“You need to eat. And sleep.” He touched the dark patches under her eyes softly with his index finger. “I’ve never been close enough to see how tired you look.”
“The virus kicked my rear,” she murmured lightly, feeling warmed not only by the food, but by the concerned frown on Simon’s face. “I’ll feel well enough to work tomorrow.”
He handed her the glass of juice. “Don’t even think about it. Finish that and sleep.”
Too tired to argue, Kara downed the juice and gave up the glass to his waiting hand. She’d deal with everything later. Her eyes were drooping and exhaustion pressed on her body like weights. She needed to close her eyes.
Snuggling under the quilt, Kara sighed and rested her head on the pillow. For the first time in years, she felt full, comfortable and…safe. Simon might be cranky, but he had apparently appointed himself her protector. It was somehow…comforting.
With that strange thought rolling around in her mind, she slept.
Chapter Three
Kara woke late the next day, feeling completely rested and wondering where in the hell she was until she remembered the episode on the sidewalk and her subsequent rescue by Simon Hudson.
Was he here, or had he left for the day?
Slipping silently out of the massive bed, Kara popped her head out of the bedroom door, hearing nothing but silence. Scooping up a black silk robe that probably belonged to Simon, she pulled open a door at the other end of the bedroom, relieved to find the master bathroom. She locked the door and stripped quickly, pulling her hair completely free of its confining clip, and letting her clothes lie in a puddle at her feet.
She needed a shower. And coffee!
Feeling more like herself after finishing in the shower, clean and wrapped in Simon’s robe, she hesitated as she looked longingly at a toothbrush and toothpaste on the marble counter next to the dual sinks. Not wanting to intrude, but desperate for a toothbrush, Kara opened a few of the cupboards and almost giggled with happiness as she found a brand-new toothbrush still wrapped in plastic. She put it to good use and tried to tame her wet hair with one of Simon’s hairbrushes. Belatedly, she hoped he wouldn’t mind. Make yourself right at home, Kara.
Like she would ever own a place like this one? The sheer decadence all around her nearly blew her away and she stared at the large garden bathtub with a heavy sigh. What she wouldn’t give for an hour or so in that tub.
She wasn’t a material girl, but still, she could appreciate a phenomenal bathtub. Her apartment only had a tiny shower and a good, long soak was something that would have to wait until she graduated from school and could get her own place. And it will have a bathtub. She decided right then and there that she would make it a requirement.
Turning away from the temptation of the huge oval tub, Kara tightened the robe around her and picked up her clothes and towel, trying not to picture Simon’s muscular, naked body reclining in the water.
Stupid woman! Stop thinking about your boss’s son and find your damn backpack so you can get the hell away from here.
Exiting the bedroom, she hesitated, not sure exactly where to go. The condo was huge. There were spare bedrooms, tastefully decorated, at the other end of the long hallway that led to the master bedroom. She almost gasped as she stepped out of the corridor and into a spacious living room with cathedral ceilings and beautiful, tan leather furniture.
Holy crap! Had she ever seen a television that big? The screen dominated one wall, making it look almost like a movie theater screen.
I soooo don’t belong here!
Her bare feet left the plush carpet and landed on smooth tile as she walked slowly into a kitchen that would be any chef’s dream. Decorated in forest green and cream, it had every convenience a person could ever want and several that she couldn’t even identify.
Kara spied her backpack on the island table and unzipped it to stuff the borrowed clothing in the large center pocket, still clutching the wet towel because she wasn’t quite certain what to do with it.
“How are you feeling?” She jumped as the low, inquiring voice spoke in the soundless kitchen. She covered her chest with a shaky hand as her heart accelerated and she turned to Simon, who was watching her silently, one arm propped casually against the doorframe. His dark hair was wet, as if he had just showered, and he had on a pair of jeans that hugged his muscular lower body lovingly. A green fleece pullover shirt stretched to accommodate his massive shoulders and broad chest. The man was seriously…ripped.
