The Arrangement [completed]

FORTHTEEN

Sasuke was still trying to recover from that moment of ecstasy in her arms and the period of agony that followed. "Well, what do you think?" he queried again just to say something to break the silence.

"It's stupendous, but then, so is the one Dirupo where civilization hasn't encroached. Did I pronounce Dirupo right?" Karin answered breathlessly.

"Perfect."

"I'm serious."

"So am I. There was no trace of an American accent just then."

"Thank you. With only one word to pronounce, there shouldn't be." She rolled her eyes, an unconscious trait he never tired of watching. "Wait until I try to string a sentence together. But I'll keep working on it, Sasuke, for you."

"You sound charming."

"Americans don't sound charming. Ours isn't a charming language."

A smile lifted the corner of his mouth. "Who told you that?"

"No one. You can simply tell. The way you speak Japanese, Sasuke, it sounds beautiful, like melted butter dripping all over the place. Americans speak English like they're spewing meat through a grinder, plopping big globs everywhere."

Sasuke thought he'd heard everything, but that wasn't the case because he never knew what was going to come out of that succulent mouth. Earlier it had given him a heart attack. Right now he couldn't stop laughing.

"You see?" She grinned. "I was right." He held up his hands. "As they say in your country, I plead the Fifth."

"Always the diplomat, and brilliant besides," she muttered.

Once his shoulders stopped shaking he said, "Are you hungry?"

"Yes! You didn't know your grocery bill was going to go up when you took me on."

He chuckled once more. "It's worth the price for the pleasure of your entertaining company. Let's go inside the epicerie across the road. You choose the items for our picnic."

"And what will you do?"

"Hold the basket for you."

After he took both their helmets and locked them on his bike, he slid his hand up her back to her tender neck and guided her toward the store. In the open doorway was an inviting display of fruits and vegetables.

All the little signs were in Japanese, but she'd learned her first Japanese lesson on foods well enough to impress him. "We'll have Pan, appuruchīzu, gurēpujūsu." She dropped the items in the basket. Darting him an impish glance she said, "Can we afford dessert?"

"What do you have your eye on?"

"Anything. You choose."

"Done." He took two napoleons from the plate and put them in the basket. They moved to the counter so he could pay. It had been too long since Sasuke had enjoyed this kind of fun with a woman.

As he was putting his wallet back in his jeans his cell phone rang. It was Sai. "Kon'nichiwa?"

"Someone broke through the blockade and rammed into your cycle!"

"Kuso!"

Karin knew that word well enough and shot him an anxious glance. He turned away from her. "We don't know if it was intentional. Leave through the back door where the limo's waiting to drive you to the helicopter."

"Rikai shimasu." He hung up.

"Sasuke?"

"No time for explanations now. Come with me."

Sai was there to help hustle her through the back of the shop to the alley. A dozen of Sasuke's people hovered around three limos. Now that he had Karin to worry about, he was thankful for the added security.

"What's wrong?" she begged after they drove away.

"Some crazy ran into the motorcycle."

"Oh, no-"

"It might have been accidental. Whatever the explanation, I'm not taking any chances with you."

Another minute and they arrived at the helipad where he helped her into the helicopter. Within seconds it lifted off and he could relax.

"Sorry about our picnic, beautiful. Another time."

"Do you think I care?" she cried softly. "What if someone was intentionally trying to hurt you?"

"It's happened before."

She shuddered. "I'll never complain about Sai and Shikamaru again." Her eyes searched his.

"This will be all over the news. What will you father say when he finds out? It could set him back."

"By now he's already been told you and I escaped any injury," Sasuke muttered morosely "Until the coronation, we'll maintain a low profile. That'll keep both him and my mother happy."

"Sasuke?" He could hear her mind working, "Do you always plan exactly where you're going to be at any given moment?"

He clasped the hand closest to him. "Pretty much."

"That kind of kills any spontaneity on your part."

"Yea."

"It must be hard on your security people, too."

"I'm afraid there'll be times when it'll be much harder on you."

"Forget me."

Then he might as well quit breathing. "We're almost home. I'm afraid I'm going to be tied up for a while with the debriefing. Do me a favor and relax. I'll have dinner sent up to your room. Feel free to explore any part of the palace you like. If it's possible, I'll join you later."

"That won't be necessary. I'm going to work on my next lesson and impress you." If she did any more to impress him, he was seriously thinking of a honeymoon before the ceremony.

Besides today's incident, which brought home as nothing else could the fact that Karin's life had been in danger, he needed to get his security people to do a thorough background check on Manny Horowitz. Sasuke wanted to know chapter and verse about the man preying on Karin. The phone call from her mother's agent was the one contingency he hadn't conceived of when con templating the many obstacles to their marriage.

He didn't really believe she had a romantic interest in Manny, but he didn't want her going near the man no matter the reason. The desire to pay off her mother's debts had driven her to fall in with Sasuke's plans, but even he could see how Manny's offer held great appeal. A love of acting could be in her blood and she just didn't know it yet. Karin was a Uzumaki after all, still young and damnably vulnerable.

The woman journalist had been right. Karin could have any man she wanted. Some idiot actor could get to her. There'd be physical intimacy on the set with the men playing opposite her. She could be enticed to do another picture and another. It would be an escape from the prison she'd walked into by agreeing to marry him. One day she'd want her freedom and reach for it without looking back.

That wasn't the way Sasuke intended for things to happen. That wasn't acceptable. "Kuso!"

He felt a light touch on his arm. "Sasuke? Does that mean damn or hell?"

Karin, Karin.