What Men Want - Chapter 18

He sighed, his eyes on the window. Sunrays were peeking through the blinds. Clucking his tongue, he rolled onto his back, staring at the closed door. Where was she? Why hasn’t she come to wake him yet?

Frowning, he listened for her footsteps on the stairs.

Nothing.

He growled. Where was she?! Then, a smile spread over his features. It was probably because of the nightmare she had during the night. She must have overslept. Oh, what fun will it be to tease her about it. But first, he would make sure she was recovered—so to speak. It wouldn’t do to make fun of her if she was still feeling the effects of the dream. He knew how that felt.

Groaning, he sat up in bed, leaning over the side to fish his boxers from under it. His underwear usually ended up in strange places—mostly on purpose—so she’d barge in and find him naked. He had to grin at that one.

Dressing quickly, he ran his fingers through his hair to give it the usual semblance of disarray. When he was satisfied, he poked his head out of his bedroom, still listening for any sounds that would give a sign that Kaori was up and about.

Only absolute silence greeted him.

He rolled his eyes at the thought of having to make breakfast. He hated the breakfasts he prepared. No matter how hard he tried, he never made scrambled eggs the way Kaori did. Or brewed such delicious coffee. He needed her coffee to start the day; nothing else would do.

Pouting, he slowly prowled down the stairs.

Amaya slowly opened her eyes with a contented smile. She’s never felt more rested in her life. It was probably the side effect of the magnificent dream she’d had during the night. There was nothing more reinvigorating than a good, old-fashioned Technicolor dream.

Pulling her earplugs out of her ears, she opened and closed her mouth a few times to get rid of the ringing. She had to smile as she looked at the two small yellow cones nestled in the palm of her hand. She was lucky to have them. She detested noise at night. Even the slightest one had the ability to wake her. But these two babies prevented that marvelously.

A small frown marred her forehead as a memory intruded. She did hear something this night. Something similar to a scream. Pretty close, too, for her to hear it through the plugs. But not close or loud enough to wake her completely from her dream...Or maybe the scream was part of the dream. It sure would’ve fit the theme.

Smile wide; she picked her clothes carefully. She wanted to look her best this morning. She wanted to look her best for him. Before falling asleep, she’d decided to start with her plan immediately. And her plan was to woo Saeba Ryo’s thoughts away from his partner and snatch him for herself. She saw how that woman treated him; that wasn’t the way to treat someone like Saeba. That wasn’t the way to treat a man.

A woman was supposed to be tender and gentle, cuddle and spoil her man, be at his disposal every hour of every day and night, and put his priorities, wishes, and desires before her own. Takeru had taught her that, and she’s always adhered to those simple rules.

So she intended to use them to her advantage now. She intended to show Saeba Ryo how a real woman treated her man. And her looks wouldn’t hurt either. She knew she was beautiful—more beautiful than Kaori—and she wasn’t stupid. She knew how to entice a man and how to make him beg for more. Takeru had taught her well during their short marriage. He’d taught her how to look at a man from beneath her eyelashes and how to wet her lips with the tip of her tongue before slightly smiling. And she was going to use everything she’d learned from her husband to her advantage. When she was done with him, Saeba Ryo would not even remember Kaori.

Slipping into a long skirt and a clingy halter that emphasized her cleavage to perfection and had always made Takeru drool, she brushed her hair, applied just a touch of mascara, and a few drops of Chanel 5 before pasting her signature brilliant smile on her face and went in search of her prey.

Footsteps in the hallway made Ryo’s ears twitch. He sighed, realizing the footsteps were moving in an alien pattern. It wasn’t Kaori. It was his new client, coming to breakfast. So that meant Kaori was still asleep, which was super odd. Even after a sleepless night, the woman was always up and about at this time of the morning.

As the door to the kitchen opened, the small hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He actually shivered. He’s never experienced such a sensation before. What was wrong with him lately? It was just a young widow in need of protection, not a seasoned mercenary after his neck in the middle of the jungle.

“Good morning,” Amaya greeted in a lilting tone.

Steeling himself, Ryo slowly turned, smiling. “Good morning, Amaya-chan. You’re just in time, breakfast’s ready.”

Her lips extended into a mirroring smile. “Oh, great, I’m feeling quite peckish. Is there anything I can do to help?”

