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

  “Heather gave me a heads up. Thought we’d hang out for a bit. I don’t have to see patients for another three hours, so thought I would take advantage of your empty time slot.”

  Hitomi gave her a knowing look but said nothing. Natalia wanted to talk about her relationship with Raiden. Her friend was finally happy and she hoped she stayed that way. They talked and giggled over lunch. Hitomi told her about her impending weekend with Kimi. She knew it was a huge responsibility and took an extreme amount of trust from Raiden to allow Hitomi and Kimi to spend some of the weekend alone. They had been seeing each other for over three months, and Natalia was glad Raiden had that much faith in Hitomi to keep his daughter safe. He had asked her to pick Kimi up and take her to ballet practice, and he would return tomorrow night. She couldn’t believe how quickly she fell head over heels in love with Kimi. That little girl had spunk and a fear of nothing. She had been trying to contain her excitement about being with Kimi.

  Whenever Hitomi spoke of Kimi, she could see the longing in her friend’s eyes. She could hear it in her voice as well. Natalia knew that Hitomi had given up on having children years ago. She hoped her friend would change her mind.

  Getting serious, Natalia said, “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure,” she answered as they cleaned up their lunch trash.

  “Are you in love with him?” Hitomi looked at her but didn’t answer. “Hi, we’ve always been straight up with each other.” After waiting again without a response, she shook her head. I should have known it was too good to be true. She is going to deny herself true happiness. “Never mind.”

  “You know what, sweetie.” She paused to look at her watch. “I need to get going.” She gave Hitomi a long, solemn stare. “I’m going to say something that may end our friendship, but you know what…I don’t care.” She waved her hand to stop Hitomi from commenting. “No. You will listen whether you want to or not. All of us, me, your family, and friends have sidestepped this topic for far too long.” She tried to control her emotions but couldn’t. “Dammit, Hi! You love him. You sure as hell love Kimi. Hell, a blind man can see this. This man loves you and makes you smile. Only you refuse to acknowledge any of this, which means you haven’t told him either. I want you be happy. I love you, and I can’t take seeing you intentionally choosing to be alone and damn near miserable.” Taking a moment to catch her breath, she started for the door. She jerked to a stop and turned as if someone had pulled her. “Hitomi Marceline Narcisse, if you fuck this up...If you can’t admit you are in love with this man, I’m going to personally kick your ass!” She produced a weak smile. “Call me next week,” she whispered while wiping the tears that were coming down her face. Natalia quietly opened and closed the door behind her.

  * * * *

  Hitomi had stood dumbfounded. She had been at a loss for words. She couldn’t answer Natalia. She was afraid of what that would mean. Could she handle the weight of that type of commitment again?

  Frozen in place, Hitomi quietly nodded as the tears flowed like a river down her own face. She knew Natalia was right. Hitomi was head over heels in love with Raiden. But was she brave enough to tell him?

  When Natalia had asked her if she was in love with him it had stopped Hitomi in her tracks. She hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it, and now Nat had asked it. Which meant it would only be a matter of time before he would ask the same question, even though he had already professed his love for her. She had yet to tell him one way or the other about her feelings.

  Shit!

  Hitomi was so lost in thought about what Natalia had said to her that she did not hear her office phone ringing. Eventually, Heather came in and snapped her out of her trance long enough to inform her that Raiden was holding for her.

  “Hey sweetie, how are you? I missed you. I’m sorry about canceling lunch.”

  “I miss you, too, Raiden. Don’t worry about it, Natalia stopped by and kept me company.”

  “That’s good to know. I was wondering, if it’s not too last-minute for you, I wanted to take you out on an adult date before I leave tomorrow. Cage is going to take care of Kimi tonight and get her off to school, and I’ve informed the principal and her teacher that you will be picking her up. So what do you say? Feel like dressing up and going out to dinner with me?”

  “I can never say no to you. I will find something that will knock your socks off, Raiden.”

  “Damn, Hi, I can’t have a hard-on at my desk. No more talk. I will pick you up at seven.”

  “I will be ready. See you soon, sweetie.”

