16. CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 16
SIERRA
Kason’s looking at me with murderous eyes and a face full of rage. His body is coiled tight and his hands are clenched. I don’t know how to tell him what I witnessed because I can’t quite believe it myself. I’m not even sure where to begin, but I know if I don’t tell him, the weight of the guilt will eat me alive.
“Sierra, I asked what he did,” he barks. This man is about to explode.
I get off the bed and step up to him, wrapping my arms around his middle and laying my head against his chest. “I’m sorry, I guess I chose the wrong door and opened the one next to your room…I’ve only been in the hallway a few times.”
Kason is quiet, but his chest is expanding harshly with his deep breaths.
“I-I opened the door, and I saw…” I rub my forehead on his chest. God, how do I even verbalize it, because I know once I do, my words have the potential to cause a shitstorm. I need to rip the bandaid off. “I saw a man getting a blowjob. I-I guess they didn’t hear me come in.” I know they didn’t because his head was thrown back in pleasure while she was on her knees with her back to me and bobbing her head up and down. Lost in the moment, I assume they never heard me enter.
Kason pulls me away from his body and when I peer up into his eyes, there’s a fire brewing in them before he turns and marches into the hallway. I chase after him knowing my poor man is about to lose his shit.
As I make it into the hallway, I hear a loud crack of the door against the wall before Kason storms through it. The man I saw earlier has his hands on his belt and a look of surprise on his face. I vaguely notice as the woman scurries past me and hurries down the hall.
“You asshole! It wasn’t enough to constantly disrespect Mom outside the home. You had to do it in her home too!” Kason screams as I move closer to him.
“You don’t know what you’re talking—”
“You piece of shit,” Kason roars, cutting Simon off. I feel the soft whoosh of air as Kason charges Simon and tackles him to the ground. Pulling his arm back, he punches him in the face, and his father cries out in pain.
Even though his father deserves it, I can’t let Kason do this. I don’t think he’ll regret it, but as I make up my mind to intercede, his mom rushes into the room.
“Oh my god, Kason, no! Please stop!” Margo cries out, and I turn my attention to her. Her hands are covering her mouth and her eyes are scared as she watches the scene unfold before her.
Kason’s voice brings my focus back to him. “Get the fuck out of here.”
He lifts his father by his shirt and throws him toward the hallway. The momentum and strength has his dad landing on the floor in front of the door with a hard thud. Kason isn’t done though, and he swings his leg back as if to kick Simon before his mom runs to stand in front of her husband to block his strike.
“Why are you doing this to your father?” she cries .
The question has Kason shifting his attention to his mom, and he softens, if just marginally. “When will it stop, Mom? It’s not enough that he humiliates you with his women each time he leaves. Now he’s fucking around with your housekeeper in your own damn home.”
“Wh-what do you mean?” Margo stammers.
“He’s banging the housekeeper is what I mean!” Kason’s voice rises as he delivers the news.
“Laura?” She pauses. “She just ran past me and when I asked what was happening, she didn’t answer and left.” As she says this the realization of what took place occurs to her. Her face saddens and her head falls into her hands as she starts to weep.
Everything is happening so fast, and it’s then that I realize his father has stood up, his eye already has a lump forming and there’s blood dripping from above it. He’ll be lucky if it only turns black and blue and doesn’t swell shut completely. As it is, he’s probably going to need stitches.
“You always were a mama’s boy and blabbing about shit you shouldn’t,” Simon spits.
I find my words even if it’s not my place. “Maybe you should leave.” If only so Kason doesn’t murder him.
Simon turns to me, blood splattered on his shirt. I don’t think he even realized I was here until this moment. “Who the hell is this bitch? Get the fuck out of my house!”
“That’s it,” Kason booms before he rushes over to Simon, quick as lightning, and punches him again. Simon falls to the floor before Kason grabs him by his arm and starts to drag him down the hallway. I follow, worried about what may happen next.
