Saving Simon (Tarnished Saints Series Book 5) (23 page)

Piper poured herself a cup of coffee and waited for Simon in the small front room of the cabin by the fireplace. She hadn’t meant to walk out on him, but when she did she couldn’t help herself from staring at his gorgeous body.

Sinew and muscle corded his upper arms. His chest was wide and sturdy and his stomach taut. He had incredible pecks and a six pack as well. Not to mention, his manhood was a nice package in itself. She had never expected to see it, let alone watch his desire for her grow right in front of her eyes.

She sat curled up on the sofa sipping her hot coffee, wishing for something stronger. Now that she’d seen the evidence of how badly Simon really wanted her, she realized he had only been acting the gentleman around her for her sake. She felt relieved to know he was still interested in her, but also was a little scared because while she wanted him just as much, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to satisfy a man with such an insatiable appetite.

“That was exhilarating,” she heard him say from behind her and turned to see him standing at the stove pouring himself a cup of coffee. His torso was wrapped in a white towel that was knotted at his waist, and his chest was bare.

“I don’t know what I was thinking when I thought you could wear my robe,” she apologized, knowing now that there was way too much man to possibly squeeze into such a small garment.

“I didn’t want to rip it,” he said, putting down the pot, and carefully bringing his full cup over as he settled himself next to her on the couch. He sat with his legs spread, like any man would, while he sipped his coffee. Her eyes wandered down to the hem of the towel that had ridden up so high above his knees that she thought something was going to be showing in a minute.

“I had no idea you were so big.”

He almost choked on his coffee when she said it, and did all he could to hold back his grin.

“Oh, that didn’t come out right, did it?” She felt herself blushing. She just wore a slip-on dress that was sleeveless, but she started to feel very hot.

“I’m glad you noticed,” he said jokingly. Then his eyes settled on her chest and she found herself feeling aroused. “Are you still cold?” he asked.

“No, not at all. Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” His eyes stayed focused on her chest as he took another sip of coffee and when she looked down she realized her erect nipples were showing right through her clothes. She hadn’t bothered to put on a bra since hers was wet and she couldn’t find her extra one in her luggage. Now she almost wished she would have.

“So, will you answer my question now?” she asked, and any sexual tension between them was suddenly stifled. His eyes shot over toward the fire and he didn’t look at her as he spoke.

“Yes, Pippa, you guessed right when you asked if my father mistreated my mother.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He stared into the flames as he relayed his story. “My mother never wanted me to pity her. She was a strong woman who was able to hide her emotions, and my father was a headstrong man who never held anything back.”

“So I’m guessing you take after your mother,” she said, thinking of how he seemed so unemotional at her gravesite.

“Actually, I am more like my father though I don’t like to admit it. Or at least when it comes to the anger part, anyway.”

“So your father was an angry man? I thought you said he was a preacher.”

“He was. Both. He was headstrong and wanted things his way. While he had a good heart and loved his wife and children, he also expected a lot out of us. My brother Thomas takes after him when it comes to wanting lots of kids and with the strict way he raises them as well.”

“Did your mother want lots of kids too?” she asked curiously, wondering why any woman would want to put her body through birthing a dozen babies.

“I didn’t know it until I was nine years old, but my mother wanted to stop after five. Which means, if she’d had her way I never would have been born, and neither would any of my younger siblings.”

“So why did she change her mind?”

Simon finished off his coffee and was staring at the inside of his empty cup. “She didn’t. She was afraid of my father, so she gave him seven more children after that, rather than to deny him when he came to her in the night wanting to procreate.”

“You mean to make love, don’t you?”

“No. I mean to procreate. My mother told me in confidence one day that she fell out of love with my father after the twins were born, but stayed married to him for the sake of her children. No one would ever know anything was wrong between them because she put up a good act. I never would have known either if I hadn’t walked in on them on my ninth birthday and saw my father being rough with my mother and making her cry.”

He stopped talking and Piper didn’t want him to close himself off from her now, so she jumped up and got the coffee pot and refilled his cup.

“I couldn’t find any sugar or cream, and I know that’s how you like it. I hope black is all right.” She put the pot back on the stove.

“It doesn’t matter.” He seemed like he was in some sort of trance, remembering things from the past that he had locked away for years.

“So, what exactly was happening when you walked into your parents’ bedroom?”

“It wasn’t their bedroom,” he said, continuing his story. “It was . . .” he took another sip of his coffee and she thought she saw tears in his eyes. This shocked her, especially after he hadn’t cried at the deaths of his parents.

“Go ahead,” she urged him on, and then he finally continued.

“I was an altar boy and it was before mass one Sunday. It was in the back room of the church that was used as a place for my father to go to pray in private. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’d walked in right after my father had sex with her and she was crying. He was yelling at her and I didn’t understand what was going on. Then he pushed her and grabbed her by her hair and told her to get up and get the rest of the kids ready for church. It was more than I could take, Pippa. I couldn’t just stand there and watch.”

“So what did you do?” she asked curiously.

“That is the day my rage overtook me. I jumped on top of my father and started beating on him. Although I was only nine, I knew how to fight. I’d always been the fighter in the family, because I had to learn or end up being teased by my older brothers.”

“What did they tease you about?”

