Welcome Home, Tessa [Allure, Wyoming] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Madison Maxwell

  Grant smiled back. “Both. I’ve never seen her eyes as bright as they are. She seems to have an inner peace I’ve never seen in her either, plus you haven’t taken your eyes off of her since you walked in the room. She’s happy. So, are all three of you interested in her? I’m assuming nothing has changed with you and your brothers’ plans for the future.”

  “Yes, sir, we are. She’s the most amazing woman any of us has ever met. I want you to know, Grant, that we respect her, and that this isn’t just a casual fling. We have every intention of making it permanent.”

  “According to Brad, this has all just happened in the last couple days. How can you be so sure?”

  “Not to sound corny, but I just know and can feel it deep down inside that Tessa is meant for us. I felt it the first time I saw her. She drew me to her. There is just something about her and if we have anything to say about it, she will be moving back from Seattle for good.”

  “I can’t say that I understand this unconventional way of life that you and your brothers want to live, but I know it’s happened before in your family and with others in this area. I don’t want her hurt, Mitch. I think she appears to be stronger than she is. I know she’s been taking care of herself for six years, but I think she still feels lost at times. I would like nothing more than for her to move back here, whether it be because of you or that she just wants to come home. I don’t want her to have a reason not to be here, if you understand what I’m telling you.”

  “I understand, Grant. We would never do anything to upset or hurt her. All we want to do is get to know her better and see where that might lead us. We want to take things slow and do this right. I ain’t never courted a woman before. Hell, Grant, you know I ain’t never even had a serious relationship that lasted more than a couple months. She’s safe with us, I promise you that.”

  “You know, I’ve known you nearly your whole life, Mitch. You’re just like a son to me. I trust you, son, and at this point if anything happens to Tessa, I think it’s Brad you’re going to have to worry about more than me.”

  Mitch smiled. “I won’t give either one of you a reason to sick Brad on me, sir, I promise you that.”

  “You promise what?” Tessa asked as she walked back in the room.

  “I was promising your dad that my brothers and I would never hurt you, darlin’.”

  “Don’t worry, babe, we were just having a little guy chat, everything is fine. Come on over here and tell me how your visit with Brad and his family went. Isn’t that little Sophie something else?” her dad asked.

  Mitch and Tessa talked with Grant for another half an hour then Tessa noticed her dad was looking tired. “Daddy, we are gonna take off. We still need to grab some dinner before we head back home. I’ll be back on Saturday after work. I love you so much, Daddy,” Tessa told him with a small hitch in her voice.

  “I love you, too, babe. You two kids be careful on your way home and call me tomorrow.” Tessa kissed her dad’s cheek and Mitch shook his hand.

  “I almost forgot,” Tessa told her dad as she reached in her purse and pulled out a bag of chocolates. “I brought you a treat. Thought I would smuggle you in something sweet to eat for later. I know that sweet tooth of yours is probably going through withdrawal.” She handed him the bag, kissed his cheek again and said, “Bye, Daddy, I love you.” Then Mitch took Tessa’s hand in his and led her out of her dad’s room. Tessa didn’t see him, but her dad smiled as a tear slipped from his eye and rolled down his cheek.

  As Mitch helped Tessa into his truck, he saw the tears in her eyes. “Darlin’, what’s wrong?”

  “He’s gonna recover, isn’t he?”

  “He looks real good, darlin’. Brad said he has made a significant amount of progress in a short time. I bet he will be home before you know it. Now, dry those tears and let’s go get some supper.”

  Mitch kissed each of her eyes before he slid in next to her and started up the truck.

  They stopped at a little mom-and-pop dinner called Carson’s Kitchen on the outskirts of town. “I know it doesn’t look like much, but the food here is incredible,” Mitch told her as they slid into a booth.

  As the waitress approached with their menus, Mitch reached across the table and took Tessa’s hand. “You doing OK, sweetheart?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine, darlin’,” she told him with a smile.

