Her body heaving, her hands over her face, Kara Foster did something she hadn’t done since the death of her parents.
She wept.
Chapter 4
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 c**k 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 c**k 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 of 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 little. I still have over 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 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.