Homecoming - Chapter Sixteen

In that blurry, yet peaceful state between sleep and wakefulness, Ryo smiled as what he thought were dreams became memories.

Because all his dreams had come true last night.

Makimura Kaori was finally his. Body and soul. Especially body.

She’d felt incredible clenching around him, trembling under, above him, holding him so close they’d almost become one being. The smell, the taste of her, the sight of her, skin flushed, eyes glazed, head thrown back, throat and back arched in ecstasy, the feel of her hands shaping his shoulders, back, and lower, the sounds she made were indelibly imprinted into his memory, his skin, the very essence of his being.

He couldn’t wait to tell her that, tell her everything, ask her to stay.

He hummed. It just might have to wait, he needed an encore.

He rolled over, reached for her…Touched only cold sheets.

His eyes snapped open.

She wasn’t beside him, only the scent of her on the pillow, on hit skin, and the lingering scent of their lovemaking only indication that what had happened in the past few hours had indeed been real and not just a figment of his imagination.

“Kaori?”

He slowly sat up in bed, listening.

Nothing.

He swung his legs to the side, stood, and, not bothering to pull on his boxers, padded out of the bedroom.

“Kaori?”

No answer.

He turned toward the door, eyes zeroing in on the spot where she’d left her duffle. It was empty.

His heart skipped a beat.

“Kaori?” he tried again, voice catching in his throat.

He looked in the bathroom, the spare room used mostly for storage, the kitchen; he even tried the terrace.

“Kaori…”

She was gone.

“Oh, hell, no,” he growled and grabbed his phone. “Kazue,” he snarled, when the woman answered on the second ring. “Where is she?”

His heart plummeted at her answer.

Kaori had collected Noemi from the hospital about an hour ago to go to the airport.

An hour ago. How hadn’t he felt her leave the bed? How hadn’t he heard her leave the apartment?

His fingers clenched.

She was really gone. Like the first time. Gone without saying goodbye. But unlike the first time, last night happened. They’d become lovers. He’d had her and she’d had him. Still, she left him. She left him without a word, without knowing the truth. That he still loved her. That he would always love her.

“Not this time, sweetheart,” he muttered, dialing his phone. “Not again. Not until you listen to what I have to say.”

It took an hour to get to the airport in a taxi, he could be there in twenty minutes.

Saeko finally answered, grumbling about not being able to sleep, but he wasn’t in the mood. “Saeko! I need a favor.”

He might owe her a kidney for it, but so be it. It was worth it. Kaori was worth it. Their future was worth it.

Not bothering to shower—letting her, their combined scents mark him—he pulled on a pair of black jeans, commando style, an old red T-shirt, and black half-boots, grabbed his jacket and keys, and slammed out of his apartment.

When he got to the police helipad, Saeko arched an eyebrow.

“What?!” he snarled. He wasn’t in the mood. Even if she was his ex. Even if she was pregnant. He didn’t have the time. “What?!”

She lifted her hands in a placating gesture. “Nothing. It’s just…I never thought I’d see you in your old uniform,” she mused, lips twitching as she looked at him from head to toe and back.

He looked down, cursing softly under his breath. He’d grabbed what he usually wore when he had still been City Hunter. All that was missing was the Python. He shrugged. “Fashion was the furthest from my mind. Can we go?”

When he made for the waiting chopper, she deliberately stepped in his way. “I just called in all sorts of favors from all sorts of people.”

Did she want him to thank her? He’d do it later; he was in a hurry. He made to step around her, but she stepped in his path again.

“Ryo, are you sure about this?”

He silently stared down at her.

She wouldn’t budge. “We’re breaking all sorts of laws here. You can’t prevent her from leaving. That’s kidnapping.”

“I just need to stop her. I need to talk to her, Saeko.” He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Did she think he didn’t have qualms about what he asked her to do? “She needs to know the truth, then she can decide.” He sighed. “I can’t let her go again. Not like this.”

She stepped aside to let him pass, but followed him to the chopper. “She’s not alone, Ryo. A child always comes first. No matter what you or her might want.”

The words rang in his ears all the way to the airport.