Coming Home (6 page)

She took a few minutes, reliving last night
and enjoying the feel of Caleb beside her. The night had been too
unbelievable to comprehend. Even after some sleep, exhaustion still
consumed her.

Gazing across at Caleb, she smiled. He always
looked so young when he slept, his lower lip jutting out in a
childish pout. He had the longest lashes she had ever seen on a
man, the light casting them into dark shadows across his cheek.
Smoothing her hand across his closely cropped hair, she took
pleasure in the familiar sensation of the coarse strands scraping
her palm.

A loud clatter from downstairs made Caleb
jump and it relieved some of his weight from her body. He didn't
wake up, merely grumbled against her shoulder. However, it did give
Sydney enough space to scoot out from under him.

The bedroom bore the ravages of their fun.
Sheets scattered across the floor, along with a few books they'd
managed to knock from the shelf. They'd also toppled the lamp from
the bedside table, and it now lay in pieces on floor.

Sydney blushed, staring down at her
nakedness, expecting to see bruises scattered across her skin. Both
men had taken pleasure from her, using her body until they had all
fallen into a mangled mess on Pax's bed. But with the morning dawn,
Sydney didn't know how to deal with the men in the cold light of
day. She didn't feel ashamed, in fact she was elated her dream of
being with both Pax and Caleb had been realized. However, concern
weighed heavy on her. Writing about being in a relationship with
two men didn't quite match the actual experience, even though she'd
only just started.

What would people think when they knew? This
was her home, not Sacramento, and it mattered what her father and
his friends thought about her. It would hurt to know she'd
disappointed Jack because she couldn't chose between the men.

The lack of decision had been why she'd run
away in the first place, and she didn't want to go back to that
scenario after coming this far—after being with them. They'd all
missed out on so much because of her fears. She had secretly longed
to be with them for so many years—since the age of seventeen—she
couldn't allow her misgivings to overshadow that.

Rooting around the floor, she managed to find
one of Pax's plaid work shirts. His intoxicating scent encompassed
her when she put it on and rolled up the sleeves three times. She
cast a sleeping Caleb one last look before going to find Pax.

Her search would be short-lived. When she
descended the stairs, the smell of freshly cooked bacon and eggs
wafted up to greet her. The delicious aroma had her stomach
growling and her mouthwatering. Her hunger grew when Pax stepped
into view, and she wanted to devour him instead of the food.

Dark jeans hung low on his hips, only one
button fastened. She struggled to look away from the enticing path
of hair that led below the denim. His chest bare, his biceps bulged
as he scrubbed a frying pan in the sink. "Hey, sweetheart," he
drawled, turning his warm chocolate eyes on her.

Sydney fumbled with the edge of her shirt,
feeling her confidence seep away and her cheeks heat. She'd dreamed
of waking up after a night in Pax's bed for so long that the
reality had her taking pause. He looked better than any dream.

"You sure make a sight for sore eyes in that
shirt. I'll never wash it again."

She shot him a small smile, uncertain of how
to proceed.

Pax put an end to her worry, tossing the pan
into the sink and opening his arms. "No kiss for me this mornin'?"
He reached out, grasping the front of her shirt and tugged her
close. His hands roamed under the fabric and across her buttocks
before his mouth met hers. The possession immediate, his tongue
dipped in to skim across hers. She huffed, her nails digging into
his chest and she got carried away with the seductive massage of
his mouth.

His hand clasped her ass, lifting her up and
moving her to sit on the counter top. His lips never left hers, not
even when she moaned when the fly of his jeans made contact with
her pussy. Parting her thighs, he wedged himself between them, his
cock hardening to press against her sex. "Damn you," she said
breathlessly. "You're better than coffee."

He smirked, stroking her thighs and pushing
the shirt up. "That's one hell of a compliment."

"You're up," she replied inanely.

"Not yet." He skimmed a finger across her
creamy slit. "But I could be."

"I wouldn't want to put your breakfast to
waste. I'm starving." Her stomach growled and Pax laughed.

