Alexander, Kortny - Love, Interrupted (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  Damn! He still had the smile that could light up the sky and her heart. “Wow!” She could not help but drink in the wonderful sight of him. Raiden had truly embraced adulthood by the horns. Even with clothes on, she could tell he had turned that lanky body of his into a hard, toned work of art. “I have not heard that name since college—your special name for me.” She was dizzy as she came out of her lust-filled trance. “You look…awesome! I’ve missed you, too.” She couldn’t stop blushing as she straightened her slacks and removed her jacket. Suddenly Hitomi felt flushed….everywhere.

  Damn he is handsome. Time has been good to him.

  “Thanks. You look just as beautiful as I remember.” Raiden couldn’t seem to help but stare at Hitomi. Then he appeared to realize what she had said a few moments earlier. “Dang, Hi, are you trying to tell me I was ugly as hell in college?” Raiden playfully smiled at her.

  From the way he filled her office to the way he seemed to own his male sensuality, it was a force that couldn’t be ignored. Hitomi felt her nipples grow stiff and sensitive as they brushed against her satin bra. She knew the instant Raiden noticed them as well. She tried to adjust her jacket without much success.

  “Far from it, Raiden.” Her feelings for him came barreling forward. They had always been there, but she was always afraid to seek him out after the weekend they shared. She was enamored by the tall, sensual man that stood before her, and yet she was utterly dumbfounded. Subconsciously, her hands went to his face and began tracing his features with her fingers. He closed his eyes. Beginning with his forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, and cheeks pausing at his lips. She lightly traced his full mouth. She wanted to kiss him. Instead, she gave him another hug. “You are definitely a sight, Raiden,” she whispered.

  Opening his eyes, he smirked, apparently enjoying the compliment. He had come a long way from being scrawny, wearing thick glasses, having wiry, long hair, and managing to pass as a girl for a week because of his looks. Back then he couldn’t get a date even if he begged…except with Hitomi. Now…now he was a man.

  She wanted him.

  Right there in her office, she wanted Raiden. The urge to shimmy out of her clothes and have sneaky, I-hope-we-don’t-get-caught sex on her desk was astounding. That was a first for her. When he wrapped his strong hands around her waist, taking time to play with the curves of her hips, he pulled her flush to him. The thick cock pressed against her stomach was impossible to ignore.

  “Damned tantalizing. You look perfect, my silver-eyed beauty.” She always loved that name. “But if I continue to stand this close to you, I promise, Hitomi, you will be stripped naked. I have no self-control around you.” Those words sparked a nervous flutter in her belly. His desire for her seemed to be just a strong as hers was for him. Reluctantly removing his hands from her body, he grabbed her wrists from around his neck and walked over to the leather sofa with her hand in his. “We still have a business meeting to get through.”

  After taking a seat, Raiden continued. “I figured Duran would have told you who you were meeting.” It seemed Duran was being devious as usual, and she was glad she was friends with the man.

  That smile. That smile would be the death of her. He was still the same Raiden she fell in love with at eighteen, even when he was lanky and had bedhead all the time. Senior year, he was her first. He was the first and only man she ever gave herself wholly to, and it frightened her to the hilt. She could only hope that particular topic didn’t come up. “I don’t know why he didn’t mention it either. But you know how sneaky he can be.”

  Quickly making her way back to her desk, she grabbed his folder and sat on the sofa across from him. After quickly glancing over his file, her eyebrows arched up. It appeared that a large sum of money was unaccounted for. “Not to sound ungrateful, Raiden, but why did you come to us? You have a very prominent financial company that handles your internal audits.”

  “And yet someone at that company is not doing an efficient job. Someone is stealing from me, Hitomi. Someone in my company is stealing from me.” It looked to Hitomi like the anger he felt for such betrayal was creeping to the surface. Raiden took a few moments to gather his composure before continuing. “I don’t have the skills or time to track the six-figure amount that has been walking right out of my door. That’s why I want to hire you, and I would like for you to personally handle this. How am I to know that the person assigned to handle my internal audits isn’t in on it?”

