Page 31 of Kai
The pause came again, and she waited with bated breath. "That was uncalled for. I had to leave and did not want to wake you. I've been thinking of you ever since. I want to see you tonight."
"No." She wanted to say yes so badly that she had to clamp down on the word.
"Let me rephrase. I am seeing you tonight." The resolute tone had her hackles rising.
"Damn you. I need space and time away from you."
"What the hell for?"
"I don't owe you an explanation." She told him stiffly. "And I certainly do not have time to argue."
"Neither do I. I'm coming over, Maxie, and even if I have to camp outside your place, I will. I need you."
That admission coming from him, stopped her breath. Kai Tanaka never needed anyone.
"I have to think." She muttered.
"So you keep saying," The amusement in his deep voice had her going weak.
Her heart raced, her mind a whirlwind of indecision. Maxie gripped the phone tightly, as though the force might steady her trembling resolve. "Kai, don't." Her voice softened, betraying the sternness she wanted to maintain.
"Maxie, I'm not asking," he shot back, the determination in his tone cutting through her resistance like a blade. "You know me better than that."
She closed her eyes, trying to conjure the resolve to push him away, to keep the walls around her intact. But Kai wasn't one for walls—it wasn't in his nature to let barriers stand between them. He was relentless, and part of her hated how deeply that appealed to her.
"Fine," she whispered at last, the single word escaping before she had a chance to catch it. Her throat tightened as she added, "But don't expect anything."
Kai's chuckle was low and rich, a sound that both irritated her and ignited a flutter in her chest. "Maxie," he began, his tone a blend of amusement and promise, "I expect everything."
The call ended with a quiet click, leaving a silence that felt louder than the conversation had been. Maxie lowered the phone from her ear, her hand still pressed against her chest as though she could hold her unraveling emotions in check. She stared at the device, willing it to erase all traces of Kai's voice, his presence, his grip on her thoughts.
But her pulse wouldn't settle, and neither would her thoughts. She knew, as much as she hated to admit it, that Kai's arrival would not just bring closure—it would open doors she had tried so desperately to keep shut.
They were going to have to set some ground rules, and they really should talk, she decided. She had promised to go out with Matthew, while at the same time having conflicting feelings for another man. Who was she kidding? she thought wearily, rounding her desk. They were not conflicting. She knew exactly what was happening. What had been true for over ten years. Kai Tanaka was the only man she had ever loved and that was never going to change. Rubbing her hands over her face, she considered that she was going to have to get behind it and figure out what the hell to do.
Chapter 10
By the time he arrived, she had worked herself up to being mad. And she was also jumpy and cursing herself for being a fool because she was excited about seeing him. Like a damn schoolgirl with her first crush. But she was not a teenager anymore who mooned over him and was shattered when he left. She was a grown-ass woman who was determined to take a stand.
"Hi."
Ignoring the swift kick of her heart on seeing him, she straightened her shoulders. She was not going to let her heart tumble just because he looked so damn good in the pale gold sweater or the way the wind had whipped his hair into sexy disorder. Nor was she going to do what she was yearning to do and jump him. Stepping back, she let him in and closed the door behind them.
Swiftly evading his hands, she turned and walked down the hallway and into the living room. She had come home, showered, and changed. The black leggings were not exactly new, and the sweater was baggy. She had chosen the outfit deliberately. She certainly did not want to give him the impression that she was dressing up for him.
"Would you like something to drink?" Her innate polite upbringing made her ask.
"No." Standing by the mantle, he watched as she started to pace. "What's wrong?"
She stopped and glared at him, her hands folded at her chest. "Everything's wrong. Ever since you came back into my life, it's complete chaos. I hate disorder." Her voice rose passionately. Shaking her head when he opened his mouth, she went on. "I had to lie to a perfectly nice man." She lifted her chin. "And before you get on your high and arrogant horse, I have a date with Matthew tomorrow and I'm keeping it."
His eyes narrowed dangerously, and he had to force himself to stay where he was. "What the hell for? What's the point of stringing the guy along?"
"I like him!" she shouted. She never shouted, she realized in horror. She was always calm, rational, and serene. She did not have an overbearing personality. She had been brought up to be a lady and she was behaving like a fishwife. It was unthinkable. "I like him," she repeated quietly, trying to tamp down the panic and temper. "He's sweet and good for my nerves."
"And another thing--" She started pacing again. "I looked you up, really looked you up." She rounded on him, sparks shooting from her eyes. "You're referred to in the business circle as Japanese royalty. You're involved in aerospace. You took over several companies in Japan and here in the good old US of A. You make magazine covers--several of them gleefully reported your 'conquests.'" She made air quotes with her fingers. "The latest being Marie Sato, the 'beautiful actress' whom you have been going out with for the past six months."
"Your love affairs get reported and salivated over by the public. I cannot be part of that. Worse, if we start this insanity of going out in public, our past will be rooted up and dissected. People will know that you dumped me and went on your way." She had run out of steam by then. Wheeling around, she went to sit on the sofa and curled her feet under her defensively.
