Coming Home Read online

  ***

  Brett couldn’t remember the details of exactly how it had happened. All he knew was that somewhere between his fourth whiskey and his sixth, the redhead who’d been grinding up against Cade earlier in the night had somehow fallen into his lap.

  Her giggles echoed in his head as she wound her arms around his neck and stuck her tongue in his ear. His cock reared as she licked the shell with the point of her tongue. She was whispering something, he couldn’t make out what through the loud buzzing in his head, but from the way her fingers curled into the front of his shirt and tugged, he guessed she wanted to get out of here.

  He was up for that.

  “Come on, darlin’,” he mumbled, smacking her lightly on her Lycra-covered ass. “Let me see you walk.”

  She giggled again, a sound that grated, but he didn’t complain. Hell, she could shriek the whole place down as long as she took care of the tent at the front of his jeans.

  Holding her at the waist, he pushed her forward through the crowd. How the fuck did they get out of here? And why was the bar spinning? He blinked slowly and focused on a point straight ahead.

  Through the pounding in his brain, he heard a couple of people call his name. He didn’t stop, just kept on going until the redhead—Lilly maybe?—led him outside. The air outside wrapped around him like a suffocating mist, even more humid than inside the bar.

  “Where’s your ride, sugar?”

  “The blue truck,” he muttered, still holding her against him. She had one hell of a fine ass, fleshy but firm.

  “Ooh, I like it!”

  “Huh?” He glanced past her and made out the outline of his truck. That was fast. “You coming home with me?”

  She twirled in his arms and laughed. The pitchy sound made him wince. “You think you can drive in the state you’re in?”

  What state was he in? Of course he could fucking drive. He moved forward, stumbling slightly as he backed her up against the truck door. “I can do a lot of things in the state I’m in.”

  “Oh yeah?” Her voice turned coy as she reached down between them and stroked him through his jeans. “Wanna prove it?”

  She didn’t need to ask twice. He grasped at his belt buckle, fumbling with it until it came loose. Then he unbuttoned the fly and jerked the zipper down. His cock sprang free and jutted outward.

  Lilly’s moan of approval nearly brought him to his knees. But she was the one who dropped to the ground. She wrapped her hands around the base of his dick. Her breath blew lightly over his tight skin. Yes, this was what he needed, what his body was crying out for.

  Bracing one hand on the side of his truck, he dug the other into her mass of red hair. Then her mouth, wet and wide, closed around the swollen head of his cock and sucked. Hard.

  Sweet mercy.

  He closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Lilly’s silky mane. Her lips moved farther down his shaft, swallowing him, bathing him with her skilled tongue. He groaned, clenching the muscles in his thighs. Her head bobbed up and down beneath his grip, her rhythm steady and well-practiced. He tried to remember the last time a chick had given him head. More than a month ago. Too long.

  His cock swelled dangerously as Lilly’s hand stroked his balls through the denim barrier of his pants. That’s it, baby. Keep doing exactly what you’re doing. He kept his eyes closed, waiting for the haze in his mind and the burn in his body to melt his problems away. The struggles of the past couple of weeks retreated, all but one. Cade. With a grunt of defeat, Brett let Cade’s pretty face swim in his mind as he pumped his cock into Lilly’s mouth. And as the asshole flashed him a smile in his mind’s eye, Brett groaned and shoved his dick down Lilly’s throat as far as she could take him.

  From the heavy throbbing in his cock and the way his balls had drawn tight beneath his body, Cade wondered if he’d come before Brett did. He knew Lilly’s fire-engine red lips had to feel good as they slid up and down Brett’s engorged cock, but that sensation couldn’t beat the visual Cade was savoring from where he stood in the shadows.

  Fuck, Brett was big. Really big. Bigger than Cade had remembered. He’d seen Brett naked before. Whenever he’d stayed at the Miller house while his parents were out of town, he’d always made it his business to get a glimpse, whether it meant walking in on Brett in the shower or, and much as it pained him to admit it, spying on him through the keyhole of his room. That’s how far his crush had taken him.

