InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Bet ❯ Salads and Parties ( Chapter 2 )

[Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, I know. I'm just trying to write another lousy fanfic…J I don't own Harlequin either, but it was the only thing that came to mind right now. Hope that no one is offended.]

SALADS AND PARTIES

********

Sesshoumaru was seated in his office, his mind working. Not with the figures on the screen in front of him, but with the scene with his half-brother's little friend last night. Whatever had possessed her to do something like that, he couldn't even begin to imagine. There had been no love lost between them from the first time he had laid eyes on her, five years ago. She had been rude and rather obnoxious, even as a seventeen year old slip of a girl. His brother really had no taste in women - which had been proved once and for all by the last one he had dragged home; Kikyo, or whatever she was called. She was very much like Kagome, spoke her mind and didn't care to show respect for her elders. Not that he was more than a couple of years their senior, but it still rankled him.

They did their best to get in his way, disturbing him as often as possible. He knew that they did it on purpose but he held a tight rein on his temper and it wasn't often they made it snap. Kagome was usually the lucky one. It was something about her that he didn't like - but it might as well be the way she always had him on edge with her remarks. They didn't hurt him, but the way she seemed to smirk at him, laugh at him whenever he lost his temper… She enjoyed watching the ice crack - not that it ever did much, just enough for him to feel a little… uneasy… at times - but she seemed to squirm herself through those little cracks now and then. And he would loose his temper, and she would have won another of those pathetic 'victories' that she cherished so much in their game… Not that he didn't enjoy watching her lose her temper, she had a vocabulary that would have made a sailor go green when she was really angry. He had listened to her often enough, yelling at his pathetic excuse for a brother, and more than once wondered where she had picked up those words since she was so kind and lighthearted otherwise. You're doing it again… Stop thinking about her!

Removing his reading glasses, he rubbed his temples and the bridge of his nose. He had been up since half past five this morning, the reports he had been working with last night still on his mind. He would probably have a headache before the day was over and he still had a meeting tonight to take care of. Inutaisho had left it to him to make sure that he took care of the important partners when he was gone, and tonight, they had wanted to see some of the city. Hopefully not too much. He pushed away a stray strand of hair back behind his ear again, considering having his secretary fix an appointment for him at the barber, but a second thought had it as just a waste of time. It would just grow back again as soon as he turned his back on it, and he had to go through the whole procedure again. A waste of time, just like thinking of Kagome was. He put his glasses back on, turning to the screen again. However, the little… vixen… crept right back into his thoughts again, and his eyes narrowed.

Shaking his head, he tried to force her out of his mind, but the way she had behaved last night had crept under his skin. What had made her do that? Touch him? They're up to something…

Turning his head again, he looked out through the window, the city beneath him bristling with life. It was lunch hour, everyone hurrying to grab a bite before scurrying back to work. Everyone but him. He didn't feel like leaving the office today to join his collagues in the cafeteria - the only social contacts he allowed himself to have with them. They all knew him, of course, and there was very seldom any trouble with the men and women working under him, but he didn't want to get too close to them still.

Sighing, he turned to the figures in front of him again, willing himself to concentrate on them.

*****

Kagome hurried forward to an empty table, her lunch tray in hand and Inu and Kikyo in tow. They had made up last night again, and she had questioned Kikyo about the details. Apparently, Inu had almost been crawling, all the time growling something about 'wenches' and 'bitches' and still with his back stiff trying to get Kikyo to take him back. It had worked, and Kagome made a mental note of having him try it again. Kikyo was a serious young woman, very sensitive to how Inu thought of her, and it had been Kagome's headache to fix things up between them more than once. But if this was a way that actually worked, she would have him do it again… Slamming down her tray just before another young man put down his, she gave him a sunny smile. He stared at her, and she almost glared back at him. This was their favourite table, at the end of the cafeteria with a view out to the park, and she would be damned if she lost it to someone else. It was hard enough to find somewhere to sit in the first place, the cafeteria split into sections just as back in High School with the 'popular girls', the 'jocks' and the 'nerds'. And then, her little 'gang', who didn't really fit in with any of the others, had their own table at the window. She considered this as she rearranged her chair, still amused by the way things seemed to be even here. They were supposed to be so grown up and mature, but things were still as back in High School in many ways. Watching Inu and Kikyo, she sat down. The three of them had just seated themselves when Sango and Miroku emerged from the bustling around them, joining their friends. The way Miroku behaved, you could never guess that his father was a priest; drinking, groping girls and behaving quite… irregular… for a son of a man of the call. He knew that as well, and used it to dampen his reputation a bit. A bit, but not much.

