Seducing Simon (17 page)

He ran a hand through his hair and started pacing in front of her. “I know I probably hurt you with the way I reacted last time, and I’m sorry.

I honestly didn’t know how the hell to act. I wanted you badly, had wanted you for quite awhile, and suddenly you kissed me. I felt like a toad for taking advantage of you when you were vulnerable. And,” he said after a long pause. “I didn’t want to screw up our friendship.” She stared at him open-mouthed. She knew she must look ridiculous gaping at him like an idiot, but she couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Here was Simon admitting he was attracted to her. He laid a kiss on her that had curled every single one of her toes, and all she could do was stand, speechless.

“Now, I’ve laid my cards on the table,” he murmured, stroking a hand through her hair. “Now suppose you tell me why you kissed me.”

“Couldn’t you kiss me again and forget about talking?” she asked hopefully.

He chuckled and dipped his head to kiss her lips. In between kisses he said, “I have no qualms about kissing you again, but it isn’t going to get you out of answering me.”

“Mmmm,” she murmured against his lips.

He drew away slowly, his eyes half lidded. “Now, talk to me.” Feeling a bit more confident now that she had the man of her dreams showering her with kisses, she cleared her throat. “I’ve had the biggest crush on you forever. I’ve been doing everything I can think of to get you to notice me, and until now thought I’d failed miserably.”

“You little minx. Do you mean to tell me the sexy lingerie, the braless T-shirt, that was all for my benefit?”

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She blushed. “Yes. Mike gave me the ideas.” He nearly choked and dissolved into a coughing fit. “Wait a minute.

You mean to tell me Mike was coaching you on how to seduce me?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted,” he said with a shake of his head.

“Well I had to do something,” she said defensively. “I didn’t know how to make you see me as anything more than a little sister.”

“You certainly succeeded,” he murmured. “Now that we have this settled, I have plans for us for the weekend. Starting as soon as you get off from work.”

She looked regretfully at him. “I have to work dispatch tonight.”

“Not anymore,” he said in a smug tone. “I cleared it with Lonnie. You have the night off and you don’t go back to work until next Wednesday.

You need the time off. You aren’t taking care of yourself and I plan to remedy that this weekend.”

Liquid heat curled in her stomach and spread into her chest. A huge silly grin fought to break out of her lips. She had the insane urge to twirl round and round in delight. And once again reality crashed in.

She still had to tell him about the baby.

“Why the frown?” he asked in concern.

“Oh nothing,” she said brightly. “A weekend off sounds heavenly.

What do you have in mind?”

He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “You’ll see.” He leaned over to kiss her once more, his lips lingering on hers for a long moment. “I’ll see you in an hour at the house. Don’t be late.” He winked at her and walked out of the door.

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Maya Banks

Toni sagged against the counter. Holy moly, that man was sex in a jar. A giddy thrill washed through her and she succumbed to the desire to do a victory dance.

She bopped out to the front where Marnie was sitting, a wide grim nearly splitting her face in two.

“What’s got you so chipper?” Marnie asked giving her a speculative glance.

“You just saw the sexiest man who ever lived go through that door,” she said, easing into the chair beside Marnie.

The older woman’s eyes twinkled. “I thought he might have something to do with that spring in your step. It’s about time you landed that young man.”

“Oh, I haven’t landed him yet. But I’ve definitely got him on the hook.

Now if I can just reel him in.”

On the way home she thanked God there weren’t any cops out because she was exceeding the speed limit by a good ten miles an hour.

When she pulled into the drive she saw all three trucks there and frowned. Somehow A.J. and Matt being there hadn’t fit with her expectation of the evening.

When she walked in, she was immediately met by Simon who planted a kiss on her lips. “Hey gorgeous,” he said in a husky voice.

A ridiculously large smile burst forth from her lips.

“Now that’s more like it,” he said guiding her into the kitchen. “I haven’t seen you smile like that in weeks.” Matt and A.J. were in the kitchen doing something that suspiciously resembled cooking. She glanced questioningly at them and A.J. winked at her. “Never let it be said I don’t love you. I’m slaving over a hot stove in your honor.”

