Mine for Now - The Billionaire's Obsession #2 (9 page)

Nausea began to rise in Kara’s throat and she moved soundlessly away from the couple to creep to the steps. She didn’t want Simon to see her and she didn’t want the nameless woman to think that she was spying on them. Not that blondie would probably care.
The woman looked a cat with its
claws sol
idly imbedded into something it
wanted and wasn’t about to be distracted.

The light wasn’t as bright as it was inside, but it took only a brief glance back at the couple to see that the w
oman in Simon’s arms
was everything that Kara was not. She was blonde, thin, her make-up and hair perfect. In other words…sickeningly gorgeous.

Kara couldn’t move, couldn’t function, her eyes were riveted on the couple and her fe
et felt like they were embedded
in cement. She could hear the woman murmur something softly, but she couldn’t make out the words. Cherry-red lips curved into a calculating smile before the blonde grasped the back of Simon’s head, pulling his lips down to hers.

Her heart thundering, Kara took the steps leading down to the path faster than she should have in thin, delicate heels, needing desperately to get away from the scene that had been playing out in front of her like a horror movie. Her heels got caught up in the cobble
s
on the path and she kicked her shoes off, scooping them up with barely a pause.

Breathe. Just breathe.

She reached the dock panting and nauseated. She gripped the wooden railing on the dock to steady herself, trying desperately to calm her ragged breathing.

Breathe. In. Out. In. Out.

It doesn
’
t matter. It doesn
’
t matter.
 
The sex life of Simon Hudson was none of her business. She wasn’t committed to Simon and he certainly wasn’t committed to her. They had sex with no strings attached.

In. Out. In. Out again.

Her breathing settled, but the nausea refused to go away. No wonder Simon had never had a girlfriend. There was obviously an endless supply of women to entertain him…for a price. An arrangement? Really? No wonder Simon had never had a real relationship. Women used him and he used women. Her stomach rolled and she gripped the wood harder.

Forget about it. It doesn
’
t matter.

It shouldn’t…but it did. It hurt that Simon could be making a casual agreement to screw another woman while he was still making time with her. They had nearly fucked each other to death a few hours ago. Or so she thought. Maybe it had only been earth-shattering for her. Maybe he missed tying up his women, having them helpless and blind
folded
. Maybe he needed it.

Did you think you were someone special, the person who was going to help Simon break free of some of his past insecurities? Maybe he really doesn
’
t have any. Maybe he likes his life exactly as it is. Maybe you
’
re just a complete bonehead who
can
’
t comprehend a billionaire playboy who can buy any woman he wants.

Her thoughts grated, ground her down until she wondered if everything she had convinced herself was true about Simon was actually a big fat lie, a self-created falsehood, a man she only imagined.

You don
’
t really believe that.

“The problem is…I don’t really know anymore,” she whispered softly to herself, her voice trembling.

Her illusions were shattered, and she had no idea what to believe in anymore. She had trusted Simon,
had
thought he was a decent but troubled man, and his actions left her confused, raw and completely devastated.

She stared numbly at the lights that were blinking over the rolling water and wrapped her arms around her shivering body. How would she ever erase the memory of Simon kissing a blonde bombshell, a woman so perfect that it made Kara wonder what Simon had ever been doing with her?

She blinked and a lone tear slid silently down her cheek. Most likely, she wouldn’t forget. The memory, the sense of
betrayal, and the crushing pain were
likely to hang around for quite some time.

Lost in her thoughts, Kara stood on the dock like a shadow, unmoving, no longer feeling the chill
,
wishing that she never had to go back and face reality.

She would. She had to. But she would avoid it as long as possible. 

“Whatever my brother is giving you, I’ll give you more if you come to me when he’s finished with you.” The sultry male voice pierced the silence right next to her ear, startling her so badly that she would have toppled over the dock railing if a strong male hand hadn’t gripped her waist. “Whoa. Steady.”

She whipped around to face the voice, already recognizing it as Sam’s. He crowded her, resting one hand on each side of her, keeping her from escape.

“W-What did you say?” The man left her cold and she didn’t appreciate his familiarity.

