Branded (10 page)

“This is the living room and dining
room, with the kitchen through the door. The two bedrooms are on
either side of the hall and a bathroom at the end.” Ted turned
around and pointed out the various places, but tried not to face
Sakura. There was no way he’d scare her off already by pointing a
hard-on at her before she even had a chance to get
settled.

When she didn’t say anything, he
looked over his shoulder to check on her and found her eyes tracing
his body.

The heat he found in her brown eyes
strengthened his need to touch her even further. The pull was
strong and had him facing her, ready for whatever she wanted. There
was no flinch, but an almost laugh when her gaze landed on what
he’d tried to hide.

“Yeah, you do that to me,” he
confided with a smile and took a step closer. “When you were in
Japan, it was your soft sexy voice and my imagination of what you
looked like making me hard. In person my attraction to you is much
more powerful.”

Sakura moved close enough to put
her hand on his chest and his heart beat faster.

“It’s the same for me,” she
murmured and took the last step which brought her a cat’s whisker
from his body. His cock pushed against her flat belly. There was no
question he got off seeing her lips open and hearing a gasp escape.
While his body wanted to take what she might be offering, Ted
wasn’t making any moves.

There were too many open ended
questions needing answers first. They could fuck for days, no,
decades if he had his way.

It wasn’t easy to keep his distance
from her and put his hands on her hips in a bid to keep her from
walking away. They’d talked business, flirted and joked for months,
and she felt right in his arms. His hands fit naturally on her
body. The heel of his hands rested over her hip bones, and his
fingers struggled not to squeeze her ass. Even though his hold on
her was light and hopefully not threatening, he already knew it
would be difficult to let her go.

Looking away from her red lips, he
was once again drawn further into her desire when their eyes
connected. Would it be bad if he leaned down and gently pressed his
lips to hers? He’d already kissed her in the diner and nothing bad
had happened. He promised himself to take things no further if she
didn’t pull away. Besides, one kiss would be enough, at least for
the moment.

“Sakura,” he whispered and meant to
ask for a kiss. He leaned down for one, but was suddenly stopped a
whisper from their lips touching.

“Told you my brother would want you
the second he laid eyes on you,” Matt said as he walked into the
living room.

Ted experienced no jealousy,
knowing the woman standing comfortably in his arms had once spent
an evening of fantasy-filled passion with his brother. Growing up,
they’d liked the same things when it came to women. There weren’t
many around, so sharing hadn’t been a big deal to them, not then
and not now.

Immediately picturing the woman
currently melting in his arms dressed as a geisha had his dick
hardening even further. She glanced up at him and her lips parted,
looking almost as if she were ready for more. He hoped they could
talk her into staying on for a satisfying life behind the kinky
white picket fence he and his brother wanted.

With his hands holding her hips,
Ted reminded himself of the changes happening around them and knew
they were all the right ones for them. They were moving the Big W
Ranch into the future by sending their beef to Japan with the help
of Sakura. Her being in their home meant their private lives were
looking good.

“Welcome to America, Sakura,” Ted
whispered in her ear before he dropped a kiss and gentle nibble on
her neck. His splayed hand gently squeezed her ass cheek and was
joined by his brother’s over the other. Dropping another kiss on
her neck, he smiled at his brother when she gasped, and then he
left.

There was work to finish before
they could fully implement the program Sakura brought to ensure
they complied with Japanese import rules.

* * * *

Matt took Sakura in his arms,
pulled her close, and kissed her with unfulfilled passion raging
through him. He was thrilled his geisha girl was in his arms
again.

They’d worked together, closely,
for over a month and he’d been beyond infatuated from day one. It
hadn’t taken long before he’d wanted her more than he’d ever
desired another woman, only it hadn’t been possible. Not if he’d
wanted to keep a good working relationship with her father and
Nakamura Enterprises.

However, the woman in his arms,
smelling like sunshine and fresh air, was beautiful and
intelligent. She’d twisted things around and he’d left Japan having
satisfied a long-held fantasy involving her as a geisha, although
he hadn’t known the latter part until he’d returned
home.

He would be forever thankful life
had taken what could have been the worst mistake he’d ever made and
brought the woman herself into their home. All they had to do was
show her how living with them on the Big W Ranch was exactly what
she wanted. There was no room for error. If they were to have her
in their lives, then they had to leave the decision up to
her.

It was one of the hardest things
he’d ever had to do, but wanting more helped him slowly pull his
mouth away from her delicious lips. Pressing his forehead to hers,
he told her what was on the tip of his tongue.

“I’m glad you came to Montana,
Sakura.” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and told
her what had been on his mind for months. “You were a sexy geisha
and are an even more stunning business woman.”

“There was a great deal I didn’t
know about when it came to being a geisha. I enjoyed the ritual of
dressing and acting as one for you.” She wrapped her arms around
his waist and held on tightly.

Her delightful nipples were firm
and poked his chest. As they prodded him, Matt remembered what
she’d done to them for their intimate time together in Japan and
he’d found it enticing. Hopefully he would experience the excitable
fleshy tips again, but not yet. He didn’t want to push her into
anything she wasn’t ready for.

Stepping back slightly, he was
about to let her know nothing was going to happen but was stopped
by the arrival of Jon and Molly.

“Oh, Sakura, isn’t the Big W big?
And this house, it’s adorable. The roses out front remind me of my
grandmother’s. They’re fragrant and the colors are vibrant. Simply
lovely.”

Matt had met Molly while working in
Japan, liked her, and found it interesting how her English accent
was suddenly stronger than he remembered. Maybe it was her thinking
about home bringing it out. Whatever it was, he found it
cute.