"Hey, Kagome!" Miroku seated himself beside Sango, absently trying to grope her even as she slapped his hand away, earning an innocent glance. Nothing's new under THAT moon, apparently…

"What's up?" Kagome shoved something that was very close to a sandwich in her mouth - the cafeteria food required a strong and healthy stomach and a dull eye to become edible - and chewed, trying not to mind the taste of lurkwarm tomatoes and dry cucumber. God, I hate this…Why can't they EVER have edible food at places like these?

"Inu says you two have a bet?" Curious, he watched as his longtime friend choked, sending a deathglare at Inu who was busy studying his food.

"Yeah," she answered warily, watching him with narrowing eyes. How much did he know?

"A bet?" Sango jumped in, still mindful of Miroku's hands. He noticed, and another innocent glance found it's way over to Sango.

"About what?" Miroku again. Kagome sighed.

"Inu gives me his car, I'm just going to show him a thing. He doesn't think I can manage it, though." The grins spreading along the table made said young man scowl. Their respective prides were touchy, to say the least.

"Feh! You're going to have a hard time with it though, so don't flatter yourself before it's over." He continued eating whatever he had brought along, ignoring the rest. Temper, temper…

"Well, what is it about then?" Miroku, the poor bastard, was totally unprepared as Kagome shot him a vicious glance.

"It's over at the end of the month. Till then, it's a secret. You'll get to know when you see me cruise around in my new car." She smiled, making Inu scowl again. "However, I can say that I did get a good start on it yesterday…" She shot Inu another glance, earning a frown and another 'feh!' in return.

"Awww, come on, Kagome! Tell us!" Sango was becoming more and more curious too, and she tried the good ol' puppy-eyes. Kagome didn't care though, but continued eating.

"Hey, it's Friday today!" Kikyo suddenly exclaimed, making the rest of the group stare at her. She blushed as she noticed, and edged closer to Inu. She is so sweet, but she doesn't spend much time on this planet…

"So?" Miroku, always cutting straight to the point. He didn't like Kikyo overly much. Why, Kagome couldn't understand since everyone else did. Must be the chemistry that isn't working…

"Party, anyone? My place, at seven or so?" Inu suddenly broke in, sending Kagome a vicious grin. She returned it, not caring about the others' stares. What's he up to?

"Sounds fine by me! Inviting more, or just us?" Sango was trying to battle her slice of cafeteria pizza bravely, earning Kagome's respect in the process. That pizza was tough, she had tried it once, and never again.

"The more, the merrier, right?" Inu winked at Kagome again, recieving more puzzled stares from the others. Whatever was up with those two, it had the rest tiptoeing around them. They had learned the hard way not to get involved with whatever Kagome and Inu had been arguing about.

"Right," Kagome answered, returning to her sandwich again. The more the merrier… He's making it harder than it have to be, the bastard!

*****

Half past seven, Kagome walked through the gates to the Onishi mansion. It was a mansion all right; the house was four times larger than her own home, and she had been lost there more than once during the years she had known Inu. Not to mention all the times we have played 'hide-and-seek', teenage-style…

Cursing her high heels, she fixed her short black skirt and stepped up to the door, not even bothering to knock. She was always welcome there, the whole family knew and liked her. Except for, of course, Sesshoumaru. Well, time for a change…

Opening the door, she almost fell as it was jerked from her grip by said person. He stared at her coldly, and she scowled back for a moment before forcing her face into a smile. She was a little drunk, having begun at home alone. She had to work up her nerve to meet him and do what she had planned. Whatever that is… I'll just have to go along with whatever happens tonight…

"Evening, Sesshoumaru." He stared at her with those unreadable eyes, making her wonder if she suddenly had something caught between her teeth. No, confidence, Kagome! Confidence! You're gorgeous tonight, and he thinks so too!

