BorntobeWild (17 page)

“Hey.” Her voice lower, she sat up, waited for him to come
to her, hiding nothing, her legs open, her pussy on blatant and delightful
display. Deep pink now, it did everything but beckon to him, his senses on
alert, her sent, the remembrance of her soft skin, her taste lingering on his
lips.

He wouldn’t get this moment again. He’d have others but
this, this particular moment, he committed to memory.

“Lie down.” The sultry temptress brought a knowing smile to
his face. He did as she told him.

Riku didn’t take his gaze from this woman—his
wife
—as
she slowly clambered aboard. She poised her body above his, posing for him,
lifting her breasts in the way he adored, making a shelf of her hands, her
flesh spilling over. Unable to resist he reached for them and she came down,
impaling herself and giving her breasts into his hands at the same time.

Bliss, utter, ravishing heaven. She sank right onto him and
then rose up, clamping her calves to his torso as she rode him. She bent over
him so he could touch her, tweak her pretty nipples and eventually suck them.
He half lifted off the bed, following her as she rose, lavishing attention on
her gorgeous body. He sucked, licked and then broke away while she plunged deep
and opened to him with a freedom he relished. Would never get enough of.

He put his arms under her breasts, to hold her steady but
she broke away and pushed him back down. “Just watch.” The gleam in her eyes
bewitched him and he did as she told him, thrusting up when she came down, set
a rhythm that pushed him up and up. Gritting his teeth, he held on and she
drove harder, faster, her clit hitting him with every stroke, a damp, hard knot
of flesh, needing no help.

He didn’t aide her climax but endured as best he could.
Until she cried out, her inner channel shuddering around his cock, the delicate
quivers morphing into hard pulsations that forced him over the edge.

Her turn to fall into his arms. Carefully he laid her to one
side and drew her close. They shared their breaths, their gasps the only sounds
in the quiet room.

Adrenaline, the stress of travel or something made Cyn sleep
longer than usual. Normally she got six hours tops. But when she awoke to the sound
of her cell phone ringing she checked the digital clock by the bed and it said 8:00
a.m.

Wow. She slid from under Riku’s heavy, imprisoning arm and
he muttered something before settling again, his face mainly buried in the big,
fluffy pillows. She didn’t disturb him. Cyn went into the living area where she’d
left her phone and answered it, only realizing as she did so that she’d picked
up his, not hers. “Yes?”

“Is this Cynthia?” said a crisp, cultured voice.

“Yes.” Yawning, she ran her fingers through her tangled
hair, her mind slowly coming back on track. What the fuck did Riku’s mother
want?

“Did you do it? Did you marry?”

“We did.” She paused but decided she didn’t care what her
new mother-in-law thought about her. She might as well tell her what she
thought. “If you hadn’t mentioned the girl—Suzi was it?—last night, he might
not have proposed.”

“You mean he wouldn’t have asked you to marry him?”

Well that was the question, wasn’t it? All her doubts
slipped back into their accustomed places. Sure, they liked each other. Riku
cared for her. But every time she’d tried to get closer he’d distracted her,
recently by cossetting her because of her injury but also with sex. Amazing
sex, she had to admit but still—he’d had a lot of practice. “Only he can tell
you that,” she said guardedly.

“I was right. He wouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry we dragged
you into this mess. Riku is an impulsive boy. He left the Paris conservatory on
an impulse after I urged him to work harder. However hard he worked he would
not make a concert pianist, he said. I refused to believe that. I still do.
Hard work can get you anything. I’m a living example.”

Well bully for you.
Cyn had her doubts but she’d
never hit a brick wall, so she didn’t know for sure. Except everyone who wanted
to become president didn’t get there. Sometimes grafting got a person so far. “He
was good. He’d have played with orchestras.”

“Do you think he would have been happier in the career he
worked for all his life?”

“No.” Riku needed the creative element, she knew that now.
Interpretation would never have been enough for him. But she didn’t know if she
could explain that to his mother. “What do you want?” She had an urge to go
back to bed, wake her new husband in the most creative way she could manage.
Get away from this woman who made her spine crawl.

