MS

Oh goodness, over 800 visitors to the last chapter, I am agog. I would really like to apologize for the delay on finishing this story as I started the last chapter as soon as I wrote the one before it, but then could only abandon it until I finished. The Epilogue was also written before these last two chapters, but I couldn't quite tie it in. I hope I haven't completely pissed off some of my most loyal readers, and all of those that have stuck with me from the beginning of this story over two years ago until now. Hopefully actually getting an ending will make up for it.

Thank you all for reading, and hopefully liking the story. Leave a comment if desired as I know this whole thing takes a long time to read and input is appreciated. I did it in revision and it took me the better part of two days as I went over each and every line and hopefully fixed more than a few errors. But most of all, thanks for reading this long story.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the CCS characters.

Sugar Daddy

Chapter 37: Kiss Me Again

His cast was a big impediment. He was going to go out of his mind when he was discharged. It took time for breaks to heal and he wasn't entirely sure he could survive it with as much aplomb as his father had.

It had already been pointed out that if things kept going as they were, soon it would be Lei that would be joining the convalescing males. Kei had merely grimaced while their mother just shook her head at the morbid talks her family so enjoyed.

"Come on, let him at least enjoy his food in tranquility," she ushered everyone out, making sure to keep the ribbing to a minimum before they went out the door. "I'll try and arrange for her to make a visit alone."

"That would be most appreciated mother," he chuckled as she simply smiled before finding himself shuffled around to take a bath. When he was more than halfway presentable, he saw Sakura waiting with his meal. She drank him in, as he did in turn. She was somewhat bashful until she could wait no more and rushed to his side.

He grimaced as his sprained hand told him he shouldn't try to use it much, before he sank himself into her kiss. How he'd missed her. The last two days had been completely hell when he hadn't been able to have her in his arms. When he remarked on it, she apologized for being monopolized by her great grandfather before he had finally departed.

"I thought you'd abandoned me," he pricked at her conscience, languishing in simply touching her temple to his.

"No silly," she grinned before setting the food in front of him. "I was just bidding my time."

They conversed a bit while he ate, her watchful eyes making sure he ate every morsel. "Are you going to stay with me?" he asked her after taking the pills that would put him under.

"I'll be here the whole step of the way," she promised him, giving him a slight peck before sitting herself by his side. It took awhile for him to fall asleep, fighting it so that he could simply watch her in silence.

Sakura knew she had something to say, and expected him to just run with the questions his eyes reflected when their hands touched. She'd been so afraid, and still was deep inside. She kept doubting herself so badly it was reflecting and hurting him.

Syaoran had decided not to push, and then berated himself for the strain that seemed to be between them. He didn't know how to approach her without pushing too hard, but it appeared she wasn't going to volunteer the information. One of them was going to have to give in.

He was afraid for her. He could see a barrier built before her each time she looked his way. Her smile was the same, but it didn't quite reach her eyes and made them sparkle as they had before. He was more unsure of himself than her, which made him question his own sanity. If there was one thing Syaoran had always been was confident in himself and in his name if needed. But with her, nothing had mattered. He had no weapons to use. It was a daunting task to keep himself in check every day while they waited for him to be discharged.

"The doctors say you should be able to leave by tomorrow at the latest," her happiness transfusing into their kiss as she greeted him quite soundly. He chuckled at her elation, glad to finally be able to go back home.

"I'll be glad to be discharged," he shivered lightly as he glanced around the room that had been his home for the past week.

"I was sure," she laughed as he motioned for her to sit on the bed by his side. "Now instead of being an invalid at the hospital, you'll be an invalid at home."

He snorted at her jibe, rolling his eyes knowing that she was enjoying having him at her mercy. "I'm sure that if I play nurse to your patient you'll like it," she coyly whispered to him before letting him drag her to his side. She slipped into the large accommodating bed and spread to his full side.

