Simon Says (35 page)

She sounded so believable, Simon put his head back on the bed and laughed.

“Simon?” Dakota leaned forward, worried, insistent.

Her position pressed him deeper into her. His breath caught. “God, don't move.”

“Simon, listen to me. I know I tried my best to get you to go see Barnaby. I had a lot of reasons, and I'll explain them all. But now…I don't want you to. Will you promise me?”

It couldn't get more ironic. “Too late. I already saw him.”

Her eyes went blank with incomprehension. “When?”

“Earlier tonight.” He brought his hands down from behind his head and laid them on her thighs. Smiling, watching her expression, he said, “That's why I left the gym.”

“But…” He could see the way she tried to sort it out in her mind. “You didn't tell me you were going to see him.”

“Just like you didn't tell me he's your stepfather.”

Her reaction was immediate. She gasped for air and tried to shove herself away from him.

Simon held her still. He felt mean. He felt used. “No, Dakota, don't rush off. We're both comfortable, right?” He smirked. “I want to know what else you haven't told me. What else have you lied about?”

“I didn't lie.”

“No? Barnaby swore you'd do anything to get my cooperation, even sleep with me. But you knew that wouldn't do it, didn't you? I blew you off when you first showed up, so you knew you needed a new plan. Is that why you played the victim?”

“You're wrong, Simon.”

“Like a fool, I was noble and worried about you. I've been creative in the sack, hoping to get you past your fears.” He looked at her heaving breasts. “But the thing you feared most wasn't sex, was it, Dakota? Hell, you love sex. You're insatiable.”

“Simon, shut up now before you say too much.”

He didn't listen. “You feared not getting those damn letters from your mother.”

Her fist almost caught him. Sharpened reflexes kept Simon from getting decked. He caught her wrist, then also caught the next punch she threw. “Settle down.”

She did the opposite, surging away from him, jerking and twisting. He'd never wrestled with a naked woman, especially while still inside her. He hooked her legs with his own and flipped them both, landing atop her on the bed.

He was no longer a part of her, but he was aroused. From the beginning, he'd loved Dakota's strength, her courage. Even now, with her lies exposed, she heaved and struggled, cursing him.

And he wanted her. Again.

Simon raised her arms above her head. “I'll let you up if you can contain your violence.”

“Go screw yourself.”

So vehement. “I just screwed you. I'm sated. But thanks.”

Her beautiful eyes narrowed. “You're going to regret that.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah.” She jerked one hand free and with the speed of a professional, used her forearm to clip him hard in the side of the jaw.

Seeing stars, Simon lowered all his weight on her. “Damn it, woman, that hurt.” He flexed his jaw.

“Poor baby.” She damn near head-butted him next.

Yanking back just in time, Simon stared at her in awe and disbelief. “That's an illegal move.” He cautiously contained her. “You fight dirty.”

“Turn me loose and I'll show you how dirty I can fight.”

He shouldn't have been surprised, not with Dakota. “You actually think you can take me?”

“No, but I can hurt you.” Her eyes glittered. “Right now that's good enough for me.”

Simon could tell she meant that, and for some reason, it bothered him. “I just realized something.”

“That you're an obnoxious ass? I could have told you that two weeks ago.”

“You're not afraid.”

Dakota stilled. She was breathing hard and fast—and looking stunned with his disclosure. Her mouth tightened. “No, I'm not.”

“Was that a lie, too, then?” God, he didn't know what to believe anymore.

“Everything was a lie, Simon. You have it all figured out.” She jerked again, trying to get free. “Now let me up and I'll be out of here before you can count to ten.”

“Why would you leave? We're in your motel room.”

“I'll leave the motel. I'll leave Harmony.”

Simon began to wonder just how little he had right—and how much he had wrong.

“I'm not afraid of you right now because I'm too mad to be afraid.”

“That wouldn't have helped you before.”

“Before I didn't…I wasn't…” Her mouth pinched.

“What?” If she said she was in love with him, he'd laugh in her face.

Instead she whispered, “I stupidly trusted you. I guess I'm an idiot after all.”

She had every reason to trust him. He wasn't the one making up stories. “Why did you come for me in the first place?” She started to give another smart answer, and Simon said, “The truth, please, and I swear I'll let you up.”

Even flat on her back, she looked independent and capable. “In the beginning, it was because I felt I owed Barnaby. He'd ignored my mother's wishes and let me come home when she got hurt. Later, when you refused to see him and I wanted to give up, he said he had letters written to me by my mother. I thought he might be telling the truth about that. I've lived with the idea that my mother died disliking me. But if she wrote to me, maybe it was to forgive me. Maybe it was because she still loved me.” She turned her face away from him. “It doesn't matter anymore.”

“Why?”

“Because if there were letters, Barnaby would have destroyed them by now. I
told
him to destroy them.” Her gaze came back to him. Her mouth twisted. “I decided you were more important than anything from the past.”

Simon studied her, but he just didn't know. “Isn't it ironic that you'd tell me about these grand sacrifices after I've already seen Barnaby and learned the truth?”

“Think what you want, Sublime, but get off me. Now.”

Simon rolled away from her. In a flash, Dakota was off the bed. She disappeared into the bathroom, no doubt to clean up from their lovemaking, and returned a few seconds later.

