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He nods and rushes out as if he’d waited for my permission all day.
“You’re worried.” Shinji approaches and I scoot my chair away from the table, preparing space for him to sit on my lap. He cups my face, searching my expression for the truth.
“Yes, tomorrow is the deadline for neutralizing Tomasso.”
“And?”
I mentally go over the plans again, seeking gaps in our strategy. No tactic is foolproof, but no matter how many holes I try to poke holes into our schemes, I can’t find a weakness. I should be happy, but unease dogs me.
The source? Lakeshia.
“I regret agreeing to Lakeshia’s demand to take part in the execution of everything we’ve planned. However, wrapping her in layers of protection and locking her away isn’t an option.” At least not one our new marriage can withstand. Her trust wasn’t easy to earn and it’s a treasure I’ll protect with the same ferocity as I’ll safeguard her life. I quirk my lips in a sardonic smile. “But we don’t have much choice now.”
Shinji rests his head against my shoulder and sits with me in the silence. There’s nothing he can say to change the facts.
My phone rings, breaking the quiet moment between us. Lakeshia’s number and a camera appear on the display. Shinji glances at the screen.
“I need something upstairs. Join me when your call is over.”
I nod absentmindedly as I push accept and wait for her image to appear. On the screen, Riu walks behind her, close enough to intercept a bullet while giving her some privacy.
“Is Kori keeping you hostage?” I ask.
Lakeshia laughs. It’s the most carefree laugh I’ve heard from her yet, and I sink into my seat. Although only two days have passed since the ambush at Evan’s shop, something in Lakeshia flipped. She’d mentioned not making friends for fear of Tomasso’s retribution, but with our unplanned commitment ceremony and her determination to foster her other dreams, she informed me and Shinji she wanted to explore a friendship with Kori. She left four hours ago on her mission, entrusting me and Shinji to finalize our plans.
“As if! Although… she loaded me up with tons of food and would continue to talk my ear off if Masanori hadn’t shown up for lunch. Personally, I find no joy in dodging his eye daggers because Kori talks to me rather than him, so I left.”
“Makes sense. So why call when you’ll soon see me?”
She shrugs and a sheepish grin spreads across her face, lighting her features up and hypnotizing me with her beauty.“My husband once told me he enjoys hearing my voice. And since I was thinking of you, I didn’t want to wait until I got home to hear and see you.”
I sit speechless at the gift she’s unwittingly given me. Ever since Shinji’s warning about not pushing or demanding she call me, I found a method to cope. I take candid photos of her and Shinji to quiet my urges. My favorite is of them sleeping. Lakeshia nestles in Shinji’s arms, his lips glancing her forehead while her mouth quirks as if she’s having a pleasant dream. She deserves to dream of good things. Maybe that’s why I end up accessing this picture more than any other when I can no longer silence the doubts and fears. But hearing her voice and seeing her in action while doing the most mundane task trumps a photo.
As Lakeshia enters her ride, she continues to playfully flirt with me, and I can’t help but love this side of her. I look forward to after we handle Tomasso if it means she lowers her other shields. Nothing will please me more than discovering other aspects of her personality, especially ones that bring out her giddiness.
She continues our conversation for the duration of the short ride from Katsuo’s and into the house until she stands before me. She leans over to brush her lips against mine, and I thread my fingers through the hair at her nape to prolong and deepen the kiss. I nip her lip, seeking entry and she opens for me. Her body softens until she can no longer stand on her own and she winds up in my lap, grinding her ass on my awakening dick.
I release her to admire her swollen lips. “Shinji’s waiting for us upstairs.”
With a wicked smile, she leaps from my lap and pulls me from my seat. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Lakeshia doesn’t stop pulling until we reach the threshold of our room, where we pause with matching frowns of confusion.
“Shinji?” I call since he isn’t visible.
“Be right there,” he yells from the bathroom.
Lakeshia and I enter the room with more caution than I recall ever doing. Neither of us pays attention to the flickering candles, the soft music, or the flower petals strewn across the mattress.
“Do you like—What the hell?” Shinji halts halfway into the bedroom. “Did you guys…” He points toward the bed.
“No way—” Lakeshia shakes her head.
“I put my money on Tora no senshi,” I say wryly and nod toward the black cat currently sitting on our headboard as if overseeing our domain.
“But why…” Lakeshia approaches the bed.
Immediately a plain orange tabby and a harlequin patterned bicolor white and orange tabby in the middle of the bed blink awake and zero in on her. They wield their tiny mewls more effectively than a targeted drone strike, and their aim is our tender hearts.
