InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love's Smirking Revenge ❯ Decisions ( Chapter 9 )

Love's Smirking Revenge

- Chapter Nine -

Decisions

In a too-small apartment hidden within the heart of the Minami-Aoyama district, a shower spurted to life. The water thundered loudly against the glossy porcelain base of the tub and echoed off the monochromatic tiles decorating the walls. Kagome was thankful for the reassuring white noise, it drowned out the defeated sigh that escaped her lips. She raked her fingers through her hair for the hundredth time since entering the bathroom and finally clasped her hands behind her neck to stop herself from doing it again.

Now what?, she asked herself wearily and rested her head against the wall.

She'd been tossing and turning in bed for the better part of the last hour trying to figure out how exactly she was going to remedy the predicament she found herself in. Their night together had been…amazing. But it'd been a long time since she'd let herself fall into the relationship trap. She didn't do relationships. They'd never been her thing and she tended to do them poorly whenever she did make an effort to be in one.

As a general rule, she didn't mix business with pleasure. The last several years of her career had been spent skipping from one brief fling to the next, without a second thought as to who she left behind. It was her way and it kept life uncomplicated and usually it worked out just fine. Until now, that is.

This time things were different. She'd let her emotions get involved and now she was stuck. A nagging voice in the back of her mind reminded her that to achieve what she wanted out of life, to become the world renowned journalist she'd always dreamed of becoming, she would have to make sacrifices. She'd made dozens to get to where she was now.

“What's one more?” she asked softly.

It seemed destined that the Detective would soon fall into the “sacrifice” category along with the rest. Her entire career had been one big sacrifice after another and yet she always managed to convince herself that they were worth it, that they'd all been necessary means to a great end. She'd sat back and told herself she didn't care as friend after friend got married and moved on to start families. She told herself that she preferred being alone, that she didn't need a man to make her happy, all of that proto-feminist bull that was popular when she was still in college, but now reality was starting to hit and it was hitting hard - she was in her mid-twenties, attractive, a university graduate, a successful journalist, and completely, utterly alone.

Opening her eyes, Kagome watched the steam curl along the ceiling. The scariest part of it all, the part that had her stomach flipping in sickening somersaults, was that it actually had potential. They had chemistry, he was attractive when he wasn't being a complete asshole, and when she was around him she felt something she'd never experienced before - what it felt like to be safe.

Her mind brought her back unwillingly to the day they'd spent trapped in the elevator. She'd been petrified, literally scared for her life, and his touch that had calmed her. It was almost laughable how easily he'd worked his way into her thoughts with hardly any effort at all. The elevator, their meeting in the alleyway when he'd put his jacket over her shoulders, the time he'd caught her as she'd stumbled down the steps of the precinct. Since the day they'd met he'd been there for her when she hadn't even realized she'd needed him. After surviving on her own for so long she'd almost forgotten what it felt like to need someone.

Swallowing a gasp, she stepped beneath the scalding water and waited for her skin to adjust to the heat. To her dismay, the water didn't little to remove the lingering feeling of his hands on her body. Instead her mind wandered to the one fact she'd been avoiding - the sex had been incredible.

For a brief moment she seriously questioned her sanity for even considering giving it up, but her inner voice of reason reared its ugly head. It could never work between you two, it told her and it had a point. It wasn't like they ever got along really. He pissed her off nearly every second his lips weren't locked on hers and that was no way to begin any kind of relationship.

Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back to let the water beat down upon her head. It has to end. She repeated this thought sternly to herself as she dragged her hands overtop her hair. Reassuring herself that it was just sex to him helped to ease the sting, but she couldn't deny the connection she'd felt when their eyes had met. He'd entrusted her with his darkest secret. That had to count for something, didn't it? He wouldn't have done that if he didn't want this to be something more, right?

Letting out a tiny growl of frustration, Kagome pounded her fist against the tile. Why did this have to be so damn hard? All she wanted to do was make a clean break and suddenly here she was feeling guilty. She'd never felt guilty about ditching a man before so why now? What was so different about this one?

The difference is you actually like this one, he heart reminded her.

Shit…

Kagome opened her eyes as a pair of familiar hands looped around her waist.

