Already Home Read online

  Then he made contact with her mouth, and she knew it was real, so real that she gasped at the raw power of it. With a moan, he thrust with his tongue, and she was lost, carried away on a tide of passion so strong that she lost track of where she was.

  Nothing mattered but his hot, demanding mouth. He held her with a surety and strength that allowed her to let go of all control. When he swept her up in his arms, she accepted that as inevitable, even though no man had ever carried her up a flight of stairs in her life. But this was Hutch, and with him, anything was possible.

  As instructed, she kept her eyes closed. She heard him kick his bedroom door closed and felt the mattress under her back as he laid her on it. He put his mouth against her ear. “Let me lock the door, for good measure.”

  Then he was gone, and she opened her eyes at last. Outside his curtained bedroom window, twilight had descended and transformed her surroundings from color to shades of gray. But she could still make out the trappings of a room that had once belonged to a teenager. Sports pennants and posters lined the walls, and the furniture was sturdy and plain.

  He walked back to the double bed, unsnapping his shirt as he approached. “You look so right in my bed.”

  “Your dad could come home any minute, right?”

  “Yep.” He pulled off his boots and tossed them aside. “So we’re going to be very…” Leaning down, he nibbled on her mouth. “Very, very, very…quiet.”

  Reaching up, she buried her fingers in his luxurious dark hair and pulled him closer for a more soul-satisfying kiss.

  “Mmm.” He slid one hand under the hem of her knit top and cupped her cotton-covered breast while he explored the center section with his thumb as if looking for a clasp.

  Wishing she’d worn something sexier today, she broke their kiss for a moment. “Back fastener,” she murmured.

  “I like it.” His breath was warm against her face as he slipped his hand behind her back and undid the hooks and eyes. “My no-frills Trina.”

  “I can have frills.”

  “But you don’t need them.” With a sigh, he cradled her breast and slowly stroked his thumb over her nipple. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”

  She would have liked to make some intelligent response to that, but her brain had just turned to mush. Hutch was fondling her breast, and she was so transfixed by that realization that she couldn’t speak. He was good at this. He was very, very… Then he pushed her top and bra up so he could…oh, my. That was one wicked mouth he had.

  Arching upward, she silently offered him more, anything he wanted, in fact. He could put that talented mouth anywhere he had a mind to.

  And so he did. Her clothes melted away as if by magic, and he proceeded to turn her inside out with his mouth, his tongue and a dexterity that made him a good videographer and an even better lover.

  When his explorations took him to that special place between her thighs, and she realized that having his mouth and tongue right there would have a predictable result, she gasped out a request. “Pillow.”

  “For your head?”

  “For my screams.”

  “Ah.” He reached for one and handed it to her. “Here.”

  “Thanks. Proceed.”

  “As if you could stop me now.”

  As if she’d want to. His goal was hers, and when he achieved it, she yelled into the pillow while rainbows and confetti rained down. And she wondered, when life returned to normal as it always did, how she’d ever live without the pleasure of making love with Hutch.

  Trailing kisses back up her quaking body, he eased the pillow away. “Wish I could have heard that.”

  She drew in a shaky breath. “I would have broken your eardrums.”

  “We’re not done, you know.” His voice was thick with need.

  “I hope not.” She gulped for air. “But in all the excitement, I didn’t stop to think that you might not have—”

  “I do.” He held up a small foil packet that she could see, even in the fading light.

  “Were you expecting someone?”

  “No. I just…” He lifted a shoulder in an easy shrug. “What can I say? I was a Boy Scout.”

  “Thank goodness for that.” Trina felt the sap rising in her eager veins once again. “If you’ll suit up, I’m all for another round.”

  “So soon?”

  “Hutch, I have a ton of fantasies stored away. We’ve only scratched the surface.”

  4

  HUTCH WASN’T SURE what he’d done to deserve the gift of Trina lying in his bed while the house happened to be empty and he was in possession of several condoms. But he wasn’t about to let this opportunity go to waste. She had her dream job at a racing stable in New York and he would eventually return to his neglected career, but fate had thrown them together for a few short days.

