Coming Home Read online

  “Faster, Cade, move faster.” Her breathless demand broke into his thoughts. He gripped the edge of the table and thrust his hips forward, pulling out before she could blink. He fucked her hard, watching her at all times. Her legs were still hooked over his shoulders, leaving her completely bare to his hungry gaze. The sight of his cock disappearing inside her glistening pussy nearly did him in. He wanted this image stamped on his brain. The next few weeks would be full of long, lonely nights and this memory would keep his blood warm.

  Jess’s whole body stiffened, a tell-tale sign she was ready to come. He plunged inside her in quick, short strokes and groaned as her cunt contracted around him. He couldn’t hold back. With one lurch forward, he spilled inside her.

  “I’m going to miss you around here,” he said when they’d caught their breath.

  She grinned and stroked a lazy hand through his hair. “Me too. It’s nice out here.”

  “How does ranch life compare with the city?”

  She slipped off the table and helped him fix his pants. “How would I know?” she asked, waggling her perfectly shaped eyebrows at him. “We’ve spent the whole week in your bed.”

  “My bed, my bathroom, my kitchen table.” He glanced over her head to check the clock on the wall and his gut twisted. “You better go tidy yourself up, darlin’,” he said, forcing the words out. “It’s getting late.”

  Sitting up slowly, she leaned forward and kissed the dimple in his left cheek. “I won’t be long.”

  He watched her disappear into the hallway, feeling the loneliness trickle in on him again. Thirty minutes later, appearing fresh as a daisy and innocent as a virgin, Jess raced down the stairs. “Where’s my stuff?”

  “In the trunk.”

  It was a four-hour drive to El Paso Airport but the time flew as Cade milked the last precious moments he had with a friend. He didn’t have many in town. He hadn’t kept in touch with his high school buddies. Most of them had left Steeplecrest anyway. And Brett sure as hell wouldn’t want his company.

  His thoughts caught on Brett and a picture of the tall, well-muscled man formed in his mind’s eye. Strong, rugged, sexy as hell. He had a mop of silky black hair, a chiseled face and a stern brow. Perfect, slightly full lips and eyes black as sin. Pity he was straight as a rake.

  And pity he hates my guts.

  Cade didn’t know what the guy’s problem was but he sure had one. Son of a bitch had made it plain as day over the past week that he wanted Cade gone, as soon as he handed over his half of the ranch.

  Maybe that was part of the reason Cade was delaying the whole thing. He liked winding the guy up, enjoyed watching him seethe every time they’d happened across one another since Cade had come back to town.

  “What are you thinking about?” Jess asked, her voice cutting into his thoughts.

  “Brett.”

  “Ah, I see.” She let out a wistful sigh. “Now he is a fine thing.”

  Cade lifted a brow in surprise. “How would you know?”

  “I saw him in the distance a couple of times.”

  Cade smirked. “You should see him up close.”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Yeah.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “You’d cream your panties, sugar,” he drawled, then chuckled as she punched him in the shoulder.

  “I bet you’re right, though,” she admitted, twisting in her seat to face him. “Wish I could have met him.”

  Imagining how Brett would deal with a woman like Jessica who was as sexy as she was forward, Cade laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing.” He winked at Jessica. “I wish you’d met him too.”

  Her eyes widened and she laughed. “Hey, who was on the phone this morning?” she asked after a while.

  Cade grimaced. “Mike. He’s getting impatient.”

  In typical Jessica fashion, she sniffed her disgust. “Well, tell him to go fuck himself.” She never minced her words and Cade didn’t think he’d ever find a friend as loyal as she was.

  “Seriously, Cade,” she continued, “you have the right to this time.”

  “I know, but they’re losing business.” Cade shrugged, keeping his eyes on the highway. Had he missed the exit for the airport?

  “So what if they’re losing business? You lost your mom and dad. Family wins out over business.”

  “I know.” No, he hadn’t missed the exit. Here it was.

