The Flavor Of Love (16 page)

“
Hey, can I ask you something?” He asked with a welcoming smile, pushing himself up in the bed and pulling the extra pillows from the untouched side of the bed behind his back for extra support.

Etta pushed herself away from the door and walked over to sit at his feet on the bed. She crossed her legs Indian style.

“
I asked you what’s on your mind,” she reminded. “Is everything okay?” Her eyes grew wide with concern. It warmed him to see her place her delicate hand on his leg naturally as if he was hers to touch. At that moment, he wished there were no bed covers or clothing between them and he could take up where he left off on the sofa.

“
Why do you call me Judge Gorgeous, Handsome and all those complimentary things instead of Judge Kyou? Or Keigo, even.”

“
I do call you Keigo, sometimes.” She raised her eyebrows at him.

“
Sure you weren't,” Keigo looked at her doubtfully.

Again she laughed and the dimples flashed at him. He was smitten.

“
The truth is…until I get to know a person I'm really bad with remembering names. Faces I remember, your favorite foods and any food allergies I never forget, but I truly suck at names, to the point of embarrassment. Therefore, until I get to know you, I have this little name association game I like to play to remind me. Now when I look at you, I think ‘Judge Handsome…Judge Sexy…Judge Keigo Kyou…Keigo’.”

Keigo laughed, nodding his head. “That has to be the craziest thing I have ever heard and all this time getting an ego boost because I thought you were telling me I was handsome, gorgeous and sexy.”

“
Hey, don’t knock it. It works,” she chastised. “Also, for your information, I can’t associate those words with you if I didn’t think they were true.”

Keigo’s eyes showed his pleasure at her confession. That was until she took him down a notch with her usual saucy tongue.

“
If I remember correctly, I also called you Judge Bully, but it’s funny how you didn’t remember that one.”

“
I didn’t forget,” he grinned. “I just found that one inappropriate.”

“
Oh, you!” She tried to pinch him through the covers but lucky for him she couldn’t get a good hold.

Keigo lifted a pillow and landed it against her face. She fell back on the bed from the impact and became still with her eyes closed. He felt as if a fist had gripped his heart and squeezed. His stomach lurched.

Throwing off the covers, Keigo leaned over her and grasped her shoulders. Lightly shaking her, he frantically cried out, “Etta! Sweetheart, wake up. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I hit you that ha--ouch!” Keigo clinched his buttocks from the pinch he felt on his bottom.

Etta’s shoulders shook with laughter. Her soothing brown eyes twinkled with merriment. “Gotcha! You really sounded worried.”

“
Oh you think that was funny, huh?” Keigo laughed aloud and tickled her. “You are a little sneaky sneak,” he accused with an amused growl. Grasping her slender wrists in his hand, he held them flat upon the mattress while straddling her hips to hold her still.

“
You’re heavy,” she whined.

“
Liar. I barely have all my weight on you,” he countered.

“
How come you never got married again, Keigo?” Etta surprised him by asking.

His eyes bore into hers, the smile faded from his face. “Why?” Keigo snapped before regaining his composure and releasing her wrists. He rolled off of her onto his back and crooked his arms beneath his head. Keigo stared up at the ceiling. “I suppose I haven’t met the right person.”

Etta rose onto one elbow, lying on her side next to him. “Is that the real reason?”

He looked over at her and asked, “What other reason could there be?”

She shrugged one shoulder and plucked at the bedding. “I thought maybe it was for the same reason I haven’t been with anyone else since Neil died.”

“
What reason is that?” He reached up and tucked a shell tipped braid behind one of her ears.

She blinked at him, the sadness he saw on her face he could understand better than anyone. He waited for her to answer and if she chose not to, he wasn’t going to push.

Keigo didn’t have to wait too long before she quietly spoke.

“
I’m scared to love like that again,” Etta said. “I think if I take that chance once more and something were to happen to him, I wouldn’t be able to survive it a second time around.”

Keigo released a long sigh and rolled over onto his side. He propped his elbow on the mattress and braced his cheek on his knuckles. They were practically nose-to-nose now, staring at each other. He could tell she was waiting for something. Probably, for him to be as honest about why he was alone as she had been.

“
Etta, the car accident that killed my family and nearly killed me wasn’t an accident. Someone had severed my break lines. It had been raining for days and that day wasn’t an exception. The next thing I knew, cars seemed to have just stopped in the middle of the causeway. I hit the brakes and nothing happened. As I slammed into a dirt embankment, my seat belt broke and I was thrown from the car. I don’t remember anything else until I woke up twenty days later in the hospital.”

“
Your wife and daughter?”

“
They told me they died on impact and I could only hope that was true because when the automobile slammed into the embankment, it caused a mud slide. They told me they had been buried beneath the mud. I still have nightmares at the thought that there could have been a chance they were buried alive,” he shuddered inwardly at the thought.

“
I know that must have been horrific for you.” Etta reached out and touched his face before dropping her hand back to the mattress.

“
I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye.” A glazed look of despair spread over his face. Keigo swallowed hard and bit back his tears. “They didn’t know when or if I would ever wake up and for the sake of Claire’s family, had to release the bodies into their care. There was nothing left for me. I was so damn angry, Etta. I’m still angry and don’t speak to Claire’s family any longer.”

“
I can understand the anger, but you must understand why they had to go ahead with the funeral,” she spoke softly.

The muscle in Keigo's jaw worked profusely as he bit on his back teeth. “That isn't why I'm angry at them. I'm angry because when I could finally leave the hospital and return home, they had already cleared out all of Claire’s and Miko's things. They had no fucking right! I was her husband and Miko's father. I should have been allowed to keep everything the way it was, for as long as I needed it to be.”