  Those memories of his horny teenage years faded to the back of his mind and his eyes drank in the reality of now. No need for a keyhole tonight. In long thrusts that were surprisingly steady considering how drunk he was, Brett drove into Lilly’s welcoming mouth. Cade watched, transfixed as Lilly’s lips stretched around Brett’s impossible size and wondered what it would feel like to be fucked by that cock, to feel Brett’s long, thick shaft pulsing in his ass.

  He stifled a groan as he pressed his hand to his groin and touched himself lightly through his jeans. He ached to go over there and take over from Lilly, to feel Brett’s hot shaft slide over his tongue.

  Leaning back against the wall, he upped the pace of his self-soothing strokes. Brett’s hips surged faster now, pushing his cock further down Lilly’s throat. She made an excited sound, sucking him eagerly, accepting the relentless drive of his hips. Cade gritted his teeth. His cock strained in his jeans. All he could hear was the wet smacking sound of Lilly’s lips on Brett’s dick. His breathing shortened and then stopped altogether as Lilly’s pink tongue snuck out and licked its way up the underside of Brett’s shaft. She swiped the tip over the plum-shaped head before swallowing it again and, giving a low shout, Brett meshed his hips into her face and came.

  Cade’s legs shook at the sight of the other man losing control. Brett’s large, muscled body shuddered as he filled Lilly’s mouth with his release. Realizing he’d been holding his breath for a good twenty seconds, Cade released it on a heavy sigh. The sound caught the attention of both Lilly and Brett whose heads snapped in his direction. He swallowed thickly and stepped out of the shadows. Lilly’s eyes brightened when she saw him and he winked at her. She smiled dazedly back. Brett wasn’t quite so welcoming.

  “You spying on us, Armstrong?” he asked, slurring a couple of words. With shaky hands, he adjusted himself and drew up his zipper. “This how you get your kicks?”

  Oh, he had no idea.

  Trying to ignore the hard-on that ached with each step he took, Cade ambled forward and held out a hand to Lilly. She took it and rose to her feet.

  “It ain’t spying,” he told Brett, who’d propped himself against the hood of the truck. With a dazed expression in his eyes, he looked about ready to pass out. “Not when you’re in the middle of a damn parking lot.”

  Brett muttered something under his breath. Cade thought he caught the word “bastard” but he couldn’t be sure.

  Cade turned to Lilly and quirked a brow. “You wanna get out of here?” She giggled and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight against his body. She’d really helped him out tonight and he was determined to return the favor.

  But Brett had other ideas. As he stumbled back against the truck, Cade released Lilly and grabbed Brett by the shoulder.

  “I’m fine,” Brett insisted, shaking him off. Then he stumbled again, this time nearly hitting the ground. Cade caught him just in time. He held him by the shoulders, trying not to let his erection make contact with Brett’s denim-clad ass.

  “I think we’re gonna have to call it a night,” Cade said reluctantly, glancing back at Lilly.

  She shrugged. “Figures.”

  “Maybe another time?”

  She grinned. “Count on it.”

  “Count on what?” Brett mumbled. Now his eyes were half-closed.

  Lilly’s laugh rang in the air. She winked at Cade and then swished her way back toward the bar. He watched her go, feeling a twinge of regret. What would have happened if Brett had stayed halfway sober tonight? Maybe all three of them would have go
tten some.

  “Seriously, man,” Brett slurred, twisting against Cade’s grip. “Where’s she going?”

  “To find someone who can give her what she needs.” Cade started to drag him away from the truck.

  “Where’re we going?”

  “Home.”

  “But the truck…”

  “You can get it tomorrow. You ain’t in a fit state to drive.”

  “Why does everybody keep saying that? I can drive.”

  Cade chuckled. “You can barely even talk.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Expletives don’t count.” Reaching his car, Cade helped Brett into the passenger seat and then walked around to the driver’s side. “Think you can make it without puking all over my car?”

  “Sure.”

  “You better. It’s a rental.”

  Cade spent the ride home struggling not to laugh. Beside him, Brett fumbled with the car radio, pressing button after button and eventually settling on some rock and roll. He sang along, skipping some of the words and slurring the others. It was cute.

