Matsuri's eyes flew open and she flashed up in bed. That had been the third night that she'd dreamed of the redheaded Kazekage; ever since their kiss, he'd plagued her with sleepless nights, feverish dreams and every waking moment, her head had been consumed with thoughts of him.
She hadn't seen much of her Kazekage in the last three days which had been both a blessing and a curse; his abrasive kiss had left her so confused and a part of her was terrified of him—yet there was also a part of her that longed to see him. To be near him again and feel that same overwhelming intensity that had radiated from him when he'd embraced her so fiercely.
Combing a hand through her unruly wavy locks, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood. Clad in nothing but her nude lace bra and panties, she shuffled sleepily to the bathroom, stripped and climbed into the shower.
The hot water soothed her aching muscles and for a moment, she leaned her back against the tiled walls and closed her eyes.
She could still feel him; his hand wrapped around her wrist as he pulled her against him.
The smell of his skin as he towered over her, leaning in closer—eyes burning with fire.
His mouth on hers; awkward and clumsy but persistent and forceful all the same…how his other hand slid up her arm and rested against the side of her neck, his fingers stroking her silken flesh…
The sandnin's eyes snapped open and she exhaled shakily; daydreaming about steamy moments between her and her Kazekage was NOT the way to spend her time in the shower. She lathered quickly, shampooed her hair and rinsed off in a hurry. The shower turned off and she stepped out and grabbed a white towel to wrap around herself; she had a lunch meeting with Temari, Hinata and Ino at noon and she needed to be ready.
# # # #
Yamanaka Ino popped another fresh strawberry into her mouth, eyeing the other blonde woman sitting beside her, flipping through a bridal magazine. "Do you really think there's something going on between those two?"
The green-eyed beauty smirked, snapping the magazine cover shut and laying it aside. "Yes. You may think it sounds absurd but believe me, I know those two better than anyone—Matsuri for sure, has it bad and always has since the day she met him."
Well that makes a lot more sense than him…I mean, no offense but your brother isn't exactly the intuned, emotionally expressive type.
Temari laughed through her nose, nodding her head. "Trust me." She took a sip of her whiskey-laced red wine. "I know it."
"So…what makes you think he feels something for her, then?"
Temari smirked knowingly. "You should've seen him the first day he was here and he saw her. I mean from all appearances, he looked perfectly calm and unfazed; impassive mask and all…but his eyes? Ohhh, you should've seen it, I could hardly keep myself from laughing at him; I mean the guy's such a stiff but inside, he was turning to fucking jelly just at the sight of her!"
Ino shook her head at her companion's devious cackle. "Temari-chan, you are a cruel woman, ha! I almost pity Shikamaru for having to put up with you for the rest of his life….almost."
The two women giggled hysterically to themselves, enjoying their long-standing private joke.
"Ahh well, it's Matsuri I'm worried about in all honesty." The Suna princess sobered then, setting down her glass. "Gaara's already shaken from seeing her again and with the way he tends to "handle" his emotions, I—I'm worried he's gonna come off—a little—intense." The blonde Suna kunoichi's brows furrowed in concentrated concern.
Ino was about to respond when her eyes caught sight of Matsuri coming towards them and her jaw dropped.
"Well damn, if I had that coming at me every day then hell, I think I'd be intense too!"
Temari's eyes followed the direction of Ino's stare to find Matsuri coming towards them. The brunette was clad in a deep burgundy toned skirt that flowed to her ankles with a slit that reached mid-thigh. The skirt was high-waisted and she'd paired it with a cream long-sleeved crop top with broad scooped neckline that showed off her collarbone and shoulders. A bit of her toned stomach was bared as a result of the cropped hem but it wasn't shockingly exposing and only hinted to the smooth sun-kissed flesh beneath.
Her earth-toned gladiators peaked out from the hem of her skirt every now and then as she walked and soon, she reached the two women and gave a sweet smile. "Gomen, am I late?"
"Not at all, Matsuri but—good gods, woman! You're making me and Ino look bad!"
Her eyes running over the younger woman's attire caused the brunette to blush furiously. "O-Oh I'm—is it too much? I wasn't sure but I hadn't had a chance to wear it so—"
Ino burst out laughing then. "Oh Matsuri-chan you are so precious! So easy to tease." She patted the space on the other side of her and the somewhat flustered San kunoichi slid into the seat with Temari settling on the other side of Ino, her lips pulled into a devious grin.
"I think you've hit that, right on the mark, Ino." Temari commented and both women winked at each other, amused at the lost expression of the young woman seated between them.
As for Matsuri she glanced bewilderedly between the pair and huffed out a sigh. "Etto...etto…you two aren't being fair at all!" She whined and she slumped in her seat, dreading the long day ahead; what had she gotten herself into?