“What’s going on?” she asked Simon as he ushered her onto a stool.

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“You’ve been overdoing it, and tonight we’re going to wait on you hand and foot. That is if knuckle head over there hasn’t managed to burn dinner.”

“I resemble that remark,” A.J. joked.

Matt set a plate in front of her and a tall glass of tea.

“You guys didn’t have to do this,” she protested.

“Don’t worry,” A.J. said leaning over and whispering in a conspiratorial voice. “Matt and I are leaving after dinner.” Her cheeks flamed, and A.J. laughed and returned to the stove.

Moments later, he and Matt served up a plate of steaming spaghetti and fresh rolls. They talked over dinner, and for the first time in several weeks, the easy rapport between them all was back.

After dinner, Matt and A.J. cleared away the dishes then made a big show of going out. When they’d gone, Simon guided Toni to the couch and made her sit down. He eased down beside her and put an arm around her back. “Now that they are gone, I thought you could spend a nice relaxing evening. You’re dead on your feet.”

“I am tired,” she admitted.

“Tomorrow I’d like to take you out on a real date.” She smiled up at him. “I’d like that.”

He caught her lips with his and gently cupped her cheek in his palm.

She sighed in utter contentment and lost herself in his touch. When he drew away, she rested her head on his chest, snuggling against his warmth. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, anything,” his chest rumbled against her ear as he replied

“When did you become attracted to me?”

“Hmmm well, I think the first time I really took notice was the night Starla and I broke up.”

She stiffened against him, her heart swelling in panic.

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Maya Banks

“I remember thinking all women should be more like you. Honest, understanding, supportive, straightforward.”

“You make me sound like a faithful dog,” she said in amusement.

“I mean it as the sincerest compliment.” She pulled away and looked up at him. “What about Starla? Are you two still seeing each other?”

A shuttered look fell over his face. “We aren’t seeing each other. I mean we aren’t dating. I’ve seen her a couple of times just to talk, but there’s nothing between us anymore.”

Unease fell over her as she witnessed his discomfort. Did he still have feelings for her? He’d dated Starla for a long time. Had even been ready to propose to her. It had to have been hard to get over her that quickly.

“Let’s talk about something else,” he said. “How about when you decided you were attracted to me.”

“That’s easy,” she muttered. “Only for bloody ever.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” she sighed.

She leaned forward to kick off her shoes and rubbed one of her feet in a soothing gesture.

“Here, let me,” he offered, rearranging himself on the couch so he held her feet in his lap. He began massaging the souls and working his way up to the instep.

She moaned in sheer bliss. Leaning back against the arm, she closed her eyes and gave herself over to the exquisite pleasure of the foot rub.

Her eyes fluttered drowsily as she succumbed to her fatigue.

Simon looked up to see she’d fallen asleep while he rubbed her feet.

He smiled and continued massaging for a few minutes then he gently lowered her feet off his lap.

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Quietly, so as not to disturb her, he got up and retrieved a blanket from the hall closet. He eased it over her and tucked her in. He stood and watched the even rise and fall of her chest for a long time. One thing was certain. If she was going to be his, he’d make damn sure she took better care of herself.

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Maya Banks

Toni woke and stretched languidly. The living room ceiling came into focus, and her brow furrowed as she tried to remember how she’d gotten on the couch. The last thing she remembered was getting a foot rub that rivaled any thing she’d ever experienced.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Simon’s face came into view. He carried a tray that he set on the coffee table in front of the couch.

She sat up, the blanket falling to her waist. “Smells good.”

“Eat up. We’re leaving in an hour.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Where we going?”

“How does a day at the beach sound? I packed us lunch. We can take the ferry across to Galveston and back, then enjoy a walk along the surf.” Despite being mid-October, the Texas coast was mild. It had been several months since she’d ventured down to the beach, and she couldn’t think of anything nicer than watching the sunset with Simon. She eagerly nodded her agreement and took the tray he offered.

