Ashton Hill Valentines

How he had fantasised about that mouth, and those lips wrapped around him and... He shook himself clear of the image and the fog that had invaded his brain and affected his body like he was a teenager again. "Shit!" he cursed himself. It had to be all this lovey-dovey Valentine's Day paraphernalia around town affecting him so badly. It was hard not to get caught up in the romance of the festival that this town took as their own.

"Looking for trouble, soldier?" Lara asked as he finally stepped up to the bar. She'd seen him come in all clean-cut, boy next door, wholesomeness in a hard-bodied, super sexy package. He didn't have to look for trouble, he was trouble, she decided. Just like his twin brother who had arrived fifteen minutes ago looking as dangerous as his reputation, with his scruffy, leather-clad, bad boy look. For twins, the brothers couldn't be more different in how they chose to appear to others.

"I'm a civilian now, and I don't look for trouble," Jack said in even easy tones as he schooled his features.

"No, I guess you don't," she said considering him. "Your brother, on the other hand," she looked toward the corner where Harry sat. "He's a different story, isn't he?"

Jack turned and looked at Harry. He was sitting with his back to the wall bullshitting with a couple of friends from high school. Catching Jack's look, Harry tipped his beer bottle in greeting and Jack inclined his head in reply. He'd come back knowing his brother would be here this time and was looking forward to spending some time with his twin. Family gatherings and special occasions were few and far between over the last decade, and he was glad to have this time with him, even if it was for the festival.

"Harry doesn't look for trouble either," Jack said in defence of his brother.

"He doesn't have to," she said, still looking past him to Harry with a definite interest in her gaze that made Jack jealous, though he knew he had no right to be. "I bet trouble finds him," she gave a small tinkling laugh.

It did, Jack admitted. That was Harry, impetuous and head-strong. Always ready to prove himself, ready and willing to go after what he wanted, no holds barred. While, unlike Harry, Jack was cautious, he was more patient and content to wait things out and take them as they came. Usually, that was. Usually, he was patient. Usually, he was content to sit back and watch the world unfurl, and he was never, ever jealous of his brother... Usually.

The thing was that he didn't like being looked through, or passed over. Not for any man. Especially not for Harry, especially not from the girl who had invaded his dreams again recently. The one woman he'd always wanted and never been able to approach for some reason. Bad timing, mostly, but that was beside the point.

He shifted forward and waited until she focused her attention back on him and then leaned down so he could speak directly in her ear, close enough that he could see her eyes widen and heard the small gasp of breath at his invasion of her personal space. He kept his voice low and deep.

"I don't look for trouble, but I know how to handle it when it comes my way," he murmured softly, but was sure she heard. As he leaned back, she raised an eyebrow at him, and her lips, those lips he dreamed of, turned up with a small grin.

"Just make sure any trouble you handle doesn't happen here at Kelly's. I've been warned about you," she said, her voice seeming to catch slightly.

"You've been warned about me?" he asked. Lara had said that last time he was home, but he let it go without reminding her.

"We," she gestured to the other bartender and the waitress who was standing close by, "Were warned about the Daredevil Delaney's." She paused as a customer held up his empty glass, and she poured him a fresh beer. "I guess Ms Kelly is still holding a grudge for the last time you two were here together."

"We," Jack indicated Harry, mirroring her action before continuing as she exchanged the beer she had poured for money, "Paid for the damages, even though it wasn't our fault." The damages had been extensive, four tables, six chairs, the door to the restroom and countless glasses had all been broken that night, and he knew it was something they wouldn't live down in a hurry.

"No?" she raised that perfect eyebrow again. It was one of the tricks she had taught herself for dealing with men like the Delaney Twins. "You were just innocent bystanders caught up in a random barfight?"

"More like targets," he grumbled, not liking that she thought so badly of him. "A couple of guys wanted to prove they could take us on," he said defensively.

"And you wanted to prove them wrong? Men," she shook her head. "Such fragile egos."

"I don't have anything to prove, and my ego is just fine," he assured her.

"Yet you fought them anyway," she accused.

"Harry needed me," he shrugged.

"Don't tell me the big bad rebel without a cause couldn't handle himself in a fight?" she scoffed.

