Simon destroyed his entire plate of chicken parmesan and finished hers when she couldn’t eat another bite. He ordered them each a tiramisu and a second drink. The dessert was delicious, but she couldn’t finish it. Of course, he was willing to polish that off for her, too. The man could put away a lot of food. Maybe he needed it to fuel that big, sinewy, sculpted body that never failed to leave her panting like a dog after a tempting treat.
“How do you maintain such an incredible body when you eat like that?” she asked him, wanting to kick herself for wording it quite that way, knowing that it was the alcohol that was twisting her words.
Note to self: Do not drink more than a watered down glass of wine from now on.
His eyes shot to her face, his expression mischievous. “Incredible, huh?”
She shrugged. What was the point in denying it? His body was incredible. “Well, it is.”Incredible. Rock-hard and sexy as hell. The hottest body on the planet.
“I work out in the gym at home every day. If you think I look good, I guess it’s worth it,” his incredulous voice informed her.
Oh, hell yeah. Way worth it.
“It shows,” she choked out, trying not to be obvious about the fact that she wanted to jump his bones in about a hundred different ways. “It’s one of the reasons that women like Kate fall all over you. Not the only reason, but one of them.”Oh, shit. Had she really said that out loud? Damn alcohol! She needed to bite her tongue.
“Women don’t admire my body, my personality, or anything else about me except my money,” Simon told her in a matter-of-fact tone.
Kara looked at him, flabbergasted. Did he really believe that? “Oh, so it doesn’t matter that you’re insanely handsome, a genius, funny, and extremely kind? Women just want the cash?” God, he really was infuriating. Didn’t he know? Didn’t he realize that he had so much more to offer than just his money?
“Yes.”
Her heart ached, knowing that he really did think that money was his only asset. Hard to believe, especially when she had been on the receiving end of his generous nature so many times. Also difficult to comprehend as she glanced yearningly across the table at the most handsome, desirable man she had ever laid eyes on. “I do.” He looked at her with a bewildered expression as the words slipped from her mouth in a heated rush. “I want you. And it has nothing to do with your money.” The words spilled from her lips without pause, uncensored. She looked away from him, slightly mortified at what she had revealed, but his constant refusal to realize his own value made her insane. “I don’t give a shit about your money.”
“Yeah…I noticed that,” he said in a graveled voice.
Finally, she looked up at him and his expression was unreadable. Confusion? Disbelief? Distrust? Hope? They were all there, but she had a hard time figuring out which one took priority.
She tipped up her glass, finishing the last of her second iced tea. “I’m done.” If she had another drink, she’d be stripping off her clothes and begging him to take her. Right now.
Kara wondered if she would regret her spontaneous outburst later, and decided she most likely wouldn’t. Somehow, she needed to get through to Simon, even if it was uncomfortably humbling. He was so self-contained, so controlled, but there was an underlying vulnerability lurking beneath the surface. That self-doubt that she occasionally spotted in those gorgeous eyes should never linger there. No man as handsome, kind, and generous should ever know a moment of uncertainty.
Simon was, without question, an alpha male, but she had to question if his need to have a woman helpless and blindfolded during sex was a domination issue. Certainly, that type of domination was erotic, so hot that she creamed her panties every time she thought back to the night before, but she hated to think that Simon was constrained to only one type of sex because of distrust. Unfortunately, that was her suspicion. Gut instinct was clawing at her insides, telling her that his issue had nothing to do with domination and everything to do with some type of trust issue.
They stood and Simon pulled out his wallet, dropping some cash on top of the check. She sighed as he grasped her hand tightly, tugging her gently through the door. It was early evening and the cooler air helped clear her foggy head. She couldn’t remember every one of the ingredients in the drinks, but they had certainly loosened her tongue.
The drive back to the condo was only a few blocks, but it left Kara squirming in her seat. Simon was too close and smelled way too tempting, and she was still embarrassed about the fact that she had basically spilled her soul to him. Oh, maybe not everything, but admitting how much she wanted him and getting no real response was pretty deflating.
What did I want him to say? I want to help him and that means expecting nothing back. He never promised anything except for mind-blowing sex. And he gave me that. In spades!
Really, she hadn’t expected anything, but having him say that he wanted her too would have been nice. She felt raw, exposed. And being in his company was anything but comfortable at the moment.
I don’t understand him. I don’t know what motivates his behavior.
But she wanted to. There was nothing she wanted more than to understand every one of Simon Hudson’s secrets.
She breathed a sigh of relief as they entered the condo. Wandering through the kitchen, she headed for her room to take a shower. She was about to call a brief goodnight to Simon when a large, muscular arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her against an equally large, masculine body.
“Don’t go. Not yet.” Simon’s husky voice against her ear sent a shiver of need through her body, momentarily stunning her into silence.
He lifted her, cradling her against his chest as he strode into the living room and sat on the couch, her body sprawled on his lap. “What’s wrong?” she questioned softly, feeling the restless tension in his body. His muscles were bunched tightly as she fanned her hands over his shoulders.
“I need to hold you for a while. Please. You took twenty years off my life today, Kara. I’m going to end up old, bald, and crazy if you keep having incidents like this.” He wrapped his arms around her, plastering her body tightly against his.
“I’m sorry.” She laid her head on his shoulder, relishing the abrasive feel of his whiskers against her cheek, trying not to let her spirits soar because he was hinting at a future for them.
“I can’t take it. I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you,” he said in a strangled voice.
The living room was dim, lit only by residual light from the kitchen. Her heart raced as she pulled back to stroke his rough jaw. He was afraid for her safety. She couldn’t help but be touched by it. There had been very few people in her life who had really cared about her in that way, and certainly never a male, except for her father. Her ex probably would have shrugged it off and told her that it was her own fault for volunteering in that part of the city. He hadn’t exactly been the nurturing type.

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