“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.
Kara flushed, the room suddenly way too warm, as she remembered the day before. Her behavior had been so out of character. So brazen. But it been difficult to see Simon, in all his glory, looking slightly insecure and trapped. It had kicked in a protective instinct, a bold and audacious behavior that had surprised her. When had she become such a bold seductress? She was sexually repressed, totally not the type of woman to come on to a man like Simon. His look of uncertainty had spurred her on, made her determined to show him how incredibly sexy he looked, how tempting he really was. And he was tempting. Sure, he had some scars on his chest and abdomen, some small, some not so small, all white from age and standing out on his olive complexion. But Lord, it had been impossible to walk away, to not touch that ripped, muscular body. The scars did nothing to detract from his sex appeal. Simon was simply…splendid.
“Oh good. You’re here. I was just-” Simon stopped in mid-sentence as he looked up at her.
“I’m ready,” she told him, trying to sound confident as she stepped into the kitchen.
His eyes turned dark, his gaze roaming her body. She wanted to squirm when his perusal continued, his jaw firming as his eyes lingered on her exposed lower limbs.
“D-Do I look all right?” Oh, shit. Maybe she was dressed all wrong.
“You’re stunning,” he answered in a husky voice, his eyes finally landing on her face. “But you’re showing way too much skin. And your hair is down.”
She tilted her head quizzically. “Is that bad?”
“I’m not sure that I want other men to see you this way.” He prowled forward, stopping in front of her. One hand on her naked shoulder, he slowly caressed the exposed skin, making her shudder from his light, sensual touch. “You’re way too much of a temptation.”
Kara let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding, relieved that he thought she looked acceptable. “I think you’re the only one who thinks so, Simon. I think you need your eyes checked,” she told him lightly.
“You’re so f**king beautiful that it almost hurts to look at you,” he rumbled as his lips grazed her temple. “My c**k got hard the minute you walked into the room.” He grasped her hand, bringing it to his arousal. He was so firm and erect that her panties dampened and her stomach clenched.
God, he smells so good.
Kara kissed his whiskered jaw, breathing deeply, loving his masculine smell. Her fingers spread over his engorged member, totally unable to stop herself from copping a feel.
“Kara, you drive me insane,” Simon ground out as he trapped her wandering hand and lifted it to his lips, placing a warm, lingering kiss to her palm. “If we start this, we’ll never get to the party. Not that I mind,” he growled.
“It’s your party,” she answered with amusement. “You can’t blow it off.”
“Kiss me and see,” he answered provocatively, his arm sliding around her waist.
She could feel his warm breath on the side of her face. His tempting mouth was close, so close, and slipping away from him was almost torture. “Your mom would never forgive me. Let’s go party-boy.”