The Complete Red-Hot And Historical Collection. Kelly Hunter

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      Scott clunked his beer glass on the table. Loud enough to make Amy, sitting beside him, jump.

      ‘Kate—not Katie,’ he said. And then he turned back to Willa as though he hadn’t just bowled that out loud and livid enough for everyone to marvel at, and asked, ‘When’s Luke coming home?’

      After a stunned moment, Willa gathered herself enough to speak. ‘No immediate plans, as far as I’m aware. He’s in the middle of a deal in Singapore he won’t tell me anything about. Confidential, apparently.’

      ‘Confidential,’ Amy repeated, but the tone of her voice—all dark, when Amy was basically the brightest, shiniest girl in the world—made Kate wonder if perhaps she wasn’t the only one hitting the cocktails a little too hard.

      ‘Yeah,’ Willa said, a little uneasily. ‘He’s like a clam about stuff like that.’

      Amy looked straight at Scott. ‘But you know.’

      ‘About Singapore?’ Scott asked. ‘Nope.’

      ‘Not Singapore. I mean what happened at Weeping Reef.’

      Kate wondered what she was missing and looked around at the others. Willa was looking startled—everyone else confused.

      Scott half sighed, half laughed, winced. ‘I think we all know what happened at Weeping Reef.’

      ‘I knew he’d told you. You know—at Willa’s party—when you said that…that thing about a gentleman never telling a lady’s secrets.’

      Nobody spoke.

      ‘Amy,’ Scott said into the awkward pause, ‘if you think I have a lady’s secret to tell—one that doesn’t involve me getting up to no good with a hooker called Lorelei…’ He waited while everyone at the table except a cringing Kate and a startled-looking Amy laughed. ‘Then please fill me in. Otherwise I’m going to go and fulfil my obligation to that clutch of hens—or flock, or brood, or whatever the hell a group of chickens is called. The ones who donated a chair to our cause when I first arrived.’

      He waited, watching Amy, who was blinking, stunned.

      ‘Right, I’ll take that as a no, then,’ he said, and stood. ‘Give me fifteen minutes,’ he said to the group at large.

      ‘Yeah—as if!’ Jessica said as he was sucked into the crowd. ‘It will only take him five minutes, max, to sort out his next one-night stand. He has the gift.’

      But Amy was looking at Willa, dazed and confused. ‘Luke really didn’t…?’

      Willa slid off Rob’s lap and into Scott’s vacated chair, right next to Amy, and took Amy’s hand. ‘No, Amy. He really didn’t.’

      ‘Well…wow!’ Amy said.

      Brodie turned to Kate. ‘We seem to be a little out of this loop, Kate. Shall we join the few brave souls venturing onto the dance floor?’

      Kate had a feeling Scott wouldn’t like her dancing with Brodie.

      But, then again, Scott was in the process of picking up a drunken bed partner on a hen night.

      And he’d told Brodie she was all his.

      And Scott didn’t love her.

      And he never would.

      And she wanted to die.

      What was one dance stacked against all that?

      ‘Sure,’ she said.

      Brodie led her onto the small dance floor. Without any hesitation—and completely ignoring the fact that every other couple on the floor was dancing without touching—he took Kate in his arms.

      ‘What’s going on?’ Brodie asked, without preamble.

      ‘What do you mean?’

      ‘You and Scott. Am I going to get my teeth smashed in for dancing with you?’

      ‘No. But I don’t think the threat of that scares you or you wouldn’t have asked me to dance, would you?’

      No answer. He simply pulled her a little closer.

      ‘So, Brodie, why did you ask me to dance?’

      ‘Because I love Scott.’

      ‘I don’t—’

      ‘And don’t tell me you don’t know what I mean, because you do.’

      There was a pause as she silently acknowledged the truth of that. ‘He won’t care that I’m dancing with you. He’s not the jealous type. Not with me anyway.’ She sighed and settled her head on Brodie’s comfortable shoulder. ‘We’re not…meant.’

      ‘Why not?’

      Kate ran through the reasons in her head and chose the least painful one she could think of. ‘For a start, he’s too young for me.’

      She heard the laugh rumble through Brodie’s chest. ‘Scott hasn’t been too young since he popped out of the womb—when he no doubt emerged not crying, just calmly looking around and wondering how to get fed without having to ask for help.’

      Kate choked on a sudden giggle. ‘That does sound like him.’

      ‘Yep—everything calculated, everything his way, no drama, no demands, keep your distance. He has more self-control than anyone I’ve ever met. Too much.’ Pause. ‘I’ve only ever seen him lose it once.’

      ‘I know about Chantal,’ Kate said, looking up at him.

      ‘Yeah, I figured you did. And if he told you that—’

      ‘No,’ Kate interrupted. ‘He didn’t tell me. He doesn’t get personal. Not with me.’

      ‘Ah.’

      ‘Yes, “ah”.’

      ‘But you want him to?’

      ‘What would be the point, when he’s off picking someone up for the night?’

      ‘Except that he’s not.’

      ‘Well, who knows?’

      ‘I do. Because if he was doing that he wouldn’t be heading this way looking like he’s about to deck me, would he?’

      ‘What?’ Kate squeaked, and Brodie spun them so she could see Scott as he approached.

      ‘I wonder if he’s about to cause the second scene of his life?’ Brodie asked, not seeming at all concerned. ‘Let’s hope so.’

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