[The Billionaire's Obsession 01.0] Simon Read online

  Coffee sloshed over her fingers as she jolted in shock, her eyes flying to his face, momentarily stunned. “That’s not possible. Lydia pays the rent. She gets my share every month.” She reached automatically for a napkin in the center of the island to clean her fingers, the pain of the superficial burn not even registering because she was too shocked by his statement. Was it a joke? Was his sense of humor completely twisted? Didn’t he know that it wasn’t nice to tease a near-destitute woman over that sort of thing?

  He finally met her gaze, his eyes grim and holding a touch of sympathy. “I’m afraid your roommate has fled. All that was in the apartment late last night was a few boxes that contained some of your school documents, birth certificate, and other paper items.”

  Kara’s hands started to shake and she twisted them together on the marble counter. It couldn’t be true. It wasn’t true. “There has to be some mistake.”

  “It’s no mistake. My assistant checked with the landlord early this morning. Your roommate was evicted, has been going through the eviction process for some time. Yesterday was the last day.” Simon took a sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving hers.

  OhmyGod, ohmyGod, ohmyGod! Kara’s mind raced as she took in the implications of his revelation. No place to live. No possessions. What the hell?

  “There has to be some mistake,” she whispered, her gaze landing on the coffee mug. Please let it be a mistake. There was no way she could catch up the rent or replace her possessions. “What about my things, my clothes?”

  “Your roommate was thorough. There was nothing there except a few boxes.”

  “It had to be the wrong place.”

  “It’s the right place, Kara. I’m sorry.”

  Simon rattled off the address and the name of her landlord and roommate. “Everything correct?”

  Tears filled her blue eyes as she nodded, unable to speak past the knot in her throat. Dear God…she had been balancing on a tightrope for years, without a net, and now she was plunging to her death just as she neared the end of the rope.

  She rarely communicated with Lydia, but she never thought her roommate was capable of something like this. They were cordial to each other, but Kara was only home at night to study and sleep, making her encounters with Lydia sporadic. She left her portion of the rent and utilities on the tiny kitchen table every month, never doubting that her roommate used it to pay their bills. Apparently, she hadn’t. “This is not happening,” she choked out, feeling as if her whole world had just shattered. And actually, it had. Just a few words-one disaster, one betrayal-was all it took to bring her life falling down around her.

  “You okay?” Simon asked hesitantly, sipping his coffee and watching her cautiously.

  “Yes. No. I don’t know,” she breathed incredulously. “I have to think.” What to do. Where to live! How to survive? She pushed the coffee cup away and buried her head in her arms in front of her. Dear God…she was destroyed. Think, Kara. Think. “I didn’t know. How could I not know?” she asked Simon, but mostly herself really, as she tried to understand how this could happen.

  “Your roommate dropped out of school last semester. Apparently, she hid everything so that she could still collect your money up until she had to leave,” Simon answered, his voice edged with anger. “I’m sorry, Kara. You have enough on your plate without this happening.”

  She raised her head and her confused, fear-filled gaze met his angry eyes with surprise. He was angry. At Lydia. At the circumstances. Simon obviously did have a heart. “E-everything is gone? The furniture, my bedroom stuff, my other belongings?” she stammered, tears choking her throat.

  “The only boxes left were brought here by my assistant, Nina. They’re on the bed in the guest room,” he said gravely. “I checked everything out, Kara. It was legal. Your roommate took everything on the very last day. If you had gone home last night, you would have found an empty apartment. I’m glad you were spared that particular late-night surprise. Nina gave the key back to the landlord. The locks were due to be changed. You can’t go back there.”

  No home. No bed. No place to go.

  Despair and loss welled up inside her and she suddenly couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Silent tears rolled from her eyes and all she could think about was the last four years of struggle and hardship. For nothing. All for nothing. She’d end up in a shelter, if she could find an available spot. School would have to wait until she could get back on her feet.

  “No. Oh, God, no.” She sucked in a deep breath, trying to squelch her panic, but she couldn’t.

  Her body heaving, her hands over her face, Kara Foster did something she hadn’t done since the death of her parents.

  She wept.

  The ice around Simon’s heart cracked just a little as he watched the totally despondent, forlorn woman in front of him break down in tears, her hopeless sobs twisting in his gut.

  Fuck! If he could locate her worthless roommate, he’d make her pay for every bit of pain Kara was suffering right now.

  Unable to stop himself, Simon went to her and gathered her body against his own, lifting her into his arms with careful tugs until she came to her feet and put her arms around his neck, turning her face against his chest. He could feel her body quivering, her smaller form plastered against his own, keening her misery against his shoulder.

  “Shhh…Kara. It will all be okay. I’ll take care of you.” Simon ran a hand down her silky black hair, knowing that he meant every word. It wasn’t just something he was saying to quiet her, take away her pain. He wanted to take care of this woman who had seen more than her share of bad luck and hardship, bearing it with admirable strength. She was special, and her tears nearly undid him.

  He took a deep breath and tightened his arms around her waist, splaying one hand along her slender back, moving the hand in soothing circles to calm her. She felt so good, so right in his arms. His cock twitched as he breathed in her alluring scent. She smelled like spring and Kara-a natural, enticing smell that made his mouth water.