Moving away from her, he picked up a plate
loaded with bacon and eggs before returning to stand between her
thighs. He kissed her forehead and lifted a fork. "Eggs or
bacon?"

The tension instantly eased as her laughter
burst free. "I don't need you to feed me."

Pax raised a brow, smirking. "Humor me." He
scooped up a forkful of the scrambled eggs, holding the utensil to
her lips.

Feeling foolish, Sydney opened her mouth,
allowing Pax to feed her. He shot her the most amazing smile when
she chewed.

She groaned when the flavor burst across her
tongue. "More."

Chuckling, Pax lifted a crispy rasher of
bacon for her to try, smoothing his thumb along her bottom lip to
wipe away the grease.

"I know my dad said you needed to feed me,
but you
actually
feeding me might be taking it a bit too
far."

"No way." He scooped up more eggs. "Feedin'
you is very sexy." Reaching out, he grasped her hand, moving it so
that she cupped him through his jeans. "This is how sexy I find
it—
you
."

Sydney looked toward the stairs, an odd sense
of guilt washing over her. "W-what about Caleb?"

Placing the plate on the counter, Pax coiled
his arms around her, hugging her close. "You feel guilty." He made
it more of a statement than a question.

Sydney closed her eyes, inhaling his
muskiness. "I just don't know what to do next. How the hell does
this relationship work? Other than sex, I mean."

"No fuckin' idea, sweetheart. Guess we should
all talk."

"Guess so. Though I want you to eat first."
She giggled, like a little girl. The sound shocked her and she
attempted to bury her face in his chest.

"Oh, Syd, if only you could understand just
what that sound did to me." He framed her face with his hands,
lifting her head to make eye contact. "You're too good for both of
us."

"No need to lay it on so thick, Pax. I
already gave up the goods. Many times."

His eyes grew serious, his mouth set in a
thin line. "I'm serious. You amaze me."

Not being ready for her dream turning into
reality had her head spinning. She'd never considered a
relationship with the two men could really happen, and now that it
might be, confusion had her lost as to how it could move forward.
Would it always be just sex? The books she wrote told stories of
honesty, love, and compatibility. Without question, she would grasp
that with both hands if the men offered her a future. Going back
now, after she'd felt their touch, would be near impossible, but
she needed to consider what her father would say.

With all the questions swirling through her
head, she stilled in his arms. "I need some space."

She jumped down off the counter, rushing to
pick up her discarded shorts from the night before that had been
left in the living room. "I'm going to talk to my dad."

Pax winced, hurt flashing in his eyes. Her
quick dismissal had upset him. She didn't look back, unable to deal
with the pain her shut down had caused.

Using her father as a distraction turned out
to be far more difficult than she thought. Sydney's mind kept
wandering, recalling how Pax and Caleb touched her, aroused her,
and made her climax time after time. She replayed the earlier
conversation with Pax, trying to work out how what she had with
them would move forward.

The characters she wrote about were under her
complete control, a happy ending a must for each one of her books.
She couldn't make Pax or Caleb feel anything, nor could she expect
the relationship to go a certain way just because she'd dreamed
about it for years. Being with Pax and Caleb wouldn't be as simple
as following a plot.

The three had been intimate once… well, three
times, really, but it had all been one night, and having sex didn't
turn anything into a relationship. She was well aware of that fact.
Sydney doubted her father would accept the three of them living
together. He'd probably be repulsed. The last thing she wanted
would be to turn his world even more upside down. He had enough to
think about.

"What's up, Ne-Ne?" her father asked as they
walked carefully around the burned shell of the house.

She exhaled, trying not to breathe in too
deeply, avoiding the thick acrid smell of charred rubble. The
clean-up had already begun, most of Jack's ruined belongings now in
a heap at the edge of his land. The insurance company had acted
quickly, thankfully.

"I'm fine," she lied, kicking at a
heat-buckled serving spoon.

"Heard that plenty of times when you were
younger. Didn't buy it then. Don't buy it now. I know when my girl
is hidin' somethin'."

