As The Season Changes
Chapter Thirteen
Ai woke him the next morning, bright-eyed and ready to start the day. She lay across his chest. He groaned. "You're sick. Go back to sleep."
"Nope." She leaned harder, nudging him with warm sleek skin. "I feel fabulous, and you promised we'd go for a cruise today."
"I'll attest to the 'feel fabulous' part." He slid his hand down her back to her bottom.
"Oh, no you don't." Ai rolled over, then kicked off the blankets. She was like a jack-in-the-box as she shot out of bed.
Naked and glowing, she paused at the bathroom door.
"Come on, Keigo, get dressed, please?" She fluttered her eyelashes, managing to sidestep him as he backed her against the Louis Quatorze credenza. "I'm taking a quick shower, then I want to go somewhere lovely for breakfast."
...
After her 'lovely' breakfast, Keigo found the yacht and crew he'd hired the day before.
Dressed in white shorts that showed off her gorgeous legs and a cropped top that made his mouth water, Ai sprawled in a deck chair beside him. Her ponytail, caught up in a hot-pink scarf that matched the striped in her top was quite crooked. She looked tanned, healthy and sexy as hell.
The crew discreetly kept their eyes on their business as they sailed lazily up the coast.
Keigo had stripped down to his black shorts earlier and settled back against the soft cushions with a sigh of pure pleasure. The hot Mediterranean sun backed his skin as the smell of the ocean and Ai's subtle fragrance lulled him into a light doze. He opened his eyes when he felt soft lips on his cheek some time later.
"You're sleeping away this beautiful day," Ai complained, running her warm hands up his bare chest. He saw his own sleepy face reflected in her sunglasses. Gulls glided above them in a painfully blue sky and the white sails snapped in a breeze he couldn't feel.
"There's a nice big stateroom downstairs," he suggested, lazily running his hand around her back under the short top. She wore no bra. Her skin was hot, smooth and slightly sweaty.
She arched her back at his touch. "With a nice big bed, I suppose?"
"Probably."
"How about lunch first?" She wriggled her eyebrows.
Trust Ai. Laughing, he took her hand and allowed her to lead him below deck.
Chilled lobster and a dozen mouthwatering salads vied with fresh fruit and several dessert dishes, the fare was spread out artistically on a long, linen-draped buffet table. The crew discreetly returned to their duties after closing the door.
He watched as Ai helped herself to a bit of everything. Her plate was piled high by the time she brought it to the small table at the large window overlooking the bow.
"You're going to be sick again if you eat all that," he warned as she bit into a chunk of lobster. She had acquired more of a tan and her skin glowed with health and vitality.
It was hard to believe she was the same woman he'd helped into bed last night. He'd never experienced anything like the terror he had felt seeing Ai on the floor of the casino. While she'd slept the night away in his arms, he had been wide-awake and waiting to see if he'd need to call the doctor.
"No, I won't." Ai dribbled mayonnaise on the succulent white flesh before picking up another chunk with her fork.
She was so damned stubborn. Keigo pushed her bangs out of her eyes then settled settled back to watch her eat.
There was not a morsel of food left on her plate when she finished. After wiping her mouth with the cloth napkin she yawned. "I'm not taking a nap," she warned as if she could read his mind.
He looked at her coolly. "Who said anything about a nap?"
"You have that let's-take-a-nap look about you." She wore not a scrap of makeup and looked so beautiful she took his breath away.
"I didn't get a wink of sleep last night, Ai. Take pity."
"You just want to do nasty things to my body."
"That, too."
…
It was a darn good thing they'd taken a nap after they had made love after lunch. Keigo figured he had another long night ahead of him. Because by dusk when they got back to the hotel, Ai was sick as a dog again.
She came out of the bathroom, her face pasty. "Don't you dare say 'I told you so'."
"Crawl into bed, Ai. I've called the doctor." He hated this. He watched her, worried out of his mind, as she limply climbed under the covers and closed her eyes.
Keigo paced while the doctor examined her.
"It's not fair. I don't understand a word either of you said," Ai complained after the doctor had presented his bill and left.
"He still thinks it's some kind of food poisoning." Some of her color had come back, but she still looked washed out and limp.
