InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Our Love Affair ❯ The Trouble with Lust ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, Rumiko Takahashi does.

Our Love Affair

Chapter 8: The Trouble with Lust

By Cataluna

Kagome jumped, startled by the sudden bang against the wall as she passed by Inuyasha's office. What came next were a string of curse words that had the ability to make a sailor blush. Her brows furrowed; one hand pressed over her heart as she wished for it to calm. What was that all about? Curiosity got the better of her and she looked around to ensure the corridor was empty before creeping closer to the entrance.

"GET the fuck out of my office before I really lose my temper," Inuyasha roared, his voice booming with anger.

She reared back in surprise, feeling almost like the threat was directed at her. There was a small thud, followed by the sound of feet scrambling to reach the door. Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, she stepped back and pressed her back flat against the wall, making herself as imperceptible as possible.

"Ungrateful son… your father would be rolling over in his grave," Jaken mumbled as he stomped out of the office in his expensive leather shoes. To her relief, he didn't bother looking in her direction when he walked away, his hands busy straightening out his jacket and the awful tie around his collar. Kagome couldn't help but smile at his disheveled appearance. Well that would explain it. He has a way of getting on everyone's nerves, and Inuyasha is definitely not mild-mannered.

Jaken hadn't bothered to close the door, leaving it wide open for spectators. She peered in cautiously and immediately spotted a brooding Inuyasha by the window, his hands clenched tightly enough to turn each knuckle white. The tension radiating from his body rolled over her like dark waves. She briefly considered walking away before deciding against it for reasons she did not know or understand.

Kagome knocked softly on his door twice to announce her presence before walking in and closing the door silently. He didn't acknowledge her as she neared him, his eyes staring down at the street below them. She said nothing either, simply choosing to stand quietly behind him. In spite of the complications that ran between them, the need to reach out and comfort him was overwhelming. She wished she knew what had happened to make him this way. She lifted her hand hesitantly, drawing it back twice before letting it rest on his broad shoulder.

Inuyasha stiffened, then relaxed under her touch. He turned his head a little towards her, "Why are you here, Kagome?"

Kagome closed her eyes briefly before reopening them, asking herself the very same question. Her parched throat managed to work itself into giving him an answer. "Are you okay?"

A humorless laugh escaped his mouth as he spun around to face her, causing her to remove her hand and take a small step back. "Peachy, just peachy," he responded dryly.

"Jaken upset you didn't he?" she asked, choosing her words carefully in order to not appear overly pushy. A tiny voice urged her to share with Inuyasha her distaste for that man, but she decided against it in favor of maturity.

"He's not the only one."

"I-" she started, then closed her mouth. How do you respond to a comment that is obviously directed at you? There were deep shadows on his face. Anger rose as she remembered he was not the only one who was left upset last night. How dare he try to make me feel guilty? I'm the one who should be upset! She had cried because of him, lost sleep because of him, and now he was trying to pin everything on her.

Inuyasha caught the flickering of a myriad of emotions in her eyes, recognizing rage when he saw it. "Whoa Kagome, I'm not talking about you."

"Then who-"

"My brother and Toad-head."

Kagome burst out laughing at the nickname he had given Jaken, ignoring the strange look he was shooting in her direction. "He IS rather toad-like. I called him a `Toad of a man' to his face just this morning."

He joined in with a few good chuckles of his own, his teeth flashing. She noticed they were white, not the ridiculously blinding kind most celebrities seemed to have nowadays, but a good natural shade that came from taking care of his teeth. The beams of sunlight filtering through the windows behind him brought out extra highlights in his hair and added shadows to his face, making his eyes seem even more golden than usual.

His laughter stopped abruptly and he looked at her, catching her stare. Blushing hotly, she tore her eyes away and looked down at the floor, feeling his eyes sweeping over her like silk caress. "I've known him longer than I would like. Toad-head's been annoying the hell out of me since the day I was `welcomed' into this family. He was my father's advisor first, before becoming Sesshoumaru's."

She tensed visibly, and the shame of her reaction - though unwanted and unintended -- instantly filled her. It was a response she had almost grown accustomed to and could not seem to prevent each time his name was mentioned in her presence. And it's not his fault, it's not his fault at all… Her guilt was to blame, the cause of it all.

Warm hand enclosed hers as she berated herself over her own behavior, his thumb sliding gently across her palm. Oh gosh, I can't, I can't. She fought hard to resist a shiver and tried without success to pull her hand back.

"Why are you here, Kagome?" he repeated his question from earlier, the one she still didn't know how to answer. She was thinking of a way to get out of it when he added, "And I want a straight answer this time."

"I was passing by when I heard shouting," Kagome replied carefully. It wasn't a total lie; she really was passing by when he was "roughing up" Jaken, but the truth of the matter was that she had passed by there with the intention of seeing him. That part, he didn't need to know, and she would never admit.

