PROLOGUE - Seven Years Ago

​

I hate the way he looks at her.

I hate the way he takes every opportunity to be near her. Like tonight, squashing in next to her around the campfire.

I hate how he leans over and whispers something into her ear that makes her giggle.

Fuck, how I love the sound of her giggle, though.

“Jase, do you want another beer?” A cold can was tossed into my lap without me giving an answer, dragging my attention back to the present.

“Thanks, mate.” I grinned at Finn, my best friend, and popped the can open.

We’d had the most glorious week staying at a huge house near the beach in Princelake, owned by the grandparents of our friends Barney and Liam. It was the precursor to going back to college after the summer break, as well as a chance to celebrate Finn’s twenty-first birthday a few weeks early. There were eight of us in total: me, Finn, Barney, Liam, Neil, Chris, Finn’s little sister, Hollis, and her friend, Kirsty. We’d made the most of being away from our parents and having the holiday we wanted, sleeping late, getting drunk, having adventures and barbeques on the beach, and generally enjoying ourselves. No responsibilities, no deadlines, no pressure.

Except, during the week, I’d watched Neil getting cosy with Hollis on more than one occasion. The more the week had worn on, the more I’d noticed how I wasn’t okay with it. Somehow, he’d always managed to nab the seat next to her at meals or laid his towel down right by her when we’d been sunbathing and swimming. A couple of years younger than Finn and me, Hollis should have been the annoying little sister I’d never had. But she was far from being that, and I was starting to see her in a different way.

“I can’t believe it’s our last night.” Liam sighed and blew a smoke ring in the air, watching it disperse and evaporate. “I don’t want to go home.”

“Me neither.” Hollis nodded in agreement. “This week has been bliss. I’ve almost forgotten about all the essays that are due on my first day back at uni.”

Finn wagged a finger at her. “You told me you’d finished them. It’s the only reason you were allowed to come.”

“Sucker.” She poked her tongue out at him, and instantly, Neil was at her side, murmuring something to her that none of the rest of us could hear, his fingers brushing over her bare thigh, lingering a little too long for my liking. Her giggle sounded again, cheeks reddening at whatever he’d just said.

The sun started to dip down, signalling the end of our last evening.

“Come on, who’s up for one last swim before we have to go home?” Barney laughed as he stripped off his shirt and started running towards the water.

Finn, Liam, Chris, and Kirsty followed, laughing and screaming as they hit the waves, splashing water at each other. I glanced over at Hollis and Neil.

She shook her head, taking a sideways look at Neil. “I think I’m going to stay here.”

Neil slung an arm around her shoulder. “I’ll sit with you. Wouldn’t want you getting lonely.”

I bit my tongue, wanting to say, she doesn’t need you; I can stay. But I stayed silent. It wasn’t my place to interfere, no matter how much I wanted to. Reluctantly, I pulled off my T-shirt and tossed it onto my towel, heading down to the shore to join the others.

The week’s weather had been unbelievable: beautiful sunshine, rarely a cloud in the sky, and a lot of hot, hot heat. But as we messed around in the sea, the sky began to darken, and threatening clouds emerged. Less than a minute later, a total deluge of rain lashed down, sending us scampering back to grab our stuff before it got too wet.

As we got closer to Hollis and Neil, I saw they were standing, his hands resting on her shoulders, her face upturned. We weren’t close enough to hear what they were saying, but Neil shook his head, mouthing something I couldn’t make out. Hollis stood on her tiptoes and tried to kiss him, but he gently pushed her away. She hesitated for a moment, then swiped a hand across her face and ran off.

What the fuck?

We reached him, and I watched as he shook his head and laughed.

Finn frowned. “What’s going on? Why did Hollis try to kiss you, and why did she run away?”

Neil puffed out his chest. “Seems your sister has a little crush on me. Asked me if I wanted her to be my girlfriend.”

“How did you answer that?”

“How do you think? Come on, she’s just a kid. Why would I be interested in her?”

“You’ve spent a lot of this week looking like you’re interested in her.” I squared up to him. “You’ve barely let her out of your sight.”

He tilted his head, a sneer crossing his face. “And you noticed that? Sure you aren’t the one who has a thing for Finn’s little sister?”

I’m beginning to think I am…

Instantly, Finn wrestled his way between us, shoving me backwards. I stumbled on the sand and landed unceremoniously on my arse, watching the scene unfold in front of me.

“Jase is right,” Finn hissed. “Don’t think I haven’t seen what’s been going on between the two of you all week.”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen. She was the one flirting with me the whole time.”

“That makes it all right, does it? You could have said something sooner instead of leading her on and encouraging her.” Finn jabbed a finger into Neil’s chest.

“Guys, do you reckon we could do this back at the house? It’s freezing out here, and Kirsty is getting cold.” Chris had his arms wrapped around Hollis’s friend.

“Do what you want; this doesn’t have anything to do with you unless you know where Hollis has run off to.” Finn barely took his gaze away from Neil.

The two of them picked up their stuff and disappeared. Barney and Liam also looked like they would rather be anywhere else, but loyalty to Finn probably made them stay. I got to my feet in case Finn needed backup because this whole situation had the potential to turn nasty.

“What are you going to do, Finn? Make sure Hollis stays single for the rest of her life?” Neil pushed Finn’s hand away, but the two of them were still nose-to-nose.

“If it means keeping her away from pricks like you, then yes.” He shoved Neil in the chest, but Neil retaliated by attempting to throw a swift uppercut to Finn’s jaw.

