Coming Home Page 8

  He rubbed a weary hand over his jaw and stopped in the middle of the yard. He’d tossed and turned all night, unable to get a wink of sleep when the wheels of his mind had refused to quit turning. His imagination had run riot, conjuring up images of Cade and Jessica together, doing whatever the hell they were doing while he lay awake in his bed. Fucking torture. And when Cade had rambled into the paddock that morning, later than usual and wearing the satisfied expression of a man who’d gotten well and truly laid, Brett’s fury had hit him full-force.

  Fury? he wondered now as he stared blindly ahead. Or is it jealousy? Whatever he was feeling, it made him pathetic. He had no reason to be jealous. Hell, he’d fucked Jessica yesterday afternoon and Cade hadn’t raised an eyebrow.

  The thud of boots on the ground behind him cut into his thoughts.

  “Listen,” Cade started, tone apologetic. “What happened yesterday won’t happen again.”

  Is he talking about the horse or Jessica? Brett sincerely hoped he was referring to the horse.

  “Forget about it,” he said stiffly. He yanked his hat from his head and faced the other man. “Why don’t you take off? I’m sure your guest would appreciate some company.”

  Cade broke into a grin. “I’d bet my bottom dollar she’s still in bed. Jet lag and all that.”

  Brett narrowed his eyes. Jet lag or a long night?

  Cade’s grin widened as if he was reading his mind. “She’s really something, ain’t she?”

  Feeling slightly uncomfortable that Cade knew he’d fucked his girl, Brett looked at the ground and nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Hey, don’t look so guilty.” Cade brought his hand down on his shoulder. “No hard feelings.”

  “Sure.” Despite the assurances, Brett still couldn’t bring himself to look him in the eye.

  “You should come over tonight?”

  “Huh?” Taken aback, he glanced up. “Come over?”

  “Yeah. I’m going to fire up the barbecue, cook a couple of steaks, nothing fancy.” Cade waggled his eyebrows. “Jess sure would love your company.”

  Brett’s brow furrowed as he studied Cade’s friendly expression for a hint of hostility. Was this guy serious? He wanted the three of them to eat together tonight even though both he and Cade had fucked Jessica in the past twenty-four hours?

  “Okay, I’m going to take your silence as a yes,” Cade decided, backing up toward the stable. “I’m going to set up a stall for Marci. I’ll catch you later.”

  At the mention of Marci, their new acquisition, Brett’s insides tightened in frustration again, distracting him from what he’d just been signed up for. He shook the feeling off, then felt a tension of a different kind settle in the pit of his stomach. Dinner tonight with Cade and Jessica. He couldn’t think of a more uncomfortable scenario.

  Chapter Six

  That evening as the sun lowered in the sky, Brett trekked across the fields of Steeplecrest Ranch, shortcutting a path to Cade’s house. Armed with beer and a heavy dose of caution, he felt more confident than he’d expected to, though he still had the uneasy suspicion he was walking into a warzone.

  He approached the house from the back and soon the sounds of cutlery, chatter and sizzling meat reached his ears. Once he jumped over the last fence, the backyard came into view. Jessica lay sprawled out on a lounger, sunglasses perched on the top of her head. In just a tank top and a denim mini-skirt, she looked good enough to eat.

  His gaze roamed her bare legs from the hem of the skirt to her red toenails, then skipped back up to the swell of her breasts that were covered by the white cotton of her top. The top stopped just below her navel, exposing a strip of smooth, tanned midriff. His mouth watered at the thought of tasting her skin.

  He shoved past the bushes and into the backyard. Seeing his approach, Jessica sat up and waved, a bright smile curving her lips.

  “Hey there, cowboy,” she greeted, whipping her long legs over the side of the lounger and slinking to her feet. “Cade,” she called, keeping her sparkling eyes on Brett, “our guest is here.”

  Cade appeared at the kitchen door, plates in hand. He jumped down the veranda steps and left the plates beside the barbecue.

  “Take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the garden chairs that surrounded a patio table. “Food’s almost up.”

  The aroma of barbecued steak teased Brett’s nostrils and his stomach growled. He smiled sheepishly and lifted the beers. “Where do you want these?”

