“You have Shimizu-san’s friends to thank,” the inspector said. “They had people in Los Angeles trying to locate you.”
She stared down at her bowl of soup, not really hungry despite the meager rations the gangsters had given them. She and Mandy were safe, and although Imai was hurt, it didn’t seem to be a bad break. He’d be on the mend in no time. “They’re a great bunch of guys. Imai is lucky to have such caring friends.”
“What he really needs is a nurse to get him the hell out of here.”
The sound of that rich voice sent a shiver along Kim’s spine as always, and she rushed to the door where Imai stood with his crutches, glowering down at the new cast. “This break didn’t quite go all the way through, so the doctor says I should only be stuck with this damn thing for four weeks. I don’t fucking believe this. I have things to do. Jun will be bitching up a storm if we can’t start rehearsals for the next tour on the schedule.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand if you have to take things slow for awhile. You can practice sitting down.”
Imai gave her one of his oh-so-above-it-all looks, and she wondered why she’d ever found it irritating.
“I can’t very well get married sitting, and it will be damned embarrassing to have to hobble down the aisle on these, won’t it?”
“Married?” Kim asked quietly. “You still want to marry me?”
The expression he wore signaled a snarky retort but then his features softened, and he reached out to stroke her cheek. “Of course I want to marry you. I’ve never wanted to be with anyone else as much as I want to be with you.”
Kim pressed in close, her hands running through his now short hair. She coaxed his head down for a kiss that he eagerly accepted, plundering her mouth with his skilled tongue and making her temperature rise.
“Get a room, people,” Mandy muttered as she squeezed past them to get out to the corridor.
Imai pulled away and smirked. “She’s ready for university, right? Koji’s youngest sister just started at the University of Kyoto. Lovely school. Mandy will like Kyoto. It’s only a long train ride away.”
Just outside the lounge, they heard Mandy sigh and say, “Oohhh, Gackt is from Kyoto. I bet he goes there often…”
Imai scowled and muttered something about overrated porn stars, and Kim laughed. “Do you have any idea how much I love you, Imai Shimizu?”
“I do, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Kim grinned. “Does this mean you’ll be a better patient this time around and do everything your nurse tells you to this time?”
“Hell, no.” He grinned then leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Of course if you tell me to do certain things in the bedroom…” He flicked his tongue across her earlobe, and she shivered. “Are you wet?”
Kim pulled back enough to gaze into his eyes. “For you, always.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Imai asked Jun and Koji to give Mandy a lift home in his car, then made a call to have a limo sent to the hospital for himself and Kim.
“I could have driven us all home,” Kim said as she helped Imai into the back of the car.
“But that wouldn’t have been practical.” He gestured to his leg stretched out on the seat. “This is roomier, and you can squeeze in beside me.” He grinned and Kim moved from the opposite seat.
“You should rest,” Kim teased when Imai began to slide his hand beneath the hem of the denim skirt she wore.
“This is hardly any exertion at all.” He chuckled when Kim sucked in her breath and parted her thighs in response to his feathery touch. “I was right back at the hospital. You are wet.” He slid two fingers inside her. “And hot, too.”
“You’re the one to blame for that.” She arched into his touch as he began a slow in and out movement.
Imai kissed her neck and tickled her ear with this tongue. “That doesn’t sound like much of a complaint. I think you can do better if you want me to stop.”
She moaned softly when he stroked his thumb over her clit. “I didn’t say I wanted you to stop.”
“Good.”
Imai lost himself in the rush of giving her pleasure, savoring the way her inner folds clung to him and coated his fingers, the way her clit swelled and pulsed with each touch. He moaned with her when she came, his cock growing rock hard at the memory of how it felt to be buried deep inside her. He shifted on the seat to ease the pressure on his groin. Acting on his arousal would have to wait until they reached home because he’d missed her ‑‑ needed her far too much to be satisfied with a quick fuck in the back of a car.
After Kim caught her breath and watched as he licked her sweet essence from his fingers, she offered him a lazy smile. “You asked Sasao to bring this instead of jeans, didn’t you?”
“I didn't call her, Kyoru did.” He gave her a feigned suspicious look. “Maybe he knows something I don’t?”
Kim laughed and snuggled close. “I think your friend just knows you very well.”
Back at the house, Kim got Mandy settled in one of the guest rooms, then joined Imai back in the master bedroom. She slipped into an old tour T-shirt of his and sank down onto the soft mattress besides him, letting out a soft sigh.
“You're sure you’re all right?” he asked softly, smoothing her hair back from her forehead. “Those bastards didn’t touch you or Mandy?”
“We’re fine, really, just a bit worn out.” She hugged him tightly. “I missed you so much.”
“I was lost without you. Fuck, that’s a lie. I was devastated.” Imai stroked her cheek with his fingertips. “My life was so empty without you in it. The solo tour was just a bunch of irritating shit and I couldn’t wait for it to end.”
Kim blinked back the tears that stung her eyes. “I’m so sorry. This was so important to you, and that bitch had to go and ruin it.”
“No,” Imai said. “You are what’s important to me. It’s true my life has revolved around the business and ‘being a star,’ but I know now I was trying to fill a void with most of the shit I’ve done.” He brushed his lips against hers in a soft kiss and held her tightly.
“But music is such an important part of who you are and you’re so talented.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “Why did you cut it?”
He breathed a sigh and shook his head. “I can’t explain it. Getting the ring in the mail ‑‑” He stopped short and leaned off the bed to pick his pants up from the floor. He fished into the front pocket and retrieved the ring. “She stole this from you and sent it to me.”
Kim nodded.
Imai slid the ring back onto Kim’s finger, then kissed her hand and held it against his cheek. “I should have known something was wrong. You wouldn't have run away and mailed this back. You’d have thrown it in my face and told me what an asshole I was.”
“Well…”
Imai chuckled and hugged Kim.
She was back where she belonged, and nothing and no one would come between them again.
Kim’s Crash Course in Japanese
Baka (n): a fool, dummy
-chan, -kun (suf): affectionate honorifics, less formal than -san or-sama
Gaijin (n): foreigner, someone not Japanese (a somewhat derogatory phrase)
Kimi (n): an affectionate personal pronoun, usually used between lovers
-san, -sama (suf): honorifics, with -sama being reserved for someone of great respect
Shoji (n): traditional sliding screens made of paper, used to cover windows or section off rooms
Yakuza (n): gangsters, the mob
Barbara Sheridan & Anne Cain
Barb and Anne started writing yaoi (m/m) fiction together in fall of 2005, and have been having a blast ever since. Both authors have a soft spot for history, vampire lore, and Japanese rock groups. Barb and Anne are also fascinated with Asian culture and mythology, from Chinese legends about chiang shih to Japanese samurai movies, anime and pop culture. They love their stories and characters and are always thrilled to know others enjoy them as well.
You can learn more at their website http://www.dragonsdisciple.com and look into their individual endeavors at Anne's DeviantArt Portfolio http://annecain.deviantart.com/ and Barb's website. http://www.barbarasheridan.net
For updates on new writing projects, please feel free to join them at their newsgroup http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dragonsdisciple/
Under a Silver Moon Page 20