Inuyasha looked at her, amused. "Is that all?"

"Yes." She tugged at her hand again, waiting for him to release it. He didn't. He pulled her closer to him so that she was painfully aware of every breath he took; he brought his other hand up to gently cup her cheek. The need to lean into his palm was torturous. "Inuyasha, let me go," she pleaded and made the mistake of meeting his eyes. The desire was the same as before, maybe even stronger and clearer. The air circulating in the room suddenly became too thick to breathe. Her tongue nervously darted out from between her mouth the wet dry lips, and she immediately regretted her actions when his eyes found a new focus.

Her hands moved instinctively between them, and she felt the heat radiating from his well-defined chest and the strong pounding of his heart beneath her palms.

"About last night," Inuyasha began, smoothing back a tendril of hair that had fallen across her cheek. "I have a way of screwing everything up with my mouth. So whatever you're thinking, it's not true. I don't like my brother, but I'm not using you. I would never use anyone like that. I would never do that to you." He paused, his thumb tracing her cheekbone. "I'm going to stop talking now before I mess up again," he whispered as he leaned forward.

Her breath caught in her throat and she could hear each distinct beat of her heart roaring loudly in her ears as his face came closer. "Inu-" she started to protest, fearing the consequences that would follow if she allowed him to kiss her right now.

But he didn't, as though he could sense her anxiety, his lips moved upward to tenderly brush the center of her forehead instead -- it was a kiss to comfort, not to entice. Her eyes closed halfway as she concentrated on the warmth from his lips, hands losing strength and slipping from between their chests till they found themselves on his back. The line of his throat was right in front of her. She leaned in and inhaled deeply, breathing in the natural scent of his skin mixed with expensive cologne. She tilted her chin for him when his lips left her. At that moment, she wanted him to kiss her more than anything.

He whispered something incomprehensible in her ear before releasing her and stepping away. Her eyes flew open in shock, and she stared dumbly after him. If his purpose was to confuse her then he had succeeded in everyway possible.

^^^

His eyes rarely left her throughout dinner, observing her quietly as she laughed, as she wiped the corner of her mouth with her napkin, and as she charmed the two men sitting directly in front of them. He had never liked them, especially now with their eyes roving over her even though she was dressed conservatively in a black cocktail. Both men were old - well past their fifties - and married with children. In another word, they were old enough to be her father. They were sick sons-of-bitches and unfortunately for him, important shareholders of the Fukumori Corporation. Meaning I'll have to be on my best behavior or Sesshoumaru will talk my ears off.

Pretending to like them was torture, having to spend time with them was even worse, and his brother fucking knew it. That sadistic bastard… Inuyasha couldn't help but scowl when they jokingly asked her for a dance, especially when Kagome tossed her head back and laughed warmly in return. She was the only reason why he had agreed to come; they weren't stupid enough to try anything with him here. He took a sip of his drink, wishing it was regular beer instead of aged wine that had been around longer than he had.

Jaken was supposed to be here as well but he was actually taking time out from spying on him, stuck with running an important errand for his brother that he hoped would occupy his time for the next year or so. The mere thought of that bastard darkened his already foul mood. He shifted in his chair and picked the floral centerpiece -- composed of roses and a lone candle -- as the focal point of his glare, not bothering to look up even when their waitress came by to remove the empty plates from their table.

His eyes dropped sharply to the sudden but comforting pressure on his lap. A hand -- her hand -- rested on his knee and left with a light squeeze as she stole a quick, concerning glance at him from under her long lashes before facing forward once more, cheeks tinted a lovely shade of pink. A warm, rare feeling came over him, along with a sense of calmness, and he had to forcibly stop himself from staring at her with his mouth hanging wide open. What the hell was that? Luckily, it seemed like only they were aware of the entire exchange.

`Whatever it is, only one person can answer that question and I won't be able to do that with an audience,' Inuyasha thought determinedly, catching the waitress just as she was leaving with a request for their check. Kagome looked at him with puzzlement, and he stood towering over everyone before she could question. "Tomohiko, Hatayama," he nodded at the two men in front of him and extended his hand forward, "It was good meeting with you and thank you for coming," he told them as politely as possible. The expressions were priceless since they were not unaware of his dislike for them.

He shook their hands firmly and Kagome rose to follow suit, not wanting to break the rules of business etiquette. There was a moment of awkward silence as they all looked at each other, standing stiffly before their seats, waiting. `Enough of this!' he nearly growled out loud. These idiots just don't know how to take a hint. "We'll take care of it," he assured them, drawing his wallet from the inside pocket of his jacket for emphasis, "Have a good night."

As soon as they were gone, he sat, stretched out in his seat in the manner of a lazy jungle cat as he turned to look at her. Her large eyes had narrowed and darkened to a midnight blue and her full lips were stretched thinly. Clearly, she was annoyed, and she was about to let him have it.