His eyes traveled the length of her body as a dark eyebrow arched. She intended to help dressed like that? He doubted she could even walk in that tight skirt.

Misinterpreting his look, Amaya grinned. He was practically in the bag. “I don’t mind a bit.”

Ryo shrugged. If she wanted to help, he’d let her help. “All right. Grab that coffee carafe and follow me.”

Her eyes twinkling; she did as told. Following him elegantly out of the kitchen, she delivered the coffee safely onto the table. Watching him busy himself around the table, adjusting the plates and napkins, her mouth puckered in a slight frown. He was the one arranging the table? That was a woman’s job. “Is Kaori-san out?”

He didn’t look at her. “I think she’s still sleeping.”

“At this hour?” There was an indignant tone in her voice. “How is that possible?! A woman should be first on her feet in the morning to prepare breakfast and—”

“And that’s what she usually does!” he interrupted her with a glare. “But she hasn’t been feeling well lately, so I decided to give her a hand!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...” Her eyes were enormous. No one lifted their voice at her.

Ryo sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “No, Amaya-chan. I’m the one who should be sorry. You’re a guest here, and you didn’t know. I shouldn’t have gone off the way I did.” It’s just that you’re freaking me out, and I’m worried sick about Kaori.

She flashed him a wobbly smile. Her mission was proving to be tougher than anticipated. But seeing how preoccupied he was with his partner’s health and how he took care of things for her to alleviate her burden...It all made her even more determined to snatch him before it was too late.

Ryo shivered again upon seeing the look in Amaya’s eyes. The girl had fallen for him? In just one day? How was that even possible? It had never bothered him before when a client fell for him, but it did now. Because he knew he was safe from the others, even though they all tried to convince him to leave his old life, his job, and his partner behind—which he would never do!—but with Amaya, he wasn’t so sure. She had a strange look in her eyes; a weird light sparkled in them—something that told him the shit he was already in didn’t even come close to the pile of shit he would be in at the end of this story. For such a young and seemingly frail creature, she had an air of steely determination around her, and it made the heebie-jeebies increase.

And he knew what the best cure was for a case of his heebie-jeebies. Kaori. One look into her eyes, and all his worries disappeared. It worked like magic. She worked like magic. And he needed to see her. Now!

Listening to his muttering excuse and seeing him scurry toward the door made Amaya grin. Her mission might not be as difficult as she feared after all, if his embarrassment at being alone with her was any indication. Wasn’t it strange for a man of his reputation, the fearsome City Hunter, the infamous Stallion of Shinjuku, to be embarrassed in the company of a woman? That meant only one thing—that he’d never met a woman like her before. And that was an extremely prosperous sign.

Taking a deep, long breath outside Kaori’s room, Ryo gently knocked on her door.

There was no response, so he knocked again. A bit louder this time.

Still nothing. No sound whatsoever came from the inside.

His heart drumming like crazy—what if something happened in her sleep?—he shoved the door open. His dark eyes widened, and his blood roared in his ears.

The bed was unmade, and her pajamas were nowhere in sight. She was nowhere in sight. Not her room, not the bathroom. Where was she? What happened to her?

Because something must have happened! She never left the house without making her bed!

Was she kidnapped?

No, the window was closed, and he would have felt something was off during the night!

Where was she?

A quick, but thorough, inspection of the building proved Kaori absent, but what scared him the most was the unlocked front door. Was it possible someone did enter during the night and he didn’t hear a thing? Was it possible his dream blurred his mind enough for him not to sense anything?

He remembered the scream, and his blood froze in his veins.

His Kaori had needed his help, and he did nothing. His Kaori was in danger because of him. His Kaori was always in danger because of him, but this time the impact of that realization was so much greater because of his obvious inability to protect her. He didn’t hear anything last night. And because he didn’t hear or sense anything out of the ordinary, his Kaori was gone.

No, but he did wake up after hearing her scream. He should’ve heard something then, sensed something, sensed the danger, but he didn’t. So that would mean—

Hell, he didn’t know what it meant. All he knew was that Kaori was missing. She was out there somewhere, alone, unprotected, scared, and cold. And without a tracking device on her, he never thought of her pajamas.

Damn it! He needed to find her. Explore all options...

He picked up the phone.