"Evening. They're in the garden." He tossed his head so that the silvery mane danced in the general direction of the rest, and she smiled again. His hair's longer than mine…

"Are you going out?" Hoping not, she tried to hide her interest.

"For a while. I have a business meeting tonight." She laughed then.

"Business meeting? A Friday night? Nice try, sweetheart! What's her name?" Sweetheart? Oh, fuck! He's going to kill me now!

He stared at her for a moment before leaning on the doorpost, a rare smile on his lips. Suddenly very conscious of how she was dressed, she returned it. He was really, really, handsome when he smiled, his face lighting up, taking the hard angles from it. He looks his age when he smiles…

"It's a business meeting, between two men, Kagome." The way he said her name made her mouth suddenly go dry, and she looked up at him, not reaching more than his shoulder. His very broad shoulder, fitting so nicely in that shirt he was wearing. Get a hold of yourself, idiot!

But still, her lips slightly parted, she watched him as he leaned in closer, almost close enough to touch her. Waiting, she closed her eyes a little, watching him through her eyelashes. His eyes seemed to harden for a moment before he opened his mouth again.

"I don't know what you and my stupid brother are up to, sweetheart, but I'm not going to tolerate it. Quit now, when you still have the chance." Blinking, she looked up at him again, the smile gone. How he knew, she had no idea, but it wasn't that hard to figure out that they were up to something. Feigning innocence might still help though, and it was what she did.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Sesshoumaru. We're not 'up to' anything!"

It was his turn to laugh, and hold the door open to let her in. She stayed where she was though, meeting his gaze.

"If you say so." With that, he was past her, out on the garden path and down to the garage before she could even blink. What the hell just happened?

Shaking her head, she watched him drive off before going in to join the rest.

"Kagome!" Sango's voice greeted her as she emerged from the back of the house out in the magnificent garden. She hurried forward to her friend, already trying to look out for Hojo, who without doubt would be there. Inu would have seen to it, if not someone else.

"Have you seen Inu?" She was going to give him hell if he had invited Hojo as well, destroying her chances with Sesshoumaru.

"He's with Kikyo somewhere, and I don't think they want to be disturbed." A wicked grin on Sango's lips told Kagome what they were doing and she grimaced.

"Those two are like rabbits! When they're not fighting, that is…" Sango laughed at her statement, dragging her along to a group of friends from college. She recognized Emi and Yura, waving a hand to greet them.

"Hey! Kagome!" Miroku's voice brought her around just in time to avoid his hands, and Sango slapped him on the back of his head before turning to Kagome again.

"Miroku, keep your fucking hands to yourself, or I'll cut them off!" The encounter with Sesshoumaru hadn't left her in her best mood, something he caught pretty quickly.

"My hands? What's wrong with them?" He stared down at his hands, drawing a laugh from the people around him. Sango watched him amused as he blinked, trying to get the joke.

"Nothing, just keep them to yourself." Kagome muttered.

"Hey! It's partytime! Stop moping around like that!" Sango tried to cheer her up, and she forced herself to smile.

"It's nothing, I just had an encounter with His Highness at the door. On his way to a business meeting?"

"Business meeting? On a Friday night? Wow, she must be something extra, if His Highness leaves the house like that!" Sango's voice was full of supressed laughter, and Kagome grinned, her bad temper gone again.

"Apparently, it's a meeting between two men." That brought another set of laughter from the crowd around them; no one who had met Sesshoumaru liked him, and to hear someone make fun of him like Kagome did, was unusal. And brave. God, I need something to drink… I'm not near enough drunk to manage this tonight…

"Whatever, let the old bastard have his entertainments! I don't care!" Grabbing a drink from a nearby table, Kagome had it down in one gulp, coughing and shaking her head at the taste. "What the hell is this?" Her throat burned, and she coughed again, ignoring Sango's laugh.

