by J. S. Scott
“I’m beyond convinced,” she replied wickedly, turning her head to look at him. “But I might need nightly reminders.”
“Want a nap? I’ll watch the kids.” He didn’t want her to be tired. More convincing was definitely going to happen later that night.
“And miss Christmas?” Kara exclaimed. “No way. Besides, I have one more gift for you.” She dug into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a plain, white envelope.
Simon’s lips turned up into a broad smile. He already knew what the envelope contained…his heart-wishes. Snatching the envelope up with a covetous glance, he rasped, “How many?”
“Five,” Kara replied. “But I promise you’ll get some every holiday from now on.”
He’d hoped for more, but he’d take whatever he could get. Those tiny pieces of paper were like gold for him. His wife was the sweetest woman in the world, but damn, she could be stubborn sometimes. Those little hearts came in handy. They were his best gift this Christmas.
Simon shoved them into the front pocket of his jeans as Kara took Ginny from his arms. “Time for her nap,” she said in a motherly voice.
Tim ran over and clambered back into Simon’s lap. Kara ruffled his hair and gave him an adoring look.
“I can put Ginny down,” Simon told his wife, wrapping an arm around Tim.
Kara sighed. “I think I’d just like to sit here for a minute and look at the tree.”
“Did you like your gifts?” Simon asked anxiously.
“Yes. Everything was wonderful, but unnecessary. I have everything I need right here with me on this couch.” She reached up and stroked Simon’s cheek.
God, Simon loved it when she said things like that. And Kara wasn’t just saying it. He knew it was coming from her heart.
“Merry Christmas, my love,” Kara said wistfully, her voice quivering with emotion.
“Merry Christmas, baby,” he answered, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer him.
Simon knew they’d face challenges in their lives, but right now he knew Kara was right. Everything he needed was right here on this couch, and he was never going to let any of them go.
The family of four sat on the couch for a very long time, savoring the feel of being a family.
After some time had passed, Tim murmured quietly, “I have a mom, dad, and sister now. I won’t be alone anymore.” The boy let out a quiet, contented sigh.
Simon’s arm tightened reflexively around Tim. He didn’t truly know what it was like to be alone because he’d always had his mother and Sam. But he’d known loneliness and emptiness before he’d met Kara, and they were a bitch.
Turning his head, he found his wife watching him quietly, her blue eyes shining with happiness. She was smiling and Simon’s chest started to ache. How had a scarred street kid like him scored a woman as sweet and beautiful as his wife? “I am a lucky bastard,” he rasped.
Kara glanced down at Tim and said in an urgent, harsh whisper, “Simon. Little ears.” She nodded her head at the boy on Simon’s lap.
Timmy grinned at both of them. “Don’t worry. I’ve heard that before, and Simon already told me it’s a bad word. He told me not to say a bunch of other words, too.”
Kara glared at Simon, but her lips were twitching. “Such as?”
Tim looked at her with boyish smile. “How can I tell you if I’m not allowed to say those words?”
“Smart boy,” Simon praised him with a smirk.
Kara shot them both a reproving look. “I can see you two are going to be keeping secrets.” Her gaze landed on Tim. “You’re starting to sound like a miniature Simon already.”
Clearly, Tim was pleased with Kara’s comment because his grin got even bigger.
Simon could tell Kara was about to start laughing because she was having a hard time keeping her “disapproving mother” expression on her face.
Tim shrugged, mimicking the expression of nonchalance that Simon had perfected over his years in business. “It’s a guy thing,” Tim told Kara solemnly.
Even Simon had to admit that Tim did a perfect imitation of him when he was being an asshole. Damn. It was good to have a little more testosterone around the house.
Giving up, Kara burst into laughter, and Simon’s smirk turned into a chuckle as Tim looked at them both curiously, wondering what they were laughing about.
“It’s a man and wife thing,” Simon told him, laughter still ringing in his deep, happy tone. “You’ll understand it someday when you’re older.”
Ginny started to fuss, and Kara let her little girl slide down to the floor, Tim already on his feet to catch his new sister protectively.
“Tim,” Ginny squealed happily. “Tim. Tim. Tim.” She toddled after her new brother as he took her near the tree to play with their gifts.
“They already look so much like siblings,” Kara said wistfully.
Simon glanced over to his wife and pulled her easily into his lap. “They are,” he answered simply. The two children had bonded almost immediately, blood related or not.
Kara drew a palm down Simon’s rough jaw. “Thank you for talking to him about being adopted. I think he needed to know. He’s been so afraid.” She sighed and wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck. “You make me so happy.”
Simon’s heart began to race as he looked into Kara’s eyes and saw the woman who had changed his whole existence, the woman who made his future look better than it ever had before. “I know how to make you a lot…happier.” And yeah, it involved a bed…or maybe just a wall, or even the shower.
“Show me later,” Kara whispered to him seductively. “Right now, just kiss me.”
“Mine,” Simon growled as he wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and brought her lips close to his. “And you can count on being shown everything later.”