“Mind if I join you?” he whispered huskily in her ear before taking the delicate lobe between his teeth for a nibble.

Kagome bit back a moan and did her best to block out images of the previous night. She knew exactly what that tongue of his was capable of. While a part of her very much wanted to turn around in his arms and lose herself in his honey coloured eyes, but she couldn't let it happen. She had to make him understand that this thing between them, whatever it was, couldn't happen. It was for the best - for both of them.

“Actually I do,” she answered, but her voice came out sounding like a playful taunt.

“Are you sure about that?” he purred as he dragged his fingers down the smooth planes of her stomach to tease her sex with slow, languid strokes. She could hear the contended rumbles in his chest as he smelled her arousal and the smooth hard length of his erection pressed solidly against her back. Clenching her jaw to muster some courage she slapped his hand away and pushed him backwards.

“Look, can't you take a hint? If I wanted you here I would've woken you up.”

She didn't want to face him, but she knew she would have to eventually. Biting the bullet, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, put on her bitchiest expression and whipped around. The look he gave her made her stomach twist with guilt. He was utterly confused, obviously having no clue what he'd done to incur her wrath. He withdrew his outstretched arm and his lazy smile was replaced with a scowl. It hit her like a cold slap to the face and she realized in that instant that she didn't like it one bit.

“What's your deal? Or do you just like playing `em hot and cold?” he demanded, pushing his way past her to the shower. He stood beneath the streaming water and let it soak into his hair. Swallowing the thick lump in her throat, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

When he finally opened his eyes to glance at her a look of self satisfaction was written across his features and she suddenly felt less guilt-ridden about the whole thing. Maybe she'd been looking too far into things. Any guy could play the pity card if they knew it would get them laid. Had she really fallen for one of the oldest pick ups in the book?

No, she knew better. He hadn't been bullshitting her. What she'd seen in his eyes was as real as the ears twitching atop his head. Surprisingly, this made his indifference hurt that much more.

“What do you think you're doing?” she demanded tersely, her frustration and confusion slowly building. It didn't lessen any as she watched the careless shrug of his shoulders.

“What the hell does it look like, genius? I'm taking a shower.”

“Get out, I was in here first. You can't just barge in and take over!”

As she attempted to push her way past him, he grabbed her roughly by the arms and held her against the wall.

“Ask nicely,” he demanded with a cocky grin. Obviously this was still a game to him. Kagome rolled her eyes and struggled against his grip but he held her fast. For the time being she was stuck as the unwilling prisoner of his piercing golden gaze. The fire burning in their honeyed depths told her loud and clear that while he was tolerating her antics, he was none too pleased about them.

“Oh get over yourself,” she snapped and made a show of struggling against him.

He lifted a brow before pushing her back against the wall and bringing his lips crashing down against hers. There was nothing romantic about the kiss. It was brutal and hard. He was punishing her for rejecting him while proving his own power over her at the same time. Beneath it she was helpless.

“I knew you were full of shit,” he snickered, eyeing her flushed cheeks and uneven breaths as he pulled back. His hands dropped from her shoulders and he grinned to himself thinking he'd won. Victory was short-lived however, as she wasted no time lashing out. She slapped him hard, her eyes burning with a mix of anger and embarrassment. But despite her best efforts, she couldn't hide the lust brewing in them and he read it loud and clear.

“It's not nice to hit,” he chided as he stole her hand and pressed it firmly against the wall. He made a move to kiss her again, but she turned her face away.

“Stop.”

The begging tone in that single word made him pause and he allowed his eyes to study her more closely. She was breathing heavily, he could feel her shaking slightly beneath his hold and the dark circles beneath her eyes told him she hadn't slept a wink. His brows drew low with concern but he realized she would never admit what was actually troubling her. Women never liked to do things the easy way. Normally he wouldn't give a shit, his philosophy was to let people deal with their own problems, but in this case he did care.

He wanted this girl, all of her. There was something different about her, something that made him feel half mad and totally reckless whenever she was around. Some part deep inside of him acknowledged the strange truth that he needed her. She was the key to putting his life back on track. She'd already managed to pull him out of his rut and she wasn't even conscious of doing it.

