Coming Home Page 6

  He stepped back from the four-wheeler he’d been washing down and placed his hands on his hips. If he was honest with himself, it bothered him that Cade was even entertaining thoughts of leaving. Since the night at Billy’s he’d started to really like the guy. Their minds worked the same way and Brett had been caught off-guard once or twice when Cade had said the exact words he’d been thinking. They had the same goals for the ranch. Without their fathers around they could focus on modernizing the ranch, letting go of the old tried-and-tested ways and bringing in something new. Cade’s enthusiasm for the project had rubbed off on Brett and, as he stared out at the rolling meadows and steep hills of the ranch, he saw more potential in the land than he had in a long time. Besides Cade’s enthusiasm and ideas, he worked hard and he worked well, which earned a lot of respect from Brett. He cooked a mean steak dinner too. Shaking his head, Brett tried to imagine the ranch without Cade’s presence. He couldn’t. But he was damn sure it would be different.

  He’d have Jimmy, of course, and they got along well. They were family. And Paul and Danny did their bit. But Cade brought something that had been missing before—an energy and a sense of humor that kept them all on a balanced level. It seemed he was always in good spirits, laughing and kidding around even as he worked. Without him around, Brett was willing to bet the atmosphere would get pretty damn depressing after a while.

  “Hello,” a voice, a female voice, called warily somewhere out front. “Anyone home?”

  Brett grabbed his Stetson from where he’d left it on the vehicle and placed it on his head as he jogged around the house. The sight of a slender blonde woman in a short pink dress greeted him. If her Eastern twang hadn’t been enough to negate her of a Texan background, her four-inch stilettos did the trick.

  Spotting his approach, she pushed her sunglasses up into her hair and her red lips stretched into a smile.

  “Hi there,” he greeted, wiping his greasy palms on the front of his jeans. “You lost, ma’am?”

  Her smile widened and a perfect set of whites flashed at him. “Nope. I’m not lost.” Her gaze drifted over the length of his body, resting for a second at his groin before working its way back up to his face. She tilted her head to the side and her blonde hair fell in a curtain over one shoulder. “Though I wouldn’t mind being your damsel in distress.”

  The blatant come-on in her honeyed voice made him laugh. “Can’t say I’d mind that either.” He folded his arms across his chest, recognition setting in. “You’re Cade’s girl.”

  She laughed and the fun-loving throaty sound tugged between his legs.

  “Cade’s girl?” she asked, humor drenching her tone. “I’m no one’s girl.”

  He raised a brow. “Glad to hear it.”

  She ran the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip, drawing his eyes to her mouth. He let his gaze linger there before meeting her knowing eyes again.

  “Why don’t you come on in?” he said, backing up toward the house. “Cade’s in El Paso. Won’t be back till late tonight.”

  “That’ll give us a chance to get to know one another,” she said silkily.

  He grinned and gestured for her to follow him inside. She was a firecracker, this one.

  “You want something to eat?” he asked when they stepped inside the kitchen.

  “What have you got?”

  He pulled open the refrigerator and peered inside. “Not much.” His thoughts turned to Delia’s Diner and he faced his guest again. “Feel like some good Southern cooking?”

  “You’re on.”

  Heat enveloped them as they headed back into the sun and Brett’s eyes widened at the sight of the red Beamer sitting in his drive. He’d been so focused on the chick, he hadn’t noticed her ride.

  “You rented this at the airport?” he asked, running his hand over the shiny red hood.

  “Yeah. Expensive but worth it.”

  He grinned. That sounded about right. She came across as the kind of girl who liked to indulge herself.

  “But can we take yours instead?” she asked, teetering across the drive to his truck. “I’ve never taken a ride in a pickup before.”

  They’d reached the gates to the ranch before she introduced herself.

  “I’m Jessica Lawson,” she said, twisting her body on the bench seat to face him fully.

  “Brett,” he replied.

  “I know. I saw you once or twice the last time I was here.”

  “And you never came by to say hello?” He glanced at her, feigning an expression of dismay.

