The Flavor Of Love

by Shiree McCarver

  “Oh, yeah,” he chuckled and shook his dark head. “It’s only a thirty minute drive south of Tokyo, on a good day that is.”

  “My friend, I told you about in the courtroom…”

  “The one that taught you Japanese?”

  “Well, he helped me become more comfortable in utilizing the language in conversational form. It was also him who taught me a more vulgar vocabulary.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Keigo. “So, if you want to talk dirty Japanese in my ear, let me warn you, it really makes me hot.”

  “You’re killing me over here, Etta,” Keigo groaned.

  “Anyway,” she said running her tongue slowly along the length of the pickle spear before taking a bite off the end. The majority of what I learned, I learned in college when I studied Japanese language and literature. But my friend moved to Tokyo last year and I’ve been hoping I could find some time to go and visit him, but I haven’t made it there yet.”

  “Good,” Keigo licked his full bottom lip ever so slowly. “When you go to Japan, I want to be the one that takes you there and show you around.” He paused before saying, “Take you to meet my family.”

  Etta thought she would start drooling. He is so fine. Obviously, she wasn’t the only one throwing less then restrained hints at this dinner table. It took her a moment, but his words finally took a hold of her attention.

  “Did you say meet your family?”

  Keigo nodded. Of course, I’ve met some of yours. Shouldn’t you meet some of mine?”

  Etta shrugged her shoulders and picked up her mug to test the toddy, choosing not to answer that question without doing some mulling over the implications of such a serious step. Men don’t usually invite women to meet the family unless they have long-term ideas of where the relationship is going.

  A light grimace came to her face. “This is good, but it has alcohol in it and I don’t care much for the taste of booze. Still, this is pretty good. Your recipe?” She took a deeper swig.

  “Actually, Marco’s Italian grandmother and compared to hers I went light on the liquor.”

  “It actually gets better with each sip,” she decided.

  “Trust me. By the time you finish that mug, it will be the best thing you’ve ever had tonight,” Keigo assured her.

  “Hmm,” she cut her eyes at him over the cup hovering at her lips. “Here I was hoping you would be the best thing I had tonight.”

  Etta saw his nostrils flare and his right eyebrow shoot up a fraction before he asked, “Etta, are you trying to tempt the devil?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “This is too weird; seeing this playful side of you. It’s so unexpected. Up until now, you’ve seemed so serious about everything. It’s like you’re a completely different person once you’re away from that courthouse.”

  “You have a lot to do with this change,” he said seriously. “I feel more like I did before my life took a negative turn. I think when my father became ill, everything shifted into high gear because I wanted him to be around to see me sit on the bench in my own courtroom. I wanted him to see me married, settled and I wanted him to be around when I had my first child.”

  “Was he?”

  “Yeah, for the most part. Unfortunately, he died a year after my daughter was born.” Keigo finished the last bite of his sandwich.

  Etta’s entire body hummed to make love to him, but she was also weary, sore and bruised in places she never knew existed. Being the considerate man he seemed to be, she believed he was subtly considering all those things because she was hot and ready for the taking after the shower. Yet, he remained focused and caring of her immediate needs.

  “Here finish mine.” She pushed the paper plate with the other half of her ham sandwich at him.

  “You’re sure?”

  She nodded. “I don’t like to get too full before I go to bed.” She saw the light of laughter twinkling in his eyes and his attempt to hide his grin by biting into the sandwich. “Oh, if you want to live to tell the story in the morning, you better not even bring up what happened in that bed. I warned you not to tickle me.” Her face reddened.

  “What? I didn’t say a word. I told you, what happens in our bed stays in our bed and I meant it.” Keigo took her hand that was resting on the table.

  Their fingers playfully teased each other’s while he finished his meal with his free hand and she nursed and downed the rest of her toddy.

  Keigo made her stomach flutter and her mind long for a happy conclusion to their finding one another in one of the most unlikely situations.

