The Secret (Billionaire Secrets Series, #1)

by Lexy Timms

  But he seemed to like tormenting her, as he started to trail kisses down her breast until he kissed across the skin of her stomach and stopped at the waistband of her skirt.

  “Take it off,” she instructed, keeping her gaze on him. “Now.”

  His lips curved up into a wicked grin. “It’s not like you to be impatient.”

  And it wasn’t like him to reveal so much of himself. Simon kept his desires to himself. To the point where she wasn’t even sure if he had them. Yet now, she could see that underneath his cool steely exterior, the same passion that burned inside her burned in him, too.

  “I’m impatient to find out what you’re going to do to me,” she said, her voice a soft purr.

  That seemed to drive him over the edge as he suddenly reached for her skirt, tugged it off, and tossed it aside. Then he grabbed at her lace panties and dragged the flimsy fabric off, leaving her in nothing but her heels and stockings.

  He planted a kiss on her thigh, right where her stocking ended and her exposed flesh began.

  “I want you to keep these on.” His voice was a rough command, husky with lust. The sound of it awakened her senses. Made her want to do anything with him. Her heart was racing so fast she was sure he could hear it.

  Somehow through the haze of her own desire, a sudden thought occurred to her. “Do you have protection?”

  “The hotel leaves condoms for guests,” he replied, pulling away from her.

  Within seconds he was ripping his clothes away, standing naked before her.

  When she got a glimpse of his erection, her face went hot. The old familiar shyness came rushing back and she almost looked away. But his body was so exquisite that she couldn’t avert her gaze.

  His chest was solid, the muscles rippling with power. Simon might have spent his time working in an office, but it was obvious that he worked out. And often, from the look of his toned abs.

  She bit her lip, suppressing a moan.

  “You don’t have to hide your reaction from me,” he said. “That’s the condition if we’re going to keep going. You can’t hold back.”

  “I won’t if you won’t,” she gasped out.

  A sly smile was her reward. He reached for the nightstand by the bed and returned to her side, a condom in hand. Tearing the wrapper with his teeth, he put on the condom.

  “Spread your legs for me, Heather.”

  I’m done. The way he commanded her made her wet all over again. There was something so dangerous about doing as her demanding boss instructed. So dangerous. And so wrong that it felt so very right.

  Wantonly, she bent her knees and spread her legs for him.

  Lust blazed in his eyes as he stared down at her exposed flesh. With a groan, he positioned himself between her legs, wielding his massive erection in his hand. “Do you want me?”

  She nodded, anticipation making her heart beat even faster.

  “I need to hear you say it,” he growled.

  “I want you,” she said firmly. “I want you inside me.”

  His eyes widened, clearly surprised again by her directness. It was so unlike her, but Simon’s obvious desire for her made her bold. Brave enough to ask for her own pleasure.

  Without a word, his free hand suddenly reached for her hair. Reached for the pins holding up her bun, and he slowly started to remove them. One by one, he tossed the pins aside and unfurled her auburn hair. Let it fall across her shoulders.

  He gazed into her eyes again, and what she saw nearly took her breath away. No man had ever looked at her like this. With a mixture of blatant desire and complete tenderness. The two sides of Simon were warring with each other again. A thrill went through her as she wondered which one would win.

  Simon was running one hand lovingly through her hair, while he held on to his manhood with the other. One gesture tender. The other, the gesture of a man who had seduced her so quickly she was ready to throw her career away for one chance to be under him.

  She felt her control unraveling. Heather was going to meet Simon’s condition. She would hold nothing back. Even with all the secrets she was keeping from him. Even with her lie hanging over them. She would reveal herself to him in this moment. “Take me now,” she begged. “Please.”

  He thrust into her with so much power that she inhaled sharply, too breathless to do anything but feel. Heart pounding in her ears, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he rocked into her. He was so huge that he filled her completely. Stretched her, and sent sparks of pleasure dancing across her skin.

  Heather lifted her hips to meet each hard stroke, bliss seizing her. She hadn’t done this in months. Hadn’t felt such all-consuming pleasure in so long that it was like the sensation was new to her. And suddenly it was like she was with Simon for the first time again. She whimpered, pleasure shooting through her.

  His eyes met hers and he held her gaze, watching the pleasure on her face just like she was watching his. The ecstasy mounted and she clenched around him. Simon let out a ragged groan, and quickened the pace of his thrusts.

  Fast losing control, he fisted the sheets in his hand and pumped hard into her. His hard body covered hers, the weight of him making her feel safer. Braver with each thrust.

  As his thrusts became more frenzied, he brought his sensuous lips to her ear and gasped out her name. “Heather.”

  The sound of her name sent her over the edge, and she came hard and fast. With one final thrust Simon groaned loudly, and she knew he’d climaxed, too.

  He rolled away from her, and for a moment she thought he would walk away. Or fall asleep and leave her with her thoughts. But he didn’t. Instead, his hand wandered up to her cheek and caressed her.

  His breathing was labored, intense. And his entire body was drenched with sweat. Yet he didn’t pull away from her. Right now he was staring deep into her eyes with a reverence she had never seen in a man before.