“A little business first. I have a client interested in
helping you develop your business. I have examined your stores. Most
interesting. You have done well but you need a little help to move to the next
stage, am I right?”

“Yes. I was looking for finance, or some way of moving into
design. I want to develop that side of the business.”

“Online, yes and with bigger clients. You could probably
have your designs showcased in high-end stores. Would you like to meet with my
associate when you return to New York?”

“Yes, of course. Thank you.” Excitement warred with caution.
She might not like Mrs. Shiraishi but she couldn’t deny the woman was one of
the movers and shakers in the world of finance. “Should I tell Riku?”

“Not yet. He is irrational where I am concerned. I’ve only
ever had his interests at heart.” Yes, she probably had, in her own way. “He
worries me. I don’t mean to drive him so hard but he needs someone to guide him
in the right direction.”

“Thank you. Riku only needs understanding and care. He’s
sensitive.”

“And intelligent. He will work matters out for himself. I should
tell you a reporter called me last night and I didn’t realize. I let slip where
you were going. He worked the rest out for himself. I very much fear that you
might find them waiting for you.”

“Did you do it on purpose?”

“No, I swear.” From the sincerity of her tone Cyn was
inclined to believe her. Also their obvious annoyance at the media presence
outside the restaurant hadn’t added to the family harmony around the table. “I
wanted to warn you. You must learn to control Riku, encourage him to live a good
life.”

Her mind raced. Oh, the drugs, of course. Not that Riku had
ever overindulged, from what he had told her but he was a fucking rock
musician. They got their drugs free, if they wanted them, so he’d experimented.
The first incarnation of Murder City Ravens’ meltdown had been shocking and
public, so his mother would have discovered that. “Why didn’t you contact him
when he was in trouble?”

“I did. He refused to speak with me. I only wish him to keep
in touch.” Her voice turned softer, almost plaintive, in a way Cyn hadn’t heard
before. “Please talk to him for me.”

“Of course I will.” She didn’t feel comfortable saying any
more. “So will you go ahead and make an appointment for me to see your client,
please? I appreciate your interest in my jewelry and the business. I’d love to
discuss it with someone.”

A hand came from behind her and grabbed the phone. Cyn spun
around to see Riku holding the instrument to his ear and listening, lips
compressed. He cut the call without speaking and dropped the phone. It hit the
wooden floor with an ominous
crack
.

“So what was that?”

“You know what it was.”

“You’re conspiring with my mother?”

Cyn frowned. “No, of course not.”

“Everyone ends up in her little schemes. You sounded as if
you were about to enter her web.”

“Is she a spider?” Cyn snorted. “She’s your mother, Riku,
not a monster. She might find it hard to communicate but you could at least
give her a chance.”

“She’ll want you.”

Cyn recalled Mrs. Shiraishi’s offer to find finance. She
could take it two ways—either Mrs. Shiraishi wanted to take an interest in his
son’s wife or—what? She offered to put Cyn in touch with someone, not do it
herself. It wasn’t as if she planned to take Cyn’s business over or control
her. Riku was imagining things, looking for trouble. “I can take care of
myself. And my stores.”

“As of yesterday I have a say in that business too.”

Cyn’s mouth dropped open and she stared at him. “You’d fight
your mother using my enterprise to do it? Which one of you would ruin me first?
She’s offered to find finance, not hold me to ransom.”

“That won’t be far behind.”

“Riku, you’re being irrational and stupid.” The minute the
words left her she saw him harden, his eyes sparking fire, his mouth
unforgiving, the lines at the sides deeply engraved.

“I’m not. She tries to rule everyone she meets.”

Cyn recalled the scene at the dining table. “Actually they
seemed quite happy. Maybe she was trying to help them, to make them happy. She
failed with you because she didn’t understand you. Riku, you’re a grown man. Stop
being so childish.”

Riku took a deep breath and before he could speak, her phone
buzzed. Turning away from him, she read the text, trying to douse her growing
sense of unease and her irrational fear. At what, she wasn’t sure, because
anger swamped everything else.
Cyn? Is it true?