  She desired him. Unlike her feelings and attraction for Neil, which grew gradually over time by him hanging around their home all the time with her brother, her attraction to Keigo was almost immediate. She knew they meshed on the physical level.

  His touches, kisses and the reaction of his body to her nearness told her that. But she was no longer a teenager who believed physical desires meant love or commitment. If she was going to have any kind of relationship, be it friendship, one nightstand or long-term lover with Keigo, she must go into it with minimum expectations. If she allowed herself to fall madly in love with him, she wouldn’t be able to survive it if something were to happen to him. As she sat there staring at him across the table, she had the funny feeling it was already too late to protect her heart.

  “Okay, I can’t take you looking at me like this any longer, damn it! I’m only human, Etta.” Keigo made a throaty moan, stood and came around to her side of the table. With one sweep of his arms, dishes went flying to the floor. He pulled her up from her seat with his hands under her arms and lifted her until her bottom was on the table.

  “Keigo,” she breathed before his mouth slanted heatedly against hers.

  Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead and upper lip. He must have been sitting there half-hard and simmering on low-lust for some time now. Who was she to deny him? He had been patient with her needs and care. It didn’t hurt that she was as needy of him as he seemed to be for her.

  Etta gasped as her towel fell away and his hot wet mouth latched on to her nipple and all of her areole in a deep sucking motion. She felt it all the way to clitoris and bucked against his covered erection between her spread thighs. Reaching between them with trembling fingers, Etta grabbed a fistful of the white towel at his hips and yanked, throwing it behind her head.

  “God, Etta, I’ve never wanted a woman so badly,” he panted against her open mouth.

  “Neither have I.” She blew out short breaths. “Wanted a man, that is, this badly.”

  He grinned. His lips were nuzzling her air as he licked and nibbled behind her right ear lobe. She bucked against him and hissed. Her nails bit into his shoulder before she grasped his face in her hands and pulled his mouth back to hers, plunging her tongue inside to taste him. The wonderful taste of toddy hotness lingered on his tongue as she sucked on its tip.

  “Shit,” she moaned. “I think I’m becoming addicted to the toddy.”

  “Mmm, told ya.”

  Etta rubbed her breasts against his chest enjoying the friction against her sensitive enlarged nipples.

  A low hissing sound came from between Keigo’s teeth and she moaned. The building intensity of her physical feelings yearned for him to make love to her fast and hard. Not lovemaking but good mindless fucking.

  “Fuck me, Keigo,” she begged.

  “Etta, oh God,” he gasped and bucked in her hand as she reached between them and grasped his cock in her hand. “Easy, baby, it’s been awhile and I’m ready to drop my load.”

  Etta eased her hold on him. She didn’t want that happening. Not yet, anyway. She arched her neck and allowed him access to kiss, lick and suckle as she slowly stroked his silken penis in her hand. She rubbed across the tip of its dark head and felt a pearl drop of semen. Bringing her thumb up to her mouth, she smelled his manly yet clean muskiness, along with the salty taste of his body. She cried out as her thighs tightened on his hip and she rubbed her clitoris against his hard erect
ion until she came.

  Etta rode her orgasm and swayed, then felt Keigo gather her limp body against his as he laid her gently back onto the tabletop with her legs hanging over the side. She felt a cool breeze touch her molten hot skin as he moved away from her. She wanted to reach and bring him back, but her arms felt like they had added weight.

  She felt her bottom had being lifted and through glazed eyes, saw Keigo’s face between her spread thighs. He splayed her legs over his shoulders and held them in place with the muscles of his long arms.

  A cry escaped her closed lips at the first testing of his tongue against her sensitive clit. With a sigh, she eased the tension in her thighs against his ears and he allowed one leg to slide back down while holding the other. His free hand spread her vaginal lips wide and she could feel the entrance of her dripping pussy opening for the coaxing of his tongue.