"He can, but when the fifth guy jumped in I thought I would help even up the odds," he gave a half smile. She shook her head and was about to say something pithy when she stopped and looked at him, her eyes widening.

"Wait... you and your brother took on five guys?" she asked.

"Something like that," he shrugged. Being outnumbered was nothing new to either his brother or himself.

"Something like that? So, there was more?" she asked in surprise.

"You do know Harry is SAS, right?" he said as if that explained everything.

"Yes, I, and everyone around here, know you both are, or were," she served another customer as she spoke, pouring rum into a glass and topping it up with coke. "Even all these years later the Daredevil Delaney's are still the talk of the town. And now you're back for the Centenary of the Valentine's Festival where you can impress all your small-town friends with your adventures," she said, trying not to make it sound as sarcastic as she felt.

"You keeping tabs on us, Lara?" he teased.

"Steady on that ego there, soldier. Everyone knows. This is a small town, remember. Everyone knows everything about everyone," Lara rolled her eyes.

"That bothers you?" he asked, noting her suddenly withdraw and her eyes become hard.

"I'm an open book," she said blithely after a moment, "A busy one," she pointed out and grabbed a bottle of the beer his brother was drinking and slid it across the bar to him. "On the house. I'm sure your brother and friends have waited long enough to enjoy your company." When he didn't take it immediately, she added. "Enjoy your evening at Kelly's."

"It was great to see you again, Lara," he said, knowing he'd been dismissed and rarely staying where he wasn't wanted. He took the beer and walked away without looking back wondering how that conversation could have gone any worse.

*****

Lara was shaken, but she tried not to show it as she went about the business of serving the other customers. She'd used every trick she knew to gain the upper hand and stay in control while talking to Jackson Delaney, and there was only one problem, she couldn't breathe near him. It was like the intensity of his gaze had sucked all of the air out of her lungs and the room. It was beyond irritating, and she berated herself as she placed her hands on the solid wood bar between her and the customers. It hadn't felt that solid when Jackson was on the other side of it.

'Men, can't live with them, can't live without them. Can't ever let them get the upper hand,' she reminded herself for the millionth time. Still, she couldn't help seeking him out in the crowded tap room. Jack had always been handsome enough at school, from what she could remember, but, now, with his super short brown hair, clean shaven square jaw and deep blue eyes, his face had that strong, silent, one of the good guys look... If you liked that sort of thing. She didn't, she told herself, but as her eyes fell on him once again, she had to admit that on him the look worked well; really, really, well.

He could have been a model in one of those firefighter calendars, a real-life hero, as such. He certainly had the body for it. The crisp button-down shirt and faded jeans only made him look that much sexier, as it did nothing to hide the hard body beneath the fabric. She guessed he was a real-life hero, out there saving people every day with Search and Rescue. 'Why did he have to come back for the festival?' she grumbled. Festival time, when everything about this town screamed romance and love and being part of a couple. She wished, not for the first time, that she lived in a normal town where she could blissfully ignore Valentine's Day and all the connotations that came with it.

Her eyes strayed to his brother, Harrison. Harry, she corrected herself. Similar in looks, but not identical, he didn't hold the same intensity as Jack, and looked more relaxed and at ease as he laughed and joked with their friends. She remembered that group of boys, now men, from their school days. Though they didn't run with the same crowds at the high school, even though the High School serviced a greater area than just Ashton Hill, it still wasn't big enough that you couldn't know all your classmates. Those boys had been friendly enough, an odd mix of personalities and abilities. Yet they looked like they all still loved each other in the same do or die way of the young. She had left turning her back on her school friends, she certainly hadn't renewed any friendships with them since returning.

Lara gave herself a jolt. She hadn't always been smart when it came to men, but those times were in her past, and she was rebuilding her life now. The last thing she needed was a knight in shining armour type to come and rescue her from her dismal life by romancing her just for the festival and then leaving again. They all left, eventually. She was learning to stand on her own two feet, and she was managing quite well on her own, thank you very much.

