Sam shot her a dark look. “My mother knows everything, and I appreciate the fact that you didn’t mention it. You didn’t have to. Simon figured it out and beat the hell out of me when I confessed. Our barroom brawl ended the party rather abruptly, soon after I came inside and you left.” He hesitated, taking a swig of coffee. “And no, my mother didn’t send me here. I’m here because I want to be. Because Simon is miserable and I was wrong. He doesn’t know I’m here and would probably smash my face in again if he knew I’d approached you.” He stared out the window beside them.
Kara searched Sam’s face, noticing the faint bruises above his left eye and his right cheek. Simon must have done a job on his brother. Ten days after the event, Sam still had a faint bruising to his face that she hadn’t looked close enough to see before. “Why? Why would Simon do that? He was already in the process of lining up another woman. I saw him kissing her on the terrace when I walked outside. It makes no sense.”
Sam’s head jerked back to her. “He didn’t line up anyone. What did she look like?”
“Tall, thin, blonde, perfect make-up but she’d probably look just as good without it.” Kara frowned at Sam. “Beautiful.”
His head nodded once. “Constance. I saw her march in as I was stepping outside. I saw you go out on the terrace, but I got caught up by a client for a few minutes before I could follow you. If it makes you feel any better, he didn’t take her up on her offer. Connie was coming in angry, and Simon was already gone.” Sam’s gaze dropped to his cup, fidgeting with the half empty container. “Simon would never f**k Connie. She’s married to a man old enough to be her grandfather, but her husband isn’t exactly generous with his money. My brother doesn’t do married women. And if he was fu-…uhh…having a relationship with you, he certainly wouldn’t be arranging another one. Simon may not get emotionally involved, but he only has one woman at a time.”
Kara sputtered, nearly choking on her coffee. Sam’s comment about Simon not getting emotionally involved hit her hard. She could believe that Simon wasn’t having an affair with a married woman. For some reason, she believed that just wasn’t something that he would do. Simon might not believe in relationships or marriage for himself, but he just didn’t seem like the type of man to step over that line. But really, did it matter? Maybe it made her feel better to know that Simon wasn’t tying up, blindfolding and screwing the centerfold woman who had been kissing him at his party, but the fact that Simon didn’t do relationships hadn’t changed. She was so connected to Simon that she could barely breathe. In the long run, she would end up completely shattered when he moved on. “Thanks for telling me all of this. And for apologizing.” She tried to keep her voice flat, free from emotion.
Sam looked concerned, his eyebrows drawing together as he looked at her. “He cares about you. I didn’t know or I would never have made you an offer.”
“Why did you? I’m sure there are plenty of women who throw themselves at you every day.”
“Because I’m a billionaire.” He answered, his tone disgusted, his expression harsh. “I saw how happy Simon was after you came to live with him. I’ve heard my mother talk about you. I guess I thought that once you and Simon split, that I could grab a little happiness for myself. I was drunk. Feeling sorry for myself. I’m an ass**le. You’re the first woman my brother has ever cared about and I betrayed him. And I insulted you. You didn’t deserve that.”
Kara leaned back against the hard plastic of the tiny booth seat, stunned. “Simon doesn’t care about me that way. But I admit, I was insulted. You can’t buy any woman you want, Sam. And I don’t believe it was really me you wanted.”
Sam released a ragged sigh. “I wanted…something. I guess in my drunken pity party I was ready to try anything. And there’s only one woman who cared about anything except my money in the past. And I blew it.” His voice was filled with an aching sadness and remorse. “Are you going to accept my apology?”
The charming smile was back, lighting up his face, bringing back the Adonis she had seen at the party. Strangely, it didn’t bother her now. Sam Hudson was troubled and the radiant smile that he was throwing her way was nothing more than a cover for a man who wanted much more than monetary gain in his life. She had seen a small crack in his unemotional façade. “Yes, I accept. I guess we all say and do things that we wouldn’t normally do when we drink.” Her words brought back the day that she had told Simon he had an incredible body and that she wanted him after she had had a few drinks at the restaurant. “But I’m not sure why it matters to you.”
Sam’s eyes grew stormy and he grasped her wrist as she went to slide out of the booth and make her escape. “Kara, Simon cares. He’s had a rough time and he may not know how to express it. But he does. Please don’t judge my brother because I was an ass**le.”
His detaining hold was gentle. She tugged lightly and he released her, a pleading look in his eyes. Dammit. She couldn’t leave Sam thinking that this was all his fault. It wasn’t. She was in love with Simon Hudson and it would have ended up a disaster even if Sam hadn’t caused things to fall apart. His actions had only hastened the bad ending. “It isn’t you, Sam. It isn’t what you did.” Shaking her head, she reached for her backpack.
“What is it? Tell me. I’ll fix it.” He sounded desperate.
She barked a short, humorless laugh. Maybe the brothers weren’t so different after all. He sounded just like Simon. Did they both think they could fix anything with money? “You can’t. Just know that it isn’t your fault.”
Nope. It’s my fault for being stupid enough to fall for Simon Hudson.
“You don’t like or respect me at all, do you?” He sounded resigned and slightly dejected.
She turned her body toward him as she scooted to the edge of her seat with her backpack. “I don’t know you well enough to like or dislike you. And money doesn’t buy respect for me.” Her lips turned up in a slight smile as she saw his surprised expression. “But I do respect you a lot for loving your brother.”
He stared at her as he answered gruffly. “Who says I love him? He’s a pain in the ass and he messed up my face so bad that I couldn’t step outside of the house for a week.”