"I wouldn't mind anything at all," he glowered at her, the intensity changing slightly to desire. He felt her tense somewhat, before she kissed him playfully. He groaned in exasperation when she pulled away and placed distance between them. He hadn't expected her to tear her clothes off and molest him in the hospital, but it was too much to have her keep pulling away.

"Do you hate me now?" he swore to himself at how pathetic he sounded.

"No," her answer was swift, and clear. He was at a loss for words in how to proceed. "But I am a fool," she admitted to him as she broke down. In the past week, she hadn't cried in front of him, not after he'd opened his eyes. She hadn't cried or thought of crying as there had been no reason, but now she couldn't stop.

"Why are you a fool?"

"Because I can't let myself enjoy this," there was recrimination in her voice as she slipped her arms around her to ward off the chills that accompanied her sobs. "I deliberately sabotaged myself, and I really can't tell you the reason why because I don't know it."

"Sakura, you're not making any sense," he sharply called to her as she moved away. He wanted her close so he could put his own arms around her and comfort her.

"You almost died Syaoran. I couldn't almost look you in the eye when I entered this room the first time. I'm a coward of the worst kind."

"If you were a coward then you wouldn't have fought back when we first met," he countered, anger in his tone as he saw her shrink into something he'd never witnessed before. She'd always been so sure and commanding, aware of her place in the world and how important her place was in it that he physically hurt for her.

"I'm a coward where it counts," she amended, her tear streaked face flinching from his direct stare. "For those hours when we didn't know where you were, if you were even alive, all I could think about was myself. It hurt so much to know that I had been distancing myself from you deliberately only to have you ripped away completely."

"I don't care about that Sakura," he called to her, hoping that she would reach for him. He wanted nothing more than for her to reach her hand to his so that she would understand that she wasn't just one person anymore, she was both of them together.

She cried out when he made to get out of bed. Instead, she flung herself into his arms. Syaoran took her face in his hands and just let her cling to him. "All I could think of was that you were gone and I'd never be able to kiss you again, to touch you, to caress you."

Her words were unintelligible for awhile as she sobbed against his chest. He had no need to understand her mumbling words as her body slowly ebbed into calmness. "I clearly remember that I was thinking that I shouldn't have been there at all when the kidnapping happened," he finally spoke to her once she was calm, rocking her back and forth. "My first thoughts when I wasn't delirious was of the people I cared about. I woke to find that you were the first person on my mind, with my parents and siblings following closely."

He shut his eyes as he recalled the terrifying feeling that had overtaken him when he thought that he'd never be able to have them close again. He loved and was loved by all those he cherished. "I told myself that I would be a better person for it, knowing that I had been close to death and having the chance to be able to have them by my side again. I was glad for you, because there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of you. You are the first thing that pops into my head when I awake, and how I lull myself to sleep at night."

He opened his eyes again to see her. He needed to see her face, to stare into those glorious green orbs that had disarmed him since that first night and taken a hold of his being. "I would take you any way that I could have you," his low tone had her wondering, he could tell from the way she looked at him. She was searching for something, or maybe trying to decipher what was in his eyes. "When I'm with you I feel completely different, like I can enjoy myself. I think back of when you weren't here, and I can't really think of how I had managed to live."

"I thought I would die if you had," she mumbled as a sniffle escaped her. "I know it wasn't real but at that moment all I could think of was my own pain and how desperate I felt right then almost killed me."

"It's alright to want someone Sakura," he admonished her before placing a kiss on her temple. "There are times in which I feel like I have to drown myself in you just so that I can breathe," he tucked her closer to his side. "It's terrifying to want someone else that much because you're not really sure if you'll ever have those feelings reciprocated."

"I didn't come with you because I wanted to see if I was still the same me," she finally admitted, waiting for the recriminating question he should pose of her. She'd been so weak to think of it that she hadn't thought she'd had any other recourse. When he simply kissed her, she whimpered.