  Hitomi was astonished. First, someone he trusted was stealing from him. Second, how in the hell did this slide past his in-house accountant? Third, she had a feeling this was going to be too personal for her to handle but took Raiden on as a client anyway. He trusted her, and she couldn’t let him down. It was clear he didn’t know who to trust.

  “I can’t believe this, Raiden.” She wanted to move closer to him and console him in some way but stayed put. “You know I can’t say no to you.”

  “I was hoping you wouldn’t, but I didn’t want to be overconfident.” The tension he had finally eased. “I will make arrangements for you at my office, giving you full access to whatever you need.”

  Being in close proximity of him was going to be fun. Plus, catching the bastard who was stealing from him would put Raiden completely in her debt. Right where she wanted him to be.

  “Okay, sounds like a plan.” By the time they wrapped up their meeting, two hours had flown by and lunchtime was approaching. Neither wanted the reunion/meeting to end. Being alone with him for another hour or two wouldn’t be such a hardship.

  * * * *

  Lunch from the deli down the street was delivered to Hitomi’s office. They had gotten comfortable sitting on the floor across from each other, eating off the coffee table. It had been a very long time since a man had kept a smile on Hitomi’s face. She was truly enjoying his company.

  “Are you married, Raiden?” That question had been burning her, and she was hoping to continue having the naughty thoughts running through her mind. But there was no way he was walking around looking that damn good and still single. She sent out a silent prayer, hoping he had not turned into a man-whore.

  His eyebrows rose up, and then a faint smile barely grazed his lips, but at the same time he seemed far away, lost in thought. “I forgot how direct you can be.” He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket that lay on the chair closest to him and pulled out his wallet. He opened it and two pictures were placed in front of her.

  “This”—he pointed to the picture on the left—“is Claire.” He indicated to the Japanese woman with short, dark hair and dark eyes to match. “She was my wife. She died three years ago.”

  Hitomi sucked in a silent breath. She didn’t know how to respond to that. She felt a sadness at his loss as she swallowed what Raiden said. “I’m sorry…” Her voice trailed off, unsure what to say.

  “I used to have that same look in my eyes all the time, Hitomi. Sadness.”

  “Used to?” she asked, looking slightly confused.

  “We hadn’t been in Georgia but a couple of months. By the time the doctor realized she had ovarian cancer, it had already spread. It was extremely aggressive and terminal. Claire took the news better than I did. She got the name of a counselor from her doctor. Talking to the counselor helped me a little but nothing could prepare me for how life was going to be without her and raising our daughter alone.”

  The word “daughter” caught Hitomi’s attention. Then a small touch of longing tugged at her for a moment before she quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She reached across the coffee table and held Raiden’s hand.

  “Toward the end, Claire had prepared me and Kimi the best she could. I was going through the motions at work, still hurting and mourning her death. Kimi’s godfather and his siblings took her for a while so I could hopefully get myself together. They could see I was having a difficult time adjusting and trying to care for a five-year-old. A month after Claire died, I received a letter…from her. I don’t know when sh
e found the time, but unbeknownst to me, Claire had obtained a lawyer and set up dates for letters and videos to come to our home. Sometimes they were for me, sometimes for Kimi, and other times it was for both of us. In this particular letter, she reminded me that although she was gone, I was left with the most precious gift of all.”

  He pointed to the picture on the right. “This is my pride and joy. This is my eight-year-old daughter Kimiko.” He paused for a moment, deep in thought. “Her letter reminded me that I would cheat Kimi out of her only surviving parent if I was surrounded by sadness. She promised to haunt me if I didn’t grieve and get on with my life.” He laughed at that. From the way he smiled as he spoke, she could tell there had been a lot of love and respect between Raiden and Claire.

  Hitomi couldn’t hold back the laughter at that statement either. “Sounds like she was a terrific woman, Raiden.”

  “She was.” He shook his head. “I decided to finally get myself together. I didn’t want her haunting me. I knew she was right. The letter was what I truly needed.”