  He cursed his twitching cock as he held her pliant, soft body against his. Now was not the time to get hard, but he wasn’t sure he could be within a mile of Kara and not get a raging erection. A warm sigh left his mouth, making a few tendrils of her hair flutter.

  Simon wanted to make all of her problems go away, banish them like they had never existed. “We’ll deal with it, Kara. I’ll help you.”

  She pulled away from him, swiping tears away with the fingers of both hands. “I got you all wet.” She hiccupped as she brushed at the front of his damp shirt.

  Simon wanted to whine as she pulled herself completely from his arms. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “I can’t bawl like a baby all day. I have to see if I can find a shelter. This has put me over the financial edge.” Her face was composed now, her expression lifeless.

  “No shelter. You can stay here. I have plenty of space.” He tried to keep his voice calm, but he was ready to wrestle her to the ground if needed. She wasn’t going to a shelter. She might be broken at the moment, but she would recover. “Think reasonably, Kara. You need help. I’m willing to help you. You can finish your last semester and live here.”

  “Why? Why would you want me here? I’m a complete stranger to you.”

  He wanted to tell her that she had never been a stranger, not since the first moment he saw her. Something had clicked inside him, something raw, and something elemental. “You need help. Everybody needs help sometimes. I had my brother. I was lucky.”

  “Simon, I can’t just take advantage of you.”

  Oh yeah, you can. Anytime you want to. Simon plopped back into his chair to hide his growing erection. Thankfully, she sat and pulled her coffee cup toward her. “You aren’t taking advantage. You’re just accepting a little assistance.”

  She snorted before taking a sip of her lukewarm beverage. “It’s more than a littl
e. I still have more than four months of school left. No money. No clothing. Nothing.”

  Even though he wanted to tell her to feel free to walk around naked, he answered, “Nina is getting you some clothes. No worries.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “I only have one condition. Otherwise, my assistance is unconditional.”

  “What is it?” She looked at him cautiously over her mug.

  “I want you to stop working while you’re in school.” He had to bite back a smile as her face turned up in a stubborn, implacable expression. This was going to be a sore subject, but he wasn’t going to lose.

  “I can’t stop working. I need to live. I have nothing,” she told him adamantly.

  “No work. I’ll help you financially. You already do forty hours a week at school and that doesn’t include study time. My offer, take it or leave it.” He wasn’t about to watch her continue to fade away. After just one night of decent sleep, the dark circles under her eyes had decreased. It would be nice to see them gone altogether and watch her eat decent meals. She might have an inner core made of steel, but damn it, her body was fragile.

  “But, I-”

  “That’s the deal. Take it or leave it?”

  He watched her face turn red and her eyes clashed with his in a disgusted stare. Simon’s breath caught silently, and his heart began to race. It was a risky move, but where else could she go? What could she do? But for a moment, for an instant that felt like an eternity, he watched her face, certain that she was going to tell him to go screw himself.

  He was dictating to her, telling her how to run her life, and instinctively, she wanted to rebel. Kara let go of a frustrated breath. His gaze was immovable and inflexible. No compromise, then. It was his way or the freeway. Did she really have a choice? She could look for a shelter, but it would mean giving up school for now and messing up the whole program. “What about my insurance, my benefits? What about the restaurant?”

  “Mom’s place will be fine. She has waitresses who want to be full-time.”

  Kara flinched as he made the statement, knowing it was true. There were other employees who would be only too happy to step into her full-time position.

  “And I’ll make sure that you stay on COBRA. You won’t lose your insurance.”

  She searched his eyes, trying to read him, but Simon was a mystery to her. Why was he doing this? Did she trust him? She hardly knew him. She trusted Helen, and Helen adored her sons. “Okay. I’ll do it. But you need to keep track of the funds and I’ll pay you back.”

  “No deal.”

  “You said you only had that one condition.” She drained her coffee, trying to keep her hands steady by grasping both sides of the mug.

  He shrugged. “It’s an add-on since you tried to change the original terms.”

  “What are you getting out of all of this? I’m going to disrupt your privacy, take your money, and you get nothing?” She gaped at him, baffled by the whole arrangement.

  “I don’t want your money. Can’t you just take the help without questioning my motives? I want to help,” he balked in an uneasy voice, finishing the last of his coffee, slamming the cup back to the table with an impatient whack.

  “I want to do something, give you something for your trouble. I’ve always paid my own way.” Agitated, she stood and collected the cups. She took them to the sink and rinsed them before putting them in the dishwasher. Honestly, she should be kissing his feet in gratitude, but being in his debt somehow bothered her. She wasn’t used to taking. From anyone! She was a survivor, doing what she needed to do just to stay one step ahead of poverty. This was so foreign, so freaking confusing.

  Kara turned around and slammed into Simon’s powerful body, a force that easily kept her body from advancing. The man was like concrete, fixed and immobile. She put her hands on his solid, muscular biceps to steady herself. “Sorry,” she mumbled, but he didn’t move away.