  “I’ll take one,” Jess said, selecting a bottle.

  He watched her uncap it then take a long sip. Her delicate throat worked as she swallowed and he felt his jeans tighten. Sitting, he took a beer for himself. Here less than two minutes and he already needed a cold drink.

  “I hope you’re hungry,” Jess said, bottle dangling from her fingers as she took the chair beside him. She sat, twisting her body toward him and then crossed one leg over the other. The move displayed a flash of black panties and he downed another gulp of beer.

  “Yeah, I’m hungry,” he said, answering her question.

  As if on cue, Cade set a plate of steak in front of him. “Dig in.”

  Brett nodded. “Thanks.” He grabbed a fork and knife from the center of the table and cut into the meat. “How did you spend your day?” he asked Jessica after he’d swallowed his first bite. “Bored?”

  “Not at all.” She leaned back in her chair, stretching her legs out in front of her. Her colorful toes brushed his boots. “I sunbathed and read for a while.”

  “Jess doesn’t take a lot of vacations,” Cade explained, bringing over two plates of food for him and Jessica and pulling up a chair. “So when she gets a break she does zilch.”

  “Zilch?” she questioned, slanting a glance in Cade’s direction. “Is that what I was doing last night?”

  “Or yesterday afternoon?” Brett wondered. Trying to ignore the images of Jessica’s naked body that flashed across his mind, he focused on his food.

  They ate in silence for a few minutes, each focusing on the tender steak. After ingesting the last bite, Brett hooked his arm over the back of his chair and sighed. “I have to admit,” he said lightly, “that was good, Armstrong.”

  Cade gave a bark of laughter. “Do you have to sound so surprised?”

  Brett shrugged, grinning. With food lining his stomach and alcohol buzzing in his bloodstream, the tension in his stomach was slowly dissipating.

  Shifting his attention back to Jessica, he watched awestruck as a morsel of steak disappeared between her lips. “So how long are you sticking around for?” he asked her, ignoring the heaviness in his balls.

  “A couple of days.”

  He frowned. “You came all the way down here for a couple of days?”

  She smiled and patted Cade’s knee. “I had to check on this guy, see if you’re treating him okay.”

  Brett glanced at the other man in surprise. “And am I treating him okay?”

  Cade smirked and met his eyes as Jessica tapped her finger to her chin thoughtfully. “I think so,” she said after a few moments of pondering. “But he’s so tense these days.” She slid out of her chair and moved around Cade, rubbing his shoulders. “You could bring him out on the town one of these nights, help him get laid.”

  Brett choked on a mouthful of beer and Cade chuckled.

  “I don’t need any help getting laid, sweetheart,” he told Jessica, pulling her in front of him and slapping her on the ass. “As a matter of fact, I’ve had to help him out a couple of times.”

  Jessica swiveled to face Brett, humor shining in her eyes. “Oh really?”

  Remembering the redhead from Billy’s, Brett squirmed in his seat. “That was one time and I was wasted.”

  Jessica giggled, shaking her head in mock despair. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you boys.”

  “How about you feed us?” Cade suggested, looking up at her. “I think it’s time for dessert.”

  “Mmm. I think so too.” She danced out of his
embrace and skipped up the steps into the kitchen. Less than a minute later she reappeared with pie.

  “It’s apple,” she said, slicing a knife through the golden pastry. “Cade had some apples in the kitchen so I thought I’d bake something sweet.”

  She passed Brett a slice and he dug hungrily into the dessert. At the first sweet taste, he closed his eyes. “This is real good, darlin’,” he said, barely glancing up from his plate. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  A few seconds later, Cade added his thanks. “Where the hell did you learn to bake?” he demanded through a mouthful of pie.

  “I took a class in New York.”

  “You took a class?”

  Brett laughed at the disbelief in Cade’s voice.

  “Yes, I took a class,” Jessica said defensively. She shrugged. “The teacher was really cute.”

  “Now that explains it,” Cade said, a smug expression on his face. He winked at Brett. “She can’t help herself. She’s a fucking nympho.”

