being made for continuing their relationship indefinitely. ‘I guess I should count myself privileged you want me for other things as well,’ she said, and held up her hand to tick off a list. ‘Dog walking, cooking, running errands, scintillating conversation.’
His smile was a little twisted. ‘I want you for lots of reasons.’
Her insides slipped sideways at his deep and husky tone. But common sense raised a red flag. ‘You want me to go to Richard’s party,’ Kat said. ‘Be honest. That’s your primary goal. It has been from day one.’
‘I’m not denying I want you there,’ he said. ‘But it’s no longer my primary goal.’
She moistened her suddenly dry mouth. ‘What is?’
His eyes smouldered as they held hers. ‘Why don’t we clear away here and I’ll show you?’
* * *
Flynn woke from a disturbing dream later that night. It took him a moment to realise it had only been a dream. His heart was pounding, his skin was clammy and his pulse was racing like he’d had four energy drinks back to back. He had dreamt he was left alone on an island in the middle of the ocean. There was no power. No lights. No food. No shelter. No way of contacting anyone. A cruise ship was in the distance but it was too far for him to swim. There were sharks in the water. Menacing dorsal fins everywhere, circling the island. Every escape route was seething and swirling and swishing with danger.
He turned his head expecting to see Kat beside him in the bed but the space where she had been earlier was empty...well, apart from Cricket, of course. ‘What are you doing in here?’ he said. ‘You’re supposed to be sleeping in your basket downstairs.’
Cricket sank his undershot chin even lower onto his paws, his eyes taking on a beseeching look that would make anyone with half a heart think twice about removing him.
But that was the trouble. Flynn had more heart than he wanted right now. It was taking up more and more room in his chest, making him feel things he didn’t want to feel. He couldn’t explain why suddenly everything had changed when for so long he had been perfectly happy with his life. Seeing Kat arrive home earlier that evening had shown him what his life could be like if they were a couple. Not just dating or having a fling, but a committed couple.
He had been excited all day at the thought of coming home. The thought of sharing
