Coming Home (2 page)

Pax sucked on her tongue, snapping her from
her thoughts. Caleb's hand pushed under the cup of her bra, rolling
her nipple between his fingers. Gasping from the touch, Sydney
pulled away from the kiss and opened her eyes. She panted, the
toying with her nipple sending sparks in one direction. The same
direction Pax's hand drifted toward: her pussy.

"Shit, stop! Stop!" she shouted, using her
feet to push her body away from them. Her head swam, her feelings
confused, and nausea rose. She would never drink again. Ever.

Pax started to speak but she cut him off.
"You guys need to leave."

"Syd, we can't leave you here. You're drunk
and it's late. Your dad would skin me alive if he knew I'd just
walked away."

"He won't know, will he? Because to tell him,
you'd have to admit you were both drinking with me. And yeah, he'd
be pissed at that, though not as pissed as the next revelation
about what you and your friend were doing with his daughter under
the bleachers."

"Syd."

"Go. Please. I don't ever want to talk about
this again. I'm drunk. So are you. Both of you."

Pax reached out, wrapping his fingers around
her ankle. She flinched, pulling it back and scuttling against the
wall. Her stomach roiled, the alcohol burning like acid as it
worked its way up. She couldn't see their faces from where she sat
but she heard their muted whispers. Seconds later Pax knelt beside
her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll call your house in
thirty minutes. You'd better answer, or your daddy better tell me
you're tucked up in bed."

He left with Caleb and the first wave of
sickness arrived just moments later. Holding her hair back, Sydney
purged her stomach alone in the dark, wishing she could also purge
her memories.

*~~*

Sydney couldn't resist, she had to see the
house before she drove to the 4D. It also meant she could put off
seeing Caleb and Pax.

Fooling herself she had the strength to do
this alone, she drove up to her childhood home completely
unprepared for what faced her. Pax hadn't been exaggerating when he
said the house needed to be rebuilt. Nothing remained but a
crumbling, burned wooden frame. The fire had decimated everything,
including the attached stables.

Her knees wobbled when she climbed out of her
car, the air still pungent with acrid smoke. She didn't walk too
close, though she could clearly see piles of scorched possessions.
Everything her father owned had been in the house and in the space
of a few short hours—all gone. Nothing left but ash and embers.

Tears pricked her eyes, and not wanting to
look at the wreckage any longer, she walked over to what remained
of the stables. There were no horses in the paddock, or further out
so far as she could see. Chastising herself for not asking Pax
about her horse, Roman, she turned back toward her car and walked
directly into someone.

Strong hands grasped her arms. "Took them to
my stables," he mumbled, holding her biceps. "Roman, too."

Sydney exhaled, knowing who had spoken.
Pax
. Dammit if her body didn't instantly respond to his
voice.

Her breath whooshed out. "Pax." She could
only manage his name.

He smiled at her—the one she remembered where
the right side of his mouth lifted higher than the left and created
a little dimple. His hair flopped into his deep brown eyes, but he
didn't take his hands from her so that he could push it back.
Instead, he looked her in the eyes through the strands. "Welcome
home, sweetheart."

Rolling her eyes, Sydney pulled away before
he could hug her. "Not much left of it."

"And I'm real sorry about that but we'll make
it good again."

Trying not to stare too much at his broad
shoulders, she asked, "Are you sure my dad's okay? You wouldn't lie
to me, would you?"

Pax moved his finger across his chest. "Cross
my heart. Jack's just fine. In fact, right now he's out ridin'
Blue, after just givin' the insurance company hell."

A weight lifted off her chest, feeling
instantly lighter now that she knew her father was dealing with the
fire. After seeing the house, it became clear how much work needed
doing, and how long that work could take. It meant she would be
seeing an awful lot more of the cowboy in front of her. Along with
his friend.

"How did you know I'd come here first?"

Pax chuckled, a low rumble that had her
nipples puckering. "I didn't. I was here checkin' everythin' out
and heard your car drive up. Total coincidence."

"You don't believe in them," she shot back,
needing to see his smirk again. "I know you, Paxton Dane."

