3
“Upstairs.”
He groaned as his mouth pulled away from hers. He gripped her ass, grinding himself against her.
“Here. Now,”
she insisted as she turned and faced the wall of the elevator. Placing her hands on the wall, she bent at the waist and opened her legs wide and told him, “My hands will stay on the wall. Please. Just do it. I need you now.”
“Fuck!”
His curse was frustrated, but so passionate that Kara wasn’t surprised to hear the zipper of his pants lowering.
Yes. Another victory.
“I need you.”
Simon’s hoarse whisper was almost inaudible. Kara knew he hadn’t meant for her to hear him, but she did. The quiet, harshly uttered words echoed in her mind, drawing forth an answering primal response that nearly brought her to her knees.
The air in the elevator was steamy and the only sound in the small, cramped space was the ragged, uneven breaths coming from their mouths, as she waited for him to impale her, to feel him filling up the lonely places inside her. “Please, Simon. Now.”
Kara nearly sobbed with relief as she felt the blunt head of his cock brush the needy flesh between her spread legs. His large hands gripped her hips with an almost savage strength, pulling her back against him, his cock slamming into her slick channel with one powerful, hard stroke.
She gasped from the pure elation of Simon’s possession. “Did I hurt you?”
Simon rasped as she felt his body tense. “You’re so tight.”
“No. No. It just feels so good.”
She pushed back against him, urging him to move.
“Jesus, Kara. You deserve better than getting fucked in a damn elevator.”
Simon groaned as he pulled back, tightened his grip on her hips and buried himself to the root inside her again. “But I can’t stop. Never want to stop.”
“You can’t stop. I couldn’t take it if you stopped. Harder, Simon. Give me more.”
Her head fell back as Simon started an even, deep rhythm that threatened to drive her insane. The coarse wool of his sweater abraded her spine as he leaned forward, his body curling around her protectively as he kept up a hard, punishing thrust with his hips. In and out. Over and over. She quivered as his hot, uncontrolled breath hit the side of her face as he nipped at the tender flesh of her neck.
Never had she experienced a need so volatile and untamed. Yearning to hold him as he pounded into her, she gripped the metal balance bar and shoved her pelvis back, meeting Simon stroke for stroke, needing the contact of skin on skin wherever she could get it.
One of his hands left her hip and slid down the front of her, between her thighs. He caressed the springy curls before his fingers slipped lower, so very close to the swollen bud of flesh right above his pounding cock.
“Oh, God!”
Every nerve in her body throbbed as Simon’s fingers circled her clit, making her hips slam back on his cock with a strength that she didn’t know she had. “Touch me. Please.”
“Come for me,”
Simon’s deep voice commanded as his fingers zeroed in on the tiny bud of flesh that was aching for his touch.
Whimpering, her head fell forward and she was blinded by the curtain of hair that was swinging wildly from Simon’s brutal thrusts. She closed her eyes, nearly unable to bear the waves of pleasure that coursed through her body as his fingers stroked relentlessly over her clit while his cock possessed her channel, owning her, taking her, melding their bodies together until she wasn’t sure whether the ruthless desire belonged to her or to Simon.
Her climax hit with a jarring explosion that had her crying out his name as spasms wracked her body, a body that was held in helpless thrall, unable to do anything except ride out the sharp, endless orgasm that was rocking her body.
“Fuck!”
Simon’s hand returned to her hip, both hands gripping her firmly, tightly as his cock cleaved into her faster, deeper. A groan that held both agony and anguish sprang from his throat as he buried himself to the hilt, flooding Kara with the heat of his release.
She would have sunk to the floor, her legs unable to hold her up, had Simon not wound a steely arm around her waist, keeping her upright. He turned her gently and wrapped his strong arms around her utterly limp body. Their breathing was heavy and labored.
She lifted her arms around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder, unable to think.
Simon supported her weight, stroking her hair gently as his breathing slowed.
It took her several minutes to speak. “I’m a mess. I need to go back to the condo for a few minutes.”
Looking at the remnants of her underwear lying on the floor, she added, “I guess I need to get a new pair of panties, too.”
Simon’s shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. “Did you lose them?”
She pulled back, her heart melting at the naughty, amused look in his eyes. “No. Some caveman ripped them off me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Must have been some lusty encounter.”
He pushed her hair back from her eyes, draping it softly over her shoulder. “I’ll buy you more.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t need more. I have several drawers filled with lingerie. I could go without doing laundry for a month. I’ve never owned so much lingerie in my entire life.”