"Some kind of whisky, according to Inu. He was tired of beer, he told me."

"I'm going to kill him for not putting a warning sign here!" she wheezed between coughs.

"Kill who?" Said young man emerged from the depths of the garden, Kikyo clinging heavily on his arm, a blissfull smile on her face. He had been good. Better than good, if she's looking like that!

"You, for not warning me about what the hell you've bought for drinks, you son of a fleacovered bitch!" Coughing again, she ignored his laugh. Fleacovered bitch? The best I can come up with, I guess…

"I thought you were going to say something like that." His eyes claimed hers for a moment, searching them. He knew that Sesshoumaru was going away, and he wanted to see how she would react to it.

"Yeah, don't want to disappoint you, do I?" Sarcasm dripped off her words, and he laughed again.

"Or it might just be so that you'll go easy on the drinks for once. Who knows?" Taunting her had its effect, as always, and she scowled.

"I met your charming brother on his way out too. Business meeting, I believe." The face she made at that had him laughing again, the only one to understand what she really meant.

"Yeah, I heard him earlier on the phone. He works more than Dad these days. I guess that he had a lady waiting or something, because it isn't like him to work on a Friday night. He tries to keep them free." Their father was on a business trip in Europe for the moment, and wasn't expected back for another month or so.

"Awww… Poor thing, then." Her voice was even more sarcastic, not wanting to let him know how much those words actually hurt. I'm going to win, Inu, you son of a bitch!

"That's one way of looking at it yes." Grinning, he handed her another drink, which she tasted cautiously before downing. If I get drunk enough, I won't feel the pain.

'Great idea, Kagome, now you're going to get as drunk as last time, and if Inu's not there to rescue you, who will be?'

Shut up! I know what I'm doing! I won't get THAT drunk again, ever!

'Sure… Whatever you say. Just down the next one too, and then you're off on your own.'

Whatever. It's Friday night. Party, remember?

Finally managing to mute the voice in the back of her head, she reached for another drink, just sipping it. She wouldn't get so drunk that she didn't know what she was doing, although she wanted to. Sesshoumaru… Fuck him!

'Yes, that's what you had in mind, bitch.'

Not literally! And don't call me bitch!

'You ARE a bitch. And a very stupid one, at that. Whatever possessed you to take on that bet? Wounded pride is a bad excuse, you know…'

I distinctly heard myself tell you to SHUT UP!

'And I didn't listen. You want him for other reasons, don't you? You're attracted to him, you like the way he looks at you with those eyes… You liked the way he relaxed against you last night too, didn't you?'

Fuck off! Who gave you the permission to say all those things? And why the HELL am I talking to you? Go away!

Debating silently with herself, she sat down on a bench in the enormous garden belonging to the mansion. She had often sat there, talking to Inu about everything and nothing at all. They had broke up there, right at this bench. And their friendship had formed there too, a bond that had lasted for over three years since their relationship changed. I miss him so much sometimes…

She was alone for the moment, something she was grateful for. She knew that Inu was probably lurking around in the bushes with Kikyo, and she considered going back to the party again. The sounds of the others reached her ears, and she listened fascinated for a moment before rising again, leaving her forgotten drink on the bench. She wanted to take a look around now, exploring the garden under the light of the stars and the moon, something she had never done before. Things looked so different in the darkness, so… intimidating, somehow… Shuddering, she decided that she had had enough of 'exploring' and went back to where there were other people left.

The sounds of Sango and Miroku arguing met her, and she smiled as she watched them, Miroku trying to convince Sango to follow him into some dark corner. It was always like that, at every party they would argue about it, and it always ended with Sango following Miroku God knew where. She shook her head as she watched Miroku suddenly grab her head between his hands and kiss her, shutting her up rather effectively. She protested at first, as usual, but the longer the kiss lasted, the harder she would have to stand on her own as he released her. She had watched the same scene over and over again for the past year, watched them slowly fall for each other, neither of them really realizing it.