  “There’s only one thing I want from you, Kara.” His voice was low and husky and he bent down and inhaled, as though he were breathing in her scent. He slapped a hand on each side of the counter, pinning her.

  The man was like a seething kettle of testosterone, and every female hormone in her body was rising to happily meet the masculine lure. He surrounded her, holding her body in thrall, making her want to surrender to his dominance. Something inside her melted, wanting to sway into his powerful arms. “W-What?” What could he possibly want from her?

  She shivered as he crowded her, feeling the heat radiating from his body. Kara was five foot eight barefoot, but Simon towered over her in height, strength, and power. He leaned his head down, his lips nuzzling her ear. “You. In my bed. One night. Anything I want, anything I need.” His sultry, low whisper sent fire careening through her entire body.

  “Me?” She squeaked as his hungry lips trailed down the side of her neck, making her core clench tightly with need and her pussy moist.

  “You. One night,” he repeated as his hands moved to her hips and stroked against the silk robe, exploring her body greedily.

  Her head dropped to one side, giving him free access to let him explore the sensitive skin at the side of her neck. Oh Lord, he felt good, smelled good. She couldn’t think as his mouth descended on hers.

  Simon didn’t ask; he demanded. His tongue pushed against the seam of her lips insistently and she gave way, letting him take her, his tongue owning her mouth with demanding strokes. She released an involuntary moan into his kiss, feeling ravished and overwhelmed, her response automatic and wanting. Pushing back, she entwined his tongue with hers, exploring him, tasting him.

  Without releasing her from his impassioned embrace, his hands came up to spread her robe, running possessive fingers over the responsive flesh, the hardened nipples. He alternately pinched and stroked, heightening her desire until she was out of control. A strong, jean-clad thigh thrust between her legs and she pushed against it, desperate for the friction. Her hands plowed into his coarse dark hair, fisting as she rode a wave of erotic pleasure.

  He pulled his mouth from hers, panting as though he had run a marathon. “God, you are so hot, Kara. So responsive.” Her body was pulsating as his hand moved over her stomach. “I want one night.”

  She jerked as his fingers reached her saturated pussy, stimulating the pink, ripe flesh, moving his thigh back to explore her more thoroughly.

  “So wet, so ready,” he husked as he circled her clit. “I can smell your arousal and it’s making me crazy. I want to taste you.”

  “Oh, God. Please.” Kara was caught up in sensation, heat sizzling over every nerve ending in her body. Her hands went to his shoulders, needing the support to keep standing.

  “So sweet,” he murmured in her ear before his tongue trailed over the side of her neck, flicking in a rhythm that mimicked what he wanted to do elsewhere, overwhelming her with white-hot desire to feel it there, making her want that velvet tongue between her thighs.

  Her hips flexed, needing more contact, more of those talented, teasing fingers. “Simon, I need-”

  “I know what you need. The same thing that I need! But for now, I can give you this.” His fingers zeroed in on her needy bud, slipping through her moist folds, finding where she needed to be touched.

  She moaned as he increased the pace, the intensity. She was mindless with raw need and a whimper escaped from her lips as one hand continued his erotic torture of her breasts, while the other kept up a relentless assault on her inflamed clit. “Yes. Oh, yes.” Kara knew the passionate, hot voice was her own, but she barely recognized it. It was high-pitched, keening, begging for relief.

  His mouth swallowed her moan, as though he wanted every bit of her pleasure. She responded, nipping at his lip, opening for his possession, surrendering completely.

  Her channel clenched and she could feel the impending climax all the way to her toes. Ripping her mouth from his, she threw her he
ad back and let out a long groan as a powerful orgasm took her over, making her ride on waves of pleasure that she had never experienced before.

  Her head dropped against his shoulder as ripples continued to make her body shudder. “Oh, God. What in the hell was that?” She panted as Simon closed her robe and pulled her sagging body against his.

  “Pleasure. Just a taste of what we could have in bed,” he replied quietly, his large body rocking her slightly as she recovered. “I’d like one night, Kara. Not because you have to, but because you want it, too. I’ll help you regardless. It’s your choice whether or not to give me what I want. But be warned…I like control.”

  Still shattered, her mind in chaos, she asked haltingly, “What does that mean exactly?”

  “Total surrender,” he answered in a low, hoarse voice that vibrated with barely-controlled passion. “Think about it. Say the word and I’ll give you every ounce of pleasure that I’m capable of giving.”

  “I’m not really that experienced. I-I…you’d be disappointed.” She hadn’t had sex in more than five years and even then, only with one boyfriend. It had been her only sexual relationship, one that had lasted five years and ended badly.

  “I don’t want sexual expertise. I just want you,” he replied abruptly as he moved back, giving her space.

  Kara noticed the tense look on his face, the grooves around his mouth. Eyes dropping to his groin, she could see his large shaft straining against the denim.

  He leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. “Decide later. You’ve been through a lot today and you need to get over your illness. Rest. Eat. Relax. I’ll be in my computer lab upstairs if you need anything. Nina will be here soon with your clothes. Feel free to keep the robe. It looks good on you. But just so you know…I’ll have a raging erection every time you wear it. I’ll remember every sweet sound, every delicious response from you while you were coming in my arms.”