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Chapter 3

Sakura had been sitting next to Kakashi for all of a few minutes and she was convinced she was going to hell for all the sinning she was imagining in her head.

From his silver white hair falling defiantly over his forehead to the hard muscle of his thigh pressing to hers, Kakashi radiated a sultry heat that told her to back away. Yet his face was inches from hers. Close enough to see ridiculously long lashes for anyone so blatantly male.

Her whole body tingled. Sakura exhaled deeply, trying to ease her tension.

"So…?" She broke the silence. "What is it?"

"Hmm?" Kakashi was drawing small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.

"You called me over here but you're not even saying anything."

"You were the one checking me out just now," he drawled "I'm just letting you finish."

Sakura turned scarlet. She wondered if he could see her blushing behind the veil on her face.

Flustered and not having a smart comeback, she punched him lightly on the arm.

Kakashi inclined his head, grinning as he curiously looked her over. His narrowed eyes lingered on her face as if he was trying to look past her veil.

Would he recognize her? Sakura ducked her head, her hair falling to cover her face. Not yet, Sakura thought, eyeing all the other guests in the tent with them. She'll reveal herself to him once they had privacy.

Right now, she was a confident, sexy cabaret dancer interested on a night of passion with the man in front of her. This was the role she was playing. And if she played it right, she just might get Kakashi alone before the night was through without anyone questioning it.

To talk. About the mission, she had to remind herself. Her inner Sakura was resurfacing, offering lewd suggestions.

Except for Kakashi, Sakura didn't trust anyone in this organization. And because she was under Hokage's orders not to trust Itachi, that included him too.

Although, predicting what Kakashi's reaction would be after he finds out it was her was tricky. But she was certain he would no longer be interested in pursuing their harmless flirtation any further.

"I'm intrigued that I could touch you like this." Kakashi emphasized his point by caressing the length of her arm. Calloused hands met soft skin and a low appreciative hum reverberated from his lips. "But you're not scared."

Sakura glanced up at him. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Why would I?"

Edgy, yes. But not scared. Not with Kakashi-sensei.

Kakashi smiled gently, patting her hand reassuringly. "You seemed uncomfortable earlier. I could see you trembling from here."

Sakura chuckled softly. "How perceptive of you," she remarked, although not actually surprised.

Incredibly, she relaxed a bit. His concern was something she was accustomed to. She let her guard down a little. "I know I can take care of myself. Physically. But outside of that..." she trailed off, "guys scare me."

"But not me." It wasn't a question.

Sakura laid her head on his shoulder. She supposed this wasn't part of her act but she was never good at lying to herself or to any member of Team Seven.

Kakashi didn't seem to mind.

The scent of soap and warm, musky male filled her lungs. The sensations he aroused comforted yet agitated her in a way that she had long forbidden herself.

"No, but you do make me a bit nervous," she murmured.

"Why?" His voice was but a whisper. He was treating her like a cat he didn't want to spook. It reminded her of the D missions they had when she was a genin.

Sakura straightened herself, pulling away from him. She rubbed her nape abstractedly. "I feel out of my element. I'm not… used to this." Her hands made a fluttering motion.

Kakashi's head was cocked towards her, listening. "This?" Shy green eyes looked up at him from beneath her lashes.

"You know…" Why did he have to make her say it? "Flirting," she grumbled.

Kakashi said teasingly, "Oh, is that what this is?" He punched her lightly on the arm.

Sakura bit her lip to stop her smiling but failed. "You mean that's not how it goes?"

When their mirth subsided, a comfortable silence settled between them.

"But you looked like you were handling yourself pretty well with that guy." Kakashi's expression turned serious. "Regardless of your discomfort, it looked like you had him wrapped around your little finger."

Sakura stilled. There was something in his tone that had her on her guard. He couldn't know she was planning to do with the guy, could he?

She stayed silent. She turned her head away.

