1.1 | The Yakuza Bride

Chapter 39

'I made chocolate tarts this afternoon. You want some?'

'Why do you always ask me at - 'He paused to give the clock a glance. 'Ten o'clock?'

'I'm a growing child,' she mumbled, the easiest excuse she could come up with.

Would he think her a glutton if she revealed how she sometimes liked to have late night snacks? She had grown a little from the time when her measurements were taken and she wondered if he realised the change.

'You have a growing child?!' he demanded.

Her eyes widened and she drew back at the force of his words.

'No! I said I'm growing!'

He brought a hand to his chest and leaned back in his chair as he let out a breath.

'Right,' he muttered as he rose to his feet, nodding his head vigorously. 'Right.'

The kitchen was doused in a wonderful amalgamation of buttery crust and rich chocolate. A small laugh left her when he let out a half between a choke and a gasp as he pounced on a tart.

'How is it?' she asked.

He had his head tilted back as he chewed. A moan left him as he shut his eyes.

'I love it,' he murmured. 'This is so good.'

Hana took her portion as well, biting gingerly into the rich chocolate. His eyes were on her, his gaze building in an intensity that made her want to duck her head.

'What is it?' she asked, when she could no longer take his stare.

But before he could speak, the vibrating of his phone broke in. Leon took one glance at the screen before getting to his feet.

'I have to go,' he muttered.

Hana didn't bother hiding her sigh.

~

Hana shifted slightly in the bed. The duvet was tugged tightly around her shoulders, and the central heating was turned up to a steamy 25 degrees celsius. Alright, maybe at that temperature steam wasn't produced, but the duvet was warm enough, and the surrounding air was cool, making it a perfect sleeping environment for her. Well, almost perfect.

The other side of the large bed remained empty. As usual. She squeezed her already shut eyes even tighter, then admonished herself. Just go to sleep, just sleep. Everything will be better tomorrow. Or was it already tomorrow. Who cares? Just sleep.

She heard the click of the lock just then, and felt something in her waver. Her breath had caught in her throat, and she swallowed noisily. First, the click of the lock again as he shut and locked the door, then, his soft padding, and finally, a fumbling sound as he entered the wardrobe. He was speaking on the phone in Russian.

'...it was such a bad idea for him to come to New York in the first place...Yeah, I know. Just help me keep a tab on all the flights leaving for Tokyo for the next few weeks. Mm.'

More fumbling.

Something flopped onto the floor and he cursed.

'If anything happens I'll just send her back...'

Her stomach clenched at his words.

' We've been through this before, ' he jabbered away in frustration. 'Juan will stop at nothing, especially since his brother has already said that he would not get involved. With his brother out of the picture, Juan will do anything he wants.'