Layers of heart connection as well as lust. Foundations of friendship instead of the hollowness of strangers.
“If this is the friend you mentioned on the phone, Gemstone, then you and I need to have a serious chat.” Joshua reluctantly left the kitchen and went to sit in the chair opposite the couch. “Did you seriously drag a rabid stray back from the national park with you? Is he even housebroken?”
“Stop that.” My tone went sharp. “I know you’re angry and pissed, but it doesn’t give you the right to be cruel.”
“Not being cruel. Just stating the obvious. Did you lose your shaving kit in the woods, buddy?” Josh wrinkled his nose, peering closer at Kas. “Is that a leaf in your hair?”
“Enough.” I tensed. “I’m in charge, and I say that’s enough.”
“Fine.” Josh crossed his arms. “Explain away. I’m all ears.”
The vibe between us prickled with tension and violence. A faint bruise had already appeared on Josh’s clean-shaven jaw, and my poor TV looked as if it’d been a murder victim. A random frown appeared before I could stop it. Would Kas insist on paying me back for that? Did he have any concept of money? Did he know the difference between two hundred dollars and two thousand? What would he try to do to repay a three-thousand-dollar flat screen?
“You okay?” Kas asked softly, squeezing my hand.
I nodded and tore my eyes off the broken TV, focusing on my suspiciously glaring brother. I hadn’t exactly rehearsed this. I’d thought we wouldn’t catch up with my mom or brother until tonight or tomorrow. I understood why Joshua had let himself in to visit early, but he’d caused a complication I wasn’t sure how to get out of.
I inhaled hard, glowering at Josh. “First off, you know I don’t like you barging in before nine o’clock. Just because you’re a morning lark or whatever they’re called doesn’t mean I am.”
Josh crossed his arms. “It’s past ten.”
“Wow, is it?” My eyes searched for my tablet on the coffee table, but Kas must’ve put it away when he’d cleaned. I didn’t have clocks or watches, so I’d have to take my brother’s word for it.
“Thank you, by the way.” I squeezed Kas’s hand. “For cleaning up after my brother made such a mess.”
“I made a mess?” Josh pointed at himself, his dark blond hair shivering with his speed. “What did I do?”
“You left my place looking like a herd of wild boars were living in it while I was gone.”
“You weren’t gone,” Josh snapped. “You were missing. I was trying to find clues. The police came. The local neighborhood watch snooped around. The mess was a combined effort.”
I flinched. “I owe you another apology for vanishing, but you owe me one for not putting my things away.”
“Sue me if I was panic rushing.” His eyes filled with hurt. “Are you seriously going to give me the third degree for trying to find you after the past few weeks of hell?” His lips twisted as if holding back emotion. “I thought you were dead, Gemstone. I would’ve burned this place to the ground if it gave me a clue to where you’d gone.”
Oh, God.
Leaping to my feet and tossing the pillow to the floor, I closed the small distance between us and bent to give him a hug. Kas didn’t move from his place on the couch, and Josh stiffened before relaxing. He hugged me so hard, I choked.
He dragged me into his lap, shuddering with relief. “God, it’s good to touch you. To know you’re real. That you’re home.”
I struggled for air, even while comforting him.
Kas moved, shifting just enough to let me know he’d seen. He was watching, and he may or may not retaliate if my safety was in danger.
Pulling away, I kissed my brother on the cheek. “I’m very sorry for making you worry. But like I said on the phone, I’m back now, and everything is fine.”
“I don’t think you said that.” Josh cleared his throat and sat back, letting me go. His glossy eyes followed me as I returned to my place next to Kas. “You were more interested in talking about a pet squirrel.”
“Josh...” I pointed at his face, deciding to ignore that last bit and reply to his previous sentence. “Well, if I didn’t say that, it’s still true.” I waved a hand, my mind racing for ways to explain Kas’s place in my life and to truly apologize to my brother. The second part of that plan might have to wait a few days, but for now, I worried about how to make the two most important men in my life co-exist.
I ran fingers under my eyes, trying to figure it out.
I should’ve come up with a lie before this, but with the long drive yesterday, the exhausted sleep, and the rude awakening, I hadn’t been able to form one.