"Awww… Aren't they cute?" Kikyo's sudden voice made her jump, and she almost toppled over. Drinks + high heels = bad combination. "I don't understand why they don't admit it except when they're drunk…" The two watched how their friends left, Sango leading the way this time.

"Pride, I guess." Something I know too much about…

"But still…" Kikyo's voice changed into a delighted squeal as Inu grabbed her from behind, kissing her neck.

"Can't the two of you stop for a moment? You're like fucking rabbits!" Her words were harsh, but the couple just laughed at her, Inu not even giving her his usual 'keh!', and she couldn't do anything but join them. She shook her head before continuing back to the rest of the party. No Hojo in sight yet, at least, and she hoped that he hadn't been invited. He was nice, but so boring sometimes that she didn't know if he really was trying to put her to sleep. And then drag me home to his place, keeping me there, cave man-style…

She went over to Emi and Yura again who was hanging over another bench, watching some older boys - or young men, or whatever - play something that looked like soccer, just without any rules at all, and no goals visible that she could see.

"What's up gals?" They turned their heads to her, smiling.

"Not much, Emi's just trying to get Ben's attention." Yura laughed at the scowl directed to her, and Kagome watched them amused. It was commonly known that Emi had a crush on Ben, and he wasn't totally uninterested, if Inu was to be believed.

"Why don't you go over there and talk to him then?"

"Because I already did, and now I'm waiting for him to come to me. It work like that, you know." For some reason, those words hit true. No, I don't know, that's why I'm in this stupid bet!

"Ahh… Is that so?" She smiled at them again, turning on her heel to find another sheltered spot to cry her eyes out for a moment.

She found herself back into the house again, in the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she rummaged through it for something to eat. The only thing that came to mind was a cucumber and a couple of tomatoes and she closed the door again, sighing.

"Hungry?" The voice startled her, and to her embarrasment, this time, she really toppled over. She yelped as she hit the floor, cursing under her breath as she looked into the very amused eyes of Sesshoumaru. Blushing like an idiot, she blinked, forcing the redness away from her face. No, no, NO!

"Yeah, sort of." Her voice was slightly slurred, her gaze a little bit out of focus. He extended a hand to her, which she accepted warily. She wouldn't put it past him to lift her halfway and then let her drop back down again. Amazingly enough, he didn't, but instead pulled her up all the way, their bodies closer than either of them had meant to be. He released her hand, opening the fridge on his own, pulling out the discarded vegetables.

"Care for a salad?" Rummaging through the rest of the fridge, he watched her from the corner of his eyes. She was still standing there, dusting herself off in that feminine way all women had. This should be interesting…

"Why not? What's in it?" Feigning disinterest again, she walked over to the counter, seating herself to watch him prepare the food, planning her next step. Having him there, alone, was a moment too good to waste.

"A little bit of this, a little bit of that." Shrugging, he moved over to the counter, pulling a chair along with his foot.

She leaned her head in her hands, watching him as he cut the vegetables, how he moved those delicate hands in swift movements with the knife. She was fascinated with his hands, how they was so slender and beautiful, but at the same time so strong… Kagome, you're sounding like some bloody heroine from one of those Harlequin-books! Get a hold of yourself!

She blinked, clearing the image of how he would look in one of those Harlequin-books she had liked to read when she was younger, realizing that the only thing that had to be changed was his attitude for him to fit perfectly into one of those. And that not much… Just a little less arrogance and a little more fire, and he's perfect… He was as close to physical perfection she had ever seen, his silvery hair making him even more exotic and adding to the rest. 'Hey! You weren't supposed to think like that, remember, stupid bitch!'

The voice brought her out of her thoughts quite viciously, and she met the questioning eyes of the man in front of her. To her embarrasment, she blushed again.

"Just talking to the little voice in my head, you know." God, I can't believe I actually said that!

'Well, you did. What do you think he'll say about that, stupid-'

SHUT UP!

"And what does it say?" He was amused, watching her under long, long eyelashes, and she blushed again.

"Nothing important. We talk a lot, but seldom agree, if you know what I mean?" 'Kiss him!'

WHAT?