Kason yanks him all the way to the main door as Simon uselessly grapples with him to get out of his hold, but Simon is no match for his son, especially with the adrenaline that must be pumping through Kason's system. When they get to the door, Kason yanks it open with his free hand, shoves his father out, and Simon lands on his ass with a thud. He looks up into Kason’s face and whatever Simon sees in his son’s furious glare, stops any words he was about to speak as his mouth clenches shut. Blood drips from his crooked nose.
“Leave and don’t ever come back.” Kason’s words are deadly before he slams the door shut. He lays his body against it, his forehead resting against his arm, breathing heavily.
My poor man.
Stepping up behind him, I wrap my arms around his middle, lay my head on his back, and hang on for dear life, hoping my embrace somehow comforts him. I can feel the shakes of his body as his fury radiates through him. I’ve never seen this version of him. It’s scary to witness, but I’m not scared of him, but rather for him. I recognize his anger comes from a place of hurt.
I’m not sure how long we stand there, but I don’t let go, I won’t let go, even as my arms start to cramp from the grip they have on him. “I’m here, baby, and I won’t let go.”
Eventually, his breathing slows and his body becomes less tense. “I need to check on Mom.” His voice is hoarse.
“What can I do to help?” I offer.
He turns, but I don’t release my hold around his waist, and his arms circle around my shoulders hugging me closer to him. “This is all the help I need,” he says as he kisses the top of my head.
Again, we stand there, just holding each other. His shirt is still damp from his sweat, but I don’t care about it now, not when he needs me.
“As much as I want to stand here with you, I really need to check on my mom.”
I reluctantly release my hold on him and peer up at his face. He’s much calmer, but his features show the solemnity of everything that’s happened. Taking my hand, he leads us back to the scene of the crime, but his mother is no longer there so he takes us to a door I assume belongs to her. He rests the hand that isn’t holding mine flat against it and calls out, “Mom.”
When she answers, it’s clear that she’s crying. “Not right now, Kason. Please just give me a little time.”
He nods, though she can’t see it, and after a sigh, he guides us back to his room. Once inside, he releases my hand and lies on the bed. I watch as he opens and closes his fist either in pain or lost in what all transpired. Although his anger has calmed, he’s nowhere near relaxed.
An idea springs to mind. I reach my hand out to him and he eyes it, his brows furrowing. I wiggle my fingers in a come here motion, and he wraps his long fingers around mine. Giving a gentle tug, I encourage him to come with me, and he follows me into the bathroom until we stop at the garden tub.
“Why are we in here?” he asks.
“We’re taking a bath.”
“We’re taking a bath?” he mimics me with a confused expression.
“Yep.” I plan to take care of him. I shift on my feet away from him and turn on the faucets.
The water comes out fast, so hopefully it won’t take long to fill. It takes a bit to get the water temperature to what I want, then I turn back to him. Gripping the hem of his shirt, I start to remove it. He raises his arms and bends at the waist to help me get it off because he’s so tall. I toss it to the floor and bend down to his feet to remove his sneakers and socks. Peering up, I notice he’s watching my every movement. I stand and wiggle my fingers into his waistband before trailing his shorts and boxers down to his feet and remove them.
I straighten to my full height and say, “Time for your bath,” and point to the tub.
He nods and lifts one leg into it then the other. It’s not full yet, but it doesn’t need to be. I undress myself, and though he watches me, his eyes don’t heat with the desire I’m usually met with. His eyes trail to my hips then they squint. Reaching out, his finger touches my hip bone and has me looking down.
I see finger marks there that I know are from last night when he took me hard in the shower. His fingers may have bruised my skin, but his words marked my heart. When I asked if he was mine and he said yes, something changed between us and our commitment felt stronger. More and more I let my guard down with him and it’s getting easier as my trust in him grows.
I’m his, and he’s mine.
“Sorry,” he murmurs as he traces the marks lightly with his finger. He does not need to be. Hell, I marked him by biting into his shoulder when we hooked up the second time.
Shrugging, I say, “I’m yours.” His claiming marks may be seen on the outside, but on the inside, he’s starting to lay claim to my heart.
He nods slowly and gives me a small smile.
