Baby, Come Home Read online

“No, I got out—” She checked her words. “I mean, I left Sweetness before the storm hit.”

  “I can see why,” he said. “It’s quaint, but I’d be bored to death here.”

  Unbidden, her defenses rose. This city boy had no right to judge a lifestyle he couldn’t possibly understand. “Not everyone’s cut out for this kind of life,” she agreed. “It takes a strong, independent person to live off the beaten path.”

  Dale blinked. “I meant no offense.”

  “None taken,” she said, regretting her response. “I apologize. It’s been a long day.”

  He nodded. “I should be going. It’ll be late when I get back to Atlanta.” He stood and reached for his jacket on the back of the chair.

  “It was great to see you again,” Amy said, standing to give him a quick hug. “I appreciate whatever you can do for this—” she caught herself again “—for my hometown. The Armstrongs are trying to do something good here.”

  He nodded. “I can see that. Take care.”

  She smiled and waved as he left. Then she sighed and cleared their table of dishes, hoping to be gone by the time Kendall and Rachel returned. Just as she made her final trip to the kitchen, Nikki and Porter walked back in.

  “He’ll be fine,” Nikki announced. “Maybe a little hoarse for a while.”

  “Amy probably remembers what a wimp Kendall has always been when it comes to spicy foods,” Porter said.

  Amy gave them a tight smile. “Dale had to leave, and I think I’ll call it a night, too.”

  “Okay… Good night,” Nikki said, tucking into Porter. The couple were obviously glad to have some time to themselves.

  “Good night,” Amy said.

  On her way out of the room, she cast a covetous glance at the white bakery box still sitting on the table Kendall and Rachel had abandoned. She was completely out of her chocolate reserves, and she could really use some comfort food tonight. As she climbed the stairs, she reflected on what a mess she’d made of things. She seemed doomed to keep making the same mistakes.

  How could she be falling for Kendall again?

  Her aunt had always said Amy was a glutton for punishment, and she was starting to think Aunt Heddy was right. Because giving her heart to Kendall again would not only expose her to rejection again, but it would expose Tony to rejection, too. And she couldn’t bear to see her son hurt like that.

  When she got to her room, she picked up the phone and punched in his number, gratified when he answered on the second ring.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  She smiled. “Hi, yourself. You sound like you’re in a better mood.”

  “Whatever. How’s the bridge coming along?”

  “We’re making headway,” she said. “How are your classes?”

  “Boring. I’ve already learned all this stuff.”

  “Then it’ll be a good review,” she said cheerfully.

  He sighed. “There aren’t any girls here.”

  Amy winced. It was too early for him to be thinking about girls…wasn’t it? “I should hope there aren’t any girls there. It’s an all-boys school. Have you made any friends?”

  “A couple,” he said. “But I want to come home.”

  “Soon,” she promised. “I’ll plan a trip back to see you next weekend, okay? We’ll do something fun.”

  “Okay,” he said, sounding resigned.

  “I love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  She disconnected the call, feeling raw and helpless, the same way her own mother must have felt when she was sick all those years ago. Amy clasped the gold pendant at her neck and tapped into the new connection she felt with her mother. It transcended reason, but she did feel stronger when she touched the necklace her mother had worn next to her heart.

  She undressed slowly and slipped into a soft gown and robe. Her body was tired, but her mind was churning, so she curled up on the couch, wondering how she and Tony were going to get through these next few weeks. And the weeks after that.

  A knock on her door startled her. Amy pushed to her feet and padded to the door, then unlocked it. In deference to her nightclothes, she opened it only a crack.

  Kendall stood on the other side. Her heart skipped a beat.

  “Yes?” she said.

  He gave her a sardonic look. “I understand I have you to thank for the extra spice in my dinner.” His voice sounded raspy.

  Her cheeks flamed. “I might have accidentally insinuated to Rachel that you liked spicy foods.” She bit her lip. “You have every right to be angry.”

  “I’m not angry.”

  “You’re not?”

