Misconceptions And Misunderstandings
Chapter 49
Sesshoumaru and Matsushita stood when Kagome and Mariko joined them at the table. Each pulling out a chair in gentlemanly fashion. Sesshoumaru placed a kiss on Kagome's lips before retaking his seat. She reached out to take his hand in hers.
"I missed you."
He smiled indulgently at her.
"Did you now?"
"I did. But I'm sure you were so caught up in business talk that you weren't even aware that I was gone."
He looked shocked.
"Were you?"
She swatted him with her menu.
"Jerk."
Then she spoiled the effect by giggling.
Matsushita watched the playful interaction between the two. It was clear his lord had found his match. And was quite happy about it. Not a side of his lord he ever expected to see. It was curious how a loving mate could so alter a demon's behavior.
Sesshoumaru returned his attention to the menu. He had not intended to indulge in such a display in front of his employees. He looked over to the wolf who was trying desperately not to laugh. He dared not even consider what his security chief was thinking. He sighed. He was slipping a great deal lately.
Kagome knew her mate was embarrassed. To allow his business associate… if that was what he truly was… to see him act so with her. Demons rarely displayed their emotions in front of each other. To do so was a sign of weakness. And a weapon that could be used against them. He must really trust this demon to let his mask drop the way he had. She smiled to herself and reached under the table to squeeze his hand.
The rest of the meal passed in pleasant conversation. Kagome noted that Matsushita observed everything around him. He no doubt was a man that missed very little that went on. She wondered what sort of business he was in. It had to be something that required him to be on constant alert.
After lunch Sesshoumaru led her back to their suite where she changed into her swimsuit. He had mentioned working on her tan and that is exactly what she meant to do. Once she was settled in a lounge chair by the pool, she could let her thoughts wander to solving her puzzle. She looked forward to a peaceful afternoon.
Sesshoumaru let out a sigh as he took in the bikini his mate was wearing. It was purple. While it was not a string bikini, or a thong, it was still quite revealing. She was sure to attract a lot of attention of the male variety. He would be busy for the next couple of hours. Busy changing the minds of those males foolish enough to approach her. He couldn't just suggest she wear something less revealing… like a t-shirt and jeans… she did want to work on a tan. Maybe if he promised to buy a tanning bed for her when they got home… Or he could point out that that UV rays were harmful to human skin…
He was sure she would attract a lot of attention, because she certainly had his. He let out a low growl as he stared at the body before him. The body that only he had the right to touch. The halter top of her bikini emphasized the shape of her breasts. Breasts that fit nicely into his hands. The bikini bottom rode low on her hips. There was only a slight bump that indicated his pup rested beneath her heart. It would be growing much larger in the next few months as their son developed.
She grabbed a large shirt made of a gauzy white material and slipped it on. He didn't suppose there was much chance of his persuading her to keep the shirt on once they reached the pool. She slipped on some ridiculous looking flip-flops that were green with huge sunflowers on the top and announced she was ready to go.
He shook his head to calm himself. They had been back together since before Christmas. And he still lost control like an untried pup every time he looked at her. Would she always make him feel this way? He was not interested in getting a tan, so he didn't bother to change clothes. He just grabbed his sunglasses as he followed her out the door. This was going to be a long afternoon.
The afternoon had not been as long as he had anticipated. The elevator ride back to the suite, however, was another story. He stood silently as he watched his mate fume. All the while trying to think of a way to get back into her good graces. She had her arms crossed over her chest and her foot was tapping a staccato beat. The last words she had spoken to him still ringing in his ears.
"You are so in the doghouse, mister."
"Would it help to say I'm sorry?"
Not that he was. But he would say it if it would lessen her anger any at all. Silence was his answer. He was quite impressed with his control. He had gotten much better. The idiot wasn't dead, or maimed. She should be proud, not angry. There were times he knew he would never understand her. This was one of them.
His thoughts flashed back to the beginning of the incident.
