AlmostHome

by India Masters

  Before the visit was over, Haley had learned how to scan documents into her computer, how to create folders to store information efficiently, and how to upload photos. She couldn’t help feeling a little bit proud of herself. As someone who had been raised with few luxuries and even fewer opportunities to learn new skills, she was satisfied with what she’d accomplished in a short period of time.

  Walking Merinda to her truck, Haley felt none of the discomfort she had earlier.

  “Your mamma would have been real proud of you, honey. You grew up to be one hell of a woman, despite your daddy.”

  Tears welled in Haley’s eyes and she gave Merinda an impulsive hug.

  “Thank you, Meri. For everything.”

  Merinda took Haley’s face in her hands. “Oh, honey child, you don’t know what it means to me to finally see you and know you have your momma’s strength of character. I know your life hasn’t been easy but you rose above it and I just know you’re gonna be successful no matter what you do.” A horn sounded and Merinda stood on the running board of her truck to see who it was. “Here comes that fellow of yours.” She gave Haley a lascivious wink. “I swear, if any man could ever tempt me over to the dark side, it would be that one.” She slid behind the wheel and keyed the ignition. “I’ll be in touch.” With a toot of her horn and a wave to Wyatt, she bounced down the driveway in a haze of dust.

  Haley was genuinely pleased to see Wyatt. No one in her whole life had ever done the things for her this man had done and he’d asked for nothing in return. With each day that passed, she found it more and more difficult to keep him at arm’s length and now she realized she no longer wanted to. Wyatt Brody was the real thing. An honest to goodness decent man. When Wyatt stepped out of his truck, Haley launched herself at him.

  “Thank you. Thank you so much for sending her to me. She knew my momma.”

  Wyatt laughed as his arms closed around her. “You’re welcome, sweet pea. I figured she probably did.” He set her on her feet and leaned into the truck. “Hey, I brought you something.” When he turned back to her, he had a rectangular box in his hand.

  Haley uttered a delighted laugh. “Twister!”

  Wyatt was man enough to admit to a little disappointment when the Dooley kids came swarming around the side of the house, spotting the game in Haley’s hands.

  “Twister!” Ezzie and Carlita shrieked. “Can we play too?”

  Spying the grin on Haley’s face, he couldn’t say no, that he really wanted to play naked Twister with their pa’s boss lady. She’d had few enough reasons to smile over the years and he couldn’t deny he liked seeing her happy.

  “Why sure. Run and get your brothers and see if they wanna play too. Haley and I will take the game inside and get set up.” The kids took off at a dead run shouting for their brothers. He chuckled and shook his head. “Hope you don’t mind having a houseful of youngsters again.”

  “I don’t mind. I like seeing happy kids.”

  “Well, they are that.” He slung an arm around her neck and dragged her close for lingering kiss. He broke it with a wry smile. “Reckon we’d better get in there and clear some floor space.”

  It only took a few minutes to move the coffee table out of the way and shove the couch and chairs to the edges of the room. Wyatt watched as Haley carefully took the wrapping off the box and opened it. She lifted the mat out and raised it to her nose, sniffing the newness of the plastic. That simple gesture made his throat clog painfully. Jumpin’ up Jesus. Had she never had a new toy as a child? She smiled and spread the mat on the floor, then read the directions. By that time, the pounding of small feet echoed off the back deck.

  “Here comes the thundering herd.” Wyatt gave her a smile and a wink, charmed beyond belief when she giggled. Not that he hadn’t heard it before, it was just that it was becoming more and more common and he loved the idea he might play a part in her happiness. He’d bet any amount of money it wasn’t a sound she’d made often in her life. It warmed his heart that he could bring that small miracle about.

  The kids barreled into the great room in their socks. “All right you yahoos, prepare to be crushed by defeat.”

  Ezzie giggled. “De feet.”

  For the next hour, the house rang with the laughter of children and adults. Dooley and Maria showed up with a pile of sandwiches and chips, laying the food out on the island buffet style. They stood back and watched as Haley twisted herself into a pretzel, one hand under Carlita’s tummy, the other on a yellow circle between her legs, long braid coiling on the mat and the biggest smile on her face he’d ever seen. Wyatt flicked the spinner and it landed on Left/Red.