  “Bye, gorgeous.”

  Hitomi still had a few hours to burn before calling the workday to an end. She had been digging deep into Raiden’s financial records for any obvious discrepancies but did not find any. She knew that would be too easy. Companies sought her out for tasks of this magnitude for several reasons. Hitomi was nothing if not discreet. And she had a knack for finding things. It would sometimes take her several times and different avenues, but she always found what she was looking for.

  It was two months into her search, and she had found one of the discrepancies. Digging deeper, she thought she was on the verge of finding something else—possibly a connection to the other. A little bit more time and she knew she’d find it. Coming to a good stopping point, Hitomi finally called the day to an end.

  * * * *

  At the request of both Raiden and Kimi, Hitomi became a permanent fixture at every activity Kimi participated in. She was amazed at how Raiden let her set the pace in their…whatever they were. She still hadn’t opened up to him about her marriage since it was a touchy topic she still was not prepared to share. She liked the fact that he asked nothing of her. They hadn’t made any verbal promises of commitment to each other, yet they were always with each other whenever possible. Like he had already done to her, she wanted so bad to confess her love for him.

  Try harder.

  Hitomi was very appreciative that like tonight and many other occasions, Uncle Cage would swoop in and take Kimi on some sort of outing in order for Raiden and Hi to have some adult time. Sometimes Kimi would be gone a few hours and sometimes one of the other Lacoste siblings would ask if Kimi could spend the night at their house with their children. Hitomi didn’t realize how much they were missing out on until their first time without Kimi. Raiden didn’t ask where she wanted to go nor had she suggested anything. The excitement of going out together had her head in the clouds.

  Hitomi had gone through a dozen outfits before she finally decided on one. “Tonight I’m wearing grown-up clothes. I’m going to make him pant when he sees me.” She smiled, satisfied with her decision. No matter what she wore around Raiden, he always made her feel beautiful, but tonight, she wanted him to come in his pants at the sight of her. She showered, sprayed on her favorite perfume, put her make-his-mouth-hit-the-floor dress, and wore her hair in a sleek, straight ponytail that fell between her shoulder blades. Sliding into a pair of strappy stilettos for extra height, her ensemble was complete. Taking one last glance at herself in her full-length mirror, she was pleased with the results. The doorbell rang as she put on her tinted lip gloss.

  * * * *

  Raiden had brought pink roses with him tonight. He knew it was her favorite color. That was one of the several reasons he thought she was unique. Hitomi wasn’t into red roses, regardless of the said meaning. Back in college, her friends used to laugh at the guys who showed up for their date with a red rose. Her friends always knew that would be the first and last they’d see of him. If you wanted her attention, you bought pink flowers. Those ranked number one on her list than any other color.

  He was excited about being on his first after-dark date with Hitomi sans Kimi and thankful for having Cage as his best friend. Whenever he took Hitomi and Kimi, better known as “his girls,” out for a meal or cooked at home, they usually had food fights. Tonight was going to be special because he finally got to dress nice just for Hitomi.

  Pulling into the garage of Hitom
i’s condo, Raiden felt a twinge of nervousness. Pinpointing the source of it was impossible because going to her condo had become second nature for him. Her condo was located just outside the city, and she had given him a passkey, alarm code, and a parking pass, just as he had given her a key to his home along with the access code for the security system. Finally coming to the conclusion that he was just excited about tonight’s date, Raiden had managed to calm his nerves in the elevator ride up. If only someone would have prepared him for what waited behind Hitomi’s door.

  When Hitomi opened the door, the soft scent of her perfume flowed out to greet his nose. Raiden loved her smell. After being around her all this time, it was second nature to be turned on by Hitomi and her scent. The flowers slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, mouth agape, eyes wide.

  Shock was a better description for what stood in front of him. Shock and extreme arousal. She wore a pink, silk halter dress with a plunging neckline that clung to every curve, stopped way above the knee with an embroidered-band empire waist and heels that screamed “fuck me.” Which he intended to do later.

  Damn! I’m in trouble tonight. Why did she have to wear that sexy-ass dress? Great, now I have a hard-on. She is on fire! Or is that my dick?

