Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

***SIMON***

S imon was as shocked as Kira that he'd kissed her. It hadn't been planned, the urge had come instinctually from somewhere deep inside him, making him act without thinking. But as he strolled to the door of the barbershop, he couldn't find a scrap of regret inside him, and decided that given the opportunity, he would do it again. Remembering the look of surprise on her face, and the hint of desire in her eyes, a smile spread across his face, and a little of his old confidence came back.

The barbershop was filled with the sound of men's voices but when they saw him, a silence fell over the room as they all turned to stare at him. "Ummm……someone said this was the best place on the island to get a haircut," he stammered. "You look really busy, but I wonder if you might have time to squeeze me in?"

"Darn right this is the best shop on the island," a man wearing a white coat said. "My name is Harry, and we might be able to squeeze you in. I just have one question for you."

He wasn't sure what kind of question the man would have, but knew he had to play along, "Sure, why not," he said .

"Did you cut your hair yourself?" Harry asked. "Or did someone do that to you?"

The room erupted into laughter, "Well, I didn't exactly do it myself," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's a long story, and you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you, but let's just say I've been out of touch for a long time."

Harry put his hands on his hips and studied him for several long seconds, "That's a good enough answer for me," he finally said. "But son, let me give you one piece of advice before we get started, get some new clothes."

He laughed, "That's my next stop after you fix my hair," he said. "Maybe you could recommend a good place for me to go shopping."

That started a debate among the men sitting around the shop that lasted until Harry was finished with his haircut, "Well, I'm all done," Harry said, spinning the chair around. "What do you think?"

The change was dramatic. Gone was the shaggy long hair. In its place was a neat cut that stripped years from his face, and he sat staring at himself for a long time. "Harry, you're amazing," he said, deciding that he wasn't that bad looking after all. "I'm really beginning to like the new me."

Kira was waiting on a bench for him when he walked out, and at first, she didn't recognize him, making him laugh. "The woman at the marina was right," he said. "I might have to come back here for all my haircuts."

"Wow, you look amazing," Kira said. "Not that you looked that bad before."

"It's okay, I know what I looked like," he said. "And I know that appearances aren't everything, but I still feel better."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to look your best," Kira said, linking his arm through his. "And new clothes will finish off your transformation. "

"We're supposed to go to Hector's House of Menswear," he informed her with a grin. "At least I think that was the final vote."

Kira laughed, "Well, then, let's go find this Hector's," she said. "I don't suppose you got an address."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to her, "I had Harry write it down, along with directions," he said. "See, I'm learning. Details matter."

After studying the directions, they headed down the street, hand in hand again, and he found himself smiling as they walked. What had seemed like a huge disaster only a few days ago was beginning to look a whole lot different to him, and he was even a bit thankful that it had happened. Life was beginning to open up to him again, and the woman walking next to him deserved a lot of the credit. If she hadn't stood up to him, if she hadn't forced him to open up, he's still be treading water, wasting his life.

He'd never loved anyone but Emma, but what he was feeling was dangerously close to what he'd felt back then. It both scared and excited him to know that he was still capable of loving someone. He'd shut that part of himself off so long ago, he'd been afraid that it didn't exist anymore. He'd sworn back then that he'd never risk his heart again, that love wasn't for him, but now that he'd met Kira, those promises he'd made to himself all those years ago seemed short-sighted.

It might be the freedom he'd been given from the tight restraints of being rich and at the top of the social ladder, or it might have been Kira, but for the first time in a long time, hope was bubbling up inside him. When they reached the clothing store, he pulled her to a stop on the sidewalk and gave her another kiss, then smiled down at her, enjoying the confused look on her face.

"Simon, you really have to quit doing that," she said, slightly breathless. "We're just friends, remember?"

"It was just a friendly kiss," he said, shrugging his shoulders, trying to look innocent. "Come on, let's go inside. From what I heard; Hector is an interesting guy."

Kira let out a long sigh, "You are impossible," she said. "No more kissing me."

"That's fine, I mean, if you can't handle it, I'll understand," he said, puffing up his chest and looking smug like the old Simon. "I know I'm impossible to resist, even when I look like this."

Kira laughed, "Oh, no, I hope the old Simon isn't back, I don't like him very much," she said. "Now, the new Simon, that's a different story."

"Don't worry, the old Simon isn't back," he said, pulling her into his arms. "But the new one still wants to kiss you again."

"Simon……I don't think…." she stammered, desire blossoming in her eyes, "that's a very good idea."

He reached up and stroked her cheek with his thumb, then ran it over her bottom lip, "All I want is a kiss, Kira," he said. "I don't expect anything more."

She was staring up at him, her breath coming faster, and he knew all he had to do was lower his mouth to hers and take what he wanted, but he didn't. Instead, he gently released her. It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, but he wasn't the old Simon; physical gratification wasn't the only thing on his mind. He wanted Kira, but he wanted her to come to him freely. He wanted it to be her choice when the time came.

"But I understand why you're being careful. In your shoes, I would feel the same thing. I don't exactly have the best reputation when it comes to women," he said. "So, when you're ready, when it's not a bad idea for me to kiss you, just let me know."

