buy a sleeping bag?” she says sweetly. Her practicality is such a turn-on. I can’t not kiss her for that, so I don’t even try to hold back. Sliding my fingers around the back of her head, I lift her up and press a lingering kiss on her upturned lips. When we pull back, her lashes flutter open, revealing eyes that have always held me captivated.
Trailing my fingers across her exposed collarbone, I whisper, “Tell me more about them.” When her face adopts a quizzical expression, I clarify, “About Jed and Dean. You told me the bad, about what hurt. Now I want to know about the good. I want to know about your life with them.” Rolling onto my back, I stare up at the clear blue sky above us peeking through the branches of the trees. Land, air, the perfect blend of me and Kara. No, that’s Kevin, I correct myself as she says softly, “I don’t quite know where to start.”
I squeeze her close, and it pulls her head on top of my chest. “You mentioned Dean was more outgoing?” I say, trying to get her to start talking. Because something’s bothering me about the dynamics in the Smith household. I just can’t pinpoint it.
Like why Kara’s still talking to her brother instead of about her brother even though she’s spending all her time making sure everyone else is honoring their memories.
“God, yes.” She laughs, which eases some of the concern I had bringing this up. One of her arms snakes around my chest while the other props up her chin. She grins. “Dean is charming and funny. He can go joke for joke against any comedian and come out beating them. The last is fact as he used to do it when we were old enough to get into clubs, much to our parents’ despair.” A spasm of pain crosses her face when she mentions her parents, but she forges on. “He’s the kind of guy who gives you the shirt off his back and never cares if you ever repay him. He wants to help people.” She strums her fingers against my chest, setting off unconscious memories of the heat we’ve indulged in, but I control it because she needs to let all of this out. “I can’t remember a time when Dean didn’t want to be in a position to help people. So becoming a firefighter and EMT was a perfect fit. He found a way to do so in so many good situations.” She pauses, before a small giggle escapes. “Did he tell you about the first time he asked Jed out?”
“No. What happened?”
“It was a perfect date. And that night, my brother came home to tell me about it.”
“You were living together?”
She nods. “Yes, we shared an apartment right up until he and Jed got engaged. The county we live in is a fairly affluent one, and even apartments are costly. We liked the idea of living in the county we work in. Also, this way I didn’t have to put Kevin in daycare because he only worked three twenty-four-hour shifts a week. Besides, we’re family.” She shrugs. “Unconventional, but family.”
My arms tighten around her. “Kevin was lucky to have been raised by a man like that,” I murmur.
She hums but doesn’t say anything for a few. We just listen to the whispering of the leaves overhead. When Kara opens her mouth again, her words shoot an arrow directly in my heart. “Knowing the man you are now, I think you would have done just as amazing a job, Jennings.” Then she buries her face in my lap.
When I tip her head back, she’s biting her thumbnail. “What are you saying?”
I roll to my back and pull her so her legs are astride mine. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her hair back so I can see her face.
Kara’s body is frozen on top of mine. I begin to panic as her chest moves with such force, her ribs are pressing my back against the hard grass. And then I feel something else. Wetness.
Crap.
“Kara?” I’m worried about her, but her finger slides up my mouth to silence me.
Her expression clears and I see wonder, gratitude, and something more. And my arms pull her tighter, if that’s even possible. “With just a few words, you reminded me of a memory that’s been inside of me and made it lighter.” Leaning forward, she brushes her lips against my jaw. “Thank you.”