His liquid brown eyes raked over her body, growing warmer with each pass. Up and down. Up and down. Kara pulled the robe tighter. “I’m sorry. I didn’t have anything else to wear.”
He shrugged as he pushed away from the door. “It looks a hell of a lot better on you than it ever did on me,” he answered in a husky voice as he sauntered over to the far cupboard. “Coffee?”
Oh, hell yes. He might as well have asked her if she wanted to finish nursing school. She was a complete addict. “Yes, please. If you don’t mind.”
“Sit. You’re supposed to be resting.” He motioned toward the island and she sat on one of the high stools.
She watched as he popped a cup into the coffee maker, dropped a coffee into a slot and closed it. The machine sputtered and came to life. Her coffee was done within seconds.
“Every coffee lover’s dream,” she sighed as he set the steaming cup in front of her.
“I hope you like it bold,” he commented as he pulled creamer from the refrigerator and placed the sugar bowl and the cream in front of her. “It’s a stronger blend.”
Kara breathed in the delicious aroma coming from the steaming cup and her mouth watered. “It smells fabulous.” He held out a spoon and she took it, their fingers brushing as she grasped the utensil. Her hand tingled from the light touch and warmth spread through her body. He was standing close, so close that she could breathe in his clean, masculine scent as his hand reached toward her silk-covered legs. Her breath caught as his fingers brushed against the silk, sending heat straight to her core.
“I’ll take this.” He lifted the wet towel from her lap, his knuckles sliding slowly along her thighs as he relieved her of the wet linen she had been holding.
She was trembling. Actually shivering, just from his light, casual touch. Dear God, she needed to move away. Somewhere she couldn’t smell him, couldn’t feel his heat and unsettling vibrations of sexual energy. “Thank you.” Her voice was weak as she let go of the towel.
She breathed a sigh of relief as he strolled into a side room off the kitchen and returned without the towel. “You didn’t answer my question. How are you feeling?”
She diverted her eyes from his tempting body and dumped cream and sugar into her coffee. “I feel great. Fever’s gone. Thank you for helping me, but I need to get moving.” Her eyes closed and she nearly moaned as the rich taste of premium coffee hit her palate.
“You can’t leave. Not today. Not tomorrow.” Simon’s voice was neutral as he moved to the coffee maker and slammed another coffee into the machine, lowering the lid with more force than necessary.
“Why?” Her eyes popped open to give him a surprised look.
His eyes glued to his steaming mug of coffee, he sat across from her on another stool, lifted the spoon from the table and added a small amount of cream to his coffee. “You’ve been evicted.”
Coffee sloshed over her fingers as she jolted in shock, her eyes flying to his face, momentarily stunned. “That’s not possible. Lydia pays the rent. She gets my share every month.” She reached automatically for a napkin in the center of the island to clean her fingers, the pain of the superficial burn not even registering because she was too shocked by his statement. Was it a joke? Was his sense of humor completely twisted? Didn’t he know that it wasn’t nice to tease a near-destitute woman over that sort of thing?
He finally met her gaze, his eyes grim and holding a touch of sympathy. “I’m afraid your roommate has fled. All that was in the apartment late las
t night was a few boxes that contained some of your school documents, birth certificate, and other paper items.”
Kara’s hands started to shake and she twisted them together on the marble counter. It couldn’t be true. It wasn’t true. “There has to be some mistake.”
“It’s no mistake. My assistant checked with the landlord early this morning. Your roommate was evicted, has been going through the eviction process for some time. Yesterday was the last day.” Simon took a sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving hers.
OhmyGod, ohmyGod, ohmyGod! Kara’s mind raced as she took in the implications of his revelation. No place to live. No possessions. What the hell?
“There has to be some mistake,” she whispered, her gaze landing on the coffee mug. Please let it be a mistake. There was no way she could catch up the rent or replace her possessions. “What about my things, my clothes?”
