Seducing Simon (18 page)

“You were staring awfully hard.”

She looked guiltily away, but chuckled in an attempt at dry humor.

“Surely you’re used to girls staring at you.”

“But I’m not used to you staring at me.” Swallowing a deep gulp, she chanced a look back at him. “Does it bother you?”

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“I suppose it’s best to be totally honest with each other,” he began. “I admit, this is a little weird for me. I honest to God thought I was losing my mind when I started looking at you as something other than a good pal. I felt guilty, confused, and a little betrayed.”

“Betrayed?”

“Yeah, I mean I wasn’t supposed to be looking at you like that, much less thinking the things I was thinking. But I was anyway.” Her cheeks grew warm. “Yeah well, try doing that for a few years.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” he asked.

“Why didn’t you?” she countered.

“Good point. I guess we’re both hopeless,” he said with a chuckle.

“Is this going to ruin things, Simon?”

He took his eyes off the highway and looked at her for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. I hope it will make things even better.” His hand crept over and he loosely threaded his fingers through hers.

The rest of the ride home went by in a blur. They had light conversation about nothing in particular but their hands stayed entwined.

As they pulled into the driveway at home, Toni’s brow furrowed as she saw a red Honda Accord parked beside her Jeep. “Isn’t that Starla’s car?” she asked, though she knew exactly whose car it was.

“Yeah,” he muttered as he shut off the ignition.

Not waiting for him to open the door for her, she slid out of the truck and met him around the front. Hating the intense feeling of insecurity that gripped her, she wiped the palms of her hands on her jeans as they started for the door.

They didn’t get past the foyer when A.J. ambled down the hallway from the kitchen. “Thought I heard you guys.” He gestured with his

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thumb over his shoulder and whispered, “She’s been here all afternoon.

Poor Matt’s been stuck entertaining her.” Toni froze as Simon moved past A.J. en route to the living room.

“Why is she here?” she hissed at A.J.

He shrugged as they fell in behind Simon. “I don’t know but she wasn’t leaving until she talked to Simon. She’s been sitting here for two hours.”

“Good grief.”

“There you are,” Starla exclaimed when they all walked into the living room. She rose from the couch where Matt sat with a very relieved look on his face. “I had about given up on you. Where on earth have you been?”

She stopped in front of Simon and casually brushed her hand across his arm. Toni looked at her in disgust, recognizing the gesture from Mike’s advice to her on how to get Simon to notice her.

“Toni and I went to the beach,” Simon replied.

She laughed. “In October? I suppose Toni couldn’t get one of the other guys to go.”

“Oh please,” Toni muttered. She turned and walked back into the kitchen, unable to stomach the sight of Starla and Simon together. But then she’d never been able to before either.

“Did you need something?” Simon prompted.

Toni swung around taking interest once more in the conversation behind her.

Starla looked momentarily confused then smiled brightly. “I wanted to make sure you hadn’t forgotten about tomorrow.”

“Oh cripes, I had forgotten,” Simon said slapping his hand to his forehead.

“Forgotten what?” Toni asked walking back over.

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“I promised Starla I’d drive her to Houston tomorrow,” he said in an uneasy voice.

Toni’s eyes narrowed. “Is there a reason she can’t drive herself? I’d say she drove over here just fine.”

A.J. wrapped an arm around her waist tightening his hand. He was clearly warning her not to lose her temper, but damn it, had Simon really made a date with Starla and not told her about it?

“Oh you’re so funny, Toni,” Starla said, her tinkly laughter rubbing over Toni like sandpaper. “You always did have such a superb sense of humor. It’s no wonder Simon likes you so much.” She paused a moment, and her eyes dropped down to the swell of Toni’s stomach. “And congratulations. I never did get to offer my well wishes on your pregnancy. I’m sure being a single mom will suit you perfectly.”

Toni stared at Starla’s hair, picturing it wrapped around her fingers as she yanked it all out. “Why thank you, Starla. Being single suits you as well.” She turned around in disgust and stalked to her room unable to stomach Starla’s saccharine attitude.