  Brett didn’t say anything, but he wondered if he’d get to see the nymphomaniac streak tonight. He sure as hell wanted to.

  They sat enjoying the evening heat for another hour or so. They talked about the World Series, Jessica’s job and her family. Brett settled into the easy atmosphere, unable to help laughing at Jessica’s outrageous stories. She was a wild cat, lived life on the edge. It became clear as crystal to him that a girl like this would never settle down, hence her commitment-free relationship with Cade.

  At nine, Jessica jumped to her feet and gathered the dishes.

  “Here,” he said, getting up too. “Let me help you.”

  “No need. I’m just going to stack these in the sink.” She carried them toward the kitchen, calling out as she went, “Cade, why don’t you take Brett into the living room and turn on the TV. I really want to catch that movie.”

  “You game for a movie?” Cade asked, stretching his arms over his head.

  “You don’t want me to get out of your hair?”

  “It’s good to have you here.”

  Deciding to take the guy’s word for it, Brett stayed. In the living room he took the sofa by the window while Cade and Jessica curled up on the one opposite the TV. The movie, an action thriller full of violence and graphic sex, barely held his attention. He was aware of the couple sitting so close at all times. He had no idea what they were doing in the dark and he itched to turn his head and find out. But he refused to give in and stared straight ahead.

  When the credits rolled he turned slowly and found Cade and Jess innocently reading the list of actors.

  “I knew that was him,” Jessica said, putting a bowl of popcorn onto the coffee table. “I really liked that movie. What did you think, Brett?”

  He shrugged, barely able to remember the main character’s name. “I guess it was okay.”

  Cade shook his head. “I thought it would be better. The ending sucked.” As he spoke, Cade’s arm dropped from where it had been casually draped across the back of the sofa to the other side of Jessica’s body. He stroked the curve of her waist and then lifted his hand to her breast. As he squeezed the small mound, Brett held his breath.

  “Uh, I should go,” he said, rising to his feet and tearing his gaze from Cade’s hand.

  “Oh, stay a while,” Jessica pouted. She let her knees fall open suggestively while sliding her left hand between Cade’s thighs. Brett’s cock stiffened in his pants. “It’s still so early. We haven’t even gotten started yet.”

  We haven’t even gotten started yet. Did he even want to know what she meant by that? He took in Jessica’s pleading expression and then glanced at Cade who was still watching the credits as he fondled Jessica’s breast. They both looked completely at ease, as if this was normal.

  Maybe it’s normal for them.

  As his pants became even more constricted, Jessica’s statement repeated in his mind. We haven’t even gotten started yet.

  He wanted to know what she meant. He wanted to know more than anything.

  Slowly, he backed up to the sofa at the window and resumed his seating position. What the hell am I letting myself in for?

  Warm lust threaded Cade’s veins as out of the corner of his eye he watched Brett sit back down on the sofa, shoulders squared and feet flat on the floor. He looked as if he was ready to jump up and dart out the door at any second. The typical fight-or-flight response. Despite his obvious apprehension, he’d decided to fight and the victory sent little thrills up and down Cade’s spine.

  The man he’d been lusting after for as long as he could remember had agreed to stay, to take part in the sexual games they had planned for the evening. He hadn’t dared to dream Brett would agree to stay. The man saw things in black and white. One woman and one man. Cade and Jessica were going to smash that illusion to pieces tonight and Cade couldn’t wait.

  Keeping one hand on Jessica’s breast, he reached for the remote control and clicked the off button. The picture on the TV screen faded to black and they were plunged into silence, a silence punctuated by Jessica’s unsteady breaths. He circled her nipple through her tank top and then pinched the hard tip. A soft sigh fell from her lips and she smiled up at him. A question lighted her eyes. You want to start now?

  He gave a curt nod. Of course he wanted to start now. Did she think he could hold out any longer with Brett sitting so close? He wasn’t made of steel.

  Her hand continued to stroke the thickening bulge in his pants. “Take off your shirt,” she said, loud enough for Brett to hear.