  She couldn’t say which she preferred the flipping of his tongue against her clitoris, the sucking of her labia or the spear like deep tongue thrust inside her. All of it together was about to drive her out of her freaking mind. She cried out in pain a couple of times as his fingers accidentally bit into a bruise or scrape on her legs. A few times she wanted to stop him because the sensations coursing through her were new, welcoming and frightening at the same time.

  “I…I don’t think I…ahh…yessss,” she hissed. “Nooo,” she moaned and buried her fingers into his thick black hair, tugging to pull him away. When Keigo moved to stop, she found herself fisting his hair to keep his head in place. Hell, she didn’t know what she wanted. She just wanted him to put a stop the building painful pleasure that was threatening to shatter her into pieces.

  Heatedly, Etta literally fucked Keigo’s face.

  She heard a low keening sound. To her embarrassment, it was coming from her. She bit down on her bottom lip hoping to be a little quieter. It was useless. This orgasm sneaked up on her and nearly arched her completely off the table. She gripped the wooden edge and released a scream.

  What the hell was that? It couldn’t have been her. She wasn’t a screamer. He sucked hard on her clitoris one last time and another cry tore from her throat. I am now, she thought, as tears escaped her tightly closed lids and mingled with the sweat on her face then disappeared into her frizzy air-dried hair. Oh, God, I’m going to die any minute now. She floated on that thought.

  Before she could get her second wind, Keigo was guiding his impressive penis inside her and it went in with ease from the help of his mouth lubrication and her slippery release. There was no more playing.

  Keigo rode her and he rode her fast and hard just like her body wanted it. All she did was hold on to him with both arms as he hunched against her. His breath blew hotly against her ear as hoarse cries tore from his throat.

  It had to be the sexiest thing she’d ever heard. She turned her face into his shoulder and lightly bit him. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she’d swear she saw streaks of red floating behind her lids as she came again. Un-freaking believable! That is what it was like being made love to by Keigo.

  “Etta…Etta…” Keigo called her name. His teeth gritted and caused muscles to protrude from his jaw and the vein in his forehead throbbed. His head reared back and he grunted loud and long, lapsing into Japanese, “Ikkene! Oh, shit! Ikkene! Oh, shit!”

  Keigo propelled forward so hard, her sweaty buttocks skidded on the table; once, and twice more before she felt hot liquid shooting from his body into hers. Etta felt like she pissed herself, but as she held him trembling and jerking between her legs, she decided it was a glorious feeling.

  “Oh shit…oh shit…oh shit,” Etta moaned.

  “What?” He lifted his sweaty head with a goofy half grin to look down at her and wiped at the sheen of sweat on her face. “You’re having another one?”

  “No,” she slapped his shoulder before placing a hand to her forehead. “Shit, Keigo. Reko.”

  Keigo’s head jerked towards the door.

  “Nooo,” Etta wailed. “Reko’s not in here, silly!”

  “What is it then?” Keigo frowned in confusion. He slowly straightened his stance and pulled Etta up with him, but he remained between her legs.

  “We forgot to get Reko’s condoms.”

  “Kuso.” Keigo cursed in Japanese.

  Etta noticed his “shit” didn’t sound as panicky as hers. She definitely wasn’t expecting what came out of his mouth next.

  With a long lazy grin, his deep sex filled voice announced, “After camp is over, we’re getting married.”

  Etta groaned loudly. She recognized the stern tone and there was no misunderstand the familiar stubborn tilt of Keigo’s chin when he was digging his heels in the ground. The judge had spoken and she was in deep kuso.

  CHAPTER 12

  Keigo gathered his clothing, made his way to the front room and pulled the bedroom door closed behind him. In deep thought, he dressed and cleaned up the mess they left in the dining area. By the time he was finished, the electric coffee pot was full of black roasted coffee.

  He filled a mug and made his way out of the cabin and stopped on the front-screened porch with the mug cradled in his hands. Although the rain had stopped, clouds still loomed heavily in the sky and he wasn’t sure how much work they would be able to do today with the grounds being drenched and muddy.

