No Ordinary Love (21 page)

“Did you find out who the other man is?” I asked.

He nodded. The ceiling light bathed his rugged face with a glow that gave him a haunting look. “He is dead.”

“Who was he?”

“There is no need for names for a person who is dead.”

I stiffened. “I wasn't sure if I would even want him killed.”

“But he would kill you if your father ordered it. He would also have taken that American girl without even feeling a twinge from his conscience. Death is the solution in our world.”

“I'm trying to change that.”

“You must first clean the house before you move new furniture in. Why bring in new rules and order while vermin still crawl all over the place?” Eito waited for me to respond.

I stared at him with my mouth open, not sure if I wanted to say the words out loud that he had not spoken himself.

But he hinted. Didn't he? Death was the answer. Whose death? Father? Surely he couldn't have meant that.

But then even if Eito did mean it, there would be no confirmation. No one would be dumb enough to tell me to kill my own father. No matter how many people he terrorized. They would keep their mouths closed and gazes targeting the floor.

“I need you to do me a favor.”

Eito bowed.

“Could you find out what prison this man is in and see if we have anybody in there? It would be in New York.” I pushed Nyomi's book to the front of the desk. “Go ahead and take the book if you need it. His name is in there. This is him on the cover.”

“Do you want him killed?”

I rushed to stand. “No!”

Like a wounded animal, he edged back. It made me sad. No matter how much I tried not to scare him, my resemblance to my father and sudden outbursts set him on edge.

I sat back down. “I'm sorry. You just can't kill him. I only want to know if there is a way to contact him without anyone knowing.”

“Okay, Sato-san.”

Chapter 22

NYOMI

Me: I can’t see you tonight. I’ll try to see you tomorrow.

Kenji wasted no time with a response.

Kenji: What do you mean?

Me: I forgot that I made plans with my friend, Zo. He invited me somewhere. I can’t come do observations at Castle in the Sky.

Kenji: Where are you going?

Really? Is that any of his business?

Kenji: Tora?

Me: Like I said, I’m hanging with my friends. I’ll see you tomorrow.

We barely know each other. You don’t need to worry about what I’m doing when I’m not around you.

I dropped my phone back into my bag and went to take a quick shower and get ready for Zo’s tea ceremony. He had sprung it on me today and I was happy for the distraction.

I need space between Kenji and me.

His friend had invited him and his ex-lover/photographer to the event. Since Zo and his lover no longer talked, Zo called ahead to see if I could come.

Warm water slid across my skin as I closed my eyes and leaned back against the shower wall. Again, the area was much smaller than what I was used to but utterly satisfying, to say the least. God, I loved being in Tokyo. A separateness from the material world existed here. Sure, you had overconsumption in this country just like in the States, but there was also a dedication to connecting with nature, too—like this event I was going to for example.

I’d heard that people spent years mastering the art of Japanese tea ceremonies. Zo claimed that colleges and universities held classes on it. This was all good news for me, because I needed something to keep my head busy.

All last night I’d thought of Kenji—his fingers around my neck, lips on mine, taking my breath away. Mom’s phone call hadn’t helped. Masturbating to his image made it all even worse. My body craved him even more. My mind was even more intrigued by the breath play. I didn’t know if I would do it myself, but I damn sure felt like exploring this some more.

This is a dark path I’m walking on. Should I get off it now? How dark should a person go?

I washed my hair, spending more time on my tresses than usual. That tiny shower room just gave me some sense of security. Inside its wet walls, I didn’t have to deal with everything outside. But the moment came when I had to give up the whole cleaning thing and get my butt out of the bathroom to head off to the ceremony.

As my feet hit the white rug in Zo’s bathroom, a voice rushed out from the living room and traveled to the bathroom. Zo always had women over visiting him. It wasn’t strange to hear unknown voices in his place in the middle of the night, but this one, I knew well. It was a man. This man had screamed my name over and over less than twenty-four hours ago.

Kenji! What the fuck is he doing in there? How did he come over so quickly? I just talked to him on the phone.