What had been a perfectly good day now lay in ruins. Nothing could salvage it now. Not unless a giant anvil dropped from the sky and crushed Starla in a scene reminiscent of Wylie Coyote.

She could understand why Starla was pursuing Simon. Starla would have to be nuts not to see how badly she’d screwed up. What she didn’t understand, however, was why Simon wasn’t telling Starla to go fly a kite. Could he still be in love with Starla? And if he was, where did that leave her?

Quickly disrobing, she started stepped into the shower and turned the water on full blast. As she washed the salt and grime from her skin,

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she agonized over what was transpiring in the living room. She didn’t even try to pretend she didn’t care.

She toweled off and hastily dressed. She refused to act like a sulky child and stay in her room in a huff. Starla would not get the satisfaction of the last word. Nor would Toni allow her to see how affected she was by her presence.

But when she returned to the living room, she found both Starla and Simon gone. She stared dumfounded for a minute then looked over at A.J. “Where’s Simon?”

“He took Starla home,” A.J. offered reluctantly.

“Have I entered the twilight zone?” She dropped onto the couch in exasperation. “I mean I could swear I just went out on a date with Simon.

Or did I imagine that part?”

A.J. stared at her clearly having no clue what to say.

“And what’s up with Miss Helpless needing Simon to take her places?

Did she not drive over here?”

“I don’t even know what to tell you,” A.J. finally said. The look of sympathy in his eyes irritated her more. Apparently Starla still had a hold on Simon. Why else would he be jumping to do her bidding? And what was with all that gibberish he’d spouted about being attracted to her if he still had a thing for Starla?

She rubbed her head in a tired gesture. What a waste of what had been a truly spectacular day. “I’m going to bed,” she muttered as she rose from the couch.

“Toni, I’m sorry,” A.J. offered.

“Not nearly as sorry as Simon’s going to be,” she said with a twist of her lips. “I’ll see you on Monday, okay? Have a good one at work tomorrow.”

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She went back to her room and curled up with her pregnancy book.

One thing was for sure. She wasn’t going to sleep until she knew what time Simon came back in.

At midnight, she heard a truck pull in and moments later the kitchen door open and close. Expecting Simon to come to her room she waited for his knock. But it never came.

Finally, she set aside her book and walked quietly to her door and peeked out. The house was dark. Evidently he had gone straight to bed.

Anger simmered within her. What kind of game was he playing? Did he honestly expect her to sit quietly on the side while he continued his thing with Starla? Why had he even asked her out if he was still interested in Starla?

She crawled back in bed, angry because her perfect day lay in tatters.

Before she had gone to great lengths to avoid a confrontation of any sorts. But no longer. Simon was going to hear about it.

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Sunday Toni left the house early. There was no way she was going to spend the day waiting around for Simon to get home from chauffeuring Starla around. She was too steamed to have a coherent conversation at any rate. Better to wait until she was a great deal calmer.

Monday she sat behind the desk at the office devising a hundred ways of telling Simon exactly what she thought about him. As if she had conjured him up by sheer will, the door opened and he strode in shortly after noon.

She looked guardedly at him as he approached the desk.

He held up his hands. “Before you start I want to apologize.”

“I don’t think the English language has enough words to help you,” she said acidly.

His green eyes looked intently at her, his expression contrite. “At least give me a chance to explain.”

She made a show of checking her watch. “You’ve got two minutes.”

“I’m sorry Starla ruined our day. I didn’t know she was coming over, and I honestly forgot I had promised to drive her to Houston.” Toni leaned forward in her chair, placing her hands on the counter.

“Why exactly did you agree to it in the first place?”

“She needed someone to help her.”

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She stood and dug her fists into her waist. “You know what your problem is, Simon? You’re too nice. I don’t think you’ve ever said no to anyone in your life.”

“Somehow I never thought that would be a negative,” he said dryly.

