by JS Scott
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, wishing he could get a do-over on the evening, starting with the part where he and Kara had left the condo for the party. If he could have a do-over, they would never have left the condo.
He had nearly killed his own brother tonight, had happily beat the shit out of him after he had found out that Sam had hit on Kara. It hadn’t been hard to figure out. Kara had been missing and Sam had a tell-tale handprint on his face, an obvious souvenir from a pissed-off female. Furthermore, Sam had led Kara to believe that Simon wouldn’t mind if Sam fucked his woman.
Granted, Sam had been two sheets to the wind, but Simon had been so out of control when his brother had made his drunken confessions that he didn’t care. He had pounded his brother into the ground, stopping only when his mother got between the two of them.
It was the only physical fight that he and his brother had ever had. Sam had never laid a finger on him, and Simon would have never imagined punching his brother. Until tonight. Until Kara. The thought of any other man touching Kara made Simon completely insane.
It hadn’t made Simon feel any better to know that Kara had rebuffed Sam, bitch-slapping him hard enough to leave a mark. She had probably been scared, confused. And she had left him. It made him want to lay into his stupid-ass brother all over again.
He opened his eyes, noticing that he had crumpled the card in his lap. Smoothing it out, he opened it.
Simon,
Happy Birthday! I wanted to give you something that I didn’t have to buy with your money, something special. I know you collect coins, so I thought of this gift.
This belonged to my father. It was his lucky penny. He found it on the exact same day that he met my mother. He swore it was only moments before he saw her for the first time. He always said it brought him the luckiest event of his life.
I’ve always carried it with me. I’ve made it this far, so I guess it has been lucky.
I know it’s not much, but I want you to have it. I know you don’t really need luck, but I’ll feel better knowing you have it. I hope it always keeps you safe.
Kara
Simon tore open the package and stared long and hard at the small, worn plastic case. He finally popped it open, and glanced at the lucky coin.
Astonished, he flipped it over and then over again. Hell, it was a 1955 Double Die Obverse. And in very nice condition. He wasn’t a professional grader, but he was willing to bet that it would grade high.
Did the crazy woman realize that she had been carrying around such a rare coin? A coin that would probably feed her for several months if she sold it?
Probably not. And he knew that Kara would probably rather die than sell something so sentimental, something that belonged to her dad.
But she had given it to him. She had parted with something extremely dear to her to give him a birthday present.
He closed the case and gripped the coin hard, placing it over his heart as pain ripped through his sternum. Why had she parted with this? Why had she given it to him? Instinctively, he knew it was special to her, so special that she always kept it close.
Simon knocked back his second drink and put the coin in his front pocket. It wouldn’t leave his possession until he could give it back to her. Personally.
Grabbing his cell phone, Simon dialed his security manager, Hoffman. He answered on the second ring.
“Are you tailing her?” he asked his security chief gruffly, not bothering with niceties.
“Of course. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but she seems settled for the night. Good neighborhood, decent house. Belongs to a Dr. Reynolds,” Hoffman informed him.
“She left. Keep a team on her twenty-four-seven. I want to know if she sneezes.”
“Okay, boss. Will do.”
Simon disconnected with a sigh. Obviously she had gone to stay with her friend, Maddie. She’d be okay there. For now.
He had never told Kara, but she had been guarded every moment of every day since the incident at the clinic had occurred. Hoffman’s team ran in shifts, always watching, always ready. The police had never caught the junkies who had shot at her and robbed the clinic, and Simon wasn’t willing to take any chances. Kara had seen their faces, had helped with composite drawings. Until the assholes were caught, she needed to be safe. Simon needed to know that she would be okay.
Every instinct, every cell in his body was screaming at him to go after her, to drag her back over his shoulder if necessary. He wanted to, but he couldn’t win her over that way. The incident with Sam had obviously upset her. Giving her some time would help. Hauling her back would only settle the problem for a short time, and Simon wasn’t in this for the short haul. He needed Kara, had to have her forever. Anything less was unthinkable.
If someone had told him several weeks ago that he would meet a woman he couldn’t live without, he would have laughed until his ribs hurt. But he wasn’t laughing now. Kara had become his life, and he couldn’t even think about going on without her.
What kind of life had he lived before her? As he thought about all of the women he had fucked in the past, he frowned. Women who had to get half-drunk and be offered expensive gifts, just to give their bodies to him. They had been empty experiences, women who tolerated him for his money. They may have temporarily satisfied his urge to get off, but they had left him with a huge emptiness that he had never even thought about before he met Kara. Now that he knew what it felt like to be with a woman who actually wanted him, he acknowledged that he could never go back. He needed Kara as much as he needed the air that he breathed. God knew, he didn’t deserve her, but he would have her.
Forcing himself to his bedroom, he stripped out of his clothes and headed for the bed. Turning around abruptly, he headed back to the pile of clothing on the floor and fished in the pocket of his pants. Pulling out the coin that Kara had given him, he kept it in his grasp and slid into bed, not sure if he could even sleep, but longing for some sort of oblivion.
Having Kara gone was the ultimate torture. The house was too quiet, too empty. Her presence had been palpable since she had first arrived and now he could feel only the ghost of her essence, echoes of her laugh.