  “No. Because Porter reminded me what it means when someone is jealous.”

  She frowned. “I’m not jealous.”

  He smiled. “It’s okay, I was jealous, too, watching you with Richardson all evening.”

  Pleasure infused her chest. “You were?”

  He nodded. “Can I come in?”

  She pressed her lips together, knowing how dangerous that could be.

  “I brought a peace offering,” he said, then held up the bakery box.

  Defeated, Amy grinned, then opened the door. “Okay, but we’re only having dessert.”

  Kendall walked in and she closed the door. He set the box on her nightstand and reached for her, pulling her into his arms. Her senses leapt.

  “Right,” he murmured, lifting her chin. “Only dessert,” he whispered on her lips before claiming her mouth.

  17

  Amy knew as soon as Kendall kissed her where this was leading. But she told herself that making love with this man was inevitable, and she was powerless to resist him anymore. So she gave in to the rush of emotions as he kissed her thoroughly and with such tenderness tears pooled in her eyes.

  He wrapped his arms around her and slid his hands down her back, pressing her against his hard frame. She moaned into his mouth as her body came alive, fires erupting everywhere at once. His salty flavor, his musky scent, his calloused touch were all familiar. Kendall had been her first lover… She had learned how to make love while experiencing these same sensory details—her brain and body remembered, and responded with elation.

  She splayed her hands over his shirt, searching for buttons. She fumbled with them and pulled his shirt from his jeans, eager to touch his bare skin. He helped her, then tossed the shirt.

  Amy held him off and drank him in. “Let me look at you.”

  His wide shoulders were broader, thicker. His once-lean arms were dense with heavily packed muscle. His chest was peppered with dark hair that swirled over the flat planes of his stomach and disappeared into the waistband of his low-slung jeans. The beautiful, sexy boy had morphed into a gorgeous, sexy man.

  “All of you,” she said.

  He held her gaze while he kicked off his boots, then undid his belt and pulled it from the loops, dropping it on top of his boots. Then he unbuttoned and unzipped his dark jeans and pushed them down, peeling off his socks and adding them to the pile. Kendall was still a boxer man. His erection tented the loose white cotton. She wet her lips in anticipation as he pushed them down and stepped out of them, then stood before her nude.

  Amy’s lips parted. He was so handsome and so sexy, it sent a shudder through her body.

  “Now you,” he said, his voice husky.

  With her heart pounding, she loosened the tie of her robe, then shrugged out of it and draped it over a chair. The pale gown underneath was long but thin, and left little to the imagination. Her dark nipples were budded, straining at the fabric. She lifted the hem of the garment, then pulled it over her head and let it fall on her robe. She stood in tiny pink panties, her chest rising and falling quickly. When she lifted her gaze to his, she found his eyes hooded, his mouth slightly parted. She tried to imagine how her body had changed—more curves from maturity, not to mention giving birth, but more definition, too, from the demands of her job.

  “You’re beautiful,” he breathed, then walked over and stepped behind her.


  When she glanced up, she could see them in the mirror over the dresser. He lifted her curly hair and kissed her shoulder, then her neck. Then he wrapped his arms around her and cupped her breasts, his tanned skin against her paleness. He looked up and caught her gaze in the mirror and she knew she would always remember that erotic image of them together.

  “What’s this?” he asked, fingering the diamond pendant around her neck, squinting at the image. “A mother and child?”

  Her pulse skipped higher. “I didn’t tell you… Molly gave it to me. It belonged to my mother.”

  “It’s nice. I’m glad you have something special to remind you of family.” He smiled against her skin. “For a second there, I thought you might be keeping something from me.”

  Her throat convulsed. Tell him…later.

  She closed her eyes so she didn’t have to see herself in the mirror. The scrape of his rough-tipped fingers against her nipples sent pleasure reverberating through her body. She moaned and reached behind her to clasp his sex.