  She giggled. “Believe me, I wanted to. You were just so intimidating.”

  He frowned, not sure whether to laugh or to worry. He didn’t want to be scaring off the ladies. “Intimidating?” He couldn’t imagine this girl being intimidated by anybody.

  “Sure. You stormed around the place like an ogre, a very sexy ogre. After bumping into you in the fields, Cade would come inside and tell me how you nearly bit his head off.” She shook her head in amusement. “He used to break his heart laughing.”

  Brett gave a reluctant smile, imagining Cade cracking up after one of their encounters. “Guess I wasn’t the best neighbor back then.”

  Her eyes widened. “So things have changed?”

  He shrugged. “He’s a good kid.”

  They were quiet for a few minutes but he could feel her eyes on him. Her inquisitive gaze had prickles of awareness spreading over his skin. “So how long have you known Cade?” he asked, breaking the silence.

  “Since college. We took an English class together.”

  “What do you do?”

  She flicked a fly off her knee with one red nail. “I’m an executive at a beauty company based in New York.”

  Ah, she was a high flyer. “You like it?”

  She nodded. “Don’t get me wrong, it can be stressful, but I suppose I thrive on that.”

  Brett focused on the road ahead as Jessica admired the various nooks and crannies in the cab. After a while, he took a left turn and started down Main Street. The truck trundled to a stop outside the diner.

  “Mmm, that was fun,” she said when he pulled open her door. He took her hand and watched her dress flare as she jumped down. The flash of creamy thighs made his mouth water.

  “Hey, honey,” Delia greeted him as he walked through the door. Warm and matronly, Delia always made her customers feel at home. And she’d been a good friend to his mother. In the run up to the funeral a mountain of Delia’s pies and cakes had weighed down his kitchen table. “Comfort food”, she’d told him with tears in her brown eyes. “It’s good for the soul.”

  “Hi, Delia,” he said, stooping to kiss her weathered cheek. “This here is Jessica Lawson. She’s Cade’s friend.”

  Delia beamed at Jessica and then clapped her hands together. “I hope you two are hungry. The fried chicken is good today, if I do say so myself.”

  “Fried chicken?” Jessica cried, sliding into one of the booths. “I need some of that. God, I’m so hungry.”

  “Same for you?” Delia asked Brett.

  He nodded and then watched her bustle toward the kitchen.

  “That’s good service,” Jessica noted, folding her hands on the table. “She’s really sweet.”

  Feeling a surge of pride for Delia, he grinned. “She sure is.”

  Ten minutes later their food arrived along with two vanilla milkshakes, on the house.

  Jessica grabbed her straw and slurped noisily. She wasn’t like the many diet-addicted girls he’d been out with. Unafraid to exhibit her hunger, she tore into her fried chicken with gusto. The sight of her uninhibited hunger turned him on, and the pure ecstasy in her expression at the first taste of Delia’s crispy batter turned him on even more. “Is this how she looks during sex?” he wondered.

  Cade would know.

  After devouring most of her chicken, Jessica rested her head on the edge of the booth and rolled her eyes up to the heavens. “That was the best meal I’ve had in years.”

 
“Hunger’s a damn fine gravy.”

  “Mmm.” She looked at him through sleepy eyes as he continued to eat. “So tell me, cowboy, how’s Cade doing?”

  He gave a bark of laughter. “How the hell would I know?”

  “You see him every day.”

  “Yeah, but I’m not his babysitter. I don’t keep tabs on him.”

  “But how does he seem to you?” she prompted, eyes fixed on his face. She had that inquisitive expression again. He didn’t like it. “Is he happy?”

  “I don’t know. I guess he kids around a lot. That’s a good sign, right?”

  She nodded. “When bad shit happens, he doesn’t like to talk about it. But I think being here with you has helped him a lot.” She smiled softly, sassy chick gone and replaced with a concerned friend. “I’m really sorry about your parents, by the way.”

  He looked at her in surprise. “Uh, thanks.”

  She shook her head. “It was a really bad thing to happen.”

