What Men Want - Chapter 35

The sun was already quite high in the Tokyo sky when Kaori, once again, woke up not in her bed. But, unlike the previous morning, she was as naked as a baby, and Ryo wasn’t lying on her arm, blocking her circulation. This morning, Ryo was spooning her from behind, one arm curved underneath her head while the other was slung loosely over her waist. To top it off, he’s thrown one leg over her calves, effectively trapping her in his embrace.

Kaori huffed slightly, contemplating her predicament.

Not that she was uncomfortable. Quite the contrary, she was warm all over—probably blushing from head to toe being naked in Ryo’s arms, remembering the previous night—forget warm; it felt suddenly really hot in the room.

And she felt protected, cherished, cradled in his arms, against him, feeling his warm breath caress her nape.

But she really needed to get up. She never slept this late. She needed to make breakfast, tidy up a little...make plans for the big party she was throwing the minute Amaya was out of their house.

Okay, the last item was a little mean, but it felt good to be a little petty.

But she definitely needed to get started on breakfast. Ryo’s been very vigorous last night—yeah, it was definitely hot in the room—and he’ll need the fuel.

She closed her eyes, took a slow, deep breath, and started freeing her legs.

She barely moved when the arm around her waist tightened.

“Where are you going?” he muttered. Despite his voice still being laced with sleep, he sounded quite annoyed.

“I need to get up,” she explained, fighting a smile.

“Why?” he whined, sounding like a petulant child.

Kaori rolled her eyes. “Because it’s late, we still have a guest, and we need to get up.”

“I’ve been up a lot longer than you,” he muttered, and tightening his hold a little more, he pulled her back, flush against him, butt to groin.

Kaori gulped at the feel of him. Hot and hard. “Th-that’s not what I meant.”

He chuckled, nuzzling at her nape. “Do you know the tips of your ears blush a little more than the rest of you?” He kissed her shoulder. “It’s a real turn-on.”

Another hot flash running over her, Kaori cleared her throat. “For you, everything’s a turn-on.”

“You have no idea...”

She felt quite proud of herself for being able to talk more or less normally to him despite the fact she was naked in his arms, not a stitch of fabric between her feverish skin and his, and the rather pleasant soreness between her legs, proof of just how well and how intimately they got to know each other during the night. Multiple times.

“You’re pink all over,” he murmured against the skin of her shoulder. “I wonder what you’re thinking about, hmm? Remembering, maybe.”

The hand, splayed on her belly, moved lower, cupping her, and she flinched, hissing against her own volition.

Ryo froze. “Shit, I hurt you.”

“No.” She grabbed his wrist, before he could move his hand. “No, you didn’t.”

“You’re sore.” He pressed his forehead against her shoulder, and, because she wouldn’t let him move his hand, gentled his touch into a barely-there caress. “God, Kaori, why didn’t you say something?”

“Because you would’ve stopped,” she whispered.

“You know I would’ve.”

“I didn’t want you to stop,” she breathed.

Feeling him relax, she let go of his wrist and immediately missed his hand when he moved it back to her belly. And almost whimpered when he scooted his hips back, so they were no longer butt to groin.

But before she could utter any sort of sound of protest, he pulled her onto her back and leaned over her, bracing on his forearm, his other arm still curved under her head.

“I wouldn’t have stopped indefinitely, Kaori-ko.” His tender smile turned into a frown when she looked everywhere but at him. “What’s wrong?”

It was one thing talking to him when she didn’t have to look at him. Having him loom over her, looking at her with a mixture of tenderness and desire she’d never before seen on his face, while they were both naked in his bed, was something else entirely.

“Kaori,” he prompted. “What’s wrong?”

She stared at the ceiling. “Uhm, nothing.”

“You’re turning pink again.” He chuckled, and she glared at him. “That’s better,” he murmured, and leaned down for a soft, slow kiss. When he lifted his head, his eyes were heated. “Good morning.”

She lifted her hand to brush that unruly lock of hair off his forehead. “Good morning.”

He leaned his head into her caress as she cupped his cheek, his gaze traveling lower, his eyes heating even more. “You’re right, we better get up, or you won’t be able to walk for a week.”

His smile grew into a wolfish grin as she felt her skin ignite.

“You look really good in pink,” he murmured, and leaned down for another kiss.

One kiss led to another, and another, and another, until he was once more nestled between her thighs, her arms around his neck, fingers in his hair. But he wasn’t as far gone as to forget her earlier flinch, the hiss. She was sore, and despite the clamoring of his body, they did have all the time in the world, so he reluctantly broke the kiss, disentangled himself from her arms and legs, and rolled onto his back with a groan.

“Go,” he whispered hoarsely. “Go, before I can still let you go.”

Winded and flushed, she turned her head to look at him. He had one arm slung over his eyes, fingers clenched tightly into fists, his chest was rising and falling rapidly with his ragged breathing, and lower, he was hard and big, his erection curved toward his abdomen.

“Ryo,” she whispered. He was in pain, she—

“God, Kaori,” he almost whimpered as she placed her hand on his chest. “Don’t tempt me. I don’t want to hurt you. Please.”

“I’ll go make some coffee, then,” she murmured, and, hand still on his chest, sat up and leaned over to kiss him on his cheek, nuzzled a little. “Enjoy that cold shower.”

He moved his arm just enough to be able to glare at her for reading his mind, and she giggled. He groaned and quickly covered his eyes again as she stood and leaned down to pick up her pajamas. She was obviously trying to kill him.

Another giggle, a more mischievous one this time—yeah, she was definitely trying to kill him—and she was gone.

 

In the end, he didn’t need that cold shower. Kaori calling his name with fear in her voice was enough to douse any residual lascivious thoughts.

Forgoing boxers, he quickly pulled on his pants and ran downstairs.

Kaori, still in her pajamas, her eyes enormous, was standing in front of the open guest room door.

“I wanted to check on her,” she whispered.

She might not have liked Amaya, but Kaori was a nurturer at heart.

“The door was ajar, I pushed it open with my elbow. I didn’t touch anything.”

And she was a cop’s sister, one half of City Hunter.

He nodded and stopped on the threshold, his insides screaming. The room was destroyed. Amaya’s belongings were thrown onto the floor; the nightstands overturned the bed askew; the flimsy curtains were half torn off the rod; the two lamps, which he knew Kaori had brought from her own room, were smashed and broken; and the coverlet on the bed spattered with blood.

His fingers clenched into fists, a tick worked in his jaw. There was something wrong with the picture; he just couldn’t put his finger on what.

“How did they get past the security system?” Kaori asked.

Wasn’t that the question of the day? “I have no idea,” he growled. It didn’t make any sense. Nothing made sense.

“Didn’t you feel anything last night?”

He merely looked at her, and she went purple.

“Not that,” she snapped. “Aren’t you the one who always senses danger?”

“That’s when I’m the one in danger. Or you, for that matter.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “The only danger I was in last night was of dying of bliss, Kaori.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” He sighed and looked her up and down. “Get dressed, and I’ll call Saeko.”

“We’re going after her, right?”

“You’re not part of the equation, Kaori.”

Hands on her hips, she glared at him. “Excuse me?”

He sighed. “I’ll get Mick and Umi to help, you stay at home.”

“Don’t you dare—”

He cupped her face in his hands, effectively silencing her. “I can’t have you out there in danger, Kaori. Not now, not so soon after—” He closed his eyes, the tick in his jaw working double time. I couldn’t take it if—

Her heart melted. “Just be careful,” she whispered.

He opened his eyes and nodded slightly. Then he kissed her, quick and rough, but before she could respond, he broke the kiss and walked away without a backward glance.