The Summer Deal (Wildstone #5)(72)

“Shows what you know,” Kinsey said. “Deck and I aren’t doing that anymore.”

“Since when?”

Eli was doing an across-the-throat-with-a-finger gesture to his brother, but Max wasn’t getting the hint.

“He’s not home,” Max said. “I got a text from him a bit ago that he’s at the bar and grill with Sam from his work, and that I should join them.”

Kinsey whipped around from the door. “Sam? Sam’s a woman.”

Max, who’d finally caught onto Eli’s warning, grimaced.

Kinsey slammed out of the house.

Eli gave Max a look.

“Right,” his brother said, grabbing his keys. “I’ll go after that and try to settle it down.”

When they were alone, Eli turned to Brynn.

“Why would she leave Deck? He loves her so much, and I know she loves him too.”

“People do stupid things when they’re scared.”

Very true. She was a perfect case in point. She looked at her boxes. “I still can’t believe you guys did this for me.”

“We wanted to help.”

“I’m not good at letting people help me.”

“I’ve noticed.” He gave her a small smile. “But there are people here who care a whole lot about you, Brynn, and just want to be there for you.”

Her stomach did a flip-flop. So did her heart. “I don’t know how to let that happen. What you did for me today . . .” She shook her head. “No one’s ever done anything like that, and I’m not sure how to thank you.”

“You just did.”

She gave a small smile. “Doesn’t seem like enough. You brought a piece of myself back to me. How do I thank you for that?”

“My thanks is you speaking to me.”

“We’re more than speaking.”

His gaze locked on hers. “Are we?”

“I understand why everything went down the way it did,” she said. “I do. But I’m going to tell you the same thing I told Kinsey. No more holding back. No more lies.”

He opened his mouth, and she put a finger on his lips. “I can’t be in this otherwise, Eli.”

He took her hands in his, kissed each palm, and then wrapped her arms around his own neck. “You’re in this?”

Her heart, going against everything she’d ever taught it, took a huge leap of faith. “Yes,” she whispered against his lips, and then she kissed him. The rough male sound of pleasure that came from deep in his chest rumbled through her. She pushed his T-shirt up his abs and chest, and when he tugged it the rest of the way off, she reached for his zipper.

Letting out a choked laugh, he grabbed her hands again.

“You said I had all of the power,” she teased.

His eyes heated. “You do. But I need privacy for what I intend to do to you.”

“And vice versa.” She took him by the hand and led him to her room, playfully pushing him down onto her bed, then slowly crawling up his body. “Do you want me to be gentle?”

“Not even a little bit,” he said, his hands going to her hair, holding it back from her face. “Just don’t let me go.”

They made love like they had all the time in the world. He brought out a side of her that she hadn’t known existed before him, before his touch and his want of her. And then she did what she’d never been able to do with anyone else. Comfortably all tangled up in him, she slept that way for the rest of the night.

BRYNN SAT AT her moms’ kitchen table eating the best banana bread on the planet for breakfast. She’d stopped by on her way to work to visit, and they’d talked about what Eli, Kinsey, and Max had done the day before, and how much it meant to her.

“So you and Kinsey are going to be okay?” Raina asked.

“Yes. And oh my God.” She couldn’t stop stuffing her face. “This banana bread.”

“I know.” Raina grinned. “Right? Olive won’t even try it.”

“Because you use a pound of butter,” Olive said.

“Not a whole pound.”

Olive rolled her eyes and turned to Brynn. “Sweetheart, we know you. Really well. You’ve clearly got more on your mind. Let’s hear it.”

Brynn stuffed another bite into her face. To stall, but also because seriously, best stuff on the planet. When she reached for another slice, Raina took the platter away. “Answer your mom.”

Brynn sighed. “Okay. I want to know about my dad.”

Raina and Olive exchanged long looks.

“What?”

Olive put her hand over Brynn’s. “We knew after that family dinner you’d be back here asking about him.”

Brynn was relieved that they didn’t seem upset. “What can you tell me?”

“You know we’ve tried to talk to you about this over the years,” Raina said. “Many times. You always said you didn’t want to know, that you had zero interest.”

“Things change.”

Olive squeezed Brynn’s hand gently. “Does your not wanting to know back then have anything to do with the bullying you faced at school before we homeschooled you here?”

“No.” Brynn paused. “And you knew about that?”