The Summer Deal (Wildstone #5)(45)

Brynn stared at him for a long beat. “That’s why you guys stopped coming to summer camp that year. She got sick.”

He nodded. “She had a hard time with the recovery and several bad infections, and I didn’t want to go away, because she needed me. We didn’t know until later that it probably was because the kidney was far from an ideal match. She’s back on dialysis, which means sitting still for four hours, three times a week. We all rotate sitting with her so she doesn’t lose it. The rejection disorder is low grade. She’s not in immediate danger of it failing, but it gives her flu-like symptoms, stuff like fatigue and a faint nausea.”

“And grumpiness and irritability.”

Eli gave a small smile. “Nope, those are all Kinsey. Just a special bonus for the people she cares most about.”

Brynn stared at him some more, still looking upset. But instead of telling him how awful Kinsey had been to her, which he knew was true, she took the conversation in a direction that surprised him.

“You’re a good friend,” she said.

He shrugged. “I know it’s hard to imagine, but she’s a good friend right back. She’s fiercely loyal and protective of the people in her life. When she joked that we were platonic life mates, she meant it. She’s as much a sister to me as Max’s a brother.”

“And you take care of both of them.”

Uncomfortable with that, he changed the subject. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“You knew I’d come. You sent Kinsey to apologize.”

“Did she actually apologize?”

That got him a small smile. “Almost,” she said. “Also, side question. You think I’ve got a good ass?”

He stared at her. “Sorry. She’s got a strange sense of humor.”

“Yeah. But just for the record, I think you’ve got a good ass too.”

Eli felt a smile crease his face, and she pointed at him.

“But don’t tell your ass, okay? Because I don’t know how I feel about the rest of you yet, and I’ve got no idea what to do with it.”

“Understood,” he said, and then paused. “Would it help if I told you I know exactly what I want to do with you?”

“Stop.” She gave a short laugh. “Actually, no. To be honest, I know what I want to do to the rest of you too. But . . .”

“I know.” He ran a finger along the side of her face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “There’s no pressure here, Brynn.”

“Yeah, well, that’s just great.” She groaned and surprised him by dropping her forehead onto his chest. “Because I work really great under no pressure. There are parts of me already working under no pressure as I speak.”

He stroked a hand down her hair. “I need it to be unanimous.”

She lifted her head.

“I pressured you to come back,” he said. “I won’t pressure you for more.”

He could see the emotions going through her, some of the same ones that were going through him. Affection, and a hunger, which was gratifying. But she was worrying her bottom lip, and not only did he not want her to feel any anxiety over this, over them, he wanted to be the one nibbling on that sexy lip of hers.

“Eli?”

“Yeah?”

“You said you wouldn’t pressure me, but what if I pressure you?”

And then her mouth was on his. Pulling her in was instinctive. So was kissing her back, and he soaked up the hungry sound that escaped her, before forcing himself not to take it to the next level.

“I’m going to walk away now,” he said softly against her lips when they were both breathless. “Before we rush this.”

She made the sound again, and he nearly lost his resolve. But his past was littered with pieces of his heart shattered and broken, and not even Brynn could put them back together again. Getting laid was all well and good when he wasn’t emotionally invested.

But that wasn’t the case with Brynn. He’d been emotionally invested in her from day one. Hell, if he was being honest, he’d been emotionally invested since summer camp. For the first time in a very long time, he’d found someone who called to him on a far deeper level than just physical, and he had no idea what to do with that.

Liar. You know exactly what you want to do. You want to be buried deep inside her . . . But that couldn’t happen, because he’d brought her home for Kinsey.

Not for himself . . .

Brynn stepped closer. “Maybe I’m more ready than I thought.”

He shook his head. “Always go with your first instinct.”

Taking a step back from him, she stared up into his face as his smile slowly faded. “Sorry.” She headed for the kitchen door.

“Brynn.”

“No, I get it.”

“I’m not sure you do.” He caught her hand and turned her to face him before hauling her in close. Lowering his head, he kissed her until neither of them could breathe. “I had a crush on you when we were kids,” he murmured. “And that crush is still in play.”

She just stared up at him, clearly shocked.

“That’s so surprising?” he asked.

“Yes, actually. You never let on. After the kiss, we kind of ignored each other.”

“You mean you ignored me.”