Something strange was happening. It didn’t make any sense. He lived close to Tokyo Tower and bragged that he had an excellent view. Yet I’d texted him this morning, gone into the shower, and now he was here.

There’s no way he sped over here that quickly. It’s the morning. The streets are busy. Was he just hanging out in the fashion district? No way.

I leaned toward the door and eavesdropped on his and Zo’s conversation. It sounded cordial. Kenji inquired about some painting on the wall. There was no way he liked the art. Everything on Zo’s walls were all-white and ridiculous. If there hadn’t been wooden frames, I doubted anyone would’ve known they were up there. They were stupid—white, oil-painted circles on white canvas, ivory bamboo on bleach-white cloth. Stuff that couldn’t be seen unless the viewer walked up to the wall, tilted close to the image, and squinted.

What the fuck is Kenji doing here?

I rushed with drying off and didn’t even throw on my clothes. There was no need. Both men had seen me in all my naked glory. I wrapped my towel around my body and stormed in.

“There you are!” Zo clapped his hands, his eyes darting back and forth between me and Kenji. I didn’t have to be a mind reader to know what was going through his head. He was shrieking, loudly. “Nyomi, your … f-friend is here.”

At the word friend, Kenji frowned at me. I tossed him a frown, too. I was not pleased with his surprise visit, and it was time for him to learn something special about me—I was a private person who didn’t like to be stalked or possessed.

Were you spying on me, Kenji? How did you get here so quickly?

“Zo, would it be okay if Kenji and I talked on your balcony?” I headed over to it before waiting for anyone’s answer.

“Sure. Of course.” Zo gave me space to walk by him. “It’s so small out there. I could just leave the apartment and—”

I waved his comment away. “No need. We’re fine.”

Kenji trailed behind me. He had the nerve to look even more like a beast than usual. A smile was plastered on his face, yet his eyes held edge. He wasn’t pleased.

Too damn bad.

I stepped onto the balcony and scooted my potted flowery clit to the side. It swayed with the movement. The sun and Zo’s watering had done the plant good. She appeared brighter than the night I’d gotten her. Too bad the gift giver who’d brought her into my life would possibly be getting thrown off the damn balcony in front of her.

She definitely didn’t deserve to see that.

I can’t be imagining things. He was in this district when I texted him. Why show up after the text?

He stepped onto the balcony and slid the door closed behind him. We stood so close. Barely a foot existed between us. When he exhaled, I inhaled, just like last night, but our moods had changed. He blew fire and I was about to fucking growl.

“How did you get here so fast?” I did my best to calm myself down.

“I was already here.”

Well, at least you’re not going to start off with a lie.

“What do you mean you were already here?” I crossed my arms.

“I was sitting in my car around the corner over there”—he gestured behind me—“finishing my lunch.”

“W-Wait, what?” Still annoyed, I swallowed down his bluntness.

“You heard me.”

“Why were you out there?”

“Because you were in here.” He pointed back to Zo’s apartment.

“That makes me uncomfortable.”

“What can I do to fix that?” His frown formed into a straight line.

“What can you do? Well, stop stalking me, for one.”

He raked is fingers through his hair. “No.”

“That’s not the answer I was expecting.”

“What were you expecting, Tora?” He closed the distance between us, just like that. Our bodies didn’t touch, but they almost did. When I inhaled, my chest rose and came close to him, but not enough to satisfy me.

How sad is this? He’s a freak and as soon as he comes close to me, I’m getting hot. What the fuck, Nyomi?

We stood there, so near I ached for more. He monitored my movements. I could see it all over his face. Desire glittered in his eyes, as well as anger.

Why are you mad? I’m the one being stalked.

“Back up,” I whispered.

“No.”

“You must like my knee.”

His voice was deep and laced with the promise of something more. “We both know I like a lot of things, but your knee isn’t one of them.”

Warmth hit my core. In the end, this man was a hunter at heart.

“I don’t want you sitting outside here again. Don't do it.”

