“What is it?”
“A secret.” Jonty looked round the room. “Has it changed since you were a child?”
Devan snorted. “I suspect the dirty magazines are no longer under the bed.”
Jonty bent to look, then stood up and sighed. “Damn. No.”
“New curtains, new carpet, new bed, new wallpaper, new pictures on the walls. Those shelves held my books. I had a desk underneath with my computer. I spent hours trying to hack into places that I shouldn’t.”
“Did you succeed?”
“I might have done.”
He took Jonty’s hand and tugged him over to the window. “Same view though.”
Jonty’s jaw dropped as he took in the walled garden of fruit trees and vegetable plots, and out to rolling fields and a lake and woods and a river winding its shining way to the sea, which was a glistening line in the distance.
“Is that all yours?”
“Not the river or the sea.”
Jonty laughed.
“My father has a tenant farmer who grows crops in the fields. I think it’s winter wheat in there now.”
“How did you get any work done with this to look at?”
Devan smiled. “I was more interested in the magazines under the bed. Now help me hide all these presents under there and in the wardrobe. Three of my nephews and nieces think Santa will be coming down the chimney tonight, not members of the family creeping down the stairs once we’re sure they’re asleep.”
The pang of sadness that hit Jonty then was a physical pain in his chest. He turned away from Devan in case he gave himself away. It wasn’t that his father hadn’t given him presents at Christmas; he had, but not many and usually only clothes and books. But more often than not, his father worked over the holiday and had left Jonty with the TV for company. Though at least Jonty got to watch what he wanted.
After they’d moved the gifts out of sight, Devan caught hold of him and pulled him close.
“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry or ask if I’m all right,” Jonty mumbled into Devan’s chest.
“I’m sorry. Are you all right?”
Jonty kicked his shin.
Devan flinched, then tightened his hold. “I know you didn’t have any of this. It was one of the reasons I didn’t want to come. You were the one who said you’d like to be part of a family Christmas.”
“I wasn’t thinking. You should have told me no.”
Devan smiled. “I don’t want to deny you anything.”
Jonty growled. “You need to learn to say no to some things. And before you ask, not chocolate.”
“You matter to me and not this.”
“This is your family. You think I’m sorry that you had people who loved you? Of course I’m not. I’m happy that you were happy. I’m just a bit jealous and I’m not used to feeling that. And it makes me remember stuff that I’d rather not remember, but that’s my problem, not yours. I don’t…”
Devan dragged his fingers through Jonty’s short bleached hair and held the back of his head. “Didn’t we have something to do?”
Jonty could feel Devan’s cock pressing into him. “Did we?”
“Yes, we did.”
“What? I can’t remember. Remind me.”
There was a loud knock at the door and they sprang apart.
“Can I come in?”
“My brother, Cato.”
“Say no,” Jonty whispered.
“He isn’t going to listen.”
“We’re having sex,” Jonty shouted.
Devan rolled his eyes. “That’s not going to stop him.”
Chapter Two
Devan was trying to tug his grey sweater over the bulge in his jeans as his brother Cato walked in.
“When you knock, you wait,” Devan said. “We could have been naked.”
“That would have made my day.” Cato walked right up and flung his arms around him. “It’s been too long.” Cato turned his gaze on Jonty and smiled. “Hello.”
“Smiling at my boyfriend like that makes me realise it’s been nowhere near long enough. Jonty, say goodbye to Cato.”
Jonty stuck out his hand but Cato pulled him into his arms and hugged him.
Devan wrenched him off. “You’re not allowed to hug my boyfriend for longer than you hugged me.”
Cato laughed. “But he’s cute.”
He lifted his hand as if he were going to stroke Jonty’s cheek and Devan smacked it away. “No touching.”
Cato’s face fell. “I didn’t mean…”
Devan wanted to kick himself. “I know. Sorry.”
“He’s very possessive,” Jonty said. “He won’t even share his Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut.”
“There was one bowlful left and you know how much I like them.”
“But you like me more.” Jonty let out a dramatic gasp. “You don’t like me more?”
Cato chuckled.
“He sneaks them by the handful and thinks I don’t notice,” Jonty said.
“How the hell do you know?” Devan frowned.
“I mark the packet.”
“Shit.”
“You two look like twins,” Jonty said.
Devan caught the gleam in Cato’s eyes and groaned.
“Would—?”
“No,” Devan snapped, interrupting his brother before he suggested what he thought he was going to suggest. Cato’s sexual exploits were worthy of Pornhub.
Cato’s lips quirked. “Would you say I look as old as Dev or he looks as young as me?”
“You look two years younger than Devan.”
“Did—?” Cato glanced at him.
“Yes, he knows how old you are.” Devan sighed.
“Forty-two.” Jonty beamed.
“The answer to everything.” Cato nodded. “How old are you?”
“Forty-two.”
Devan did not like the way his brother was eyeing Jonty, even though he knew Cato was just trying to wind him up. But then he’d thought he could trust Griff, their younger brother, and it had turned out that he couldn’t. Cato might be a hound, but he’d never do what Griff had done. In any case, Devan trusted Jonty and the last thing he wanted to do was appear overly possessive. Jonty had already had to deal with a guy like that.
“What do you do for a living?” Cato asked.
“I’ve practised this answer.” Jonty coughed. “Make the impossible, possible.”
“Wow. I am in awe.” Cato grinned.
“I teach unfit people how to surf. I tempt walkers to buy my biscuits. I make beachcombings into things of beauty. I make Devan smile. That’s what I like doing best. I’m training to welcome, confirm, assist, inform, understand, provide, suggest and guide. But not to make sex videos because Devan said not to.”
Cato roared with laughter.
“The training part is being a hotel concierge,” Jonty said. “I was one, but I haven’t been for a few months, though I will be again by the summer. Then not by the end of the summer.”
Even Devan had trouble following that.
“When you’re actually being a concierge, do you like it?” Cato asked.