“Never before now. But this one”—his finger followed the white lines—“threw me off.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s nearly identical to the Japanese symbol for a rogue samurai warrior.”
“Seriously?” Amery glanced down at it. “I’d think it was weird that you knew that, but given your background . . .”
Ronin placed his fingers beneath her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Do you know what word is the English translation for a rogue samurai warrior? A samurai without a master?”
The intensity in his eyes caused her heart to skip a beat. “No. What?”
He paused and said, “Ronin.” Then he angled his head to place his lips on the scar. “You have my name etched on your skin, Amery. I considered that a sign.” His eyes met hers again. “Wouldn’t you?”
The room spun. She didn’t trust herself to open her mouth, so she rested her head on his leg.
He silently stroked her hair.
Finally she said, “I know we need to talk some more, but I’d really like to wrap myself around you for a little while.”
“Here on the couch or up on the roof?”
Amery lifted her face and looked at him. “What about your bedroom?”
Those golden eyes gleamed. “I have willpower, but not that much after a week without you. I can’t promise to keep my hands to myself.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
Without a word Ronin scooped her into his arms and carried her into his bedroom.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THEY stripped down to their underwear and crawled beneath the cool sheets. Entwined together with Ronin in the dark, Amery suspected nature would take its course. And it did, just not in the way she imagined. They fell asleep.
She woke up disoriented and peeked over Ronin’s shoulder to check the time on the alarm clock. Seven a.m. Wow. Neither of them had stirred all night.
Ronin murmured, “Where you going?”
“Nowhere.” She snuggled back into him and closed her eyes.
But now that she’d awakened him, he trailed his fingers up and down her spine. “Guess we both needed rest.” He kissed the top of her head. “I didn’t sleep worth a damn last week.”
“Because you missed me?”
“Could be. Or could be the extra hours working out. Or a combination. How about you?”
“I slept like a baby.”
He made a displeased noise and quickly pinned her arms to her sides. “Is that so?”
“Yes, because babies wake up several times in the night and need comforting. Or food. Since I didn’t have anyone around to comfort me, I cracked a pint of Häagen-Dazs at two a.m.”
“You wallowed in sugar; I wallowed in pain. Why exactly was it we weren’t wallowing together?”
“Oh, a little thing about you neglecting to show me your ropes before you tied me up in them.”
His arms tightened around her. “What now? I’ve got you locked down. Without ropes.”
“Well, I have a weird question we didn’t talk about last night.”
“Which is?”
“Does it always have to be kinky between us?”
Ronin rolled her to face him. “What do you mean?”
She tried not to fidget under his sharp stare. “Will you need to tie me up every time in order to get off?”
His eyes narrowed.
“Oh, don’t try and scare me with that sensei glare.”
“I haven’t even begun to scare you.”
“I’m serious, Ronin.”
“So am I.”
Somehow Amery got the drop on him and was striding into the living room before he could grab her.
He spun her around. “What the hell? You just walk away in the middle of a conversation?”
“I asked you a question and you hedged. Normally that’s not a big deal because you do it all the freakin’ time. Last night I listened to you and I have a better grasp on this part of you. So I deserve a straight answer on whether we can ever have sex without the bondage stuff.”
Ronin stared at her so long she geared herself up for another non-answer. But he curled his hand around her face. “It doesn’t always have to be that way. And you must be aware of that, since it hasn’t always been that way between us.”
“Bondage of some sort has played a role in most of our sexual encounters.”
“I suppose maybe it has.” This being Ronin, he didn’t offer an explanation or an excuse for it. He jerked her body against his. “Understand one thing. I don’t always need ropes or ties, but I am always in charge. That’s one thing that won’t ever change. And I intend to prove it every chance I get.”
That declaration in his sleep-roughened voice made her tingle everywhere.
“You got that?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.” He stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Lose the bra.”
Amery unhooked it and tossed it aside.
“And the panties.”
She shimmied the black silk down her legs. Completely bared to him, she wondered what sexual treat he had planned first thing.
“Now let’s have some breakfast.”
“But I’m naked!”
“So you are. Looks like I’ll be frying the bacon.”
“Ronin.” She placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. “Aren’t you supposed to be proving that you don’t need kink all the time?”
“That only applies to the sexual side of our relationship. Besides, eating breakfast in the buff isn’t kinky.”
“It is for me!”
“You’ll get used to it.” Then he sauntered into the kitchen.
• • •
TWO hours later they were lounging by the pool.
Ronin said, “What would you like to do today?”
Amery cracked a lid open. “Besides this? Nothing.”
“Nothing? Not one thing?”
“We could roll around in your big bed. Get ourselves hot, sweaty, and sticky and then jump back into the pool.”
“You have a thing for my pool.”
“No, I have a thing for you. The pool is just a bonus.” She looked at him over the top of her sunglasses. “You up for a tumble?”
“Actually I wanted to talk to you about that.” Ronin reached for her hand. “Since you’ve agreed to let me bind you, I’d like the first time to be a little more formal.”
Her belly made a slow roll. “Can you explain that?”