  He groaned in her ear and she felt the surge of his muscles reacting to her touch. He slid his hands lower, inside her panties, and stroked the curls between her thighs. Her body gushed with pure physical pleasure. She arched her back and touched him lightly, rubbing his erection against her buttocks. He sucked in a breath, then slipped a finger inside her secret folds.

  Amy moaned and her knees buckled. He turned her in his arms, then picked her up and walked the few steps to the bed she’d turned down. He kissed her desperately, nuzzling her breasts and laving her nipples until they were stiff and puckered. Then he pressed her into the sheets and rolled down her panties, plying her body with his wonderful hands. She moved against his fingers and an orgasm immediately began to swirl in her womb. She moaned and parted her knees.

  He flicked his tongue against her ear. “Come on, baby, that’s it, come on…”

  The pressure was building. It felt so good she didn’t want it to end. He’d always known just how to touch her, how to make her fall apart in his arms. She tensed, willing the climax to slow, but it had taken on a life of its own and flew to the surface before she was ready, exploding like a flood of warm honey.

  Her body shook with waves of spasms. She dug her nails into his shoulder and cried his name over and over.

  “That’s good, baby,” he whispered. “So good, isn’t it?”

  He held her until she stilled, then ran his hands up and down her tingling body.

  “God, you’re so sexy.” He kissed her hard and deep, his body sliding against hers, his erection insistent against her thigh. “I have to have you, baby.” Then he stopped and wiped his hand over his mouth. “Sorry, let me get protection.”

  They’d always been careful…had always used a condom—except that one time. Amy swallowed and closed her eyes. If she was going to stop him from going through with this, now was the time.

  But she didn’t want to stop. It had been twelve long years since she’d been touched like this. God help her, she wanted to be held and made to feel like a woman. Not a mommy, not an employee, not a boss, but a woman.

  And Kendall was the only man who’d ever tapped into that secret part of her.

  He returned to the bed and handed her the condom, let her roll it on his straining shaft, gritting his teeth throughout. He lowered his big body on top of hers, then he cupped her face. He was so handsome, his eyes so intense, he left her breathless.

  “I’ve missed you, baby,” he said, and thrust into her while staring into her eyes.

  Their moans comingled. Amy’s shoulders rolled with the exquisite sensation of being filled. She slid her hands down his muscled back and pulled his body deeper into hers. She never wanted this to end…

  Kendall never wanted this to end…

  He stared down into Amy’s face, enchanted by her natural beauty, further heightened by her flushed cheeks and slitted eyes. She was so sexy, he almost couldn’t bear it and he was going to embarrass himself if he didn’t slow down. He wanted their first time back together to be special for Amy. But it was so hard to hold back when this was all he’d ever fantasized about. He was home…

  “Come on, baby,” she whispered, urging him on by raising her hips to meet his slow, deep thrusts. “I’m going to come with you.” Then she gasped in his ear and her body tensed with another climax. “Oh, baby…”

  Her voice in his ear sent him over the edge. His body contracted like a spring, then he came with a long groan, thrusting into her deeper…and deeper…and deeper…until he felt lost in her.

  As his body recovered, a memory chord strummed. He’d felt like this before. It was why he’d run from her, this desperate feeling of not being able to do without her. And Amy had been too wild to tame…

  What about now? Could he convince her to stay in Sweetness this time around? And what about this guy in her life, Tony?

  They lay there for a few minutes, bodies pulsing and cooling. Finally he lifted his head to find her staring at him, her hazel eyes full of questions. Was she thinking some of the same things?

  He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll be right back.”

  He rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom to clean up, disposing of the condom and washing his hands. When he realized he was whistling under his breath, Kendall acknowledged that for the first time in a long time, he was happy. And it felt good.

  Then he heard a movement in the bedroom and was instantly worried, half afraid that when he came out, she would be dressed. Or gone.

  When he peeked out, he exhaled. Amy was still lying in bed and had merely crawled under the sheets. But the moment left him shaken. He didn’t like the feeling that the day would come when she would be gone again.