The fact that he'd stolen her breath and her mouth had dried when he said her name was beside the point. She had to stop seeking him out in the crowd. She knew his type. She knew men. He may have acted as if he wanted to get to know her and asking if small town chatter bothered her, but she could guarantee that was the last thing on his mind. Any curiosity he may have about her, about who she really was and what she really wanted; her hopes, her dreams, her ambitions, would fall by the wayside once he got wanted he wanted. Men didn't want inside her head, they wanted inside her pants.

These days she only let men see what she wanted them to see and told herself she no longer wished for or needed more. She'd dismissed him from the conversation they'd been having and, to give him credit, he had taken the hint. She was the one who did the pushing and walking away these days, and she didn't trust anyone to stick around, so why bother pretending just for a quick fuck and all the lovely endorphins that came from that. She imagined he'd be good in bed and felt her face heat. The thought made her eyes seek him out again, but she shook her head and firmly turned away. She made herself concentrate on work. She had plans and dreams, and she didn't need a man in her life to make them happen.

*****

Jack made the shot to end the game and sat back watching his brother at the bar. The giant blonde bartender, Steve, was serving him as Lara disappeared into the kitchen. Something was going on there, and he couldn't quite work out what. When he returned, Harry placed the jug on the table and turned to Eric.

"When did Lara Collingwood get back?" Harry asked Eric once he knew his brother was listening. Eric notoriously knew all the town gossip.

"Six months ago. She was in an accident, from what I hear. Her mother moved away a few years ago though, so I'm not sure why she chose to come back here," he shrugged.

Harry surveyed his brother's reaction and glanced at the bar. It seemed like Lara still had the 'don't touch' rule attached to her. He wondered if his brother would finally have the guts to do something about it this time. The man was a freaking hero and not short on courage, but when it came to Lara, he could never quite ask her out, and it amused Harry to see his brother still pinning away after his high school crush ten years later.

"It's great we're all here for the festival this year," Daniel said, as Harry accepted a pool cue from Byron, who'd lost the previous match. There were six of them who had been friends since kindergarten, and, while they would always be friends, Jack wasn't sure about coming back to deal with them all on a regular basis. He'd been granted the leave to be an advisor to Paul Ashton on his aeromedical project. It was an amazing thing he was doing for the community, and Jack couldn't, in good conscience, walk away completely, but he wasn't sure he wanted to move back to his hometown for good.

"Yep, all of us, we've been here for over an hour now, Dan," Harry said, leaning back against the wall, constantly surveying the tap room of the pub between shots. The time passed with more beer and pool balls sinking as the friends laughed, joked and generally insulted each other.

"That is Lola Muldoon," Lance leaned toward Jack and murmured, pointing out a big busted brunette who walked past them to the ladies' room and was definitely checking Jack out. "I've asked her out four times, but she was definitely checking you out, you should go for it."

"Nope," Jack shook his head.

"Why not?" Lance looked crestfallen. If he couldn't get the girl, he knew one of his buddies could.

"Harry dated her, she's in the no-go zone for me," Jack shrugged.

"That's ridiculous!" Lance spluttered.

"It is what it is," Harry said unconcernedly. He and his brother had made the deal at the ripe old age of thirteen when Jack had first laid eyes on Lara Collingwood. The fact that he still hadn't made a move on her irked Harry, for some reason. He considered that Jack could have made a move, and she'd brushed him off. He'd never said anything, but then Jack wasn't a big talker.

"A lot of stuff we did back then was ridiculous," Jack murmured as he lined up a shot, determined to clear the table before giving his brother another chance to beat him. "We didn't get the nickname for being smart."

"Daredevil Delaney's, neither of you could ever refuse a challenge," Byron chuckled. "We should have a challenge for the Festival. It's been over a year since the two of you were home together. An interesting challenge that will be fun and can be decided by the festival."

"Grow up, we're not kids anymore," Jack grumbled.

"Come on," Eric encouraged, "It's what we do, it's all part of the legend that made our class the best to graduate from Ashton High. You can't just retire the Daredevil Delaney's."

The friends all started to list off the various dares they'd done over the years, both at school and afterwards, and Jack had to admit it was a pretty impressive list, as was the number of broken bones and ice cream headaches that ensued. He'd broken his ankle badly in a jump from the top of Juliette Falls.

