Chapter 8 

 

A few days later, Yuri was praying that at some point, her life would resumed a sense of normalcy. She hadn't talked to Yunho since he called and she wondered if she had hurt his feelings from what she said. That or the fact that he had been extremely busy with worked lately but during the next 8 days Yuri spent some free time with Kyungseok. She always enjoyed this carefree, happy-go-lucky side of her son and it had been a long time since she had seen it and couldn't helped but count her blessings now. 

 

Her and Kyungseok returned home from one of their outings rather late on Wednesday night and were sitting at the kitchen table, eating a late night snack. 

 

"Mom, can I asked you something?" 

 

"Sure honey, you can asked me anything." 

 

"Why don't you have a boyfriend?" 

 

Yuri's hand went still from raising the spoon towards . You can asked me anything but that, she wanted to say but decided it was a good question. If only she could give her son what she felt was a good answered. She decided to go for the truth but only after she found out why Kyungseok wanted to know. 

 

"Why do you asked?" 

 

"Just out of curiosity." 

 

"I have been too busy to have a boyfriend." She said honestly, "Running the shop takes up a lot of my time." 

 

"But even before we moved here and when I was a little kid, you never went out on a date or anything." 

 

Yuri lifted an eyebrow, "And that bothered you?" 

 

"I really never thought about it until recently." 

 

"And why recently?" 

 

"Because now I know how it feels to care for someone and I think it's sad that you never cared for anyone before. It doesn't seem right." 

 

"Kyungseok, it's ok. Some things aren't just automatic. Another reason I never went out was because I'm a very selective person." 

 

"Nitpicky?" 

 

Yuri laughed, "Yeah, nitpicky. Only a certain type of man appeals to me." 

 

"Really and what kind is that mom?" 

 

She immediately thought of Yunho and forced him from her mind, "First and foremost, he has to be willing to be a good father to you. Then he has to treat us both good, looked good, be health-conscious, fun to be around, be someone I can always depend on even during my darkest hour and someone who loves me unconditionally." "Unconditionally?" 

 

"Yes. Someone who would love me no matter what and who would take me as I am, the good, the bad and the ugly." 

 

Kyungseok smiled, "You know that's funny." 

 

"What is honey?" 

 

"Yeonhee said she recently asked her dad why he never remarried and it seems that he's nitpicky, too." 

 

"Really?" 

 

"Yeah, and he gave almost the same answered as you did." Kyungseok chuckled, "Man, adults sure are weird." "Weird how?" 

 

Kyungseok gave his mother a beaming smile, "If all of you are looking for the same thing in a person then why is it so hard to find someone?" 

 

Before Yuri could answered her son's question, not that she thought she had an answered anyway, the phone rang. Kyungseok quickly picked it up, "Hello?" 

 

Yuri watched her son's dark eyebrows lift curiously, "I'm fine and yeah, she's right here. Just a moment." 

 

He then stared at her with bright, penetrating eyes and said, "It's for you and it's Mr. Jung. Wondered why he's calling here so late." 

 

Yuri took the phone her son handed her, "Must be something important that can't wait until tomorrow." She said, trying to keep her voice neutral but feeling she had failed miserably. She hope Kyungseok hadn't picked up on anything. 

 

"Well anyway, it's getting late and I have school tomorrow so I'm going to bed. Night mom." 

 

"Good night sweetheart." With quiet gravity, Yuri watched him leave the kitchen. It was only then that she turned her attention back to the phone and the man waiting on the line to talked to her, "Hello?" 

 

"Sorry about that Yuri. I assumed Kyungseok would be in bed by now." 

 

"Usually he is but that's ok. We spent some time together downtown and we just got back a little over an hour ago." 

 

"Must have been some outing." 

 

Yuri smiled, "Trust me, it was." She didn't want to sound too excited but she was glad to hear his voice, "How are things going?" 

 

"Busy. I had to catch an early flight out Monday morning to attend one of these annual meetings where CEO's of various corporations get together and worked on something we all need to improved within our companies. Usually, my father or brother attends these meetings but they both felt I needed to go this year." 

 

"Oh, I see." 

 

"But I didn't called to talked about that. I wanted to see how you and Kyungseok were doing." 

 

"We are fine. I know Kyungseok talks to Yeonhee every day but I'm a little concerned about something." 

 

"What?" 

 

"Although I told Yeonhee on Sunday that it would be ok if she wanted to visit Kyungseok for a few hours after school on occasion, she hasn't done so." 

 

"Even with dance practice, I'm surprised she hasn't jumped at the chance at least once. Does Kyungseok seem bothered by it?" 

 

"No, and I know for a fact that they aren't mad at each other." Yuri sighed. Maybe things were different with teenagers these days. She and Eunhyuk had practically tried living out of each other's pocket. It had gotten so bad that he became a regular fixture around her parents' house although they had wished otherwise. 

 

"Maybe I'm assuming too much here Yunho Oppa but I thought with them being so 'madly in love' that once I gave the go-ahead for supervised visits that Yeonhee would become a constant visitor." 

 

"That's strange because I know that I would." 

 

"You would what?" 

