Chapter 24
LEO
I didn’t know what else to do.
After my father’s insistence that I wasn’t using my wife correctly, it dawned on me that, while he might not have meant it this way, he could be right.
I have an inroad into the Tanaka family that I’ve been too blinded by anger and mistrust to recognize.
I’ve been so sure the alliance would fail, I never stopped to think of Sora as an asset.
But she’s smart, diplomatic—she’s managed under the same roof as my family for a month now without breaking down or running.
And even if Kenji isn’t protective of his sister, he might still listen to her.
But as I watch Sora dress for a day on the Chiaroscuro family yacht, I can sense the stress coming off her in waves.
Wearing a flattering black one-piece beneath a semi-sheer blue floral-print kaftan with wedge sandals and a straw sunhat, she looks as appetizing as ever.
Still, as she packs towels and sunscreen into her beach bag, I know something’s bothering her by the way she traps her lower lip between her teeth.
“Are you worried about the conversation with Kenji today?” I ask, leaning against the bathroom door jamb.
Sora straightens quickly, turning to face me like I caught her by surprise. She’s been doing that a lot lately, it seems. “Kenji?” she asks like her mind is a million miles away. “No, not worried, though I can’t promise that anything I say will get through to him. But I’ll do what I can.”
I nod, pushing off the doorframe to approach her. “Then what?” I ask, wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her close as I capture her chin between my finger and thumb. “I can tell something’s bothering you.”
Color paints her high cheekbones, and Sora’s breath catches as she tries to drop her eyes, but my hold on her chin won’t allow it. “It’s–It’s nothing. Just… I’ve never been out on a boat before. I’m not a very good swimmer.”
A twinge of guilt tightens my chest as I realize how little I know about my wife.
It was intentional from the start—my putting as much distance between us as I could.
But if I’d known about her concern, I could have picked a different way to spend the day with her family.
Now, it’s too late to change plans. The Tanakas will already be on their way to the boatyard.
“Don’t worry,” I say, trying to ease her fear as best I can.
“You won’t have to swim. You board the yacht straight from the dock, and the boat’s big enough, you won’t even have to think about being on the water.
You can just enjoy lying out in the sun and spending time with your family. That’ll be nice, right?”
Sora nods, her smile washing away the concern in her eyes, and something in me thaws a little. I’m dangerously close to caring about Sora, and though my father would be furious if he found out, I’m starting to think I’m developing genuine feelings for my wife.
“Come on. Let’s go enjoy the day.” I brush a light kiss across her lips, the soft connection sparking my arousal, but we don’t have time for sex.
An hour later, I’m on the main deck of our yacht with all four of my brothers, my father, Sora, her parents, and Kenji. The captain has steered us past the choppy waves near shore and out to the calm deep of Lake Michigan.
While my brothers and I have stripped our shirts to dive off the side of the boat in our swim trunks, the Tanakas seem more inclined to stay dressed and out of the water, hiding beneath the shade of the upper deck.
Sora, at least, has taken to heart my suggestion to enjoy the sun, and while she’s still wearing her kaftan, she has it open to reveal her long, slender legs and the tantalizing cutouts of her swimsuit as she stretches across a sunchair to read.
“Enjoying yourself?” I ask, casting a long shadow across her pale skin as I towel off from my dives.
“For a bit,” she says, glancing toward her brother and back to me over the edge of her Ray Bans. “The sun’s too strong for me to last long, but I figured I’d give it a try, since it’s my first time on a yacht.” She smiles, her dark eyes glinting as she looks up at me playfully.
“Well, this should help cool you off,” I tease, leaning in to shake my dripping hair over her, spraying droplets across her body.
“Leo!” she gasps, but the scolding tone is followed by a squeal and peals of laughter that tempt me to take it a step further.
I resist the urge, knowing any overt displays of affection in front of Sora’s family will only make her conversation with Kenji more challenging. “I’m going in to grab a drink. You want anything?”
“I’m fine with my water, thanks,” she says, reaching beside her to lift her Yeti.
I steal one last glance of my wife as I head into the galley.