  At the thought, Cade couldn’t help himself. He let out a bark of laughter and then coughed to disguise it. He didn’t think Brett would dig being called “cute”.

  As he maneuvered the car along the ranch’s winding drive, he briefly considered just taking Brett home with him. But having Brett in the same house with him all night would be too darn tempting, especially when Brett wasn’t fully in control of his senses.

  Cade pulled to a stop outside the Miller house and got out of the car. Getting Brett inside the house proved to be even trickier than getting him into the car had been. The twenty-minute drive had made Brett sleepy and he could barely hold his head up as Cade helped him up the porch steps.

  “Where’s the keys, Brett?”

  “Huh?”

  “Your keys.” Cade took a guess and slipped a hand inside Brett’s back pocket. His fingers stilled, pressing lightly against Brett’s firm ass. Just as he’d thought, it was hard as nails. He swallowed, moved his hand in deeper and grasped the key.

  “Hang on there a second, buddy,” he said as he towed Brett into the foyer. “We’re nearly there.”

  “We gotta get up the stairs.”

  “Yeah.” Cade hesitated, calculating how difficult it would be to get Brett up the staircase. Hell, he’d take a whack at it. “Come on, hold on to me.”

  It took them the guts of ten minutes to reach the top of the stairs, not only because Brett had been weighing Cade down, but also because the closeness of their bodies had brought Cade’s erection back full-force.

  He led Brett to the bottom of the landing and kicked open his bedroom door. As he stepped inside, he tried not to focus on the bed in the center of the room. It was no mean feat. The bed was massive, plenty of room for two horny guys.

  “You okay now?” he asked, pushing sex from his mind and helping Brett to the bed. “Think you can manage this yourself?”

  His mouth dried as Brett lifted the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Despite having been faced with Brett’s bare chest almost every day this week, the sight still grabbed Cade between the legs. He swallowed and took a long step back. “I’ll get going.”

  Brett grunted, hands already fiddling with his zipper. He hadn’t bothered to buckle his belt back at the bar. Cade watched, dry-mouthed, as Brett worked the zipper down and then shucked out of his pants. He reached down and pulled off his socks.

  Cade blinked. Now was the time to get the hell out. He didn’t need to see anymore. He didn’t need to watch Brett stripping out of his boxers.

  But he couldn’t summon the will to move. He felt as if he was stuck in mud. His feet rooted to the beechwood floor. As Brett stumbled to his feet and shoved down his shorts, Cade’s cock leaped.

  “Hey, sorry about your girl,” Brett said as he reached for a pair of sweats. Cade held his breath, afraid to move a muscle until the man had covered himself up. Hanging limp between his legs, Brett’s cock was still the hottest thing Cade had ever seen.

  “Girl?” he croaked when Brett had settled the waistband of his pants safely around his hips.

  “Yeah. Didn’t mean to steal her or nothing. She was just so darn…” Brett trailed off and shrugged. “Anyway, sorry.”

  Cade’s eyes widened and he gave a startled laugh. Brett was apologizing to him? Now that just didn’t happen. If the slurred speech and the unsteady limbs hadn’t been evidence enough, that apology would have proven he was drunk out of his mind.

  “Forget it,” he said, wondering what Brett would say if he knew Cade had asked Lilly to take care of him. He wouldn’t like it, wouldn’t appreciate Cade messing around with his business. Well, good thing he’d never find out.

  “Okay, I’m going to head home now.” This time he meant it.

  “Whatever.” Brett lay flat on his back, his eyes already closing. By the time Cade left the house, he was certain the guy was snoring his brains out.

  As he got into the car and revved the engine, Cade rummaged around in the glove compartment and came up with nothing. Why he’d let Jess throw out his last pack of Marlboros he didn’t know, because right now he really needed a cigarette.

  Chapter Four

  The following morning Brett awoke to the heavy beat of a drum. Blinking slowly, he winced as the bright glare of the sun’s rays stung his eyes. Why hadn’t he closed the drapes last night? And who the hell kept banging those drums?

