“I left my dress downstairs by the pool,” she said.
“You can wear one of my shirts or something,” he said. “I doubt you’d want to put on a fancy dress at this hour.”
“That sounds good,” she said, hoping he didn’t hear how shaky her voice sounded at the prospect of doing something as intimate as wearing his clothes.
He got out of bed, all six foot something of him totally naked, with muscles rippling as he sauntered over to the closet on the far end of the room. Simon reached for a crisp white button-down shirt and a pair of shorts before crossing back over to her.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to fit into your shorts,” she said with a faint smile before taking the shirt from him.
Minutes later she stepped back out of the bathroom, his shirt swallowing her up. Simon was so tall that his shirt hung down past her knees. She owned dresses shorter than this thing. But the fabric felt good against her skin and had the same masculine scent that he did.
She found him in the kitchen, making coffee.
“I got your dress and put it in my car,” he informed her.
“Thank you.”
His blue eyes swept over her appreciatively. “You look pretty good in my clothes.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Thanks.”
“We’ll have some coffee before we hit the road and I’ll stop by a donut shop or something on the way,” he said.
“Do you have a baseball cap or something?” she asked.
He stared at her in confusion. “Huh?”
She lowered her eyes. “Well, the entire city knows what you look like and what you’ve been up to. Now that the media has been trailing you, there’s bound to be renewed interest in you. If someone recognizes you, it could attract some unwanted attention.”
“You’re right.” He sighed. “I probably have a cap in my room, and I’ll put on a pair of sunglasses for good measure.”
After they both had a quick cup of coffee, Simon found a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses. He put them on and she followed him downstairs to the building’s underground parking lot. They got into his electric car and he maneuvered out of the parking lot.
On the way, he stopped at a coffee shop to pick up breakfast while she waited anxiously in the car. After last night, the last thing either of them needed was more attention. But they couldn’t solve the problem by hiding from the world. As long as the media was interested in the story, people were going to gossip.
Luckily, Simon returned to the car without incident and drove off.
“How much do I owe you for breakfast?” she asked, peering into the paper bag he’d handed to her.
“Not a cent,” he said firmly. “I might be a cheapskate when it comes to my own life, but what kind of man would I be if I took money from a lady?”
She smiled and didn’t bother arguing with him. It was pointless to debate him on this. He’d never relent or accept her money.
By the time he pulled in to her driveway, it was late morning.
“I’m going to have to make a run for it, so nobody sees me dressed like this,” she said. “Maybe I should have put my dress back on.”
He pulled off his jacket and handed it to her. “Will that help?”
“Yes,” she said, touched by his attention and concern for her.
“I could walk you to your front door,” he offered.
She shook her head. “Finn wakes up early on weekends. If he comes to the front door—”
“I get it.” He smiled. “Finn is one lucky kid to have a mom like you. I hope the judge presiding over your case knows that.”
She smiled and unbuckled her seatbelt to put his jacket on. Then, she grabbed her things and got out of the car.
“We’re going to have a long talk about all of this,” he said as she closed the passenger door behind her.
“We’ll talk,” she assured him. “I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that, Heather.”
She knew he would.
SIMON HAD BEEN THE CEO of Dover Inc. ever since he first invested in the company in college. It was more than work to him. Dover was his whole life. His childhood dreams fulfilled.
However, the position he’d held on to for all these years was now in jeopardy. He didn’t know how long Linda could keep the board in the dark about the reunion . Everything was liable to come to a head in a matter of days, and they were still no closer to getting that damning photo back.