Typically, that would be all it took for me to bend her over the bathroom counter while I fucked her to oblivion. But today, I’m less than aroused. In fact, her attention is almost annoying. I haven’t been interested in other women since I married Sora. Despite our families’ conflict, I find her surprisingly alluring, intelligent, and engaging. She’s captivating to the point that other women don’t even register in my periphery.
Compared to Sora’s quiet appeal and unshakeable poise—the way she challenges me even when she’s giving in to me—Sarah just feels boring, easy, and cheap. I never thought that about the girls I slept with before, but now that I’ve experienced how good it can be, the rest are just… lackluster.
“I was getting married. Didn’t you hear?” I state blandly, brushing her hand from my thigh before I take another drink of my martini, subtly turning my body from her.
“Oh, my God, congratulations!” Sarah says with forced brightness. Then she flings her arms around my neck, her lips brushing against my ear as she whispers, “I think this calls for a celebration. Meet me in the bathroom in five minutes?”
Her hands slide across my chest and back, her long nails lightly scratching a seductive path down my spine, and I snag her wrist near my pecs, stopping her from leaving.
“I think you missed my point,” I say flatly, meeting her eyes with a cold gaze. “So, I’ll make it perfectly clear this time. Nowadays, I prefer fucking my wife to random women in bathrooms.”
When I release her, Sarah snatches her hand back, her expression hurt. With a huff, she storms off in the direction she came, the usual swing in her hips stunted by her stomping strides.
A low chuckle issues from my older brother, and when I cast Miko a sidelong glance, he crosses his arms over his chest.
“What?” I ask, taking another drink.
“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you turn a woman down. That was harsh, Brother.”
“She was pissing me off.”
“Hey, I never said she didn’t deserve it,” Miko says. “But it’s starting to look like your playboy days are over. Don’t tell me it’s the marriage vows keeping you faithful because we both know how little you believe in the sanctity of it.”
“Shut up,” I command, shoving him lightly as I stand from my chair. “If you’re going to give me a hard time, I might as well find Raf. He has better comebacks, and at least I can puthimin a headlock when he pushes my buttons.”
Again Miko chuckles as I reach for my drink, ready to head back out into the sunshine. But a terrified scream freezes my hand. My heart stops because I know who it is even without looking. Casting my eyes toward the sunchair where I last saw her, I confirm my suspicion.
Sora’s gone.
Without hesitation, I sprint in the direction of the noise.
25
SORA
“What do you think of the boat?” I ask in Japanese as I step up to the railing beside my brother and look out across the water.
From the front of the anchored boat, I put my hand on my head to keep my sun hat from blowing away in the breeze and peer out at the horizon, dark, rippling waves stretching as far as the eye can see. Goosebumps rise along my spine from standing so close to the edge, but it’s the first opportunity I’ve had to speak with Kenji alone all day, and I know I have a better chance of getting through to him if I don’t make him look bad in front of our father.
Kenji doesn’t answer right away, so I glance at him, watching as the breeze ripples his white linen sun shirt and ruffles his dark hair. Even with his sunglasses on, my older brother looks bored, and a twinge of pity tightens my stomach. I can’t remember the last time I saw him genuinely enthusiastic about anything—except maybe tormenting me. That can’t be a happy existence.
“It’s fine, I guess,” he responds in our ancestral language. “If you like this sort of thing. Your husband sure seems to enjoy stripping half-naked and throwing himself into the water.”
My lips twitch with mild amusement at the way he describes the activity. “It’s an effective way to cool off, I suppose.”
“Or you could just stay inside with the air conditioning like a civilized human being,” Kenji points out dryly, never taking his eyes off the distant shore.
“True,” I acknowledge, ignoring the slight, then I turn more pointedly toward my brother. “But how are you,Oni-san? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”
Kenji snorts in amused disbelief. “What is this, sibling bonding time?” he asks, mirroring my movement as he turns to face me.
“Can’t I care about how you’re doing?” I ask, anxiety crawling up my neck now that I have his undivided attention.
My brother eyes me up and down, his expression skeptical, and my stomach twists as a smirk spreads across his lips.
“You know what? You’re right, Sora-chan,” he says. “We should catch up. I’ve never been better. Business is booming, and initiations are at an all-time high. I’d say this alliance is working out just fine for the family.”
Hearing such a contrasting perspective from Leo’s catches me off guard, and I smile politely as I try to regain my footing. “That’s wonderful, Kenji.”
