Irresistible Desire

Why didn't Simon trust his sister?

Shocked, she clenched her fists. Her
temper ignited. "What would you
know about bringing up a child?"

She thought pain flickered over the
rugged beauty of his face but his tone
was calm. "I was a boy at one stage."

"And you think that gives you the
right to tell me how to raise Simon?"

Just because he was helping her keep
her brother didn't mean he could
dictate to her.

"No. What gives me the right is that I
can see he's unhappy and that he'll
never say anything to you, because
he loves you too much."

An arrow to her heart would have
done less damage. "Unhappy?" she
whispered.

"He's been getting bullied for being a
sissy."

"How do you know? He just got back
from camp.

"He told me while you were having a
bath he couldn't hide it after I saw
the bruise on his leg."

"What!" she cried, fighting the urge
to wake Simon and check up on him.
"Who? I'll kill them."

That's just the problem."

"Why didn't he tell me? What's the
problem? " She couldn't bear to think
of her sweet baby brother being bullied.

Why hadn't he trusted her with this?
Why had he told Jacob, whom he
hardly knew?

"You're always sticking up for him.
Even at school."

"You wouldn't know, but that's what
elder siblings do." Her hurt made her
cruel. "You don't even know where
your sister is at the moment."

Jacob didn't blink but she knew him
well enough to know that her barb
had found its target. The skin over his
cheekbones tightened and he looked
away from her and over the water vista out the window. The night was peaceful and the water moved in gentle symphony, but inside, she felt like she was crashing and burning. His hurt pained her.

"I'm sorry,' she whispered, meaning
it.

"It doesn't matter." He shrugged, shoulders taut under the blue shirt.

Jacob Wolfe, she remembered, was used to being hurt. She even knew that his family never contacted him except to complain or ask for something. No wonder he didn't keep in touch. It had only been her own
feelings of inadequacy at having let her brother down that had made her strike out.

She wanted to kick herself. "Yes, it does."
Walking over, she touched her hand to his back and rested her head against his thickly muscled arm.

"I hurt you. And I despise myself for it,
for taking out my frustration on you.
He put his drink on the windowsill and slipped his arm around her.

"You know something?"

Relieved that he wasn't holding a
grudge, she said, "What?"

"I think you're the first person I've
ever met who really means they're
sorry when they say so."

And she knew she was forgiven. "I
do. So don't be angry. I know what
your family's like, and I don't blame
you for keeping them at a distance. It
just makes me crazy to know that
Simon being hurt."

"I showed him some moves."

Her brows furrowed. "Moves?"

"Self-defense."

She bit her lip. Simon had kept
something else from her. Once, he'd
shared every new experience.

"And?"