  That was more than he’d ever hoped for with Trina Bledsoe. He wouldn’t be greedy and expect some long-term arrangement, but by God, while he had her here, he planned to be as greedy as hell. Rolling on a condom, he climbed back into bed and dropped a kiss on her moist lips.

  He’d been in such a hurry to touch her and get her naked that they were still lying on top of his comforter. “I should rearrange things so we’re under the covers instead of on top of them,” he murmured.

  She cupped his face in both hands. “You should rearrange things so you’re on top of me, locked between my thighs, with your nice big—”

  “Okay, okay.” He moved into position. “How did you know it was big?”

  “Duh. I watched you put on the condom.”

  “Bigger than Simon Flear’s?”

  “I only said his family jewels were big. The rest was sort of average.”

  “Glad to hear it.” And with that, he slid into paradise. Apparently he groaned upon entry.

  She clapped a hand over his mouth. “Shh!”

  He nodded his understanding, and she took her hand away.

  “You have to be careful.” She sounded endearingly earnest. “I can use a pillow, but that won’t work for you.”

  With the most sensitive part of his anatomy buried in warm, vibrating, sensual comfort, he had trouble being worried about anything. “I could bite on a bullet.”

  “We don’t have one. Plus that never seemed like a good idea. You could choke. But seriously, you have to control yourself.”

  “Not easy.” He rocked his hips and withdrew just enough to feel the friction. This was going to be outstanding. Bellow-worthy. And he couldn’t make a sound, damn it.

  He checked on Trina, and she was breathing fast. “Good?”

  “Yes. But I’m worried. We could get carried away.”

  “I hope we do.” He stroked again and she gasped. Now that was a gratifying reaction. Pausing, he listened carefully. “Hey, there’s no TV noise downstairs. If Dad was home, the TV would be on. Let’s go for it.”

  “But—”

  “It’ll be okay.” Without waiting to hear her objections, he began thrusting, deep, steady and with purpose.

  She caught fire, rising to meet him. Clutching his back, she wrapped her legs around his hips, giving him access to go deeper. And she began to whimper.

  What a glorious sound. He moved faster, ramping up the intensity. The bed creaked, and as he pumped harder, the headboard thumped against the wall with a wild, primitive beat. Her whimpers escalated to moans, and finally became jubilant cries of pleasure.

  Yes! This was what he’d wanted! He struggled for breath as he continued to drive into her. They were both slick with sweat, their bodies sliding against each other in a perfect, balanced rhythm. “Come for me, Trina.” His voice was hoarse, foreign to his ears. “Come for me!”

  She tightened around him and erupted with a loud wail. The headboard crashed against the wall
twice more, and he followed her, surging forward to his climax with a shout of triumph.

  And then, all was quiet except for their ragged breathing. Hutch leaned his forehead against hers. “I think…we got away with that.”

  “Yeah.” She quivered in his arms. “And even…even if we didn’t…it was…”

  “Worth it.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Hutch kissed her slowly, with much gratitude. He’d experienced many moments of pure joy in his life. But this…this rivaled them all.

  * * *

  A>S DAWN BRIGHTENED the sky outside Hutch’s bedroom window, Trina roused herself from a brief nap and turned her head to gaze at her sleeping hero. She was no innocent virgin. She’d had lovers and two serious relationships. But she’d never spent such a passion-filled night with any man.

  After their one noisy session, they’d turned down the volume but never the heat. They’d tried unusual positions that left them both helpless with muffled laughter. Then they’d gone back to the soul-shattering communication that went way beyond the term having sex. In every sense of the words, they’d made love. All night long.

  And now, before the sun came up, she needed to get the heck out of this house. If Hutch’s dad was like most men of his generation, he rose early. She needed to beat him to the kitchen, where she’d escape quietly out the back door.

