A Lover's Wish (19 page)

chided. “I need to talk to you about something.”

Dao inhaled against her skin, causing her to giggle for it tickled, but lifted his head. He moaned and flopped against the bed.

“It’s nothing bad,” she whispered. “It’s about Claude.”

Dao pushed onto his elbow to meet her eyes. “You don’t like him?”

“No! That’s not it.” Kianna reached in to kissed Dao’s chin. “Jace took one look at him and I think bells went off in her head. She wants to talk to him, but she’s afraid he may be a jerk.” She watched Dao fall to his back against the bed and pull her so that she was on top of him. She stroked his face. “What do you think?”

“She likes him, huh?”

“Well, she says like is too much of a strong word. Maybe she wants to speak with him, maybe go out for dinner just to see where things lead.”

“Well, I can talk to him for you,” Dao offered. “Now what?”

Kianna beamed and bowed her head to take his lips as her reply. “Oh wait!” Kianna grinned and rushed off the bed and from the room. She grabbed a large framed picture and carried it back. She turned it so that he couldn’t see it until she wanted him to.

“What are you up to?” Dao questioned.

She sat down beside him and handed over the frame. It was the first picture she had taken in

China. The colour was sucked out and Dao Zhi stood there, shirtless, staring at her in beautiful black and white. “You are one breathtaking man,” Kianna snuggled into Dao’s side.

He was still staring at the picture.

The moment she had seen it, her breath had caught in her throat. She stood in the store, staring at the picture with tears in her eyes. It was right after she thought they had broken up, but she couldn’t deny the beauty that Dao held. His eyes spoke to her—spoke volumes. It told of a man in love and in pain. Taking it home, she had tossed a sheet over it, trying not to remember. But she couldn’t tune him out.

“And you are one sexy, talented woman,” Dao whispered.

She watched him put the large frame down against the wall, then climb into bed. She giggled, then purred when his large index finger found its way between her legs.

The sun rose over Scarborough and Kianna rolled over in bed. Her back did not hit Dao’s chest. Opening her eyes, she glanced around before sitting up in bed. Dao wasn’t there. She flopped against the bed, then remembered he had mentioned a meeting he had to cancel before China that he had to attend that morning. She sighed as she remembered that she had guests.

With her brain still a sleep-fuzzied mess, she pushed her feet from the bed and dragged herself into the shower. The shower should be able to snap her awake. The shower was quick and in no time at all, she was walking into her kitchen with a smile on her lips, expecting to find Jace and Claude or one or the other. Instead, she found Dao, shirtless watching the television on the counter.

“Morning.” he called muting the television.

Kianna stopped to press a kiss to his lips. She reached for coffee. “Where are the others?”

“Claude took Jace for a walk,” Dao replied.

There was something in his voice that scared her. She ignored her coffee mug on the island and faced him fully. She braced her hands against her hips and waited.

“I need to talk to you.”

The fear that had curled her insides the first time he said that line to her returned. The last time he said that, Kianna had run as fast and far as she possibly could until her heart knocked her down and sent her tearing back to his heart. It took every bit of strength she had in her not to run again. “Okay?” she whispered. Her voice cracked horribly and she tried to cover it by clearing her throat. When he took her hand and led her out the door onto the patio, she fell into the seat. It creaked beneath her weight, but she didn’t

complain. She didn’t react. Instead, she curled her legs self-consciously beneath her.

“I almost got married once,” Dao confessed.

Her head snapped up. Was he trying to tell her he had someone else? Why would he do that? Why hadn’t he told her this before? “You—what?” “We never made it that far. We dated for a few years and I thought I knew that she was the one. I could have sworn that I was in love and no one could tell me different. But I never met her parents—all those years we were together. It was my fault. I didn’t insist on it. Then I finally met

them and I wish to God I hadn’t.” “What do you mean?”

“They didn’t want a chink for a son-in-law.” Kianna’s heart began hammering in utter anger.

She reached over to touch his arm, but he stood away from her and walked to the edge of the pool. He was staring at the water and that a scared her. She walked over and looped her arms with his. “They didn’t like you because you were Chinese? What were they?”

