There was some measure of comfort in confirming that Erin hadn’t known about her father’s threat to him, to undermine and ruin the life Kento’s parents had worked for so long to create. He’d always suspected that she didn’t know that part of what had occurred. It turns out she knew none of it. But even if she had, it wouldn’t have been enough to have turned her against them. The Barclays were ruthlessly clever in convincing her that Kento didn’t love her. That was their best strategy. Telling her that he was only out to use her for what her family could do for him. Now it was far too late to put the broken pieces back together. Genuine sorrow washed over him.
“You still haven’t told me,” Erin inquired as more guests filed into the dinner theater, “in all these years, have you been dating?”
“I’ve met a few women who wanted to get close.” He knew that sounded harsh, but it was the truth. “I’ve learned to spot insincerity.”
“Hello. Welcome.”
“Good evening.”
Once most of the crowd had taken seats at the tables that surrounded the stage, Kento and Erin slipped in and stood against the wall near the back doors in case they were needed. They surveyed the room while waiters delivered blue mugs filled with steaming broth made from locally caught clams to each table as a toasty welcome. A server handed two to Erin. She gave one to Kento, and they both had a sip of the salty, savory liquid.
“I suppose I’ve done a fair amount of dating,” Kento continued as the mug warmed his hands. “There was a woman I was with for eight months.”
“Not someone you thought of staying with, though?”
“No, and after Ayaka, I made it my policy not to let anyone near.”
“She betrayed you?”
“Ayaka is a corporate executive, busy and driven. I thought we were more or less leading the same lives and would be compatible.” Indeed, when he was introduced to Ayaka Sato at a business party three years ago, he’d thought maybe he’d met someone he could share his existence with. Although the connection he’d had with Erin still lingered on him like a perfume that overtook him and transported him back to Seattle, he’d needed to step out, and Ayaka seemed to come along at the right time. In his heart, he knew that his solitary life had led him to loneliness. That casual encounters with women here and there were completely unsatisfying. That it would be ultimately unhealthy for him, and for his empire, if he continued in isolation.
So when Ayaka’s quick mind and high energy appealed to him, he began dating her. At first only once every couple of weeks, because he’d never been dependent on anyone besides Erin, and he wasn’t ready to risk being hurt again. But when the companionship proved pleasant, and Ayaka was more than willing, he increased their get-togethers to once a week. “We’re dating, and then she announces to me at dinner, out of the blue, that she wants to become pregnant with my child within the next three months.”
“Wow.” Erin’s voice rose. “Just like that?”
“Yes. She said this was an optimal time in her career for her to have children. That she and her family had considered my lack of pedigree but given that I had built NIRE into such a prominent company, I must have genes that would be desirable for coparenting.”
“Desirable genes... That’s intense.”
“It always turns out that every woman I meet wants something from me, is thinking of how she can benefit from me. I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but do I read as desperate? Where did Ayaka get the impression that because she’d come to a verdict about having children it was a done deal?”
A jagged breath reminded him how angry that situation had made him. The years of judgment he’d endured growing up had only led to more, in subtle adult ways that were even more insulting than school hallway taunts. “After eight months,” he went on, “I’d thought that maybe she and I had come to understand each other, that we’d opened up enough to show each other our real selves.” Like what he’d had with Erin.
“But you were mistaken?”
“Yes. We’d only gotten as far as discovering we liked the same ice-cream flavor and political candidates. That wasn’t really getting to know someone. And in the meantime, she, along with her parents, had been busy selecting me as a breeder.”
“Well, I know all about having decisions made for me,” Erin mused.
“Yes, you do.”
She was forcing him into thoughts he hadn’t had in a while. Before and after his time with Ayaka, he’d made sure to let any women he’d spent time with know up front that nothing serious would grow between them. Still, he had no trouble finding dates. In his world, filled with young people in the big city, there was an endless stream of attractive women charging toward him. He could hardly dismiss them fast enough. Everyone was measuring and trading and leveraging assets at all times, even if they didn’t consciously realize that’s what they were doing.
It had never felt like that with Erin, except when he’d left Seattle convinced that she was in on her parents’ plans to get rid of him. Before that, and now during this weekend, she brought out the parts of him that rarely saw the light of day. With her, he felt he could be natural and instinctive, almost innocent. Like the wholly inappropriate way he’d kissed her for the photographer. He could have easily given her the fake smooch he’d meant to. The savage, ravenous beast inside him had had other ideas. He knew he’d surprised her with the insistence of his lips. And all he could think about was wanting more. Craving it. Needing it.
However, practice would make perfect. How many times did he have to go over and over one of his new software programs until it ran like clockwork? This was the same. Soon enough, he’d be immune to Erin’s kisses and they’d be able to play their roles to perfection. Once he got used to her again, she’d no longer have such an effect on him. It would be no problem to act like lovers for the weekend and then be out of each other’s lives forever. No problem. At all.
Perhaps it was maturity that advised him, something innate that told him that he had magic with her, the kind that only comes around once in a lifetime. So he needed to watch out. Even standing next to her against the wall in the middle of this wedding fanfare, she made him feel connected. Almost daring to think that all the destruction of their past wouldn’t matter an iota if he had her.