"Thank you for being so good to me, Keigo," she said with a simplicity that made him certain that very few people in her life had been good to her. The thought infuriated him. He felt overwhelmed by a damned heart-wrenching emotion he'd never experienced before.
He traced the dark circles under her eyes. Was the doctor right? Could a touch of food poisoning and jet lag make her this sick? More than likely, she had caught that damn bug from him.
"I did this to you," he said, feeling guiltier than he could ever remember feeling. He felt helpless in the face of her illness. There wasn't anything he could do.
"You don't make me sick." She gave him one of her special smiles, one that pierced his heart, as she reached up to touch his face.
"I probably gave you my cold." Keigo smoothed a thumb across one silky eyebrow and her eyes fluttered. "Close your eyes and rest."
"I just want to go home. I'm too embarrassed to throw up in that fancy bathroom again," she said in a woeful voice, which almost made him smile. No doubt that had been her intention. "I want to be sick in my own toilet and sleep in my own bed."
"Then home it is," he said gruffly, as she looked up at him with the absolute trust of a puppy. "Close your eyes and rest while I make the arrangements."
…
Perversely, as soon as the plane took off she felt fine. "What are you doing?" she asked from the sofa where she had been made to lie down and take a nap.
"Paperwork. Why are you awake?"
"I'm lonely."
"I'm only four feet away from you, Ai." She tried to look pitiful. He smiled and held out his hand. "Want to sit on my lap?" he asked softly. She felt her heart smile.
"I have to go to the bathroom first." She threw off the light blanket and picked up her purse.
"Are you okay?"
"I'll be back before you've noticed I'm gone."
Ai made quick work in the tiny bathroom of Keigo's private jet. She came out, snapped the door close behind her, tossed her purse in the general direction of the sofa and padded over to his seat while he watched her with those stormy blue eyes of his. His hair was smoothed back neatly, and he was wearing a gray sweater and a pair of his Karuizawa jeans. She removed the papers from his lap and placed them carefully on the table beside his wide leather chair.
The engines hummed as she straddled his lap. He leaned back and settled her against his chest, her bottom nestled against him. She put one arm around his neck and the other around his waist, resting her head against his chest. She loved the way his arms enfolded her with gentle strength. "Make love to me," she demanded softly, her hand running lightly down his midriff to the snap of his jeans.
Keigo drew her hand up, her skin tingled as the tip of his sharp teeth skimmed over the pad of her thumb. He kissed her palm, and she curled her fingers against his cheek. It felt rough—he needed a shave. "I don't think that's such a goo—"
Her lips came down on his, cutting off words and thought. He smelled of soap and tasted of the brandy he'd been sipping. He dragged his mouth across hers in a brief searing kiss and then held her firmly away from him. "There's nothing I want more right now than to make love to you."
"Keigo," was all she said, bringing their mouths together once again. I love you. I love you. I love you, Ai wanted to cry out loud. She kissed him ferociously instead, her mind spinning, her reason going. He nibbled gently but Ai was having none of that. She brought both hands up to hold his head in place as she aggressively deepened the kiss.
He widened his mouth, giving her only moments to be the aggressor before he took over.
...
One moment she was awake. The next she wasn't. Her hand lay curled against his chest, her breathing was deep and still uneven. Keigo watched her with a bittersweet twist in his gut. He ran a light finger down her bare arm, her skin feeling like satin. She didn't move. He'd still been inside her when she'd fallen asleep as easily as turning off a light switch. She hadn't even twitched as he'd carried her to the bedroom in the back of the plane.
In that fleeting moment, she was more precious than his most priceless sculpture, his most exquisite work of art. Her loveliness had increased as he'd known her—not just the animated face she showed to the world, but the soft, intensely private face she wore when no one was looking.
It was becoming almost impossible to keep any emotional distance from her. Ai could always make him smile. And each time, he felt an unfamiliar softening inside him. He wasn't sure he liked it but didn't know how to prevent the odd sensation.
He wanted to gather her against his body, hard, and never let her go. She was a priceless treasure, and he'd been complacent in his possession of her, until he'd seen her so pale and weak.
Only then had he instantly and painfully realized that unlike a painting or sculpture, Ai could be taken from him. By something even he couldn't fight, couldn't negotiate and couldn't buy.
TBC...