“
Oh my God,” Etta breathed. “How could they be so callous? It took me nearly a year before I could get rid of Neil’s things and I still have a few keepsakes I can’t bear to part with; such as a pillow that still had his smell.”

Keigo saw that her expressive eyes were bordered with tears before they slowly found their way down her cheeks. He didn’t know if she was crying for him or herself, but either way, it touched him like no one else has been able to for a long time. His feelings for her were intensifying. Gathering her into his arms, he held her snugly and settled back, enjoying the feel of her against him.

They shared an intense loss, both emotionally and physically, and it continued to be a draining story to recap but he felt better sharing it with her.

“
I’m scared too, Etta,” he whispered into her hair. “I’m scared that whoever sabotaged my car is still out there waiting until I’m happy again to strike once more. I’m scared for the same reasons you are, but you know what scares me the most?”

She shook her head against his chest in silence.

He buried his fingers into the silkiness of her hair. “I’m terrified to live the rest of my life waking up alone and being okay with it.” His voice broke with huskiness. “Regardless of what life gives us, love is a big part of living and I have to believe that if I didn’t die with my family that day, then I still have a lot living to do.”

Keigo leaned to the side to look at her face. A tender smile came to his lips. Etta was asleep. He sure it was his fault, with him being in her home and she waiting on him hand and foot. As much as he hated to leave the comfort her home brought him, they only had a week before going to Bent Arrow and there was still much for him to do. He must return to his own quiet home. He looked at her once again and decided, tomorrow would be soon enough.

***

“
Reko will be here soon,” Keigo informed Etta. “I want to thank you for putting up with me. I owe you one.”

“
I think we can call everything even,” she said softly. “I appreciate what you’ve done by not forcing me into a jail cell and I enjoyed the company.”

“
Your mother and brother? Why haven’t I met them yet?”

“
Mom has a place around the block but she is currently visiting my brother Toby and his wife in Oakland. They are expecting their second child any day now. This time it’s a girl and mom is excited to see if she will take after her or not.”

“
You mean psychic?”

“
Yes,” she answered and smiled at him. “Watch it now. I might start to think you’ve become a believer.”

“
I must admit while being around you and Auntie Loo these past few days, I’m beginning to believe there is something unusual going on.”
Starting with me
. Keigo thought to himself.

He held her warm gaze, wondering why they were sitting so far apart. He was on the sofa while she was on a cushion on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table. After waking in his arms later in the afternoon, they enjoyed what Etta called a “stomach friendly” dinner of a lobster salad and freshly baked hard-crusted French bread. Etta had no alcohol in the house so he called Reko to bring him a bottle of
Biltmore Estate Viognier
white wine from his personal stash.

After a fifteen-minute lecture about the wine from Etta, he managed to have an extremely pleasant dinner. Keigo realized not only could he get use to being with Etta on a full time basis, he also could get use to her cooking. She was a wonderful chef. So wonderful in fact, he felt guilty for gaining her free services for his camp. Of course everyone was there on a volunteer basis but after seeing all the patience and care into her preparing a meal, he realized she was very well worth whatever she charged for her services.

“
What are you thinking?”

“
I was thinking of how fortunate I am to get to eat your cooking for the next month. I almost hate sharing you with my kids; now that’s saying a lot.” Keigo’s body responded to the sound of her naturally throaty voice.
He could no longer set aside the feelings that swept through him. “I was also wondering why you are sitting so far away,” he smiled.

Keigo moved to the edge of the sofa and leaned across the low coffee table and braced his hands against the sturdy wood. He came close enough to her face that his eyes nearly crossed from their closeness. Gazing into her eyes, wide in surprise, he speculated about what he saw there. Did Etta feel the same strange and unexpected connection between them as he did? It’s been so long since he wanted something this bad. He almost forgot how wonderful it could feel.

“
Etta, may I kiss you again?” He licked his lips. “I want to know if it was as wonderful as I remembered or if it was the fever.”

“
Must you?” She licked her lips and his penis responded with wishful thinking. “It could complicate matters.”

“
I’ll take my chances,” he said intensely. “That is, if you are willing.”

“
I’ll let you be the…Judge,” she punned.

“
About damn time you allowed me to do my job,” he whispered before his mouth came down on top of hers and it was as impressive as he remembered. Her mouth was warm, soft and welcoming. He nibbled at her lips until she opened her mouth to him and then his tongue eased inside and God save him, that was better then he remembered. She tasted fruity and sweet like the mini-pastries she prepared with tea for him to take.

The kiss only set him up for wanting more, but regretfully he lifted his head away from hers. It was too soon to press for more when he wasn’t quite sure where he was prepared to go to next.

“
That was nice,” she said dreamily.

Nice, hell. He was on fire.
Maybe he was losing his touch.

“
I think I need one more kiss. After all, it won’t hurt anything,” he murmured, eyeing her luscious mouth. He started to kiss her once more and stopped when he heard someone calling her name from the front porch. A deep scowl came to his face. “What do you have here an open door policy?” He leaned back on the sofa, placing much needed distance between his lips and hers.

“
Not usually.” Etta released a soft laugh and rose to her feet. “But I usually don’t have a man staying over for a few days nor do I kiss men I hardly know, so it seems to be the week for firsts.”

“
Etta! Why is the screen door locked?”

“
Coming, Mommy!”

Keigo grasped her wrist and stopped her. “Mommy?” Keigo’s mouth dropped wide. “I thought you said she was out of town at your brother’s.”