He went silent.

She glanced up to see that he was looking down at her intently. “What?”

“She was black.” “Oh….”

Again he took her hand and led her back to the seat and helped her into it. He hunched down

before her and stared into her eyes. “I thought I was over it. But I need to know that you will never do that to me. I couldn’t have it, not from you.”

“How do you know you love me, Dao? You thought this other woman was the one and she wasn’t.”

He moved to get up.

She grabbed his arms and pulled him onto her. “Do you feel my heart racing?” he questioned.

“Do you feel it against your breast?” Kianna nodded.

“What does that tell you?” “That you love me?”

“No questions, Kianna. Speak those words like you believe them.”

“That you love me.”

“My heart cannot lie to you, Kianna. Lying to you would be lying to my heart—to myself, and I cannot do that.”

She cradled his face in her hands and smiled. “I’m sorry she hurt you, Dao. I really am. And I can safely promise you that I would never do that to you. Besides, I don’t have parents.” She gave him a brighter smile than she felt, then continued. “And Jace likes you because she called me some kind of stupid because I was thinking of ending it.”

Dao smiled.

He took her lips roughly and Kianna moaned.

T

he day had dragged on with Dao trying to get some work done at home. Eventually he gave up and tried bugging Kianna, but she simply told him to go sit on a tack. He retaliated by making love to her against the stairs and then carrying her upstairs into bed. The two fell asleep tangled in each other’s arms. Dao couldn’t remember the last time he had done something like that or taken a nap in the middle of the afternoon, but he was sure glad he did it. His dreams were filled with his father. Lee was giving Dao his blessings over and over beneath a giant Banyan tree. The next moment, Dao opened his eyes, he felt rested and

happy, but Kianna was not beside him.

“Kiki?” he whispered. “Sweetheart?” he called louder. When no reply came, he pushed from the bed without his shirt and was on the verge of panic. The curtains at the balcony door blew inward and he caught sight of her. He exhaled in relief. He stood silently by the doors, watching her

stare at the water and knew that she had come to love that view. She would spend hours out there, just staring at the water as the sun died over it and he felt like a thief whenever he interrupted her. He didn’t say anything and quietly entered the house again, allowing her some peace.

It was a couple hours later when Dao finally walked out the set of double doors to sit beside Kianna. The sun was just going down over the waters of Lake Ontario, casting beautiful shades of colours across the sky. She had been silent and though he had been worried, he was on the phone trying to book Jason some trial gigs. He wanted to feel out the industry for his kind of soulful, sensual music before he offered a full contract. But after a while of not seeing her by the door, stripping to tease him or smiling at him, he got extremely worried. He grabbed two mugs of mint tea and offered one to her. He pressed a kiss to her head and curled a leg beneath him.

“Are you alright?” he wanted to know. She didn’t answer, but placed her cup down against the glass table to curl into his arms. He did the same with his mug and held her. Something was definitely wrong. “Talk to me, baby. I can help.”

She lifted her head and smiled down at him. “I need to talk to you about my houses,” she

whispered. “I have to make a decision—to let one go.”

“Mom’s and Dad’s is close to the woods—it’s quiet. If we ever need to get away from here without travelling, it’s the best place to be. It has the small waterfall and is very romantic. But at the same time, my house is well, mine.”

“I told you before that you’re welcome here,” Dao explained softly. “Do you not want to be here?”

“I want.” She nodded. “I want to be with you. But I have to be careful. I haven’t had the best of luck with the few men I’ve been with so far and well, I’m scared.”

Dao rubbed her back. “Well, you should sell one,” he agreed with her. “That will save you on the bills that you have to pay for both of them. Your house is smaller and in a place where I don’t feel comfortable with you being in. I know that you’re worried since your father—” Her nodding caused him to cut his words off. He saw the pain in her eyes and didn’t want to see her hurt. Dao kissed her forehead over and over. “So sell your house and keep your parent’s house as our sort of vacation house.”

“You would like that?” Kianna asked.