  Finding a parking space at the airport proved to be easier than he’d expected and he was soon walking Jess into the terminal. She left him with a long hug, more matronly than sexual. He breathed in her light scent of honeysuckles one last time, then stepped back and watched her disappear through the boarding gate. As soon as her blonde mane was out of sight, he felt a hard drop in his stomach.

  He took his time going back to the car, a black Lexus he’d rented for his stay in Steeplecrest, and it was almost seven by the time he got home. As soon as he stepped inside the kitchen, he realized he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. His stomach realized it too and growled loudly.

  He pulled open the fridge and stared into it. Though he was hungry, moldy cheese and sour milk didn’t exactly appeal. He emptied the fridge and threw the contents into the garbage. There was nothing else to do, he thought as he rambled back down the porch steps to the car. He’d have to face the world, or at least the salesperson at the grocery store. A man had to eat.

  As he pulled open the car door, he glanced across the fields. In the distance, the Miller house stood proud, a large white-washed three-storey with a wrap-around porch. If Brett was home, maybe he could… Cade let the thought trail off and grinned. If there was one person in this town who’d be unwilling to give him some food, it was Brett Miller.

  His eyes narrowed as he made out Brett’s outline in the distance. He was with someone, probably Jimmy, the ranch’s wrangler. The old man had worked on the ranch since before Cade was born and had called by every evening since the funeral to check on him. He was family, a solid man whose wife had died soon after they’d married. He’d struggled with alcoholism for years, a trait he had in common with Cade’s father.

  Cade stiffened as memories of drunken arguments and broken glass ran through his mind like a snapshot of a movie. He got into the car and put it in drive. Ken Armstrong had pulled himself together and gone sober a good ten years back, about the same time as Jimmy. But though Cade had a soft spot for the wrangler, he’d never fully been able to mend bridges with his father. Too late now, he guessed as he followed the long drive to the ranch gates. Taking a right for the town, he left the ranch and memories of his father behind.

  It was a short drive into Steeplecrest, less than twenty minutes. He drove past the high school which was deserted at this time of the evening. His high school days had been some of the best of his life. Good grades, class president and captain of the basketball team had made him popular with both his teachers and his fellow students. The ladies too. He grinned as he turned onto Main Street. Girls had been a big part of his life back then. These days he was split between men and women, cock and pussy. What was that saying his mother had always used? Variety’s the spice of life. If there was anything his years in New York had given him, it was variety.

  He pulled to a stop along the curb outside Macy’s Groceries and peered in the window. Didn’t look too busy, maybe he’d make an escape before bumping into old friends. He got out of the car and headed into the store. As he wandered the aisles, he wished he’d made a list. What did he need? Potatoes, some milk. Sandwich stuff. Chips.

  With his arms full of food, he approached the checkout. He loaded his purchases onto the conveyor belt and then grabbed a six pack from one of the shelves.

  “Cash or card?”

  He glanced at the girl behind the register and felt a rush of relief when he didn’t recognize her. “Card.”

  “Okay, that’s eighty-four dollars and fifty cents.”

  He handed her the card. Just as she swiped i
t, another voice sounded behind him.

  “Cade?”

  He cursed inwardly and turned. Tommy Dawes, owner of the betting shop across the street, stood in front of him with a basket that resembled pretty much what Cade had bought. Typical bachelor living. Tommy’s father was town sheriff and had been a good friend of both Cade and Brett’s fathers.

  “How’re you doing, Tommy?” he asked, taking his card from the checkout girl.

  “Good.” Tommy’s expression became sober as he said hurriedly, “Uh, sorry about the accident. I didn’t get a chance to say it to you at the funeral.”

  Cade shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I got out of there pretty fast.”

  “Yeah.” A few seconds of uncomfortable silence passed before Tommy spoke again. “How long are you sticking around for?”

  “Not sure yet.”

  “If you’re still around on Friday, you should come down. A few of the guys are having drinks at Billy’s, maybe a round of poker.”

  Cade nodded. “Might take you up on that.”