'Kiss him, for fuck's sake!'

Now? You've got to be kidding!

'Why not? What do you have to lose? The bet? You won't get anywhere if you're moping around like this, you know…'

Which part of 'shut up' don't you get? LEAVE ME ALONE!

He was watching her again, even more amused, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly upwards as he watched her silent monologue. It wasn't hard to know what she was thinking, her face betraying her emotions clearly. Yesterday, it had annoyed him, to see the lack of control she had over her feelings, but tonight, it was amusing as he knew that she and his brother was up to something. The way they had become silent when he barged into the kitchen yesterday was proof enough, and the way she had behaved towards him later indicated that she wanted something from him. The question was; what?

"Seems like it talks a lot?" Another question that had her blushing. He smiled at her, just to see the effect, and wasn't disappointed when she blushed even more.

"It does." She was fiddling with her hands, not looking at him as she tried to get her blush under control again.

"What does it say right now?"

"It's shouting at me. I… We… We're having an argument right now." Lucky me I'm drunk, or I'll never be able to meet his eyes again.

'Yeah, lucky you…'

Fuck off!

'Whatever… I'm going to leave the two of you alone, hopefully you won't do too much damage.'

Yeah, go away, I don't want you here!

"What are you arguing about?" He had never thought that she could blush that much, but her face was on fire, all the way from her neck to her hair.

"Trust me, you don't want to know. How's that salad coming along?" Trying to change the subject, she leaned over the counter to him, watching closely as he cut up the last of the lettuce.

"It's almost done. You get the dressing, and I get the bread."

Nodding, she removed herself unsteadily from the counter, wondering how the hell she could be even more drunk now than earlier when she hadn't had anything for quite some time now. It must be that whisky kicking in full time…Inu, you're a dead man! Moving slowly over the floor to the fridge, she was very conscious of how Sesshoumaru was watching her. I'm not going to fall, I can walk over this nice, moving floor on my own!

"I can walk, there's no need to stare at me like that, you know." She muttered something more that was inaudible to his ears as she opened the fridge, finding the dressing and turning around. Her legs chose that moment to give way, and she fell forward into his waiting arms. Why he even bothered to catch her was beyond her as she let go of the tube with the dressing and tried to steady herself on his arms.

"I can see that. How much did you have?" He knew that she was one to party as often as anyone else, and that she had a habit of getting more drunk than was necessary too. He had heard Inuyasha and Kagome yell about it often enough.

"Not much, but Inu had whisky instead of beer, and I can stand just so much alcohol." He only grunted for a reply, and she was suddenly very conscious of how she was lying in his arms. Very much like those Harlequin-books, to be true. 'Yeah yeah… whatever. Kiss him now, and have it over with.'

You're back again? Fuck off!

'I'm just going to watch this…'

You're not! Go away!

She found herself leaning on him a little more than was necessary, not that he seemed to mind the least. Steadying her in his arms, he met her blue eyes, so wide and innocent. Her hair was slightly disarrayed, giving her an impish look as she smiled uncertainly.

Neither of them speaking, they continued gazing into each other's eyes. Kagome could suddenly feel her heart beat with an insane rythm, and that accursed blush beginning to creep back to her face. She steadied herself a little better on her feet, one shoe off, and craned her neck upwards to his face. He was still staring at her, his expression unreadable except for the small amused sparkle in his eyes. That little spark helped her to make up her mind, and she snaked her hand up to his neck, pulling his face down to her own. He didn't do anything to stop her, but nothing to encourage her either, until their breaths mingled. Then, he leaned the rest of the way on his own, claiming her lips. She tasted of the whisky a little bit, but more importantly, she tasted of herself. His hand wandered from her back to her neck, slipping under the now almost loose hair, caressing the skin there. She jumped, bringing a smile to his face. He knew about her history with guys as well - another benefit of having listening to her's and Inu's arguments - and from what he had been able to put together, she hadn't had a steady boyfriend for the past three years, not since she had broke up with his brother. Not that it hadn't kept her from them, judging by the way she was reacting to him now.