“It is when you can’t say no to a dirty, lying bitch who cheated on you.” Taking a deep breath, she launched into her prepared speech.

“Look, Simon. I am not going to share you with Starla or anyone else for that matter. You have a choice to make and you better make it soon because at this point in the game I can’t afford to waste my time with someone who isn’t in it for the long haul. If you want Starla fine. Then quit screwing with me and take her back. But if you want to see where this takes us, then I need to quit seeing Starla at my house every time I turn around.”

As she finished, a slow grin spread across Simon’s face. “Why don’t you come around the counter so I can give you my answer up close and personal.” He crooked his finger at her.

She raised an eyebrow. “It seems to me it’s you who ought to be groveling. You can come here.”

He laughed. “Stubborn as always. All right. I’m not too proud to beg.” He sauntered around the desk and came to a stop inches away from her.

Then he pulled her into his arms and cupped her cheek in one palm. “I’m truly sorry. There is nothing between me and Starla, I swear. She needs a friend right now and I was the only one she could talk to.”

“You must be completely blind,” she muttered.

He lowered his lips to hers and tugged gently at her bottom lip with his teeth. “Can I make it up to you over dinner?” he murmured between kisses.

She felt her anger melting under his onslaught of kisses. A slight smile curved her lips. “I could be persuaded.”

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“Good. I’ll pick you up at five and we’ll drive into Beaumont.”

“What about my Jeep?”

“We’ll pick it up after dinner.”

He kissed her lingeringly, his fingers sliding over the curve of her jaw.

“I’ll see you later.”

She plopped back down after he’d left and struggled to remember why she’d ever been mad at him. The man was lethal. Butterflies bubbled in her stomach and a prickly chill snuck over her as she recounted his kisses.

The rest of the afternoon crept by as she kept a vigil by the clock. The minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness. She busied herself cleaning the counters then she went back and cleaned out all the cages.

At two, she assisted Doc in a spaying and afterwards he told her to go home. She checked her watch and frowned. Simon was supposed to pick her up after work, but she was a good hour and a half early. She had more than enough time to go home and shower and then she could leave her jeep at home when they went out.

Humming to herself, she hopped into her jeep and started home.

Once again, as she pulled into the drive, Starla’s red Accord gleamed in the sunlight. Toni frowned and shut off her engine, debating whether she even wanted to go inside.

The memory of Simon’s heated kisses brought a smile to her lips, and she clamored out of the Jeep. Simon had assured her that he wasn’t interested in rekindling his relationship with Starla, and she was going to believe him.

She let herself into the kitchen and looked around. She froze when she saw Simon and Starla in the living room standing by the couch.

Starla’s head rested on his chest and his hand hung limply on her back.

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She let her keys slide from her fingertips and hit the counter with a clatter. Simon’s head jerked up, his eyes flashing in surprise. “Toni…”

“Am I interrupting anything?” she asked acidly, not moving from the bar.

Starla turned red-rimmed eyes to Toni, then looked away, refusing to meet her gaze any longer. “I have to go,” she mumbled, breaking away from Simon and shuffling past Toni.

Toni stared at the door until she heard Starla’s car drive away. She swiveled back to Simon who was still standing in the living room wearing a grim expression. What the hell was going on?

He looked at her, his expression bleak, then he walked over and slid an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry you came home to that.”

“Was that you giving her the brush off?” she asked, daring to hope.

He shook his head, quickly dashing her enthusiasm. “She’s sick, Toni.”

She lifted an eyebrow waiting for him to expound.

“Cancer.”

“Oh.” Her mouth rounded in shock. “Really?” He squeezed her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. “Yeah.

Cervical cancer. Her last visit to the gynecologist was her first clue. The tests just came back positive.”

Realization dawned on Toni. “Was that what the trip to Houston was about?”

He nodded and suddenly Toni felt about an inch tall. “But why didn’t you just say so? Why did you let me think…”

“That I was getting back with her?” he finished.

“Yeah.”

He smiled. “Maybe I wanted you to be jealous. Ever think about that?”

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