Seducing Simon (20 page)

“You ready to go?” Simon asked as he barged through the front entrance.

Toni looked up from the desk and smiled welcomingly. “Yeah. Let me grab my purse.”

As they walked out together, she turned casually to him. “Mind if we skip dinner tonight?”

He opened the door for her, and she slid into the truck. “Sure, but what’s up?”

She waited until he walked around to his side and climbed in behind the wheel. “I want to go look at a house that’s coming up for rent.” She held her breath, waiting for his reaction.

He turned in surprise. “But I thought you weren’t going to move out until after the baby’s born?”

“That was the plan, but Marnie told me about this house and it sounds perfect. And if I wait, I’ll lose out.” He started the engine and backed out of the parking lot. “Okay, I’ll go with you.” But he was still frowning.

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They drove toward their house but turned down the gravel road just before the entrance to their subdivision. A quarter mile down the dusty road, he pulled up in front of a small frame house.

The yard encompassing a half-acre at the most was quartered in with a chain length fence. Green shutters stood out against the white painted wood of the house. It looked well kept and clean even it resembled a matchbox. But then she didn’t require much space for her and the baby.

John came out on the front porch as they got out and motioned them inside. Simon tucked an arm around her waist and guided her up the steps.

Once inside she looked around the small living room. Beyond, she could see the eat-in kitchen, and she moved in that direction. The space was adequate, and it had all the necessary appliances. Stove, refrigerator, microwave and dishwasher.

“There’s a small laundry room off the kitchen,” John said pointing to the doorway by the pantry.

As they walked toward the other end of the house, John spoke up again. “There’s two bedrooms though one is about half the size of the other.”

“Perfect for a baby’s room,” she said, beaming up at Simon. And it
was
perfect. The master bedroom was smaller than the one she currently had, but it would fit her furniture with no problem. And the second bedroom would easily fit a crib and a changing table.

The house was perfect for her, of that there was no doubt. She glanced over at Simon who had worn a perpetual frown since their arrival.

“What do you think?” she asked even though her mind was already made up.

“I don’t know,” he said doubtfully.

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Maya Banks

“It’s perfect and you know it,” she teased. “Can you tell Ms. Jameson that I’m interested?” she asked John.

“We can run over there if you like,” John offered. “She lives a mile down the road.”

She nodded. “Let’s do it.”

Simon followed her out, still frowning, but he remained silent.

Thirty minutes later, she signed a simple one-page lease and wrote a check for the deposit and one months rent. She hadn’t wanted to start paying rent so soon, but it was a small price to pay if it guaranteed her a house in Cypress. And with the money she was making working part time at dispatch, she could afford it.

As she and Simon drove home, he looked over at her. “So when do you plan to move?” His voice sounded oddly strained.

She frowned, pursing her lips in thought. “Well, it doesn’t make sense to pay rent and not use it, so I suppose I should move pretty quickly.” His expression darkened and she laughed. “Come on, Simon. Surely you can see the benefits.” She grinned evilly at him. “Think of all that time we’ll have to ourselves…” She let the thought trail off suggestively.

His eyes darkened. “You minx. I see your point.” She laughed and waggled her eyebrows at him. “Privacy has its advantages.” And if she had anything to do with it, she wouldn’t be alone in the house for long.

Matt and A.J. weren’t thrilled with the idea, but then neither was Toni if the truth be known. When it had come down to it, she had been sad to leave the house she’d lived in for so long. But she knew it was

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inevitable, and it would provide her and Simon more time to work on their relationship.

Even though she had no complaints, she was still very much in the dark about how Simon felt about her. He continued to go with her to her appointments, and he seemed as excited as she was about the baby’s development. They made love with an intensity that took her breath away. But he’d never really said how he felt about her.

She sighed as she packed yet another box for one of the guys to take to Simon’s truck. She only had a few weeks before her self-imposed deadline for telling Simon the truth was up, and she had hoped they would have things resolved between them by then.