She was clinging to him, not that he minded the least. Her body was soft at just the right places, and his other hand slipped down her back, touching her ass through that ridiculous short excuse for a skirt for a moment before continuing up again. The kiss broke, both of them gasped for air, but neither of them wanted to move. Get a hold of yourself again, or you'll be losing more than the bet!

She could still feel the trace his hands have left, and she pulled his face down for another kiss. He was a damn good kisser, she had to admit that. And if the rest matches his kisses…

She rubbed against him, knowing exactly what she was doing, and wasn't disappointed when she felt him responding. He pressed her closer, causing her to almost lose her balance again, leaning on him even more. His hands were exploring her body, leaving her weak and blushing like an idiot again. Just like those bloody Harlequin-stories! But you're not the heroine in one of them, you're just stupid enough to make THIS a bet!

Slowly, they moved backwards to the counter again, neither of them wanted be the one to break the kiss. He lifted her up, still not letting her go as she shoved the things there away, caught up in his embrace. She heard the rest of the vegetables crashing down, the tomatoes with a 'thump', one by one, as they rolled away on the floor.

He was touching her everywhere now, his hands pulling her legs up on the chairs in front of her, gliding slowly up the calfs, higher up on her thighs. At some time, he had lost her other shoe, leaving it discarded on the floor under the chair. His hands were just as she had imagined them to be, the strength not surprising her. Her own hands were working with his blue business shirt, unbuttoning it clumsily and throwing it open to reveal his chest. She had seen him shirtless before during the five years of their… acquaintance, but she smiled still. Very nice… She broke the kiss reluctantly, meeting his golden eyes instead. Half closed, they didn't betray any emotion at all as he suddenly stroke her cheek in a very, very, uncharacteristic manner with a hand that was shaking slightly. She pulled him up closer against herself, in between the chairs, guiding his hands where she wanted them. His fingers played their own little game on her skin, leaving her breathless. If I knew that it would be like this, I would have done this a long time ago! He leaned forward, kissing her jaw and neck, leaning her backwards as he did. As long as he doesn't push me over the counter… She felt him pull up her top, pausing a moment before leaning forward to kiss her stomach, and she bit down on her lip hard to keep herself from whimpering. This was getting out of hand, she wasn't supposed to react like this… A little was good, this, on the other hand, was way too much! She wasn't even aware if she was breathing any longer or not as he pulled the rest off, flinging it on the chair beside her. Before she could cover herself up, he had grabbed her hands, a slow smile spreading on his face. Very much like a cat with a bowl of cream… Fending off her hands, he pulled her back up to get a better view and she found herself blushing again. The way he smiled at her was leaving little room for something else, and she decided it was time to turn the tables a little. Grabbing his hair, she pulled him in for another of those kisses he was so good at, wrapping her legs around him in the process. Surprisingly enough, a groan escaped him, and her wicked smile lasted only for so long it took him to pull up her skirt higher up on her thighs. No, no, NO! You're NOT winning this! Breaking the kiss, she leaned forward, licking his jaw and down his neck to his collarbones, hearing his rapid breathing as she bit him lightly, just enough to show him that she wasn't as drunk as he believed her to be.

A sound from the hallway made them pause, voices rapidly emerging. They looked at each other for a moment before Kagome scrambled off the counter, adjusting her clothes and hair the best she could, watching him do the same. The vegetables were still on the counter, but neither of them felt like eating.

"I don't think I'm going to look at salad quite the same way again," came her breathless grin, as she pulled on her shoes again and left without another word, but turned in the doorway and rushed back to give him a kiss, leaving him dumbfounded again. What was that?And what's she up to?

Staring after her for a moment, he tried to understand what the hell just happened… He wasn't the one to give in to his desires - and certainly not when he didn't know about them from the beginning. He was surprised to find himself having a hard time forgetting about how she had felt against him, the way she had looked as he pulled off her top… so… innocent? No, not her. She was many things, but not innocent, not in the way she had kissed him earlier. Shaking his head, he set to get the salad into the fridge again, a cold shower the next thing on the schedule.

*****

End Part II