Courage (Billionaire Secrets Series, #3)

by Lexy Timms

  His touch was probably inappropriate. Far too familiar for work, but she didn’t care. Her body welcomed it. Craved it. And his compliment sent a tingle through her body.

  He was looking right at her. Appreciation and pride flashed in his eyes. He was staring at her as if in awe of her.

  She was getting lost in the pools of his blue eyes, her heart fluttering at the way he was gazing at her. Like they were the only two people here.

  August cleared his throat softly, making her pivot away from Simon.

  They had to look professional. But that was so hard to do while her heart was thudding so loudly in her chest she was sure he could hear it.

  “How about we step into my office,” August suggested. “We don’t have to have any serious discussions since I’m sure you must be tired, but I thought I could get you up to speed on what we’ve been working on recently.”

  “Sounds great,” Simon said tightly, reminding her that he had never been good at meeting and networking with people.

  August led them to his office and they spent the next hour talking about Blue Naught’s most recent developments and accomplishments. Heather tried her best to focus on maintaining a professional air even though she could still feel Simon’s heavy hand burning through the fabric of her blouse.

  She kept reminding herself that all she had to do was focus on work. Focus and get through the day. Even if her body kept reacting to being so close to Simon after all this time apart, she was determined to get through the day without falling for his charms.

  BY THE TIME THEY COMPLETED their business at Blue Naught headquarters, it was early afternoon. Simon invited August back to their luxury hotel to unwind and they ordered lunch by the hotel swimming pool.

  The hotel was crawling with the rich and famous, and many of them were tanning themselves by the pool. With so many celebrities around, Simon knew he had no reason to fear being recognized. In L.A., the press wasn’t going to pay him one bit of attention. Not when movie stars and pop stars were running around.

  While they ate their salmon, Simon watched as Heather chatted with August. Despite her shyness, she had always been good at connecting with people when the occasion called for it. She was doing brilliantly. Taking an interest in August’s work, telling him jokes, showing off how smart she was. He marveled at her ability to put powerful people at ease.

  Linda had been right to suggest her, and he was glad he had managed to convince Heather to come. This would be a major boost for her career. The board might not like her presence in California at the moment, but he was confident in her abilities. If she kept up the good work, she’d change Everett’s mind in no time.

  “So, Simon, how are things in Seattle?” August asked. “I’d love to know a little bit more about how Dover’s board operates.”

  Simon shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had stormed out of the conference room the day before and hadn’t heard a word from any of the board members. But he hadn’t told Heather about that. It wasn’t that he was deliberately keeping it from her. He just wasn’t sure how to broach the subject with her. Not to mention, even if he did explain the board meeting, he’d have to reveal that he was so in love with her he had basically threatened to let Dover crumble.

  He still planned on winning her back. The only person who could stop him from that goal was Heather herself. And considering how she literally jumped when he touched her earlier in the afternoon, he knew that he had to be careful. If he went too fast, he was liable to scare her off. However, California was the perfect place to rekindle a romance with her and he wasn’t going to let the chance go.

  “Well, the board is like most boards,” Simon said diplomatically.

  “Stubborn and unreasonable?” August laughed.

  “They definitely don’t see Blue Naught’s potential the way we do,” he said.

  “Well, we’ve got Heather on our side. I’d say that’s a promising start.” August smiled at her, and she blushed in response.

  Simon narrowed his eyes. He liked August, but he was going to like him a hell of a lot less if he kept looking at Heather that way. Jealousy wasn’t his style, but when it came to the woman he loved he could imagine himself punching August’s lights out.

  She was going to be his, even if it killed him. Nobody but Heather could deny him his chance to have her. Not Dover’s board. Not Everett. Not the press. And certainly not August Spencer.

  “It’s getting late,” Simon said, keeping his tone even. “We don’t want to keep you away from work any longer than we already have.”

  August glanced at his watch. “You’re right, Simon. How about we meet at Blue Naught tomorrow morning? We can hammer out the last-minute details of the acquisition and Heather can share her ideas for the marketing campaign.”

  “That sounds good,” Simon said. “I’ll call you before we leave, to confirm everything.”

  “Excellent.” August got to his feet.

  “Oh, August, let me show you out,” Heather said, reaching for her handbag. “I can make sure you get a taxi back to your office.”

  August flashed her a smile. “That’s really nice of you, Heather, thanks.”

  “I can show August out,” Simon offered. He didn’t want to reveal that he didn’t want August spending time alone with her. That would just make him look like he was out of his mind. Which he was. Realizing that he loved her had made him even more protective of her, if such a thing was possible.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll show August out and then I can go upstairs to get some rest. You can get a head start and go check out your room in the meantime.” She shoved her hand into her handbag and pulled out a room card and a slip of paper. “That’s your key and your room number. See you later.” With that, she walked away from the pool, laughing loudly at one of August’s jokes.

  Simon’s hand balled up into a fist. This jealous reaction couldn’t be healthy. Deciding he needed to take a walk to shake off his annoyance, he got up and headed to the beach beyond the swimming pool.