After she ate the eggs, bacon and toast, she downed the glass of juice and rose from the couch to go shower. A half hour later she walked back into the kitchen wearing maternity jeans and one of her new maternity tops.

“You ready to go?” Simon asked as he collected the cooler from the bar.

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She nodded and they walked out to his truck. After putting the cooler in back, he opened the door for her then walked around to the driver’s seat. He paused a moment before starting the engine and looked over at her. “Here’s to our first official date.” She ducked her head, knowing she was grinning like a fool.

The drove down interstate ten toward Houston. The bright blue autumn sky was unmarred by a single cloud. Just before they turned off the beach exit, he reached over and took her hand. She smiled and curled her fingers around his.

Twenty minutes later they reached High Island and turned down the highway paralleling the shore. She strained to see over the dunes as they continued down the Bolivar Peninsula.

“Want to go on the ferry first then come back to the beach?” he asked.

She nodded in excitement. She’d already pinched herself twice to ensure she wasn’t dreaming. They really hadn’t had much time to talk about their new status, but she hoped they’d remedy that before the day was over. Then she’d have to decide at what point she dropped the bomb.

Chewing on her bottom lip, she cursed her stupidity for the thousandth time. If she’d only played it cool, she might be in this same position with Simon without the burden of being pregnant with a child he didn’t know about.

No, she wouldn’t regret it. Wouldn’t allow herself to wish her baby’s existence away. True it would be difficult to face Simon with the truth, but if things went well between them, it might not be as traumatic as she imagined.

When she looked up they were pulling into line for the ferry boarding.

Gulls swarmed overhead, lighting on the dock masts beside the boat. The drove up the ramp and parked.

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Maya Banks

“Come on,” he said, grabbing a bag with several pieces of bread in it.

“Let’s go feed the gulls.”

They weaved through the cars and stood at the back of the ferry where the gulls were already hovering. As they motored away from the dock, Toni tossed up bits of bread for the hungry birds. The gulls followed across the bay the entire way, swooping and diving to catch the bread thrown their way.

When their bread was gone, Simon pulled her back against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. He rested his chin on the top of her head and looked out over the bay with her.

“Look!” she said excitedly, pointing out over the edge of the ferry. A school of dolphins surfaced, their bodies arcing through the water in graceful unison.

They continued watching as the dolphins disappeared from view.

“That was fun,” she said bestowing a wide smile on Simon. And it was the truth. This was shaping up to be the best day of her twenty-five years.

When the ferry docked, they climbed back into Simon’s truck. “Do you want to hang out here in Galveston or get back on the ferry?” She fastened her seat belt and thought for a moment. “Let’s go back.

There won’t be many people on the peninsula so we’ll have the beaches to ourselves.”

“I like the way you think,” he said with a grin.

As they returned to the line waiting for the next ferry, she wondered, not for the first time, if they were doing the right thing. She hated this subtle awkwardness between them. Almost as if neither of them truly felt at ease with the transition they were trying to make.

If things didn’t work out, their friendship could very well fall by the wayside.

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After dinner and a long walk on the beach, they packed the cooler back up and returned to the truck to head home. They rode in silence, Toni staring out her window at the passing landscape.

“You okay?” Simon asked glancing over at her.

She offered him a smile. “Just tired.”

“I hope we didn’t overdo it.”

“Of course not. I had a wonderful time.”

“So did I,” he said after a moment.

She studied his profile as he drove, the ripple of muscles visible in his arms. She could never explain the urge that overtook her when she was around him, but she physically had to restrain herself to keep her from throwing herself in his arms. Burying her head in his broad chest and feeling his strong arms around her.

“What are you thinking?” His voice rudely brought her fantasy to an end.

She flushed. “Oh nothing.” She wasn’t going to admit that she really wished he would kiss her again. There had been several opportunities when they’d walked the beach hand in hand, but she had felt shy and uncertain.