“You about done?” Simon asked as he stood inside the doorway to her room.

“Last one,” she announced, shoving the box across the floor to him.

He hoisted it up in his arms and walked away, leaving her sitting on the floor of her empty room. She glanced around it, trying not to feel melancholy about leaving. She should be excited. For the first time since she’d gone off to college, she was striking out on her on. And frankly, she was long overdue.

She struggled to get up, stretching as she stood. A quick glance around told her she’d gotten everything.

“You sure this is what you want?” Matt asked from the door.

She looked over to see him watching her in concern. She smiled at him. “I’m sure.”

He closed the distance between them and hugged her tightly. “I’m going to miss you.”

She snorted even though
I’ll miss you too
strained to spill from her lips. “I’m just a mile away. You aren’t getting rid of me that easily.”

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Maya Banks

“The door is always open here, Toni.” He stared at her, his eyes serious. “You’re moving out changes nothing. This is your home. You are always welcome here.”

“I know,” she said hugging him again. “And I won’t be a stranger. I promise.”

“Better not be,” he said gruffly. “I’ll come drag your ass out of your house kicking and screaming if I have to.”

“Y’all ready?” A.J. shouted from the door.

“Be right there,” she called back. “Well. That’s it.” Matt threw an arm around her and guided her toward the door. “Let’s go get you unpacked.”

The three guys stayed to make sure Toni didn’t handle any of the larger boxes. Toward dinner, Matt and A.J. made their escape but Simon stayed behind, helping Toni put away the new dishes she had bought for the kitchen.

“Want pizza? I called in an order awhile ago,” she asked coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his back.

He turned in her arms and pulled her tight against him. “Sounds good.” He bent to kiss her. “Like your new house?”

“I do actually,” she said with a smile. “It feels homey. And it’s mine.

It’s a neat feeling.”

“Want company tonight?” he asked innocently.

“Hmmm, sounds like a proposition to me,” she said, snuggling deeper into his chest. This would be a perfect time to tell him. She faltered, finding it suddenly difficult to breathe.

She drew away and looked intently into his eyes. Eyes filled with such affection. And love? She drew in a deep breath. “Simon?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“There’s something I need to tell you,” she said in a low voice.

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He looked curiously at her. “Sure, go ahead.” She opened her mouth to spill her damning secret when the doorbell rang. Nearly weak with relief at the interruption, she smiled. “Pizza’s here.”

Coward. Pathetic coward. She brushed her hair then threw the brush down on her dresser in disgust. She’d blown the perfect chance to tell Simon the truth. Closing her eyes, she cursed herself with vehemence.

Things were only getting more complicated. Before she didn’t want to tell him for fear he would commit himself to her out of obligation. Now, she feared his anger, his hatred when she was so close to gaining his love.

Feeling slightly nauseous, she made herself finish getting ready for work. Simon had left fifteen minutes ago for the station. She blushed when she imagined Matt and A.J.’s reaction to his spending the night with her.

If only she could be assured of his feelings. If he had any. No, she knew he had feelings for her. She just didn’t know what
kind
of feelings.

She groaned and clenched her fists in frustration. This was eating her alive, and she couldn’t take it much longer. She slipped on a light jacket and stepped out into the late November morning air. It was a bit cooler than normal for this time of year, and she wondered if they were in for a colder winter. Anything colder than mild was considered frigid, she thought with a smile.

At the vet’s office, she set about the morning routine as the early drop-offs for spaying and neutering flooded in. At nine when their regular

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patient load started to filter in, she was surprised to see Mrs. Hauffrey come in without her poodles.

“Good morning, Mrs. Hauffrey,” she said politely.

“Good morning, Antonia.”

“Do you need something for Fifi or Fritz?”

“Oh, I popped in to select a new collar,” she said airily.

Liar. She didn’t allow anything but the finest leather to touch her darlings’ necks. Toni narrowed her eyes waiting for the real reason for the harridan’s visit. She didn’t have to wait long.