  “You’re too sexy for your own good.” He flashed her a wicked smile that made her tremble at the sight. Being with him was so dangerous. If what they had shared had just been sex, she might have been able to let go. Might have been able to leave the past where it belonged.

  “And you were amazing.” But this had been more than just sex. At least it had been to her. She was feeling things she had no right to feel. What they had just done was wrong. So wrong that there was no turning back. As Simon gathered her in his arms, she found that she didn’t want to turn back at all.

  Chapter 9

  He woke up with his arms still around her.

  Damn, she smelled so good. The scent of her shampoo still lingered, and he gently brushed a stray lock of her auburn hair out of her face. He’d fantasized about taking the pins out, and had gotten to do just that. And more.

  Simon groaned; memories of what they’d done earlier made him hard again. Usually after he was with a woman, his desire to be with her again vanished. Most women didn’t hold his attention for very long. But Heather was different. He wanted her again. In every way possible.

  She stirred beside him and her eyes fluttered open. She sat up suddenly. “How long have we been asleep?”

  With a shrug of his shoulder he said, “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter, though. Work’s over for today and we can stay right here.” He grinned. “You did say we were off the clock.”

  “No, we can’t.” She reached for her bag on the floor and retrieved her cell phone to look at it. “Oh, shit. It’s almost eight o’clock. We slept for a couple hours. Shit!”

  “If you’re worried about your car, I can drive you home.” He leaned on his elbow. She looked so friggin’ sexy naked and half bent over the bed.

  They’d come to the conference at the Highcastle Hotel in his car, but he didn’t mind driving her back to Dover, Inc. for her car. Hell, he didn’t mind driving her directly home tonight if she wanted. He could always send a car for her tomorrow to get her to work. Money wasn’t an issue. He might was well spend some of it on her. There was nothing he couldn’t afford. Especiall
y if it made Heather more comfortable. And took the look of worry of her face right now.

  Swearing under her breath Heather jumped out of bed, the sheet falling away from her, exposing her nakedness. Her body was so perfect. Absolutely mouthwatering. She was slender, fragile, with long legs and breasts that fit perfectly in his hand. Sometime before they had slept she had taken off her high heels, but she was still wearing her stockings. The sight of her was already driving him crazy.

  He knew what they had done was beyond wrong, but what was done was done. Simon wanted her again and if the only thing keeping them apart tonight was Heather finding a way home, he’d sort that out.

  “It’s not the car.” She rushed around the room, snatching up her clothes and quickly putting them back on. “I’m sorry, Simon, but this was a mistake. My job means more than this.”

  “More than what?” he asked.

  “More than what we just did,” she said, her voice suddenly cold.

  “And what did we just do?” he demanded.

  “We had our fun,” she replied. “Now it’s over.”

  He sat up and narrowed his eyes. “So, you regret it. I thought you said you were sure this is what you wanted.”

  “It was,” she said. “But it’s done now. We have to go back to our lives.”

  “You mean we have to pretend this never happened,” he muttered. So much for round two.

  “Yes,” she said. “It’s for the best.”

  “You’ve gotten very good at pretending,” he said, unable to hide the accusation in his tone. “At hiding. At keeping secrets and keeping parts of yourself closed off.”

  “You’re my boss,” she hissed. “You aren’t entitled to seeing that side of me.”

  “You’re right. I’m not.” Simon sighed. “I know I’m your boss, but I was also your friend. And as your friend, I want you to know that you can trust me. You can open up to me.” He wasn’t the kind of man who got close to people. But Heather was at the very least his friend. The years between them wouldn’t change that. “I won’t tell anyone what happened if that’s what you’re worried about.” He tilted his head as he watched her. He was the billionaire boss—shouldn’t he technically be the one worried that she might tell others?

  She grabbed her bag from off the floor. “I’m not doing this. I’m not having this conversation right now.”

  Frustrated, he reached his hand out to her, determined to get her to stay. “Look, I know today has been crazy. Let’s just talk.”

  “Oh, so now you want to talk?” She ran her hand through her disheveled hair, suddenly flustered.

  He frowned, and pulled his hand back from her. “What does that mean?”

  “It means you don’t get to be out of my life for ten years and then come charging back in like you know me.” Heather grabbed hair pins from off the floor and began putting her hair up in a bun.

  “You won’t give me a chance to know you,” he said bitterly. “You’ve been pretending to be someone else ever since your interview.”

  “We’re not doing this now. I need to get out of here,” she snapped.

  “What’s the rush? I’ve already offered to drive you back to the office.”

  “I have to get my son from his grandparents’ house,” she said coldly, grabbing her blouse off the floor in a frustrated swipe. “That’s the rush.”

  Her son.

  That was what was agitating her.

  “Were you supposed to pick him up or something?” he asked.

  She laughed humorlessly as she slipped her bra on. “Yes. It’s kind of a thing that parents do. Pick their kids up. After school my mom or dad picks him up, and he stays with my parents until I pick him up to take him home. He doesn’t like being at our house unless I’m there with him. It reminds him too much that his father and I aren’t together anymore if one of us isn’t there with him. And I haven’t done that today. Because I’ve been here for hours with you.”