  Pushing aside those troubling thoughts for now, he walked to the bed and lay down next to her, then pulled her over on his chest, reveling in having her soft curves against him. “That was so good,” he murmured against her hair.

  “Mmm, yes, it was. How long can you stay?”

  He shrugged. “How long do you want me to stay?”

  “I thought men had to be out of here by a certain hour.”

  “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.”

  She leaned up on her elbow. “Are you taking liberties because you’re the boss?”

  He was distracted by a rosy nipple within kissing distance. He couldn’t believe she was this close…and this naked. “Maybe I am. Do you realize we’ve never had the luxury of relaxing like this in an actual bed?”

  She pursed her mouth and nodded. “You’re right. We were always sneaking around, trying not to get caught.”

  “Making out in some pretty uncomfortable places, as I recall, most of them outdoors. I remember getting stung by a wasp on my backside.”

  “That was nothing compared to my poison ivy.”

  He grinned. “I remember that. I got to rub that pink lotion all over your good parts.”

  She punched him. “That wasn’t fun for me.”

  “So let’s enjoy this nice, soft mattress. I’m not leaving until you kick me out. And if you kick me out, I’m taking the chocolate cake with me.”

  She laughed. “Speaking of the cake, did you happen to bring forks?”

  He reached for the box on the nightstand. “Who needs forks?”

  They broke off the chocolate cake and ate it with their hands, feeding it to each other, licking icing from their fingers. But when crumbs went astray, Kendall began nibbling on Amy, and before long, the rich cake had been set aside in favor of more decadent fare.

  When Amy jarred awake, she was disoriented, unaccustomed to having a big, warm body in the bed with her. When it all came flooding back, she closed her eyes against the onslaught of emotions. Lying here with Kendall’s breath in her ear, she could fantasize that things had turned out differently…

  That Kendall had proposed after her aunt’s funeral, then she’d told him about the baby, and they’d happily planned a life together. In her fantasy, Tony was lying in
his bedroom down the hall, and Kendall was the coach of his soccer team. They lived in a midsize house in a midsize town where engineering jobs were plentiful and Kendall wasn’t taking on the Herculean effort of resurrecting a town.

  A town she hated.

  Academically, she knew Sweetness wasn’t the same town she’d grown up in. But in some ways, it was worse—smaller and even more confining, isolated and all-consuming. And under the domain of the Armstrong brothers. She hadn’t escaped and sacrificed to get an education and raise her son alone only to come back to exist in Kendall’s world, on his terms.

  Her digital alarm clock read 5:15 a.m. and driving rain sounded on the metal roof of the boardinghouse. The pings against the window told her it was freezing rain. Amy managed to slip out of bed without disturbing Kendall, and shrugged into her robe. She went to the window and looked down on the empty, wet street illuminated by a sole dusk-to-dawn light and smaller lights in front of the General Store, the school and the clinic. It was a bleak picture. She couldn’t see what Kendall could see. She didn’t share his vision.

  His touch on her shoulder startled her. “Hey,” he whispered, then wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Everything okay?”

  His touch alone sent her body reeling. “I have something to tell you.”

  His hands slipped inside her robe. “What’s on your mind?”

  Amy leaned her head back and undulated into his hand. “You should know that I’m still planning to leave after the bridge is complete.”

  He nibbled on her earlobe. “And you should know that I’m going to try to change your mind.”

  She moaned, putty in his hands.

  “Come back to bed,” he murmured. “I say we hide out in your room until it stops raining.”

  “But that could be for days.”

  “I’m counting on it,” he said, tugging on her hand.

  Amy followed him. She couldn’t resist pretending for a little while longer…

  18

  Amy slipped out of her room and checked her cell phone. Tony had left a voice message last night. Guilt stabbed her. What if she’d missed something important? She listened to it, a few words of sullen resignation and preteen angst—he was bored, he wanted to come home—but nothing new. She sighed in relief, then punched in his number, hoping to catch him between classes, but his voice message kicked on.