Her eyes twinkled up at him. “To see that smile on your face, Kianna,” his voice was caught in his throat, “I would do anything, anything all.”

She pounced on him, hugged him.

After catching her in his chest, Dao laughed. He crushed her body against his and kissed her neck. “Kiki?”

“Hmmm?”

“I need to make love to you now,” Dao managed. “So bad. Stand up and strip for me.”

“Dao Zhi, we are on a balcony,” she feigned shyness.

“For me,” his voice was husky and cracking with emotion. “Only for me.” He watched the way her body pulled from his. When she was standing and began undoing the belt of her robe, a smirk found his lips. Her personality and self-esteem had grown between the time they had first made love and that very moment that she danced sexily to entice him.

He relaxed against the seat and watched her slow-eyed. Her body swayed sexily. He adored her curves, the roundness of her hips. He loved the thickness of her thighs and the smooth chocolate of her skin. Her robe slipped from her shoulders to pool on the ground behind her and Dao had to struggle to keep sitting—just to watch. It was hard as his body was throbbing with just the thought of touching her, tasting her. She walked naked to him and sat down astride his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled in close. Finally, Dao shifted and kissed the swells

of her breasts. He allowed himself the pleasure of feeding from her.

“Dao,” she whispered hoarsely. He smiled. “Yes my love?” “Oh, Dao…”

“I’m right here…”

Their lovemaking was slow against the patio chair. She was wrapped around him, moving rhythmically against him. She pulled him deep and caused him to scream her name over and over. She shuddered in response, especially when he bit her neck gently, then licked it away. Kianna felt touched, worshipped, loved. Her arms tightened around his neck, her fingers dug into his hair, yanking his neck back. As she exploded around him for what seemed like the hundredth time, she sought out his lips and plunged her tongue hungrily within his mouth.

Tender hands held her against her back before moving to grip her hips. He held her in place and drove his hips upward. She wrenched her lips from his to yell his name. Her body twitched, trembled and detonated. Her toes curled, her eyes rolled into her head and her fingers clenched even more in his hair.

“Kianna I can’t…” That was all he managed before his fingers tightened against her waist. He hauled her downward, held her there and shoved roughly within her. His head tossed backward against the seat, his eyes widened and his whole world collapsed beautifully around him.

Panting for air, she crumbled against his chest and his eyes drifted shut.

“Would you like my help with packing up the house?” Dao sighed.

“Brain-mush-no-decisions-now.” Kianna trembled.

Throughout the night as Dao slept with his arms wrapped tightly around her, Kianna had thought back to the patio. She thought back to meeting Dao, China and everything that had happened. She wondered if all of it—even the bad parts—had happened just to throw them together. She remembered her mother always told her that everything happened for a reason and even though she loved Dao dearly, she didn’t want to believe that her parents’ death happened for her to find love.

But her parents had lived a full life—one that was full of love. She had seen how much her father loved her mother and vice versa. Guilt swept through her because it was as though she was seeking a reason to be happy. She winced and slipped further into Dao’s arms, pressing her face into his neck.

But by the time morning came, Kianna had come to a decision. If she wanted the wish that she made on the Banyan Tree in China to come through, she was going to have to face facts. Before Dao woke up, she got up and showered. She made breakfast and brought it upstairs. “Honey?” she shook him gently.

“Hmm?”

“Wake up. I made you breakfast. I have to go talk to the real estate people this morning. You want to meet me at my house later?”

Dao opened his eyes and smiled. “Sure. I’ll get some papers signed, make it a short day and meet you over there. Maybe I can help you pack up some things?”

“That would be lovely.” Kianna kissed him. “Thank you.” She kissed him again. “See you later. Love you.”

“Love you—wait. How about another kiss?”

Kianna laughed. “You’re going to make me late,” she complained even as she took his lips again.

D

ao sat in his office and stared at the blank pad before him. He could not believe what he was feeling. He was actually feeling like writing a song. He hadn’t done that since the beginning days of Red Dragon, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He grabbed the note pad and began scribbling. If he wrote down all he was feeling and was sure the obsession he felt would go away. He had been so carried away that when a soft knock