Wicked: Sweet Temptation [Wicked Series Book 4] (7 page)

“Mick Sheppard.”

Seth grinned and looked over his shoulder. “The Reverend is out back. I’ll go grab Faith. You’ll need someone you know with you for emotional support.”

Mick swallowed his nervousness and looked around the darkened living room while he waited for Faith. Pictures hung on the walls, covering almost every square inch of space. The picture closest to him showed a group of young boys surrounding one tiny little girl with large doe eyes. He smiled while looking at it.

Pictures of Faith graced every wall, all of them surrounded by pictures of her brothers. Taking them all in he noticed what all the memories lacked. The presence of a mother. Not one picture showed anyone close to resembling Faith’s mother. He’d have to remember to ask her about that. He realized then that he knew next to nothing about Faith. Hell, he didn’t even know how old she was. Over 21, that much he knew. They’d carded her at the bar in Vegas but other than her having five brothers and her father being a minister, the girl was a complete mystery.

A commotion from the hall drew his attention and he turned his head. He grinned when he saw Faith.

“Where is the fire,” she said, grumpily. “You know the smell of breakfast makes me hack.”

“It’s not breakfast,” Seth said. “You have a visitor.” Faith looked up and froze, her eyes widening.

“Morning, Tinker Bell.” Mick had only seen her once in the morning and she’d been dressed then, now, it looked as if she’d just crawled out of bed. Her hair was sticking up at odd angles, one side plastered to the side of her head. An oversized t-shirt hung past her knees and a pair of fuzzy slippers was on her feet. She looked adorable.

She blinked and raised a hand to her hair, trying to smooth the strands. “What are you doing here?”

“Came to talk to you.”

Seth walked around her and headed through the living room toward the kitchen. “You want me to tell dad he’s here?”

“No!” Faith yelled, her eyes widening.

A chuckle from Seth was all he heard as he turned and left the room. Mick stared at Faith, watching her shift from foot to foot. She wasn’t looking at him and her cheeks were tinted pink. “Did I make a mistake in coming this morning?”

She shook her head. “No. Daddy knows you’re in town so showing up here is probably the only thing that’s going to save you from his wrath.”

“That bad, huh?”

She laughed. “You have no idea,” she mumbled before finally looking up at him. “I have to get dressed. I’ll be right back.”

He waited until she turned before following her. When she tried to shut her bedroom door, he extended his arm and held it open.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to help you change,” he said, grinning, walking into her room and shutting the door behind him.

“Mick, you can’t be in here,” she said, staring at the door.

“Sure I can. We’re married, remember?”

She stared at him, her mouth a perfect “O”. He grinned and leaned back against the door. “You look too damn cute for your own good, Faith. I suggest you change quickly before I take advantage of the closed door and have my way with you.”

That snapped her out of her stupor. She spun on her heel and walked to the dresser, pulling out a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a t-shirt. She laid them on top of the dresser and glanced at him over her shoulder before turning her back to him and kicking off her fuzzy slippers.

Mick watched her and wondered what she had on under that nightshirt. He looked down at the doorknob by his hip and turned the lock on the door before looking back up at her. When the material of her shirt revealed her plain, white panties and nothing else, he pushed off the door and crossed the room. He reached her as the shirt slid over her head. “Turn around.”

She jumped when he spoke and whirled around, stumbling. He reached for her, his hands closing around her waist as he stared down at her.

“Mick! My daddy will kill us both if he finds you in here and me practically naked.”

“We’re married,” he said, sliding his hands up her ribs and cupping her breasts. “Not a whole lot he can say about it.”

Faith laughed and tried batting his hands away. “That’s what you think.”

“Then I suggest you be very quiet.” He bent at the waist and lifted the breast in his right hand to his mouth, his lips closing over her nipple. He flicked his tongue over the hardening bud, sucking it until she gasped and leaned back against the dresser, her fingers digging into his hair.

