Page 78 of Simon Says

She sounded turned on, but damn it, he didn’t trust this swift about-face. That didn’t stop him from getting a boner, but he wasn’t a man who lacked control. Just the opposite. And hedidcare for her, so before things got too far out of hand, Simon caught her wrists and pinned her arms behind her back.

Her wild gaze shot up to his, and her voice went high and shrill. “What are you doing?”

“Shhh.” Gently, Simon kissed her. “Slow down and talk to me, sweetheart.”

“Talk?”She struggled to free her arms, realized she couldn’t, and thrust herself away from him so hard and fast that she toppled them both from the chair.

Simon felt them falling. With one arm, he kept Dakota close to protect her while bracing for the impact with his other arm. They hit the floor with a thud, Dakota pinned under him.

She went perfectly still for two heartbeats. Then exploded. “Getoff.”

Knowing he couldn’t let this continue, Simon again caught her wrists and pinned them above her head. Her knee struck him hard in the back. “Damn it.” He scooted down until he sat on her thighs.

He had her totally immobilized.

And she hated it.

“Dakota, listen to me.”

Her body bowed, lifting him from the floor. Her eyes squeezed shut, her teeth clenched.

Jesus, he hated this. But what to do? Let her molest him? Let her use him for…what? He had no real idea.

What if she despised him for it later? And how the hell would that work anyway, when she seemed on the verge of panicking with every other breath?

Transferring both her wrists into one of his hands, Simon touched her cheek. “Dakota, stop fighting me and listen to me.”

“Go to hell.”

“You attacked me, honey, not the other way around. I don’t want to hurt you. I wouldneverhurt you. You know that.”

She turned her face as far away from him as she could manage. “Let me go, Simon.”

“I will. I promise. But will you please talk to me first?”

“Fine.” She swallowed. Took two breaths. Finally, she looked at him. “We’ll talk.”

Having no idea what to say, Simon waited. Seconds ticked by like gunshots. Their combined heartbeats rocked together.

Dakota squeezed her eyes shut, then slowly opened them. “Simon?”

“Yeah, honey.”

“I have a little problem.”

He’d figured out that much. “I know.” He offered up a small smile of encouragement. “Wanna tell me what it is?”

She no longer struggled, but she was still so frozen. “I’m not sure it’s worth the trouble.”

“I’m more than sure that it is.” Carefully, Simon lowered himself over her, but only for an instant, only long enough to hold her close and then roll to his back so that she rested atop him. “Better?”

She sighed loudly, hid her face against his chest, and truly relaxed. “I’m an idiot, but yeah.”

Simon smoothed her wild hair down her back. “Will you tell me about it?”

“I guess I’ve got nothing better to do, do I?”

Patience, Simon decided, and just kept stroking her hair, her back. Despite the awful situation and possible reasons for it, he enjoyed the special moment of closeness with her.

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