At First Sight (Kitsune's Raven Book One)

by Gina Kincade

  “Sounds like a terrific plan, my beautiful, vixen friend.”

  His words sent another thrill rushing through her, and when he offered his arm, she didn’t hesitate to take it, eager to be closer to this man she was inexplicably drawn to.

  Together they weaved through the people, the wave of bodies parting to allow them through unhindered. She spoke of her studies in Australia, her work at the zoo, and dreams of working with animals all over the world. Kitsune even found herself telling him she wanted to open her own sanctuary here in Japan, filled with animals not commonly found in zoos, with the goal of conversation and educating people about animals they otherwise wouldn’t know of. She chatted, with no interruptions, of her plans to housing the animals in large, open enclosures, similar to their own habitats, allowing people to travel through in small, guided buses.

  Silence fell between them, comfortable and relaxed. Kitsune steered them to a large Japanese Maple tree. She smiled as he frowned, and when he turned to her, she simply winked and began the short climb to a secret platform. Once they were both up and settled on cushions she’d placed earlier in the day, she explained.

  “My father had this built for me when I was about ten years old. He positioned it here, low enough for an easy climb yet high enough to have the best view of the harbor, and very few people know of its existence. Even with me living abroad for study, my father keeps the tree maintained, leaving a natural window in the branches. People walk by every day, and they don’t realize they are passing the best vantage point along the bay.”

  She opened her bag, grateful she’d packed extra food and drink on a hunch, and pulled out two bottles of coconut water. Karasu took one and settled on the cushions beside her, and Kitsune couldn’t help but notice how close he was.

  “It is a nice view. Your father must be pretty cool.”

  She shrugged. “He can be.”

  With a laugh that made her stomach flip, he finished what she’d left unsaid. “But he can also be a tyrant, right? Mine is the same. I can never tell which Dad has come home from the office, Mister Cool or Mister I’ll-Kick-Your-Ass.”

  Kitsune snorted, spraying coconut water over the platform. She burst out laughing once she choked back what water she hadn’t spat. They spent a few minutes sharing tales of their fathers while they sipped their drinks and snacked on green tea chocolate-dipped biscuit sticks.

  The evening sky had deepened to a royal blue, while the horizon was tinged a thin line of soft yellows and pinks. The low rumbling of people along the harbor talking about moving to a good position now ceased, and an eerie silence fell upon the dockside. Kitsune and Karasu followed cue and drew quiet as well.

  Kitsune pulled her knees up to her chest and stared out across the water, momentarily forgetting she wasn’t alone as anticipation grew and her vision narrowed to where the fireworks would come from. The first squealing scream smashed through the silence, and she jumped, her heart pounding as she grinned.

  “Ha!”

  Karasu’s voice next to her ear startled her anew, and she glanced at him, light from the fireworks casting a dance of colors across the planes of his face. She really looked at him for the first time. His bright eyes reflected the glowing sparks erupting over the bay. A long, slender nose seemed to point down to plump lips never far from a smile or a grin. Black hair, cut in a jagged, fashionable style, waved softly around his face, contrasting against his light skin and sky blue eyes. He was an anomaly. It was uncommon for any Japanese person to have eyes colored anything but brown, and the cerulean shades captured her.

  “Do I have a zit on my nose or something?”

  She must have been staring at him for a while, lost in studying his appearance. When he spoke, still watching the fireworks, she blushed profusely yet subtly shifted closer. The warmth of his body was welcome as the night air took on a chill. Kitsune had left a blanket on the platform when she’d brought the cushions, but it was a different kind of heat she sought.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I just…” She paused, almost losing her confidence. This wasn’t like her at all. She was reserved, and hadn’t been really interested in any sort of relationship with a man, outside of professional, since she’d broken up with her high school boyfriend when she’d left for Australia. While she worked and studied with some attractive men, she never had much interest in a social life, let alone a sex life. Karasu’s presence, however, had awakened her sexual desires, and she didn’t want to deny her attraction.

