Freedom (Billionaire Secrets 2)

She flashed him a smile, touched by his concern for her. “I’m fine. Just texting my folks to check up on Finn.”

He returned her smile. “You’ve done a great job tonight, Heather. I know I haven’t made it easy for you, so I want to thank you for everything.” His smile faded. “I also wanted to apologize. That kiss on the dancefloor was a terrible mistake. I forgot myself when I should have respected your wishes to just be friends. It won’t happen again.”

But she wanted it to happen again. Being friendly with him wasn’t enough. That was why she had dreaded the reunion  . It wasn’t simply that she didn’t want to have to deal with gossip or squeezing herself into a fancy dress. The scariest thing about the night was her reaction to Simon. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t control how she felt about him.

“I want to thank you, Simon.” She closed the gap between them until she was standing close enough to him to wrap her arms around him. Which she suddenly did. Heather wrapped her arms around him and looked up into his eyes. Looked up and saw a mix of his tenderness and raw need in his gaze.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Thank me for what?”

“For always looking out for me.” Her lips met his and he groaned.

Simon’s arms encircled her, pulling her close. His tongue eased her mouth open, and she surrendered to him, desperate to be swept away again. Desperate to give in to her desires instead of what she had been doing for weeks. For so long she had held back so much of herself that now she could barely stand it. But here in his arms she felt totally free again.

No one was back here. They could steal one moment before they went back and put on a show. Put on a show and lied to the world when, the truth was, they were drawn to each other and always would be.

She moaned as his tongue explored her mouth expertly. The place between her legs clenched and she clung to him so tightly she thought she might never let go.

It was then that the unmistakable flash of a camera went off.

Chapter 12

His arms slide away from her, but as they broke apart Simon could still feel the sensation of her soft lips on his.

Neil was standing near them, holding a camera.

“What the hell are you doing?” Simon demanded.

“Sending this off to my editor.” Neil snapped another photo, the flash nearly blinding them.

“Your editor?” Simon took a menacing step towards him, making sure he was shielding Heather with his body. “What are you talking about, Neil?”

“I’m on assignment,” Neil said.

“You’re a photographer,” Simon said through gritted teeth.

“I’m a freelance guy,” his former classmate admitted, and lowered his camera.

“We trusted you,” Heather snapped from behind him.

Simon balled his hands into fists, hot anger rippling through his body. “So, you came over to us to get a photo?”

“Oh, come on. Do you have any idea how much a photo of the reclusive Simon Diesel is worth?” Neil asked. “When I heard you two were coming to the reunion   I seized my chance. Why should Simon be the only one who gets to make money?”

“The press isn’t allowed at this event,” Heather said. “It’s a miracle we were allowed to invite one reporter in here.”

Neil sneered. “I’m a former student, Heather. There’s no rule against alumni being members of the press.”

“You stabbed us in the back,” Heather said.

“You’ll get over it,” Neil muttered.

“Hand over the camera,” Simon said.

“You’re a tech guy. You know I’ve already sent off the photos.” Neil smiled smugly.

If he could punch Neil without it getting into the papers he probably would have. His privacy meant everything to him, but Heather’s privacy was even more important. She had a son to worry about.

Simon cursed under his breath, reached for Heather’s hand, and started to head back to the ballroom. They had to get out of there before things got even worse. There wasn’t a fallback strategy for dealing with a disaster like this, and Simon wanted to get Heather out of here before all hell broke loose.

“I wouldn’t go out the front way if I were you,” Neil warned. “All of my guests are members of the press as well. They’re probably out there waiting in the ballroom for more photos.”