“I’ll still get you more. If what you have is as sexy as the pair I just destroyed, it won’t last long.”
His voice was hoarse with a touch of warning flowing through his words.
His warm gaze caressed her partially clad body, lingering on every inch of bared skin.
She shuddered, imagining Simon ripping off various articles of lingerie in a fit of passion. “You can’t ruin all my lingerie. Those things are expensive.”
“I didn’t hear you complaining a few minutes ago.”
His voice was hot, sultry and filled with a promise of things to come. “I’d buy lingerie for you every day if what just happened is the result. Hell, I’d buy it for you just to see you smile.”
Kara’s heart skipped a beat, her chest aching from unexpressed emotion. How much longer could she do this? How much longer could she hide the powerful and sometimes painful emotions that Simon wrung from her with just a casual comment or a simple touch? Her brain, which had always ruled her life, and her heart were in conflict. She knew that nothing more than a casual sexual relationship and friendship would ever exist between her and this incredible man who was holding her as if she was the most important person in his life. Still, she wanted him. How pathetic was that?
Backing away, she slipped her arms back into her dress. “Can you zip me?”
She hoped she sounded casual as she gave him her back.
“Do I have to? We could skip the party.”
“Yes.”
She bit her lip to keep from smiling. He had sounded so hopeful that she couldn’t help being amused.
He didn’t answer, but she felt his finger sliding lazily over her spine before he slid the zipper up with a masculine sigh.
Turning her around, he placed one hand on her shoulder and tipped her chin up with the other, searching her face with a frown. “Did I hurt you? I was a little rough.”
Kara knew she would probably have a few bruises on her hips from his strong grip, but his rough, raw possession was something she had been begging for, something she needed. The intensity of her passion for Simon wouldn’t have been satisfied with anything less. She lifted a hand to his rough jaw. “I was there, Simon. I think I was begging for it. No, you didn’t hurt me.”
Her orgasm had been intense, but the fact that he cared about whether or not she minded his gritty, feral possession made her care just a little bit more.
I can’t believe I just had some of the hottest sex I’ve ever had in an elevator.
“Oh God, I hope nobody heard me.”
She groaned as she picked up her purse and jacket, snatching her shredded panties from the floor and shoving them quickly into her handbag.
“I doubt anyone heard you, although I’m surprised”-the red phone on the elevator panel rang, interrupting Simon in mid-sentence, piercing the silent space with a noise so shrill that Kara jumped-“that nobody called.”
Simon smirked as he finished the comment.
“Oh, God.”
Kara slumped back against the wall, mortified. While she was in the grip of ecstasy, she hadn’t thought about the fact that others would question the sudden stop of the elevator.
Simon snickered and snatched the phone from the wall. “Hudson.”
His voice was instantly professional and impatient.
She couldn’t hear the conversation at the other end, but she could tell that the voice was male.
Simon shifted as he zipped his pants, his hip leaning against the balance bar, his expression serene as he listened. How in the hell did he do that? No one would ever know that she and Simon had been screwing like their lives depended on it only a few moments ago. He looked cool and calm; she was sure she looked like she had just been thoroughly ravaged.
“No. Everything is fine. I needed something and I stopped the elevator to look for it.”
Simon’s voice was nonchalant, but he shot her a dark, wicked look, his eyes hooded, a half smile forming on his lips.
Her face heated and she shot him back a murderous glance.
“Yes. I’m quite ecstatic that I found it. Thanks for checking. Have a good night.”
Simon dropped the phone back on the hook and slapped the button to return to the condo.
She punched his shoulder. “How can you tell such a whopper without blinking an eye?”
Simon shrugged and pulled her into his arms. “I’m quite sure I probably blinked since the average person blinks every ten seconds. And what I said is absolutely true.”
He kissed her lightly on the forehead before continuing. “I needed something. I found it here in the elevator. And I was definitely ecstatic.”
She laughed. She couldn’t help it. “And I was orgasmic.”
The elevator lurched, stopping at the penthouse. “I know. That’s why I was ecstatic,”
he answered in a husky, quiet voice. “Hearing you come is the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard.”
She swallowed, trying to push down the lump that formed in her throat. Her nipples hardened as Simon reached around her body to unlock the door of the condo. His words were dripping with blunt, raw honesty.
Uncertain how to answer his comment, she made a beeline for her room as soon as he opened the door. “I’ll be out in a minute. Try not to get my new pair of panties wet this time.”