Lucas and Christy entered the theater, followed by the groomsmen and bridesmaids. Kento and Erin would sit with them once their greeter duties were done. He’d made sure to confirm to Demarcus that he and Erin had rekindled their romance, knowing word would continue to spread to the all of the guests.
“Ladies and gentleman...” A voice broke in over the loudspeaker. “Welcome to Locklear Lodge’s Song of the Golden Eagle, a celebration of the Native American peoples who first populated the Pacific Northwest. In a few minutes, you will be enjoying our presentation of welcome dances. That will be followed by our buffet dinner, with a menu inspired by foods that might have been eaten by the first inhabitants of the island. Prepare to feast on fresh salmon cooked on cedar planks over an open fire, grilled squash, our corn and lima bean succotash, and molasses bread. After that, our resident storyteller will share tales of his ancestors, to be followed by our performers, who will dance, drum and chant wearing native dress and masks.”
They both watched as Bunny sat down at a table with her friends.
“Will you talk to your mother about what you’ve unearthed?”
Erin’s sarcastic resignation of them was a front, but to his knowledge she’d never taken any real steps toward freedom. Which pained him greatly. Even if he wasn’t going to spend the rest of his life with her, he’d wish her one of independence. An existence without it was slavery.
“I already did, at the marshmallow roast.” She shrugged. “It was in my best interest, and to protect our holdings and all that. Which I need to respect. Nothing will ever change with them,” she added with a chin-up gesture that was somehow excruciating.
“As expected.”
“I don’t really care what she thinks anymore.”
Kento knew that wasn’t accurate, but he liked the sound of it.
When her mother glanced over to them, Erin went up on her tiptoes and brought her lips to his, continuing what they had started a few hours earlier on the lawn. Kento squinted out of the corner of his eye to watch as Bunny’s expression turned enraged.
But then he stopped noticing Bunny and got lost in the fervor of Erin’s kiss, which sent hot lava bubbling up through his body.
* * *
The guests enjoyed their dinner. For dessert they were served Native American fry bread, discs of dough that had been browned in oil and topped with jams and honey. At each place setting was a party favor to take home. It was a dream catcher, a small wooden hoop made into a net with fibrous crisscrossing threads and adorned with beads and feathers. The storyteller explained that dream catchers resemble a web, and that spiders are considered symbols of protection and comfort in some cultures. They are sometimes hung over a baby’s crib while they sleep, as they were believed to keep bad dreams away and let good ones in.
During the show, Erin found herself stroking the dream catcher with her thumb. All of what had gone on with Kento and her parents was like a nightmare that kept repeating in her head. Maybe the party favor could help put the past to rest.
After the performance guests began to retreat to their lodgings, anticipating the wedding day ahead. Kento and Erin spent some time with the bride and groom, making sure everything was in order and that they weren’t suffering from anything other than typical wedding butterflies. Both seemed happy, excited, nervous and tired all at once, and they were looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Erin advised, “Hang the dream catcher on your bedpost tonight.” She figured it couldn’t hurt.
“I’ll walk you to your room,” Kento said as the two of them left. A floor of suites in the main lodge was being used by the bridal party, although she knew that he had instead booked one of the luxury private cabins for himself.
“Should we take a little walk first?”
“Sure.”
She wasn’t ready to part company with him just yet. All of what had gone on today was tangled in her head. One fact she was having trouble grappling with was that in spite of hearing about all of the atrocious actions she’d never known about, her heart had begun to sing again.
As they strolled the footpath that surrounded the lodge’s main buildings, the night was quiet and Erin had more to say. “I’d always considered you leaving after graduation an absolute rejection.”
Kento mashed his lips together in distress at her words. “Of course, when you hadn’t known that there were bribes and threats.”
“That’s more than a young man could have been expected to combat.”
“Your parents, in their own twisted way, subscribe to family loyalty and realized I did as well. So they figured out how to leverage that to overtake me and send me packing.”
“It made sense that you fled to Tokyo when you had the chance. In addition to being outright scared by the menacing threat to destroy your parents’ life, you probably left, in part, to protect me.”
“I can’t say it didn’t occur to me. I was afraid that if you defied your parents and persisted in being with me, you’d have to break from them completely. That’s a big decision that might never, ever have been reversed.”
“You mean, if I turned my back on them, all their wealth and property and standing, what if it hadn’t worked out between you and me?” He had no way of knowing at the time that he’d become the success he did. Which didn’t guarantee happiness, anyway. “What if I regretted it later? What if I was left with nothing? And what if that was in Japan, where I’d be completely alone?”
“And your parents were just merciless enough to let that happen.”
By vanishing, Kento had been thinking ahead, covering every possibility in what he thought was best and safest for her.
Something that had come right back between them was how they cut to the quick of their feelings. “This reminds me of the old days. I was more honest with you than I’ve ever been with anyone before or since.”
“I was my most real with you, too,” he agreed. “Except when it mattered most.”
“There’s the ultimate irony.”
