Through it all he never made a sound. It irritated her that Mark never even flinched, not even once. He just stared at the wall, letting her dig into his back. No emotion, not even pain. For all intents and purposes, he was just sitting there like a robot.
What would it take to get his attention?
“This might hurt.” It was all the warning she gave him when she poured pure grain alcohol right on the wound. Mark cursed loudly.
Finally! A reaction.
Sarah tried to hide her elation as she continued cleaning the wound. The brothers entered to room to find Mark literally trying as hard as he could not to tear apart her chair. Matthew walked over and took a look at the wound.
“Let me get my bag. That’s going to need stitches,” he said.
“No need. I can do it,” she said as she began threading a needle.
“Well at least let me numb the area first,” he offered.
“He can handle it. He playsfootball,” she replied sarcastically.
She pinched the skin around the wound and stuck the needle through it. Mark cried, “Numb it, Mattie!”
The brothers just started laughing. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Matthew grab a small syringe from his bag and was about to intercede when she looked up at him and firmly shook her head no. Matthew just smiled and backed away.
As she stuck the needle into his skin once again, Mark grabbed a hold of the chair and damn near snapped the thing in two. “Mattie!” he screamed.
“She’s doing fine, Mark. A real nice job,” he replied, stifling the laughter within him.
Sarah slowly pulled the thread through his skin and jabbed him once more. Mark couldn’t stand it any longer. He stood, grabbing her waist, and pulled her around to face him. “Are you trying to hurt me?” he whispered through clenched teeth. ’Cause if this is your way at getting me back, you’re doing a real good job. You’re hurting me.”
“I am trying to stitch you up. Now sit back down.”
“That shit hurts. Let Mattie numb the area,” he ordered.
“No.”
“It’s my back,” he said firmly. “I want it numb.”
“Aren’t you a big tough football player? Stop your whining and sit back down,” she said with a determined look upon her face.
Mark knew she wasn’t going to budge. He just closed his eyes and sat back down. He figured if she wanted to see him wince in pain, it would be over his dead body. He was not going to give her the satisfaction of seeing that again.
For the next ten minutes, he kept his mouth shut and tried everything he could not to show any kind of emotion. When she was done, she put some antibiotic cream over the wound and bandaged it up. Sighing in relief that the whole terrible ordeal was over, he was about to get up when she slapped him hard on the back right over the gash. “There ya go. All done, cowboy,” she said and smiled at him.
The pain shot down him like a lightning bolt.
That did it!
She had had her fun. Now it was his turn. Mark quickly rose to his feet, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into him. With the other, he took a hold of the back of her neck. “Now it’s my turn,” he said before he took her mouth.
Mark was not gentle as he pressed his lips against hers. It was a demanding and aggressive kiss. He wanted to show her that whatever she dished out, she would get back tenfold. As his mouth moved across hers, she denied him entrance into her warm mouth.
Annoyed, Mark lightly bit her bottom lip, getting a small cry from her. When her mouth parted, he delved into her. God, she was as he remembered. She still tasted so sweet. It didn’t take long before he could feel her lips soften, and before he knew what happened, she was kissing him back. The sensation of vindication made him want to jump for joy.
His arms held her close to him as he devoured all that she gave. Gently releasing the firm grip on her, his hands found their way to her silky hair. Her hands came up toward his chest, and as he continued his exploration of her mouth, she quickly broke the kiss. She stepped back as he smiled.
What came next surprised everyone.
As he stood there looking like the Cheshire cat, her hand came up. She slapped him so hard across his face he staggered back into the chair. His hand flew to his face, and the shouting began.
“What the hell did you do that for?”
“You don’t have the right to kiss me anymore!”
“I was teaching you a lesson.”
“And what lesson was that? That you can take anything you want?”
“You had your fun stitching me up. It was my turn!”
“You ungrateful, inconsiderate ass. You had a gash on your back. What was I supposed to do, let you bleed to death?”
“You could have let Mattie do it.”
“Why? So you could just sit there and sulk!”
“I was not sulking!”
“Then what were you doing moping around outside like a little lost dog?”
“I wasn’t moping!”
“Yes, you were, Mark. I saw it, too,” Mitchell said, adding his two cents.
“You stay out of this!” Mark shouted at his twin. “I was thinking out there,” he said, looking back at her.
“Thinking about what? How long it would take for you to come up with a good excuse for butting into my business.”
“I was not butting in your business!”
“Yes. That’s exactly what you were doing and you know it.”
“I was just reading a damn book that I found. I didn‘t think you would mind!”
“Well that was your first mistake!”
“What?”
“Thinking, sports and thinking don’t rightly go well together! You should stick to what you’re supposedly good at! And thinking isn’t it!”
“You are a piece of work. At least I am not the one running from life.”
“Mark…” Mitchell slowly stood and quietly cautioned a warning his brother.
“What do you mean by that?” Sarah said, taking a step forward.