He had followed her to two unclaimed lounge chairs poolside. He sank into one of them while he watched her remove the shirt that covered her and apply her suntan oil. After complying with her request to spread the oily liquid on her back, he sat back and scanned the area for any threats. All he found were the eyes of every male over the age of thirteen on his mate.
He growled low. None of the males present were demon, so his growl went unnoticed. For the most part, they were content to look. Some staring outright, others were more surreptitious. Those, he was sure, were with female companions and thought that being caught ogling another woman would be hazardous to their health. Satisfied that no one was going to be foolish enough to approach her, he relaxed a little.
Said relaxation was short lived. One man, no, pup really, for he couldn't be more than twenty, was bolder than the rest. Or more stupid. He had tried to coax Kagome into the pool. He had leaned on the edge of the pool, arms crossed on the concrete lip directly in front of her. When she politely refused the invitation he had hauled himself from the pool and stood dripping in front of her with his hands on his hips.
Sesshoumaru thought he was managing to control himself rather well. He was allowing her to handle the idiot. She had closed her eyes again once she had dismissed him. Her eyes opened once she sensed that the man had now removed himself from the water. He watched his mate's eyes widen at the barely decent scrap of cloth the young man was wearing. The only thing that saved him was he walked away. He was grinning, but he had walked away.
Sesshoumaru settled back and retracted his claws, thinking that was the end of it. He was wrong. The man had only gone to the diving board, intent on showing off. Kagome had ignored him as he would repeatedly dive into the pool and swim over to the spot in front of her.
Sesshoumaru discovered his control lasted only as long as his mate remained oblivious to the male preening for her. In a move inspired by desperation, more likely stupidity, the idiot human traded in his previously graceful dives for a cannonball. One aimed right at their side of the pool.
The wave covered them in water. Kagome let out a surprised squeal and bolted upright at the unexpected drenching. Sesshoumaru was now soaked as he too sat up with a growl. The grinning idiot surfaced and swam over to the side of the pool, where he made his fatal mistake.
The human pup had offered to help his mate dry off. Sesshoumaru rose from the lounge chair and stalked to the edge of the pool just as the idiot pulled himself out. His body was well muscled. He probably thought he was more than a match for the quiet, fully clothed man sitting by the object of his attentions. Soaked as Sesshoumaru now was, his clothing clinging to him, it was more than obvious that the human's body did not compare to the muscles that had seemed innocuous under the cover of clothing.
As Sesshoumaru towered over the shorter human he was sure the pup was reassessing his competition. He smiled and took off his sunglasses. His eyes, he knew, were a blazing red. The pup in front of him gulped, realizing his mistake too late. He heard Kagome call his name, but he did not acknowledge it.
"Since you seem to be incapable of understanding and accepting a polite rebuff of your attentions, let me help you along the road to comprehension. My wife is not interested."
His right fist shot out, catching the pup under the jaw. He missed hearing the satisfying crack that would indicate a broken bone, but the pup was human. And he was in control. Barely, but in control none the less. He was quite proud that he managed to pull the punch enough that the human was still conscious. As he had gone flying backward into the pool, that would have required someone to rescue him. Since most of the humans had fled at the first sign of confrontation, it would have fallen to him. That would have taken some of the satisfaction out of it if he'd had to rescue the idiot from drowning.
He settled his sunglasses back into place and turned to find his furious mate staring daggers at him. She gathered her things and grabbed onto his arm, pulling him toward the hotel entrance. People in their way stepped back to give the couple a wide berth, Sesshoumaru now receiving his own share of attention.
He sighed as the elevator finally opened on their floor. She stalked angrily past him. Then had to wait while he used his keycard to open the door. She didn't stop until she reached the bedroom and began to strip off her wet clothes. He did the same as she went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Several minutes later she came out to find him sitting on the bed. Waiting patiently for his turn in the shower. He'd had no illusions that she would allow him to join her. She was toweling her hair as she walked over to him and kissed the back of his head.
"Honestly. I can't take you anywhere."
He smiled. He supposed that her mood swings had an up side as well. He had expected her to hold her anger much longer than this. Whatever the reason for his good fortune, he would take what he could get.