“I’ll pay. Whatever you want. However much you want.” His eyes were cold and she shuddered.

Oh, God. She was going to be sick. Gul
ping, she stared up at Sam’s diety-
like appearance, barely able to believe that he was actually propositioning her.

Like a harlot.

Like a prostitute.

Like a whore.

Anger rose inside of her like a phoenix, climbing higher and high, stronger and stronger. She could barely see through the haze of red that clouded her vision as her body trembled.

“Simon won’t mind,” Sam assured her as his hand moved to her bare shoulder.

His comment resonated through her, making her snap. What the hell was with the Hudson men? Did they thin
k they could buy any woman
they wanted to fuck? She drew her hand back and let it fly…hard. It connected with his smirking face with a satisfying
smack
 
that exploded in the near-silent evening, cracking through the peace of the night.

“Maddie was right. You are a complete snake,” she hissed, her body shaking with rage.

“Maddie? Maddie Reynolds?” Sam’s expression was complete astonishment and shock. She wasn’t sure if it was the slap or the mention of Maddie’s name, but she didn’t wait to find out.

She pushed his arm out of the way and ran, deviating from the path to run across the well-manicured lawn to the front of the house.

She tore down the driveway and ran until she found James waiting patiently in the Mercedes. Tearing the front door of the car open, she dove into the front seat. “Please take me home,” she choked out, tears clogging her throat and making her voice raspy. “Please.”

“Ms. Kara. Are you all right?” She couldn’t see his face in the dark, but the concern in the driver’s voice was evident.

“I’m not feeling well. I need to go home,” she stated, not able to keep a pleading note from her request.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Yes. Take me home. I’ll be fine.”

She wouldn’t be fine. Not now. Not tomorrow. Probably not for a very long time. But she didn’t tell him that.

James, bless him, didn’t ask any more questions. He started the vehicle and headed directly toward the condo.

Kara knotted her shaking hands around the soles of the shoes in her lap, trying not to let the tears flooding her eyes to fall. She couldn’t cry. There wasn’t anything to really cry about. The Hudson men were just doing what they normally did. She was the one with the problem.

Somehow, she had done an incredibly foolish thing. She had allowed herself to fall in love with Simon Hudson. Deeply, passionately, completely in love. It wasn’t like the love she had harbored for her ex. This was a confusing, soul-shredding, rip-your-guts out love that was going to hurt. Big time.

Swallowing down a bitter sob by biting her lip until it bled, she turned her head to the right, watching the city fly by as James drove her competently toward home.

You
’
ve gotten through loss before, Kara. You
’
ll get through this.

Since the death of her parents, she had used encouraging words, pep talks, to get herself through her toughest battles. They had always worked before. Hadn’t she made it this far?

You
’
ll forget him. It will just take time.

An uncomfortable weight settled on her chest, hard, heavy and totally crushing.

For the first time in her life, Kara Foster felt like she was lying to herself.

“Kara!” Simon bellowed loudly as he slammed the door of his condo behind him, tossing his keys carelessly on the kitchen counter.

There was a small, neatly wrapped present on the counter with a card, but he ignored it and raced through the condo like a man possessed.

“Kara!”

He yelled her name until he was hoarse, but every single room was empty. Her room looked basically untouched, except
that
her backpack was missing.

“Shit!”

He went to kitchen and lifted the gaily wrapped package, finding a personal check from Kara in the amount of ninety thousand dollars and a single sheet of paper under the card and gift.

I
’
ll repay the rest as soon as I get a job. I left all of the things you gave me except for a few pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts. Thanks for everything. I
’
ll always be grateful.

Kara

What. The. Fuck. He didn’t want her damn gratitude. He wanted…her.

He crumpled the paper in a tight fist, his knuckles white from the effort.

She had left him?

No explanation.

No goodbye.

Just…gone.

He scooped up the gift and the sealed card, carrying them both to the living room while he poured himself a stiff drink. After knocking back a whiskey in one gulp, he poured himself another and dropped into a leather chair, setting the drink on the coffee table beside him.

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 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?