“Everything and anything. They were just being kids, and I always fell right into their traps when they’d throw down a challenge, just like I did with Zeb and the sailboat race today. Nothing’s changed. Anyway, my father was a strong man and put me in my place that day. After he took off his belt and reminded me he wasn’t going to put up with my antics, he made me tell everyone I got the welts and bruises from falling out of a tree.”

“That’s horrible. So your father beat you?”

“No, he disciplined me, though I didn’t look at it that way at the time. It only happened that once and he apologized afterwards. I was out of line and I guess I deserved it.”

“No, you didn’t. How can you say that? You were only defending your mother.”

He let out a sigh and just nodded slowly. “Two wrongs don’t make a right, just like my father always said in his sermons. My mother made me promise to never tell any of my brothers what happened that day. She didn’t want them growing up to hate my father, but that didn’t stop me from hating him for a long time.”

“Did you ever make amends with him before he died?” she asked.

“I did. It wasn’t until I was a grown adult, but I think there’s a part of me deep inside that still resents him for what he’d done to my mother.”

“So that’s why you get angry when men mistreat women,” she said, understanding everything now. “You felt as though you needed to protect your mother and that has spilled over to protecting any woman who is being mistreated by a man.”

“I guess so,” he said, putting his cup down on the table. “And there’s more, Pippa.”

“Go ahead,” she said softly and put down her own coffee cup and gently touched him on the arm.

“That was the day my brother Thad was conceived. My mother told me she didn’t want any more children unless it was a girl. Somehow she doubted it would be since she already had eleven boys. So she’d decided not to tell my father she was pregnant, but instead to get an abortion.”

“You talked her out of it, didn’t you?”

“I did. I told her I’d help her care for the baby, and that’s why I’ve always taken Thad under my wing and cared for him. It was a promise I made to my mother.”

“That’s sweet,” she said, feeling her own tears welling in her eyes now.

“My father got what he deserved in the end tho,” he said, and she saw anger as well as satisfaction flick across his face.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, when Ma got Alzheimer’s I think it was her subconscious way of getting back at my father.”

“Simon, no one decides to get such an awful disease.”

“I know. Still, I can’t help thinking she did it on purpose. My father paid for all those years of mistreating my mother when she got too sick and he had to wait on her hand and foot instead of the other way around. We didn’t have a lot of money so he didn’t put her in the home right away. But when she started retaliating and one day came after him with a knife, he had no choice but to put her in a home.”

“How sad,” she said, feeling the emotions welling inside her.

“The family kind of fell apart after that. One by one we all started to move away, and when Ma no longer knew who I was, I decided I couldn’t stay and watch it anymore and left Sweet Water too. Then Pa died, and we all drifted further apart, as there was nothing holding us together anymore. The church was taken over by Reverend Black, and Thomas was the only one who stayed true to the family and remained in Sweet Water to raise his kids. He took over the cottage rentals and handled Ma and Pa’s properties, and I guess you know the rest.”

“Wow, that is some story, Simon. Now I understand why you get so upset around my father. You think he is mistreating me.”

“Well, isn’t he?”

“Not really.”

“Tell me about your family, Pippa.”

She knew she owed it to him to tell him her story as well. Especially after he’d opened up and told her secrets that even his brothers didn’t know.

“All right,” she agreed, and reached out and held his hand while she relayed her tale of woe. “I have a sister named Amy, who is two years older than me. My parents split up when I had just turned sixteen.”

“Divorces are hard on kids,” he said with a nod of his head.

“They’re not divorced. Just separated.”

“For almost ten years? Why?”

“My mother and father are both half-owners of Westbrook Enterprises. My father knew if they divorced, he’d probably lose the company as well as more than he wanted to give to her. So he convinced my mother to just separate and be a silent partner in the business. He sends money for her and my sister to live on every month. They are well taken care of.”

“I thought you said they lived in France.”

“They do. My mother wanted to get as far away from my father as possible. She had a friend living there and decided to move in with her.”

“Why didn’t you go with them?”

“Well, my sister and I were both of age to decide for ourselves which parent we wanted to live with. Amy chose to live with mother, and I probably would have to, but my father begged me to stay with him. He really did love us, and didn’t want to lose both his daughters. So he promised me a good college education and a position in the business after I finished high school if I stayed. He also bought me expensive presents, like a new car and promised me my own luxury condo once I finished college.”

“So you stayed because of the money and presents?”

“No. I stayed because I felt sorry for him. I didn’t want to see him lose his entire family. I felt like if I left I’d be abandoning him, so I didn’t go. I agreed to stay with my father instead of going overseas to live with my mother and sister.”

“Do you regret it?” he asked.

“Sometimes,” she said. “Especially since I’ve never had a serious boyfriend.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean my father always scares away any man I’m interested in.”

“That must be so hard to put up with.”

“That’s not the hardest part. I think the hardest part is that I haven’t seen Mom or Amy in years now.”

“So you never went to visit them?”

“I went once, and it was too hard when we parted. Then I came home and saw how lonely and sad my father had been without me and that hurt too bad too. He told me he didn’t want me going back to see them nor them coming to see me anymore. He was afraid he’d lose me I guess.”

“So you don’t even talk to them at all?”

“I didn’t at first, because my father didn’t want me to. But now I Skype with my mother and sister in secret on the first of every month.”

“That’s it?” he asked.

“That’s it,” she said. “I would do more, but I don’t want my father to find out because he’d get very angry.”

“You need to stand up to him already, Pippa. He’s your father and you shouldn’t feel afraid of him.”