Stunned, Finn staggered backwards, pausing for a moment as if to figure out his next move. That turned out to be wrestling Neil to the floor and aiming punches at his head. Without another thought, Barney and I jumped towards the pair, dragging them off each other. There was no need for it to end this way, no matter how angry Finn felt.

“You’re crazy.” Neil spat blood onto the sand.

“What? You’re not for leading on my sister? Pretending to be interested in her, only to humiliate her in front of her friends.” 

I pulled Finn away from him before any more blood got spilt.

“Let it go, Finn. He’s not worth it.” I muttered although I wasn’t sure whether I was trying to convince my friend or myself. I still wasn’t comfortable with what had happened either.

Neil wrestled himself out of Barney’s grip and swiped his belongings from the wet sand. “Forget it, I’m leaving.” He turned his back and began walking in the same direction Chris and Kirsty had gone in.

“Good. You can find your own way home.” Finn called after him. “Go on, fuck off.” He dropped his head, studying the sand for a moment before he jerked his chin up.

I could sense the rage simmering from Finn as he pointed first to me, then Barney, then Liam.

“Any of you go anywhere near my sister, lay a finger on her, or mess with her head, you’re dead to me. Forever. Got it?”

We all nodded vigorously, not daring to speak.

“Now go and find her before it really gets dark.”

The four of us dispersed, each heading in a different direction.

Finn’s words swirled around my head as I headed towards the house. Of course, I’d noticed something going on between Hollis and Neil but hadn’t said anything to Finn. If I’d have mentioned it sooner, he could have had a word, nipped it in the bud, and we wouldn’t be here now. But I’d only noticed it because I’d been battling with my own developing feelings for Hollis. Finn had made it abundantly clear that nothing could ever happen between us unless I wanted to end our friendship. I had to push any thoughts like that out of my mind.

When I got back to the house, I headed to the back door to let myself in with the key that was usually hidden in a plant pot by it. As I stepped onto the decking, a noise stopped me in my tracks. Glancing to one side, I saw Hollis hunched up in a ball, her shoulders heaving as she tried to choke back her sobs.

I rushed over to her, at the same time glad to have found her but also concerned at her fragile state. “You’re drenched.”

She raised her head, her big eyes damp with tears. “I couldn’t find the spare key.”

Fumbling in the pot beneath the leaves of the overgrown plant, at first, I couldn’t find it either. Then I lifted the pot to see it nestling underneath. “I bet Liam thought that was a better place to hide it.” 

Hollis shivered. “He’s never been good at thinking.”

“Let’s get you inside. You must be freezing.” I took in her jean shorts, bikini top, and thin cotton top that had turned see-through, giving me the opportunity to fix on her nipples. Screwing up my eyes for a moment, I tried to rid my mind of the image and concentrated on getting us both inside in the warmth instead. I wrestled with the lock, but finally, the patio door slid open. I ushered Hollis inside, and she darted towards the downstairs bedroom she and Kirsty were sharing, slamming the door behind her.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I fired off a message.

Jase: I found her. She’s at the house.

Finn: Is she okay?

Jase: Soaked from the rain and shut herself in her room.

Finn: At least she’s there. I’ll message the others, and we’ll come back now.

Jase: Do you know where Neil went? I don’t think he’s here, otherwise he would have let Hollis in.

Finn: Don’t know. Don’t care.

I gave it a few moments before going over to the closed door and gently knocking on it. “Hollis? Are you okay in there?”

“No.” Her voice was muffled. “I can’t find any clean clothes.”

My mouth tipped up into a grin. She couldn’t have been feeling too awful if the worst of her concerns were over a lack of clothing. Instead of answering her straight away, I jogged upstairs to the room Finn and I had been sharing all week. I dug into my backpack and pulled out a T-shirt before returning downstairs and tapping on the door again. “Maybe I can help?”

Hollis opened the door a few inches, still blinking back tears, damp hair falling over her shoulders. “I’m a mess.”

Despite her protestations, at that moment, I thought she was anything but. I held the shirt out to her. “Here.”

A small smile played on her lips. “Your mate has just made the biggest fool out of me, and you brought me a T-shirt?”

I shrugged. “I can find you chocolate, as well, if you want.”

She shook her head. “Don’t bother. Me and Kirsty pigged out on it all this afternoon. She just got her period, which is why we didn’t come out with you guys. We needed some girl time. I’m going to need to go on a diet as soon as I get back to uni.” 

While that was way too much information for me to know about Kirsty, I thought it was sweet of her to suggest they stay at home instead of forcing her to go out. Hollis always thought about other people. The bedroom door swung open, and I feasted my eyes on her, dressed in just shorts and the bikini top now. I swallowed as she took the T-shirt from me and shook it out. A giggle escaped her, and she clapped a hand over her mouth.

“What?”

“A Hollister T-shirt?”

I hadn’t realised the exact shirt I’d picked out, only that I knew the ones in my backpack hadn’t been worn. Taking a closer look, I realised I’d chosen a forest-green Hollister one. Thinking quickly, I improvised. “You’re always saying you can never get anything with your name on it, and that’s the closest I could get at short notice.”

Hollis gave me a soft smile, her eyes glittering. “Thank you, Jase. It’s really sweet of you.” She pulled it over her head, the material enveloping her body but not hiding her shapeliness. “Much warmer now.”

“No problem, princess. My pleasure.”

I’m such a goner.

And I’m totally fucked if Finn ever finds out what I feel for his sister.