  Hitomi stood there laughing hard at Raiden’s face. “Close your mouth, babe. I take it you like?” She did a small twirl for him.

  She had become a pro at teasing him. Raiden tried to calm himself, trying to make his cock go down without much success. He knew if his reaction to her was like this, he could only imagine other men drooling at the sight her and staring without shame. Giving her a weak smile, he picked up the flowers and walked inside, shutting the door behind him. Without saying one word he went into her kitchen to get a vase to put the flowers in, trying to give himself time to calm his rock-hard cock as well as his temper. After taking care of the flowers, he turned his attention back to the living room where Hitomi still stood silently waiting for him. Standing in the entranceway to the living room, he did take satisfaction in knowing that Hitomi was a beautiful woman and she would be on his arm tonight.

  That still wouldn’t stop men from staring at his woman.

  Locking eyes with her, he closed the distance between them, pulled her close to him, and looked down at her. “Please tell me you have a coat?” he said in a strained voice.

  Hitomi looked dumbfounded. “No. It has a small shawl. Why?”

  Brows furrowed and a look of disbelief on his face, Raiden couldn’t believe Hitomi did not know how downright sexy she looked. “Sweetie, you look fucking fantastic in that dress.” She smiled, ready to respond, but he held up his index finger. “Oh, I’m not finished. You look hot, which means not only can’t I get my dick to go down, I’m likely to kick someone’s ass for staring at you a little longer than necessary.”

  When she donned a sly grin he was relieved that she liked his possessiveness and point-blank terms.

  She pouted. “I didn’t mean to get you upset. I just thought it would be nice to get to wear something flirty and sexy for you. A little more R-rated than our usual G-rated outings.”

  He was putty in her hands once she pushed that bottom lip out. No words were needed. Raiden traced her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb then she parted her lips, tickling his thumb with her tongue before she sucked it into her mouth. They both moaned in pure satisfaction. Raiden slowly freed his thumb and bent to kiss her passionately. It was arousing, soft, and sensual.

  Hitomi finally eased their kiss but didn’t pull out of his embrace.

  “Raiden, I wore this dress only for you. I don’t care who’s looking at me as long as I have your undivided attention tonight. That’s all that matters to me.” She brushed her lips against his and then continued, “Thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful.”

  Reaching out and caressing her cheek, he was amazed at how she made him feel. It was official. She belonged to Raiden. Hitomi was stuck with him. “Oh, you definitely have my attention, Hitomi. You’re welcome, sweetie. We better get going.” Walking toward the door he yelled a command over his shoulder. “Don’t forget that damn shawl!”

  She’s going to make me come in my pants before the night is over.

  Hitomi paused to look up at Raiden. “Did I tell you how good you look tonight?” Rising up on her tiptoes, she swiped his lips with the tip of her tongue. Without waiting for a response, she continued, “We make a damn hot couple.” She smacked his ass, walked out the door, and tried to contain her laughter. He noticed that since being around him, she was starting to feel comfortable in her skin. He thought she seemed free and that she liked it.

  Raiden was at a loss for words. Instead he gave a deep, hearty laugh. But her statement did give him cause to pause. He wanted her underneath him tonight. He didn’t know how much longer he could contain himself. Making it through dinner without ripping that thin cloth of a dress in half was going to be a damn near impossible task.

  Chapter 11

  Hitomi shook her head and giggled. She couldn’t believe the jealous streak he had. It was kind of sexy. Then again she couldn’t believe how sexy Raiden looked as he held the door open for her. He had let his hair grow out more. It was long, just grazing his collar and swept behind his earlobes. It was slicked back tonight, making those light brown eyes gleam. He donned a cream cashmere Henley shirt that was taut against his broad shoulders and muscular chest and black slacks that proved he was best friends with the gym. He had a damned hot ass and thighs she couldn’t wait to touch.

  Whoa, sister! Where did that come from? Oh hell, who am I kidding. I want this man. No, I need him…bad. I love this man.

