by Maya Banks
His heart wrenched when her sad face floated through his memory. He was used to her sparkling. She was never without a mischievous smile, her warm brown eyes full of laughter. The light smattering of freckles, almost invisible, sprinkled across her nose just added to her pixie-like appearance.
She was a small package, barely reaching his chest, but she was full of dynamite and had long kept him and the others in line. In their house, she towed the line, and you better walk it straight.
He grinned to himself. Yeah, she was cute and fun. His smile vanished. Someone had taken advantage of her, and now she was left holding the bag. Well, she wouldn’t do it alone. She’d been there to help him through his disastrous break up with Starla, and he’d be damned if he didn’t return the favor.
When he walked back in, Matt and A.J. were waiting. “What’s up?” Matt demanded.
Simon raised an eyebrow. “Nada. Just making sure Toni was okay.”
“And is she?” A.J. prompted.
“Yeah, I guess as good as she can be under the circumstances.”
“So who’s the guy?” Matt interjected.
Simon shrugged and A.J. blew out his breath in a puff.
“Could it be that teacher guy from the high school she went out with awhile back?” A.J. asked.
“Could be,” Simon replied. “Though I can’t imagine him coaxing Toni into bed.”
“Shit. I don’t like the idea of any guy coaxing her into bed then disappearing,” Matt said with a frown.
“This shouldn’t be too hard to figure out,” A.J. mused. “It isn’t like we don’t know when she goes out.”
“Yeah, but we were working a lot of OT several weeks ago, so who knows what was going on while we were at work. She was at the house by herself quite a bit.”
“Hmmm, yeah, you’re right,” Matt muttered. “Damn, I’d like to get my hands on that son of a bitch.”
“You and me both,” Simon said grimly.
She dreamed about Simon. About his hands moving over her body. His strong arms holding her as he made love to her. The same dream that tormented her sleep since that fateful night two months ago. She woke up bathed in sweat…and longing.
Closing her eyes once more, she conjured up the memory of that night…
Toni sank onto the couch, her heart heavy. The knot in her throat had grown until it was difficult to breathe around it. Tears pricked her eyelids, but she held them at bay, determined not to give into the overwhelming despair she felt.
The man she loved, had loved forever, was asking another woman to marry him. Even now, they were probably reveling in the joy of their commitment.
She blinked furiously as the ache in her chest grew. Matt and A.J. were working, thank God. There was no one to witness her misery. Simon should be working too, but he’d taken the day off. This was one time she regretted the fact they were all roommates. She wanted nothing more than to bury herself away from Simon.
She hugged her legs to her chest then rested her chin between her knees. If only she’d done something, anything, to make Simon realize her feelings for him. She’d never even given things a chance to see what might blossom between them. And now she was too late.
A slamming door jerked her out of her wallow. Her feet thumped to the floor, and she whirled around to see Simon standing in the kitchen, fury blazing in his eyes.
She stood up, half in dread, half in hope. He should be ecstatic, not angry.
“Simon?”
His fist thumped on the bar as he slapped his keys down.
Toni stood across the room, unsure of whether she should approach him. She’d never seen him this angry.
“She was in bed with another man,” Simon bit out.
Toni’s mouth rounded to an O, and her breath escaped in a whoosh of surprise. She hurried forward, stopping in front of Simon. She reached a shaky hand to his arm.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
How could she feel this much relief when Simon was obviously in so much pain? But her heart beat a hopeful rhythm.
He let out an angry sigh. She wrinkled her nose as the smell of alcohol reached her.
“Simon, have you been drinking?”
He grinned crookedly at her. “You could say that.”
Before she could respond, he stumbled over to one of the cabinets and pulled down a bottle of Jim Beam and a juice glass.
He looked back at her and raised a glass in question. “Wanna join me?”
“Simon…”
“What?”
“Don’t do this. She’s not worth it.”
He nodded his head. “I completely agree.” He walked around the bar and headed into the living room, the bottle dangling from his fingertips.
He set both on the coffee table and poured a generous amount of the liquor into the glass.
Toni eased onto the couch beside him. As much as she didn’t want him marrying another woman, his pain was nearly her undoing.
Simon drained the glass and plunked it back down, quickly pouring another round. His fingers clenched the glass as he brought it to his mouth, the tips white with the pressure he exerted.
“I went over there to surprise her, to ask her to marry me, and I find her fucking another man.” He shook his head, his lips twisting into a snarl. “What an idiot I am.”
“She’s the idiot,” Toni said through clenched teeth.
Simon quirked an eyebrow then his mouth relaxed into a smile. Some of the darkness receded from his green eyes. He reached out a hand to cup her cheek. “Thank you.”
She worked to keep from nuzzling into his hand. “For what?”
“For being here,” he said softly.
She edged closer still to him. She rubbed her cheek against his palm. How much had he had to drink already? He’d just consumed two large glasses of Jim Beam, and apart from the occasional beer, Simon wasn’t a drinker.
He stared at her, his gaze slightly unfocused, but intently rested on her. She put her fingers out to touch his lips, wondering how he would react, wondering why she was being so bold.
His mouth felt full, sensuous against her touch. His hand fell away from her cheek, down to her shoulder then began a slow glide down her arm until his fingers met her hand.
Before her courage completely failed her, she leaned into him, slowly pulling her hand away from his lips until her mouth replaced her fingers.
There was a short, jerky intake of breath on his part as her lips tentatively moved over his. She pulled away and tried to gauge his reaction to her advances.
He reached out a hand and thumbed her lip. She tried to breathe in, but she felt a hitch, and it stuck in her throat. Her heart beat erratically against her chest.
She wanted more of him, more than just gentle kisses and a few innocent caresses. She’d waited so long for him to look at her the way he was looking at her right now.
Placing her hands on his broad chest, she pushed him back against the couch. She smoothed her fingers over his shoulders and
