Page 85 of Simon Says

He was too busy listening for Dakota.

When the water finally shut off, Simon stared at the door. She’d be stepping out of the tub right now. Wet. Naked.

As he listened to the subtle sounds of her dressing and watched the shift of light from beneath the bathroom door, he breathed slow and deep. He was taut and anxious and rigidly in control of himself.

The bathroom door opened.

DAKOTAlooked toward the bed where Simon reclined, at his leisure. He appeared totally relaxed, as if having a woman join him in bed for sleeping purposes was nothing out of the ordinary. And of course, after his longtime relationship with Bonnie, it wouldn’t be.

For her, it was about as routine as a trip to the moon.

Dressed only in an oversized T-shirt and panties, her hair now loose, she shivered and gooseflesh rose on her skin. “I’m done.”

Simon stared at her legs. “Feel better?”

“Yeah.” On top of looking relaxed, Simon also looked wonderful, almost too wonderful to be true. The idea of curling up beside him thrilled her.

As long as she could keep her ridiculous fear under wraps.

Faking a yawn, she said, “I think I’m ready to sleep.”

Pulling his gaze off her body and onto her face, Simon said, “Come on.” He patted the empty side of the bed. “Climb in or you’ll get chilled.”

Without giving herself more time to think on it, Dakota rushed over and crawled under the covers.

Simon turned his head to look at her. “Wanna watch a movie?”

Oh. She focused on the television. Maybe she didn’t need to fake-sleep yet. “What’s playing?”

“I can skip around the channels and see.”

As keyed up as she felt, a movie would be a great way to unwind a little. “As long as you don’t pick a sappy love story, I’m in.”

They had just settled on an ancient horror flick when Simon’s phone rang. Without a word, he handed the TV remote to Dakota and reached over to the bedside table to grab up the cordless.

Forgetting the movie, Dakota listened in as Simon apparently talked with someone important. After cordial greetings, he threw back the covers and sat up on the side of the bed. A few minutes later, he pushed to his feet to pace the room.

A soft, loose pair of cotton flannel pants rode low on his trim hips. He wore nothing else. He had a gorgeous body. She visually measured the breadth of his wide shoulders, the solid strength of his biceps and forearms. As he turned, she looked at his back and imagined rubbing her hands over him. His skin looked sleek and dark, and she already knew he’d be warm to the touch.

Dakota was so enthralled in studying Simon’s body that she missed most of the conversation—until he looked at her.

After snaring her in his gaze, he said, “I can make it tomorrow, but I’d rather wait if—” He frowned, nodded and said, “All right. No, no, it’s not a problem at all. I appreciate the opportunity. Of course. Yeah, thanks. You too.” He disconnected the call, but remained standing, watching her.

Dakota had a feeling he was about to share bad news. “What’s up?”

“I need to go out of town tomorrow.”

Not so bad. “Where to?”

“Vegas. There’s a promotional gig….” The words trailed off as he looked at the shape of her body beneath the covers. In obvious frustration, he rubbed a hand over his head. “You’ve heard ofThe Sports Connection?”

“A talk show, right? Athletes get on there and clown around and stuff.”

“Yeah. Someone canceled on them, so now they have an opening.”

Dakota sat up in excitement. “And they wantyou?”

He smirked at her surprise. “Incredible, huh?”

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