She heard a satisfied, male chuckle behind her. “Getting your panties wet is becoming my main goal in life.”
She smiled as she entered her room and pulled out a fresh pair of underwear, trying to push her own jumbled emotions aside.
Simon had trusted her enough to fuck her without binding her. Again. Maybe some day…
Small steps, Kara. Don’t expect too much. Whatever is eating at Simon has been there for a very long time. It could take years to gain his trust.
And she wouldn’t be here for years. She grimaced, her scalp crying out in protest as she ran a brush ruthlessly through her disheveled hair.
Do what you can. Enjoy what you have while you have it. And for God’s sake, don’t take all of this too seriously.
Enjoying her time with Simon was not the issue. She cherished every moment in his company because being with him filled her lonely places in a way that she had never experienced before.
I’m poor. I’m pragmatic. I am not a woman who believes in soul mates: one man and one woman who complete each other and are meant to be together.
Problem was, her parents had been like that. Poor as they had been, they had also been completely happy. In many ways, it was almost a blessing that they had gone together because Kara was almost certain that one would not have survived without the other. They had been so connected that either of her parents would have been tormented and miserable without the other. It was hard not to believe in real, soul-binding love after watching her parents for eighteen years.
She heaved a sigh and set her brush back on the vanity. Okay…maybe she did believe that love could be that intense, that consuming. But not with Simon. Never with Simon. The man was heartbreak waiting to happen. He didn’t do committed relationships and she was already on emotional overload with him.
The only way to survive her relationship with Simon was to keep it casual, not let her heart get involved.
Scooping up her jacket and purse, she sauntered toward the kitchen, hearing only two words running over and over in her head and her own self-deprecating laugh echo through her mind.
Too late. Too late.
Samuel Hudson had a lavish mansion in South Tampa, an area so affluent that Kara had never been there before, even though she had grown up in the city. She had to force her open mouth to close as James pulled the car around the circular driveway, letting them out in the front of the palatial residence.
“This is…spectacular,”
she whispered to Simon as he took her hand to help her out of the car.
“You see why I decided not to drive?”
he said in a lazy voice, his eyes scanning the expensive vehicles lining the long driveway.
“You draw quite a crowd, Mr. Hudson,”
she told him softly, her eyes roving over his handsome face. “Happy Birthday. I have a present for you, but I’ll give it to you later.”
His face lit up in a wicked, wicked grin as their eyes locked in a heated gaze. “I thought you gave it to me last night. And tonight.”
“Simon!”
She refused to blush again. She wouldn’t. Absolutely not. She was a mature, adult woman and she didn’t blush over a simple sexual comment. She was an almost-nurse for God’s sake, used to seeing the human body in all states of dress. It wasn’t like she was a young girl, but it was an infuriating fact that Simon could make her feel like one sometimes.
“Well…just saying. But I won’t argue if you want to do it again. In fact, we could go home right now-”
“In the house, birthday boy.”
She laughed as he slipped his arm around her waist and led her to the door, a small, satisfied smirk still present on his lips.
“Tomorrow night we’re going out alone,”
he muttered, his arm tightening around her body as he led her to the front door.
“Tomorrow?”
she said, confused.
“For your birthday. I’m taking you out. Alone.”
She turned to face him after they had climbed the marble steps, stopping at the huge double doors. “You aren’t taking me out. You’ve done enough. It’s not necessary.”
“It’s very necessary,”
he answered, his voice harsh. “I want to. It’s your birthday.”
The door swung open before she could answer.
“Hey, bro! Glad you finally decided to join your own party.”
Kara immediately recognized Sam Hudson. Simon had been right. He was movie-star handsome. Dressed similar to Simon, his sweater was an emerald green that nearly matched his eyes. He looked like an enormous, blond, mythological god…but in Kara’s opinion, he lacked Simon’s sex appeal. Although she could aesthetically appreciate Sam’s handsome face and gorgeous body…he had nothing on his younger brother.
Sam stood back and motioned for them to enter. Kara could feel Sam’s eyes studying her, his brain working furiously to figure her out, put her in a box. As she entered the marbled entryway, she wondered what Simon had told his brother about her.
“Kara, this is my brother Sam,”
Simon introduced them casually, his hand reaching out to take the jacket she was discarding. An elderly man, obviously an employee, took the coat from Simon’s arm.
“Well, bro, no need to ask why I haven’t seen much of you lately,”
Sam said softly, his tone mocking.
