Unexpected (9 page)

As he
approached her, arms open and ready to embrace, she asked, “Have you really only
had one other girlfriend before me?”

Kai looked
at her. “Ahh... so that’s what you and G.K were laughing about.” Noel nodded, a
smile on her face at his irritation. “Actually I’ve had two. My cousin doesn’t
know everything about me you know?”

“Like what,”
she asked as his body slowly melted against hers, his arms wrapped around her
waist.

He brought
her closer in a slow and sensuous grind and Noel moaned thickly. “Like how good
I am when it comes to pleasing my woman.”

“And just
how good are you?”

Noel
yelped when Kai effortlessly lifted her into his arms and carried into the
bedroom to show her.

Noel heard the annoying buzzing of the
cell phone and just like before it wouldn’t stop. She lifted her head from
Kai’s chest. There was a slight pause before the buzz started again.

Noel gently shook him to wake him. “Wake
up, Kai. It’s your phone.”

He groaned without opening his eyes. She
leaned over and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Wake up baby.”

Instead Kai locked his arms around her,
causing her to her gasp. He slipped his tongue into her mouth in a deep soulful
kiss that made her forget about the phone completely until Noel’s room phone
rang.

“Ignore it,” Kai urged her seductively
as he trailed kisses down her throat to her collarbone. His fingers teased her
nipples.

Somehow Noel extricated herself from Kai
to pick up the receiver, but it had better be important she thought.

“Yes?” she asked breathily into the
phone.

 “Uh, Noel?” G.K.’s voice was
uncertain.

Noel all but moaned as Kai attached his
mouth to her nipple and suckled gently. “I take it you want to talk to Kai?”

“Yes, please?”

She nodded as if he could see her,
though considering she was butt naked with Kai’s lips on her breasts, it was a
good thing he couldn’t. She handed Kai the phone, which he took grudgingly, but
not before he released her breast with a light pop.

“This is the second time you’ve
interrupted me G.K.,” Kai said warningly. He remained silent for a few moments
and then, “What!”

Noel sat up, the sheet barely covering
her chest as she watched the rapid argument in Korean which only seemed to
exacerbate as Kai frowned. He hung up the phone, swearing as he did so.

“What’s going on?”

“G.K. just told me that we’ve all got to
head to the airport. It seems management has scheduled an appearance for us in
Korea, at the last minute.”

Silence dominated the room. “Then you’ve
got to get dressed and go, Kai.” Noel smiled bravely. “You’ve got music to
make.”

“I’ve also got to take a shower.” Kai
rose from the bed and extended his hand to her. “Join me.”

They made love slowly with an air of
mild desperation. Noel wanted to imprint Kai’s kisses and caresses onto her
skin as a memory for long, lonely nights.

 “Do you need to go pack your
bags?”

They were dressed and both struggled to
hold onto the moment as Noel packed her own suitcase.

Kai shook his head. “No G.K. probably
took care of it for me.”

“Lucky you.”

“Not really,” he grumbled.

Once she’d zipped up her suitcase, Kai pulled
her to him. They held each other close, words insufficient to express their
feelings.

Slowly Noel pulled back. “We should go.”
She schooled her features into a brave mask. Kai laced his fingers with hers as
they walked slowly from the opulent room and downstairs where the rest of the
group waited.

Whether by fate or design, Noel and Kai
had a car all to themselves and they took advantage of it. They kissed
passionately as Kai promised to return as soon as he could. Noel believed him,
though her heart was torn. She knew this was a part of his life and if she
wanted to be a part of it, she would have to accept their separations.

All too soon they pulled up to airport.
Young, Kwan, and the young woman from the concert that Noel hadn’t met stood in
front of the terminal. The woman’s eyes were instantly drawn to Kai’s hands in
hers and a look of annoyance flashed over her face.

“G.K. and Boom are already inside,” Kwan
said quietly. “Our flight leaves in two hours.” He smiled at Noel. “If you have
a sister, tell her about me, okay?”

She released Kai’s hand and went to give
the man a hug. “I will.” She also hugged Young who couldn’t resist hamming it
up in front of Kai. She waved fondly at them as they entered the terminal with
the sour-faced woman in tow.

Alone, the gravity of the moment settled
over them.

