"No. Wait." She took a deep breath, knowing she had to set Simon straight. Going back to the condo with him wasn't an option. "I can't go home with you, Simon. I'll go back to Maddie's. I'll be fine. They caught one guy and the other one is probably running scared. I doubt his main concern is to come after me."
His body tensed, the pressure on her hand increasing as his fingers clenched and released, his eyes shooting her a dangerous glance. "The matter isn't up for debate. You. Are. Coming. With. Me." he answered with a growl.
She released a frustrated breath. "You aren't my keeper. I don't need one. I've been alone for a long time." And lonely, missing Simon, although she hadn't known who she was missing at the time.
The pain was horrific when I was away from him. I can't go through another goodbye later. Spending any more time with him is dangerous. It will just hurt twice as much to part from him after spending more time with him, making more memories to torture myself with when I'm alone again.
"Yeah...well...get used to having company, sweetheart," he snorted, his eyes gleaming with possession, his expression raw and feral. "As long as you're in danger, I won't be very far away. And you won't be without protection."
She shuddered, trying to pull her hand from his fierce grip. He wasn't hurting her and his grasp wasn't tight enough to make her uncomfortable. It was actually just the opposite. Simon made her feel safe, and that terrified her. There was no possible way she could let herself get used to being treated like she was actually a woman he cherished. "You can't tell me what to do. We've only known each other for a handful of weeks. Why are you concerning yourself about my safety?" Her voice was rough, emotional and probably slightly panicky. She needed to distance herself, but it was difficult. Needy and raw after her experience the night before, she wanted nothing more than to throw herself into Simon's arms and let him hold her there, safe in his warm masculine embrace until she recovered her equilibrium.
"Your safety has been my concern for over a fucking year!" he blasted back at her, his voice low and husky. "And there hasn't been a day that has passed in all that time when I haven't been completely obsessed with whether or not you were safe."
"But we just met a few weeks ago..." Her voice was barely audible, confused.
He blew out an uneven breath, his face ravaged with uncertainty as he looked away, staring blankly at the sterile, white wall in front of him. "Mom talked about you all the time. She pointed you out to me over a year ago while you were serving in the restaurant." He sighed, as though resigned to completing his explanation. "I can't really explain it because I don't understand it myself, but from that moment on, I felt compelled to look out for you. Fuck, I even followed you home every night just to make sure you got to your apartment safely."
Stunned, she asked in a hesitant voice, "Like I was your friend because I was a friend of your mother's?"
He turned his head and gave her heated, masculine look. "No. Like a goddamn obsession that I couldn't control. Like you're mine to protect." He hit her with his I-want-to-fuck-you-until-you-scream stare, the heat rolling from him in waves.
Should it bother her that Simon had been watching her, following her like a pseudo stalker? Maybe it should, but it didn't. Instead, she felt eerily calm, her heart melting inside her chest as she watched his tortured expression. He had stayed in the background, silently watching over her like a dark guardian angel, never expecting anything in return. Thinking back on her conversation with Helen at the restaurant, she was relieved to see that Simon's protective, rescuer instincts were still intact. "Why me? There must be tons of women who could use your protection."
Simon shrugged, but the intense look on his face was far from nonchalant. "I have no idea. You're the only woman who's ever made me feel this way." He choked out the last few words, obliviously damn unhappy about his inability to control his actions.
She shook her head gently, still trying to come to terms with the fact that Simon had been trying to protect her for the last year. Really, what sort of guy did something like that? What gorgeous billionaire took the time to check on the safety of a nobody, a woman who kept a low profile, a woman who should have been far beneath his notice. She didn't think herself beneath anyone simply because she was poor...but reality was reality. Men of Simon's status simply didn't notice women like her. They were too busy accumulating more wealth, being king of their empires. "Looking out for me because I was your mother's friend was very kind of you. But you can't protect me forever."
He got up from his chair slowly and seated himself gently on the bed, facing her. "You don't get it, do you? I'm not the least bit kind." His words belied his actions as he carefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his index finger trailing lightly over her temple and stroking over her cheek, as soft as a feather. "My behavior wasn't magnanimous or unselfish. I wanted to fuck you. I think that's a pretty damn self-serving motivation." His tone was dry, self-mocking.
She bit back a smile, wondering why he always had such an aversion to someone calling him kind. "If that was your motive, then why didn't you? You could have made your presence known, asked your mom to introduce us. I think it's pretty obvious that I'm attracted to you." More than attracted.
He jerked his hand away from her face, averting his eyes. "I forgot about your pain medication. I'm sure you're hurting." He slapped the call button for the nurse.
A response came immediately from the small speaker attached to the call button. "Can I help you?" The voice sounded young and female.
"Ms. Foster needs some pain medication." Simon's answer was abrupt: he came to his feet as he spat out the order.
"Someone will be right there." The faceless voice answered as the call light went from red to black.
Kara's head was still spinning from his brusque dismissal...or was it avoidance?...of her question. She tipped her head back to look at his face. He was scowling down at her, his face implacable.
Crossing her arms in front of her, she met his ferocious look with a small smile. "That tactic won't work on me anymore," she told him quietly.
"What tactic?" he rumbled, his arms crossing just like hers, challenging her, his expression unreadable.
"The one where I'm supposed to feel like I'm Little Red Riding Hood and you're the big, bad wolf." She lifted an eyebrow, refusing to look away from his disgruntled face. Simon Hudson could scowl, growl and snarl all he wanted to, but she had his number. Somewhere beneath his gruff, bossy exterior, there was a layer of compassion and benevolence that he would probably never show to the world. But she saw it, she recognized it. If he had really just wanted to screw her, he could have come forward, met her in person. It would have saved him valuable time.
He leaned down slowly, so slowly that her breath seized, as those molten dark eyes glinted with tiny flames and focused intently on her, making her want to squirm. Her body quivered, the waves of intense masculinity that were pulsating around her making her body react. His mouth lowered to her ear, the heat of his breath heavy against her neck and the side of her face. "Don't be so sure that I'm not the big, bad wolf, little girl. I'd gobble you up in a heartbeat." His low, menacing voice sent a shiver down her spine, but not from fear. Longing slammed into her body with hurricane force.
Her pent-up breath escaped in a tremulous sigh as the nurse entered the room, forcing Simon to straighten up and move away from the bed. The efficient, middle-aged woman gave Kara her medication and took her vital signs. After doing a quick assessment, the woman left, only after asking if there was anything else Kara needed and getting a negative reply.
"I'm surprised that I don't have a roommate," she muttered quietly after her nurse had departed. "This hospital is usually pretty busy." She had done clinicals at the facility and at this time of year, the rooms were generally filled as soon as they were vacated.
Simon flipped his chair around and sat in it backwards, his forearms resting casually along the wooden back. For the first time since she'd opened her eyes, he grinned.
"There are some benefits to being a billionaire who just happens to be a generous donor to medical charities." The chair was close to the bed, his teasing eyes close enough to be visible in the muted light.