“Mick…”

He straightened at the soft moan of his name and lifted her, carrying her to the bed and laying her down. He followed her, taking her lips in a kiss that said he wasn’t taking no for an answer. His fingers skimmed her breasts and tickled the soft skin of her belly before diving inside the thin cotton of her panties. She moaned when he parted her wet folds, his fingers sliding easily between her legs. He worked her with his fingers, listening to her moans and gasps and thought his dick would explode with every sound she made. When her body stiffened suddenly, he latched onto her breast, sucking the puckered tip until she shuddered under him, her body convulsing as spasms wracked her small frame.

When she lay limply under him, he kissed each of her breasts and lifted his head. Her eyes were closed, her mouth open as she panted for breath. He smiled while looking at her and let his gaze drink in the sight of her.

The dusky pink areolas on her breast were darker than he remembered and small blue veins now ran just under the thin skin of her full breasts. A small, barely-there bulge curved her once flat belly and his hand covered the small mound instinctively. He stared at his hand, his fingers splayed across her stomach and his pulse raced with the knowledge of the tiny life now growing there. A baby. His baby. He looked up to find her staring at him. He smiled and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her lips. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For leaving you alone yesterday. I shouldn’t have done that.”

She looked away briefly before looking back up at him. “It’s all right,” she said. “It’s pretty shocking news. Been there and had the nervous breakdown myself.”

“Sorry for that too.” He stared at her, watching her blink up at him until the sound of multiple voices from the other room caught his attention. He moved off the bed, helping her to her feet. “Get dressed before your old man comes in here and kills me where I stand.”

When she was dressed and had run a brush through her hair, he unlocked the door and pulled it open, waiting for her. Mick walked into the hall with her and rounded the corner of the living room to find five men sitting in the room. He recognized Adam, Jacob and Seth immediately. The other two stared at him with wide eyes before they both grinned. He looked down at Faith and nodded to them. “I suppose these are your other two brothers?”

“Yep,” she said, looking displeased at seeing them. “That’s Paul on the sofa and Matthew over by the fireplace.”

The five Weston men were staring openly and Mick almost shrank under their inspection. Paul, like Seth and Faith was dark haired with green eyes. Matthew resembled Adam and Jacob, light brown hair with brown eyes. They were all tall and Mick looked down at Faith and shook his head. How the hell had she ended up so short?

“Faith,” Paul said. “Are you not going to introduce us to your … friend?”

“You know very well who he is, Paul. You wouldn’t even be here if you didn’t.”

“Maybe, but its rude otherwise.”

“Then I’ll just be rude, then. Where’s daddy?”

“Out back.”

Mick saw her take a deep breath before nodding her head and looking up at him. She motioned to the doorway leading into the kitchen before turning and leading him through the house. His heart was racing by the time they stepped out the door.

She led him across the backyard to a small greenhouse at the back of the property. The door was open and Mick could hear someone singing softly. He sucked in a nervous breath as they neared. Why the hell was he so nervous? Was it because Faith’s father was a minister or because he’d married the man’s only daughter while intoxicated? Or the fact he’d knocked her up?

He stopped just outside the door when Faith did.

“Daddy? Do you have a minute?”

“I always have a minute for you, Faith,” the Reverend said without looking up from what he was doing. “What do you need?”

“Um, Mick’s here.”

The Reverend’s hands stilled and Mick felt a lump form in his throat as the man slowly looked up and turned his head to the door. Faith’s father appraised him from head to toe, his gaze lingering on the piercings and tattoos. His lips thinned and turned white in apparent disapproval. When he raised his eyes, their gazes locking, Mick knew he was in deep shit. He should have brought one of the guys with him. With those five brothers still in the house, he should have brought every damn person he knew.

Faith’s father was tall like his son’s, his brown hair was peppered heavily with gray and his eyes were as green as Faith’s were. He was older than Mick had imagined. He looked near sixty but what did he know? He knew so little about Faith, or her family, so he wasn’t about to start guessing now.

The Reverend wiped his hands on a towel by his arm and turned his whole body to face them before looking at Faith. “Go grab us a pitcher of lemonade, Faith. It’s a bit hot out here this morning.”

Faith glanced at Mick before turning and starting back to the house. He watched her as she climbed the steps, turning back to glance at him once, before disappearing inside the house.