  Haley hooted in triumph. “What you gonna do now, buttercup? I don’t reckon them little arms are long enough to reach that red spot.”

  Carlita gave her a mischievous grin. “That’s what you think. There’s a red dot just behind your right hand.”

  Haley peeked between her legs. “Well, I’ll be dipped and rolled in crackers. Danged if there ain’t. All right, I’m lifting my hand so you can reach it.”

  Wyatt spun again and twelve-year-old Harlan Dooley moved, sliding his hand over his sister’s back, balancing precariously. His legs began to shake.

  “Dang it! I’m gonna lose it,” Harlan growled. He fell, landing on his sister, who fell and took Haley down with her. They all tumbled to the floor in a mass of arms and legs, shrieking with laughter. Harlan sat up and shrugged. “Aw heck, I’m hungry anyways.”

  Haley gave him a shoulder bump. “Me too.” The children sprang to their feet and Haley took the hand Wyatt offered, groaning when he pulled her to her feet. “They’re brutal. I swear, I ain’t never been bent in so many directions at once.”

  Wyatt wiggled his eyebrows, leaned down and kissed her check. “Flexibility is the name of the game. Let’s put on the feed bag, darlin’.” She charmed him again by blushing like a schoolgirl.

  Everyone put sandwiches and chips on paper plates and sat on the floor, using the Twister mat as a picnic blanket. Wyatt couldn’t help but notice how intently Haley listened as the children talked about their first day back at school after spring break, about the projects and book reports they had to do, how Harlan was wanting to join the baseball team and had a permission slip for his parents to sign. It was all so…normal. And yet it was something Haley had probably never experienced. There would have been no school sports, no plays or dances. No prom. Not for Haley. She’d worked to support her father and brother. Wyatt decided then and there that he wanted to give her some of those experiences.

  “Do you dance, sweet pea?” he asked Haley.

  Her eyes widened and she shook her head, an expression akin to fear flitting across her face.

  “Conner tried to teach me the two-step but he gave up when I kept stepping on him. Why?”

  “Just wondering. Thought we might go dancing of an evening. Maybe after that foal’s born. You know, to celebrate the start of the breeding program.”

  She took a too big bite of her sandwich and shrugged noncommittally. Okay, maybe dancing in public wasn’t such a good idea to start out. But dance with her he would.

  By the time they devoured all the sandwiches, the sun had set. Ezzie and Carlita yawned sleepily and Dooley hefted one in each arm while Maria shooed the rest of them toward the back door.

  “Thank you for another lovely afternoon.” She hugged Haley. “Don’t worry about Molly. Dooley will see to her and call if she’s going to foal tonight. Enjoy your evening.”

  Wyatt picked up the mat, shook it out on the porch, then folded and put it back in the box as Haley watched the happy family walk slowly into the dark. He turned on the television and set the station to a country music channel. When Haley came back into the room, he held out his hand.

  “Come on, darlin’, dance with me.”

  She gave him a deer in the headlights look but to her credit, she crossed the room and took his hand. Brad Paisley’s Everything came on and Wyatt pulled her close, his arm around her
waist, her right hand in his, curled up against his chest. She looked up at him, wide-eyed. No way she didn’t feel his hard length pressing against her belly.

  “Wyatt,” she whispered.

  “Sssh.” He pressed his lips against her temple. “It’s just a dance, baby girl.”

  Chapter Seven

  Just a dance? Was he crazy? This was more than just a dance. Wyatt was going to make love to her. Or at least she hoped that was his intention because that was what she wanted. Haley rested her cheek against his and closed her eyes, liking the way they fit together. She let herself feel the music and the man holding her close as they swayed. He was everything she’d dreamed a real man would be…thoughtful and kind, more understanding than she’d imagined possible. He never pressured, was always there to build her up when she doubted herself. And too gorgeous for his own good. Why wouldn’t she want him to be her first, to be her everything?