Yes
. She sighed, wondering how many other messages
she was about to get.

So you’re in Las Vegas?
Maddy texted.

How did you know that?
she responded.

The blogosphere.

Of course. Mrs. Shiraishi had let the cat out of the bag.
So
do you need me?

Hell, yes. Sian walked out this morning. Took a bunch of
jewelry with her and told me you owed her that at least. I’ve contacted the
cops and the assistant’s helping me list the stuff. I can cope.

Her business, her problem.
No. I’ll be there. It’s a long
flight, so don’t expect me today but I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’ll call
you when I get in.

That made her mind up for her. What she’d do, what she’d say
to the man standing silently fuming behind her.

She put the phone away and turned to face him. “I have to go
back to New York. There’s trouble in the second Midtown store.”

“I’ll call the airport.” White-faced, he turned away but she
ran around to stand in front of him.

“I don’t want you to. Listen, Riku, I’m not sure we did the
right thing yesterday. Maybe this will give us a chance to think it through. We’d
have difficulty keeping it together, even if we were deeply in love. And you’re
not sure, are you?” She took a breath. “Well, neither am I.” No way would she
let him know how she felt, give him the chance to use that to persuade her to
stay. He needed time out. “I’m not running away from this, I swear.”

He gave a harsh laugh. “You mean you don’t think you love
me, you did this because I wanted it?” She stared at him, trying to keep her
expression calm, her face blank. “Well fuck you, Cyn. Fuck off and leave me
alone.”

He slammed into the bedroom and she heard the corresponding
bang from the bathroom. The water switched on.

Swallowing, she called the airport and booked a ticket on
the next plane to New York. Just one. Then she took her stuff into the second
bathroom and calmly got ready to leave.

When she emerged he was waiting for her.

“You’re kidding, right?”

She shook her head. “If we’re going to make a real go of
marriage we need to think a bit more clearly and we can’t do that together. I
want to rip your clothes off every time I see you. That’s not going to change
anytime soon.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.” He took a step toward her but
she moved back.

“No. I mean it, we need to stop and think.
Really
think, Riku. So you go to Chicago and I’ll go to New York.”

She watched his face as he realized she meant it. “We could
work this out together. You shouldn’t return to work yet.”

She ignored the constant pain from her side and forced a
bright smile. “I’m fine. I promise not to overdo it. I need to get back, truly
I do. There’s a crisis at the second store, the manager left and took a lot of
the stock with her. I need to track her down and prosecute, as well as keeping
the store open. And source a more reliable member of staff.” She kept talking,
trying to ignore her agony. “Decide what you want, Riku. Not instinct.”

“You’re having doubts?”

She ignored his bewilderment, trying to keep on the rational
path. “Aren’t you?”

He let out a breath in a hard gust, his expression
hardening. “Maybe I wasn’t before but I am now. Okay, go. I’ve tried everything
I can think of and the first opportunity you get, you run away. If you go now
don’t think about coming back.”

If she’d believed she hurt before, it was nothing compared
to this. Tears sprang to her eyes but she swallowed the lump in her throat and
blinked them away. She kept talking, easier than dealing with her excruciating
pain right now. Much, much worse than her bruises, this was new, fresh and raw.
She couldn’t take any more.

“I don’t respond well to threats.” She paused, gathering her
thoughts. “I won’t hide away. You made sure I couldn’t go home, so I’ll use your
apartment. It’s the least you can do until I find somewhere else. You’re going
to Chicago, so you won’t need it for a while.”

That was it, enough. Ignoring his move toward her she picked
up her bag and slung it over her good shoulder. It still hurt but she could
bear it. Then she left.

She half expected him to come after her but the elevator
arrived, she stepped in and went downstairs to wait for her taxi in the lobby.
He didn’t make an appearance.

The journalists did though. She dealt with them, wondering
if she could turn the publicity to her advantage, feeling a heel when she
considered it but knowing it was part of what she was. Time to stop ignoring
that part of her too. Time to be flat-out honest.

She still loved him. She always would. A shame she hadn’t
mustered the courage to tell him.