Sliding the coin under his pillow, Simon flopped onto his back, already restless. He prayed for sleep to take him away…but God must have been busy because he lay awake most of the night, trying to decide the best way to get Kara back.
He would get her back. That was the only option. It was just a matter of figuring out how to accomplish his goal.
Dawn was breaking before he slipped into a troubled sleep, visions of Kara tormenting him in his dreams.
Kara pulled the heavy wooden door of the restaurant manager’s office closed behind her and leaned against it with a heavy, broken sigh. It was her eleventh interview in the last ten days, all of which had been a complete waste of time, and this one hadn’t gone any better. No one wanted to hire a student who was only a few months away from graduation. No restaurant wanted a waitress who was likely to leave within six months for a position in her chosen profession. While Kara couldn’t blame the prospective employers for their judgment, she really needed a freaking job.
The familiar sounds of clanging dishes, barking cooks, and sharp-tongued servers filtered through her mind as she took yet another walk of shame through the back halls of another restaurant that wasn’t willing to take her on as even a part-time employee.
Okay, it wasn’t as if she would starve. She still had ten grand in her bank account, the loan she had given herself from Simon. Biting her lip as the pain of thinking about him crashed over her, she exited the main door of the restaurant, letting herself lean against the cool brick exterior to gather her thoughts after the disastrous interview.
Actually, she had more than ten thousand dollars in her account. Nine days ago, on her birthday, Simon had sent several delivery men and a messenger to Maddie’s
home with all of the items that she had left behind. The delivery guys had been loaded with her belongings, all of which had been purchased by Simon, and the messenger came bearing several dozen red roses and an envelope with a note.
Kara,
I am returning your check. Please accept the money as a birthday present from me and don’t fight with the delivery people. They have been instructed to put the items wherever you want them or leave them on the doorstep. As they work for me, they will follow instructions.
I’m sorry about what happened with Sam. Please come home.
Happy Birthday. I wish we could spend it together.
Yours,
Simon
Kara choked back a sob and rubbed unconsciously at her upper thigh, feeling the stiff paper of his note that was resting in her front pocket.
I’m going to have to talk to him.
Kara had hoped that giving herself a little time might help her feel more grounded, less mired in depression. But it wasn’t working. Every day she didn’t see Simon seemed like an eternity, and she was just fooling herself if she thought that a week or two would help her get over her longing for him. If anything, she sank deeper into the darkness as each day passed.
I have to talk to him. Make him take my check. Work out terms to repay what I borrowed. Return the things he bought.
She had bawled like a baby when she had turned on the laptop he had given her and realized that Simon had downloaded every game that she had ever played on his computer lab. Myth World-both games-had been first on the list.
Wiping furiously at an escaped tear rolling down her cheek, Kara knew she had to stop mooning over Simon Hudson; she just wasn’t sure how to do it. The silly, thoughtful things that he did, such as taking the time to download all of those games, tugged at her heart. Then, she would remember the sight of the blonde supermodel on Sam’s porch pulling Simon’s lips to hers and she’d be pissed all over again. How could any man be so thoughtful, yet be such a dog when it came to women?
“Hello, Kara.” A deep, rumbling voice sounded right next to her. Her eyes jerked up to discover Sam Hudson leaning a shoulder against the wall next to her. Instinctively, she backed up several steps, putting distance between her and a man she didn’t like or trust.
Sam advanced, but left space between the two of them.
“What do you want?” Her tone was sharp and she put her hand up to stop him from coming any closer.
He raised his eyebrow at her defensive move. “I just want to talk.” He looked as arrogant as he had at the party, even dressed in casual jeans and a black t-shirt, but there was a thread of remorse running through his words, and his green eyes were clear and bright. “Please.” That addition actually sounded painful coming from Sam, as though he had to force it from his throat.
“I don’t know you and I have nothing to say,” she snipped at him, eager to get away. The last thing she wanted was to chat with Sam Hudson.
“I’m not going away until you talk to me, so you might as well do it now.”
Kara wanted to stomp her foot in frustration, but she wouldn’t give Sam the satisfaction. “Just say whatever it is you have to say and leave.”
He motioned toward the restaurant door. “I could use a cup of coffee. It’s been a long day.”
She shook her head. “I just interviewed there. I really don’t want to go back in there.”
He waved to the eatery across the street. “We can go there.”
Rolling her eyes, she answered, “Been there, done that one, too. There isn’t a place in this neighborhood where I haven’t interviewed.”
Taking her arm lightly, Sam led her into the fast-food place next door. She jerked her arm out of his hold, but followed behind him. It was obvious that she needed to let him have his say or he wouldn’t leave her alone. He had the same stubborn, Hudson male look that Simon got whenever he wasn’t going to budge until she relented or compromised.
They both ordered a coffee from the front counter and Sam took a small booth in the corner. She stalled, loading her coffee at a side table with cream and sugar before joining him. Fingering the disposable cup, she finally looked up to find Sam watching her with the intensity of a hawk ready to swoop down on its prey. Squirming and uncomfortable, she still refused to look away. Sam’s gaze wasn’t sexual. It was as though he was trying to examine a perplexing microbe underneath a magnifying glass. If he wanted to do some intensive search of her personality…so be it. It wasn’t as if she had done anything wrong, except fall in love with Simon Hudson.