He stayed just like that for a brief moment, their eyes locked together, Kara’s warm breath caressing his mouth. “Merry Christmas, Simon,” Kara whispered softly.
Simon shuddered and covered her mouth with his, unable to have Kara so close and not kiss her.
The rest of their private party came later that night, the two of them celebrating the merriest Christmas they’d ever had.
~The End~
If you haven't already read Simon & Kara's story please read on for an excerpt of Mine For Tonight
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Mine For Tonight: Book One - The Billionaire’s Obsession
By J. S. Scott
Copyright© 2012 by J. S. Scott
All Rights Reserved
ISBN-10: 1-939962-08-0
ISBN-13: 978-1-939962-08-9
Chapter One
Simon Hudson stood silently in the shadows of the opulent lobby, his hands in the pockets of his jeans and one shoulder propped against the frame of a large window that faced the street. His whole body was tense, his dark brown eyes scanning the sidewalk with the intense and total focus of a madman.
Where in the hell is she? It’s ten forty-five.
He knew Kara was working tonight. She had called in sick for the last two evenings, but was back to work at Helen’s Place, waiting tables on the swing shift. He had checked. His mother owned the bistro where Kara worked and was generally pretty forthcoming with information when Simon wanted it, but he was careful. If he wasn’t, his only parent would be hounding him to find out why he wanted information on Kara. His wonderful but inquisitive mom would be like a bloodhound after a scent if she thought that Simon’s interest was anything but casual. He would be nagged to death, his mother wanting to know exactly what his intentions were with Kara.
Simon frowned. Like he had any intentions? He had fantasies and all of them involved Kara spread out on his bed, screaming his name as he made her come, over and over.
Simon took a
deep breath and slowly blew it back out, trying to get his body to relax and telling himself that he must be insane to take exactly the same position, night after night, for some woman who he had never officially met. But here he was…again, his back to the curious doorman, leering out the window like an unbalanced stalker, waiting to get a glimpse of Kara Foster. Something about the woman brought out strange, territorial, and protective instincts that kept him here, keeping watch, waiting for her to walk by his condo building on her way home from work.
And then, when he spotted her, he’d do the same thing he always did. He’d follow her at a distance, trying not to alarm her, and wait until she had let herself into her apartment safely before he turned around and walked back home.
He wouldn’t talk to her, or even get close to her. He never did. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but Kara was going to nursing school and working full-time at his mother’s restaurant. According to his mom, Kara adamantly refused to date because she didn’t have the time or energy to put into a relationship. She was probably right about that. The insane woman didn’t sleep enough, eat enough. She had no one who even worried about her except for his mother…and Simon. Hell, in the last year, Simon had probably cared more about Kara’s well-being than a dozen family members would have, and he couldn’t even call her a friend. Problem was…he wasn’t a family member, and his feelings were far from brotherly.
God, she was sweet!
Simon had to bite back a groan of frustration as he thought about the first time he had seen Kara, her blue eyes flashing with humor, black tendrils of silky hair escaping from her ever-present ponytail and her lithe body moving gracefully from table to table at his mom’s restaurant. At the age of twenty-eight, she still retained a look of innocence and vulnerability that had Simon caught in her unintentional web. He’d been a prisoner there ever since.
His mother spoke about Kara as if she were her daughter, and Simon knew that Kara and his mother had a special bond: one not formed by blood, but by a special friendship. Shit…if Kara were younger, Simon was pretty sure his mother would adopt her. Lips twitching slightly, Simon hoped his mother never expected him to be like a brother to Kara. It wasn’t happening. His cock stood at attention, rock-hard and ready, every time he saw her. What in the hell was it about this particular woman that made him so edgy and restless?
Simon had fucked women who were more attractive or more sophisticated, and not a single one of them had ever touched any of his emotions. He was a loner, preferring to spend his time with his computer rather than attending social functions, but there were times when he needed a woman’s company for physical relief. Occasionally taking himself in hand just wasn’t getting it done. Simon had certain female acquaintances for those occasions, women who gave him the control he needed and had to have in the bedroom, without a lot of demands or questions. Damn it! That had been enough for him…until he had seen Kara.
Grimacing, his eyes never leaving the street, Simon shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and adjusted his position, giving his shoulder a break by resting his hip against the wall. God, he was getting pathetic. How long would he moon over a woman who had never even acknowledged him? Until she finished nursing school and moved away? Until she got married?
He nearly growled at the thought of another man putting his hands on Kara’s delectable body. Simon fought a purely feral instinct that rose up at the thought of another man touching his woman.
She’s not your woman, asshole. Get a grip.
For once in his life, Simon wished he were more like his older brother Sam, the other half of the Hudson Corporation. Sam would have no problem putting the moves on Kara. Charm, conquer, and discard had always been his brother’s style and Sam wouldn’t have given a thought to the possibility of rejection. Probably because Sam never failed! His only sibling went through the female population like a person with a nasty cold went through tissues. Sam would have broken down Kara’s defenses, charmed her out of her panties and then discarded her for his next conquest.