“Your roommate was thorough. There was nothing there except a few boxes.”
“It had to be the wrong place.”
“It’s the right place, Kara. I’m sorry.”
Simon rattled off the address and the name of her landlord and roommate. “Everything correct?”
Tears filled her blue eyes as she nodded, unable to speak past the knot in her throat. Dear God…she had been balancing on a tightrope for years, without a net, and now she was plunging to her death just as she neared the end of the rope.
She rarely communicated with Lydia, but she never thought her roommate was capable of something like this. They were cordial to each other, but Kara was only home at night to study and sleep, making her encounters with Lydia sporadic. She left her portion of the rent and utilities on the tiny kitchen table every month, never doubting that her roommate used it to pay their bills. Apparently, she hadn’t. “This is not happening,” she choked out, feeling as if her whole world had just shattered. And actually, it had. Just a few words-one disaster, one betrayal-was all it took to bring her life falling down around her.
“You okay?” Simon asked hesitantly, sipping his coffee and watching her cautiously.
“Yes. No. I don’t know,” she breathed incredulously. “I have to think.” What to do. Where to live! How to survive? She pushed the coffee cup away and buried her head in her arms in front of her. Dear God…she was destroyed. Think, Kara. Think. “I didn’t know. How could I not know?” she asked Simon, but mostly herself really, as she tried to understand how this could happen.
“Your roommate dropped out of school last semester. Apparently, she hid everything so that she could still collect your money up until she had to leave,” Simon answered, his voice edged with anger. “I’m sorry, Kara. You have enough on your plate without this happening.”
She raised her head and her confused, fear-filled gaze met his angry eyes with surprise. He was angry. At Lydia. At the circumstances. Simon obviously did have a heart. “E-everything is gone? The furniture, my bedroom stuff, my other belongings?” she stammered, tears choking her throat.
“The only boxes left were brought here by my assistant, Nina. They’re on the bed in the guest room,” he said gravely. “I checked everything out, Kara. It was legal. Your roommate took everything on the very last day. If you had gone home last night, you would have found an empty apartment. I’m glad you were spared that particular late-night surprise. Nina gave the key back to the landlord. The locks were due to be changed. You can’t go back there.”
No home. No bed. No place to go.
Despair and loss welled up inside her and she suddenly couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Silent tears rolled from her eyes and all she could think about was the last four years of struggle and hardship. For nothing. All for nothing. She’d end up in a shelter, if she could find an available spot. School would have to wait until she could get back on her feet.
“No. Oh, God, no.” She sucked in a deep breath, trying to squelch her panic, but she couldn’t.
Her body heaving, her hands over her face, Kara Foster did something she hadn’t done since the death of her parents.
She wept.
Chapter Four
The ice around Simon’s heart cracked just a little as he watched the totally despondent, forlorn woman in front of him break down in tears, her hopeless sobs twisting in his gut.
Fuck! If he could locate her worthless roommate, he’d make her pay for every bit of pain Kara was suffering right now.
Unable to stop himself, Simon went to her and gathered her body against his own, lifting her into his arms with careful tugs until she came to her feet and put her arms around his neck, turning her face against his chest. He could feel her body quivering, her smaller form plastered against his own, keening her misery against his shoulder.
“Shhh…Kara. It will all be okay. I’ll take care of you.” Simon ran a hand down her silky black hair, knowing that he meant every word. It wasn’t just something he was saying to quiet her, take away her pain. He wanted to take care of this woman who had seen more than her share of bad luck and hardship, bearing it with admirable strength. She was special, and her tears nearly undid him.
He took a deep breath and tightened his arms around her waist, splaying one hand along her slender back, moving the hand in soothing circles to calm her. She felt so good, so right in his arms. His cock twitched as he breathed in her alluring scent. She smelled like spring and Kara-a natural, enticing smell that made his mouth water.
