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Authors: Shiree McCarver,E. Gail Flowers

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BOOK: The Flavor Of Love
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No,” Keigo protested. “It’s Marco she’s been dating on and off for years.”


That’s because Marco has always had a thing for her, but I bet if you were to walk up to Nan right now and ask her if she’d like to hook up, she would no longer give Marco any play.”

Keigo grimaced, “It would be like hooking up with my sister. Besides, I will always see Nan as Marco’s girl. Maybe one day she will wise up and see how much he loves her.”


True.” Reko nodded and leaned his hip against the kitchen butcher block. His muscular arms crossed in front of him. “Now, I’m wondering how long it’s going to take you to realize there is something special about Etta.”


I already know there is something special about Etta,” Keigo calmly said. “I knew it from the moment I looked down and the crazy woman was shoeless in my courtroom. I knew it the moment I realized she has an aversion to bras and underwear. The very thought of it drives me to distraction so much I walk around with a raging hard on.”


Too much information, pal.”


Reko, she’s skittish when it comes to love. So I’m trying to keep my distance so I won’t scare her away. I’m trying to give her the chance to miss me. I’m hoping she will realize how in such a short time we’ve become very close.”

Reko’s eyes widened at his friend’s open declaration. “My God Keg, I haven’t seen you this whipped about a woman since the first time you saw Claire at that frat party we crashed.”

Keigo laughed. “Excuse me. I was invited because my father wanted me to change colleges.
You
crashed the party and embarrassed me by physically carrying my ass out of there.”


Hold up!” Reko put up a hand. “For you to be the youngest, you have a memory for shit! If I remember correctly, yes, your old man set you up and got you to the party, hoping that his friend’s son could introduce you around and get you to want to change schools. Which it worked by the way, but it was a girl that swayed your ass in the end.”

Keigo shot him a vulgar middle finger.


Yeah, you went in there and fell hard for a defense lineman’s prom queen girlfriend. Your stupid ass asked her out in front of him. His buddies kicked your geek ass. Claire felt bad about it all and the only reason I showed up was because
she
hit the last call button on your cell phone and called me to come and get you.”


Hey, my methods worked. I got the girl in the end,” Keigo gave his friend a wide toothy smile.


Yeah, you did and am I going to have to kick your ass to make you see what a great catch Etta is and that you better let you know what you’re feeling because she’s walking around here thinking you’re banging my sister, Carla?”


You set her right didn’t you?”


She wasn’t hearing it,” Marco shrugged.


She wasn’t hearing it? Or are you hoping she will believe the worse so that you can throw your hat in the ring?”


I’m not going to say I haven’t thought about hooking up with Etta,” Reko admitted. “But I don’t have to use a lie to get a woman, so you better watch it. As a good friend, I will allow you only
one
accusation. I’m happy to see you back in the game,” the taller man spoke in soft tones. “Now, whether I pursue Etta depends…”

Affronted, Keigo cocked his head to the side in question. “Depends on what?”


It depends on where your head is. Are you thinking: may the best man win or I’ll kill you if you touch her?”


Yeah,” Keigo nodded. “That one.”

Reko dark eyebrows lifted. “Which one?”


I’ll let you know when I finish figuring it out.” Keigo smiled sheepishly.


I see. That isn’t an answer.” Reko laughed out, mockingly. “So until then?”


You
j
ust keep it strictly business.” Keigo’s eyes locked with Reko’s in warning.


I got it.” Reko chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. “As usual, wonder boy wants to eat his cake and keep it too. You know, I didn’t think I would ever see the day another woman would interest you. I thought you had cut your heartstrings forever and--”

The sound of chiming music went off.


Do you hear music?” Keigo asked.


Yeah, sound’s like
I’m Every Woman
,” Reko frowned.


If I walk on Etta’s clean floors, she’ll kill me.” Keigo rolled his eyes heavenward. “Search around, sounds like someone’s cell phone.”


I found it. It’s on Etta’s workstation. Damn, she didn’t take her phone with her. I wonder--”


Speaking of Etta, where is she?” Keigo cut his friend off abruptly. “Did she go to her cabin since you knocked off early?”


No, she said she was going for a walk, something about an empty glade she’d spotted, but she should be back by now. She promised to return in an hour and that was a little over two hours ago.” Reko walked over to where Keigo was standing and handed him the cell phone. “It looks like her Mother is trying to reach her. It might be an emergency, so you might want to take it to her.”

Keigo accepted the phone. “I’m still trying to process the fact that you allowed a novice to go walking out there in the forest alone.” Keigo’s tone was coolly disapproving.


She mentioned being familiar with the woods because she grew up in a traveling carnival,” Reko yelled, running a hand over his hair and pushing off the cap he wore while cooking. “You know how she is. What would you have me do? Lock her in the walk-in meat locker, or what?”


I’m sorry. It’s just…..if she is still out there somewhere in this hard rain, she could be cold, wet and scared. You know how unpredictable the grounds are up here when it rains.” Keigo sighed with exasperation.


Calm down Keigo. The rain has just started and Etta promised to stick to the main driving path. If she did as she said, she should be back by now. She's probably in her cabin or with the gang watching movies in the recreation room,” Reko said calmly. “How about you go to check and see if she returned to the cabin, and I'll go to check the rec. room.”

Reko disappeared inside the utility closet.


Did she take anything with her?” Keigo called out.

Reko yanked on his jacket. “She had on her parka. I saw her with a water bottle and from what I can see one of the flashlights is missing.