Unknown to her, his glance slipped from the intriguing shade of green in her eyes to the delicate curve of her exposed neck and the creamy skin of shoulders. It slid further from her bare midriff down to the strip of skin revealed through the slit of her skirt.

Kakash's voice was oddly husky now when he said, "Tell me, what makes you so uncomfortable about this…" He caught her by the waist and tugged her close.

Sakura's head jerked to his direction in surprise. Eyes the color of midnight locked on hers. She could only stare at him. The warmth of his hand on her naked skin seared her like a brand.

He was squeezing her waist like his hands had every right to be there, and she wasn't telling him to let go.

This was just an act, wasn't it?

But Kami, did his touch feel amazing. Her pulse had leaped at the contact. She could hardly find the voice to answer him. "I just— don't know what to do. I've always been surrounded by guys but I've never felt like a woman." Sakura was acutely aware of him lazily stroking his fingers on her waist. "I've never kissed anyone. I've never even let a guy touch me the way you are—" she broke off.

Kakashi had brushed her hair off of her neck. He cupped her nape and rubbed his thumb intimately over her exposed skin. He leaned forward, and their cloth covered lips met in a light kiss.

He pulled back smiling down at her shocked eyes. "How could I resist you when you look at me so sweetly, saying you've never had a man kiss you?"

"You're wearing a mask, and I'm wearing a veil." Her voice was low and husky. "That wasn't a real kiss."

Kakashi's eyebrows shot up. The words had tumbled out of her and before she could backtrack, he pulled down on his mask.

Sakura blinked disbelievingly. This was the first time she was seeing his whole face. His closeness allowed her to see individual hairs of what looked like a night's growth of beard on his stubborn jaw, and the mole just below his parted lips.

Her shock at finally seeing his face delayed her reaction to him reaching for her veil.

"Wait!" Sakura gasped out but he had already removed the disguise.

Kakashi's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. His chest stilled as if he stopped breathing. "You!" he expelled the word along with a lungful of air, "You're… I'm…" His voice was tight and heavy with self-incrimination.

She couldn't tell him the things he needed to hear without anyone else drawing their own conclusions. The problem was that the second he raised his voice was enough to attract the attention of the people around them. She could hear them murmuring their suspicions of her.

Sakura couldn't give him the time to catch his breath. So for the second time that evening, she acted on an impulse and hoped for the best. Sakura wrapped her arms around Kakashi's neck and kissed him.

For a second, she thought he wouldn't respond. Then he wrapped one hand around her waist and the other cupped the back of her neck. He angled her head, wanting to deepen the kiss. His tongue slipped between her lips. She opened her mouth eagerly. She could taste the liquor in his mouth as well as the taste of him. All heat and arousal.

The kiss wasn't gentle but it wasn't rough either. It was the kind of kiss that stopped time yet made the seconds race.

Her whole body was quivering. Her stomach knotted with excitement. His hands and mouth sent little shocks on her nerves that made her breasts tingle and her nipples achingly hard.

He broke the kiss all too soon.

"Don't tempt me," he said in a low growl. The hard look he gave her burnished his eyes with heat.

"But I want to tempt you." She didn't know when the real Sakura and the role of lustful, exotic dancer became one and the same person. Things were spinning out of her control and she couldn't say she regretted it.

"I want you but if you want me to stop, say so now." Kakashi's strong grip on her shoulders was desperate, almost painful.

Sakura shook her head. "I want you too."

She wanted Kakashi to teach her about the side of herself she hadn't known before. She wanted to know how it felt to have control wrested away and constantly teetering on its edge, to be burning up on the inside and having him to quench the heat.

"Then come with me," Kakashi panted heavily in her ear, "Let us take care of you."

He stood up and grasped her hand, pulling her up. He led her out of the tent, ignoring the cheers of the drunken men inside.

Did she hear him right? "Us?" Sakura wondered aloud.

She did not understand the mysterious grin he sent her over his shoulder. But it held a promise that had her doubling her heart rate.

Forget the scheming officials inside the tent. Kakashi was leading her to dangerous territory.