He licked his lips, his tone dropping to
wet your panties
level. "And I know you."

Heat burned her cheeks from the memories of
what he hinted at. She chose to ignore his comment, changing the
subject as quickly as she could. "I didn't ask, but you do have
internet, right?"

"Sure do. It's ready and waitin' for you to
abuse."

Sydney spluttered, far too many images
flitting through her head and causing it to spin. The man proved
toxic to her sanity.

"Um, does Caleb know I'm coming?" she finally
asked, unable to avoid it any longer.

Pax rubbed the back of his neck, taking a
step closer to her. "He was the one who told me to call you. He
said you should be here no matter what Jack crowed about." He
exhaled. "He's doin' okay, Syd, but you cut the guy to shreds. I
know it's been a while, but it still smarts. All I'm goin' to say
is go easy on him."

She stiffened. "I'm not here to open any
wounds. I'm here because my father needs me. Not a single person
knows what happened between Caleb and me, so you have no right to
judge."

"Whoa! I'm not judgin', sweetheart. I'm bein'
a friend to Caleb and askin' for you to be gentle. I care about you
both, and I'd hate for this to be awkward."

Moving around him, Sydney stalked to her car.
His comments had ruffled her feathers because Pax knew she wouldn't
hurt Caleb intentionally.

But that's exactly what you did.

Ignoring the voice in her head, she climbed
into her car and started the engine. Pax stared at her, watching
her as she pulled away.

She knew exactly what he thought. Sydney
Jamieson would always run away, rather than deal with the
truth.

"Dad, you still should have called me."

Jack Jamieson huffed, dismissing her concern.
"Don't need you gettin' all heated about this. Those damn boys
should never have bothered you. The house will be back to normal
soon."

Frustration rose, Sydney had been having this
conversation for the last hour. Her father appeared not to care he
now lived in a neighbor's cottage with very few possessions to his
name. In fact, he looked rather comfortable on the threadbare couch
with Pax's dog on his lap. The German Shepherd eyed her, ready to
pounce if she raised her voice. That her father didn't appear upset
over the fire annoyed her. "I'm not leaving, Dad. I can work from
here."

"Silly girl. You can't just stop livin' your
life to help me. I have two strappin' boys more than willing to
help. And I ain't in no grave yet."

Exhaling, Sydney fought to remain calm.
"Those boys have a ranch to run. You really can't go expecting them
to rebuild your house, along with caring for
our
horses."

"I'll be lookin' after my own damn horses,"
Jack snapped. "Don't need you bein' my mama, Sydney."

Rolling her eyes, she stood. She'd hit a
brick wall with him, and the only way forward now would be to start
to rebuild everything he'd lost. Her father might buckle eventually
and she would make sure she wasn't living in a different state when
he did. She'd just stay right here.

"Since I can't get you to see sense, you
stubborn mule, I'm goin' up to the house. I'll be unpackin'."

"Sydney."

He'd used the very same tone on her when she
was younger. On those occasions he hadn't needed to shout or raise
his voice at all. His dissatisfaction instantly came through.
Nevertheless, at this moment in time she honestly didn't care. He
needed her, whether he could admit it or not.

Turning, she started for the door when his
low voice rumbled in the silence. "Good to have you home, Ne-Ne,
though you've lost too much weight. Maybe those boys can fatten you
up."

"Maybe." The best response she could offer
before she stepped out into the sunshine, closing the door behind
her.

Momentarily blinded by the light, she
stumbled down the steps. A low snigger had her body on alert. It
reminded her of their first interaction—the one under the
bleachers.

"Hey, Caleb," she whispered, blinking him
into focus.

"Hey yourself, Sydney Jamieson." His drawl
hadn't changed. It still caused ripples of arousal to fan across
her body, and when she finally got a good look at him she could
still see the man she'd left behind. A little older and far more
defined, his biceps bulged, his tight T-shirt teasing her with
signs of a washboard stomach.

Why had she called the engagement off
again?

"How are you keeping?"

He chuckled again, moving closer. His gaze
raked over her with slow, seductive precision, as if he was
recalling every inch of her body, and how she had looked naked.
Sydney shivered.