Kara extended her hand politely. “It’s nice to meet you, Sam. I’ve heard a lot about you from your mother.”
“A pleasure.”
His hand engulfed her smaller one in a firm grip, holding it a little longer than necessary. “Mom’s talked about you a lot, too. All of it good, of course,”
Sam answered, his smile brilliant and his manner persuasive.
He’s good. I see why Helen says he can charm anyone. It’s really too bad that his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
Kara reclaimed her hand by pulling it out of his grip and letting it drop to her side.
“Eat, get a drink, have a good time,”
Sam suggested jovially, slapping Simon on the back. “Happy birthday, little brother.”
“Yeah, thanks for the party,”
Simon grumbled, shooting his brother an I’ll-get-you-for-this look that only brothers could exchange as he nudged Kara toward a cluster of guests and the food in the living room.
“You love me. You know you do.”
Sam smiled, his voice teasing and arrogant at the same time.
“Not today,”
Simon snarled back.
Sam laughed wickedly as he moved away, advancing toward a group of people who were motioning for him to come over.
“Bastard,”
Simon said in a low, irritated voice.
Kara rolled her eyes, keeping her amusement to herself. “He’s your brother, Simon.”
“Not today,”
he repeated, his hand sliding across her back as he led her to the lavish food and drink tables.
Sam’s home was stunning, surprisingly decorated in white, light, airy décor that made the already-spacious mansion appear even more enormous and grand.
Well-dressed guests chatted in groups, their wealth and status obvious by their dress and their ease with the sumptuous surroundings.
Kara tried not to gawk like the penniless woman she really was, but it was difficult to keep her gaping mouth closed.
The women were dripping with diamonds and gems and their expressions were cool.
The men smelled of money and power, gathering in groups, probably discussing business or golf scores.
Simon filled their plates from a large buffet that was bursting with elegant-looking appetizers that were being continually replenished by silent employees.
She picked up two napkins that were folded so precisely that she almost felt guilty about messing them up.
The dishes were obviously fine china and Kara frowned.
Crap…she’d hate to have to clean all of these dishes and wondered how many servants it took to clean up the mess after the party was over. Hadn’t the wealthy ever heard of paper plates and napkins?
She didn’t have any idea what she was eating, but she downed every morsel on her plate after she and Simon had found a quiet corner to eat.
Every bite melted in her mouth and she licked her lips as she consumed the last delicate treat, hoping she hadn’t left crumbs on her face.
“God, that was delicious,”
she uttered appreciatively as she handed her empty plate to a roaming waiter.
“May I get you anything else, madam?”
the older waiter asked politely.
“No, thank you. I’m full.”
She smiled as the little man gave her a polite bow and moved away.
Simon had discarded his plate and snatched two full champagne flutes from a passing waitress. “I love that about you,”
he said quietly as he handed her a glass.
“What?”
She gave him a confused look as she accepted the glass, sipping slowly at the drink, trying to decide if she liked champagne. It was dry, but not bad.
“You enjoy your food. You don’t pick away at it or eat like a bird. I’m almost jealous when I watch your face. If it’s good, you look well-pleasured,”
he answered before taking a healthy sip from his glass. “Watching you eat is almost an erotic experience.”
She shrugged as she lowered the glass from her face. “If you don’t have an endless supply and you’re never sure when your next meal will be, you appreciate the taste of good food.”
“Will food always be an orgasmic experience for you?”
he asked casually, but his eyes were full of mirth.
She tried not to smile, she really did, but her lips twitched as her eyes met his. “Probably.”
“Simon!”
The male tenor voice carried across the room and both of them turned to see a middle-aged man raising his arm, trying to get Simon’s attention.
“You better circulate, birthday boy. You are the guest of honor,”
she told him with a smile. “I’m going over to talk with your mom for a while.”
He didn’t look happy, but he left her side and went to greet the man waving frantically for his attention. She sipped her drink and watched as Simon moved around the room, greeting people, his smile charming. While he might not have quite the charisma that Sam had, Simon could work the room. Not for one second did he look uncomfortable with these people. He was able to chat and make small talk, taking total command of himself, moving in and out of the crowds as if he belonged here.
Because he does. He may not always like socializing, but he plays the game well.
Her gaze stayed riveted on him, marveling over this part of Simon that she had never seen before. The man had so many layers, so many facets to his personality.
Forcing herself to stop staring like a complete idiot, Kara looked around for Helen, finding her at the buffet table.