  No point in waking Hutch. She’d text him later and they could figure out when and where they’d meet again. Now that she’d experienced lovemaking Hutch-style, she hoped her remaining three days would be filled to the brim with more encounters.

  These days were a gift, and she had no illusions that more would come of it. She wasn’t about to leave her thoroughbred racing stable to trail around after him, and he made action-packed videos, or would again soon, that tended to be shot out West. They had no room in their lives for each other.

  She managed to dress and leave the room quietly carrying her shoes. With one last fond glance at her Adonis lying sprawled face-down on the bed in all his naked glory, she crept toward the stairs. Her mental image of Hutch as she’d left him put a smile on her face. He might think she had the best ass in Wyoming, but she considered him a strong contender for the title.

  Halfway to the bottom a stair creaked. She paused to hold her breath and listen for sounds of activity anywhere in the house, but especially in the kitchen. Silence reigned, and she continued on. If she met Hutch’s dad before she made her escape, she’d brave it out, but she’d rather not have to.

  On the last stair, she heard a door open down the hall. Damn it! As footsteps approached, she briefly considered bolting for the kitchen door, but that could get ugly if the door was locked and she had to fumble with the knob. Being caught fleeing the scene was worse than facing the inevitable with dignity.

  She wasn’t ashamed of spending the night with Hutch. They were both adults, and they’d acted responsibly and with courtesy for the other inhabitant of the house. Well, except that one time, but surely Ronald hadn’t been home to hear that or he would have come up to investigate.

  Taking a deep breath, she descended the last step and turned to face the shadowed hallway. “I don’t want to scare you, Mr. Hutchinson,” she said distinctly.

  The footsteps paused.

  “It’s only me, Katrina Bledsoe. I…spent the night upstairs with your son.” Gulp. That had been tougher to say than she’d expected. Not the sort of proclamation she’d ever had to give.

  The footsteps continued. “And I spent the night downstairs with his father.”

  “Mom?” Trina stared in disbelief as her mother appeared wearing a plaid flannel bathrobe that didn’t belong to her. Her red hair stuck out in all directions, and she had…oh, good Lord, a hickey.

  “Hello, Katrina.” Her mother’s gaze was maddeningly calm. “So Hutch was the old friend, was he?”

  “Never mind that. What the hell are you doing here?” Stupid question. She knew the answer, but she didn’t want to know she knew.

  Lucy’s expression changed from benign to stern mother-mode. “You watch your language, young lady!”

  “Lucy?” Ronald Hutchinson, a tall, gaunt man with white hair and a neat white mustache, ambled down the hall wearing Snoopy pajamas. “What’s all the yelling about? What’s Katrina doing here so early?”

  Lucy folded her arms. “Ironically, I think she’s passing judgment on me.”

  Ronald put an arm around Lucy. “She wouldn’t do that, would you, Trina?”

  “No! But I hardly expected to find my mother coming down the hall wearing a strange man’s bathrobe!”

  “He’s not a strange man.” Her mother gazed fondly up at Ronald. “He’s a dear. And also very virile. He—”

  “Stop.” Trina clapped her hands over her ears. “I don’t want any details.”

  “Any details of what?” Hutch appeared at the top of the stairs wearing only his jeans.

  He looked extremely yummy, but also very much like a man who had spent the night in wild abandon. As he padded down the stairs in his bare feet, Trina noticed that he, too, had a hickey.

  Lucy glanced from Hutch to Trina. “Well, isn’t this cozy?”

  Trina waved her hands in the air. “No, it’s not cozy. It’s totally weird.”

  Apparently Ronald had just figured out the situation, because he drilled his son with a piercing glance. “Langford, what’s been going on here under my roof?”

  Hutch looked sheepish. “Well, the thing is, Trina and I—”

  “I thought I heard noises upstairs,” Lucy said. “I thought it was mice.”

  “Oh, God.” Trina covered her face with both hands. The thought of Hutch’s dad hearing something was one thing, but the idea that instead her mother…but then again, her mother had also been…no, not going there.