  “Good evening, y’all. Why, Mitch Collins, ain’t you a sight for sore eyes?” the waitress said as she handed a menu to each of them. “It’s been, what, almost a year since I seen you. How are you and your brothers doing?”

  “We’re doing just fine, Mizz Velma. I would like to introduce you to Tessa Walker. Tessa, this is Velma Carson, her and her husband Jerry own this wonderful little establishment.”

  Tessa held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Carson.”

  “Oh, sugar, you call me Velma. You must be something special if Mitch brought you in here. He ain’t never brought anyone in her except his kin.”

  Tessa felt herself blush a little as Velma continued to talk with Mitch. “So why haven’t I seen you in at least a year?”

  “We concluded our business in Casper and haven’t had a reason to come back into town.”

  “Well, I hope that seeing you today means I might get to see you all more often. We’ve missed you boys around here.”

  “Actually, Mitch took me to Casper today so I could see my dad. He had a stroke,” Tessa told Velma.

  “Oh honey, I’m so sorry. How is he doing?”

  “He’s doing well. His recovery is coming right along. I’m hoping he will be able to come home soon.”

  “I will keep him in my prayers. Now, what can I get you two?” Velma asked.

  Mitch smiled as he winked at Tessa. “How about you start us off with some of that amazing ice tea you got hiding back there. You know the kind I like.”

  “I sure do, I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

  As Velma left to get the tea, Tessa asked, “So she seems to know you well.”

  “Yeah, we used to come into Casper every weekend and stop here to eat. Every weekend for three years, actually. She became kind of a mother figure to us, spoiling us when we would come in and making us feel special. Velma and her husband are good people. I should have come in to see them way before now, I guess I just got busy and lost track of time.”

  Velma approached with two tall drinks in her hands. “Here you go, sugar, two of my special peach ice teas.”

  Tessa took a sip and the incredible flavor awakened her taste buds and had them singing Velma’s praise. “Oh my gosh, Velma, I’ve never tasted anything so good. This is amazing, and there’s peach chunks in it, too. Now I understand why Mitch has been praising you.”

  “Why thanks, sugar. Now what do you kids want to eat? The special looks real good tonight, pot roast, mashed potatoes, and gravy and broccoli.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Tessa told her.

  “Make that two, Mizz Velma.”

  “All right then, I’ll be back shortly, and, Mitch, I just happen to have made a blackberry pie this morning and I’ve got two pieces left.”

  “I love blackberry pie,” Tessa told her.

  “I’ll set those aside for you.”

  Velma left and Mitch took Tessa’s hand again as he slid out of the booth. “Scoot over, darlin’, I need to sit a little closer to you.” As Tessa moved over, Mitch slid into the booth and put his arm around her. With his other hand he turned her face to his and brushed a soft kiss against her lips. “Damn, but I missed you.”

  Tessa laughed. “How can you miss me when I’ve been with you for the last couple of hours?”

  “But I was all the way over there on the other side of the table. I sure don’t remember these booths being so big. I could hardly see you over here,” Mitch told her as he stole another kiss and Tessa laughed. She loved this fun, romantic side of him that she had never seen before.

  “All right you two, break it up, dinner’s ready,” Ve
lma said as she set down their plates and a basket of rolls. “Here’s your ketchup. I know you’d be pestering me for it,” she said with a smile.

  “Thanks, Velma, you’re the best.” Mitch stood and kissed her cheek and she smiled as she saw the older woman blush.

  “Holler if you need anything else.”

  As Tessa and Mitch ate, they talked about random things from the ranch and the horses to Seattle and the waterfront. There was no way Tessa could eat everything on her plate. The food was incredibly good but the portions were huge. Thankfully, Mitch had no problem not only cleaning his plate and sopping up the last of the gravy with a roll, but he finished off Tessa’s also. “My goodness, you still can put away the food, can’t you, sugar?” Velma said with a laugh. “I took the liberty of wrapping up your pie to go. It’s getting late and y’all have a drive ahead of you, plus I bet Tessa doesn’t have room for pie since you finished her dinner, too.”