 

"Become a constant visitor if you ever gave me the go-ahead." 

 

Yunho's voice was hardly more than a whispered but she heard the underlying meaning loud and clear. Her breath hung in for a brief second and then she took in a deep, calming inhale which was followed by a series of flutters in her stomach. 

 

"Yuri?" 

 

"Yes?" She was glad to say anything, even that one single word, to assured her that her vocal cords were still working and they hadn't drowned in all those sensations overtaking her. 

 

"Can you do a favor for me?" He asked. 

 

"Sure." She said, with a small shrug, certain he wouldn't asked her to do anything indecent or immoral. She hope, "Can you picked me up from the airport tomorrow around noon?" 

 

Surprised flickered in the depths of her dark brown eyes, "You want me to picked you up?" 

 

"Yes, my car is at the dealership getting serviced while I'm away. I can always catch a cab or get my friend to picked me up but I would like for you to, if it won't be a problem." 

 

"No, it won't be a problem but can I asked you something?" 

 

"Yes." 

 

"Why do you want me to do it?" 

 

"You will find out when I see you." 

 

The sound of his voice held promises she wasn't sure she wanted him to keep. She had been having a lot of mixed emotions since meeting him. A part of her knew that getting involved with him wasn't a good idea but then another part of her, the one that lately was constantly reminding her that she was a woman with needs was egging her on to enjoy what he was offering, at least within reason. 

 

"Alright. Would you like to give me your flight information now?" For the next minute or so, she wrote down the information that he gave her. 

 

"Well, I will let you go now. I'm sure you are pretty tired from the day you had." 

 

"Yes, and I appreciate you calling." 

 

"It's no problem. I just hope my doing so hasn't raised Kyungseok's suspicions. I know how much you don't want the kids to think anything is going on between us." 

 

"No, I don't think your called did that." 

 

"Alright then. See you tomorrow. Good night." And with that, he hung up. 

 

Yunho settled back in the bed after placing the phone back in the cradle. He hadn't been able to concentrate on his tripped all week because Yuri was on his mind. Hell, for the last couple of nights, he hadn't been able to sleep a wink. It had been during someone's speech that day when he had suddenly came to the realization that it was a waste of time trying to fool himself any longer and that things for him had moved past him, trying to get to know Yuri better. The truth of the matter was that he knew all he wanted to know. His heart had decided. He had fallen in love with her. 

 

How such a thing was possible, he wasn't sure, especially when the woman had been sending out conflicting signals since the day they met. She was attracted to him, although she was determined to fight the attraction every stepped of the way. Her independence, while a turn-on, had ironically become a major obstacle to the relationship. That meant he needed to probe deeper and somehow break through her defenses. He also needed to take one day at a time and wipe away the years of hurt and pain she had endured and prove that with him, there would only be happier days. Even without her realizing it, she had been doing so, for the past couple of weeks she had been extracting an unusual type of strength from him. 

 

A strength of will. 

 

He had been fighting an intense longing, a deep-rooted desire for her since that day he had walked into her shop. After Tiffany died, he had actually thought that he could never love another woman again, and even with the affairs he had indulged in over the years, he had never allowed his emotions to go any deeper than affection or desire. Yet, here he had fallen hard for a woman whom he had never actually taken out on a real date, had never slept with and had never really spent more than a few hours with a given time and today, he had accepted the fact that he had fallen in love and he knew he had his worked cut out for him. 

 

There was more than gentle pride in every bone in Yuri's body. He knew just from the time he had spent with her that she could be stubborn, willful and defiant. That was all well and good if she was dealing with any other man than him but he refused to wait around for her to strengthened her courage to take a chance and fall in love again, this time with a man who wouldn't let her down. He still wouldn't rushed her into doing anything but he defiantly planned to show her how good things could be between them. He planned to jar her emotions, jump-start her heart and make her stare the truth in the face. 

 

The next day at noon, Yuri was at the Gimpo international airport, waiting for Yunho to arrived. When his flight number was announced, she turned and glued her eyes on the gate. Evidently, he traveled in first class because it didn't take long for him to exit the jetway. He was dressed in a alfani red traveler light grey solid slim-fit suit and his stride was long and confident as he passes through the gate. There appeared to be an aura of power and authority surrounding him. Jung Yunho was one dynamic, compelling and forceful man. 

 

He looked so dependable like the kind of man at whose feet a woman could leave her worries knowing he would take care of them and she wouldn't ever have to carry them on her shoulders again. He also looked like the kind of man who could drive a woman crazy with desire. She could definitely attest to that. 

 

Her breath caught the moment their gazes met and she felt that immediate quivered of anticipation in her middle. He was going to kissed her. Somehow, she knew and heaven helped her but she wanted that kissed more than anything. She watched his long, elegant stride eating the distance separating them and with each stepped he made, a delicious heat inched its way through her veins, making her blood hot and leaving her wondering, not for the first time, how this particular man could affect her so. He was the type of man that fantasies were built on and who made realities even more poignant and with every stepped he took towards her, he was making anticipation that much sweeter. When Yunho was within 3 feet from her, she saw the undisguised longing on his face. Yuri could actually feel his desperation. There was a lot she didn't understand but at that moment, the one thing she did accept was that in less than a minute, now more like a few second, she was going to be kissed senseless. 

