Saving Simon (Tarnished Saints Series Book 5) (26 page)

“Especially the Taylor men.”

“You’ve got it,” said Cat with a nod. “Sometimes these men just don’t even know how they feel, and we, as women, need to coax it out of them.”

“Is that how it happened for you and Zeb?”

“Well, not really. But we’re a unique couple. We were married before we even had our first kiss or date, but that’s a different story. We’re talking about you and Simon now.”

“What do you think I should do, Cat?”

“I think you should just lay back a little and let him take the reins. Most men like to feel like they’re in charge. You need to let him believe it for now, and then when you’re married you’re the one in charge.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m not really the aggressive kind like you. I could never take charge with him even if we were married.”

“Then just wait till the next time you make love and tell him you love him again and do it when he can’t pretend he’s asleep. If he says it back, then you’ll know he’s hooked. If not, you may want to look for someone else instead of putting all your eggs in one basket and waiting around for him.”

“Maybe you’re right,” she said, hoping that she’d get the results she wanted.

* * *

Simon had had a good amount of time to think, and when he sailed up to the dock he had made the decision that he was going to tough it out and stay in Sweet Water for a while and keep dating Piper.

Thad ran out to greet him, grabbing the line from the boat to tie it up. Simon planned on making supper for Piper on the boat and having a romantic evening, and hopefully they’d have time to talk things over.

“Piper’s been asking for you,” Thad told him with urgency to his voice. “She got back with Cat a couple of hours ago. She sounds upset. She said she’s been trying to call her father and he doesn’t answer.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” asked Simon, not understanding why Thad acted like this was some sort of problem.

“Maybe, but there’s something else you’re not going to like hearing.”

“Lay it on me. I’m relaxed and can handle anything right now.”

“She answered the phone in the marina earlier and it was Mrs. Glover.”

“Dammit, Thad, I told you not to let her answer the phone.”

“Sorry, I had to piss and I wasn’t going to walk out with my pants down. Anyway, she found out that Mrs. Glover gave you her phone number last week.”

“Oops.”

“She asked where the invoices were kept and Mrs. Glover told her that everything was in the desk drawer in the back, just liked she’d told you. Piper’s been tearing the whole place apart looking for the papers. She’s made a big mess of everything and I can’t keep the secret much longer. She’s suspicious of you and questioning me like a drill sergeant.”

“I’ll handle it, Thad, don’t worry.”

“Delivery from the Three Billy Goat’s Diner,” said a teenaged boy walking down the pier with a bag in one hand and a six pack of cold cola in the other.

“Great, I’m starved.” Thad took the food and soda and glanced over to Simon with that look on his face that Simon knew meant it was going to cost him money. “I ordered us some lunch. I figured you’d be hungry after a day of sailing.”

“You want me to pay for it, I suppose?”

“I haven’t got my bank account set up yet since we got here. Maybe you could float me a few bucks?”

“How much is it?” asked Simon, pulling out his wallet.

“Let’s see.” The teenager scrutinized the bill. “It’s twenty-three dollars for the soda and sandwiches and there’s a two dollar delivery charge also.”

“Twenty-three dollars for sandwiches? What the hell did you order, Thad?”

“I was pretty hungry.”

“Levi is getting rich off me,” Simon grumbled. “It wouldn’t hurt him to send over a free meal once in awhile, would it?”

“Did you want me to ask him?” The boy looked up to him in question.

“Don’t bother. I’ll tell him myself when I see him later. Here you go.” He peeled off a twenty and a five and handed it to the boy. The boy took it and just looked at it, and then back up to Simon. “I suppose there’s no tip included either?” Simon asked, realizing the boy was waiting for more money.

“No, Simon, there isn’t.”

“How did you know my name?”

“I recognized you from the news this morning. You’re that sailor who –”

“Here’s a ten,” said Simon, shoving the money into the boy’s hand. “Now keep your mouth shut about what you saw on the news and I don’t ever want to hear you mention it to anyone again. Understand?”

“Yes, sir!” He saluted Simon, and suddenly Simon felt like he was back in the Navy. It felt good for a second and then it felt like a hot spike in his heart as he wondered if the boy had heard about him being in the Navy from the newscast and was just mocking him.

“Now get the hell outta here,” he growled, and the boy ran off without looking back.

“Let’s go eat,” said Thad anxiously, but when Simon glanced up he saw Piper looking out the window of the marina. When she saw he was there, she opened the door and bee lined it right toward him.

“Give me one of those sodas, Thad. Quick.”

“Here,” he said, handing him one.

Simon grabbed it from him and also reached out and took the bag of food. “Now get over there and stall Piper for a couple of minutes while I set up our lunch on the boat.”

“I thought we were eating inside today, but okay.”

“You’re not hearing what I’m saying, little brother. This is a private lunch and you’re not invited. Now make sure no one comes knockin’ if the boat is rockin’ if you know what I mean.”

“Simon, you can’t take my food. I’m so hungry my stomach is sounding louder than your bellowing when you’re mad.”

“
Whose
food? If I must remind you, I’m the one who paid for it. Now go on, and if you do a good job keeping everyone away, I might just save you some leftovers.”

Thad headed down the pier to meet Piper with his one hand in his pocket and his head hung low. Simon turned and hurried back onto the boat slipping inside the cabin, and quickly set up the food on the table. He had just hidden the bag under the cushion of the main bunk when he heard Piper getting onto the boat grumbling, saying something about her shoes.

