Stepbrother Studs Kevin: A Stepbrother Romance Read Free Page A

cramped.”
    “Good. Looks like we need to get to know each other all over again. We’ll start tomorrow. Now get some sleep.”
    She drifted off slowly between snatches of half-dreams, ranging from a total re-write of his furious rescue in the parking lot, to one where she turned to face him in bed and got to know him so intimately that she was just aware of sticky heat between her legs as sleep finally claimed her.
    * * * *
    She stirred, feeling that safe heat behind her gone. A light squeeze on her shoulder tugged her towards the land of the living and an awareness of the dryness in her mouth from the Patron last night. Crap. She should’ve drunk more water.
    “Evie?” Kevin’s voice was low and quiet in her ear. “Time to get up.”
    She squinted through the gap between the curtains. Either there was no gap or it was still dark, which meant it was awful o’clock. “Lemme ’lone.”
    “Up.”
    “Wha—hey!” She struggled pointlessly as he scooped her out of bed and onto her feet. She wiped her hands down her face, knowing she must look like hell. “Kevin, it’s Sunday !”
    “Yep. I’ve got stuff to do, and you’re coming with me.” He pushed a soft towel into her hands. “Hit the shower, then pull on the clothes I put on the bed. You can sleep in the jeep. Joel’s dealing with your car, so don’t worry about that.”
    Evie showered, pulled on the shorts and tank top on the bed, and climbed reluctantly into the truck.
    She didn’t wake up again until they were driving past Dawsonville. She moaned quietly into her palms until the pick-up slowed and then looked out the window. They’d arrived at a trail head. She clambered out with minimum grace and grabbed the backpack Kevin handed her.
    He raised a brow at her and pulled on a pack about three times the size of hers. “Smile.”
    “No.” Her snappy little response embarrassed her, but it was good to feel she still had some spirit after last night’s emotional free-for-all. “Where are we?”
    He grinned and flicked his forefinger up at a sign by the trail head.
    She felt a long, deep whine rise up from her heart as she saw the AT sign by the side of the path, pointing into the forest. “You’re making me do the Appalachian Trail? Really?”
    “‘Do’ it?” Kevin burst out laughing. “Do you have any idea how long the AT is?”
    “How far are you making me walk?”
    “Not saying. I don’t want to hear any advance-bitching.”
    She scowled. “Kevin, if I knew what you were planning, I’d have started the bitching in the shower. Why the evil hike?”
    “I want to show you something. Now, move.”
    * * * *
    She didn’t know how far they’d gone before her body started to unwind—her cell phone said it was nearly midday, but she didn’t think she could’ve been walking that long. Kevin kept pace with her, not talking but occasionally helping her up an incline made treacherous by sliding grit, or stopping her gently before she put her foot down on an ankle-snapping gap in the path. It was the longest comfortable silence she’d ever enjoyed. Even their silent lunch in a shadowed glade was nice.
    Soon after two, Kevin stopped by one of the AT huts and pulled hammer and a little plastic baggie of nails from his backpack. “I’ll be just a minute.”
    He had the loose plank secured in what seemed like ten seconds.
    She held his bag open for him while he put the tools back. “You know, Mom’s secretly proud about the whole outdoor-champion, smoke-jumping thing.”
    “Really?” He blinked. “I thought she hated it as much as Dad!”
    “No, she just worries about mom-things.”
    “Like me parachuting right into a fire?”
    “No, like you spraining your ankle and being unable to hop home after putting the fire out.”
    The deep, rich amusement in Kevin’s laugh bolstered her. She turned to look at him, seeing the smile go all the way to his eyes. His teeth weren’t model-white but looked super-clean and beautiful against his tan