"After five years, you ask how I am?
Seriously?"

Stammering for something to say, she studied
his face. She couldn't see any trace of anger, or hate for that
matter. In fact, Caleb's smile remained, as he rubbed his closely
clipped hair with his palm. The intense green eyes she'd known so
well lowered sheepishly, causing a small smile to tease her
lips.

"I guess it is rather dumb. I mean it,
though. You okay?"

"Better for seein' you. I missed you."

Guilt had her chest tightening. A thousand
explanations flashed through her head, though she didn't verbalize
any of them. "Thanks for getting Pax to call me. I missed you, too…
both of you." She had no idea why she felt the need to include
Pax.

"He said you'll be stayin' with us."

Heat flared within her. The attraction
remained, still throbbing with each beat of her heart. Caleb took
one step closer, causing her to lift her head to keep eye contact.
His height had always been a turn on for her. She liked someone who
could overpower her.

"Dad says you both need to feed me.
Apparently I'm too thin."

His eyes devoured her again and he licked his
lips as if he liked what he saw. "Ain't nothin' wrong that I can
see. Maybe I should get a closer look?"

"You already did," she replied, slipping into
an easy banter with him.

"That I did. Never could get enough
though."

Her pussy clenched at his declaration and the
guttural tone of his voice. They shouldn't be talking like this.
There were far too many issues to resolve, not to mention Pax.

Sydney cleared her throat, snapping the
growing tension between them. She pulled her hair up, using an
elastic tie from her wrist to pull it into a ponytail.

"You changed the color," he said, pointing at
her hair.

The change in subject startled her, and she
had a moment to gather her bearings when Caleb started to walk away
from the cottage, heading for the house.

"Um, yeah. It's been a couple of colors since
I… left. I had it white blonde for the longest time."

"I like it red."

Lost for what to say next, she swallowed and
asked what she really wanted to know. "Have you honestly been
okay?"

Caleb stilled, turning to face her. His brows
rose high on his forehead. "Do you truly want an answer? Here? Now?
Because I'll give it to you, Syd. Just be prepared for what you'll
get."

"I—"

"I'm bein' the good guy here, givin' you time
to adjust to all the shit that's happened, but don't take that as
acceptance of what you did to me—what you
still
do to
me."

"Caleb." She reached out to grab his forearm.
Surprisingly, he didn't shake her off. "I want to talk about it. I
do have my reasons, though I'm certain you'll never
understand."

"It's good you have a reason because you told
me shit! Five years. Five fuckin' years of silence, and yet you
question my silence now. You should be thankin' me for it."

His arm grew rigid beneath her palm, the
sinew taut with aggression. Out of the two men, Caleb had always
been the one that lost his cool first, though he never scared her.
She felt safe with him, just like she did with Pax.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She gripped his
arm tighter. His shoulders sagged, the tension seeping from his
body and seconds later he had her swept into a tight hug. He picked
her up off the ground, whispering into her ear. "I've been needin'
to hear that, but don't think it's forgotten. I want the truth,
Syd."

Breathing a sigh of relief for now, she
wrapped her arms around his neck. Turning her face into his
shoulder she inhaled, amazed when he smelled exactly as she
remembered, a deep musky scent that had her hormones surging.

"Christ, I missed you," he groaned, and for a
second she thought she felt his lips against her cheek.

Pax's dog, Cloud, interrupted their
precarious reunion when he raced across the yard, barking loudly.
Caleb lowered her back onto her feet, smoothing a loose strand of
hair from her eyes. "Guess I'd better be feedin' you if Jack said
so. Wouldn't want to get on his wrong side."

He linked his fingers into hers, tugging her
lightly and led her to the main house.

The 4D ranch had been in Pax's family for
generations, the land increasing in size as each owner bought more.
The house never grew with the land. Each generation decided the two
bedroom barn conversion sufficient for their needs. Clad in dark
wood slats, the outside had large windows cut into the upper and
lower levels. The house blended perfectly into the scenery, as did
the small cottage her father was staying in. She'd always found the
house cozy when she'd visited as a teenager. The perfect place to
raise a family.