Coming Home Read Free Page A

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