Simon watched her jerk on the oversized SBC shirt. It hung to the middle of her thighs. Not bothering with underwear or pants, she wrapped her arms around herself and turned her back on him.

After adjusting and refastening his jeans, Simon stood and went to his coat. He retrieved the letters. “Here.”

Over her shoulder, Dakota looked at him. She saw the folded envelopes, but said only, “What is it?”

He shrugged. “Barnaby says they're the letters from your mother.”

And right before his eyes, Dakota crumbled. Going pale, she unfolded her arms and stumbled toward him. She reached out a shaking hand, and in a breathless whisper, she asked, “You got my letters for me?”

Definitely not an act. She looked ready to fall apart. Afraid and hopeful and amazed. “I hope they're what you want them to be.”

Once they were in her hand, Dakota didn't read them. Crushing them to her heart, she closed her eyes and a single tear went down her cheek.

Simon stood there, ripped apart, undecided. He had no idea what to say or do—but he was glad he'd gotten the letters for her.

Finally, Dakota sniffed. After swiping the back of her hand over her cheek, she looked at him with a trembling smile. “Thank you, Simon. Thank you so much.”

Shit. He shrugged on his coat. “I need to go.”

“But…” She looked down at the letters, clutched them tight in her hand, and followed him to the door. “I…”

Simon shook his head. “You should have told me about Barnaby.”

“I know.”

“One lie always leads to another. Now I don't know what to believe.”

The soft gratitude faded from her features. “You can believe me.”

“Can I?” He nodded at her fist, clutched around the letters. “It looks to me like those were pretty important to you.”

“Yes.”

“So why shouldn't I believe you'd do anything, say anything, to get them?”

She looked at the letters, too, then walked over to lay them on the dresser. She hesitated, smoothing them out carefully, and in a rush she came back to him. “I'm not an expert on relationships, but I know that walking out mad isn't the answer.”

“It is if I'm too pissed to stay.”

“But you weren't too pissed to have sex?”

Good question, not that he knew how to explain it. And that only infuriated him more. “Temporary insanity.” He chucked her chin. “You have that effect on me, I guess.” And with that, he opened the door and stepped out into the hall.

Dakota followed hot on his heels. “So that's it?” she yelled. “You actually think it's over?”

In the long hallway, her voice carried. Annoyed, Simon turned—and the sight of her standing there with her hands on her hips, her hair wild, and her legs bare reminded him that she wore only a T-shirt and nothing more. She didn't even have on panties. Sure, she was covered, but just barely.

Simon stormed back to her. “Are you out of your mind? You're damn near naked.”

“You're through with me, so what do you care?”

A door opened down the hall and Barber stepped out, followed by Harley and Mallet. What the hell! Were they having a frigging party?

Simon couldn't believe his luck. The men took in the scene with curiosity, amusement, and pure male appreciation.

Shit.
In a low growl, Simon said to Dakota, “Get back into your room.”

Instead, she shoved at his chest. “Back off, Sublime. Even when you liked me, you weren't my boss. Now that you're done with me, you sure as hell aren't going to give me orders.”

Barber straightened. “You two are through?”

Seeing Dakota's friend as a new target, Simon snarled, “You'd like that, wouldn't you?”

Barber shrugged. “Well, yeah.”

Dakota shoved him again. “Don't start on Barber just because you're done with me.”

Why the hell did she have to keep saying it like that?

He looked again, and saw all the men grinning. They'd stationed themselves comfortably against the wall, settled in for the duration of the show.

It was more than Simon could take.

He glared at Dakota. “Fine. You want to flaunt yourself, go ahead.” Again he turned to leave, and he had to force his feet to take every damn step.

Dakota raised her voice even more. “You should know, Simon. I'm not Bonnie.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Simon turned back to her. “Your point?”

“I won't come chasing after you the way she did. If you want to be a big baby and stalk off without giving me a chance to explain, that's fine. But I won't beg you to listen to me, damn it. If you think I will, you can forget it.”

They already had an audience, so what would be the point of discretion? His voice rose, too. “I'm not stalking off, I'm just leaving.”

“Ha. You're flaring your nostrils like a bull's. You look ferocious enough to step into the ring.”

“But you're not afraid of me, are you, honey? That was all an act, too, wasn't it?”

“Think what you want, but I already told you I trusted you and that made all the difference.”

Simon's brain couldn't go there. Not right then. “You lied to me! How the hell would you explain that?”

Scornful, she said, “You'll never know, since you won't give me a chance!”

He threw up his arms.

From behind them, Barber said, “I take it he knows about Barnaby?”

Dakota whirled, saw the other men with Barber, and rather than be embarrassed over her state of undress, she sought an alliance. “I didn't have to tell him. Barnaby did.”

Barber winced. “Tough break, doll. I take it you hadn't gotten around to it yet, as planned?”

So she
had
planned to tell him—just not soon enough.

“I tried! But
he
”—she pointed a finger at Simon—“never gave me a chance.”

Lazily, Harley unglued himself from the wall. With a brow raised, he said, “If you were dressed like that, I can see why.”

Mallet slugged him. “Don't look.”

Harley laughed. “Yeah, right.”

And they
both
did some more looking.

Simon rubbed his brow. He couldn't believe this. In a calmer voice, he asked, “Why are you guys here?”

“Just visiting,” Mallet said, and then he explained, “Barber's going to be leaving soon.”