  With his free hand, he popped open the buttons of his shirt one by one. When he’d slipped the last button out of its eyelet, Jess removed her hand from his dick and lifted her body into his lap. She straddled his thighs, digging her knees into the cushions on either side of his body. Parting the lapels of his shirt, she ducked her head to taste his skin. Her tongue, warm and wet, licked a trail down his chest. As she sucked at his belly button, he was painfully aware of Brett’s eyes on them. Did watching the foreplay turn him on? Was his dick as hard as Cade’s? Was he touching himself?

  Unable to help himself, Cade’s gaze darted toward the other man. Brett’s eyes met his, and even from across the room Cade could see how dilated the pupils were. Just about to drop his gaze to Brett’s crotch, he almost groaned as Jessica straightened in his lap and blocked the view.

  A knowing glint sparkled in her eyes and she looked over her shoulder. “I think Brett could use a hand,” she sang, sliding from Cade’s lap.

  With his cock battling against the tight prison of his jeans, Cade watched her saunter toward the other sofa. She lifted her skirt another inch up her thighs and climbed on top of Brett.

  “What about you, honey? You going to take off your clothes?” she asked, bracing her hands on his shoulders. Cade shifted on the sofa to get a better view. He watched a smirk twist Brett’s lips as the man clasped his large hands around Jessica’s waist.

  “You first,” he drawled.

  Cade’s cock jerked in his pants.

  “Okay then,” Jess agreed, her voice full of laughter. She lifted the hem of her top and whipped it over her head. Cade drank in the smooth lines of her back and wondered how hard her nipples were. Then Brett leaned forward and pressed his head to her tits. A sucking sound rose in the air.

  Unable to bear the discomfort, Cade ripped open his belt and tugged his zipper down. He reached into his jeans and pulled out his cock. A few quick strokes eased the need to empty his balls. Keeping his hand wrapped around his shaft, he settled back and let Jess’s breathy moans tease his ears.

  At the rasp of another zipper, he straightened, his gaze catching on the gap between Jess’s ass and Brett’s thighs. Knowing what Cade needed to see, Jess lifted her ass farther as she released Brett’s cock from the confines of his pants. The thick stalk of Brett’s dick came into view and Cade clamped a hand to his balls. He ached to get up, to cross the room and push Jess to the side. To suck that cock down his throat,
to feel Brett’s shaft pulsing on his tongue. He swallowed as Jess rose even higher and gathered her skirt around her hips. The entire length of Brett’s cock filled Cade’s eyes and a groan stuck in his throat. In the well-lit living room he appeared even bigger than he had that night in Billy’s parking lot. Thick, straight and plum-red in color. The stalk flared outward at the head, reminding Cade of a large lollipop, a lollipop his mouth watered to suck on.

  He held his breath as Jess pushed her panties to the side and lowered her hips, her pussy swallowing Brett’s cock inch by inch. It was almost painful to watch but it struck Cade as the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He gripped his own dick in one hand and ground the other against his balls. He didn’t want to come. Not yet, not until he saw Brett come first.

  Jess’s moans of delight grew louder as she rode Brett’s cock. He let her set the pace at first, a lazy ride that gave Cade a perfect view of her pink cunt parting for Brett’s shaft. But then Brett’s hands lowered to her ass and gripped her buttocks as he started to jerk his hips upward. Jess’s moans became cries as Brett’s cock met her pussy on the down stroke and witnessing the power in Brett’s thrusts nearly did Cade in. He clamped his jaw together, summoning all his strength to hold back from the edge. Jess had been right, Brett was quiet during sex. Unable to see the other man’s face, Cade couldn’t guess how close he was to coming.

  He had to know. He had to go over there.

  Shaking legs carried him slowly across the pinewood floor to the other sofa. He could see Brett clearly now. The man’s face was tight, controlled. His eyes were fixed on Jess’s face as she slammed down on his dick. Cade circled them and gave his dick another quick stroke. Brett’s gaze flickered to Cade’s cock and the motion of his hips slowed. Not wanting to distract the guy, Cade was ready to step back but then Brett’s hard thrusts resumed as he looked back at Jess.

  “Looks like Cade here needs a little help,” he muttered, his voice matching his tight face.