The Flavor Of Love (15 page)

“
To what?” His deep sexy voice made her heart lurch.

“
You don’t want to know.”

Keigo nodded at her. “Yes, I do.” He leaned closer. “Do you know you have the most beautiful lips I’ve ever seen?”

Etta didn’t know what had gotten into Keigo. His behavior was nothing like it was the day in the courtroom or his office. He was like a different person. She didn’t think it was a bad thing, but it was a tad unnerving.

“
Keigo, are you feeling alright?” She asked in a shrilled voice, concern tightening in her stomach. “You look a bit feverish to me.” Etta reached out and touched his forehead. He was burning up.

“
Etta, I’d feel better if you would kiss me with those sexy lips,” Keigo murmured. His large hands took her face and held it gently.

“
Keigo, you don’t know what you’re saying, you’re ill,” Etta tried to reason. He wasn’t hearing it. His lips covered hers hungrily.

Her eyes grew wide. Should she make him stop? His lips were warm and moist and more persuasive then she cared to admit. She tried to resist, but it had been so long since she had been kissed and she forgot how wonderful and sensual a good kiss alone could be.

Keigo’s moist, firm mouth demanded a response and she didn’t have the heart to resist any longer. Parting her lips, she leaned in to welcome his tongue tracing the fullness of her lips. Etta returned his kisses with mindless abandon. Etta quivered as the kiss went from passionate to sweetly tender.

He pressed his lips to her brow and the side of her cheek. He kissed her chin and the side of her throat. “You are so lovely Etta. I really could foolishly lose my heart to you and did you know that?”

Etta couldn’t speak. She could see in his eyes he was feverish and he may not remember a thing he said once the fever broke, but for now she just wanted to savor the feel of a man’s kiss, his touch. For this moment, she wanted to pretend that they were madly in love with all the hopes of a future before them.

“
Keigo,” she whispered his name. A lone tear glided down her cheek and he caught it with his lips pressed to her face.

“
Don’t cry,” Keigo crooned. “I will be here for you. I promise.”

Etta released a choked sob. She hadn’t realized how much she needed this, until now. How could she think she’d be happy never knowing this feeling again for the rest of her life? Damn Keigo and bless him for reminding her how wonderful it felt to feel so alive.

She sat there in his arms as he kissed the tip of her nose, then her eyes, and finally, he adoringly seized her mouth once more. It was a kiss for her hardened soul to melt into. Gently she felt herself being eased down onto the couch. His hand found its way under her front knotted t-shirt and fondled one braless small globe. Its ruddy nipple blossomed hard beneath his hot palm. Etta gasped into his mouth. The gentle massage sent currents of desire through her. Her legs spread apart to accommodate his lean hips.

Etta helped his trembling hand as he removed it to unknot her t-shirt. Once they released the knot, he swept up her t-shirt. The cool air to her naked heated flesh was exactly what she needed to keep her from going up in flames. Her reward for allowing him to have his way was the feel of his tongue tantalizing her nipples that had swollen to the fullest point. She could feel the tugging sensation from his mouth all the way down to her sensitive clitoris.

Etta arched into him. Her fingers buried deeply into the thick silken strands of his hair. She bit her bottom lip to minimize the whimpering that wrenched from her dry throat as his tongue made a path down her ribs to her stomach and stopped.

Stop? No! Don’t stop now. Not now!
She screamed in her mind. Etta panted, coming up on her elbows. Her face rested against the bunched up t-shirt nestled beneath her chin. She heard a gentle snoring emanating from her Asian Casanova. He’d passed out before reaching glory land. With a frustrated growl, Etta dropped back to the sofa with his heavy dead weight between her spread thighs.

“
Etta? You in here? The young man’s driver and I are on the front porch! Hello?”

Auntie Loo! Etta mind raced and she tugged her t-shirt back over her breasts the best she could.