"What was that?" Kagome hissed, hitting him lightly on the arm after making sure no one was watching, "I wasn't done yet! I still have a few other points to go over."

Inuyasha smiled, shrugging off her anger with a casual roll of his shoulders. "I can ask you the same thing," he answered back, lightly glazing the back of her hand with a sly touch of his thumb, "In fact, I'm going to."

The blush on her cheeks returned, and she drew her hand back quickly as though she had been burned, having found a sudden interest at her lap. "I'm not going to talk about this with you here," she spoke, her voice in a shy, near-whisper.

"Then where? Your place or mine?"

She stood, her face flushed with anger as she gathered her purse in her hand, "Neither, never. And for your information, Inuyasha Fukumori," she deliberately enunciated each syllable of his name like it was a dirty word. "I was only trying to calm you down. You looked ready to throw a tantrum and we couldn't have that happening here and in front of them."

His hand tugged hers and she followed reluctantly, not wanting to cause a display. The secluded corner of the restaurant was intimate, but did not guarantee the privacy needed. His sharp eyes turned toward the other diners as the back of his hand left a quick, feather-light trail down her jaw, smiling softly when she leaned slightly into him. No matter her tone, what she'd confessed was unexpected. "Didn't know you cared."

Kagome was silent as the waitress came with the check and left with his credit card. "It's getting late, I really must go."

"I'll take you home," he offered, "Just let me get my card back."

"No!" she protested with raised voice, immediately dropping it back to a whisper when she realized how loud she had been, "Please no. I'll just take a taxi."

Inuyasha frowned. Do I scare you? Do you hate being with me that much? He recalled the many times she had looked at him, her eyes full of undeniable longing even when she was angry with him, the way she had reacted to him -- the bright colors on her cheek, the quick catch of her breath. `No,' he promptly declared to himself, `That's not it at all.' "You don't trust me or you don't trust yourself?"

She looked about ready to protest, to yell at him for his presumptions. `You can deny it all you want, but I know I'm right about this, Kagome,' he thought even as he braced himself for a stinging slap across his face. Instead, she sighed loudly, bringing her hand up to lightly massage the space between her eyes. "I don't know, Inuyasha," she confessed with a shaky smile, "I don't know much of anything anymore."

For a split second, the expression on her face was enough to make him want to give up on his pursuit. I'm sorry for putting you through all this. If you marry my brother, it'll be worse, much worse. You belong with me, not him. His hand cautiously clasped hers under the table, and he dared a small smile when she didn't pull away. I can't give you up. I won't. "Alright, I won't bug you anymore tonight, but at least let me wait with you until the taxi gets here."

"But-"

"I'm not taking no for an answer."

Kagome laughed, eyes sparkling with mirth as she tucked an imaginary piece of hair behind her ear, "You never stop, do you?"

"I'm persistent," he replied, pausing as the waitress came by again to return his card. He took a quick glance at the total before adding in a rather generous tip. "That's one of my best qualities."

"I call it annoying."

"Annoyingly handsome?" he teased, lips drawn up into a lopsided grin.

"Annoyingly annoying."

"What about annoyingly charming, or annoyingly hot?"

She laughed again as she shook her head, giving his hand a light squeeze before letting her fingers slide from his grasp. Already, he missed the feel of her hand inside his - the way it should be - but at least he had succeeded in making her smile.

At least.

^^^

Jaken watched silently from the entrance of the restaurant, arriving just in time to catch the glide of his vile hand against her cheek. His thin lips twisted into an ugly scowl and his eyes slanted into slits. How dare he! And she was not exactly unresponsive either. Even from where he was standing, he could see something was there between them, something undeniable.

"This is not good," he mumbled under his breath, causing the hostess to look strangely at him, "Not good at all."

"Sir, are you sure you don't want to be seated?"

He didn't bother answering her, walking out the door with a loud huff as he took his cell phone out of his pocket. He had seen enough. "I'll have to stop this."

^^^

A/N:

Longer chapter and slower update or shorter chapter and faster update?

Sorry guys for the length of this chapter. I know it's not as long as it used to be but I'm having trouble with the other scene and I don't want to make you wait another month.

I know I say this a lot but your reviews and emails really do mean a lot to me. I read each and every one of them, and I'm more than surprised that most of you haven't given up on my slow updating.

I was recently plagiarized on the Access Inuyasha site along with a few other authors. Let me just say that I am not working my ass off on this so that someone (who obviously can't come up with their own idea and write their own story) can put their name on my story and get the credit for it. If you steal my fics, you will be found out sooner or later.

Q&A:

1. Why doesn't Inuyasha care for his brother's reaction and feeling?

They've never cared much of each other's feelings. And for him, Kagome is more important than hurting his brother.

2. Can you update a little faster?

Believe me, I would love to update constantly like some of the other authors (Rosefire and Niamh to be exact ^_^). I'm just a slow and picky writer.