Justice at Delphi - The Fall of Sibyl

Chapter 37

It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.

-Leon C. Megginson

Warm lips pressed soft kisses against her pliant mouth. Akane sighed in contentment, curling into the gentle embrace. Slowly, her sleepy eyes opened to see Kogami. Her heart raced in her chest at the sight of his loving eyes. She missed this. She missed waking up next to him. She missed these moments of intimacy when it was just the two of them and the rest of the world ceased to matter. She wished she could stay in this world of rumpled sheets and sweet kisses forever.

"Morning, inspector." Kogami's husky voice tugged at her heart.

Wanting to stave off the inevitable for just a while longer, Akane leaned forward capturing Kogami's lips in an earnest kiss. Kogami had been half-awake when he'd woken her with lazy kisses. Now, he was wide awake. There was something urgent in her kiss that set off an alarm at the back of his mind. An alarm that was abruptly distracted when Akane slid her tongue between his lips. He groaned into her mouth when she slipped her leg between his. 

When she broke the kiss, he looked down at her. "Akane --"

"No talking." She pushed him back against the mattress.

"What about your injur--" Kogami began. Akane cut him off with a kiss, straddling his hips. Sitting up, she slowly unzipped the knit windbreaker. She smirked at the way Kogami's eyes went dark. His hands ran up her thighs and rested on her hips. She'd slipped the windbreaker from her shoulders when her doorbell suddenly pealed shattering the moment. 

They froze, eyes darting to the living room. "Wait here." She whispered, sliding off Kogami. Zipping the windbreaker, Akane padded into the living room to activate the intercom.

"Mom?!" Akane exclaimed, dumbfounded. 

"Akane, honey! I wanted to stop by before you went to work." Her mother waved her hand cheerfully.

Akane darted a frantic glance to her bedroom. Kogami stood in her doorway looking equally surprised. 

"Akane? Is there something wrong?"

"Uh...no! Just a second. Be right there!" Akane shooed Kogami back into her bedroom and closed the door. Straightening her hair as best she could, Akane offered a silent prayer that her mother didn't look too closely at her. The last thing she wanted was another lecture about how dangerous her job was and how she needed to settle down and get married.

Taking a deep breath, Akane opened the door and forced a smile. "Hi mom!"

"I know this is short notice, but I had to tell you in person." Her mother swept into her apartment, eyes quickly scanning the room. Akane couldn't remember if Kogami had left his jacket in her room or on the couch. If he'd left anything out, her mother was sure to find it. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to meet Kogami under these circumstances.

Akane casually stepped in her eyeline, blocking the closed bedroom door. "So what's the news?" She tried to corral her nerves with a broad smile.

Her mother's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure there isn't something wrong?"

"What? No! Why would anything be wrong?" Akane answered, her heart racing in her chest. She'd always found it difficult to lie to her mother. She had a way of sifting for the truth whether Akane wanted her to or not. 

Her mother folded her arms over her chest. "I don't know. You tell me. You seem...jumpy."

Akane laughed nervously. "I'm not jumpy. Would you like some coffee?"