Chapter 1
Simon woke the morning after his incredible sexual encounter, surrounded by the tantalizing scent of Kara and feeling like something was missing from his bed.
He rolled to his back, his c**k hard and swollen, trying not to think about the heart-stopping events of the night before. He pulled a pillow over his face and breathed in her fragrance, a scent that would likely haunt him forever. And every time he imagined her scent, he would think about her taste. Her smile. Her moans. Her absolutely beautiful nude body. Her cries as she came for him, her flesh tightening around him until he found release.
Oh, f**k. He was so screwed.
Last night had been a life-changing event for him. Never again would he be able to settle for just any woman in his bed, an unemotional f**k to satisfy his body.
He wasn’t sure whether to be completely pissed off or in awe of the woman who made him feel this way. Sure, he only had one woman at a time. He was monogamous in a f**ked-up sort of way, always calling the same woman until he went on to the next one, but not because one was really any better than the one before. Or the one before that. There just came a time, and he could always sense it, when he thought he should move on to avoid any entanglements. Not that any woman had ever really wanted him, but they began to want more and more of what his wealth could provide.
He pulled the pillow from his face, but it didn’t relieve the bone-deep ache that he had for Kara. Taking her back to her own bed had been one of the hardest things he had ever done. But she had only offered one night, and he had never been able to sleep with a woman. He wasn’t capable of it and had never wanted to…until last night. He had wanted to fall asleep with Kara in his arms, her body draped around his, her warm breath on his face.
He had returned to his room, but he hadn’t been able to sleep. He had tossed and turned in a bed that smelled of hot, smoldering sex and Kara. Frustrated as hell, he had gone to his gym and worked out, hoping to exhaust himself, desperate to escape into latent unconsciousness. Unfortunately, he didn’t. Instead, he had ended up tired and defeated…and still unable to sleep.
What time had he finally given in and passed out? His eyes went to the clock, realizing with shock that it was almost noon. Generally an early riser, he had never slept this late, even on the weekend. He slid out of the bed and went straight to the shower.
He showered quickly, hating the fact that he was washing away her scent, and made his way to the kitchen, wondering if Kara was still asleep. The kitchen was spotless, the remains of their unfinished dinner from last night gone. He grabbed a cup of freshly brewed coffee and walked around the condo. Her bedroom door was open, the bed made. Obviously she was up, but where in the hell was she?
He shot up the stairs, thinking that maybe she was in his lab playing computer games.
She wasn’t.
She’s not here.
Simon felt a chill crawl slowly down his spine and experienced a brief moment of panic.
He went back down the stairs two at time, his heart racing. Rationally, he knew she wouldn’t leave. She had no reason to go. They had both agreed to satisfy their sexual urges by spending just one night together.
One night.
One night, my ass. One night will never be enough. She’s mine.
Simon had known it last night and he knew it now. He would never get enough of Kara. She was an obsession that he couldn’t get over with one night of incredible sex. He wasn’t sure what it was going to take, but it hadn’t been relieved by screwing her brains out. If anything, it was worse. Now that he had possessed her once, he wanted her again and again.
The coffee he was drinking churned in his gut. Truth was, he goddamn hated feeling so possessive of a female. Giving a shit about anyone other than his family meant trouble. Hadn’t he learned that lesson painfully a long time ago? Apparently…it hadn’t stuck, because he cared more about Kara than he wanted to…and it scared the ever-loving crap out of him.
Simon snatched his phone from a coffee table in the living room and sent a text message to her phone.
U ok?
He tapped his finger against the plastic cover of the phone, impatient. Hell, he didn’t even know if she had her phone, but he’d be pissed if she didn’t. How many times had he asked her to always carry it for her own safety?
A snort escaped his mouth as he carried the phone and his coffee to the kitchen. Like she really listened to him? She patted him on the head and went on her merry way, doing whatever the hell she pleased. Secretly, he loved her independence, but it also drove him insane. There were just too many instances where she was nonchalant about her safety.
The phone beeped, startling Simon enough for him to spill his coffee onto the pristine tile. Fuck, I’m on the edge this morning. Cursing, he read the return text.
Police Station. Tell u about it later.
What. The. Fuck. His fingers flew as he typed another text.
Where? Why?
She answered briefly, giving him the location of the station and another infuriatingly vague explanation and a promise to tell him about it later.
Later, my ass. Nobody goes to the police station on a Saturday morning for shits and giggles. Something’s wrong.
Simon ran a frustrated hand through his hair, nearly yanking a few locks from his head. Jesus! At this rate, he’d be f**king bald within a week. He sent her a brief text telling her he was on his way and crammed his cell phone into his pocket. The phone beeped again a moment later, but he ignored it. He already knew it was Kara, probably telling him not to come.
Snatching up his keys, he slammed his feet into the nearest pair of casual shoes and exited the door of the condo, not even flinching when it slammed violently behind him.
*****
Kara sighed softly as she took a sip from the Styrofoam cup, hoping the coffee would help her focus. Swallowing hard to get the strong, burnt-tasting liquid down her throat, she looked up at Maddie with a weak smile. “I think we’re almost done.”
She had already identified the two suspects from mug shots, the angry gunmen who had stormed the clinic that morning demanding drugs. Maddie had been in an exam room and hadn’t seen the men, but Kara had gotten an up close and personal look. Grimacing, she wished to hell that she hadn’t. Alone in the waiting room, watching over a child whose sibling and mother were in the exam room with Maddie, Kara would probably never forget the dead look in the men’s eyes and their haggard faces that told the story of years of drug abuse. She knew the look, had seen it often in her youth, but she hadn’t had a gun in her face at the time. That moment, that terrifying instance of not knowing whether the next few seconds would be her last, had been enough to scare the bejesus out of her. She had scooped up the child and raced around the corner, hitting the alarm button under the desk as she tucked the child behind her. The alarm wasn’t silent and the ruckus had been enough to bring Maddie running out and the men to scatter.