  “Thanks, Velma, that was spectacular as always,” Mitch told her.

  “It was really incredible. Thank you so much and please tell your husband that was the best meal I’ve had in a long time and I can’t wait until I have room to taste that pie.”

  “Mitch, you bring this pretty little thing back soon. It was a pleasure to meet you, sugar.”

  “It was a pleasure to meet you, too, Velma.”

  Mitch stood up and took the pie, gave Velma a smooch on the cheek, tossed a fifty-dollar bill on the table, and then took Tessa’s hand.

  “Mitch, you know that’s too much.”

  “Not nearly enough, Velma. Seeing you and dinner was worth much more. Tell Jerry thanks for us. Have a good night.” Mitch waved as they walked out of the diner.

  Mitch pulled onto the highway and was quiet for a while. “Darlin’, do you want to talk about what your mom said?”

  “Not really, it’s the same old thing. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be good enough where my mom’s concerned. I just don’t get it. I thought she would be proud of me. I haven’t bothered her. I haven’t asked for anything from them since I left home. I’ve made my life on my own. I’m not just a face in the crowd in Seattle. I have friends and a life. I thought she would be happy to see that I wasn’t a dumpy, frumpy little girl any longer, but not even that makes a difference. I don’t think it would have mattered either way. I’m sorry you had to hear what she said. She usually doesn’t speak up in front of anyone. I think she wanted to help give you the option to get out now, being as you’re too good for me. Maybe she’s right, Mitch. I’m not experienced. I don’t know if I can satisfy each of you individually let alone all together, and I sure as hell couldn’t handle seeing disappointment on any of your faces. Maybe we should just stay friends.”

  Mitch surprised her by pulling over to the side of the road and throwing the truck in park. “You listen to me, Tessa Rose Walker, if anything we aren’t good enough for you. Baby, do you have any idea what I see when I look at you? I see a beautiful, smart, compassionate woman. One who has worked hard to get where she is in life without relying on anyone else. I see a woman who loves her family no matter what and would put her life on hold to help them. I see a woman who occupies my thoughts every minute of every day and every night because I want you so bad I can’t think.” Mitch took her face in his hands, slowly lowering his mouth to hers. His kiss was slow and tender at first, but then he unleashed the fire that was burning inside him, licking between her lips, sucking her tongue and taking her to a place she had just discovered existed because of him and his brothers. She felt her clit throb and wanted his touch so bad she ached. It wouldn’t take much to make her come. Just being near any of them made her wet and wanton, but the feel of him as she moved her hands over him brought her even closer. She still couldn’t believe she was with him and had the right to touch him whenever she wanted to, and oh how she wanted.

  Mitch pulled back, still holding her face in his hands. “I won’t take you in my truck, Tessa. I want to, but you mean too much to me. Your first time needs to be as special as you are.” He kissed her one last time then pulled the truck back on the highway.

  Tessa rested her head on his shoulder trying to get her breathing back under control. Finally, when she felt calm enough, she asked, “Sounds like you guys had a lot of dinners at Velma’s. Why did you stop going there?”

  “The truth?” He paused, not knowing how she would react to the truth, but if this relationship was going to last and move into the future, they had to be honest. “About three years ago, Rance talked us into going to a club in Casper. A very private BDSM club that he had frequented quite often, and so Sam and I agreed to give it a try.” Mitch paused to judge her reaction but there wasn’t one.

  “Go on,” she told him.

  “It’s different, really not something that Sam and I are interested in, but we did it for Rance, and before you ask, that is something that you will have to discuss with him. Anyhow, about a year ago, we decided that we just didn’t want to go any longer. Meaningless sex is just that. What we have been looking for wasn’t going to be found in a club. I think what we had been looking for was in Seattle.”

  Tessa looked at Mitch to see if he was smiling and joking with her, but what she saw made her breath catch in her throat. His eyes locked onto hers and she could tell he had meant every word he had said. He really did want her, flaws and inexperience and all.

  The rest of the ride back to her house was quiet. They listened to the music on the radio as he caressed her thigh. She held his arm as she cuddled close to him, enjoying just being with him.

