10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I grin long after I can no longer see Leo.

I like him. He has balls. Few dare say No to me, whether they know who I really am or not. I've got an intimidating aura about me, I've been told, triggering people's fight-or-flight responses left and right.

Usually.

"Mr. Akiyama, should we fetch the American for you?" Takama says, tilting his head in the direction Leo went.

"No. Let him be. Pressuring him now won't do any good," I say, waving the suggestion off as much as I'd like nothing more than to drag Leo's ass to my penthouse.

Honestly, I should let it go. I know that. I'm sure Aran can find me someone as good as, if not better than, him eventually. Someone who understands how things around here work. The problem is that I don't want someone else.

The tightness in my stomach lets off as I get in my black SUV, but my mind is still fixated on the exchange student. It's not just his martial arts skills that intrigue me; it's him. I like his face too; it's the right mix of masculine and pretty with those cheekbones and angles, but his eyes are probably what drew me in. There is a spark in them, a flame that can turn into a wildfire at any moment. He's snarky—perhaps even bratty—and that riles me up for some reason. It makes me want to mess with him just to see his reaction.

I stare out the window as we leave the parking lot, my gaze locking on the wall where I had him caged. Before he turned the tables on me. I lick my lips, picturing the exact moment. He smelled like the mountains at dawn. Fresh, invigorating. My nostrils flare, seeking that scent, but all I get is the lemony smell of the car freshener mixing up with the luxurious leather of the seats.

Draping my arm over the headrest, I wonder how he'd look in my car. Lounging here on the backseat, he'd have his legs bent at the knees so he can fit. Slightly spread. His eyes would be on me, gorgeous and blue like the sky just before a storm, watching me as I lean in and trace my fingers along his inner thigh.

A shiver sends a hot wave of pleasure down my spine. It concentrates at the base and then spreads further, reaching my core. My cock gives a jerk inside my pants. I suppress a groan and palm it through the fabric.

This is a first. For a man to get me so hot just thinking about him. Or is it because I haven't fooled around for a while? Helping my father has kept me busy, so I haven't had time to indulge in anyone.

I pull out my phone and load the folder with Leo's information, opening his ID photo. He's a little goofy on it, but I forget about that almost immediately as I focus my attention on his full lips. They look soft and kissable. I wonder how they taste. The image of them stretched around my cock flashes in my mind and that gets me fully hard in a heartbeat.

I moan softly so the guys up front won't hear me. It's not that I care if they did, this is just… new. I'm having a very fundamental moment right now and someone butting in would be a total mood killer.

Thinking back to Leo, I picture him on his knees in front of me. That wicked spark is in his eyes, challenging me as I unzip my pants. I swallow and wrap my hand around myself, squeezing hard. But before I have time to explore my sudden interest in another man, we arrive. Aran opens the door as soon as the car stops. He gives me a curious look when I crawl out.

"Is everything okay?"

I consider his question, standing in such a way as to conceal my erection. "Yeah."

He nods at the guys with my bags of random groceries. They head for the elevator, the two of us trailing behind.

"I am told you made a detour on your way back," Aran states, his voice like steel.

Uh-oh. I smell trouble. "I wanted some ice-cream."

"Really? Last time I checked, you still hated strawberry flavor," he points out, because of course he would know what ice-cream flavors I dislike. "There were two types of strawberry in the bag, plus forest fruit, which is also not something you usually enjoy."

I clear my throat as we board the elevator. I guess my innocent act didn't quite work. "Well, I didn't drag him here tied up, did I? I just swung by his dorm, and he happened to be at the convenience store. We chatted for a bit, and he basically told me to fuck off. "

Aran scoffs, rubbing his forehead. "I told you to stay away until I say it's okay to approach him."

I sigh, sucking my bottom lip between my teeth. It's not like I could've stayed away any longer. Leo's just way too enticing. "Is this where we pretend you don't know me better than I know myself? Besides, I held out an entire week. You should be proud."