Almost from the day they met, he'd felt the need to prove himself to her. He'd shunned the idea at first, but it wasn't long before he realized that he wanted to be someone worth of her admiration. In her eyes he wanted to see lust, happiness, and maybe someday love reflected back at him. In a matter of months she'd turned his entire world on its head.

Her date with Kouga and the jealousy that'd made him want to leap across the table and throttle the bastard had brought it to his attention loud and clear. This was something he wanted, badly. All he needed was a chance.

Leaning in, he brushed his lips against hers in a feather-light caress before they made their way towards her ear. Holding her body prisoner with his own, he nestled his lips against the shell of her ear and whispered, “Why are you doing this Kagome? Your mouth is saying one thing and your lips are telling me another.”

She wanted to break. She wanted to give in and tell him everything before letting him have her all over again, but she couldn't. Think of your career, think of your reputation as a journalist, she reminded herself, but all the while her heart kept asking, Is work all there is to your life? Don't you deserve to be happy? To be loved?

Closing her eyes she responded coldly, “I don't mix business with pleasure.”

“Make an exception,” was his equally curt reply. There was no room for argument. He knew what he wanted and by Kami he was going to have it.

Annoyed that he was making his harder than it needed to be, she pushed him away and stepped out of the shower.

“Look, just because you like to bend the rules doesn't mean it works for all of us,” she lashed out. “You made an exception and you got burned. I'm already playing with fire as it is. I never should've let things go this far!”

His brows furrowed and he abruptly turned off the shower. “Don't I get a say in any of this? Shit, Kagome! I knew you were a stubborn bitch, and you're completely irrational at the best of times, but this takes the cake. Face it, you're scared.”

At her look of indignation he nodded his head and pressed forward. “That's right, you're scared. You're scared shitless that this might actually turn out to be something good.”

Realizing she was being backed into a corner, Kagome scrambled to her own defence. Gesturing between them, she practically shouted, “And what exactly is this? Please tell me cause I'd love to know. Last time I checked, we could barely tolerate each other and now suddenly you think we should be in some kind of relationship? Are you delusional?”

Inuyasha bristled instantly at her words. He couldn't believe how badly he'd misjudged her. He'd thought that maybe she was interested, hell she'd given him every sign hadn't she? And yet here she was telling him there wasn't a chance? With a scoff and a look of disgust he replied evenly, “I guess I forgot that girls like you aren't interested in guys like me. My mistake.”

Without waiting for her response, he threw open the bathroom door and stepped into the cool hallway. Storming into the bedroom, he pulled on his clothes, pausing only to cinch his belt and clasp it into place. She hovered speechless in the doorway and he kept his back to her as he dressed. No matter how badly he wanted her, he wasn't about to resort to grovelling to get her. And she'd certainly made it clear she wasn't interested.

He realized now how much of an idiot he'd been to think that she would be interested. She was beautiful, successful, and smart and he was, well…a failure. It was hard enough to live with that knowledge on a daily basis, he didn't need her to stand on her gilded pedestal and point it out for him.

Without a word he pushed past her and headed down the hall to the kitchen to retrieve his jacket and hat. It took until he opened the front door for her to finally speak.

“Inuyasha, wait!”

He paused with his back to her and held his breath. Some of the tension in his shoulders eased when she uttered a quiet apology and he slowly turned to look at her. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned one shoulder against the wall. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth and stared hard at the floor, unable to meet his gaze.

“I don't do the whole relationship thing. It's never really worked for me,” she offered with a half-hearted shrug.

After a moment of tense silence, she finally lifted her dark eyes to meet his and he had to remind himself to keep breathing.

“Well if it's the idea of a relationship that has you spooked, we'll date,” he suggested. Sliding off the wall, he sidled towards her with a rueful smile growing on his lips. He watched her slowly back away from him, her eyes darting between him and the still half opened door. He could see her mind working, calculating, debating, resisting, and finally considering, though reluctantly, his proposition.

“What do you mean by `date'?”

His smile grew wider and he gave another careless shrug. “Well that's simple. I'll say `Do you wanna have dinner sometime', you'll say `That sounds nice', we'll eat, make small talk, argue about something stupid and we'll end the night at your place or mine, preferably naked and satiated, if you catch my drift.”

“I see. And just what makes you think I want to date you?” she demanded haughtily, squaring her shoulders defiantly.