I lift my arm in the air and say, “Scooch forward.” After he does, I step in behind him and sit. “Come back.” He does and his back rests against my bosom with my legs on either side of him. Even though the tub is big, he’s bigger so he has to bend his knees.
Wrapping my arms around him, I encourage him to lay his head back on my shoulder. We don’t talk about his fight with Simon; we don’t need to. This isn’t about that at this moment, it’s about finding comfort.
When the tub finally fills, I turn the water off and wait. It’s up to him to say anything, if at all, so I hold him to me. My fingers caress anywhere and everywhere I can reach. His arms, his sternum, his chest, and shoulders. I sprinkle kisses from his head to his cheek, letting him know I’m here for him.
Sometime later, I begin to think he might have fallen asleep because it feels like the tension has left his body until he speaks. “I hate him.”
I nod even though he can’t see me .
“I don’t know why he was even here. He was supposed to be away. If I knew he planned to come back early, I would have never come this weekend. Damn it!” He runs his hands down his face. “He obviously thought we’d be gone longer when he and Laura…” he pauses as if he can’t verbalize what they were doing, “I hope this is finally the eye opener my mom needs to leave him. I don’t know how or why she has stayed with him so long. She’s too good for him.”
Now that he’s opened the floodgates, the words continue. He tells me how involved his mom was with him. From his schooling to his games or whatever else he did. How his father was never around or there for him, and he doesn’t remember a time when they had a good father-son relationship. I let him expel it all and listen until I’m sure he’s finished.
With the water growing cooler and our skin starting to prune, I get out and wrap a towel around my body. “Time to get out, baby.” Once he’s out, I dry him off.
After he’s dried, I wrap a towel around his waist and lead him back into his room. Removing first my towel then his, I flip back the covers on his bed, and he climbs in. Once he’s settled, I lay down next to him so we are face to face.
He studies my face before reaching over and laying his palm on my cheek. “Thank you.” I lean forward and give him a chaste kiss before settling my head on the comfy pillow again.
He didn’t need to thank me. I love caring for him. I want to care for him. He’s become so important to me, and I hate the thought of him hurting.
After the emotional events of the day, our eyelids become heavy, and we both fall asleep.
When we woke up from our nap, Kason went to see how Margo was holding up. I spent that hour talking on the phone with Ky because her grandmother, Manda, suffered a stroke overnight, but Kylie assures me that she’s doing well. Leo is down in the Poconos with her and Riley.
I was stunned to learn that Leo really hadn’t known about Riley and that someone betrayed them and set it up to look like he did. Maybe they can make things between them right again because truth be told, when they were together, you could feel their love.
I hear the door open and look up from my crossed-leg position on the bed. “How is she doing?” I ask as soon as Kason strolls through the doorway.
He sits beside me and shakes his head. “She won’t leave. I asked her to come back with us and stay with me, but she doesn’t want to. She didn’t say much and sat there with tears in her eyes, staring at the wall.”
Reaching over, I grab his hand in mine. “I wish she would for not only her sake but yours too. Maybe in time, she will.”
“I told her we’re leaving. I refuse to be here if he comes back. I don’t know what I’ll do to him if I have to see him again.” It’s for the best that we do leave before he returns. Otherwise, I may need to bail Kason out of jail for assault.
“Will she be okay, if or when he comes back?” Kason hasn’t mentioned that Simon has ever been physical with Margo, but it may just be something he’s never told me.
“If he does anything, it will be to crush her soul once and for all, if he hasn’t done it already.”
Truth be told, I don’t want to ever see that man again. I can’t believe he had the nerve to do that to Margo in her own home. “You can’t force her to leave; she needs to be the one to make that decision herself, but what you can do is be there for her when she finally does.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t see her leaving anytime soon, and I don’t think she ever will,” he admits sadly. I want to say that she may find the will to leave, but I keep my trap shut. I don’t want to give him false hope .
Standing from the bed, he strides over to our suitcases, bringing them to the bed before opening them. “The sooner we leave the better.”
I get up and start to get my stuff together. I couldn’t agree more.