  The salty ocean air woke him up. Reminded him that he was going to fight for Heather even if the odds were against him. He was determined to show her that he was truly sorry for not trusting her. And if he was going to show her that he trusted her, he couldn’t go flying off the handle because some guy was flirting with her.

  When he was sufficiently calm, he stepped off the beach and headed up to his room. The best thing to do now was take a shower and relax. Maybe as the evening wore on, he’d invite Heather to do something casual. If he played his cards right, he’d be able to thaw some of the ice around her heart.

  With renewed optimism, he took the elevator upstairs and found his hotel room. He slid the key through the slot and swung the door open.

  His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he spotted Heather dressed in nothing but a tiny towel.

  She shrieked when she saw him and, suddenly, her towel slipped off.

  Chapter 10

  She had never been so embarrassed in her entire life. As her towel slipped down her body, she saw Simon’s eyes widen. He immediately turned around, his back to her. But the damage was already done.

  Here she was, standing soaking wet, totally naked with no towel to cover her. He had no doubt caught a glimpse of her. And even though Simon had seen her naked more than a few times, her face went so hot it felt like it was on fire.

  She snatched the towel off the floor and wrapped it around herself as quickly as she could. “What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, her voice shrill with outrage.

  “What am I doing here? What are you doing here?”

  “This is my room,” she snapped.

  “No, this is my room.” He paused. “This is obviously some kind of mix-up and I’m sorry about barging in on you like this, but this is clearly Room 37.”

  “No, it’s room 38,” she huffed.

  “It clearly said Room 37 on the door,” he shot back.

  She’d just have to take his word for it. Ther
e was no way she was stepping out of her room until she was fully dressed. And even then, she was still so humiliated she wanted the entire building to collapse on top of her. “How did you get in here?”

  “I used my key,” he replied. “How’d you get in here?”

  “The key,” she said with a frown.

  “How is that possible?” he demanded. “We got keys for two separate rooms. How could both our keys open the same door?”

  “I don’t know.” Her eyes darted around the room until they landed on the luggage in the sitting area. His duffel bag had been placed on top of her suitcase. “Is this some scheme or something? Some ploy you cooked up?”

  He turned around to face her, indignation flashing in his eyes. “Come on. You really think I’m capable of something like this?”

  She clutched the towel even tighter to her and lifted her chin defiantly. “Well, maybe now you know what it feels like to be accused of something.”

  Silence. His blue eyes narrowed, and he took a step towards her. Finally, he said, “I’m sorry. Clearly there’s been some mistake here. I feel like a jerk for walking in on you like this.”

  “You didn’t actually answer my question,” she pointed out sharply.

  “What?” He crossed his arms and glared. “No, Heather, I didn’t plan this. Is that good enough for you?”

  “I don’t know, I need to think about it,” she retorted. “In the meantime, I can hurl insults at you.” Her breath hitched on the last word and she felt a lump forming in her throat. Why did he always manage to get such strong reactions from her? No man had ever had such a tight grip on her heart the way he did. She tried not to care what people thought of her, but no matter what happened between them Simon would always be her childhood friend, and her first love. Losing his confidence and trust hurt worse than any heartache.

  The hard expression on his face vanished, and suddenly he looked stricken. Full of remorse. “I’m sorry.”

  She lowered her eyes, hating that she could already feel the sting of tears. After she had said goodbye to August she came into her room and had a great talk with her mother and Finn on the phone. Talking to her family always lifted her spirits, and the hot shower after had been invigorating. Now, she was on the verge of tears.

  “You’ve already apologized for barging in,” she said bitterly.

  “That’s not what I meant.” He paused. “Heather, I figured something out recently. Something important that I have to tell you, but I don’t know how.”

  Lifted her gaze, she blinked her tears away. “What is it?”

  Simon didn’t say anything for several moments. Whatever he needed to say must have required monumental courage, because he looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. “I never should have broken up with you. I mean, I know I’ve said as much before, but I don’t just mean I should have kept up a long-distance relationship with you while I was at college. I mean, I never should have left you at all.”

  “But your dream—”

  “My dream doesn’t mean anything without you,” he said. “I started Dover because you were the only person who ever really believed in me. But the truth is, we should have built Dover together. Without you, my work and my life are incomplete.”

  She was stunned. That was the last thing she’d expected him to say. After he had accused her she had thought that, even though he regretted it, his feelings for her had evaporated. But they hadn’t. If anything, with the scorching heat of his gaze on her, it might have only gotten more intense since she transferred out of his office.

  “I am sorry,” he continued. “Sorry I left you behind. And sorry I said those horrible things to you.”

  “You said I was pathetic.” Sharp pain clawed at her heart as his cruel words echoed in her mind.

  “I’m an idiot. It’s unforgiveable. I know. I never should’ve said that to you,” he said firmly. “I have no excuse for my behavior. None. I’m sorry I belittled your life and your accomplishments. I’m sorry I tried to make you feel ashamed of giving a damn about me for all these years. Lord knows I don’t deserve your devotion.” He took several more steps towards her, closing the space between them. His hand lifted to move a damp lock of hair out of her face. “The worst thing is, I brought your son into it. The way I talked about you getting pregnant with Gary’s child... I tried to shame you for that, and that was unacceptable.”