  God but she wanted to be everything to someone. At least for one night, she wanted to know what it felt like to be cherished. To be loved. Even if it wasn’t the everlasting kind of love—which might or might not exist. In this exact moment, she was willing to pretend that Wyatt Brody could love her. His lips brushed her ear and she shivered, lifting her gaze to his.

  Once again, the beauty of his eyes struck her. The depth of color captivated her. Tonight, in the muted light of the room, they were almost navy. His lids were at half-mast. Bedroom eyes, sleepy and sexy. They alone made her shiver.

  “Haley,” he whispered her name like a prayer. “You know I want you?”

  “Yes.” She barely recognized her own voice. There was a breathless quality to it she’d never heard before.

  “Do you—?”

  “Yes.”

  He stood stock-still, his cock twitching against her, and smiled. “You sure? I don’t want you to feel pressured to do—” She grabbed him by the hair, pulling his mouth down to hers.

  “Shut up and kiss me, Brody.” He did as she demanded, hauling her hard against him, taking her mouth with a scorching kiss that left her gasping. When he drew back, she smiled. “Oh yeah, I’m sure.” She stepped away, took hold of his hand and led him up the stairs to her bedroom.

  Should she tell him? The words played in her head. By the way, I’m a twenty-five-year-old virgin. Yeah, that was sexy. And then it was too late because he was gathering her close again, his hand fisted around her braid, pulling her head back as his lips covered hers, his tongue delving deep into the hot recesses of her mouth.

  How was this supposed to work if they were both fully dressed? She thought the getting naked part would be awkward but his hands moved to her waist, lifting her t-shirt, breaking the kiss for only as long as it took to pull it up and off. He nibbled her earlobe as he loosened her braid, nuzzling her neck, drawing a shudder from her when his teeth gently closed over the tendon. Nimble fingers plucked open the button on her jeans and eased the zipper down. Haley moaned when his hands slid beneath them to cup her bottom and draw her up against him. Moisture pooled between her thighs and she reached around, tugging his shirt loose from his jeans.

  “Wyatt,” she breathed, as he worked her Wranglers past her hips. “Too many clothes.”

  He laughed softly and drew her down to the bed. “Well, let’s get them off, darlin’.”

  He tugged her snug denim off and tossed it aside. She knelt behind him, pulling his t-shirt over his head. His clothes joined hers on the floor and she got her first look at a gloriously naked Wyatt Brody. He was beautiful. His body, sculpted by hard labor, was a work of art. He had a strong back and broad shoulders and the muscles of his arms flexed beneath his supple skin. Watching him undress fired her desire even more. Lord but she wanted to touch him.

  He didn’t say a word as her hands traced the contours of heated flesh. His chest and arms were tanned—some places darker than others as often happened when a man worked outdoors in the sun. There wasn’t much hair on his chest and torso, just a whorl around his nipples and a thin line cutting between six-pack abs that arrowed downward to frame his erection. She traced that thin line with her index finger until she came to his straining cock. And, oh my, how was that thing supposed to fit inside her? Before she could touch him there, he scooped her up and placed her in the center of the bed with a smile.

  “Let’s get those pretty scraps of lace off you, darlin’.” He flicked open the front clasp of her bra, sliding the straps down and off. The lacy bikini panties were damp and he eased them past her hips. He ran one finger through the folds of her sex and murmured, “Beautiful.” He wrapped an arm around her and eased her onto her back, following her down.

  His mouth on her breasts was hot and hungry, sucking, licking and nibbling until Haley squirmed beneath the onslaught. He guided her arms over her head, curling her fingers around the slats of the headboard. She gasped aloud when Wyatt’s tongue caressed her underarm. “Ah god, Wyatt.” Her hips thrust up of their own volition. He worked his way down, paused to lick and suckle the sensitive underside of her breast, then moved up again to draw deeply on her nipple. Her legs moved restlessly, still trapped by that tiny scrap of lace. His hand caressed as he worked her panties down until she could kick them away. Then that wicked finger stroked again. He painted her other nipple with the silky essence, pinching and teasing until she cried out. Finally, he leaned over her and took that one into his mouth, nursing the hard tip until she was she gasping. But he didn’t stop there.

  Oh god. He was going to…to… She couldn’t even think the words as Wyatt’s mouth slid down her body. He gave her bellybutton a quick lap, chuckling when her hips jerked.