"I've got the perfect challenge," Daniel, who could never hold his beer, lurched to his feet. "Just hear me out," he raised his hands as Harry was about to shut him down.

"I think we've outgrown being dumbasses," Jack stepped in seeing his brother's sidelong glance. They always had each other's backs when they were together; which admittedly wasn't often since leaving home.

"We can't have a reunion of the gang without a challenge. Let's hear Dan out," Eric said with a compromising tone. "It's not often Dan gets ideas, it would be cruel to take this one away from him," he chuckled, knowing full well that Harry, at least, could never walk away from a challenge. It was who he was at his core: a daredevil who lived on adrenaline and sex.

"Thanks," Daniel rolled his eyes. "But this is perfect. Remember the one girl we all wanted to date in high school? The one everyone wanted to take to the Valentine's Day Festival?"

"No," Harry said. As far as he was concerned, he had dated everyone he had wanted to in high school, and some he didn't, if he was honest. He saw Jack's gaze shift towards the bar, however, and understood immediately. "Lara Collingwood!" he blurted. "She's in the no-go zone for me."

"You dated her?" Daniel turned his bleary eyes gaze on Jack.

"No," he admitted.

"Then there's no problem, it's an open field," Daniel looked smug.

"We don't bet on sex!" Harry said, adamantly coming to his brother's rescue again.

"Not sex, a date!" Daniel hastened to assure him. "A fully clothed, lights on, PG rated date to the Valentine Festival Ball with lots of people around. Nothing sexy about that," he said, looking hopefully between the brothers. Tension radiated off Jack, and Harry moved to stay his hand as he curled it into a fist.

"We don't treat women like a game, Dan," Harry said seriously, making the others look at the brothers, then jump to Daniels defence.

"It's a date," Eric said, "A PG-rated date with good company and no expectation of a kiss even. She said she wasn't coming, so if one of you two can convince the princess to attend, even as just a friend, you win. How's that?"

"Can't get more respectful than that," Lance shrugged. "Shit, if she hadn't turned me down twice already I'd be in on the challenge."

"A PG-rated date?" Jack said, straightening from his stance at the table. Harry could still feel the tension radiating off him, but was less worried that he would hit one of their friends now.

"That's it, just escort the lovely Lara Collingwood to the Valentine Ball on the last night of the festival, that's all you have to do. It's not like I am expecting you to take her to the festival as a couple," Daniel said dramatically. "Challenged issued." He said formally, too drunk to realise he had almost had his nose broken by Jack.

"It's better than drinking raw eggs," Harry said after the brother's eyes met and he saw something he couldn't read in Jack's. He found it very hard, almost impossible to walk away once a challenge had been declared.

"Yeah, okay," Jack said grudgingly, not sure that this was going to end well for anyone.

"Challenge accepted," Harry said seriously, and he watched his brother's gaze turn back toward Lara with a strange look on his face.

*****

Chapter 3

The crowd in the bar was thinning as people who had to work the next day started to head home. Lara breathed a sigh of relief. She was closing tonight and needed her fifteen-minute break that she should have taken hours ago, except that with the centenary of the Valentine Festival there were a lot more people in town meeting up and reliving old memories.

She signalled to Steve, the other bartender, that she was taking her break, and walking through the kitchen stepped out into the laneway beside the pub. She took a deep breath of clean, clear air and sighed. Staying in the shadow of the laneway, she looked out onto the road as a few more customers moved out into the night air. She recognised one of the Delaney twins and moved closer. From a distance, they were hard to tell apart. She watched him saunter across the road toward the laneway beside the bakery and stop dead in his tracks. There was a yelp, and as if in slow motion she saw Carly bowled over by the brick wall that was Harrison Delaney.

'Should she go and help?' she asked herself after watching two boxes of sweet temptations sail into the air.

"Oh god, catch them!" Carly cried out. Harry was quick, Lara gave him that, but his razor-sharp reflexes chose to save the woman, not her boxes, and he scooped her up from the point where her too high heels gave way, and she had begun to fall, pulling her up against him to steady her. With a wail of dismay rather than a thank you to her rescuer, she fell to her knees and began to scrabble around in the semi-dark to pick up the naughty chocolates Lara knew she had been working on that night.