  He sat up in the bed and groaned as pain flared between his eyes. The drums grew louder. Realization dawned and he cursed. He wasn’t hearing drums. The sound originated inside his head, a heavy throbbing at the back of his brain. Jesus Christ, how much did he have to drink last night?

  He cradled his head in his hands as he shifted to the edge of the bed and tentatively placed his feet on the ground. What the hell time was it anyway? Lifting his head, he squinted at his clock radio. Shit. It was almost noon. Dad was going to beat his hide.

  He stiffened, stark realization hitting him square in the chest, holding him immobile for a few seconds. No, Dad wasn’t around anymore to beat his hide. The only one he had to answer to now was himself and the reality check left a bitter taste in his mouth.

  His limbs creaked as he stood shakily and stumbled from the bedroom to the bathroom. He stepped beneath the shower, letting cold water rain down on him, rousing his senses better than any wake-up call. Five minutes later, and feeling a lot less like the waking dead, he dried off and pulled on some clothes.

  Jimmy was in the yard when he walked outside. The old man lifted a hand in greeting, a crooked smile spreading across his wrinkled face.

  “You look like hell, kid.”

  Brett snorted. “I feel like hell too.” He glanced around, noting the presence of Paul and Danny, their two ranch-hands who were carrying supplies into the tack shed. Cade was nowhere in sight. “Where’s Armstrong?”

  “Took a couple of the horses out to one of the paddocks.” Jimmy lifted his Stetson off his head and wiped the back of his arm over his brow. “Kid sure knows what he’s doing with those animals.”

  Brett nodded silently. Talking about Cade had brought back flashes of the night before, memories that included Cade half-carrying him up the stairs. Bad enough he’d gotten totally wasted but Cade picking up the pieces made it even worse.

  “I’m glad he’s sticking around,” Jimmy continued. “Maybe you guys will put your differences behind you soon. He’s a good kid.”

  Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Brett grunted in agreement. Much as it bugged him, Jimmy was right. But Brett didn’t feel like facing up to Cade just yet. Not when his head weighed down on him like a brick of granite.

  Lucky for him, he didn’t see Cade for the rest of the afternoon. Though his body was still stiff, he threw himself into the work, helping Jimmy load bales of hay into the barn. The old man headed off home at five and Brett returned to the house. After downing a liter of water, he grabbed a steak from the refrigerator
. He hadn’t even turned on the pan when Cade swaggered into the kitchen.

  “Well, look who’s still alive.”

  Instead of pissing him off, Cade’s wry tone drew a sheepish smile. He turned from the stove and faced the amusement swimming in the other man’s eyes. “Sorry about last night,” he said, waiting for the inevitable hostility toward the other man to return. It didn’t. “Guess I went a little overboard.”

  Cade’s bark of laughter rang in his ears and Brett grimaced at the noise.

  “Sorry.” Cade threw his hat on the table and folded his arms. “But man, you should have seen yourself last night. Haven’t laughed like that in a long while.”

  “Glad I amused you.”

  Cocking his head to the side, Cade made a face. “Though I gotta admit, I didn’t find it so funny when you made off with my girl.”

  Girl? Red curly hair flashed in Brett’s mind’s eye and he groaned. “Uh, sorry about that.”

  Cade’s eyes twinkled in good humor and Brett felt worse. “Forget about it.”

  He shook his head. “Guess I ruined your night.”

  “Hell, I’m just glad you didn’t start a fight.”

  “Me too.” Brett looked at the steak on the countertop and then glanced back at Cade. “You want something to eat?”

  Surprise flickered in Cade’s blue eyes and Brett fought a sudden grin. The guy probably thought he was still drunk.

  “Nah,” Cade said after a brief pause. “Already ate.” He pulled out a chair and folded his long body into it. “Just wondered if you wanted to take a ride into town?”

  Brett raised a brow. “Why?”

  “To pick up your truck.”

  “Oh, right.” Brett nodded. Another dose of guilt pricked him. He’d treated Cade like shit for the past few weeks, yet the guy had been decent enough to drive him home and help him upstairs. Hell, he hadn’t even punched his lights out for macking on his girl. “You don’t have to.”