Kai roughly pulled Noel into his arms.
He held her as if his life depended on it, and a part of him felt that it did.

“I promise I’ll find a way to see you as
soon as I can.” His lips brushed against her hair, breathing in the tropical
scent of her shampoo. “Please don’t forget me, Noel.”

Noel closed her eyes to blink back the
tears which threatened to fall. She wouldn’t let him see her cry. He would be
proud of her, and she would be strong.

She traced a line from his cheek to his
lips. “How the hell am I supposed to forget the man who came into my restaurant
ordering chocolate cream pie and who turned out to be a famous pop star,” she
teased quietly. “Just make sure you do come back or I might jump on a plane and
fly to Seoul to get you.”

“You promise,” he smiled mischievously
as he kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll send you my address so you’ll know how
to find me.”

Eyes met once more before mouths
devoured each other in a desperate kiss, struggling to hold on to the moment,
reluctant to tear away. Kai crushed Noel to him, caring nothing for the people
around them. When they released each other, neither spoke. Noel was afraid that
she’d break down if she spoke.

“I have to go
Jahgi
. As soon as I
land, I will call you.”

Noel slowly watched him walk away, his
eyes never left hers until the moment he entered the security area, then he was
swallowed up and she walked with a heavy heart to the domestic terminal and her
flight.

It had been one month. Thirty-one days.
Seven-hundred-forty-four hours. Or forty-four-thousand-six-hundred and forty
minutes since he’d seen and touched Noel.

Kai sat alone in the apartment he shared
with G.K. and Kibum, staring at the blank piece of paper he had been trying to
compose a new song upon and failing. He tried to keep busy, keep focused on the
band, but he missed Noel. Like a love-struck teenager he called her every day,
her voice filled the emptiness of his soul as she told him about her day or
when she told him how much she missed him.

Kai missed Noel so badly it was like a
physical ache. His past relationship had nothing on what he felt for her. Many
nights he found himself sweat-laden and his cock so hard that even the lightest
touch of his hands upon it sent him crying out in painful ecstasy. His mind
slammed into memories of the taste of her skin under his tongue, the feel of
her lush and beautiful body beneath him, the sweet, breathy sound of her voice
as she begged him for more.

His days since their return to Korea had
been filled with concerts, television appearances and interviews. In spite of
the hectic pace, he made time to call Noel or to send off a quick text message.
He was still the consummate performer, but those who knew him well saw that his
mind tended to drift elsewhere.

That tendency to drift off had not gone
unnoticed by his uncle and was what had sparked a private conversation between
them.

“How was your trip to America?”

Kai shrugged noncommittally. “It was
fine.”

The older man nodded. “It was reported
to me that you all did very well. No untoward behavior that would reflect badly
upon any of you.”

He acts as if we’re still children
, Kai thought sullenly. “We're all
adults now uncle. We don’t need babysitters. Even Young Jin was pretty
restrained…that is, for him.”

“I see,” and it was more than clear he
really did not. “Perhaps it may be time for me to allow all of you a little
more freedom.” The older man steepled his fingers thoughtfully as he regarded
his nephew. “So, tell me about this woman you met.”

Kai leaned back in his seat agitatedly,
“That’s what this whole discussion has been leading up to, hasn’t it?” Kai was
in no mood to discuss his private life. “What about her?”

“How much do you know about her?”

“Enough to know that she means a lot to
me.”

His uncle’s lips set in a grim line. “I
see. Well, we’re going to have to keep this quiet, you know. Some people may
find her unacceptable.”

Kai inwardly he seethed. What business
was it of anyone’s about his private life?

“This woman?”

“Her name is
Noel
,” Kai said
through gritted teeth.

With a huff his uncle said, “Fine, this
Noel
.
She is not what many people would want or expect you to be with.”

“People need to mind their own damn
business,” Kai spat viciously.

“Nonsense! If you wish to continue this
association, then you will say nothing about her in the media. You do not want
to upset the fans.”