"Do you think you're a better person now, when you're with me?" he simply asked when they parted, hoping to hear what she truthfully thought. He didn't want her to lie to him in any respect, but still held high hopes inside.

"I am a better person," she answered, now her turn to cradle his face lovingly. "My thoughts haven't changed, my feelings, my personality all remain at the core the same. Now I just have a better understanding of what being human actually is. If we were to part ways, I think my life wouldn't be as fulfilling as it is now, but at least I would have known the difference."

"Do you love me?"

"Yes," she had no problems answering his question, her smile blinding him.

"Even my quick temper, stubborn personality, and my take charge personality?"

"I adore those, I adore you," she laughed as he snuggled to her side to simply listen to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. "I also love how you make me feel wanted, desirable, and needed."

"I do need you Sakura," he made sure she understood it. "Don't ever think my day wouldn't be that much better if you weren't there to share it with me."

"I'm sorry for taking so long in admitting my fears," Sakura grimaced as she thought of all those endless hours spent agonizing over things.

"I think that if we try to say anything, and not feel afraid to admit to our faults and fears, we're going to be just fine."

"You're right," she blushed as someone knocked on the door. He refused to let go of her as the door began to open.

"Just stay here with me," he asked her, loosening his grip slightly so she could pull away if she wanted.

"You seem to be in better spirits," his standing physician smiled benignly at the pair as he caught their embrace. He didn't mind at all when they remained in their cocoon on the bed.

::~::

Before they knew it, New Year's had come and gone. Karen and Lei had taken their vacation, Siefa and Fanren taking a detour to London with friends and Yenlan and Yousuke had absconded to their Italian villa with Eriol's parents. Kei and Feimei had kept them company, with a robust nephew running and laughing throughout the empty mansion whenever he was around.

They had even spent one whole weekend with her parents. Syaoran had not accepted the wheelchair, instead of taking to crutches under the constant vigilance of his own doctor as soon as possible. Touya had been out of the country so it had been simply Sakura, himself and her parents. It had been rather easy for him to get to know them and vice versa.

"I have a feeling I'll need to spend a good number of hours at the gym to take off all the weight I've put on," he said to himself when he looked in the mirror one morning. The whole base of operations for the Li Corporation had been shifted to the mansion. Luna had chosen to stay in the office, merely faxing and conversing with Sakura who had taken over as his personal secretary while she handled the day to day operations in the building.

"I feel rather useless," he remarked over and over again as he kept his leg elevated in its cast in his father's office. "I don't like feeling helpless."

"Just let me coddle you and shut up," she told him instead, taking the time to show him exactly how beneficial it would be for him to shut up and enjoy his predicament with her sitting on his lap and kissing him senseless.

"God I miss you," she could tell from his tone what he was talking about exactly. She blushed lightly, brushing the sides of his face lovingly as he suckled her fingers. A nip here and there that caused her to run her nails over his neck.

"Remember not to strain yourself," she made sure to remind him the doctor's orders.

"I wouldn't mind a bit of high blood pressure," he fired back, chuckling when she merely straddled him carefully. "It's been a long six weeks," he whined to her, burying his head at her neck.

"How about this then," she traced circles over his shirt, shivering as he simply observed her in return. "If we have a good day and you're a good boy, I'll see what I can arrange."

He smirked at her own desire, palpable in her voice, which promised him exactly what she meant.

In the end their plans were railroaded by his well meaning family. His growling had made them all take a gander as soon as possible without being completely rushed.

"Finally alone," he shouted to the heavens when she accompanied him to the elevator so that they could get to the second floor to their rooms.

"I'm exhausted," she replied back, clutching his side as they leisurely walked to her room. He'd spent the last two weeks that he'd been living here sleeping in the same bed as hers. They went to sleep and awoke in the same bed every morning.

