As The Season Changes

Chapter Two

As promised, Keigo called on the first of April.

Ai made sure not to answer her phone accidentally.

He called again on the second, the third and the fifth. She'd let his calls go into voice-mail, then listened to his messages. His tone getting progressively cooler and more impatient with each call. She, on the other hand, had no intention of falling over herself to call him back.

Keigo had left half a dozen imperious messages in the last two weeks. Obviously he wasn't used to being ignored. There was a fine balance as she waited for the timing to be right without causing Keigo to lose interest.

Soon, very soon. Ai thought, as she drove through the gates of the underground parking lot of her apartment complex.

Ai knew she was playing a dangerous game. Was she crazy for going through with this plan? Absolutely. Keigo's attractiveness and charm was a potent combination. Ai also knew she needed to keep control of whatever happened between them. Otherwise, she didn't think she'd survive.

Ai had been startled, no, stunned, when Keigo had admitted to wanting her and then so cavalierly told her what their relation would entail. His honesty confused her. She doubted he was that considerate with his other women. Could it be, because of their familial history? She hadn't really thought of that as a negative point.

In fact, that was her reasoning of why she chose Keigo in the first place. But now, seeing it from both ways, there was the slight possibility that Keigo wouldn't want to see her despite their mutual attraction.

Ai sighed. His honesty had disarmed her and made her feel a little guilty about what she was about to do. Because of course she hadn't felt guilty before about using her childhood friend as her personal boy toy.

She parked the car and dropped her forehead on the steering wheel. Her stomach growled. It was after six and she'd missed lunch for a particular accumulation of papers on her desk. She got out of her car, the sooner she got up to her apartment the sooner she'd get food in her stomach.

"Where the hell have you been?"

She dragged in a breath. "I believe you have the wrong person." She muttered quickly, moving toward the elevators.

Unfortunately for her, Atobe Keigo was quicker. He halted her by the arm, and turned her around to face him.

"Aiko." He spoke slowly, gravely, as he glared down at her.

Shit, he only ever said her full name when she did something bad. She felt like she was ten years old again, and had accidentally broken his favorite tennis racquet.

"This is extremely time-consuming," Keigo said with a great deal of annoyance.

"Oh... Sorry." To be fair, she had been uptight about seeing him again. However, she had been expecting him to call again soon and she would have answered, for sure she would have. Talking to him on the phone was easier, safer, than in person. She couldn't see his eyes. Or his mouth. Or smell his cologne. What she didn't expect was for him to show up out of the blue.

"I've been calling you for weeks."

His grip on her arm loosed, but didn't let go. Ai fought the sudden urge to move closer, to let him touch her more intimately.

"Darn. And I kept missing you." She didn't bother trying to sound too sincere. "I've been so busy."

"So have I," he said coolly. "I just returned from an important business trip, but I made the time to call you anyway."

Ai grinned. "Where did you go?" She knew about the trip, his father had mentioned it to her.

"Ireland."

"I've always wanted to travel there. Tell me about..." Her stomach chose that moment to betray her. Her face reddened.

Keigo's eyes widened and then he smirked.

She knew that look.

"There's a great restaurant near here, or would you rather we go upstairs to your place and order take out?"

Cornered. So easily.

She couldn't take him into her home, once there the game plan changes. But either way, she'd be spending time with him. More than what she bargained. She wanted only one thing from this man. She did not want to fall in love with him.

Ai refused to go there. That path was rocky and filled with potholes. Fortunately, she'd outgrown the gigantic crush she'd had on him years ago. She'd experienced what love could do to a person. That wasn't for her. Not anymore. Mutual attraction, lust was preferable. Quick. Painless. Satisfying. No fuss. No muss. It might be cold-blooded, but no one would get hurt. Everyone would get what they wanted.

It was a good plan.

Those charming blue eyes expectant for her response. All she could think about was going to bed with him. Kissing him. Touching him. The feelings he invoked in her were plenty enough to melt the moon.

"We'll go get dinner." She finally said, adding in afterthought. "You can tell me about Ireland."

Keigo gave her the Reader's Digest travel tour of Ireland while she mumbled "Hmm" and "Fascinating" at appropriate moments throughout their meal. At this rate, she'd develop indigestion. She'd hope the panicky feeling she'd been experiencing would pass.

"All right. Enough about my trip." He sounded exasperated. "When the hell am I going to see you?"

"Uh, you're seeing me right now." This felt strangely similar.

He snapped. "You know what I mean."

She couldn't help the smile from forming. "How about tomorrow night?"

"Tonight," he insisted.