He cursed his twitching cock as he held her pliant, soft body against his. Now was not the time to get hard, but he wasn’t sure he could be within a mile of Kara and not get a raging erection. A warm sigh left his mouth, making a few tendrils of her hair flutter.
Simon wanted to make all of her problems go away, banish them like they had never existed. “We’ll deal with it, Kara. I’ll help you.”
She pulled away from him, swiping tears away with the fingers of both hands. “I got you all wet.” She hiccupped as she brushed at the front of his damp shirt.
Simon wanted to whine as she pulled herself completely from his arms. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I can’t bawl like a baby all day. I have to see if I can find a shelter. This has put me over the financial edge.” Her face was composed now, her expression lifeless.
“No shelter. You can stay here. I have plenty of space.” He tried to keep his voice calm, but he was ready to wrestle her to the ground if needed. She wasn’t going to a shelter. She might be broken at the moment, but she would recover. “Think reasonably, Kara. You need help. I’m willing to help you. You can finish your last semester and live here.”
“Why? Why would you want me here? I’m a complete stranger to you.”
He wanted to tell her that she had never been a stranger, not since the first moment he saw her. Something had clicked inside him, something raw, and something elemental. “You need help. Everybody needs help sometimes. I had my brother. I was lucky.”
“Simon, I can’t just take advantage of you.”
Oh yeah, you can. Anytime you want to. Simon plopped back into his chair to hide his growing erection. Thankfully, she sat and pulled her coffee cup toward her. “You aren’t taking advantage. You’re just accepting a little assistance.”
She snorted before taking a sip of her lukewarm beverage. “It’s more than a little. I still have more than four months of school left. No money. No clothing. Nothing.”
Even though he wanted to tell her to feel free to walk around naked, he answered, “Nina is getting you some clothes. No worries.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “I only have one condition. Otherwise, my assistance is unconditional.”
“What is it?” She looked at him cautiously over her mug.
“I want you to stop working while you’re in school.” He had to bite back a smile as her face turned up in a stubborn, implacable expression. This was going to be a sore subject, but he wasn’t going to lose.
“I can’t stop working. I need to live. I have nothing,” she told him adamantly.
“N
o work. I’ll help you financially. You already do forty hours a week at school and that doesn’t include study time. My offer, take it or leave it.” He wasn’t about to watch her continue to fade away. After just one night of decent sleep, the dark circles under her eyes had decreased. It would be nice to see them gone altogether and watch her eat decent meals. She might have an inner core made of steel, but damn it, her body was fragile.
“But, I-”
“That’s the deal. Take it or leave it?”
He watched her face turn red and her eyes clashed with his in a disgusted stare. Simon’s breath caught silently, and his heart began to race. It was a risky move, but where else could she go? What could she do? But for a moment, for an instant that felt like an eternity, he watched her face, certain that she was going to tell him to go screw himself.
***
He was dictating to her, telling her how to run her life, and instinctively, she wanted to rebel. Kara let go of a frustrated breath. His gaze was immovable and inflexible. No compromise, then. It was his way or the freeway. Did she really have a choice? She could look for a shelter, but it would mean giving up school for now and messing up the whole program. “What about my insurance, my benefits? What about the restaurant?”
“Mom’s place will be fine. She has waitresses who want to be full-time.”
Kara flinched as he made the statement, knowing it was true. There were other employees who would be only too happy to step into her full-time position.
“And I’ll make sure that you stay on COBRA. You won’t lose your insurance.”
She searched his eyes, trying to read him, but Simon was a mystery to her. Why was he doing this? Did she trust him? She hardly knew him. She trusted Helen, and Helen adored her sons. “Okay. I’ll do it. But you need to keep track of the funds and I’ll pay you back.”
“No deal.”
“You said you only had that one condition.” She drained her coffee, trying to keep her hands steady by grasping both sides of the mug.
eyond Desire Collection Page 3