Interestingly enough, Sam caved in first. “I’m sorry.” He diverted his eyes as he muttered the statement. It was sincere, but she could tell it wasn’t something this man said very often. “That was a shitty thing I did at Simon’s birthday party. I was so drunk I could barely stand, but that isn’t an excuse. A man needs to be responsible for his actions, drunk or not.”
“Why did you do it? Why are you doing this? Did Helen send you to apologize? I didn’t mention a word about what you did. I’m not sure how she would know.” Kara had only spoken to Helen once, and she hadn’t mentioned Sam’s appalling behavior that night to his mother.
Sam shot her a dark look. “My mother knows everything, and I appreciate the fact that you didn’t mention it. You didn’t have to. Simon figured it out and beat the hell out of me when I confessed. Our barroom brawl ended the party rather abruptly, soon after I came inside and you left.” He hesitated, taking a swig of coffee. “And no, my mother didn’t send me here. I’m here because I want to be. Because Simon is miserable and I was wrong. He doesn’t know I’m here and would probably smash my face in again if he knew I’d approached you.” He stared out the window beside them.
Kara searched Sam’s face, noticing the faint bruises above his left eye and his right cheek. Simon must have done a job on his brother. Ten days after the event, Sam still had a faint bruising to his face that she hadn’t looked close enough to see before. “Why? Why would Simon do that? He was already in the process of lining up another woman. I saw him kissing her on the terrace when I walked outside. It makes no sense.”
Sam’s head jerked back to her. “He didn’t line up anyone. What did she look like?”
“Tall, thin, blonde, perfect make-up but she’d probably look just as good without it.” Kara frowned at Sam. “Beautiful.”
His head nodded once. “Constance. I saw her march in as I was stepping outside. I saw you go out on the terrace, but I got caught up by a client for a few minutes before I could follow you. If it makes you feel any better, he didn’t take her up on her offer. Connie was coming in angry, and Simon was already gone.” Sam’s gaze dropped to his cup, fidgeting with the half-empty container. “Simon would never fuck Connie. She’s married to a man old enough to be her grandfather, but her husband isn’t exactly generous with his money. My brother doesn’t do married women. And if he was fu…uhh…having a relationship with you, he certainly wouldn’t be arranging another one. Simon may not get emotionally involved, but he only has one woman at a time.”
Kara sputtered, nearly choking on her coffee. Sam’s comment about Simon not getting emotionally involved hit her hard. She could believe that Simon wasn’t having an affair with a married woman. For some reason, she believed that just wasn’t something that he would do. Simon might not believe in relationships or marriage for himself, but he just didn’t seem like the type of man to step over that line. But really, did it matter? Maybe it made her feel better to know that Simon wasn’t tying up, blindfolding, and screwing the centerfold woman who had been kissing him at his party, but the fact that Simon didn’t do relationships hadn’t changed. She was so connected to Simon that she could barely breathe. In the long run, she would end up completely shattered when he moved on. “Thanks for telling me all of this. And for apologizing.” She tried to keep her voice flat, free from emotion.
Sam looked concerned, h
is eyebrows drawing together as he looked at her. “He cares about you. I didn’t know or I would never have made you an offer.”
“Why did you? I’m sure there are plenty of women who throw themselves at you every day.”
“Because I’m a billionaire,” he answered, his tone disgusted, his expression harsh. “I saw how happy Simon was after you came to live with him. I’ve heard my mother talk about you. I guess I thought that once you and Simon split, that I could grab a little happiness for myself. I was drunk. Feeling sorry for myself. I’m an asshole. You’re the first woman my brother has ever cared about and I betrayed him. And I insulted you. You didn’t deserve that.”
Kara leaned back against the hard plastic of the tiny booth seat, stunned. “Simon doesn’t care about me that way. But I admit, I was insulted. You can’t buy any woman you want, Sam. And I don’t believe it was really me you wanted.”
Sam released a ragged sigh. “I wanted…something. I guess in my drunken pity party, I was ready to try anything. And there’s only one woman who cared about anything except my money in the past. And I blew it.” His voice was filled with an aching sadness and remorse. “Are you going to accept my apology?”
The charming smile was back, lighting up his face, bringing back the Adonis she had seen at the party. Strangely, it didn’t bother her now. Sam Hudson was troubled and the radiant smile that he was throwing her way was nothing more than a cover for a man who wanted much more than monetary gain in his life. She had seen a small crack in his unemotional façade. “Yes, I accept. I guess we all say and do things that we wouldn’t normally do when we drink.” Her words brought back the day that she had told Simon he had an incredible body and that she wanted him after she had had a few drinks at the restaurant. “But I’m not sure why it matters to you.”
Sam’s eyes grew stormy and he grasped her wrist as she went to slide out of the booth and make her escape. “Kara, Simon cares. He’s had a rough time and he may not know how to express it. But he does. Please don’t judge my brother because I was an asshole.”