  Running a finger over the picture of his daughter, Hitomi smiled and declared, “Kimi is a heartbreaker. She has your eyes.”

  Raiden gleamed at that statement. He sat straight up like the proud father he was.

  “I bet she keeps you busy.”

  “Oh yes. She’s my delicate tomboy. She’s into gymnastics, ballet, soccer, basketball, flag football, lacrosse, and any and every sport offered at the YMCA.” They laughed together. “She definitely keeps me busy, but her godfather—or should I say godfathers—and god family help me out a lot. That family is a rare commodity. They are the only family I’ve ever come across that has twins and triplets.”

  She nodded approvingly. “Busy little girl. It’s good you have help. But did you say god family? More than one godfather?”

  “Yes Kimi has three godfathers. They are triplets, and I’m actually best friends with the oldest of the three, Cage, but they are like a package deal. Luckily, I’m close to his two other brothers as well. Three is always better than one. I think you know them. The Lacoste brothers?”

  Hitomi laughed hard at that. Oh, she knew them. You couldn’t miss them. When you saw one, you usually saw all three. “Who’s the god family?”

  “Oh, that would be the rest of the Lacoste siblings. You know there are ten of them altogether. The first time they met Kimi at one of their family gatherings, they were putty in her baby hands. Since some of them are married and have children, some of which have been on teams with Kimi, they don’t mind helping out. They’ve secretly adopted us. Ten aunts and uncles. What more could a kid ask for? I don’t know what I would do without them in our life.

  “You should see them when they all turn out for one of her games or recitals. She has her own cheering section with signs and everything.” He laughed, hard. “They’re usually the loudest group at the games. Always cheering her on, even when she was having a bad game.”

  Hitomi sat listening and watching Raiden reminiscing, talking animatedly about Kimi and her abundant love of sports. She truly loved hearing Raiden talk about his daughter with so much love in his voice. They were very lucky to have the Lacostes as their extended family. She wanted to meet Kimi. From listening to Raiden, she couldn’t help but fall in love with her. Glancing at the clock, Hitomi realized they had been talking for a very long time. She was more surprised that Heather hadn’t interrupted to remind her. Hitomi’s next appointment was due in forty-five minutes.

  Something out of the ordinary caught her attention. Hitomi and Raiden had been holding hands ever since she had first placed hers into his. Loneliness quickly found its way back to her as she let go of his hand. She missed his touch already. They had been sitting quietly staring at each other. Hitomi regretfully got to her feet and started cleaning up. Raiden quickly jumped to his feet, slipped his jacket back on, and took over cleaning up their garbage.

  “We are going to have to get together again, Raiden. I mean other than for business. I don’t know the last time I have ever had this much fun with a client. And I have truly missed my friend.”

  He couldn’t stop himself from grinning at her as he tossed their items into her trash can. “I tell you what. Why don’t you come to Kimi’s soccer game? You can see my baby girl in action. She always loves more fans.” They both burst out laughing at that.

  “You know what? I will take you up on that offer. I’m sure I will have a great time.” She answered as they walked toward the door. Raiden stopped short, which in turn made Hitomi run into him. He turned and grabbed both of her hands. They stood silent for a moment just staring at each other. The passion, desire, lust, and need boiled to the surface. Raiden finally broke the silence.

  “Will you have lunch with me again?” he asked in a low, husky voice. She was elated. The hunger in his eyes was a clear indicator that he was just as affected by this reunion as she was. His eyes kept drifting to her lips. They way he stared as he moistened his own caused her temperature to rise.

  Without a second thought, she quickly responded with a “yes.” Her hands were burning from his touch.

  Raiden gently squeezed her hands and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. His lips lingered there a little longer than necessary, but at the moment, neither seemed to care. Stepping back from her, he palmed the cheek he had just kissed.

  The kiss, although simple but perfect, felt electric. When Raiden pulled away from her, Hitomi slightly leaned forward with him. It was only a kiss on the cheek, but it felt like so much more. She leaned into his palm when he cupped her cheek. Who knew how long they stood like that, silently enjoying the moment.