“So, Mick, is it?”

Mick turned back around and looked into the greenhouse. “Yes, Sir. Mick Sheppard.”

The Reverend nodded his head and looked back down at the potted plant in front of him. He picked up a small hand shovel, scooping dirt from a bag with it before adding it to the plant. He didn’t speak again until he was finished. “I don’t guess I have to tell you how I feel about this whole situation, do I?”

“No, Sir. I can imagine,” Mick said, leaning his shoulder against the greenhouse doorframe. “It isn’t something I’m particularly proud of myself.”

The Reverend nodded his head again. “This isn’t what I wanted for my daughter,” he said, turning to look at him. “I certainly never entertained the thought of her marrying some man she barely knows, let alone end up pregnant. I won’t lie and say I’m happy about any of this but what’s done is done. Nothing we do now will change it. All we can do is deal with it the best way we can and move on.”

Mick didn’t say anything to that. What could he say? The fact the man hadn’t thrown anything at him yet gave him hope he’d still be able to walk away, preferably without a permanent limp. The Reverend continued to stare at him, his gaze hard and penetrating. Mick felt uncomfortable under his scrutiny. He shifted on his feet and hoped like hell Faith would hurry back. How long did it take to grab a pitcher of lemonade, anyway?

The Reverend continued. “I don’t want my daughter’s life to be ruined by this. She’s young. Too young to be dealing with so much at her age. I only told her not to sign those divorce papers because of the baby. Once we’ve seen to its welfare, you’re free to go about your business. The more distance between you, Faith, and my grandchild, the better.”

The old man could have punched him and he didn’t think it would have stunned him any more. He straightened and looked him in the eye. “And if distance isn’t what I want?”

“I don’t really care what you want,” the Reverend said.

Mick snorted a laugh and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, I’ll give you credit for being honest,” he said.

“Complete honesty is all you’ll ever get from me, Mick. I don’t know you but from what I can see, you’re not the type of man I envisioned for my daughter.”

“So, I’m not good enough for Faith. Is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Any man who would so carelessly seduce a young girl with alcohol and wild parties and marry her on a whim isn’t the kind of man I want around her or my grandchildren. You’ve done enough damage as it is.”

The man’s face had gone beet red and Mick knew nothing he said would improve the Reverends view of him. He’d already passed judgment on his character with a glance. He wanted him out of Faith’s life. He wanted him to pay for the damage he’d caused and move on like it never happened. Dusting the whole dirty ordeal under the rug so the neighbors wouldn’t be subjected to the tarnished soul that had seduced and corrupted his only daughter.

“That it then?” he asked. “You just want me to pay up and move along like it never happened?”

“Sounds about right to me.”

Mick stared at him and felt his blood heat in his veins. He’d imagined the meeting with Faith’s father would result in a beating he’d barely live through. Maybe a public humiliation or two but to be looked at like he was something foul on the man’s shoe hurt a little bit more. So, he wasn’t good enough for the good Reverend’s daughter. He could live with that. Hell, if he thought about it hard enough, he’d probably see that Faith’s father was one hundred percent right. He wasn’t good enough. He was a bastard who drank too much and acted without thinking. He lived his life hard and didn’t think about anything other than the moment in front of him. What good would he ever be to Faith? To his child? What good would ever come from him being a part of their lives?

None that he could see.

“I’ll have my lawyer contact you. You can work out a settlement with her. I’ll leave you and your family to your lily-white lives. I’ll not tarnish it any further.” With that, he turned and walked out of the greenhouse, stopping when he saw Faith coming toward him. She smiled at him while crossing the backyard.

“You’re not bleeding,” she said, softly, glancing into the greenhouse. “Daddy isn’t, is he?”

“No,” Mick said, looking at anything but her. “Listen, Faith, I’ll have Roxy call you. You can settle things with her. Whatever it is you want, just ask. If I have it to give, I will.” He glanced at her before walking away. As he rounded the side of the house, he clenched his jaw when he heard her call his name. He ignored her and kept walking.

“Mick! Where are you going?” Faith watched him disappear and turned to her father. “Daddy? What happened?”