She chatted for quite some time with Helen, until her friend was pulled away by another acquaintance. Not wanting to appear as though she knew no one else-which she didn’t-she strolled to a set of ornate doors, fairly certain that they led outside, knowing the view would probably be spectacular.
There were more people outside, seated at small, intimate tables. Not all of them were occupied. It was getting later and the air was brisk, but it felt good to Kara after being inside the crowded house for so long.
She took a deep breath as she stepped outside. There was a lighted path in front her, a cobbled walkway that appeared to lead down to a boat dock. Before she could follow the path, a conversation right next to her stopped her in her tracks.
“I thought we could spend some time together, Simon. I saw this divine diamond bracelet that I’d love to have.”
The female voice was artificial and simpering.
Kara drew a deep, bracing breath, hoping that she wouldn’t see the Simon that had, just a short time ago, left her breathless in an elevator.
She turned her head slowly, knowing that she had to know. Her breath caught as she took in the broad shoulders, the dark hair and the sweater that she knew were Simon’s. He was no more than five feet away, his back to her, a slim set of arms around his neck and perfectly manicured fingers resting casually against the nape of his neck.
“I’ve heard about your…arrangements. I was hoping we could come to an agreement.”
The sugary voice was seductive and the woman’s hands wandered over Simon’s shoulders like she owned him.
Nausea began to rise in Kara’s throat and she moved soundlessly away from the couple to creep to the steps. She didn’t want Simon to see her and she didn’t want the nameless woman to think that she was spying on them. Not that blondie would probably care. The woman looked like a cat with its claws solidly imbedded into something it wanted and wasn’t about to be distracted.
The light wasn’t as bright as it was inside, but it took only a brief glance back at the couple to see that the woman in Simon’s arms was everything that Kara was not. She was blonde, thin, her make-up and hair perfect. In other words…sickeningly gorgeous.
Kara couldn’t move, couldn’t function; her eyes were riveted on the couple and her feet felt like they were embedded in cement. She could hear the woman murmur something softly, but she couldn’t make out the words. Cherry-red lips curved into a calculating smile before the blonde grasped the back of Simon’s head, pulling his lips down to hers.
Her heart thundering, Kara took the steps leading down to the path faster than she should have in thin, delicate heels, needing desperately to get away from the scene that had been playing out in front of her like a horror movie. Her heels got caught up in the cobbles on the path and she kicked her shoes off, scooping them up with barely a pause.
Breathe. Just breathe.
She reached the dock, panting and nauseated. She gripped the wooden railing on the dock to steady herself, trying desperately to calm her ragged breathing.
Breathe. In. Out. In. Out.
It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. The sex life of Simon Hudson was none of her business. She wasn’t committed to Simon and he certainly wasn’t committed to her. They had sex with no strings attached.
In. Out. In. Out again.
Her breathing settled, but the nausea refused to go away. No wonder Simon had never had a girlfriend. There was obviously an endless supply of women to entertain him…for a price. An arrangement? Really? No wonder Simon had never had a real relationship. Women used him and he used women. Her stomach rolled and she gripped the wood harder.
Forget about it. It doesn’t matter.
It shouldn’t…but it did. It hurt that Simon could be making a casual agreement to screw another woman while he was still making time with her. They had nearly fucked each other to death a few hours ago. Or so she thought. Maybe it had only been earth-shattering for her. Maybe he missed tying up his women, having them helpless and blindfolded. Maybe he needed it.
Did you think you were someone special, the person who was going to help Simon break free of some of his past insecurities? Maybe he really doesn’t have any. Maybe he likes his life exactly as it is. Maybe you’re just a complete bonehead who can’t comprehend a billionaire playboy who can buy any woman he wants.
Her thoughts grated, ground her down until she wondered if everything she had convinced herself was true about Simon was actually a big fat lie, a self-created falsehood, a man she only imagined.
You don’t really believe that.
“The problem is…I don’t really know anymore,”
she whispered softly to herself, her voice trembling.
Her illusions were shattered, and she had no idea what to believe in anymore. She had trusted Simon, had thought he was a decent but troubled man, and his actions left her confused, raw, and completely devastated.
She stared numbly at the lights that were blinking over the rolling water and wrapped her arms around her shivering body. How would she ever erase the memory of Simon kissing a blonde bombshell, a woman so perfect that it made Kara wonder what Simon had ever been doing with her?
She blinked and a lone tear slid silently down her cheek. Most likely, she wouldn’t forget. The memory, the sense of betrayal, and the crushing pain were likely to hang around for quite some time.
