Page 71 of Simon Says

Not understanding himself or what he wanted, Simon accepted her stipulation of one night only. But tomorrow he’d reevaluate the situation. “Let’s go.”

WRAPPEDin Simon’s jacket, riding on heated seats in his SUV, Dakota finally felt warm. Even the ice bag on her thigh didn’t cause her a chill. There was no one staring at her with doubt and pity. The evening was quiet, the streets mostly deserted. She no longer shook.

She almost felt safe.

But then, out of nowhere, her muscles would clench again at the awful sensation of being jabbed in her back. She’d see those hard steps coming up at her face, feel the helplessness of falling and falling, and fear burned in her veins.

She couldn’t stop thinking of it. As she’d tumbled, there’d been no recognition of pain. Numbness had taken over. When she crashed at the bottom of the stairway, she didn’t know if she was hurt bad or not. The echo of her scream assaulted her eardrums, making it impossible for her to hear anything else.

One thought had gripped her: Was her assailant still behind her?

Would she feel the blade of a knife? Would her clothes be torn away?

Or would this time beworse?

For long seconds after the assault, she couldn’t open her eyes, didn’t dare look for fear of what—or who—she’d see standing there. Then Haggerty had charged in and shouted her name and—

“Dakota.” Simon reached across the seat, taking her hand and pulling her from her black thoughts. “Try to put it out of your mind for now.”

“Easier said than done.” Dakota gladly laced her fingers through his. He was so warm and alive, strong and gentle. His touch helped to calm her racing heart.

Nothing and no one would ever scare Simon. He was a rock.

And she wasn’t. “I hate being such a coward.”

Simon glanced at her. “You’re not.”

It hurt her throat to laugh. “Nah, of course not.” She held out her free hand, showing Simon the slight tremors that still haunted her. “I feel sick.”

“Do you need to throw up?”

His look of alarm would have amused her under different circumstances. “Not that type of sick.” Sick at heart. Sick down to her soul.

When she’d first felt someone watching her, she should have taken it as a warning, instead of writing it off as nothing. She knew better, damn it.

She eased her hand away from him. “I shouldn’t be imposing on you.”

“I feel better having you with me.”

Because he was such a good man. Dakota stared out the darkened window, disliking herself immensely. “I’ve done too much of that already.”

His voice edged with anger, Simon asked, “What exactly does that mean?”

Self-pity made her maudlin. It was unforgivable. She’d changed. She wasn’t a selfish person, not anymore. It was past time she remembered that. “I’ve hounded you to do things you don’t want to do. I’ve tried to use you to get what I want. I apologize for that.”

He steered his car into the motel where she stayed. “We have a lot of talking to do. Let’s just wait until you’re comfortable, okay?”

Dakota looked around the lot in confusion. “Changed your mind about spending the night with me, huh?”

“No. And without debating it, we both know it’ll probably be for more than one night. So why keep paying for this room when you won’t be using it?”

More than one night? He must be a glutton for punishment. “I think we need to debate it.”

He sighed.

“Come on, Simon, I can’t just throw myself on your doorstep because of a few bruises.”

“You met Roger. Well, the bar isn’t the only place in Harmony that he owns. He has a nicer motel. It wasn’t always, but after Dean had some problems there, Roger put in better lighting and better security. If you decide to go back to a motel, go to his.”

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