Great,” Keigo cursed, shaking his head. “If the nit-wit comes upon a wild animal she can blind it with the
fucking
flashlight,” his voice became shrilled. “Damn! There are seventy-three miles of wildlife and thirty miles of recreational parkland. If we’re lucky, she’s still within the park areas. For the most part, it should protect her from most of the dangerous predators. However, because Etta don’t know the area, it’s easy for anything to happen. How long did you say she was gone?”


A little over two hours,” Reko repeated.”

Keigo washed a hand over his face. He pulled in a deep breath trying to regain control of the sense of panic that arose in him at the thought of what he was about to do.


Reko, go to the recreation room and get everyone together. Tell them no one goes out alone. Do a sweeping search starting with inside the camp. You know the drill. I don’t have to tell you time is fragile with it raining like this. Where will you be?”


You can call me on the cell phone if you find her. Meanwhile, I will drive…drive up the main path to see if she might have been hiking back when the rain broke. Are the keys in the jeep?”


Uh, yeah.” Shock was written all over Reko’s face. “Keg, are you sure you want to do this? How about I drive up and see and you go help the others?”


No,” Keigo grounded out. The tensing of his jaw betrayed his deep frustrations. “You know the only thing she asked of me was that I drink that bitter tea and for me to drive up here. If I had done as she asked me, there wouldn’t be this distance growing between us and she might have come looking for me instead of walking out there in the woods, alone.”

Reko placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder as they made there way out onto the back deck off the kitchen. “You can’t take this on yourself, any more than what happened to Claire and Miko, Keg. You can do this; I’ve always believed in you. You just have to believe in yourself. You aren’t in this alone, this time. You have all of us.”


To answer your question from earlier, Reko. Yes, I’ve fallen in love with Etta.” He had a possessive desperation in his voice. “I just hope I get the chance to let her know how much.”


Then we must get your lady back, bud.”

Keigo nodded, stepping down off the deck.


Keigo, I know you can do this!” Reko yelled back over the pounding rain.

He gave him two thumbs up and took off to the parking area.

Keigo paused with his hand on the door handle. Fear gripped him deep in the gut. “Fuck! I can do this…I can do this…” he repeated it the mantra until he was sitting behind the Jeep Cherokee’s steering-wheel with the engine running, windshield wipers swishing and lights on. “This time if there will be anyone dying today, it will be me. I refuse to come back without her if she’s out there somewhere.” He shifted the gears and slowly lurched forward.

CHAPTER 9

 

Etta had started out in the right direction back down the rock path trail leading back to camp, but that was also the moment she discovered a grove of wild berry bushes, just a few yards away. She had her pockets half full when the first raindrops fell.

Once the rain started, she couldn't see a thing. All she could see was the white of the hard showers. She could barely make out her hands before her. Several times she cursed her own stupidity for veering off the path to pick wild berries. Etta imagined surprising Keigo with pancakes and homemade wild-berry syrup for breakfast along with an apology. She also wanted him to know she was ready to move on with her life. The talk she had with her mother had helped her immensely and she realized she didn’t want to continue going through her life alone.

Etta thought the flashlight would help and it did somewhat. She could at least make out everything about two-feet ahead. She felt the rawness developing on her heels from the friction of her soaked tennis shoes, a painful reminder that she appalled shoes, but barefooted in the woods wouldn’t have been a bright idea either.

She cried out more than once as she made her way down the slippery grassy slope. Her thoughts wondered once more to Keigo. He was all she could think of since he kissed her. She wondered what he was doing now.

He’d been so busy. She doubted he even realized she was gone. Maybe Nan would be worried enough to go and tell him that she hadn’t returned to the cabin. Probably not; the woman wanted Keigo for herself, along with “look at me, I can jog ten miles” Carla. Hell, every teenybopper schoolgirl set to arrive probably was here because they heard about the sexy young television Judge, Keigo Kyou, was personally teaching at the camp.


I could be about to die out here and I’m jealous! How crazy is that? Damn, this is not good,” she moaned in frustration. Etta paused. “Oh my God, are those headlights I see? I must be close to the main rock path. I’ve got to make it closer so whoever it is will be able to see me.”

Etta took off in a jog, moving as fast as she could across the wet grass, rocks and broken limbs. She never realized how creepy a forest could be when the sun went down, especially when you were cold, wet and tired. With each step, she could feel the ground becoming softer making it feel as if the earth was shifting beneath her feet.

Thunder sounded and lightening gave her a brief glimpse of her surroundings as she struggled her way towards the lights in the distant. The lights appeared to be moving slow so they must be searching for her, thank God.


I’m over here!” Etta yelled from between clattering teeth. It didn’t take her long to realize how futile calling out was. No one would be able to hear her over the torrential shower and thunder.

The three drenched braids slapped wetly against her back while the rest of her hair clung to her temple, face and neck as she half ran, half slid her way towards the approaching vehicle.

Just as Etta felt a ray of hope arise, she was no longer moving forward she was falling back as the ground caved in beneath her feet. With a horrified scream, she went plummeting bottom first into an earth rift caused by the steady stream of water washing down the hillside.

 

***

 

Keigo felt physically ill from the fear that gripped his gut. His knuckles were white from the chokehold he had on the steering wheel, removing one hand long enough to shift gears. He had hoped he would never go through this experience again. The woman he loved was out of his reach during a rainstorm. He hated being out in the rain. He also hated driving but here he was doing both and all for Etta. She indeed has changed him.

Admittedly, he hadn’t known her for long, but for the time he had spent with her, it felt like he’s known her all his life. She was different, exciting with a bold, yet calming, spirit. Now that he had met her, he couldn’t imagine never getting the chance to explore the possibilities she brought into his insecure lackluster life.

BOOK: The Flavor Of Love
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ads

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