  His chest tightened. Heather was already regretting what they had done. There was no chance of her staying in his room tonight. No chance of them having a real conversation. Not if she was worried about something as important as her son. “Just call your parents.”

  “Oh, damn it!” She reached into her bag again and yanked out her cell phone to check it. “Finn hasn’t called. Neither have my parents. They call when something like this happens. If I’m even a minute late they get in touch with me. Why haven’t they called?” She started dialing a number and held the cell phone to her ear. After a few moments she cursed under her breath again and shoved the phone back into her bag. “No answer. This isn’t like them. What if something has happened?”

  Simon held his hands up. “Just take a deep breath, Heather. We’ll fix this. I’ll go...put my clothes on and I can drive you to your parents. We’ll pick your son up, okay? Don’t worry.”

  “Don’t worry?” She shook her head. “You clearly don’t have children, Simon. That phrase doesn’t exist once you do.”

  He rushed to get dressed while Heather kept calling her parents, with no answer. She managed to get a few buttons of her blouse connected and pulled a cardigan out of her bag, buttoning that up. She tried again and swore under her breath.

  With his clothes back on, he walked over to her and pulled her close. “I won’t leave you until you get to your son.”

  “Thank you.” Her body stiffened at his touch, but she put her head on his shoulder. “I hope everything is okay. Because I’ll never forgive myself if something has happened to him.”

  SIMON THROUGH THE STREETS but it still wasn’t fast enough for her.

  Night had fallen, and that only set her more on edge. Usually as soon as work was over she headed down to her parents’ house to pick up Finn. The routine was new since her divorce was recent, and she’d only just started working at Dover, Inc., but Finn needed consistency. Especially now. The divorce had been hard on her son, and he needed to know that she would always be there for him.

  “Anything?” Simon asked as she checked her phone for the hundredth time.

  She shook her head and shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat beside him. Nothing. Her heart squeezed painfully. What if something had happened to Finnley? Or her parents?

  They were always in touch with each other. She was so close to her family that she couldn’t remember a day going by when she didn’t send a text to her parents or get a call from them. That was one thing the divorce hadn’t taken from her. Her relationship with her parents. Neither of her parents had liked Gary, but they never held her mistake against her. Heather couldn’t stand to think about something bad happening to them.

  “Is there anyone else you can try calling?” Simon asked.

  “No. It’s too late to get in touch with Finn’s school. Ordinarily I’d call my ex-husband, but he won’t be coming back into town until tomorrow,” she replied. “I don’t want to ruin what’s left of his vacation. It’s best if I figure out what’s going on before I call him and freak him out.”

  After the hell she had given Gary over constantly missing chances to spend time with their son, she had gone and screwed up royally. Not that she could tell Simon that.

  The thought of Gary made her groan inwardly. She had lied to Simon and told him that Gary was her brother. Shit, she couldn’t confront how deep her lies had gone tonight. If Simon ended up seeing her family, there might be some very uncomfortable conversations and revelations. Like why she had taken so long to pick up Finnley.

  “This is all my fault,” she continued, staring out the passenger window as the city rolled by.

  “No, it’s not,” Simon said firmly. “These things happen. Mistakes happen.”

  The certainty in his tone irritated her. More than irritated her. “I forgot my son,” she said harshly. “I forgot him because I was with you.”

  “You’re allowed to take time for yourself, Heather,” he murmured. His voice was so calm she wanted to start yelling.

  Instead, she took a deep breath be
fore she said something they’d both end up regretting. “I have never forgotten Finnley. Ever. For almost three hours I forgot about my son while I was doing things. With you.” Her face heated and she squirmed in her seat. “Things we should never have done.”

  “So, you do regret it?”

  “No. That’s the problem,” she said. “I don’t regret being with you. And if I had any sense at all I would.” The fact that she had found more pleasure with Simon than she had with any other man terrified her. Made her feel completely out of control.

  And control was the one thing she needed now. Her marriage to Gary had brought so much heartache. The only way to protect it now was to focus on work and her son. Entertaining the idea of a relationship with Simon was out of the question. She had to lock up her heart. Lock it up so tight that no man ever got close to it again. Her bruised and battered heart couldn’t survive another heartbreak.

  When they got to her parents’ house, the place was dark. Their car wasn’t in the driveway, either. Her heart sank at the sight of the dark house. She had a key, so she opened the front door and turned on some lights.

  “I can wait here with you.”

  Simon’s voice made her whirl around in the passageway near the house’s entrance. She winced. Heather had been so preoccupied with getting inside the house to find her son that she had just left Simon in the car.

  “Do you think it’s wise to just wait here?” she asked. “What if something has happened to them and they’re out there in trouble?”

  “Well, if neither of your parents is home, I suspect they’re somewhere together,” he replied. “Which probably means they aren’t in too much danger.”

  “And what about Finnley?” She bit her lip, unable to hold her anxiety inside.

  He approached her, took her hand, and squeezed it gently. “Whatever is going on, I won’t leave you until he’s safe with you, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said softly. Simon was being so strong and reassuring. So kind and attentive. Guilt over her argument with him washed over her, but she pushed the guilt aside. All that mattered was finding her son.