  Karasu finally turned to face her, and Kitsune threw caution to the wind. She leaned in and kissed his lips, pleased by how soft they were as he responded. His mouth was warm, and their tongues danced, the sensation sweeping her away in a wave of giddiness and tingles. Pulsating heat gathered between her legs, and she moaned as he cupped her cheek in his hand, stroking her skin with his thumb. They shifted closer to each other, pressing against one another. She was drowning in pleasure, her breasts brushing his chest as they breathed. Kitsune could still hear the popping as the fireworks festival continued, the gathered crowd oblivious to her increasing desire for this man to take her right here, right now.

  He broke the kiss, panting, and the world snapped back into place around her. “Whoa.” As she looked into his eyes, she noticed they’d changed to a darker shade of cobalt.

  “Well, that was intense.”

  Embarrassment gripped her, and cold shame washed through her. She leaned back. “I-I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It was good.” He chuckled. “That would be an understatement, actually. It was…hot.” Karasu’s voice was deeper, husky, and her arousal returned as he growled the last word. “I want to know your intentions, though.”

  Kitsune paused in thought. She wasn’t a woman who acted rashly. “I am not entirely sure, to be honest. I just wanted to kiss you.”

  Karasu grinned, and she was glad to be sitting. She was fairly sure her knees would have given out if she’d been standing. “Well, I’m not going to complain.” He dropped his grin. “But I’m not a one night stand kind of guy. Nor am I a kiss and run guy, either.”

  “Me neither. I mean—” she rushed, but his laughter silenced her.

  “That’s good know, lovely fox.”

  They fell silent again, this time it felt a little awkward. Kitsune fiddled with the seam of her jeans. “You know, we could always just…see how things go.” She dared to look at Karasu, her heart pounding.

  A single eyebrow rose, and one side of his mouth twitched into a smirk. “So, do you maybe mean some more kissing, and take it slow? Or—”

  “Jump in and see if we can sink or swim.” Her bold answer surprised her, and she rushed to apologize. “I don’t know what’s come over me.”

  He moved closer to her again, leaning on one arm as he returned his other hand to her cheek. Karasu stared into her eyes. “I don’t mind at all when a woman knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go for it.”

  “Well then,” she paused to flick her tounge over her lips, “I hope you are ready to get wet. I mean…Oh screw it.” Kitsune kissed him, thrilled when he responded with passion. They remained in each other’s arms, enjoying the embrace. She wasn’t sure how long they had been kissing, but she was still feeling bold and took a chance.

  She reached to his shirt and flicked the buttons apart one by one, exposing his lithe, lightly toned abdomen. She trailed her hands over his taut muscles, his resulting moan setting her hair on end. She felt his fingers fiddling with the buttons on her blouse, and soon the cool evening air caressed her skin, sending chills through her body and only serving to increase her arousal.

  Pulling away, Kitsune shrugged out of her open shirt as Karasu removed his, neither breaking eye contact. She took control and pushed him onto his back, kneeling over him feathering kisses from his mouth up to nibble on his earlobe, then moved down his neck. His breathing grew raspy and she smiled as she playfully nipped at his collarbone.

  Karasu breathed out in a hiss.


  “You weren’t kidding when you said about jumping in.”

  The huskiness of his voice made her quiver with excitement. She sat back, resting her hands on his thighs. “Something about you has brought out a side of me I didn’t know existed. It’s exhilarating. I feel free.”

  His gentle smile calmed her.

  “Then I’m glad I bumped into you. You’re exquisite, and I’m more than happy to be the one to make you feel free. We’re missing the festival, but I think we can make our own fireworks.”

  He winked, and she couldn’t help but laugh at his cheesy line.

  “I could listen to your laugh all day, my beautiful fox.”

  She gazed down at him, sprawled across the cushions in complete comfort. Kitsune almost pinched herself. There was no way she could have expected to end up straddling the legs of such a beautiful man, and to have it feel so right. For once, she didn’t care about what the consequences might be. Tonight, she felt liberated, and she would revel in it.

  She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, pulling it off and dangling it in front of her. She watched, giddy as Karasu’s eyes darkened and he skittered the tip of his tounge across his lips.