 

All the while he had been walking towards Yuri, the one thought that kept churning in Yunho's mind was that she was the woman he wanted and needed in his life. She was the woman he loved. Other than his mother, he had never kissed a woman at the airport but that thought was pushed to the back of his mind when he pulled Yuri into his arms and captured her pink lips with his and as their lips engaged in one hell of a lockdown, he wished she could feel all the emotions flowing through him at that very moment. 

 

Knowing he had to get a gripped before the kissed really turned raw and primitive, he reluctantly pulled back but kept his arms around her waist, refusing to let her go anywhere, "Now, that was worth coming back to." He whispered softly. 

 

Yuri struggled for breath and then noted they had become the center of attention, "We have cause a scene." 

 

He smiled, "Yes, but some scenes are worth causing." 

 

She looked up at him, "Is this what you had in mind when you asked me to picked you up last night?" 

 

He reached out and caressed her cheek, "Not entirely but it's definitely a start. Come on. Let's get my luggage so we can get the hell out of here." 

 

Yuri couldn't remembered the last time she had a problem with keeping her eyes on the road while driving but Yunho's presence in her car was interfering with her concentration and wreaking havoc on her senses. After claiming his luggage, they walked out of the terminal to her parked car. Once he had placed his bags in her trunk, his arms had clamped around her waist, pulled her to him and he had sunk his mouth down on hers in another kissed. The moment their lips connected, heat had exploded through her and the heavy bulge of his pressed to her middle had caused her entire body to ache. 

 

"We have got to stopped doing this." She had said, the moment he had released . 

 

"Why?" He whispered hotly, against her moist lips. 

 

"Because it won't lead anywhere. It's a dead end." 

 

His gaze had pinned her with a measured looked, "And what if I told you that I see things differently?" 

 

"Then my response is that you need a new pair of eyes." 

 

"I have very good vision Yuri." He had then strolled to the passenger side of her car and got inside. 

 

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, she took another quick glance over at him. He was sprawled in the seat next to her. His muscular body fit nicely into her seat, although his broad shoulders took up a lot of space. His legs were long and his seat was pushed as far back as it could go to accommodate his height. His head lay back against the headrest and his eyes were closed. Evidently, the tripped had tired him out but not enough to stopped him from engaging in a little mouth exercise with her a couple of times. 

 

"You are tired." Yuri decided to say, when she came to a traffic light, "Are you sure you want me to take you to the dealership to picked up your car instead of taking you home? It might be a good idea for you to go to bed." 

 

He opened his eyes, titled his head and let his gaze fastened on hers, "If you were to take me home and I got into bed, would you get in there with me and keep me company?" He asked, his voice low and y. 

 

She inhaled deeply. Although he had phrased the question in a roundabout way, technically he had just hinted at the possibility of her sleeping with him, "No, I had take you home and put you to bed but I wouldn't get in that bed with you." 

 

He smiled. "Spoilsport." 

 

Yuri chuckled and turned her attention back to the road when the traffic light changed, "I might be all that but it seems I'm the one destined to keep us out of trouble." 

 

"Some trouble I might like." Yunho murmured in a low voice, with exhaustion before closing his eyes again. 

 

"And what if Yeonhee had that same attitude?" 

 

"When she gets to my age, she's welcome to it but while she's underage, I decide what she likes and doesn't like and stopped comparing us to our kids Yuri. Like I told you before, we are adults, they aren't." 

 

"Sorry, I keep forgetting." She said sarcastically. 

 

"It will be best you remembered because the next time you forget, it will cost you." 

 

She lifted an eyebrow, "Cost me what?" 

 

"A kissed. Right then and there even if it's in front of those two kids of ours." 

 

Yuri frowned and took a quick glance at him and saw that his eyes were opened and he was staring at her. His expression was serious, "You wouldn't dare." 

 

"I wouldn't count on that if I were you." 

 

And Yuri was smart enough to know not to. She pulled her car into the dealership, parked it and turned to him, "And just what would doing something like that prove?" 

 

"It would prove that our kids wouldn't have a problem with anything developing between us." 

 

"But I had still have a problem with it. I won't let any man uses me to slake his ual cravings." 

 

In a flash, Yunho snapped the seatbelt off his body before she could get out her next breath he loomed over her. Blatant angered was carved in his features, "This isn't about me slaking any ual cravings Yuri, but you are so out of practice with men that you wouldn't know that, would you? Well, let me tell you something, not about men in general but about this man in particular." He said, pointing to himself, "I won't ever uses you just to slake any craving so don't try making my wanting you as anything sullied or dirty. It's the most natural thing in the world for a man to desire a woman and vice versa. I won't apologize for it. When we do make love Yuri, it will be a mutual thing. You will want it as much as I ing do so don't kid yourself into believing otherwise and when it comes to me, there's something else you need to keep in mind." 

 

"And what's that?" She asked softly. 

 

"When there's something I want, I won't give up until I get it."