Sesshoumaru had managed to get Kagome to take a nap before the luau. He had lain with her until she fell asleep. That had happened rather easily. After a vigorous round of lovemaking to aid the process. Her stamina was severely affected by the pup she carried.
Once she was asleep, he was on the phone with his security team getting the newest report and going over last minute details of the plans set in motion for tonight. Everyone had their assignments. Matsushita would come to their suite to go down with them. Kenta and Mariko would meet them in the lobby. The rest would take their assigned places and make sure no one got close to them that could be a potential threat to Kagome. Inuyasha was given the post furthest from the activities because his aura was so familiar to Kagome. There was no way he would get past her senses in close proximity to her.
There had been no sightings of Kouro. The agents that Matsushita had working the Hawaiian underground had not had any hits on their inquiries yet. There had only been the report of a cousin that had taken on a job and was now missing. Either one of the men in the car following them from the airport, or one of the two assassins that Sesshoumaru had already dealt with. Nothing to concern them.
There had been no information on a current job. That meant that the plans for tonight were already laid and the participants were not in circulation before the job. This was no small worry to the security team. It was an indication that they had learned from their mistakes. Never a good sign when your enemy was showing signs of getting smarter.
Ito had returned to the hotel and was grabbing a few hours of sleep before the luau. There had been no activity around the snake. And he had been holed up comfortably in his rented bungalow when Ito left. They had no clue what the night ahead of them held. They had to be prepared for any eventuality. It had them all on edge.
Mariko came out of her bedroom wearing a green bikini that left little to the imagination. She tied a sarong in skirt fashion over her bikini. Then she set about the task of concealing her weapons. Opting for sandals rather than her usual boots, she had no place to conceal extra clips for her .45. The .38 was strapped to an ankle. The .45 to one thigh while a wicked looking dagger in its sheath adorned the other thigh. Her shurikens, she managed to conceal quite creatively. They looked like a belt securing her sarong. The chopsticks holding her hair in place were actually throwing knives. She was a walking arsenal. And Kenta thought she had never looked better.
Matsushita listened to Kenta's final briefing before heading up to his rendezvous with Sesshoumaru. He had complete confidence in Kenta and his team. But something was giving an uneasy feeling in the pit pf his stomach. He had no valid reason for the feeling. No psychic powers anywhere in his heritage. No demonic precognitive powers. It was simply a gut feeling. And he had relied on those ever since he had begun his security career. It had saved his life countless times. They had never let him down. Something was going to happen tonight. He did not know what. All he could do was stay alert.
Inuyasha was not happy about his assignment. But there was nothing he could do about it. He had made an agreement with Sesshoumaru. And he did understand the need to keep his presence a secret from Kagome. That meant staying out of the range of her miko powers. The wolf girl had told them what Kagome had been looking for at the library. That meant she was suspicious, and probably already deciding that she really did see him. He would have to trust Sesshoumaru to keep her safe while he was on the lookout for any approaching threat.
At least he was allowed to participate. Sesshoumaru could have ordered him home. And he would have had to obey any serious order from his pack leader. Or risk a challenge to his alpha's authority. That, he knew, would not end well. Not for any of them. But especially not for Kagome, who would be upset if either of them were injured. He made a lot of noise about kicking his brother's ass, but deep down he acknowledged that his brother would hand him his ass on a platter. And still have room for dessert.
Kagome awoke not long before the luau was scheduled to start. She donned a royal blue bikini then wrapped a matching floral patterned sarong around her hips and tied it the way the saleswoman had shown her. She put a gardenia into her hair and was ready to go. Sesshoumaru nodded his approval as he finished buttoning the garish shirt he had been resigned to wear.
They were ready to go when Matsushita knocked on the door. Sesshoumaru folded Kagome's arm through his and led her to the elevator. On the ground floor they were joined by Kenta and Mariko. Taking a deep breath he led her out the door and down the path to the beach. Showtime.
To be continued….