As Mrs. Hauffrey made a show of looking over the selection of collars in a display by the desk, she turned and glanced back at Toni. “I heard you moved out to the widow Jameson’s house.” Toni clenched her teeth and rolled her eyes. Why her actions caused so much interest in Cypress she would never know. She was hardly worthy of an entire gossip session. “Yes, that’s right,” she said casually, busying herself with the charts lying on the desk.

“It’s about time,” the woman muttered.

“I beg your pardon?” Toni asked in disbelief.

Mrs. Hauffrey turned her full attention to Toni, smiling brightly. “I merely thought it was high time you moved out of that house. Highly inappropriate, living with
three
unmarried men. It’s no wonder you ended up in your present state.” Her tone was scandalized, and she puffed as she spoke.

Anger made Toni tremble, and she forgot any restraint she thought to practice. “Listen to me you, old windbag. I don’t care what you or anyone else thinks about me. Those men you sneer about are my family, and if nothing else, I defend my family. If I hear so much as a word about you spreading rumors about them, I’ll tell everyone what you really do when you supposedly attend Bible study in Beaumont on Tuesday nights.”

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Mrs. Hauffrey flushed a dark purple. She opened her mouth then closed it again, her flabby jaws flapping up and down like a sheet in the breeze. “You…how…” she sputtered off unable to complete her protest.

She turned and stalked out of the office, slamming the door shut behind her.

Toni chuckled and shook her head. She should have done it a long time ago, stood up to battleaxe, but she’d never wanted to cross the woman. Now, if the woman was smart, she’d steer clear of Toni.

After a phone call to Lonnie at dispatch to confirm her schedule for the weekend, she collected her keys and headed home. Usually she kept the same hours at dispatch as Simon did at the firehouse so they’d have the same evenings off, but tonight she was looking forward to a night alone in her new house.

As much as she had bucked the idea of moving, she now realized it was the best thing she’d ever done. She felt freer, less confined, and definitely more independent. She loved the guys, but they had smothered her for too long. And being away had given her and Simon much needed time to pursue their relationship.

The phone was ringing as she let herself in and she hurried over to answer.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Simon’s voice sounded over the receiver.

She smiled, unable to control her visceral reaction to his voice. “Hey.

Slow night?”

“Yeah, not much going on. How was work?” She made a face. “I told Mrs. Hauffrey off. Otherwise pretty boring.”

“Whoa. What did the old bat do now?”

She related the conversation and Simon broke into laughter. They talked a few more minutes before he started to end the call. “You work in dispatch in the morning, but you have Sunday off right?”

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“Yeah, same as you.” He knew all this already, but she figured he was working up to something.

“You coming by to watch football on Sunday?” he asked.

She smiled, realizing what he was getting at now. The guys had likely put him up to it. “Tell Matt and A.J. I’ll be there.” He laughed and hung up.

She padded out of the kitchen and into her living room. Her furniture was nothing fancy, but it was hers. She glanced around the room in pride. She’d always dreamed of having her own place. Of course, she’d always imagined having a family to go with it, and she wouldn’t be renting her house. She’d own it.

With a deep sigh, she leaned back on her couch and hit the remote to turn the TV on. It could be worse. She could be completely alone.

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Seducing Simon

Toni yawned and rolled her eyes as she dispatched an ambulance to the Morrison residence. Sam Morrison dialed 911 at least once a week claiming he was smothering on the account his oxygen wasn’t working.

Toni thought it was more likely he was lonely and enjoyed the paramedics fussing over him.

“Slow day,” Cody said with a yawn. “At this rate, we won’t need Sarah to come in at noon.”

Toni nodded, leaning back in her swivel chair and spinning slowly around. The scanner was even quiet, which meant a truly slow day all the way around. Dispatch kept a scanner on at all times monitoring the fire and police frequencies. Many times it allowed them to react quicker to emergencies. They could have an ambulance en route several minutes before someone called it in. In this business, a few minutes could mean the difference between life and death.