  Walking to the door, the scent of Raiden tickled her nose. Issey Miyake—her favorite. That cologne turned her on when he wore it.

  When they reached the garage of Hitomi’s condo, she laughed when she saw Raiden’s car in her extra parking space.

  “What happened to your SUV? You know…your daddy-mobile.” She was laughing so hard she couldn’t help but tease him. It was an absolute rare occasion to see him driving anything but his dependable SUV. She knew his silver two-seater Aston Martin was his baby. Kimi always had lots of gear with her and there was no way he would drive her around in it.

  Raiden had to admit that comment was too damn funny. Joining in the laughter, he opened the door for her. “My baby needed to breathe, so I thought tonight was the perfect opportunity. Adult night requires an adult vehicle. And, Hitomi.” He tweaked both of her perky, erect nipples. “Tonight I’m not daddy.” He shut her door and walked around to his side with a sly smile on his face. She could see that he wanted her and couldn’t think about anything else.

  “I know we didn’t actually agree on a place in particular to go to for dinner and I hope you don’t get upset with me.” He glanced in her direction only to see her listening and looking at him intently. “I thought we’d go to Soledad’s on the River. They have dinner and dancing all in the same place. What do you think?”

  Placing her hand on his thigh to reassure him it was okay, Hitomi was actually pleased at his choice. She had heard of the restaurant in question. It was a little out of the way, but it didn’t matter, as long as she was with him. “I’ve never been there. Don’t you need a reservation? How’s the food?”

  He laid his hand on top of hers and threaded his fingers through them. “It’s great. You’ll love it. And for us, no reservation necessary. No more questions. Let me spoil you, okay? Just enjoy your night out, Hitomi.”

  A short ride later, they came to a stop in front of the valet stand at Soledad’s on the River. Raiden walked around to the other side of the vehicle as one of the valets opened Hitomi’s door. Raiden shook his hand and gave him a tip. He put his arm out for her to take, and they walked into the restaurant. To her astonishment, they walked by loads of people waiting for tables and straight to the hostess.

  When the hostess looked up, she had a warm smile on her face. She was tall, slender woman in her late twenties. Her ha
ir was cut in a Cleopatra style, no makeup necessary, dark-chocolate complexion with lovely dark brown eyes to match. She also wore the hell out of a red spaghetti-strap pencil dress. As sweet and innocent as she looked, she didn’t take any flack from the customers waiting to be seated. There was a little rustling behind Raiden and Hitomi when they walked up to the hostess, but when she looked up from her podium at the waiting customers, she gave them a look that said don’t-screw-with-me-or-you-will-never-get-a-table. That shut them up fast.

  The hostess looked from Raiden to Hitomi and back to Raiden, never breaking her smile. “Mr. Saga, it’s been a while. How are you?” After they exchanged pleasantries, she looked to Hitomi and greeted her as well.

  “Beautiful dress. My name is Camille, and you must be Ms. Narcisse.” It was not a question. Hitomi was flattered and a bit stunned. But Camille continued. “Don’t be surprised. Mr. Lacoste informed me that you two would be coming. He told me to be on the lookout for a beautiful black woman with gray eyes, and dragging behind her would be a somber Japanese man.” Hitomi couldn’t contain her laughter.

  Raiden shook his head and smiled. “That sounds like him.”

  “I have your table ready for you. Follow me please.” Camille motioned as she headed into the dining room.

  Hitomi looked at Raiden with amusement. She was impressed at the hostess for not only acknowledging her but complimenting her as well. The hostesses she ran across usually flirted with the man, totally ignoring the fact that he may be with someone. She liked this hostess.

  When they walked into the dining area, Hitomi saw it was shaped like a U. The dance floor and small stage were in the front and center of the U-shaped restaurant on the left as she walked in. The lighting on the dance floor was darker than at the tables. Tables and booths lined the inner and outer portion of the U formation. As her eyes hit the curve of the U, there was a slight angle, making the center of the U sit higher up than the rest, also giving the restaurant two levels instead of one. Once they were seated, she couldn’t help but be amazed at the view of the river. They had the perfect table. So, of course, curiosity was killing her.