"I'm busy tonight." She lied cheerfully. She didn't want to see him one second more than necessary. She had to stay focused, no matter what. "I'm free tomorrow night or next Wednesday. Your choice."

"I'll pick you up tomorrow night at seven."

"I'll meet you at Noble's, seven-thirty." She said, resigned. There was a long pause. Ai held her breath. Had she pushed him too far?

Keigo laughed sardonically. "God, you're ornery. All right Noble's. Seven-thirty." He took out his wallet and paid for dinner.

She'd done it. The prize was worth any discomfort she might feel, any small niggling twinge of conscience she might have. All she had to do was stick to her plan without deviating and she'd walk away scathe free.

...

Ai was cool, calm and collected when she walked in Noble's restaurant at precisely seven-thirty the next night. She wore a simple royal-purple dress with a jewel neckline and cap sleeves. Sophisticated and sexy enough to hold him off while beckoning him closer.

Keigo rose to greet her. The hem of her dress suddenly felt way too short, the silk far too thin, clinging to her body in a way it hadn't done at home.

"Hello, Ai. You're more gorgeous today than the last time I saw you." His eyes gleamed in the candlelight as he took her hand and kissed the underside of her wrist. A sizzle of electricity arced up her arm. God, but he smelled good. He looked virile and alarmingly masculine.

She laughed lightly. "The last time you saw me was less than twenty-four hours and I was wearing a very unflattering business suit." It felt strange talking about yesterday's events as if they happened a long time ago.

He drew open the chair across from him for her, sitting down Ai took the opportunity to distance herself a little. So it came as a surprise when Keigo instead of going back to his chair, leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"I wasn't talking about your clothes. Though the dress does look good on you."

His breath fanned her cheek. He was standing far too close. Ai tried to scoot further in her seat.

"I can't wait to peel you out of it tonight."

She struggled to draw in air, mesmerized by the images his husky words brought.

Keigo then moved away, back into his seat. His smiling eyes never leaving her.

Ai paused a beat for her nerves to steady. He was toying with her. And it was having an effect on her. She reached for the menu. "The seafood here is great." Her pulse throbbed in her ears. She willed herself to relax. She knew the outcome of tonight. He didn't. I can do this. I can.

The waiter arrived. "Two specials," Keigo said, neither consulting her nor taking his eyes off her for a second.

His broad chest, covered in shirt, tie and jacket, was inches away. She had a lustful vision of it quite naked. Would his chest be sleek and smooth, or sprinkled with hair? It was alarming how badly she wanted to touch him to find out. "Perhaps I'd like something else."

"So would I." Keigo reached out and brushed a wisp of hair away from her cheek. His touch was kindling. "But I'm not going to get it before we eat." She must have looked as blank as she felt. He gave her a wry smile. "I don't give a damn what the specials are, as long as it's served fast."

Ai controlled a bubble of hysterical laughter. "We could've gone to McDonald's."

"This was your choice."

"I'm starving." If they were this hot for each other they'd burn to cinders.

He slid from his seat and held out his hand.

Ai took his hand automatically. "Where are we going?"

"To dance," he said thickly. "I have to hold you."

Keigo pulled her up, then maneuvered her to the small, empty dance floor and tugged her into his arms. It felt good pressed against the length of him like this. Far too good. Ai tried to put a little space between them. Keigo's arms tightened in a firm embrace. The solid width of his chest felt like heaven beneath her hand. She looked up at him. "There's no music."

"Doesn't matter."

And like magic, a small band appeared and started to play something soft and slow. But it wasn't magic it was the Atobe name in the works. The manager must have recognized Keigo for who he was and made sure anything was available as a contingency. McDonald's was starting to sound the better choice right about now. This is dangerous, Ai thought, suddenly this was becoming very real.

"Ai."

She tilted her head up at her name. The desire and unadulterated lust she saw blew every thought out of her mind.

She'd have frozen in place if Keigo hadn't been moving her expertly around the dance floor. And expertly against him. She should have been shocked by the hard length of his erection pressed against her. Instead her heart leaped, and her skin heated. Her nipples puckered and rubbed against the inside of her bra. She moved a little closer, allowing the slide and sway of their bodies, and clasped her hand against his chest. The backs of his fingers brushed against her, making her shudder with longing.

It was no accident. Of course it wasn't. He kept up the slight friction, until Ai wanted to scream.

His hand felt warm through the think silk at the small of her back as he pulled her more snugly. His thumb moved in a maddening light caress. Goose bumps spread from her back to her breasts in a slow, sweet rush that heated her another few degrees and made her heart beat faster.

Oh, boy. Definitely dangerous.