Aran is the one to sigh this time. "You are such a headache," he complains as we reach my penthouse. He steps out first and I follow behind, letting him lead the way.

"Why are you here, anyway?" I toss when we are inside. The guys have left the bags of random groceries on my marble breakfast counter and have already left.

Aran walks over to the floor-to-ceiling window, grabbing the remote for the curtains. The mechanism controlling them whirls as they retreat to the sides and reveal a mesmerizing view of nighttime Nagoya. I join him and stare at the patches of blackness visible here and there. There aren't many because I live in the heart of the city surrounded by skyscrapers, but there is a park diagonally across which offers a change of scenery if I need it.

Sighing in exasperation, Aran takes out a tablet from his slim suitcase and hands it to me. "I finished my background checks on Leon Caruso. A few things came up that I think you should know before you continue with this childish behavior."

I take the tablet and mock-gasp. "Everyone's been on my case to get a bodyguard. And now that I've found the perfect candidate, you are up my ass trying to convince me to go for someone else. "

Aran groans softly. It's almost inaudible, but the silence around us makes it possible to catch it. "Just have a look at his file, will you? I've made some notes."

‘Some' is an understatement. The file is riddled with red highlights the moment I load it. Leo is literally a walking red flag, but then again, that has never stopped me before. He's had a pretty rough childhood, so that explains half of it, but what is worrying is some of the stuff he's gotten himself involved in prior to his year abroad here in Japan.

"Can we handle this?" I throw at Aran once I'm done reading.

"If we are careful and he cooperates. I will also need Daichi's approval."

I click my tongue. "My father won't like this at all."

Cocking an eyebrow at me, Aran crosses his arms. "Has that ever stopped you before? And it's not like I didn't warn you not to get involved with the exchange student to begin with."

Good point.

I hand the tablet back and clap my hands. "It's decided then. I'll leave dealing with my father to you."

"I don't think it will be that easy this time." He follows after me as I head for the fridge. There is leftover curry and some katsu chicken.

"You hungry? There's enough for two people," I say, already tossing everything in the microwave. "I didn't think it would be easy. But you can do your magic and butter him up. I'll speak to him once I've convinced Leo to take the job."

We wait for the ding in silence and sit at the table. Aran sighs again, but doesn't argue further. This tells me I've won, so I dig in, wondering when I'll get to see Leo again.

Once I'm alone after we are done eating, I slip under the shower and go through my agenda for tomorrow, which includes a visit to a club downtown. My brain is still active by the time I've dried up, so I put the historical channel on as I lie in bed. A piece on feudal Japan is broadcasting, and it takes all of ten minutes for me to drift off.

"Nobunaga-sama, we should rest for the night," I say, dipping my head as our horses line up. My armor clanks from the movement, but the sound is lost on the backdrop of hundreds of hooves thudding on soil.

He throws me a sideways glance, dark eyes narrowed and alert. "There is a clearing with an overlook up ahead. We'll set up camp there. The high ground should give us an advantage if anyone dares approach while we sleep."

I nod and give him an affirmation. "I will inform the rest and organize the shifts."

"Kwanchai-dono," he halts me when I turn my horse around. "Send word to Kyoto. Let them know we should be arriving before the next full moon."

An hour later, we've put up the tents. The sky has darkened enough so that we've lit the torches. The smell of roasted meat and sake mingles with the flower-scented breeze. There are not many warriors around as I make my rounds, most of them already passed out from exhaustion. We lost a third of our forces in the last battle, but we managed to conquer the temple, which gives us a strong foothold in western Japan .

Before I realize it, I've made it to the edge of camp where the horses are. Just as I am about to retreat to my tent in the middle, my hackles rise. I freeze in place, narrowing my eyes as I scan my surroundings. The twisting sensation in my stomach grows. The tree line moves closer, branches rustling as darkness engulfs me, but before my brain can process what is happening, movement in my peripheral has me wrapping my fingers around the hilt of my katana.

