Three Hard Lessons (Blindfold Club 2)

I’d just made it to the doorway when he reappeared, dressed in dark jeans and a casual, patterned button down shirt. “Ready?”

He didn’t wait for me to answer. Instead he guided me to the door, barely giving me a chance to put on my shoes and grab my jacket and purse. How the hell did he get changed so fast?

“Where’s the fire?” I demanded when he all but shoved me into the hall.

The question was ignored. He locked the door and let out a tremendous sigh. Like relief. “That was close.”

“What is your deal?”

A hand was warm on my hip, pressing me toward the elevator. “We had to get out of there before we had sex.”

“What?” He had me spinning. “You don’t want that?”

The blue eyes glared at me like I was the idiot in this situation. “Are you kidding? Of course I want that. I’ve been thinking about it all damn day, but I can at least buy you dinner first.”

I’ve been thinking about it all damn day. This was bad. The warning alarms sounding in my head quieted to nothing when he tugged me into the awaiting elevator and crushed his lips to mine.

“Where are we going?” I asked when we boarded the train. He’d hurried me through the streets back to the station we’d come from yesterday.

“There’s a restaurant near the Shibuya crossing.”

We had to stand since the car was already full. Dominic reached up and grabbed one of the hanging straps from the ceiling, and put a firm arm around my waist. My breath caught in my throat. Once again, I shouldn’t, but I liked this. He’d done it for safety so I wouldn’t lose my balance if the train jerked, but I couldn’t help but like the display. As if I were his. I softened and my arms naturally encircled him.

Shibuya. The name was familiar. “I think that’s on my list.”

“What list?” His voice was hushed and uneven. Maybe in reaction to what I’d done.

“All the stuff I’m going to see. I brought it along because I wanted to get your opinion.”

We looked like a couple. The other people gave us absolutely zero percent of their attention. Like in Chicago, the train was a cross-section of the different subcultures of the city. A white-collar salaryman in a finely tailored suit rode beside a younger man in a brightly patterned hoodie whose hair was spiked and slanted to the side in a wild style. And behind them, two teenage girls in school uniforms. We were the only Westerners on the train. The only Gaijin.

I watched the urban landscape whiz past the window at a crazy velocity.

“It’s so quiet,” I whispered. Not just the car, but the train itself. I was used to the rumble and clank of the L and its screeching brakes. Not this train. Only a faint hum was noticeable.

A smile warmed his eyes. “They know how to do public transit here. One morning I’ll make you ride the train during rush hour. That’s an experience.”

My first traditional meal in Tokyo was amazing. Like shopping in the konbini, I enjoyed every minute. Taking off my shoes at the door and walking across the tan, woven tatami mats. Sitting on the floor at the low table surrounded by paper sliding doors. The green tea. The food.

And of course, the man across from me who ate with chopsticks like he’d used them his whole damn life. He didn’t judge me for not having the faintest clue how to use them. He helped. Maybe it was nice for him to not feel like the biggest foreigner in the room for once, but I think he got a kick out of watching my pleasant reaction to everything. I kind of loved all of this.

For the first time since my sophomore year of college, conversation with the opposite sex wasn’t so hard. I don’t know if it was Dominic, or the sake, or a combination of both. We chatted about our day after he’d ordered for us. Japanese coming out of his mouth was still bizarre, but interesting.

We went over my list, and he made comments about a few, like “crowded, but worth it,” or “tourist trap.” There were some he hadn’t done yet, and seemed thrilled when I asked if he wanted to go together. I decided I was done worrying about him getting attached. I’d deal with it later if it happened.

“I expected you to balk,” he announced, a grin teasing his lips. “That was pretty far out of the comfort range of American cuisine.”

I gave a soft laugh as I surveyed the mostly empty bowls before me. It had been fish with the head on, rice, and something that looked like seaweed, and it had all been delicious. I gave a sly and seductive smile. “You haven’t figured out yet that I’m the adventurous type?”

His eyes hazed with lust. “No, your list the night we met made that clear.” He downed the last of his sake like it would give him courage. “About that, I was wondering . . .”

My pulse ticked up a notch. “Was there something on there that interests you?”

Just below his cheekbones, the skin flushed a subtle pink. “Yeah. First column, uh, third one down.”

“Sorry, I don’t remember which one that was.” Total lie. I knew exactly what it was, but he was way too cute when he was like this.

“Let’s just say it rhymes with schmay-nal.”