In a way she would never act on, she wished for more from him. As if by his side, she could conquer the world. All these years later, she would be ready for his wisdom and strength to help her escape her jail, escape from living like a half woman, half child, prized only if she produced heirs. Facing how truly brutal her parents were, she didn’t know how she was going to be able to return to their Seattle mansion after she’d packed up the remains of the Harris Denby disaster in Spokane. She’d have to ask her dream catcher tonight to bring her an entirely new life.
As they strolled, she was certainly in no hurry to get back to her room. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to spend as much time as possible with this warm-blooded, smart, sexy, soulful man? Kissing him was electrifying, and she couldn’t resist doing it again in the theater. With her mother watching, no less. She was bothered, aroused, alive, in his presence. Her assumption that they could play at this for the weekend and that it would mean nothing afterward was fading away.
“Where on the grounds are the cabins?” she asked as they rounded a corner. She knew that Kento had booked the biggest one for the bride and groom, although for tradition’s sake Christy would sleep there alone tonight with Lucas in a suite in the lodge.
“Come on, I’ll show you.” He gestured down a walkway that led away from the main buildings.
They reached the dozen or so cabins, built far apart from each other for privacy on the expansive grounds.
“This is a lovely and secluded setting. What are the cabins like inside?”
“Country charm meets highbrow—what else would you expect? There’s an outdoor shower.”
Erin was most definitely not thinking about Kento naked under the outdoor tap when she asked, “Have you used it?”
“As a matter of fact, I have,” he answered with a hint of a smile that made her curious. A moment’s silence fell between them under the dark night sky. After what seemed like a contemplation, he finally asked, “Do you want to see my cabin?”
Trepidation prickled her body. They both knew that if she visited his cabin, there was every possibility that the shell of their masquerade would become even further cracked than it had been by the unfake kisses they’d already shared. In a couple of days, Kento would board his private jet and she would probably never see him again as long as she lived. Would taking their intimacy further be the crescendo of goodbye to the only man that had she ever cared about, or would it make the pain of their saga even more profound and unlivable?
“Yes,” she answered in almost inaudible whisper. Yes, physical connection with Kento again would be worth the heartache it would surely cause. It was past an option for her. It had become inevitability.
He took her hand as they walked, which felt only too good. When they reached his cabin, he helped her up the porch steps and released her hand while he fished in his pocket for the key card to swipe open the front door. Once inside, he used one foot to help the other out of its shoe and then reversed it to take off the second. Erin remembered that he’d always observed the Japanese custom of removing shoes when inside his home. With a chew to her lip and her body a bundle of nerves, she took off her shoes as well and placed them next to his just inside the doorway. How they looked together! His big black dress shoes next to her much smaller black ballet flats.
She hoped he’d make small talk, although that wasn’t his style. He was well aware that she wasn’t in his cabin for a nightcap. Nor to see the paintings on the wall. She could still read him enough to know that he was leaving this up to her. He wasn’t going to throw himself on he
r. But she also registered the lust in his eyes. Telling her he wouldn’t refuse her tonight.
“Kento.”
That’s all she wanted to say. Wanted to hear the sound of his name out loud, hanging in the air. He bent down so that she could bring her lips to his. Caution rang in her, begging her to reconsider. This could be a mistake that she’d be burdened with forever. His life was five thousand miles away. What about the loneliness she’d feel when he left again, just to have shared their bodies one last time? Yet she couldn’t stop herself. Being with him was the best thing she’d ever known. No one could blame her for craving a small taste of it again.
His hands traced down her spine as he finally pulled her tight, reassuring her that she was as desired as he was. He urged himself against her and she molded to him, their bodies together forming a perfect seal. His mouth moved from her lips to her jaw and then to her neck, where his teeth caught a bit of her skin, causing her to moan. Prompting him to continue as a quiet stream of pleasure vibrated low in her throat. His lips made their way just under the neckline of her silky T-shirt, and he flicked his tongue all the way around the scoop.
Becoming urgent, his hands lifted the bottom of her shirt out from its tuck into her skirt so that he could have her bare skin. His palms flattened against her back and then circled around to her rib cage. Which wasn’t enough, and so he skimmed the shirt over her head and off her, tossing it to a nearby chair. And quickly removed her bra so that her entire upper body was without barrier. His wide hands completely covered her breasts, making tingles dance all over her.
He looked her in the eyes, arousal hooding his, to ask, “Do you want to see the outdoor shower?” Her smile answered the question.
Leading her toward the door to the side porch, he grabbed a stack of towels from the bathroom along the way. Once outside, he flicked on the standing heaters, which immediately began their task of metering the chilly night.
Face-to-face again, Erin unbuttoned his white dress shirt and slipped it off his shoulders. Her hands lingered on his bare, smooth chest, not the same as it had felt years ago. He was somehow both more muscular yet leaner than he used to be. Rediscovering him was thrilling. As they kissed again, she felt him work at the belt of her skirt, which he then carefully unzipped and helped her step out of. She slid off her underwear as he removed everything else he had on. With only a few lights to illuminate the area near the shower, his body glowed, alert and potent.
Wedding Date with the Billionaire Page 8