The attack comes from above. I jerk away, just barely avoiding getting my head chopped off. My attacker grunts, wasting no time charging back at me. My heart pounds fast, pumping adrenaline through my body. My breaths are deafening in my ears as I unsheathe my katana. Our blades clash, the clink causing a flock of birds to scatter from the nearby trees.

My attacker is not armored, his body covered just in leather and cloth. He moves quickly and effortlessly, his striking blue eyes not straying from me as we exchange blows. When he steps in a shaft of moonlight, my jaw goes slack as my gaze takes in the pale expanse of his skin and the lush blond of his long hair—he's not Japanese. He's a foreigner.

But what is a foreigner doing here, fighting in the wars between daimyo?

This is all it takes him. My moment of shock and stupor is his opening, the distraction causing me to stumble over a protruding root and give him the upper hand. With two precise movements, his blade slices through my armor, leaving me just in my undershirt and pants.

"I will not be your bodyguard!" he roars, aiming for my heart .

I raise my katana and somehow block him. I do trip then, surprising us both with my ungraceful fall that sends us tumbling down suddenly sloping ground. We lose the katanas in the process, and at the bottom of the incline, grass and weeds cushion our fall. He ends up pinned under me.

Heaving as I fight to catch my breath, I stare down at his beautiful face. It's scrunched in defiance, but there is a wild spark in those mesmerizing eyes that sends a wave of heat right to my core.

"Who sent you?" I grind out, keeping his hands pressed to the ground above his head with one of my own.

He thrashes under me, trying to get free, but my thighs have a firm hold of his body. "Fuck you."

I lick my lips, pressing my body into his to keep him still. "Who sent you?"

He raises a blond eyebrow, scoffing, and then tries to slip away again by wiggling his lower body and arching off the ground. Grunts and groans accompany his attempt, but all he manages to do is line our cocks together and cause a hint of friction between them. I harden almost immediately, our thin undergarments doing little to get in the way.

"Fuck you!" he repeats, smirking as if he's the one pinning me down. "You are not going to win. You will have to kill me before I agree to be your bodyguard!"

What nonsense is this man, who clearly came here to attack my lord, spouting?

Looking for a more comfortable position, I roll my hips experimentally and make us both moan hoarsely. His body arches up of its own accord, causing his ripped shirt to slide down his wide shoulders. An expanse of smooth skin reveals itself to me, toned and calling out to me to touch it. The urge is too strong to resist, the tingles it causes across my skin pleasant and encouraging.

Heavens. Why is this man the most alluring thing I've ever laid my eyes on?

Senses scrambling to understand what has gotten over me, I lower my mouth to one perky nipple and tease it with my tongue. He moans, the sound like honey, and rolls his hips just like I did. My hand is between us a moment later, rubbing us both. He tenses under me, biting off cries of pleasure.

"Do not waste your time trying to torture me! I will not surrender, I told you. Just kill me and get it over with."

The way his voice dips has my heart racing. When I peek up, his expression is dark and inviting. Goosebumps prickle my whole body, and when he tenses under me on a whimper as I slide my hand in his pants, the tight, buzzing sensation takes over me entirely.

It's like nothing I've felt before and it makes me ravenous.

"I have a better idea," I profess, kissing my way up his neck.

He chuckles, shaking his hips. "Ooh, I didn't know you were into this, considering your track-record of sex exclusively with women. Interesting. Also, curious. But I'm still not going to be your bodyguard."

I grab him by the shoulder and turn him around so he's on his stomach. Or at least that's what I intend to do, but somehow I'm the one who ends up on my stomach and under him. I only put up a token fight that lasts until he's worked us both out of our clothes and pressed our bodies together.

"Whoa," he says, pulling on his bottom lip as my hand jerks him off. We are both on our sides now, facing each other, and his fingers are rubbing and squeezing me with enthusiasm. "You like this, don't you? Yeah, you do. I bet the real deal feels even better. You think he's a talker? Shit," he groans, his hips bucking. "Oh, oh. You are close." He leans in, raking his hand through my hair. "Guess it's time for the fireworks. Too bad you won't remember them."