She gazed at her father, only now noticing
how white his hair had gotten. When had her father grown old?

"Dad, I haven't been a
girl
for a long
time."

"Maybe," Jack replied, peering through a
cracked, blackened window. "But you still need your dad. I'm here
and I make a good listener. Or at least I used to."

His sharp blue eyes met hers, and her
shoulders slumped. She knew that look, because she'd been on the
receiving end of it more times than she cared to remember.

Syd also knew he wouldn't back down.

"Caleb still lives with Pax," she
whispered.

Jack frowned, his thick white brows drawing
tightly together. "He does—has done since Pax inherited the place,
but then you knew that when you came. I thought that was why you
were happy enough to stay at the house with them.

“I never did believe the two of you were
done."

"Dad!" she snapped, annoyed that he would
never let the subject rest.

"Well, you took off out of here like your ass
was on fire. You were in such a hurry. I thought eventually you'd
cool down and come to your senses. It's been five years,
Ne-Ne."

"We've had this conversation before."

"Sure have, but you were in Sacramento then,
not here, livin' in a house with your fiancée and his friend." He
reached out, taking hold of her hand. "I'm your dad. I don't like
to see you upset—like you are now. Maybe tellin' me would
help?"

"And maybe it would drive you away," she
muttered, lowering her head.

"Does Caleb finally understand why you
left?"

Jack led her back to his truck, opening the
door for her to climb in. Sydney didn't respond until Jack settled
firmly behind the wheel, ready to start the engine.

"We talked some last night. I think he
finally grasps it."

"I'm glad someone does," Jack said somewhat
sarcastically.

Sydney chose to ignore him. There would be no
possible way her father could understand her obsession with two
men. "Dad, there are times when you shouldn't know every detail of
your daughter's life. Trust me, you don't need to know the truth of
this situation."

He turned the key, the engine rumbling into
life. "That boy cheat on you?"

Her tone came out exasperated. "Dad, he's
hardly a boy and I've explained to you so many times that Caleb did
not cheat. Nor did I."

"You think I'm gonna stop askin' what
happened? If you do, you're a damn fool. I see my baby hurtin' and
I want to help. That's what fathers do."

Groaning softly, she nodded in Jack's
direction and changed the subject. "Have you contacted anyone about
rebuilding the house?"

"Nope."

Perplexed, she asked why.

"Been wantin' to talk to you about that." He
paused, turning the truck around the corner and onto the main
road.

"I know the place means a lot to you, but
it's gone. No amount of renovation will bring it back." He glanced
in her direction. "Ne-Ne, I've decided to leave it be."

"What?" Panic made her heart race. Her father
couldn't be serious.

"I'm too old to start again—to rebuild a
house. And what for?" He responded. "You're not here. It's just me
and the animals. You don't understand the work I have to put in to
keep the land goin'."

"You could hire someone," she said quickly,
guilt being her driving force.

Jack shook his head. "I'd still have to do
the majority of the work. I've spoken with the boys—"

"Boys?" she shot back, slightly hysterical.
"You mean Pax and Caleb? Oh, go on! What have
the boys
said?"

Jack pulled over, stopping the truck and
turning off the engine. He twisted in his seat, staring directly at
her. He looked tired, and again, it struck her how much her father
had aged while she'd been writing stories in another state about
promiscuous cowboys. She hadn't been supportive of him, whereas Pax
and Caleb had. Did she have any right to demand what her father did
with the house if she'd run away from it?

"Calm down, Sydney. They only said they'd
take the horses and some of the land. Incidentally, they also said
I could stay at the cottage for as long as I needed it."

Sydney's stomach somersaulted so fast she was
certain she would vomit. "They said what? They're not
taking
Roman!"

Ignoring her comment, Jack continued. "I can
also work on the ranch, help them out and earn a bit for
myself."

"But, Dad, that's our home," she pleaded.

"How can it be a home if you don't live
there? No fun doing everythin' by myself. The only one that gets a
kick out of it is Pax's dog." His anger and irritation showed in
the shake of his hands on the steering wheel.