  As he pulled into the driveway and shut off the truck, he glanced at the time. “It’s almost ten, darlin’. You gonna come back to the ranch with me or am I staying here?”

  She knew by his tone she was going to have to choose one of his options. She didn’t want to be driven from her house, but the idea of staying here by herself, especially since Henry wouldn’t be changing her locks until tomorrow, made her feel uneasy. She also wasn’t sure she was ready to spend the night at the ranch with all three of them, not that she didn’t trust them. She mostly didn’t trust herself. That helped to make up her mind. “Will you stay here with me, Mitch, please?”

  Mitch laughed as he opened the door and helped her out. “As if you could get rid of me.” Surprisingly, he opened the door to the back seat and grabbed a bag, closed the door, and put his arm around Tessa.

  “Well, aren’t you prepared?” she said with a smile.

  “I figured you weren’t ready to come to the ranch.”

  “I hope you know that it’s not that I don’t want to spend time with all of you. I’m just not ready yet.”

  “I know, darlin’, and we would never rush you. Come on, let’s get inside.”

  Mitch had Tessa wait by the front door as he checked throughout the house to make sure they weren’t going to find any surprises. “Everything looks fine, darlin’,” he told her as he sat down to take off his boots. “If you can tell me where I can find a blanket, I’ll bunk out here on the couch.”

  Tessa walked over to Mitch and knelt down in front of him, working her way in between his legs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. “What was that for, darlin’?”

  “For taking care of me and staying with me tonight.”

  “I will always be here to take care of you and protect you as long as you let me.”

  “And I don’t want you to sleep on the couch, Mitch. I want you to sleep with me.”

  “You sure about that, darlin’?”

  “Oh yeah, I’m sure. I don’t think I would be able to get any sleep knowing you were down here, plus I’ve never had a man in my bed and I want you to be the first to sleep with me, just sleep.”

  “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than hold you in my arms all night long, darlin’.” Mitch brushed his lips against Tessa’s and then helped her to her feet. “Let’s go to bed, I’m beat.”

  Mitch checked the locks on the front door and the bac
k and slid the chains in place.

  “Hey, where did those come from?”

  “Brad came by earlier and put them on both doors. I told him Henry was coming by tomorrow to change the locks and he said he could have done that also. You’ve got family here to help you, Tessa. That includes me, Rance, and Sam. I want you to try and start relying on us for anything you need. We want to be a part of your life in every way if you will let us.”

  I’ll try, I promise. Come on, let’s go to bed.”

  “I sure love the sound of that, darlin’.” Mitch grabbed his bag and headed upstairs behind Tessa, enjoying the sway of her hips as she walked up the stairs.

  When she entered her room and turned on the light, she grabbed her shorts and tank top that she usually slept in and headed to the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. When she was finished, Mitch went into the bathroom.

  Tessa pulled back the covers and crawled under. Mitch came back in her room wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. “Hope you don’t mind, I usually don’t sleep in anything,” he said as he pointed to his boxers.

  “It’s fine.” Tessa couldn’t help but stare at his chest as he folded up his clothes and laid them on his bag. Then he turned off the light and came over to the bed and got under the covers with her.

  Tessa wasn’t sure how to position herself or what to do. “Come here, darlin’. Let me kiss you good night, then I promise I’ll behave.”

  Mitch pulled her into his arms and positioned her underneath him and took possession of her mouth. She opened for him, sucking his tongue into her mouth and taking control of the kiss. Tessa wasn’t sure what came over her but she felt as if she wanted to climb right inside Mitch. It felt so good to have him in her bed, to be so totally alone with him, that no one or anything else existed. She let her hands roam over his back, down to his ass and squeezed. Her lips left his and she ran her tongue along his jaw, pulling his earlobe into her mouth and nipping it with her teeth. Then she kissed his neck right under his ear and sucked just a little, wanting to bite and mark him.

  “Darlin’, you got to slow down or I’m not going to be able to behave.”