  “Yeah.” Grief grasped his chest and for a long moment he couldn’t breathe. Then, as air filled his chest again, he forced a smile. “Life goes on, I guess.”

  Understanding warmed her eyes. “It must help to have Cade around.”

  He hesitated, not sure what to say to that. As the truth of her words hit home, he nodded. “It does.”

  They were silent for a few minutes and Brett looked out at Main Street as his food digested in his system. In just two hours he already had a pretty clear picture of who Jessica was and he liked what he saw. Behind the sharp wit and sexual persona, she read people fast. And from the way she talked about Cade she was a really good friend. Brett had known for a while now that having Cade on the ranch was a good thing in terms of the ranch and having a buddy to hang out with. He just hadn’t realized that his own grief process had been made a hell of a lot easier by Cade’s presence. They faced the same loss, felt the same emptiness. Brett hadn’t seen it before but over the past few weeks a bond had developed between him and Cade, a bond he didn’t think would be easily broken.

  “Anyway,” Jessica started after Delia left two cups of coffee on the table for them, “you’re exactly what I expected, you know?”

  Her earlier “ogre” comment popped into his mind and his brows drew together. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re a funny guy, way sexier than any person should be. But you’re so controlled.” She leaned forward, deepening the line of her cleavage. He swallowed hard and forced his gaze upward to meet her eyes.

  “Controlled, huh?”

  “Yeah. All restrained.” She licked her lips and winked. “We’ll have to loosen you up before I leave.”

  He liked the sound of that. So did his cock judging by the way it jumped in his pants.

  “Do you think he’s going to come back to New York?” she asked, her tone somber, her eyes watching for his reaction.

  He paused. The familiar pit of dread opened up in his stomach. He shrugged, hoping she couldn’t see past his relaxed façade. “I don’t know. It doesn’t come up in conversation much.”

  “Okay.”

  As she sipped the hot drink, he studied her serene expression and wondered if something bubbled beneath the surface. Maybe she missed Cade. Was that what she was here for? To get him back?

  “Do you want him to go back with you?” He asked the question straight out, no games.

  Her eyes widened in surprise and she put down her cup. “I miss him,” she said after mulling it over. “But from our phone calls, he seems to feel at home here. I guess that makes sense, it’s where he grew up.” She scrunched up her face, not happy with her answer. “You know what? If he’s happy here, I want him to stay. I think the ranch suits that cowboy smile of his.” Her face broke into a grin. “And I wouldn’t mind visiting him down here every now and then. Especially if you’re hanging around.”

  He grinned back as warm lust rolled over his body. He liked this woman. There was one thing he had to say about Cade—the guy had good taste.

  “You want to get out of here?” he asked, digging into his pocket for some cash.

  “Yeah.” She slid to the edge of the booth and stood. “Can we go for a drive around town?”

  “We can do whatever you like, darlin’”. He got to his feet and threw a few notes on the table to cover the bill. Then, shouting a goodbye to Delia, he led the city girl outside.

  “The air is really dry down here,” she said as they walked to the truck. “And freaking hot. I’m going to have to work on my tan before I head home.”

  Imagining her stretched out on the grass in his backyard, wearing nothing but a tiny bikini, he bit back a groan. “I’m sure that’ll be possible,” he said stiffly, giving her a hand up into the truck and trying to resist peeking up her dress.

  He drove along Main Street and turned right for the road leading out of town. “There’s some scenery up here you might want to see,” he told her.

  “The only scenery I need is sitting right here in this truck.”

  He laughed at her outrageous flirtation. “I’ve never come across a girl like you before, sweetheart.”

  “Oh no?” She sounded genuinely surprised at this. “Am I really so bad?”

  “Bad? I didn’t say bad.” He glanced down and watched her hand slide over his thigh. “Not bad at all,” he finished thickly.

  He took a left turn on the main road, turning onto what was basically a dirt track. He followed it, his dick hardening with every stroke of Jessica’s hand. Her fingers curled between his thighs, the long nails dangerously close to grazing his erection. He gripped the wheel and focused on not crashing into a tree.