Etta struggled to push Keigo off of her, but he was too heavy for her petite frame. “Come on, Keigo!” She whispered. “Wake up! Please,” she ended on a whine.

“
Etta? Oh my!”

Etta turned to see Auntie Loo and a tall gorgeous swarthy skinned man with a big white grin on his face. “I see Keg has settled in nicely.”

“
I don’t know who you are, but could you shut up and get him off of me. He has a fever and I was trying to help him.”

The tall man came around with a beaming snickering Auntie Loo. “I’m Keigo’s driver and bodyguard, Enriquez Valdez, but everyone calls me Reko.” His grin widened more, if it were possible. “If I get a fever will you help me too?” He teasingly asked.

“
After I kick your cute ass!” Etta growled. “Don’t just stand there. Can’t you see he’s being attacked, guard him?”

“
I like you already,” Reko commented, lifting an unconscious Keigo from Etta’s rumpled body as if he was a child.

Etta rolled out from under Keigo and landed on the ground in a huff.

A laughing Reko allowed Keigo to drop back down on the couch and he reached out a hand to Etta. “Hello, beautiful. You want to run to Vegas and get married?”

CHAPTER 6

“
So you really believe in this tea stuff? It really will help my stomach?”

“
Are you telling me you trust me enough to know what’s best for your wayward kids, but not enough to know what will help you? I’ve gotten you over your fever haven’t I? Aren’t you already feeling better?”

He sheepishly grinned and murmured, “Maybe after another day I will be able to leave your place. I really appreciate you putting me up like this and taking care of me.” Keigo leaned back on the bed pillows and opened his mouth.

Etta gave him a hard narrowed stare before spearing another chunk of watermelon with the fork and held it to his mouth. He locked his hand around hers and accepted the fruit into his mouth.

She couldn’t believe she was taking care of a grown man that was worse than any six-year-old when he was sick. Also, why was he here in her guest room? She couldn’t believe it when Auntie Loo suggested Keigo stay here until he was better. What did she look like, a hospital?

Etta stabbed another piece of watermelon, picturing Keigo’s head.

“
Keigo?”

“
Hmm?” He opened his mouth and took another bite.

She looked at him with fluttering lashes and a sugary sweet smile that didn’t match the agitation she was feeling inside. “Why am I still feeding you when you have two perfectly good hands?”

“
Because I’m still feeling too weak,” he said in a low mewling voice.

“
It’s funny how you’re too weak to feed yourself but you no longer need my help to use the bathroom.” She saw his face turn beet red all the way to his scalp and ears and laughed.

“
Okay!” He pouted at her. “I will start feeding myself. If I get it all over my pajamas from my shaking hand, then you’ll have to wash me again.”

“
Yeah, about that,” Etta handed him the bowl of leftover watermelon before giving him the fork. “Did you know that you have the cutest little heart shaped mole just below--”

“
Hey! Why were you doing all that searching while I was unconscious?” Keigo interrupted. “You are a healer aren’t you? Isn’t that like a nurse? Aren’t you supposed to be all nurse-like and not notice such things and if you did, not mention them?”

“
Well, someone is feeling better,” he heard a familiar cackle from the bedroom door and groaned.

“
I believe he is too Auntie Loo, even though he won’t admit it.” Etta shook her head.

“
Why should he? He’s getting waited on hand and foot by two gorgeous women and I think he loves my wash downs the best,” Auntie Loo revealed.

Keigo started coughing. Etta took his bowl and fork, setting it aside on the black lacquered Asian styled low table by the matching platform bed. She giggled, patting his back until the coughing subsided.

“
I thought.” He coughed pushing his disheveled hair back off his brow. “
You
were the one bathing me, Auntie Loo?”

“
You think Etta would have done it?” She winked at him. “I didn’t think it was appropriate for Etta to be touching you in all your private places, knowing you were going to be her boss for the next month.”

