Chapter 31
CHAPTER 31
T akeshi
An hour has passed and we’re halfway through the second, yet Lakeshia remains in her semi-catatonic state. She’s sitting on the couch in a robe after I bathed her while I lean on the wall across from her, noting every minute change in her expression. She’s shown some sign of returning, but not enough nor soon enough to assure me I’m the right person to pull her back to reality.
But Shinji’s counting on me.
I rack my brain for anything that will bring life back to the dark sable eyes I love so much.
A knock at the door interrupts my musing.
“They’re alive and fed.” The guard hands me two rambunctious kittens, his face relaxing now that he’s offloaded his task.
The tiny felines head butt me, giving me an idea. Although Lakeshia won’t admit she’s grown attached to them—we haven’t decided on their names—maybe their demanding meows will pull her from the thoughts holding her prisoner.
I wrap them in her favorite sleep blanket and lay them on her lap. They twist and contort their bodies, freeing themselves from their constraints to climb over Lakeshia. The bicolor cat pats her face while the orange tabby finds a gap in Lakeshia’s neckline and pokes his body through the opening until all but the tip of his tiny tail disappears.
If left unaddressed, Shinji and I will find ourselves jockeying for position, and that won’t do. But now’s not the time to worry about the liberties a four-legged creature is taking with my wife.
More awareness sparks behind her brown eyes and she turns to the bicolor cat, seeking her attention. A soft sigh escapes and her body relaxes into the couch.
“It happened again, didn’t it?” Lakeshia takes the kitten in her hands and lays it on its back to rub its stomach.
The kitten twists and curls itself around her fingers. Their antics twist Lakeshia’s blanket around the agile feline. As if sensing its sibling’s enjoyment, the orange tabby rummages his way out of Lakeshia’s shirt to pounce on his sister.
“We need to reevaluate how we go about getting you the revenge you’ve been chasing. I don’t want to go back on my word, but circumstances?—”
“Don’t you dare suggest I walk away. I won’t sit at home like a meek housewife while you and Shinji play hero. There will be other ways and other opportunities for you to save me, but not this time. I need to be the hero of my story. I need to face my father at the end of this, and tell him how I made them pay.”
“Lakeshia, be reasonable.” I kneel at her feet and cup her knees, looking imploringly into her eyes. “You froze in the middle of a gunfight. One stray bullet would have ended everything.”
She shakily exhales. “I admit today wasn’t my best showing.”
“Lakeshia—”
“Takeshi, I’ve lived with a broken heart most of my life. Revenge was the glue that forged my organ into a formidable muscle. Granted, you and Shinji wormed your way in when there shouldn’t have been a means, but I’m the same person you met in Hawaii. And if you do this, take away the only thing that’s given me purpose, there won’t be any humpty dumptying my heart together again. You’ll have shattered my heart, my very being, beyond repair.”
“At least you’ll be alive. I’ll worry about piecing you back together after, but I can’t do shit if you’re dead.”
Lakeshia glares at me.
Are we at a stalemate? I can’t afford to back down from this. She’s too important to me and Shinji.
“How about we give this topic a rest until Shinji arrives? He gets a vote, too.” She avoids eye contact with me, instead, using her blanket to tease the kittens and dislodging my hands.
“You think he’ll side with you.”
Lakeshia shrugs. “Shinji gets what he wants, right? Who’s to say he won’t want me to get what I want?” Her words hit me like a sledgehammer.
There’s an underlying accusation in her response I won’t ignore, even after our heated exchange. I scoop up the kittens to remove them as a distraction and place them in the play corner Lakeshia set up when we first arrived. When I return, she’s in the same spot, hugging herself.
I sit beside her and drag her over my body until she straddles me. She puts up a half-hearted struggle, but I persist until she settles where I want her. “Look at me, chiisai senshi no megami.”
When she refuses, I cup her face and draw her head until our foreheads touch.
“I need to clarify something.”
Two seconds pass before she blinks her eyes open. “What else needs to be said?”
“Do you think Shinji is the only person in our marriage who gets what he wants from me?”
“When doesn’t he?”
“When his life is in danger,” I snap. “I’m not ashamed of spoiling Shinji, and I get a high from all the current and future ways I’ll spoil you. However, you can’t guilt me into gifting you to Tomasso with a bowtie and a thank-you card.” A lump forms in my throat as an image of Lakeshia at Tomasso’s mercy forms in my head. “The thought of losing you is enough to break me. How much damage do you think the reality will cause?”
“Takeshi…”
“I’ll tell you now, even if you get Shinji on your side, and I’m aware it’s possible because our husband will slice his wrist for you if doing so will satisfy you, I’ll never agree to your demands. Your lives mean more to me than your vengeance.” I glare into her eyes until the defiance fades from her sable orbs.
I release her face, thinking I’ve made my point.
Lakeshia doesn’t move, and without conscious thought, I caress her thighs.
She reaches out to stroke my jaw, paying extra attention when her hand meets my beard. “I need time?—”
I open my mouth to object, but she places her forefinger over my lips.
“Or propose other options. I’m not ready to let go of being the one to end it all.” She removes her hand, and I mull over her request.
“We won’t have much time to plan our next move. Despite crippling his businesses with our attacks, it’s not enough to satisfy Katsuo’s expectations. We’ll need to act fast and…”
“I won’t have enough time to overcome my reaction to seeing Paul,” Lakeshia finishes what I leave unsaid. “Well, until we hear from Katsuo, can we drop the topic?”
“Delaying won’t change the danger.”
Instead of responding with another argument, Lakeshia widens her eyes in an uncanny impression of Shinji’s pout.
“Chiisai senshi no megami, I see what you’re doing.”
“Is it working?”
I shake my head, silently admitting defeat. “Heaven help me, you’re more lethal than Shinji.”
Lakeshia hurls herself the small distance separating us to hug and pepper my face with kisses. “Thank you. I know we’ll find a solution that works for all of us.”
I grunt but end up growling when she nips my bottom lip to tease my mouth open. Quickly, I thread my fingers into her hair and press her closer.
Lakeshia winds her hips, pushing her pussy against my dick. Her scent fills my nostrils, and I deepen the kiss, fighting her for dominance.
“This is a welcome sight.” Relief threads through Shinji’s voice. “Did you discuss?—”
“We’re holding off deciding our next move until we hear from Katsuo.” Lakeshia pants, pushing off my body.
I resist the urge to snatch her back. Already I miss her weight pressing into me and awakening my carnal response. But the removal of her shirt followed immediately by her bra, doesn’t leave me to endure my loss for long. Before she allows me to dwell on every inch of skin she reveals, she’s marching toward the bedroom with a come-hither stare over her shoulder and an ass jiggle that makes my mouth water.
“Lakeshia?” I ask, wondering what’s driving her actions.
Last time when she blacked out, she needed me to dominate her while re-establishing a physical connection.
I glance at Shinji, who shrugs, also at a loss.
“If you don’t join me, I’ll handle this wet pussy by myself.”
“Like hell, you will.” I rise, remove my clothes, and stalk into the bedroom with Shinji on my heels.
“I’ll watch either way so don’t start without me.”
I glare at Shinji for encouraging her. “You’ll pay for that.”
Shinji winks, an unrepentant grin on his face.
Warubozu.