  The dirt track led to a dusty clearing, a make-out spot he and his friends had made use of as teenagers. He pulled the truck to a stop in the middle and got out.

  “Wow,” Jessica whispered, shielding her eyes with her hand as she stepped toward the edge of the clearing. Behind them stood bushes and trees. In front of them the land dipped in a deep canyon. There had to be at least a mile between them and the other side. A narrow creek, blue as the sky, trickled between the rocks along the bottom of the canyon. The water shimmered beneath the sun, creating a jeweled effect that could blind.

  “That’s amazing,” Jessica said, stepping closer to the edge where the land began a dangerously steep decline. She turned to him, a mixture of awe and desire darkening her eyes. “You boys have it good out here.”

  “We sure do.” He leaned back against the hood of his truck and watched her. While she admired the rugged beauty of their surroundings, he admired the curve of her fine ass, her shapely legs and her slim ankles. She turned, smiling wickedly when she caught him staring.

  She approached him slowly with the slinky moves of a coyote. The subtle sway of her slender hips captivated him. As she closed in, the spicy scent of her perfume coiled around him. Seduction personified.

  So close to him he could feel her breath on his neck, she lifted her face and pressed a kiss to his jaw. He gritted his teeth, blood pounding in his veins. Her arms slipped around his body trapping him against the Chevrolet.

  “I really like your truck,” she said, her tone low and sexy. “Every time we drove over a pothole or uneven road the whole seat vibrated.” She pressed up against him so their bodies aligned. The slight hitch of her breath told him she was aware of his erection.

  She hooked one of her legs around his waist, supporting her knee on the front grate of the truck. Then, in one slow move, she dragged her crotch along his dick. He sucked in a breath and held it as she repeated the action. He held her to him, pressing his palm into the small of her back, urging her to do it again.

  Murmuring her approval, she started to ride him, rubbing her pussy against him. She gave a tiny moan, obviously finding the right friction, and then she abruptly stumbled back.

  “You know what?” she asked, slightly out of breath. “We could do the foreplay thing, but I don’t want to hang around.” Hooking her fingers beneath the straps of her sundres
s, she pulled them down over her shoulders. The light material pooled around her ankles, leaving her naked except for a tiny white thong.

  Brett’s cock leaped in excitement as he drank in the dark berry nipples standing out like chocolate centers on each of her small, creamy breasts. He licked his lips and then dropped his gaze as she shimmied out of the thong. Fuck. Her pussy was hairless, the pink skin smooth, the tiny bud of her clit peeking out.

  A deep hunger roared through his body. He lunged forward and grabbed her to him, holding her buttocks as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He swiveled and backed her up against the truck. Her hands slid down between them and tore open his belt.

  “Come on,” he pleaded with his jeans as the zipper refused to budge. “Fuck it, come on!”

  The scrub of metal on metal resounded in the air as she finally got it down. The head of his cock nudged out of the opening. She reached in and pulled him out.

  “Oh, you’re big,” she murmured, gliding her hand up and down his throbbing skin. “Very big.” She shook her head and glanced up at him, pupils dilated with lust. “Put it inside me,” she demanded, pushing her hand between her legs and parting the juicy lips of her pussy. “Please.”

  No part of him wanted to resist. He bent at the knees and drove upward, spearing her flesh with his cock. She arched against him, her cunt stretching for him. He pulled out and lunged forward again. Her sheath fit snugly around him, hot and drenched with her cream. He set a furious pace, needing to fuck her, to make them both scream. At the back of his mind he knew they were playing with fire. Anyone could come along. Not only was this a make-out spot, it was part of a walking trail, it was the perfect area for a picnic and it was a sunny day.

  Dipping his head, he claimed Jessica’s red lips, forcing his tongue inside her mouth. Her tongue wrapped around his as her nails dug into the front of his chest. He groaned into her mouth as her pussy clenched around his cock. She was close. He could feel it in the urgency of her kiss and the bucking of her hips.