  Keigo looked out over the campgrounds to take in the damage the storm had caused the night before. Releasing a deep reflective sigh, he blew into the mug and allowed the aromatic vanilla bean coffee mix Etta had grounded up and placed in his cabin days before, to sooth him. Keigo smiled before taking a conscientious sip from the steaming mug. What she gave him all through the night was better then any drug or herbal remedy to ease his gut. He slept like a baby somewhere in between all that fornicating like bunny rabbits they did.

  Once they moved their lovemaking to the bedroom, they remembered to be careful. He made a mental note to buy Reko another box of condoms. He was in dire need of a shower because he reeked of sweaty sex, but he wanted to take it with Etta.

  Etta…Etta…Etta…Her name turned over in his thoughts. He couldn’t believe he had proposed to her. It wasn’t that he regretted asking it. He regretted the way he asked or rather demanded it of her. How stupid was that? He shook his head. Etta usually became more stubborn to have her way when her choices were taken from her. Hadn’t he learned anything from what happened in the courtroom or at her home before he took his leave? He should have gotten his brains out of his crotch and waited until the month was over, bought her a ring and made the moment romantic and memorable.

  Making his way across the enclosed porch, he dropped onto the suspended porch-swing and gently pushed back and forth with a bare foot. Taking another swig of coffee, he sat in deep thought. In the shower, the sight of Etta’s slender body had aroused him unmercifully. Had she not been in such an emotional state, he might not have been such a gentleman and would have ruined everything before she was open to accept him.

  Etta wasn’t like any woman he had met before. Her humor and vivaciousness was contagious and he took to it like a moth to a flame. A thoughtful grin came to Keigo’s lips as he relived the conversation with Etta in the courtroom and at the table. She had so many aspects to her character. His smile fade and was replaced by a solemn expression.

  The woman that clung to him and cried in his arms was a contradiction to the bold female he first met in court. The question that bothered him most was if Etta loved him in return. As many times as they made love, he never heard her say the words. She came close but never said what he longed to hear. She also didn’t comment on his proposal. Should he take that as a “yes,” “no” or “maybe?”

  Keigo believed he had swiftly discovered enough about Etta to keep and hold his interest. Her quirkiness, ease of laugher and intelligence thrilled him. However, his loving attachment to a woman so physically different from his wife surprised him. It wasn’t the first time he found himself attracted to a woman for all the wrong
reasons. He was fortunate Carla continued to be his friend after the mess he made in dating her and breaking up with her. He lost his head and his heart to Claire after meeting her at a frat party and that was all she wrote. They became an item.

  After that incident, as a young man he realized his physical desires for a certain “type” could outweigh his logical thinking, but those days were gone and if he had any doubt about his feelings for Etta, last night cleared them up for him. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and that put him at a disadvantage because he could end up getting hurt by Etta’s uncertainty. Keigo swore aloud and downed the remains of his now tepid coffee and placed it the cup on the ground next to the swing.

  Regardless of his dithering thoughts, there was no denying Etta was still scared of falling in love again or he should say she was scared to fall in love and lose the one she loves again to death. He had to make her understand death was a natural way of life and she could choose to have someone by her side while she waited for it to come, or not. He hoped for his sake it wasn’t the latter. He’d had his own personal experience with grief and he wished she would lean on him and allow him to help her pass it. Maybe if he told her what her mother told him, she would be more accepting that they were fated to be together.

  “Keigo?”

  He looked up to see a beautiful disheveled Etta standing in the open doorway of the cabin dressed in one of his black sweaters that stopped above her knees and nothing else. He couldn’t believe all the time he had wasted worrying when all he had to do was look at her standing there in his sweater and the answer was clear. He loved her and he was willing to give her as much time as she needed. He just preferred her to do it while being married to him because the thought of waking up and not seeing her beside him made him feel very lonely.

  “Morning beautiful.” Keigo smiled as she strolled out onto the screened porch towards him. He took her hands and drew her on his lap into the shelter of his arms. “Let me warm you up. There’s still a chill in the air this early in the morning.”