  “Son, I need to know what your intentions are toward my future stepdaughter.”

  Trina dropped her hands to stare at Ronald. “What did you say?”

  “It’s obvious that my son has put you in a compromising position, Trina, and I want to know what he intends to do about it.”

  Ronald’s protective stance was cute and outdated, but that wasn’t the part of his statement she needed explained. “Future stepdaughter? Are you saying that you and my mom are getting married?”

  “Ronald, you old dog!” Lucy turned to him. “That’s the most original proposal I’ve ever heard. I accept!”

  “Hold on a minute.” Hutch descended the stairs, his expression thunderous. “Dad, are you seriously telling me that you’re at the proposal stage with a woman and you’ve never said one damned word about it to your only son?”

  Ronald had the good grace to look chagrined. “I wasn’t sure how you’d take it. You were very close to your mother, and—”

  “I thought I was very close to you!”

  “Tell you what,” Lucy said. “We all need coffee. I’ll put on the pot, and fry up some bacon and eggs.”

  “Great idea, Lucy, my dear.” Ronald beamed at her. “I could go for some of your specialty eggs. I love the spices you add in.”

  Trina’s gaze swung to Hutch’s. If Ronald was used to eating Lucy’s specialty eggs in the morning, this wasn’t the first time they’d danced the bedroom tango together. Hutch’s frown indicated he’d come to the same conclusion.

  “Nothing for me, thanks,” Trina said. “I need to get going.”

  “Surely not,” her mother said. “You’re on vacation. Let’s all have breakfast together and talk this out.”

  “Actually I promised Josie I’d be out at the Last Chance bright and early for a ride. I’m already running late.”

  “I’ll drive you,” Hutch said. “Let’s meet at your mom’s house in twenty minutes.” He turned and took the stairs two at a time.

  “That’s okay,�
�� she called after him. “I can drive myself.”

  He paused on the upstairs landing. “I’ll drive you. We need to talk.”

  Ominous-sounding words, but she knew they did have to talk. Their parents were old-fashioned enough to think that two people who had sex should also have an exclusive, committed relationship. She and Hutch weren’t planning on that. So unless they chose to willfully disregard their parents’ feelings, which certainly wasn’t an option for her, their fling was over.

  “Okay, Hutch,” she said. “I’ll be ready. See you later, Mom. Ronald.” With that she hurried through the kitchen and out the back door. She couldn’t escape fast enough.

  5

  DESPITE THE NECESSITY for a serious discussion, Hutch made small talk all the way out to the ranch. He knew what had to be said eventually, knew their brief affair was over, but he didn’t want to end it when he couldn’t at least give her his full attention. So they delved into the Chance family’s doings and all the changes that had taken place for Jack and his two brothers ever since their dad had been killed in a truck rollover several years ago.

  “And now Jack might have another change if his half brother comes back,” Hutch said as he drove down to the large, hip-roofed barn not far from the main house.

  “You’ll have to keep me posted on that. Oh, wait, maybe you’ll be heading out soon, yourself…” She trailed off, as if realizing she’d inched close to a conversation they might not be ready to have.

  “We’ll see.” Hutch had called ahead to alert Josie that he was with Trina and they were early. Way early. He said they needed a good hard ride. Two handsome Paints, one brown and white and one black and white, stood saddled and tied to the hitching post.

  Jack, dressed in his signature black shirt and jeans, came from the barn. “Got your instructions,” he said as he walked toward them. “Josie sends her apologies. She’d hoped to ride with you today, but Archie’s got the sniffles.”

  Hutch accepted Jack’s warm handshake. “Hope it’s nothing serious.”

  “Nah. No fever. But she didn’t feel right leaving him with someone when he’s cranky. So, Trina, how’ve you been, girl?” Jack gave her an affectionate hug that nearly knocked off her straw cowboy hat. “From the look of you, you’re enjoying life on the fast track.”