Simon ran out to meet her, and was surprised to see her already on the boat when Thad was nowhere in sight. She held her beaded flip flops in one hand and held onto the boat with the other. She was either getting used to the water or so angry at him that she forgot about her fear.

“There you are!” she said. “Mrs. Glover called and told me that –”

He had to shut her up, so her leaned over and kissed her. “I was expecting you,” he said, quickly guiding her into the cabin.

“You were?” she asked, momentarily forgetting to yell at him. When she saw the food set up on the table, she looked back, confused. “What’s all this?”

“Lunch,” he said, not knowing what the vile concoction was that Thad had ordered. The sandwiches were on thick bready buns and looked like a cross between fish sticks and roast beef with a shitload of hot peppers thrown on top and smothered with a healthy helping of brown mustard.

“Oh,” she said, letting him take her shoes from her as he sat her at the table.

He had drawn the old, dirty curtains to cover the windows inside the cabin, hoping to make it more romantic.

“It’s kind of dark in here. Why are all the curtains closed?”

“I thought it would be more romantic.” He pulled out a battery operated lantern from under a seat and flicked it on and put it in the center of the table. “Is that better?” He then leaned over and kissed her behind the ear, blowing gently into it. She closed her eyes, threw back her head, and opened her lips slightly, so he knew the distraction was working.

Piper had every intention of giving Simon a piece of her mind, but when he started kissing her and blowing in her ear, all she could think about was the wonderful time they’d had last night, and she was ready to do it all again.

“Open for me,” he said, picking up a French fry and this only reminded her of how he’d asked her to open her legs for him last night as well. She opened her mouth and he slowly lowered the French fry inside. It was really long and very hot and she almost burned her mouth.

“It’s so big and long. And hot,” she said, waving her hand in front of her mouth and licking her lips.

He smiled at her. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”

His comment and the look of his eyes wanting to eat her, made her feel like she was burning with passion inside. He sat down across from her and started to lick the salt from the fry off his fingers. She watched his tongue shoot out and she suddenly felt her inner core warming. Then he popped open the can of soda, and shot her a smile before he took a sip and handed the can to her.

“No thanks,” she said, eying the can he’d just drank out of. She knew it was silly of her not to want to use it after him since she’d just been kissing him anyway, but it was the way she’d grown up, and it was hard to break odd habits.

“This looks like a good sandwich, he said picking it up and taking a bite, and at the same time grabbing her knee under the table and rubbing his hand up her thigh. She couldn’t stand it any more. She had to do something to get her mind off of sex.

“Give me that sandwich,” she said, grabbing it still in his hand, and taking a big bite. Her mouth was instantly on fire and she spit the food out on the table.

“Don’t like hot peppers, I’m guessing?”

“I’m allergic to them,” she cried out, wondering how she had been so distracted that she hadn’t noticed what she was biting into. Then again, if she had been able to see what she was eating, maybe she would have known. “They close off my throat!”

“Oh my God, I didn’t know, Pippa. Honest. Here, drink. Fast.” He handed her the soda and this time she didn’t hesitate, she took the can in her hand and gulped down most of it before putting it down and letting out a loud burp.

“Sorry,” she said, holding her hand over her mouth and looking very embarrassed.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Yes. I didn’t swallow, so I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before too,” he said and flashed her a smile and she knew exactly what he meant, and that he wasn’t talking about the peppers.

“If you want to make love, just ask me,” she said, “because you’re doing a terrible job at trying to be romantic.”

“Well, it couldn’t be that bad if you recognized what I was trying to do. But since you mentioned it – want to make love on my boat?”

“Right here?” she asked, looking around their cramped quarters.

“No, not here. Up there,” he said, pointing to the double top bunk under the tip of the bow that was small and very dark.

“You’re serious?”

“Never been more serious.” He raised an eyebrow. “What do you say, Pippa? Are you up for making love the way the sailors do it on the water?”

“What if someone comes on board?”

“They won’t. Thad is keeping everyone away, and if he doesn’t, he knows he won’t get any leftovers.”

“He’s the one who ordered this food, isn’t he?” she asked with a smile.

“I confess, I wouldn’t order this disgusting concoction. Thad likes to mix things together that have no business being together.”

Like them, she thought, but didn’t say it aloud.

“I just hijacked this food in an attempt to woo you to my berth.” He nodded his head toward the bunk.

“You did, did you?” she asked, thinking it might be exciting to make love on a sail boat. Now that she’d experienced making love to Simon in a bed, she wanted to know how it felt doing it in more places. And while she still thought the boat was dirty and she didn’t want to lay her naked body on those old cushions, her desire for Simon was much stronger right now than her quirks. She was willing to risk it just to have the chance to make love again with Simon. “Well, what are we waiting for?”

“You really mean it?” he said, sounding shocked that she’d agree to it. His eyes lit up eagerly like a little boy getting his coveted present at Christmastime.

“Take me over there and find out if I really mean it or not,” she teased him.

Without having to ask again, he brought her over to the berth and lay her down, kissing her as they settled into position.

“Simon, my lips are burning from that kiss,” she told him.

“I know, I’m a hot lover.” He came back for another kiss, but she stopped him.

“I mean it. I taste those peppers. We’d better play it safe and not kiss right now.”

“Or at least not on the lips anyway.”

She experienced something new just then as he undressed her and used his mouth everywhere but on her lips. She squirmed and cried out with each new experience, and then she returned the favor by using her lips on different parts of him as well. Then when neither of them could wait another minute, he pulled out a condom from behind a gap in the paneling and put it on.

“Where did that come from?” she asked.