They were practically making love while vertical. Keigo brushed his mouth across her forehead and Ai felt dizzy with yearning.

She struggled to gain back the control she had unceremoniously misplaced somewhere along the way. She glanced up ready to speak about something, anything that would make what they were doing seem trivial, but couldn't. Why did he have to look at her like that?

Get a grip, Ai.

"Did you know our parents wanted us to get together?"

Why, oh why, did she blurt that out?

Keigo frowned down at her.

"I mean back when..." Her voice sounded strangled, she couldn't let out the rest of the sentence.

"I know. They pushed and pushed, and hoped we'd fall madly in love." He didn't say more, but she'd felt his muscles tense for a second, before they continued to sway to the music. She'd wondered briefly when their feet stopped moving.

After a long lull of silence, she began to berate herself. It seemed that mentioning their shared history was a wrong move. And just as she had suspected it might be motivation enough for Keigo to back away.

Abruptly, Keigo leaned down and skimmed his lips to her cheek. Nuzzling her, he said roughly, "You smell like sin."

She gasped and moaned.

"Would you make those sweet little noises for me in bed, Ai?" His teeth teased the shell of her ear. "You'd be hot and so sweet." He paused, breathing as raggedly as she, and when he spoke again his words were fragmented whispers against her neck. "Do you lie in bed at night and wonder how you'd move beneath me? How incredible it would feel to have me deep inside you?"

The picture came to her in vivid technicolor and her mouth went dry. Ai gave him her best cool look. "Actually... no."

"Liar." His deep blue eyes looked as hot as lava. "I can see how much you want me. I can see your heart pounding." He used the tips of two fingers to measure the pulse at her throat. "Right here." He dropped his hand, satisfied as her pulse throbbed even harder.

Keigo had always been very observant.

He continued. "I don't like the way I behave around you, Ai. It's completely out of character and I don't like it at all." He said it like a caress. Like a curse.

Ai smiled, but inside a frightened little voice silently echoed his sentiment. "I thought I made you hot."

"You do. Make no mistake about that." A muscle jerked in his jaw. "Right now, I wouldn't give a damn if we're in a public place. That's how much I want you."

His face was just inches away; she could see herself reflected in his eyes. Ai dug her short nails into her palms until she regained her senses.

"Wow," she said dulcetly. She'd observed men play the game of 'I want you until I have you' all her adult life. "That much?"

"As a rule, I'm a patient man. Although, you've always managed to drive that patience pass the limit. I wouldn't have expected anything less from you." His fingertips ran along her jaw and left a trail of heat in their wake. This thumb glided over her lower lip.

She battled to control her own libido. Always? He'd said. Was he referencing to his denied phone calls or to when they were kids?

"You and I have different priorities, Keigo. Satisfying your expectations is on the very bottom of my list. I happen to have a life of my own and you're only a very small part of it."

"That's going to change, Ai. Very soon I'm going to be a major part of it."

His arrogance and self-confidence were bred to the bone. "Don't be too optimistic, Keigo-sama." She teased him with the honorific. "This is our first date and I don't like having a man tell me what to do, or when to do it."

His gaze rested on her mouth before he looked her right in the eye. "Are you telling me we won't become lovers?"

"I haven't decided one way or the other—yet." She ignored the little voice in her head that proclaimed differently. "You'll be the second person to know once I make up my mind." Ai glanced at the table where the wait staff hovered. "Oh, our dinner's arrived."

It took all of her will power for her to step out of his arms and return to the table.

Keigo sat down after her and flicked his napkin onto his lap with controlled irritation. "I had hoped your stubbornness would have alleviated somewhat as you got older."

She laughed. "And I had hoped your arrogance done the same."

Smiling, Keigo asked. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Really, Keigo, so soon? At least give me the pretense of time to think about it. I'm extremely selective." Not a lie, she went through an arduous process until she chose him. "I don't jump into bed at the drop of a hat." Also true. "Frankly, the thought of tossing my underwear into your collection is something to hesitate about." Rightfully so. "Let's see if we manage to complete this evening unscathed first, shall we?"

Amusement flared in his eyes. Clearly a part of him loved the challenge. He leaned back in his chair, his expression bland as his hot gaze raked over her. "We'll see just which of us raises the white flag first then, yes?"

Ai relaxed the tense muscles gripping her spine. She didn't own a white flag. He had no idea just how stubborn and determined she could be. Neither of them was getting any sex tonight, she reminded herself. After dinner she would drive herself home. Alone. It made a world of difference to her nerves when she leveled the playing field. The balance of power was in her hands tonight.

He might wonder. But she knew.


TBC...