  “Spread your legs, honey, I wanna taste you.”

  Heat flashed through her body, settling in her cheeks. OMG, he was talking dirty. She probably ought to be embarrassed but his words only increased her arousal. She squeezed her eyes shut, heart pounding until she thought it might actually sprout wings and fly from her chest. He was…he was looking at her sex…she couldn’t bring herself to use the other word. Holding the lips apart, licking, rubbing his thumbs just along the inside. His tongue followed and Haley shuddered.

  “You taste like the ocean, honey.” Wyatt’s voice was soft, sexy, soothing. “I can’t wait to get inside you. But first—” His lips closed over her clitoris, sucking gently, his tongue flicking, then lapping.

  “Oh god, oh god,” Haley panted. Dear lord, don’t let him figure out I’m a virgin. If he stops, I’ll die. Before he had the chance, her pussy clenched, gushed, and she lost all control of her body. “Ah, god…I—” He cradled her hips in his hands as she cried out, licking and sucking gently as she came with a low wail.

  He rose over her, paused to draw on one nipple, then kissed her, sharing the taste of her arousal with her. He took a deep, shuddering breath and advanced, the head of his cock pressing against her tender opening. And he thrust. There was no sting of first penetration, a woman making her living on the back of a horse didn’t keep her hymen for long, but Wyatt must have felt her body tense. He froze in mid-stroke, took a deep breath, his arms shaking with the effort to hold himself stationary.

  “Baby, have you ever done this before?” He eased inside her with exquisite care and rested his lower body against hers.

  “No.” It was barely a whisper. Haley squeezed her eyes shut and tried to turn her head away but he wouldn’t let her.

  “Nu-uh, sweet pea. You don’t give me a gift like this and not look at me when I make love to you.” His thumbs swiped at her tears. “Why didn’t you tell me, Haley?”

  “I was afraid you wouldn’t want me if you knew.”

  Wyatt lowered his forehead to hers and chuckled. “Darlin’ trust me, I would have wanted you. I just would have been gentler is all. Now we’re gonna take it nice and slow, make this something you’ll always remember.”

  He kissed her—a long, deep kiss that actually made her lightheaded. Then he began to move, setting a leisurely pace of thrust and retreat so that she felt every inch of his s
low, deep glide. Despite his size, her body stretched to accommodate him as her hips rose up to meet him.

  “Oh lord, you feel so good, darlin’.” She could see the effort it took for him to go slowly. “I don’t wanna hurt you.”

  Haley wove her fingers through his thick, dark hair. “Doesn’t hurt.” Her breath hitched as he went deeper this time. “Feels good.” She dragged his mouth down to hers, demanding a kiss. His mouth covered hers, tongue thrusting deep as Haley wrapped her legs around his hips and clung to him for dear life.

  Nothing in her life had prepared her for this. She’d heard moans in the dark coming from her father’s room, from Conner’s room and had known what they were doing and felt nothing but revulsion. But with Wyatt, her body seemed to scream—more, faster, harder. She wanted all of him, everything he could give her. She turned loose his hair and ran her hands down his back, caressing his fine, firm backside.

  He ripped his mouth from hers. “Baby, you keep that up and I won’t be able to control myself.”

  She dug her fingers into his flesh, reveling in the feel of his taut backside giving beneath her fingers. “Then don’t. Have me like you would if I’d done it before.” He groaned and pushed himself up with his arms. He started pumping, hips churning, setting her ablaze with a need she could put a name to but could never in a million years find the words to describe. All she knew was that she wanted him, needed to feel him hard and heavy inside her, the tug of flesh against flesh as he withdrew and plunged again. This was the feeling of oneness she’d never hoped to feel with any man. The connection with Wyatt grew deeper than ever. Is this what love feels like? She shook her head, trying to deny those dangerous thoughts.

  Haley uttered a raspy shout when he rose to his knees, dragging her with him until her thighs were draped over his. His hands grasped her hips, feeding his cock into her with her with long, hard thrusts that made her breasts dance. Instinctively, she cupped them in her hands, pinching and plucking her nipples.