The muscle in his jaw twitched. “Is that supposed to be a suggestion?”

“No.” I wanted to edge away from him. It would’ve only given me a few inches right before I had my back against the wall. “I’m telling you that if I see that you’re out here again … watching me or whatever, then I won’t talk to you.”

“Interesting.” He smirked and dragged his gaze down my body as if he owned me.

My nipples hardened. That was how fucked up I was. Instead of slapping him, I got turned on by his audacity.

“I’m not joking,” I said.

“No, I know. It’s just that you have to understand something about me.” He came closer, pressing his body into mine. I didn’t tense or gasp, instead, my body molded into his like we were meant to smooth against each other. On my face, I was sure I wore confidence. Inside, I was jelly and horniness.

“I want you.” He raked his fingers through my damp curls. Adrenaline rushed through my veins like I was about to start a high-impact race. God, what had he done to me? This was wrong and dark, yet here I stood, getting turned on even more. He breathed me in and groaned. “I crave you bad, and not just sexually. I need more.”

His fingertips slid along my moist scalp as he continued to run his fingers through my hair. “I like being near you, whether you know I’m there or not.” He gently gripped the back of my head and guided my lips to his. “I like knowing that at any moment I can come to you and taste you any way I want to.”

He consumed me on that balcony—his tongue dipping in and out of my mouth with skill. Our lips smacked against each other. Soft, slow kisses. We did what lovers do. Our mouths glided against each other in a silky dance. Moans left our lips. Our heartbeats had to thump in sync. If it had been dark, perhaps we would have done more, but it wasn’t. Sunlight glowed across our skin. I had to stop this.

“Wait.” I placed my hands on his chest and inched back. “Hold on.”

He hissed.

“Are you kidding me?”

“What?” His frown returned.

“You’re too much for me, Kenji.”

“That sounds like a good thing.”

I leaned back on the wall. “I don’t like to be stalked.”

“And I don’t want space between us.”

“Then we don’t talk.”

He chuckled. A breeze blew through his hair. “Do you really think that’s something you have control over?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re not as smart as I thought you were.” He stepped back as if he knew the comment would get him punched in the jaw.

“Don’t follow me around.” I targeted him with my gaze.

He said nothing and drank my image in. I couldn’t tell if he was truly getting what I was saying or simply admiring the view.

“I don’t like you outside my friend’s house,” I said. “It creeps me out, and you can’t just show up whenever you want. If you need to see me, then you call and ask.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“And if I say yes, then you can come.”

That same twitch happened in his jawline. “Is that so?”

“That’s exactly so. You violate this, and we don’t talk. I like my space and privacy and won’t mess with anyone that violates them.”

He rubbed his chin as if in thought. “I’ll have to consider all of this.”

I lifted a finger and wagged it. “No, this is nothing you’re going to consider. I just told you that you’re not going to stalk me. That’s the moment where you agree not to do that. In fact, I shouldn’t have to say that this is a problem. If this was a more normal situation I would probably just not talk to you anyway, but we’re different. We do have a deal.”

“Oh yes, the deal.” He snorted. “Is that what you tell yourself?”

“Excuse me?”

“What is your reasoning for dealing with my craziness now? The book? Your little permission to be in my district? Or are you just being polite?”

“What are you getting at?”

He captured my waist. “You’re focusing on the wrong things.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You know why I sat outside your friend’s apartment this afternoon. This is your fault.” He pulled me to him. “You knew how I would react once I got a taste of that sweet pussy.”

A blaze hit me. I couldn’t even recover.

He slid his hands along my behind and squeezed as he captured my lips into a kiss. “Are you telling me you didn’t know this would happen?”

I broke free from his mouth. “No. You’re just trying to change the topic and make light of this—”

“I’m doing no such thing.” He nibbled along the curve of my neck. A sigh escaped my lips.

Stop it, Nyomi!

“You think you can set rules for me, after letting me fuck you like that.” He pushed me into the wall and didn’t let up. His hard body stayed on mine as he rubbed against me. “Do you remember what we did?”