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He wanted to kiss her, needed to kiss her, but his pants were coming so heavily that he couldn’t catch his breath. Hauling Kara up and into his arms, he simply held her, his arms wrapping around her body, her face in his neck.
He gulped, trying to force air into his burning lungs as he molded her sweet body against his.
“Was it good?” she asked him quietly as her mouth nuzzled his neck.
Simon laughed, wheezing as he replied, “Sweetheart, if it was any better it would have killed me.” God, this woman was special. So sweet, so sexy. So…his.
Mine.
A hard wave of possessiveness swept over him and his arms tightened around her.
“I actually was coming up to ask you what you wanted for dinner,” she informed him in a matter-of-fact voice, her apparent nervousness about not performing well seeming to have vanished. “But seeing you gloriously nude took away my appetite for food. I wanted to take a bite out of you.”
Her hands swept over his body and his chest ached with the realization that she really did lust for his body, scars and all. “I wasn’t nude until you stripped me of my towel,” he reminded her.
“How do you expect me to resist? You’re a walking temptation. A testosterone menace in a tiny little towel,” she sniffed, but there was humor in her voice.
Simon chuckled softly against her hair. He couldn’t help it. Kara was a fucking miracle. His miracle. “How about I take a bite out of you, now?” he murmured warmly, his body more than ready to start rising to the occasion.
She broke away from him and picked up his towel, snapping his abdomen with it as she demanded, “Oh no, you don’t, mister. I’m starving now. Put that thing away. It’s dangerous.” She tossed the towel at him with a delighted giggle that struck him right in the chest. Catching the towel in mid-air, he wrapped it around his waist, his cock already half hard again for her.
It was strange, how comfortable he was with his body exposed around her. He was still shaking his head over her obvious delight in seeing him nude, but he wasn’t going to question something that had him happier than he had been in…well…ever. “Come on, sweet thing. Just a tiny nibble,” he growled as he stalked her.
“Nope. No way. Put it away. I need food.” She laughed out loud as she scampered for the door.
He roared and lunged, chasing her down the stairs and into the kitchen, her laughter ringing through every corner of his empty house.
And filling every inch of his empty heart.
What in the hell am I doing in this dress?
The next evening, Kara stood in front of a full-length mirror in her room, contemplating her appearance.
Simon didn’t want to go to this party, had admitted that he hated Sam’s annual birthday bash.
Who hated birthday parties?
Kara frowned at herself in the mirror as she turned one way and then the other, trying to decide if she was overdressed. Or underdressed. The burgundy dress was beautiful, but the clingy silk material draped every curve, ending at mid-thigh and leaving a considerable amount of her legs on display. The nude silk stockings that ended in delicate lace at the tops of her thighs did little to warm her long legs and the drape across only one shoulder left the other one completely bare.
She had flinched when she pulled the dress from the closet, shocked by the price tag still attached to the garment. Holy crap! Who wore a dress that cost as much as her previous grocery allowance for six months? Seeing the outrageous price had been enough to make her want to shove it back in the closet. The only reason she hadn’t was because she had nothing appropriate to wear.
She slipped her feet into a pair of matching shoes, the stiletto heels high enough to ensure that she would be as tall as some of the male guests.
Except Simon. No shoes would ever put her eye-to-eye with Simon.
Nervous, she shoved her long hair over her shoulder. Leaving it loose might not have been the best plan, but she had no idea how to do fancy styles. Her long, dark hair was generally more of a nuisance than anything else, making her think about cutting it short more than once over the last several years.
Staring back at herself in the mirror, her eyes looked enormous. She had added make-up, something she rarely bothered with because of the cost and time involved, the result not something that she was sure she liked. Was the red lipstick a little too much? Oh hell, she just didn’t know. It wasn’t like she attended parties or gatherings of this type. Actually, she hadn’t been to a party of any type for more years than she could remember; probably the last one had been when her parents were still alive. After that, her life had been a constant cycle of work and survival.
She shoved her sagging shoulders back, trying to tell herself that she would not be intimidated. Simon had asked her to go, wanted her to be there, and she wouldn’t let him down. It would be so much easier to play chicken and tell Simon she wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t go, but she couldn’t do it. Simon was good to her, had literally saved her life.
Taking one last look in the mirror, Kara scooped a small black bag from the bed and headed for the kitchen. She shifted one hand to her belly, trying to quiet the swarm of butterflies that seemed to have invaded her stomach.
Calm down, Kara. It’s just a birthday party. No big deal.
Stopping at the entrance to the kitchen, she saw Simon dressed, ready and none too happy. He was standing near the cupboard, handsome as sin in brown dress pants and a gorgeous cream-colored fisherman’s sweater. Hair neatly groomed, his evening dark whiskers already showing, he looked good enough to eat.
You already did that. Yesterday.