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She struggled not to stare at his inviting mouth—to remember the delicious things he could do to her with it. What was wrong with her? They came from very different worlds. They obviously wanted different things in life. So why was she still drawn to him? Why did she long for him in her dreams?
Oblivious to her inner turmoil, Simon said, “I’ll go order dinner while you unpack.”
“Wait,” she called out. “Why would you do that? Why would you want me here?” And then another more troublesome thought came to mind—troublesome from the standpoint that she didn’t trust herself around him. “We aren’t going to share a bed.”
“No. That was a one-time thing.”
His brush-off stung. It put an immediate end to her heated thoughts. Not that she wanted to pick things up where they’d left off. Still, she’d thought that night had been special for not just her. Obviously, she’d been wrong.
She told herself it was for the best; everyone and everything she cared for was eventually lost to her. She couldn’t lose anyone or anything else. She was better off on her own.
“Won’t my staying here be awkward?”
“I work long hours. I’m not seeing anyone. So you’ll
have the place to yourself most of the time. Now, I’ll go order dinner.”
And with that he turned and walked away like it was all settled because he said so. Part of her wanted to stay. Though this place was a bit on the cold, minimalist side, it was clean. She knew on her budget the cleanliness of the motels she could afford would be iffy at best. But why would any of that matter to Simon?
She followed him into the kitchen, where he’d just disconnected a phone call. His motives shouldn’t matter to her, but they did. She tried to tell herself it was idle curiosity, nothing more.
“I hope you don’t mind pepperoni pizza,” he said.
“It’s fine. But I can’t accept your offer to stay here. It’s too much. I could never repay you. You’ve already done so much.”
He sighed. “The food is ordered. You have to eat. And it’s getting late. Stay the night and think about it.”
What would one more night hurt? It would certainly help stretch her funds. But she had to do something for him in return.
“I could bake you something to take to the office. Perhaps some cherry turnovers.”
He didn’t say anything at first, but a spark of interest shone in his eyes. “It’s a deal.”
Not exactly an even exchange—far from it—but at least she could hold her head up.
CHAPTER SEVEN
HE HAD A very important meeting.
It was about his company’s expansion.
Simon bounded out of bed, ready to take on the world. The plan was to kick off the new line of stores right before Christmas with a shop here in New York, and then after Christmas, they would start unveiling the chain in various large cities throughout the country. But something just wasn’t right.
As he grabbed a quick shower, he mulled over his uneasiness with the project. It had been bothering Simon for months. There was something lacking from their plans, that extra oomph to take their Pet Playground from okay to amazing. They didn’t want to be just another pet store. They needed it to be a destination. They needed to offer something shoppers couldn’t get anywhere else.
He’d had his team working on it for months. And so far, they’d come up with some good ideas, but nothing to wow him. And now their first store was about to be revealed without the wow factor. If he didn’t do something fast, the new chain would sink before it even launched.
And he wouldn’t let that happen.
But in the back of his mind, his father’s harsh words echoed. “You’re a loser. You’ll always be a loser.”
It wasn’t the only time his father had spewed such hurtful words, but those were the final words his father had ever said as he was led in handcuffs from the courtroom. Ever since, Simon had strived to prove the man wrong—to prove to himself that he wasn’t anything like the man with whom he shared DNA.
Simon sighed, closed his eyes and shook his head, chasing away the troubling thoughts. The ghosts of the past weren’t worth dwelling on. He had more important things to do—lots of things that required his full attention.
He opened his eyes, focusing on the here and now. He dressed and headed for the kitchen. When he stepped through the doorway, he expected to find Pepper already busy baking up some wonderful smelling creations. Or decorating something she’d baked the evening before. But when he stepped into the room, there weren’t any lights on. The kitchen was empty.
Where was Pepper? She’d told him the night before how much work she had to do today for the party this evening. She’d even asked how early she could start in the kitchen without disturbing him. So where was she?