Lost in her thoughts, Kara stood on the dock like a shadow, unmoving, no longer feeling the chill, wishing that she never had to go back and face reality.
She would. She had to. But she would avoid it as long as possible.
“Whatever my brother is giving you, I’ll give you more if you come to me when he’s finished with you.”
The sultry male voice pierced the silence right next to her ear, startling her so badly that she would have toppled over the dock railing if a strong male hand hadn’t gripped her waist. “Whoa. Steady.”
She whipped around to face the voice, already recognizing it as Sam’s. He crowded her, resting one hand on each side of her, keeping her from escape.
“W-What did you say?”
The man left her cold and she didn’t appreciate his familiarity.
“I’ll pay. Whatever you want. However much you want.”
His eyes were cold and she shuddered.
Oh, God. She was going to be sick. Gulping, she stared up at Sam’s deity-like appearance, barely able to believe that he was actually propositioning her.
Like a harlot.
Like a prostitute.
Like a whore.
Anger rose inside her like a phoenix, climbing higher and higher, stronger and stronger. She could barely see through the haze of red that clouded her vision as her body trembled.
“Simon won’t mind,”
Sam assured her as his hand moved to her bare shoulder.
His comment resonated through her, making her snap. What the hell was with the Hudson men? Did they think they could buy any woman they wanted to fuck? She drew her hand back and let it fly…hard. It connected with his smirking face with a satisfying smack that exploded in the near-silent evening, cracking through the peace of the night.
“Maddie was right. You are a complete snake,”
she hissed, her body shaking with rage.
“Maddie? Maddie Reynolds?”
Sam’s expression was complete astonishment and shock. She wasn’t sure if it was the slap or the mention of Maddie’s name, but she didn’t wait to find out.
She pushed his arm out of the way and ran, deviating from the path to run across the well-manicured lawn to the front of the house.
She tore down the driveway and ran until she found James waiting patiently in the Mercedes. Tearing the front door of the car open, she dove into the front seat. “Please take me home,”
she choked out, tears clogging her throat and making her voice raspy. “Please.”
“Ms. Kara. Are you all right?”
She couldn’t see his face in the dark, but the concern in the driver’s voice was evident.
“I’m not feeling well. I need to go home,”
she stated, not able to keep a pleading note from her request.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Yes. Take me home. I’ll be fine.”
She wouldn’t be fine. Not now. Not tomorrow. Probably not for a very long time. But she didn’t tell him that.
James, bless him, didn’t ask any more questions. He started the vehicle and headed directly toward the condo.
Kara knotted her shaking hands around the soles of the shoes in her lap, trying not to let the tears flooding her eyes fall. She couldn’t cry. There wasn’t anything to really cry about. The Hudson men were just doing what they normally did. She was the one with the problem.
Somehow, she had done an incredibly foolish thing. She had allowed herself to fall in love with Simon Hudson. Deeply, passionately, completely in love. It wasn’t like the love she had harbored for her ex. This was a confusing, soul-shredding, rip-your-guts out love that was going to hurt. Big time.
Swallowing down a bitter sob by biting her lip until it bled, she turned her head to the right, watching the city fly by as James drove her competently toward home.
You’ve gotten through loss before, Kara. You’ll get through this.
Since the death of her parents, she had used encouraging words and pep talks to get herself through her toughest battles. They had always worked before. Hadn’t she made it this far?
You’ll forget him. It will just take time.
An uncomfortable weight settled on her chest-hard, heavy and totally crushing.
For the first time in her life, Kara Foster felt like she was lying to herself.
“Kara!”
Simon bellowed loudly as he slammed the door of his condo behind him, tossing his keys carelessly on the kitchen counter.
There was a small, neatly wrapped present on the counter with a card, but he ignored it and raced through the condo like a man possessed.
“Kara!”
He yelled her name until he was hoarse, but every single room was empty. Her room looked basically untouched, except that her backpack was missing.
“Shit!”
He went to the kitchen and lifted the gaily wrapped package, finding a personal check from Kara in the amount of ninety thousand dollars and a single sheet of paper under the card and gift.
I’ll repay the rest as soon as I get a job. I left all of the things you gave me except for a few pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts. Thanks for everything. I’ll always be grateful.
Kara
What. The. Fuck. He didn’t want her damn gratitude. He wanted…her.
He crumpled the paper in a tight fist, his knuckles white from the effort.
She had left him?
No explanation.
No goodbye.
Just…gone.