Oh, hell no. Simon loved his brother, but he’d be damned if he’d ever let Sam seduce Kara. He didn’t even want the two of them in the same room together.
Because she’s mine.
Simon shook his head, surprised at his own behavior. Yeah…he liked control, actually needed control, but he had never wanted one woman in particular. Now, he could think of little else but the pretty waitress who had snagged his attention a year ago.
You’re afraid of her.
Simon scowled at the thought. Like hell he was! He wasn’t afraid of anything, and he definitely didn’t fear Kara Foster. She just…was not a likely lover. Why bother?
He fucked.
He didn’t date.
And he liked it that way.
His brother Sam was the face of the company, the marketer. Simon was a computer geek, happy to stay in the background. What did he know about seducing a woman? He’d never needed to coerce a woman to his bed. The females he fucked were only with him for personal gain. He was known as a generous lover. He wasn’t fool enough to believe they had any personal feelings for him. That, he understood. That, he could handle.
Maybe I need to find a way to fuck her and get over this crazy obsession.
Would it be enough? Could he actually get free from his fixation with this woman if he could find a way to have her?
Christ! He had to do something. His irrational preoccupation with Kara had grown worse and worse over the last year, causing him to want no other woman except her. He hadn’t gotten off with anyone except himself in well over a year, and he really needed to scratch that itch. Yet…he couldn’t. If he tried to take action, to make a move to call another woman, he would see Kara’s pretty girl-next-door face and hang up the phone.
I’m just that fucking obsessed with her.
Simon glanced at an approaching figure, his mind almost immediately starting to dismiss the dark-haired woman who was dressed in a short, black, leather mini-skirt and a bright red sweater. He’d never seen Kara dressed in anything other than jeans and a t-shirt that sported the restaurant’s logo, standard casual dress for employees of his mom’s restaurant.
He did a surprised double-take as the woman got closer, gaping when her face came into view. Holy Christ! It was Kara. She was close enough that he could see her features, the same face that haunted his wet dreams every damn night, but the outfit….
What in hell is she wearing?
Simon could see almost every inch of her long, slender, shapely legs in the ultra-short mini and the whole outfit molded over her breasts, torso, and ass like a glove. His cock was instantly standing at full attention and he pulled his hands out of his pockets. They curled into tight fists as a bead of sweat rolled down his face. Followed by another. And another.
Goddamnit! What was she thinking? Dressed that way, she was practically begging for some man to come and snatch her up off the street.
And, by God, he was going to be that man. He wasn’t leaving that opportunity to another male, someone who might do her harm.
Didn’t she realize that this was Tampa? A major city! It wasn’t some tiny town where she could walk the streets at night and not be noticed or accosted.
Simon unclenched one fist and gripped the window frame for support, his eyes never leaving the approaching female. Gritting his teeth, Simon knew that today was the day he was going to have to get close to her, closer than he’d ever been before. He couldn’t handle these animalistic and rampant emotions anymore. He didn’t like them, wasn’t used to them. All he wanted was his sanity back, to return to his computer and work on his passion for developing computer games without erotic thoughts of Kara taking over his brain.
Sense. Reason. Control. That was how he functioned and what he needed in order to be himself again, and dammit, he’d get back to his normal state of mind, no matter what drastic measures he had to take to achieve it. Somehow, he would purge himself of this incredibly stupid and raging desire for Kara Foster.
His mind made up, Simon pushed off the window frame and stood up straight, lowering his “mask” until his face was devoid of emotion. He was good at that. He’d been raised in an area of Los Angeles where most normal people would never even enter, a place where being weak, slow-witted, or fragile in any way meant being destroyed.
If nothing else, Simon Hudson was a survivor. His guise firmly in place, he ripped his gaze from the window, turned sharply and strode purposefully toward the door.
*****
Kara Foster was having a seriously bad day!
She hefted her backpack to make it sit more solidly on her shoulder and reached for the hem of her ridiculously short skirt, yanking it down hard to cover her ass. The clothes looked great on her classmate, Lisa, who was several inches shorter and seven years younger than Kara. Unfortunately, they didn’t look quite the same on Kara’s taller, fuller body. The sweater hugged her generous breasts and the skirt was too damn short, barely concealing the cheeks of her ass.
She was a street-smart woman, having grown up in one of the worst areas of Tampa and coming through the experience intact. Kara knew how to protect herself, how to avoid any unwanted attention. So what in the hell was she doing in an outfit that was bound to get her in trouble? Stupid, Kara. Really, really stupid!
Frowning, Kara forced herself to keep walking. No big deal. She was in a decent area. So what if she looked like a sex kitten in sneakers? Eight more blocks and she would be home, free to finally strip off the ludicrous outfit and put on her own comfortable jeans and t-shirt.
Kara heaved a sigh as she focused solely on arriving at the tiny apartment that she shared with another student. Her legs were cold and she shivered, walking faster to get her body warm. It was January in Tampa, and while the daytime hours were pleasant, it got chilly at night. She should have brought her jacket, but she had been running late this morning.