He pulled her against him with one clawed hand at her hip and the other tangled in the damp, ebony tendrils of her hair.

“Because when I touch you, I hear the way your breath quickens and your pulse races.” His lips drifted pointedly across the raging pulse beating in her neck and she cursed her body for betraying her so easily.

“And I know you're going to fuck me, even though the door's open. I can smell the arousal on your skin Kagome. I know you want this, so stop being such a stubborn bitch.”

Annoyed as she was at his presumptuous words, she couldn't deny the truth behind them. She did want him and she'd do him in her kitchen even with the front door wide open.

Turning her head against his hand, she faced him and swallowed hard. For a moment they stood in silence, feeling the heat of each other's breath against their cheeks. The only sound either of them could hear was the beat of their own heart ramming against their ribcage.

When their lips met she couldn't hold back a moan as his tongue plunged into her mouth to taste her. Lifting her hands she flipped his hat off his head, sending it crashing to the floor and quickly began to massage his ears. With a hiss he broke away from their kiss and pulled back, arching into her touch.

“Gods Kagome, you're gonna kill me if you keep doing that.”

With a rueful smile she relented and used her hands to tear off his shirt instead, sending it fluttering to the floor.

“You won't be needing that anymore,” she teased playfully and turned her attention to his belt.

He raised an eyebrow and whipped her towel off faster than she could see. One moment she was embraced by its damp warmth and the next the chilled kitchen air was wafting over her naked skin. Stunned, she blinked slowly and dropped her gaze to the towel in his claws, watching as he dropped it into a heap of blue terrycloth atop his shirt.

“And you won't be needing that, either.”

All playfulness was gone as their bodies came together once more. Their hands explored in a frenzy, never able to touch enough skin to be satisfied. Their lips moved from cheek, to neck, to chest, to ear, to lip with hardly a moment's hesitation. There was nothing languid or romantic about this. It was carnal, it was needy, it was lust in its purest form and they had no choice but to bow to it.

Hands, lips, tongues, they were little more than a tangle of limbs by the time they finally joined. With hard, jerking thrusts they possessed one another, took control and gave it back. Exhausted and slickened by a sheen of sweat, they held tight and rode out each crashing wave of ecstasy together. Satisfied smiles danced across their lips while every other muscle relaxed into a pleasantly satiated pool of jelly.

He set her down atop the countertop to give the muscles of his arms a rest and gratefully rested his forehead against hers while he caught his breath. He was certain of it now - this woman would be the death of him.

As their breaths slowly returned to normal, Kagome dragged her fingers through Inuyasha's nearly dry silver locks and glanced at the still open door.

I can't believe I just had sex with him with the door open. I wonder what Mama would say about this? The thought sent a giggle tearing up her throat that she quickly stifled with her hand. Inuyasha shot her a quizzical look and she brushed it off with a shake of her head.

“It's nothing. I was just thinking that this whole dating thing doesn't seem so bad. I suppose I could give it a shot.”

“I thought you might come around.”

He pulled slowly out of her embrace, but not before leaving her with a lingering kiss. His tongue darted out to lick the taste of her off his lips as he made his way to the front door and kicked it shut. After sliding the chain into place and turning the lock over, he headed back to the kitchen and found her still sitting naked atop the counter. With her hands braced on either side of her body and her feet kicking aimlessly at the air she appeared so at ease. He couldn't help the genuine smile that graced his lips as her eyes snapped up to meet his and he was surprised to see her return it. It was the first real, honest smile she'd ever given him and it was radiant.

“You know, part of this whole dating process is dessert,” he announced as he stalked towards the fridge.

“It's 4:30 in the morning. Where the hell are we gonna get dessert at this time of night?”

Pausing at the refrigerator Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her question and popped open the freezer. Reaching into the back, he retrieved her hidden stash of Triple Brownie Overload and held it up triumphantly.

“How's this?”

Her eyes brightened and her head nodded eagerly as he snatched up two spoons from the drawer. Holding the ice cream in one hand and the spoons in his mouth, he stole her from the counter and carried her purposefully back to the bedroom.

Kagome laughed with delight and planted a sensual kiss against his neck. I could definitely get used to this.