Maia's Magickal Mates [The Double R 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (5 page)

Cade sighed and raked a hand through his hair. It was a little long he had to admit, even for him. He was surprised Thayne hadn’t mentioned it, but then it wasn’t nearly the hippy-length style Cade had been sporting when he’d gotten back from backpacking in Europe.

His aunt and uncle thought he’d dropped out of college his junior year and left the country to find himself. It had been more about getting away from the visions, though, a useless endeavor, since they were a part of him and followed him wherever he went.

He looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and debated the merits of shaving before finally deciding against it. He thought the two-day stubble and light mustache shadowing his jaw and upper lip fit his perfectly rustic surroundings just fine. It wasn’t like he was a doctor and had to see patients in a hospital like Thayne. He didn’t need to look “respectable,” at least not yet. It remained to be seen what his big brother had planned for him, and knowing Thayne, it wouldn’t be casual and laid-back.

After the mandatory facial inspection, pointedly ignoring the dark circles beneath his eyes, Cade glanced down at his erection, contemplating. After a moment, he decided to take care of himself in the shower and get better acquainted with his and Thayne’s mystery woman.

From his memories of her in his dreams, he pictured a light-skinned African-American woman, not that that mattered to him. A woman was a woman was a woman, and the one in his dreams had been hot—smoky, dark eyes slanted like a cat’s, sexy, full lips perfect for wrapping around his cock, and a stubborn cleft chin hinting at the kind of chutzpah he liked and respected in his women.

Cade stepped into the shower, turned on the water, adjusted the temperature to suit him, then closed his eyes and tilted his head back, ready to let her rip.

Oh yeah, that was it. He could see her now, all well-proportioned, luscious curves on a petite frame—a tiny, café au lait package of dynamite.

He wrapped his left hand around his hard and still burgeoning cock, gripped it firmly, and gave it an introductory tug.
Fuck, yeah.
The woman in his imaginings danced before him on lean-muscled legs, all sinuous arms and hips, like a hula or belly dancer. God, she had a tight body, athletic but not too muscular.

Was she a cowgirl? Did she live in the area or work on one of the many dude ranches he’d passed on his way out here? He could just picture her atop of a horse, naked like Lady Godiva and galloping through a vivid purple-and-emerald field like the one he had seen in his dreams last night. Her thigh muscles would tense against the horse’s flanks as she straddled and steered him to the forest where she made her home like the woodland imp she appeared.

He pictured her riding
him
, her thighs squeezing against his hips as her hot, wet pussy sucked at and gloved him.

Suddenly the picture changed, his brother appearing behind their little African-American princess, sliding his arms around her to cup her plump tits.

Cade pumped his fist faster, braced his other palm against the tile wall in front of him, and released a guttural groan. He thumbed the pearl of pre-cum as it leaked out of his slit, spread the thick, warm liquid around his smooth head and veiny shaft, then slid his hand up and down at a frantic pace now.

He wasn’t sure what excited him more. Being inside the mystery woman’s cunt or watching his brother take hold of her breasts as if they belonged to him. Cade didn’t know, didn’t care, just pushed his cock into his fist until the friction proved too much to deny and the vision drove him over the edge.

He came hard, harder than he could ever remember coming before with a partner, much less by himself. Colorful fireworks pinwheeled and blasted off before his mind’s eye, a cliché he couldn’t dispute as he panted and rested his forehead beside his hand.

Several moments later Cade slowly came back to himself, relishing the warm water that pounded the top of his head and shoulders.

The orgasm almost made up for his unpleasant wake-up visit. If he could start all his mornings off like this on a regular basis, he’d be a happy camper and a morning person, too.

He wondered how Thayne started his mornings, if he still meditated and did his morning yoga listening to…What were the names of those guys he admired, Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer? If not them, then some other self-help gurus that Cade just couldn’t countenance.

Sure he believed in self-help, but he didn’t need someone else to help him achieve it now, did he?

He took self-help to mean exactly that, helping one’s self.

Thayne would say that we all needed a little guidance now and then, a little company on our journey to enlightenment.

He guessed his brother wasn’t too far from the truth, either, because this was exactly why he had come home to Thayne.

He needed help.

God, it hurt to admit that, even to himself, but it was the truth, and the truth would set him free. Wouldn’t it?

Showered and clad in his requisite jeans, T-shirt, and motorcycle boots, Cade made his way down the stairs to face the day but more importantly to face his brother, tension-free.

Amazing what a good hand job could do for a guy!

“What are you smiling at?” Thayne asked when Cade came into the kitchen several seconds later, drawn by the delicious aroma of home cooking.

“Something smells good.” Cade stood behind his brother at the electric range and peeked over his shoulder. “Pancakes. Yummy.”

Thayne chuckled. “That is not a something-smells-good smile. That is an I-just-got-laid smile. And what grown man says yummy?”

“I’m surprised you still remember the look of a man who’s gotten laid, since it’s been so long for you.”

Thayne silently gave him the finger as he flipped over the pancakes.

“And for your information, ‘yummy’ is a universal term used by young and old alike when one is starving and food smells like heaven.”

“You are such a charmer.”

“I hope this isn’t all on my account.” Cade motioned to the place settings on the island and uncovered the tray in the center to reveal still-warm, smoked country sausages and scrambled eggs.

“Figured I’d treat you to a nice, hearty breakfast your first day back, get you started on the right track. Don’t get too used to it though, especially the meat part.”

Cade helped himself to a nice serving of the eggs and sausage, leaving a healthy portion behind as his brother made his way over to the island with the skillet of finished pancakes. “Right track for what?”