Looking at her more closely, he
noticed her blush, bright eyes, and overall happiness. He’d never
seen her look like that in Japan. It was her laughter at one of
Jon’s quiet comments which had her opening his eyes to the fact she
might fancy the man.

Standing beside Sakura, he bent
down and whispered his discovery to her as the other couple
wandered around the small house.

“I think your friend is smitten
with Jon.”

“He seems nice and quiet, I’m sure
he wouldn’t harm a fly,” she responded in kind.

Matt hadn’t signed up to be a
Marine, nor was he sent into war with Ted and Jon. They’d talked
enough about it for him to know both men were capable of much
worse, but not with a woman. Never.

“I’ve known the guy since our
school days. He’s a good man and a catch for the right woman.” The
couple was headed back toward them and he had a second to give her
a warning of sorts. “Fair warning for Molly, the right woman would
need to be into some serious kink.”

“What?” She looked at him with
startled eyes right as Molly stopped in front of them.

“Pinch me, Sakura. We’re on a
Montana ranch in the United States of America with gorgeous cowboys
everywhere. Life doesn’t get any better.”

Within five seconds of silence, the
two ladies hugged each other and burst into laughter. He wasn’t
sure what was funny, but it didn’t matter. He liked watching them
let loose and have fun. At a sound by the door, he looked over and
realized their bags had been brought in by Ted and Jon.

“Okay, ladies, we’ll leave you two
to get settled in and will see you at the main house for dinner.”
He, his brother, and Jon walked out and made their way to the
barn.

“Interested?” Normally Matt
wouldn’t ask about Jon’s sex life, but he was curious.

“Yup, those blue eyes blinked up at
me, and I was roped, tied, and caught,” the man
muttered.

Snickering, he looked at his friend
and found a rare smile, teeth and all, and laughed as he slapped
the other man on the back.

“The next few months are going to
be fun for all of us. Keep it safe, sane, and consensual, my
friend.”

“It’s weird, but I’m not even
thinking of strapping her down in my teepee. I want her at my side
and to make her happy.”

“Welcome to the club.” They walked
into the barn to find out what still needed doing to get the Big W
ready for change.

“Are you ready?” Sakura slipped
into Molly’s room and checked to see how far along her friend was
in getting dressed. With two men waiting for her, she would’ve
expected to be the one who changed a multitude of times, not the
other way around. However, it was her friend who fussed. Of course,
she knew why. The foreman, Jon Black, caught Molly’s
attention.

All through lunch at the diner, her
friend hadn’t been able to look away from the man and he hadn’t hid
his pleasure from being with her, either. Neither one of them had
offered much to the conversation. Nor had it seemed as if they’d
spoken much to each other, but there’d been many deep glances
passing between them.

She was sure whatever they shared
was mutual. When they had some free time to themselves, Sakura
would ask her friend for details.

“Yes, I’m ready. Come on, let’s go.
You know I don’t like being late.” Molly picked up a cardigan
sweater and put it on as they left the house.

The main house wasn’t far away. It
sat on a slight rise, surrounded by large trees. They followed a
simple brick path running through the trees toward the main
house.

From what she could see of the
exterior of the main house, they’d created an excellent mixture of
traditional and modern elements. They’d made the house fit even
better within its natural surroundings, which was quite a
feat.

The structure looked old in style
with an element of romance coming from the deep, wrap-around porch.
It was a symmetrical building, and in the center was a large,
carved wood front door painted red. The brightness was eye catching
and oddly sat well with the tan and white wood cladding and large
stone chimney.

“Isn’t it beautiful here? I wasn’t
expecting such intensity of color and light, and the air is crisp
and clean.” Sakura shared her awe of where they’d found themselves
after days of driving. They were a long way from Japan in landscape
and culture, but she was drawn to her surroundings.

“None of the travel books we
brought with us do the state justice. I’m not a camping type of
person, but I bet spending nights beneath the stars would be an
incredible experience.”

“I read somewhere Montana is called
the Place of Big Sky or something like that, and they were right.
Everything appeared clear and bright while the sun was shining, and
even now at dusk it’s beautiful. I can’t wait to see it when the
moon and stars are spread across the darkness.” She wasn’t into
stargazing, although it may be because back home there wasn’t much
to see. Maybe there was out in the rural areas, but not
Osaka.

As they started up the stairs
leading to the porch, the front door opened and Matt met them with
a grin.

“Good evening, ladies. You settle
in all right?”

Sakura took what he said as genuine
politeness. The hug and kiss he gave her ensured she knew she
mattered more to him than as a mere friend.

“Montana, the Big W, it’s all
incredibly inspiring and big, really big. We were excited about the
adventure and it’s much more than either of us imagined.” She put
her hand on his shoulder in a bid to get closer to him as he
further tightened his arms around her and held her close. Right
then, being held in his arms was where she wanted to be
most.

“You two have done what many
Americans never get a chance to do, drive around and see their
country up close. The land around here is beautiful and hardly
developed compared to other sections of the country. It should give
you a good glimpse of something different from what you’ve seen
already.”

He waved them on ahead. “Go on
inside. To the left is the living room where we’re relaxing with a
drink before dinner. What would you two like? We have everything,
including but not limited to water, soda, wine or beer.”

“I’ll have some water,” Sakura
requested with a smile. Even though he hadn’t touched her
intimately, seeing him made her feel good. The brief touch
confirmed yet again that she’d made the right decision in coming to
the U.S. They made their way to the others and felt at
ease.