Mine Forever (Book 3: The Billionaire’s Obsession Trilogy)(2)

"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.