“Not that you need the money or anything…”

Cade knew how much his brother disapproved of him using his gifts to be ultrasuccessful on the professional gambling circuit. Thayne thought he prostituted his talents, much different than the altruistic and fulfilling endeavor of helping the police find the missing and dead.

“Don’t you see how you serve the greater good helping the police find those people? You’re giving so many families closure…”

Yeah, it was so very fulfilling. Those families got closure, and he got to see those dead bodies over and over again in his dreams.

“What did you have in mind?” Cade asked.

“That you could work while you’re here.” Thayne slid the three pancakes from the skillet onto Cade’s plate. “I’m not sure how long you plan on staying, but I figure you’d want to put your skills to good use and not get rusty, or any rustier than you already are.”

Cade looked at his brother’s back as Thayne returned to the range to pour another batch of pancake mix into the skillet. “Are you talking about what I think you’re talking about?”

“You always did like being a cowboy.”

Cade released the breath he’d been holding. He’d thought his brother had been talking about a different set of skills altogether, and he was trying to get
away
from those as much as he could. “Here with you?”

“Not necessarily. I already have one employee, Steve Marshall, you’ll meet him soon, and he’s pretty much enough for my spread. I only have four horses, nowhere near a cattle or dude ranch operation or even the spread Aunt Aura runs.”

“Where, then?” Cade asked, glad his brother wasn’t suggesting working for him. He loved Thayne and all, but he imagined being employed by the little, fussy workaholic would put an unnecessary strain on their relationship, and he didn’t want to deal with more than one needless burden at a time, thank you very much.

Thayne made his way back to the island with another batch of finished pancakes that he slid from the skillet to his plate. He took the seat opposite Cade and helped himself to some eggs before he leaned his elbows on the table and looked at his brother. “There’s a dude ranch nearby, The Double R, family owned and operated, and they’ve got a couple of openings for their buckaroo crew.”

“You’re serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Goddess knows you’ve got the experience, and at best it’d be something to do while you figure things out and clear your head. At worst, it’ll be a nice change of pace from the concrete jungle.”

“Hmph,” Cade grunted as he dug into his food, relishing the fluffy eggs and smoked sausage. He reached for the fresh-squeezed juice his brother had just poured in his glass and took a healthy swig to wash down his food. He noticed that Thayne didn’t touch any of his own food. He figured that the meal was mainly for
his
benefit and his brother only helped himself to any of it for show.

“So is that an I’ll-do-it hmph or a no-way-in-hell-mind-your-business hmph?”

“Do you need an answer right now?”

“I’d like one before I head off to the hospital.”

“Want to get all your ducks in a row, huh?”
Or keep your errant younger brother in line.

“Not really. Just that…well, you know the saying. Idle hands are the devil’s playground.”

Yeah, he’d heard it enough from his Uncle Jeff when Cade took a longer break from his ranch chores than anyone else. His uncle didn’t believe in favoritism, and Cade and Thayne were expected to do their share just like everyone else on the spread. He hadn’t appreciated the hard-work-ethic speeches so much when he was coming up, but once he got out in the world on his own, he understood the code his uncle tried to instill in him and Thayne. It took more with Thayne than it had with him. Cade still lived by the all-work-and-no-play-makes-Jack-a-dull-boy philosophy.

“What time do you have to be at work?”

“Not until ten, but you know how I like to get an early start.”

Cade glanced at the kitchen clock and saw that it was only eight. Early start was right.

How the hell long had his brother been up before he’d bothered to wake up Cade?

Thayne had always been an early riser, even before they’d moved in with their aunt and uncle, his circadian rhythms uniquely suited to the early-to-bed-early-to-rise principles of country and ranch living.

He could just picture his brother up at the crack of dawn, even with the little sleep he’d gotten after Cade’s unexpected arrival in the wee hours. He’d probably gone for his early-morning run after meditating or maybe gone for a ride on one of his horses with plenty of time to come home, shower, and disturb Cade’s wet dream before making breakfast.

“So, who do I see at The Double R about this job?”

“You’ll go for the interview, then?”

“You really take your primogeniture duties seriously, don’t you?”

“Cade.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll check it out. It’s gotta be better than whiling my time away here.”

Thayne grinned and produced a piece of paper from who knew where, presenting it to his brother over the island. “That’s the address and directions and the ranch contact, Jesse Reynolds. He’s in charge of general ranching operations over there, and he’s expecting you later this morning, about ten thirty.”

“Presumptuous creep.”

“Love you, too.” Thayne threw him a kiss as he stood and grabbed a suit jacket from the back of his stool. “There’s coffee in the maker on the counter. Sorry, it’s decaf. And help yourself to whatever else you need. I already let Steve know you’re here, so he won’t be surprised to see you around. Oh, and the sausages are thanks to him, so don’t be a stranger.”

“You know me.”

“Yeah, and don’t corrupt my employee with your gambling schemes, either.”

“Don’t forget binge drinking.”

“That, too.” Thayne grabbed his car keys from the Peg-Board under the clock.

Cade followed him through the house and smiled at the man’s drive and organization. He bet Thayne never lost his keys or misplaced them in, say, the refrigerator after a night of carousing and clubbing, because he had a place for everything and everything in its place. He was almost a hundred percent certain now that his health-freak brother had had breakfast earlier, probably some protein-rich smoothie or other liquid concoction to get his busy day started off on the right foot.

“Oh yeah, another thing…” Thayne pulled up short at the front door and turned to him right before Cade would have bumped into him. “I’ve, uh, got a date tonight, so don’t wait up.”

“Fucking A. Who is she? Have I met her?”

“How could you? I only just met her a month or so ago myself.”