Kai laughed bitterly having heard the
same thing from G.K. just a few weeks ago. “They're constantly attaching me to
someone as it is, uncle. Just yesterday I was engaged to 2NE1's C.L. and a few
weeks ago I was supposedly having an affair with Young.” His uncle’s eyebrows
rose in disbelief. “I suppose you have never seen those internet sites where
fans write erotic stories about musicians where they’re paired with same-sex
band members. Apparently I’ve been “sleeping” with Young, Taeyang, Tiger JK and
there’s even a story with me and Gackt from Japan.”

The older man recovered from the mild
shock. “Be that as it may, the company has spoken and you must continue as if
you are unattached.”

Kai’s jaw set in a stubborn line. “I
will not keep Noel hidden away like a dirty secret.”

“Have you no loyalty, Hyunki,” his uncle
demanded. “You would risk not only your career but those of your group mates as
well for this
woman
? All that is being asked of you is to play the role
this world insists upon.”

“I will not lie uncle. If I am asked, I
will just say I’ve found someone special and leave it at that.”

He saw his uncle struggle to keep his
temper leashed. “If you insist upon this foolish course, keep it discreet. That
way when it’s over there will be no scandal.”

“There will be no
when
, uncle,”
Kai leaned over and told him in a voice that he’d seldom used with anyone. “You
might as well get used to the fact that I’ve found someone who makes me happy
and I plan to keep her.”

Once he’d been dismissed from his
uncle’s glowering presence, Kai stomped back downstairs to his apartment. It was
a good thing no one was home. He was fuming and if anyone had tried to talk
with him in his state, he would have said things he didn’t mean.

For the first time in his life, Kai felt
rebellious. Who the hell were a bunch of old men who were probably in loveless
unions and screwing around on their wives to tell him, a young man, who he
could chose to love and when? That was when an idea so outrageous, so
completely
not
him that it almost shocked him back to common sense—but
not quite—took over his thoughts and made his fingers commit to the action. If
his uncle or the management company got wind of his plan they would skin him
alive, but for the first time in his life he just didn’t give a damn.

As she climbed into bed Noel forced
herself not to stare at her silent cell phone and tried not to worry. She
hadn’t spoken to Kai at all today. His usual habit since they’d last seen each
other was to call at least three times a day, with sweet or sometimes racy
texts in between. Even though he was half a world away, those calls and texts
and e-mails made the separation bearable. Some of his cute messages caused her
to wear a silly grin on her face all day at work, and made everyone, especially
Rachael, wonder just what the hell was going on.

“I’m fine, really,” she told her friend.
“I just really needed that vacation. Didn’t realize how stressed out I was.”

Rachael nodded with understanding and
grinned back at her. “Getting laid will definitely take the stress off,” she
said with a saucy wink.

Noel giggled as she forced down the
sense of guilt for lying to her best friend. “You have such a filthy mind.”

“I can’t help it, girl. You look like a
woman who’s been well and truly fucked and in a
very
good way.” Oh if
you only knew, thought Noel. I don’t know if you’d be so happy once you knew
who I’d been with. Still, Noel continued her days at work with a smile while
she kept her memories of Kai a secret.

She glanced at the phone again, and then
tried to shake some sense into herself. “Come on, girl. Kai’s a musician. He’s
probably doing band-related stuff and if you want to be with him, you need to
get used to that.”

Just as the spoken thought ended, her
cell phone rang and her heart beat frenetically in her chest. She’d become such
a silly fan girl that Kai’s picture popped up when his number appeared.

“Hello
Jahgi
. Did I wake you?”

Noel’s heart went out to him. There was
such weariness in his voice. “No. I was just getting ready for bed. I hadn’t
heard from you, but I figured you were busy. You sound so tired.”

“I'm fine. It’s just been a long day,
but definitely worth it. Do you miss me
, Jahgi
?”

She chuckled mischievously. “Not at all,
you egomaniac.”

“Liar,” he growled. “Still want to see
me?”

“Of course I do, but you’re in Korea.
It’d take me a long time to get there right now.”

“You don’t have to. Come to your front
door.”

“What?” Noel squeaked as she leapt off
the bed, her feet barely touching the floor. She rushed through her apartment,
stubbing her toe on the side table before she reached the door. Once there she
practically yanked the thing off its hinges. “Oh my god,
Kai
? But how?
When
?”