It had been heaven and hell. Torture and salvation to have her so close to him and him not being able to do anything about it. He was like a randy boy. He resigned himself to the usual night preparations, maneuvering to the bed on his own when she rushed to the bathroom.

He waited for her to join him on the bed, only to have her push him down on the mattress and undo the buttons of his shirt. She made sure to have him in a good reclining position before straddling his hips.

"I'll take good care of you tonight," she promised, her eyes sparkling as she made sure he stayed right were he was.

She'd barely set her lips over his collarbone when she felt him use his good hand running through her buttocks. She teased him, rushing and relegating over and over. She then decided to take pity on him and finally discarded her own clothes.

As he entered her, she murmured over and over to his ears with tears in her eyes. "I love you," it repeated and commingled with his as they simply rode the wave of desire. She remained snuggled to his side when they lay exhausted and spent on the bed. Their intermingled smells of lovemaking lulled her to sleep while he kept her right in his arms.

There was no need for words as they simply embraced. This was all she wanted, and was glad she'd been able to realize it before it was too late. She had everything within her grasp and nothing would tear it from her.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her, his eyes close and his breathing leveling. He could hear her thoughts through her simple touch.

"You," she muttered before placing her arms around his neck, her naked breasts buried against his chest. "And wondering if you do the same."

"There's no time of the day that you aren't on my mind," he chuckled with her. "I can't stop thinking about you at any time. Even at the most inopportune times I find my mind wandering over what you're doing and if you're thinking of me in return."

"We're blessed, aren't we?" she inquired softly, letting his hand caress her back.

"Very," he moved slightly to his side and let his body relax.

Something had changed since that night, which had them settling into a much more relaxed routine.

::~::

"I can't believe we all managed to get together," Feimei remarked as she found herself being absconded to a comfortable chair as her belly rounded more and more each day.

Her husband had Maho straight in hand while the others commiserated on their news. The immediate family was present, with some of their respective partners in attendance to see what the whole family event would be about.

Fanren was spying a rather vibrant and sparkling rock that had them all congratulating the youngest sister en masse. Lei and Karen simply winked at one another before announcing that the table was set and they could all go eat at any time.

"You actually managed to get Lei into the kitchen, did you?" Kei marveled as his fiancé chortled by his side. They all knew that the twin had always been rather obtuse over stepping in the kitchen to actually do more than butter his own toast when she didn't do it for him.

"He offered," she imparted to all and sundry. "Although I think he had more in mind of keeping me distracted than actually helping with the actual cooking."

They all laughed at her words, turning a blind eye when said man decided to kiss her senseless in front of them all. "You're a saucy witch, that's what you are," he slapped her behind rather playfully before being taken to task for handling her so familiarly in front of company.

"I dare you to say that in the presence of my father," she lifted a brow as she saw him pull back somewhat.

"They're perfect for each other, aren't they?" Kei remarked as Karen finally used a stuffed mushroom to keep Lei's mouth occupied.

"I guess it's up to Siefa and I to keep the rest of the world in check," Fuutie dramatically announced as her sister merely rolled her eyes.

"Leave me out of this," her sister announced from the other side of the room. "I have no plans to end up like an old maid with you."

"But it would have been perfect," her flare for drama merely had a few raising their brows as their mother merely shook her head at the head of the table.

"I have a feeling it won't be long before this whole brood finally gets their act together," she told her husband. "We'll have more than two grandsons so spoil."

"Yes dear," he laughed as his family came together to his side. "But until then we wouldn't have it any other way."

::~::

"You're at my mercy tonight," Sakura announced as the others departed. It was well into the night, but they had no thought of sleep as they simply enjoyed the view of the back terrace into the garden.

"I'm always at your mercy," he gripped her hand in his, moving her to her side so she could place her feet over his thighs. He then used his pinkie finger to trace a light line over the sole. She shivered, her insides quivering as she kept his other hand encased in hers.

She couldn't imagine being anywhere else. They were right where they were supposed to be.