  He sat up and trailed his hands up her thighs, then teased his way up her stomach, finally pausing to cup and massage her aching breasts.

  She closed her eyes, letting her head droop, enjoying the tingling as he gently explored her body. She whimpered as his warm mouth engulfed her nipple. His hands on her back pressed her close, supporting her as she arched her back.

  Kitsune entwined her fingers in his soft hair, shuddering as he flicked his tongue across her engorged nipple.

  “Fuuuuck,” she whispered.

  “Hmmm?” The vibrations from his voice thrummed against the puckered buds.

  Gripping his hair, she pulled his head back. Cold air enveloped her slick skin as she leaned down to kiss Karasu. She soon broke away and pushed him back down with a growl. “Enough splashing. I want to swim.”

  He grinned. “I do love a woman who isn’t scared to take control.”

  “Then shut up and take your pants off.”

  Some small part of her was horrified at her forcefulness, but when he obeyed with nothing more than a “Yes, my fox,” the nagging voice was silenced.

  Kitsune unbuttoned her jeans and stood to slide them down her slender legs. She stepped out of them, nudging them aside before standing over Karasu, one foot on either side of his hips. She studied him for a few moments, as he pushed his pants over his hips, down his legs, tugging them off one foot at a time and tossing the blue denim to join hers.

  With a deep, shuddering breath of anticipation, Kitsune gently dropped to her knees and hovered over his groin for a brief moment. She lowered herself down until the swollen folds of her sex met his hard length, her already slick core pulsing, begging for more. She rotated her hips, grinding her moist heat against his thick erection, the friction causing little shocks of thrilling electricity to rush through her body. The sensation of skin on skin was intoxicating, made even more so by the quiet moans from Karasu.

  “You’re a real tease, vixen. I thought play time was over.”

  Kitsune looked at him, and their gazes locked. His eyes were a blue so deep they were almost black. She knew hers would be the color of molten gold. It was her hidden inner self shining through. She’d have to eventually reveal her secret if things got serious between them, but that was a bridge she would cross if it came to it. Tonight, she was letting her hair down, secrets be damned.

  Keeping her gaze on Karasu, she raised herself just enough to reach down and firmly grasp his cock in her hand, stroking it delicately and whispering her fingernails over the sensitive skin of his engorged member. Kitsune grinned like a predator as he groaned and squirmed.

  He grabbed her hips, clearly intent on taking command, but she pinned him with a stern stare. She was in control here. He was hers to play with, and he would learn that lesson.

  “Patience is a virtue, handsome.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m feeling pretty wicked, vixen.”

  “That’s too bad, because you’re in my space.” She leaned over him, brushing her swollen breasts against his firm chest as she whispered in his ear. “You’ve woken a slumbering beast, and now you’re at my mercy.” Kitsune nipped at his earlobe, and his gasping breath made her inner animal howl in delight.

  She sat up again, once more holding his, now twitching, cock in her hand. To prove her control, she hovered over the tip, swaying her hips so her hot entrance rubbed against it.

  Karasu’s grasp on her hips tightened, but he made no move to take over.

  “I submit, Kitsune. I am yours.”

  More than any of their kissing or physical contact, those words heightened her arousal beyond anything she’d felt before. He was hers. She savored the moment.

  Kitsune gazed into his eyes and knew this night was going to be a life-changer for both of them. The woman she woke as this morning would have balked. Something had changed in her since meeting Karasu, and she liked it. It was time for a change.

  Without warning, she lowered her hips, driving his cock deep inside her. They both gasped, and giddiness washed over her. She remained still until it subsided, then gently wriggled her hips, grinding her clit against his groin. She bit her lip and maintained eye contact, which only intensified the sexual tension. Kitsune grabbed Karasu’s hands and guided them to move her hips, then up her body to cup her breasts. As he massaged the pale globes, rolling her nipples between his fingers, she rocked her hips, side to side, back and forth.