“You know damn well what I mean. I read that damn book, and I even know about your life in Washington. Does George Webber know you are living out her all alone like some old, feeble hermit? You refuse to allow yourself any form of emotional attachment. Just how in the hell can you live like this?” Mark was quickly subdued by his brothers. They hauled him from the room before he could even finish his sentence.
Sarah just stood there, stunned. She knew what Mark was about to say. It hurt to even think of it. Sitting down at the table, she placed her head in her hands and cried softly.
Mason and Marcus had him pinned against the back wall of her bedroom. Mitchell walked right up to him and didn’t miss a beat.
“Just what in the hell do you are think you doing? That woman has been through hell and back, and you feel it necessary to throw it all up in her face, for what? So you can get her back for the way she treated you. Damn it, Mark, for the first time since we were born, I am ashamed to have you as my brother. I have never seen you have a complete disregard for any human being. What you were about to say out there was unforgivable, and you know it. Our father may be a bastard, but he would horsewhip you if he ever found out you treated Sarah so badly. Mom would skin your ass alive. As for me, well, this will do,” he said as he punched Mark in the gut as hard as he could.
Mark fell to the ground gasping for air. The rest of brothers just stood over him, waiting for a response. When Mark stayed down, Matthew was the first to speak. “When you can learn to speak properly to a lady, you can come out. Until then, you better stay in here,” he said, ashamed for him, and left the room.
“I don’t rightly know what’s going on between the two of you, and honestly I don’t care, but if I ever catch you talking to a woman like that again, Mitchell won’t be the only one kicking your ass,” Mason offered next and left.
“You better apologize to her, and by God you better mean it,” Marcus said firmly before he, too, left.
“You know, it
’s a good thing Rachael’s pregnant. ’Cause if she ever heard what came out of your mouth, she would kick your ass all the way to the Mason-Dixon Line and I would help her,” Michael quietly said and left.
Mark stayed there on the floor holding his stomach, trying to catch his breath. He knew he had messed up big time, and there was no taking it back. He was so angry at himself that he was actually going to throw her own life back up in her face.
He was a monster, a complete, ungrateful, evil monster.
He had become his worst nightmare, his dad.
* * * *
It was close to midnight, and Mark never emerged from her bedroom. Sarah was busy cleaning up the kitchen with Marcus’s help, while the other boys were dozing by the fire.
“I want to apologize for Mark. He sometimes lets his mouth run away from him. We all believe he honestly doesn’t know what he is saying half the time, and when he stops, he does feel badly about it—at least most of the time he does,” Marcus offered.
“He just spoke the truth, Marcus. That’s all,” she whispered.
“That may be, but he could have done it a little nicer.”
“Yes, he could have, but I probably wouldn’t have listened if he did. He was just being himself. You can’t blame him for that.”
“Oh yes I can. You don’t know Mark like we all do. He is more like Dad than the rest of us. If you ever met the man, you would understand.”
“How can being like your father be bad? I would give anything to know what my real father was like.”
“Most kids would. Generally fathers are normal. They love their children, dote on them, and raise them to be loving and upstanding citizens, but not our father. He is a cold, heartless bastard who only thinks of himself. His sole reason for living is to make money. He uses and abuses women like Mark does and never looks back. He is very smart and deceitful. He will stomp all over you and take what he wants and be home by six, demanding his dinner and a beer. He is selfish and uncaring.”
“Mark is nothing like that at all,” she said softly.
“How can you say that after what he said to you this evening?” Marcus said, aghast and in shock.
“Understand that I have only known your brother for a week or so, but when I met him the first time, I will admit that he was a little overbearing, and rough around the edges. He does have a mouth on him that sometimes gets away from him, but there is more to him than all of that. He is kind, gentle and very caring. He is funny and witty. He can be playful and yes he is very nosey,” she said, smiling a little, “but he is a good man. I can’t tell you how I know this. It’s more of a feeling. He is just lonely and scared.”
“You really believe he is all that and more, don’t you?” he asked, looking at her.
“Yes, I do. You see, technically Mark and I are a lot alike. We are both runners. We have been running for so long that it has become normal for the both of us. We are both too afraid to let anyone in. We fear that if we do, the people we love will only get hurt or hurt us. It’s easier for us to distance ourselves from any form of emotion, companionship, or friendship. Though we go about it differently, in the end it’s the same thing.” Sarah finished laying the dish rag over the sink.
Marcus watched her grab a beer out of the fridge and hand it to him. As he took a drink, he watched her throw blankets over his sleeping brothers and check Mitchell’s bandages. She was gentle with him, and generally looked concerned. Walking over to the curio in the far corner, she removed more blankets and laid them on the rug next to the fire.
“I am sorry I don’t have better accommodations, but the floor is comfortable, and the fire will keep you warm. If you don’t need anything else, I am going to bed,” she said, looking at Marcus.
“Thank you, Sarah. You have done more than any of us could have asked for.”
“It was my pleasure. Good night, Marcus.”
“Sarah?”
“Yes.”
“Mark is still in there. You want me to get him out of there for you?” he asked.