  “You should.” Tommy’s grin returned full force. “This might be a small town, but we sure do have our fair share of ladies.”

  “Sounds good to me.” He gathered his bags and gave a mock salute. “See you Friday.”

  As he stepped out of the store, he wondered what he’d been so worried about. Sure, people were going to offer their condolences, but he could handle that. He’d grown up with these guys and they knew how to have a good time.

  He drew in a deep breath of hot Texas air and then released it. He looked up and down Main Street, noting the familiar signs and store windows. His mouth suddenly watered for an iced tea from Delia’s Diner.

  Despite the shitty circumstances, it was good to be home.

  Chapter Two

  “You can take off now, Jimmy,” Brett said as he ran his gaze over the result of their work. A hundred and sixty cattle moved from one pasture to another over a mile away in less than four hours. “I think we did good, old man,” he said, wiping the back of his arm across his forehead.

  Jimmy laughed croakily, a sound that came from one too many cigarettes. “You’re a slave driver, boss.”

  Brett grinned, even as Jimmy’s use of the word “boss” stung a little. He shook it off. Even when his dad had been alive, Jimmy had called him “boss”. He’d used the term for both father and son. But since Henry had died it had taken on a new meaning for Brett. Now he really was the boss. There was nobody left to share the title with.

  “I’ll wash this girl down first,” Jimmy said, patting the mare who’d done the brunt of the work today. “See you tomorrow.”

  Brett nodded, watching the old man lead one of Steeplecrest’s quarter horses back to the stables. He turned and pulled the brim of his Stetson low over his brow to block out the evening sun as he headed for the house. His stomach growled and the muscles across his shoulders groaned. He didn’t know what he wanted to do first—shower and let the jets of water ease out the knots of tension in his back, or eat and satisfy the hunger that had been building since he’d skipped lunch. His stomach growled again, this time longer and louder. He grinned. Looked like his body had made up his mind for him.

  He kicked off his boots on the veranda and stepped into the kitchen. In less than a minute, he’d ripped off his shirt, raided the fridge and fixed a humongous sandwich of beef and tomato. He’d wolfed down half of it when the doorbell rang.

  Swearing through a mouthful of bread and meat, he pushed to his feet. He strode out of the kitchen and through the foyer and groaned. On the other side of the screen door stood Cade, a six pack of Bud at his side. Shit.

  Summoning all the patience he could muster, he took another step forward and pulled open the door. Cade looked up from where he’d been studying the porch floor and visibly jumped. Brett raised an eyebrow and waited.

  “Thought I’d stop by,” Cade finally said, pulling himself together. “Guess we have a few things to talk about.”

  “Guess so.” Leaving the door open, Brett headed back into the kitchen and leaned against the kitchen counter-top. He folded his arms across his chest, watching Cade as he followed him in. At least he’d taken the damn suit off. Dressed in blue jeans and a white T-shirt, the kid almost looked like he belonged on a ranch. Even the dark blonde curls that had been perfectly slicked back at the funeral were hanging loose, almost reaching his collar.

  Cade held up the beers and then placed them on the table. Without waiting to be asked, he sat on one of the chairs and slung his arm over the back of another. “Busy day?”

  “We’re always busy.” Brett glanced at the remains of his sandwich that were sitting in the middle of the table and felt another stab of annoyance. With this guy sitting in his kitchen, he’d lost his appetite.

  “Saw Jimmy on my way up here. Looked pretty tired.”

  Brett narrowed his eyes. Arrogant son of a bitch. What was he trying to say? That he worked the old man too hard? “Jimmy’s tough as nails,” he bit out. “If he thought I was working him too hard, he’d say so.”

  Cade frowned. “Did I say you were working him too hard?”

  “Forget it.” He pushed away from the counter and stood in front of Cade. Why did he always have to get so defensive around this guy? As kids they’d always gotten along okay, though they’d moved in different circles. A two-year age gap was a big deal in high school and he hadn’t wanted Cade following him around every second of the day. He still didn’t want that. “Could you get to the point already? I need to take a shower.”