  Kitsune raked her nails over his chest, and then reached behind her to pull the tips of her hands up his legs. She watched him close his eyes, his breathing coming in ragged pants. She was in pleasure overload, her toes tingling and warmth rippling out from her core. She knew she was close to climax, and, judging by the primal growls escaping Karasu’s clenched jaw, he wasn’t far away either. As he opened his eyes again, fixing his hazy gaze on her once more, she flashed him a wicked grin and arched her back, stretching around to lightly trace circles across his balls.

  “Oh jees!” His moaned words were the final nudge that pushed her over the edge to ecstasy and oblivion. As she cried out, throwing her head back, she felt Karasu arch under her, his hands gripping her hips, pulling her to him as his voice joined hers in orgasmic chorus.

  Kitsune gasped, exhausted by the intensity of her climax. She collapsed on Karasu’s heaving chest and listened as the pounding beat of his heart slowly returned to a normal pace.

  “That was one hell of a swim, my lovely fox.”

  She chuckled, and then sighed in bliss as she felt him using his fingers to draw invisible lines across her back. “It was exactly what I needed. And this,” she gestured toward his hand motion, “is just as nice.”

  “Hmmm. I’m glad.”

  They lay together as they both recovered and caught their breath.

  “Not meaning to ruin the moment, but do you think we’ll sink or swim?’ His voice rumbled through his chest, relaxing her further.

  Kitsune thought on his words for a few minutes. “It’s a little too early to say, really, but I’m certainly willing to find out. Aren’t you?”

  “How could I deny you after that?” He laughed under her.

  While the sound echoing through his ribcage was lovely, his words disturbed her. She pushed up, moving off him to sit on the cushions. “Is that the only reason?”

  Karasu looked at her, and his smile disappeared. He sat up, placing his gentle hand on her thigh. “Of course not, my sweet Kitsune. There’s something about you I couldn’t walk away from if I wanted to, and I don’t just mean your sexual aggressiveness. Which is incredibly hot, by the way.”

  Kitsune felt heat creep up her cheeks.

  “I want to get to know your gentle side, as well as what else brings out that predatory side of you.”

  He cupped her cheek and gazed into her eyes. She was sure he’d be able to
see right through her and discover her secret, yet that didn’t bother her. She felt safe.

  Kitsune smiled. “I’d love that.”

  They cuddled for a few more minutes, but the cool air soon became chilly against naked skin, so they reluctantly tugged on thier clothing , chatting inanely as the fireworks festival continued. It was well after midnight when they climbed down off the platform, parting with a kiss, and a promise to meet for dinner the next evening.

  ***

  Kitsune stumbled into her hotel room, stripping off her blouse and jeans and climbing into bed, falling asleep quickly. She dreamed of Karasu, and their evening together.

  When she woke later that morning, she was rested and eagerly anticipating their dinner date. A knock at the door startled her. She wondered if Karasu had followed her back to the hotel to see where she was staying. Throwing on her dressing gown, she danced to the door.

  Standing in the hallway were her parents, not Karasu. “Mom! Dad! I wasn’t expecting you.”

  “We have lunch plans, remember?” Her mother smiled gently while her father looked pointedly at her lack of proper clothing.

  “Oh, right. Come in.” She glanced at her watch and noticed it was already ten a.m. Shit! “I didn’t realize the time. Had a late night watching the fireworks.”

  “That’s okay. We’ll wait while you get dressed.”

  Her mother sat in the lounge chair while her father strode to the sliding door to the balcony, still silent.

  Kitsune opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. She’d find out soon enough what had her father in a mood.

  She grabbed her suitcase and disappeared into the bathroom to get dressed, her heart pounding as she wondered if she’d been spotted with Karasu. As far as her father was concerned, she was his innocent little girl, strong headed but certainly not sexually active. Nevermind the fact he’d walked in on her and her high school boyfriend once.

  Kitsune shook her head. Now was not the time to ponder. It seemed lunch had now become brunch, so she had to hurry before her father grew impatient. She put on fresh underwear and a blouse, and pulled up a pretty skirt that would make her appear to be the respectable young woman she was expected to be. Running a quick brush through her hair, she decided to leave it down but pinned back with a barrette. She chose the elegant opal clip she’d bought in Cairns before returning home for this short holiday.