“I think I can handle him. You just get some sleep. I don’t expect any trouble out of him, and you look tired. Try and get some sleep. If I need anything, I know how to scream.”
Chapter 12
Walking into her room, she drew the curtain closed behind her. She was exhausted. She had never seen such a display of true brotherly love before in her life. She witnessed the fighting, the comradery, the bantering, and the love they all shared. Even when they got mad, they still loved each other. She longed for that kind of love.
She knew the love of a man. She missed that, but to have a sibling that no matter what happened, to know that they would always be there supporting you whenever you needed them was something she envied.
Walking around her bed, she found Mark asleep on the cold, hard floor. She sighed and walked over to him. Nudging him awake, she helped him to his feet and sat him on the bed. He looked helpless. His eyes were beet red and his skin was pale. She gently ran her fingers through his hair as he looked up at her with those sorrowful blue eyes of his. It damn near broke her heart in two.
“I am so sorry, Sarah,” he softly cried. “Oh dear God, I am so sorry, Sarah. I didn’t mean any of it. Please forgive me. I would never hurt you, not like that.” He finished putting his head in his hands.
“It’s all over with. Come on and let’s get you out of these wet clothes,” she said.
“Are you okay?” he whispered.
“I think so.”
“Let me see,” he asked. Sarah unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt and allowed Mark to inspect her chest. His hands were gentle as they grazed the now very prominent bruise. She tried not to tell him it hurt like hell. She didn’t want any more fighting between the brothers. She blamed herself for all of it.
“It hurts, doesn’t it?” he asked, lifting her face so he could see her eyes.
“Not so bad.” She smiled.
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
She helped him remove his wet jeans and socks. She pulled back the comforter and laid his head against the pillows and covered him up. He laid there looking at her.
Standing there staring at the man who had caused as much trouble, Sarah wondered if they were ever going to find their way back. She knew they were both missing so much of life that it tore at her heart. She wanted to help him and didn’t know how. What was it about this one man that tugged at her heart and pleaded with her soul to want to show him what he was missing? She, too, was lost, fighting those same demons that plagued her own soul. How could she help him when she couldn’t even help herself?
She couldn’t.
She was of no use to anyone. She knew that she would only make things worse for him. She decided it would be best to just let his brothers help him. Maybe they could guide him on the right path. Though she knew he wouldn’t follow, his brothers were the best option for him. She would just have to let them do for Mark what she couldn’t do for herself.
Resolved to the fact that they would all leave in the morning, Sarah turned her back to him and removed her clothes and climbed into the bed next to him, giving him her back.
“I am sorry, Sarah,” Mark whispered.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” she said and rolled over to face him. For some reason she just couldn’t do it. She knew it was best to leave him alone, to let him go and live his own life. They were a mismatched pair. He wanted the attention. She avoided it. He was loud and boisterous, where she was quiet and calm. It would never work, she kept telling herself over and over, but though her brain understood, her heart and body thought differently. Just one more feel, she told herself as her hand slowly traced his strong muscle on his arm and down his firm chest.
* * * *
Mark sucked in his breath as her gentle fingers left a blazing trail behind them. He didn’t know what she was doing, and he didn’t care. She was there with him once again in her bed, and she was giving. When she looked at him
, he saw the uncertainty in her eyes. He, too, didn’t know, but for right now, he did know that he wanted her, but with all of his brothers in the next room, he knew this was the wrong time.
“Sarah, I don’t—” he started to say, but she placed her finger over his mouth and smiled. “It’s all right.” And she leaned in and kissed him.
Everything she had ever done in her life was always for someone else, her singing, the movies, college, everything. She had given everything and what she didn’t give, they all took, but now, she took. She took for herself, and God forgive him, he allowed her.
Getting up from the bed, he watched as she walked over and pulled the long, thick drapes, giving them total privacy as she walked back to the bed.
Mark’s heart was racing. He knew this was wrong, and if his brothers found out, he was going to be in a lot more pain, but as she crawled up toward him, God forgive him, he just couldn’t stop her. His body reacted instantly, and when she smiled seductively at him, he lost it.
She took her time, feeling her way around him.
It was pure agony. He knew he was a fine, sculpted man, with strong legs, cast iron thighs and a firm ass, because he worked hard every day to be what he thought everyone wanted. He sucked in his breath as her hands slowly trailed toward his hard cock.
He loved the look of marvel upon her face at how soft and silky his erection was. He held his breath as her slender fingers gently surrounded his girth, as she lightly began stroking him.
Mark was in a state of pure ecstasy as her tender touch aroused pure bliss out of him. Just the soft touch of her was causing his body to writhe in passion. As he reached down to stop her, it was too late. She took him into her mouth and Mark gasped. Closing his eyes, he tried to stop himself from moaning, but as her hot little mouth sucked him to the back of her throat, he sucked his breath and let out the loud moan.
“I would be quiet if I were you.” She smiled, coming up toward his chest.
The Texas Rebel [The Armstrong Brothers of Cedar Creek 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 15