He stood there with a duffle bag in
hand, dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans. Before she could ask any further
questions, he snatched her up in an embrace that made breathing well-nigh
impossible, but breathing became secondary. Somewhere she heard the duffle hit
the floor with a thud.

“No more talking, Noel,” he groaned
thickly into her hair. “Bed. You. Me. Now.”

He kicked the door closed then his mouth
sought hers.

Kai’s rational mind shut down. In its
place was pure, primal lust. The moment Noel opened that door dressed in
something that might have been a t-shirt, it had to come off right that minute.
He ripped the material away from the body he’d been craving for weeks and
tossed it somewhere behind him.

Having her once again on a bed, he
hovered over her and caressed her lips with his tongue, lightly nipped at her
quivering bottom lip.

“Kai,” she breathed hotly against his
ear. “But
how
?”

“Later Noel,” he said, groaning against
the sweet smell of her skin. “I need you so bad,
Jahgi
. I want to fuck
you until we both scream.”

He heard her gasp. He’d never used such
crude words before, but his need was too great and from the way her thighs
opened and wrapped around his waist, she felt the same way.

Cupping one breast in the palm of his
hand, he strummed her nipple with the pad of his thumb until she moaned and
arched into the caress. He lowered his head and took the distended nipple into
his mouth sucking it gently before switching sides to give the other equal
attention. Her fingers buried themselves into his hair, a silent plea to give
her more and he was willing to comply as he slowly rained hungry kisses down
her body.

“Open for me
Jahgi
,” he
whispered, his voice strained with desire. “Let me taste you.”

Spread out before him like a feast for
the senses, Kai swooped in like a bird of prey, licked, sucked and lapped at
her musky sweetness. His cock throbbed painfully, wanted to be sheathed so deep
inside of her, yet the taste of her under his questing tongue intoxicated him.
The sounds she made, the way she writhed against him, how he’d missed this. No
fantasy, no matter how elaborate, could replace the feel of Noel in his arms.

When he slid two fingers inside of her
tight heat, he almost came right then and there. Her muscles gripped him
tightly while she danced on his hand. Kai’s lust-filled gaze stole a quick
glance upwards, Noel’s sweat-sheened body, so alluring in the dim light of the
bedside lamp as she begged, sobbed and shook with need.

“Please Kai,” she wailed. “Please…”

“Not yet,
Jahgi
,” Kai whispered
into her silken folds. “I want to make you come. I want to taste you coming.”
He feasted on her and in her, having been starved of her for far too long. He
was desperate to feed her orgasm, to feel her orgasm, to make her scream his
name out loud. Long fingers plunged in and out as Noel rocked against his
mouth.

When she came, her walls squeezed his fingers
so hard but he continued working her into a feverish frenzy as she practically
shot off the bed, crying his name into the night. Her body still rippling with
aftershocks, he reached down to his jeans pocket and pulled out a condom. There
were more in his duffle, but he had no intention of leaving her bed—at least
not quite yet.

Kai slid his body upwards to fill her
mouth with his tongue, kissing her with a savagery that he could not contain
and had no intention to. On the plane flight, he’d had hours to plan his gentle
seduction. Now, there was no gentleness in him.

“On your hands and knees, Noel,” he
demanded urgently while he unrolled the condom over his cock. “Let me have you
now.”

Sanity fled once she was in position,
her ass high and tempting. When she craned her head to shoot him a look filled
with sheer wantonness, Kai wasted no time before he thrust deeply into her.

When Noel thrust her hips back, Kai knew
he’d found heaven. He slammed hard into her and soon they were locked in the age-old
dance of desire as her body milked him. He felt her grip him even tighter than
she had before as he gave her everything he’d kept inside for far too long as
he leaned over her arched back to nip and bite at her neck. He whispered sexy,
dirty things in her ear in both Korean and English.

“Fuck
Jahgi
, you feel so good,”
he groaned as his fingers slid down to stroke her still sensitive clit in time
to his thrusts. “Come for me baby. Come for me hard…”

He rode her hard and fast, his cock tingled
at its base, signaling his own release. They screamed as orgasm slammed them
both with the force of a tidal wave. He pumped until he was out of energy,
pulling her to him until not even a hint of space was between them. Finally
spent he collapsed bonelessly at her side, rolling her body with him until he
could hold her in his arms.