Seeing Sora in her swimwear, at ease as she enjoys the day, intensifies my realization of just how attractive my new wife is.
In truth, I’ve become increasingly drawn to her from the moment we first kissed.
Her strength and confidence every day since have only intensified that.
Shaking the thought from my head, I wrap my towel around my waist and pad barefoot into the main cabin. Miko’s already there, brooding over a martini, and I take the bar stool beside him.
“Not in the mood to be jumping off the boat?” I tease, signaling the bartender to make me a martini as well.
He just nods toward Kenji, who stands from his chair to wander around the far side of the yacht. “I don’t trust him.”
“I know,” I agree and accept the chilled martini glass of vodka with a nod.
“I don’t see how bringing him onto a boat will help anything—unless your plan is to drown him.” The thought brightens my adopted brother’s expression, and he glances at me hopefully.
“Unfortunately, no,” I say, chuckling as I take a sip. Though the thought is tempting.
“Hi, Leo.” The familiar feminine voice holds a flirtatious note, and my shoulders tense as I turn to find Sarah striding toward me from the bridge.
“Hey, Sarah,” I say, surprisingly disinterested in the busty blonde who wears her uniform like she’s one song away from a striptease.
She’s part of the staff members my father keeps on hand for when we take the yacht out. She and I also had a casual fling last summer. No strings attached, just some fun on the water—or in it—when we were out on the boat for extended periods.
“I’ve missed you,” she says, pouting her lip as she closes the distance between us to lean against my leg. Breasts hovering beneath my face, she gives me a perfect view of her cleavage as her hand finds my upper thigh. “Where have you been all summer?”
Typically, that would be all it took for me to bend her over the bathroom counter while I fucked her to oblivion.
But today, I’m less than aroused. In fact, her attention is almost annoying.
I haven’t been interested in other women since I married Sora.
Despite our families’ conflict, I find her surprisingly alluring, intelligent, and engaging.
She’s captivating to the point that other women don’t even register in my periphery.
Compared to Sora’s quiet appeal and unshakeable poise—the way she challenges me even when she’s giving in to me—Sarah just feels boring, easy, and cheap. I never thought that about the girls I slept with before, but now that I’ve experienced how good it can be, the rest are just… lackluster.
“I was getting married. Didn’t you hear?” I state blandly, brushing her hand from my thigh before I take another drink of my martini, subtly turning my body from her.
“Oh, my God, congratulations!” Sarah says with forced brightness. Then she flings her arms around my neck, her lips brushing against my ear as she whispers, “I think this calls for a celebration. Meet me in the bathroom in five minutes?”
Her hands slide across my chest and back, her long nails lightly scratching a seductive path down my spine, and I snag her wrist near my pecs, stopping her from leaving.
“I think you missed my point,” I say flatly, meeting her eyes with a cold gaze. “So, I’ll make it perfectly clear this time. Nowadays, I prefer fucking my wife to random women in bathrooms.”
When I release her, Sarah snatches her hand back, her expression hurt. With a huff, she storms off in the direction she came, the usual swing in her hips stunted by her stomping strides.
A low chuckle issues from my older brother, and when I cast Miko a sidelong glance, he crosses his arms over his chest.
“What?” I ask, taking another drink.
“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you turn a woman down. That was harsh, Brother.”
“She was pissing me off.”
“Hey, I never said she didn’t deserve it,” Miko says. “But it’s starting to look like your playboy days are over. Don’t tell me it’s the marriage vows keeping you faithful because we both know how little you believe in the sanctity of it.”
“Shut up,” I command, shoving him lightly as I stand from my chair. “If you’re going to give me a hard time, I might as well find Raf. He has better comebacks, and at least I can put him in a headlock when he pushes my buttons.”
Again Miko chuckles as I reach for my drink, ready to head back out into the sunshine. But a terrified scream freezes my hand. My heart stops because I know who it is even without looking. Casting my eyes toward the sunchair where I last saw her, I confirm my suspicion.
Sora’s gone.
Without hesitation, I sprint in the direction of the noise.