  Moving his hand away, Raiden spoke first. “Please come to the game. I will call you about lunch, okay?”

  She nodded her head but couldn’t talk. After Raiden shut the door behind him, Hitomi felt as sated as if she had just finished making love. She didn’t know why and didn’t care at the moment. The only thing she knew for certain was that the wall she had so meticulously built around her heart had started to crack. That warm, comforting feeling Raiden left behind seemed to wrap around her, almost like a hug.

  Chapter 4

  The gentle tapping at her office door the next day had Hitomi staring back at it curiously. Heather hadn’t informed her that anyone was waiting for her. Standing up, Hitomi responded, “Come in.”

  The door slowly opened, and she was greeted with a smile that could melt your heart. “I know I didn’t make an appointment…am I disturbing you?” Raiden asked as he came in and closed the door behind him.

  The smile couldn’t spread across her face fast enough. “What are you doing here? I’m positive we didn’t have an appointment.”

  “No we didn’t. Our official appointment isn’t until next week, but I couldn’t stay away. I was a bit overzealous about seeing you again. Plus, I wanted to have lunch with you if you were free.” He looked so damn sexy with his hands in his pockets with that “aw shucks” look. Who could say no to that face? He had always been good at mastering that look. “I would love that. Just give me a moment to finish this e-mail and then we can go…where are we going?”

  “It’s taken care of. Just finish up, and I will take you to our destination.”

  He made her nervous as he leaned against her door, watching, staring. There was something magnetic about Raiden. All she wanted to do was run into his arms and kiss him passionately. She wanted him to strip her of her clothing and take her right here on her sofa. She mentally shook away the thought. She needed to get out of this office before she did something crazy. “Okay, I’m ready.” She grabbed her purse and headed towards the door. “Just let me tell Heather that I’m leaving.” She welcomed his unexpected visits for lunch. As much as she had thought about Raiden lately, it was as if those thoughts had brought him to her door.

  Raiden opened the door for her. Before Hitomi had a chance to speak, Heather cut in.

  “I’ll take that.” Heather took Hitomi’s purse and handed off the wov
en straw basket to Raiden. “Enjoy your lunch,” she replied as she turned away from Hitomi.

  “Et tu, Heather?” Hitomi teased as Raiden coughed back a laugh, placed his hand on her lower back, and guided her to the elevators. To Raiden she said, “When did the two of you have the time to conspire?”

  “I’m not going to tell you so stop being nosey.” He gave a deep chuckle as they stepped into the elevator. When he locked eyes with Heather, he said, “Thank you.” She nodded and smiled.

  Once they were outside her office building, Hitomi asked, “Where to?”

  “Right over there.” Raiden nodded his head in the direction of the park across the street from her office building. “Today is a beautiful day for a picnic. Don’t you think?”

  Speechless. Speechless and buzzing with butterflies and excitement described how Hitomi felt as Raiden held her hand while crossing the street. He had managed to surprise her with the help of Heather. For the second time in a very long time, Hitomi had butterflies in her stomach.

  It was a beautiful day indeed. Hitomi spotted the perfect place to eat their lunch. Nodding in agreement of the shaded oak tree, Raiden set the basket on the ground. Raiden pulled a blanket from the basket and motioned for Hitomi to sit as he followed suit. He smacked at Hitomi’s hand when she tried to peek inside the basket.

  “Behave, Hitomi, or I won’t feed you.”

  “This is so sweet, Raiden. Thank you for thinking of me.” She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Instantly, her hand moved to her lips. She felt something tingle inside of her. She could have sworn it was a small shock but decided to shake it off. “I’m starving. What did you pack?”

  Raiden pulled out two grilled chicken salads. “I prepared these myself, and I also brought three different types of dressings for you to choose from. There are several water bottles and a few packets of sugar-free drink mix. And for dessert...” He looked up at her and arched an eyebrow as she watched him intently tracing his lips with his tongue.