“
I see she finally told you everything,” he mumbled. “And for both of your information, I’m not going to be her boss. At Bent Arrow, it’s a group effort. We are co-workers.”

“
Mmm, are you saying, handsome, you wanted Etta to see and touch all your private parts?”

Keigo went red, making Etta wonder if he was getting feverish again. She intervened on his behalf knowing Auntie Loo could be exhausting once she got on a role.

“
Auntie Loo, didn’t you say you and Bertha were going to take care of my morning runs to the market? You know all the good stuff is gone within an hour after the doors are open.”

“
What’s with all that talking you doing?” Auntie Loo grumbled. “If you want to be alone with him, just say so. I will be back in two hours. Two hours exact. That should give you plenty of time to do the things that I wouldn’t do.” She cackled and added before rambling out the door, “And I have done the entire book of Karma Sutra. Want to borrow it?”

“
Oh my God,” Etta laughed. “She is so embarrassing.”

Keigo looked at her with raised eyebrows, “Do you think she really has a book on the Karma Sutra?”

“
Without a doubt,” Etta shook her head. “I’m going to go clean up the kitchen and do my workout.”

“
Wait, you’re going to leave me alone?” Keigo called out to her and she turned to look at him in question. “I thought you would stay with me and finish reading that book to me.”

“
I was reading the book aloud, thinking you were asleep,” Etta corrected. “Don’t tell me you have become a fan of the Interracial Romances that I read.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I wouldn’t go that far, but after hearing that much of the story, I figured they were bound to get to the sex part sooner than later.”

“
Oh God, save me from men!” Etta cried out. “I will be back in fifteen minutes to continue the story. If I see any part of your body hardening besides your ears, then I’m out of here.”

Etta grinned, walking down the hall with the deep and wonderful sound of Keigo’s laughter in her ears. She hated to admit it but it felt good to have a man in the house with her.

***

Keigo’s head dropped back on the pillow with a chuckle. He bent his arms beneath his head and looked up at the dove gray painted ceiling. He knew he’d held out as long as he could and it would be time for him to return to his own home. It had been two days and there was so much left for him to do. Nan had called him seven times and been by three times with paperwork and such.

Etta had been right. His life was too hectic and it was slowly killing him. He never really cared enough to think about living a long life, knowing his wife and daughter had already left this world without him. He didn’t look forward to growing old alone with just his bitter memories to haunt him, but Etta gave him hope. She made him think about the future and the advantages he was missing out on that life had to offer that.

As far as he was concerned, these past few days couldn’t have worked out better if he had planned it himself. Fate had intervened and given him this opportunity to get to know Etta better. Admittedly, being as ill as he felt at the time with the deep pain in his gut, he could have done without. But if it hadn’t happened, he would not have the sweet memories that he played over and over again in his mind.

The pill he took to ease the pain on an empty stomach combined with exhaustion had knocked him on his ass, but what lousy timing! Etta had been surrendering to his kisses before he passed out. Was that a good thing or a bad thing is what he wasn't sure of. It had been awhile since a woman had buried herself this deep in his thoughts.

Keigo had come to realize one thing while spending the past few days in Etta's care. He was falling for her and he was falling for her hard and fast. The question that nagged him was if he had the right to bring another woman into his life? What if what happened to Claire and Miko happened again?
No, why should it?
He thought. He was no longer in the same position he was in nearly four years ago. He had given up his and his father’s dream of being on the Supreme Court someday to assure that his mother and the rest of his family would be safe.

“
Judge Gorgeous, what’s on your mind?

Keigo looked up to find Etta leaning against the guest bedroom door. Today she wore a creamy silky t-shirt with a pair of wide leg blue jeans; her wonderful thick hair was pushed back from her brow with a cream and blue tie-dyed scarf with two of the three thin braids resting over her right shoulder. Keigo’s eyes drifted down to her lovely feet he was coming to adore and instead of her usual jewelry, they were completely naked.