  Cade seemed to stiffen in his chair and his blue eyes dropped to Brett’s sweat-covered torso. Brett didn’t know why but he felt a sudden urge to cover himself up.

  “Take a shower,” Cade said, his eyes returning to Brett’s. “I can wait.”

  He scowled. What could he say to that? Besides, despite the fact that he wanted this kid out of here, they had a lot to figure out first. And he didn’t want to be shirtless and sweating while they did it.

  “Fine,” he said, grabbing the remnants of his sandwich and throwing it in the garbage. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

  Leaving Cade lounging in his chair, he headed upstairs, unbuckling his belt as he went. He removed his socks and pants in the bathroom and then stepped into the shower. For five minutes, he let the hot water blast the tension from his muscles, but as soon as he turned it off the tension hit back full force.

  This was going to be a long night.

  Cade didn’t know what he’d expected when he’d rung the Miller doorbell ten minutes ago, but he definitely hadn’t expected to be greeted with the sight of Brett’s naked chest. As he’d stared openly at the expanse of sweat-slick muscle, he’d barely been able to string a sentence together and he could only thank the Lord Brett had been too pissed off to notice the thickening bulge in his pants.

  Always the sucker for punishment, Cade glanced at the wooden counter-top where Brett had leaned against minutes before with his arms crossed over his solid chest. The position had made his well-formed biceps bulge and the angle he’d rested his hips against the counter had pushed his pelvis forward, accentuating the lines of muscle that disappeared beneath the waistband of his jeans.

  Cade shook his head. The way his mind worked, no wonder he was still hard even though Brett had been out of sight for more than five minutes.

  Clamping his left hand over his balls, he reached for the long-neck he’d opened with his right. He brought it to his lips and drank long and deep, letting the cold beer wash down his throat and soothe the burning within him. If he could just pull himself together before Brett came down…

  Too late. Brett’s footsteps on the staircase echoed in the foyer. Cade gripped his bottle, focusing on the label as Brett stalked into the kitchen. The clean, soapy scents of shampoo and shower gel swirled around him. Nothing fancy, simple and masculine. A perfect match to Brett’s personality. Cade’s grip on the beer bottle tightened as he held it up and forced a smile.

&
nbsp; “Couldn’t help myself.”

  Brett mumbled something under his breath as he went to the sink and poured a glass of water. With his back turned, Cade dared to sneak a glance in his direction. Oh hell. He was fully clothed but he still looked edible. His jeans were baggy on the legs but molded to the firm curves of his ass, an ass so tight you could shell walnuts on it. Cade gritted his teeth. This was not the way to be thinking.

  He forced his gaze upward as Brett turned and tried not to salivate. The gray T-shirt Brett wore hugged his upper body like a second skin, outlining every line of muscle. Cade’s dick throbbed in his jeans.

  Brett swung into the chair opposite him and reached for a beer. “Why are you still here, Armstrong?”

  Cade blinked as his thoughts shifted from sex to the matter at hand. He leaned back in his chair, holding Brett’s stony gaze. He fought a smile. If Brett thought he could intimidate him into giving up his half of the ranch, he was gonna get one hell of a surprise.

  “Where else do you think I’d be?” he asked casually, taking another sip of beer.

  Irritation glittered in Brett’s dark eyes. “Shouldn’t you be getting on back to New York? I’m sure you’ve got a lot of important people waiting on you.”

  He did, but that didn’t bother him. “They can keep waiting.”

  Brett was silent as he uncapped his beer and took a long draw. Cade’s mouth dried as he watched the other man swallow. Did he have any idea what he was doing to him? Did he realize that just by sitting there drinking beer, he could give Cade a raging hard-on?

  Again, Cade fought a smile. He could just imagine what Brett would do to him if he knew. He’d be lucky to walk out of here alive.

  Brett’s groan of frustration tore him from his thoughts. He looked on as the other man set down his beer and leaned forward.