***Kira***

There was a war going on inside of Kira as she stood on the sidewalk with Simon. He seemed so sincere, and the truth was, she wanted to believe him, wanted to take the couple of steps that would put her in his arms again. But she kept her feet rooted in place, wishing now that her attraction to him was just physical, not ready to put herself or her heart at risk with a man who was the king of manipulating women. Edward had taught her that words meant little, it was actions that spoke the truth about a person, and Simon hadn't proven himself yet. He still had a long way to go before she trusted him.

"I'll do that, but don't hold your breath," she said, not realizing that her eyes were saying something completely different. "We should get our shopping done. We don't have a lot of time left before we have to be back at the marina."

Simon smiled at her, clearly willing to let the conversation go, and she was a little disappointed, "Then we'd better get in there and see what the men of Bermuda consider high fashion," he said, taking her hand and leading her over to the door. "I'm open to about anything but white. I've spent half my adult life dressed in tennis whites or some other horrible get up, and I'm ready to try something a little more relaxed."

The store was much bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside, taking up the buildings on either side and filled with racks and racks of clothing. Not sure where to start, they stood just inside the door, scanning the huge store. Before she could suggest they start with shorts, a man came bustling out of the back room, a welcoming smile on his face until he saw Simon.

"What is that mess you're wearing?" he asked, shaking his head. "It's a good thing you came in here. No one should go around dressed like that, but I'm here to help."

Simon looked a bit shocked at first, then began to laugh, "Is everyone on this island so……honest?" he asked. "You should have heard what Harry said about my hair an hour ago."

"Ah, you know Harry, he must have sent you," Hector said, the smile back on his face. "He's a good friend. Come, let's find you some new clothes. I'll be happy to burn those for you when we're finished."

"As good as that sounds," Simon said. "I should probably return them to the people I borrowed them from."

"Then send them to me," Hector said, then noticed her standing there for the first time. "Ah, hello, little lady, don't you look nice today."

"Thank you," she said. "This is a nice store. You must be very proud."

"My wife and I have worked very hard to make it a success," Hector said, beaming at her. "Perhaps you should go browse her women's department. I'm sure she'd be happy to meet you."

Kira knew she was being dismissed, "That sounds like a great idea," she said, then stretched up and gave Simon a quick kiss. "I'll be over there if you need me. Good luck."

"I think I'll be in excellent hands," Simon said, then grinned at her. "But there are several things I can think of right now that I need you for."

She gasped as a wave of desire rushed through her, followed by thrills that made goosebumps break out on her skin, and images that had no place being there suddenly popped into her mind. Speechless with the feelings cascading through her, she could only stare at him as she fought for control, then finally managed to take a few steps away from him.

"I'll just go," she finally stammered, feeling her cheeks heating with a blush. "Come find me when you're done."

The women's department was located in one of the buildings the store had expanded into, and she had to go down a couple of steps to reach the sales floor. The woman standing behind the counter gave her a welcoming smile, finished with the customer she was helping, and then came over to her.

"Good morning," she said. "How can I help you?"

"Well, I'm mostly just looking," she said. "I'm here with my……. friend. He needed some new clothes, and Hector suggested I look around while I'm waiting."

The woman looked over at Simon, then back at her, "He's not your boyfriend?" she asked, a look of confusion on her face. "You look like you belong together."

Hating the burst of happiness the woman's words brought surging to the surface, she shook her head, "We're just friends," she said, a bit louder than needed. "I mean……we just met a few days ago, and Simon is……well complicated, I guess you could say."

"Ah, but complicated men are so much more fun," the woman said, grinning at her. "I'm Lucy, by the way. Come with me, we'll find you something pretty to wear for your……. friend. You and that handsome man belong together. I have a special sense for these things, and I'm never wrong."

"Well, there's always a first time," she said, then instantly felt bad. "I'm sorry. It's just that we're from different worlds, and the last thing I need in my life is a man."

Lucy patted her arm, "You're still in denial, that's okay," she said. "We'll shop anyway. You never know when you'll need something pretty to wear."

In the end, she couldn't fight the woman and she walked out of the women's department with two sundresses that she knew she'd probably never wear once she left the island. Simon was waiting for her by the front doors, dressed in a new pair of shorts and a button-down shirt covered in bright flowers, with a pair of sandals on his feet. He looked so unsure of himself, so unlike the cocky jerk he'd been, she had to take a deep breath and remind herself that they were just friends.

"Do I look ridiculous?" Simon finally asked, smoothing the shirt nervously with his hands. "Hector said it looked good, but I don't know, Hawaiian isn't really my style, or didn't used to be."

"You look great," she said, hoping he didn't notice that her voice sounded funny. "That shirt is perfect for you."

Simon let out a sigh of relief, "I was worried that you were going to laugh at me," he said, then held up the bag. "I've got four more outfits in here. Hector gave me a discount."

"I hope there's a new swimming suit in there," she said, grinning at him. "That other one you have is horrible."

"Hey, that suit cost four hundred dollars," he said, acting insulted. "It's cashmere, made completely by hand, and useless as a swimming suit, so, yes, I did get a new one."

"I knew you were smarter than you looked," she said, then saw the clock on the wall. "Oh, Simon, we should get going. We only have an hour to get back to the marina."