  A sob tore from her throat and hot tears rolled down her cheeks. Damn it. She hated it when he saw her cry. Hated it when anybody saw her cry. For years people had thought she was weak. Well, she wasn’t weak. Just because she wore her heart on her sleeve sometimes didn’t mean she had a weakness. She had come up against a lot over the past year. Maybe she hadn’t figured everything out, but she knew one thing: Even if nobody trusted her anymore, she trusted herself.

  His hand slid down, his thumb brushing against her cheeks to wipe her tears away. “You don’t have to forgive me, but I’ll do whatever it takes to win your forgiveness if you want to try.”

  She closed her eyes, letting the sensation of his hand on her face warm her down to her toes. This was it. The time to make her own choices. To stop letting other people run her life. For too long she had been a passenger in her own life, not the driver.

  Her stomach fluttered, and the embarrassment melted away. All she was now was a burning need.

  “I want you, Simon,” she said, her voice husky with a desire she had been suppressing for weeks. “I want you to take me. Now.”

  He cupped her face and stared into her eyes. The heat in his gaze was so intense that she let the towel she had been clutching slip away from her. It slid down her body until it pooled at her feet, the soft fabric caressing her skin.

  “You’re sure?” he asked. “I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”

  She shook her head. “I won’t regret this.”

  Their lips met suddenly, his mouth pressing hard against hers. The place between her legs clenched as she was swept away in his passionate kiss. Greedy for more she parted her lips, inviting him in. They hadn’t kissed in so long she was already melting against him, desperate for more.

  He let out a low groan as his tongue darted into her mouth. There was nothing innocent about this kiss. Simon was tormenting her with his tongue. Tasting her. No, feasting on her like nothing else in the world could ever sustain him.

  Her fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt as she held tightly to him. As his tongue stroked hers, a tingle crept down her spine and she was suddenly wet with arousal. This was what she had desired but suppressed for so long. But now, with his demanding mouth on hers, she felt freer than she ever had. Freer to do whatever she desired. Freer to be herself. Not the shy, docile version of herself who always quietly followed the rules and put everyone but herself first. Now, in the privacy of this hotel room, she could give in to the wanton side of her she had kept locked away. Now she was free to be the woman who was willing to risk it all for one more night with her boss.

  Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice screamed at her to stop heading down this destructive path. With each expert stroke of his wicked tongue, the voice grew fainter and fainter until all she heard was the desperate beating of her own heart and the roar of the blood rushing in her head.

  His hands wandered down her back until he stopped to cup her ass. He pressed against her gently, silently instructing her to wrap herself around him. She took his cue and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, pulling herself up until he helped lift her up off the floor, her legs wrapped around his waist.

  They hadn’t broken their kiss, and with their lips still locked together and her legs wrapped around him he walked across the room. She felt the hard length of him, straining against his jeans. Clearly, he wanted her as desperately as she wanted him.

  When he got to the bed he broke the kiss to set her down. She sat up and propped herself up on her elbows to get a better look at him, excited about what was going to happen ne
xt.

  He stared down at her, his gaze sweeping up and down her naked body. His gaze was so stark it was like a caress making its way across her exposed skin.

  “Tell me you have condoms,” she gasped out, not caring if he heard the desperation in her voice.

  Simon leaned down to kiss her lips. “I’ll be right back.” He disappeared from the bedroom and returned several moments later, a condom in hand.

  Her eyes widened. “Were you expecting to get lucky?”

  “I’ve stayed here before, so I know these are provided by the hotel.” He laughed. “I hoped this would happen, believe me, but I couldn’t bring myself to be that arrogant.”

  “Thank goodness for generous hotels,” she said.

  He laughed again and started to peel off his clothes.

  Her mouth watered as he tossed off each item of clothing. When he was totally naked in front of her, she couldn’t take her eyes off his hard body. The muscles in his torso rippled as he stalked over to her and climbed into bed.

  Her gaze roamed down his chest until she stopped at his manhood. He was huge and hard, which sent a tremble through her. Simon tore the condom wrapper with his teeth, took the condom out, and rolled the condom on. How had she resisted her desire for him for so long? It seemed like an impossible thing now that she was taking in the hard muscles of his calves and his obvious arousal.

  Simon’s hand lifted to cup her chin, his thumb sliding across her mouth. Her lips were still tingling from their kiss and she parted them to gently nip at his thumb. His eyebrows shot up in surprise, but then his kissable mouth twisted up into a lazy smile and he groaned his approval.

  Now that they were finally in bed together again, her pulse began to race like it never had before. Her body’s reaction to him had never been subtle, and she ached for him to touch her in places that hadn’t been touched in weeks.

  “You are so sexy,” he choked out.

  She released his thumb to lick her lips provocatively. If they were going to find their release together, she needed more of him.