Bound (Mastered 1)

“How many people know about this place?”

“Not many. I guard my private space militantly. This is the tallest structure for several blocks. The only people who can see it are flying in the air above us. And even if they pinpoint the location, if they were standing on the street level they’d never find it.”

She tipped her head back, intending to look at the night sky, but Ronin was right there, gazing into her eyes, his face completely unreadable.

“Thank you for sharing this with me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“I’d appreciate that.” Ronin pressed his lips to the pulse point at the base of her throat.

Amery wanted to curl herself into him. Beg him to strip her and take her right here on the sun-warmed cement. But the nice-girls-don’t-do-that voice popped up in her head and took control of her mouth, keeping it firmly closed.

“Would you prefer to sit on the garden side or the pool side?”

“Pool side.”

He kissed the area below her ear. “Pick a spot and I’ll grab your drink.”

She wandered around the pool, choosing a chair with an ottoman. After sinking into the plush cushion, she propped up her feet. A soft breeze drifted over her and she closed her eyes. She heard Ronin wandering around and opened her eyes to see him lighting a candle on the table.

“I feel like I’m in some tropical paradise far from the mountains of Denver, Colorado.” She sipped her drink. “Do you spend much time up here?”

“As much as I can. I swim most mornings. I don’t bring work up here. I keep it . . . pure, for lack of a better term.”

“The sand and rocks portions on the other side . . . part of a Zen garden?”

“On a small scale. It is gratifying and mind clearing to draw images in the sand and attempt to stack rocks. Humbling to witness the resilience in nature’s elements and understand that no matter how much we fight against it, we can’t control it.”

His mind fascinated her; he had such a unique outlook. “I hope you don’t take this question the wrong way, but is a Japanese garden a family tradition?”

Ronin looked at the wall as if he were looking through it. “I never thought about the garden being a household tradition. But there’s been one in every place I lived growing up, even for the few years we lived in the U.S.”

That was the most he’d ever said about his family beyond the basics. “Do my questions bother you?”

Those sharp eyes were on her. “You ask me questions most people don’t, which is probably why I answer them.”

“I wasn’t allowed to ask too many questions growing up, so I made up for it after I escaped to college.”

His thoughtful gaze remained on her as he sipped his drink. “We had that in common.”

Silence lingered between them.

Amery let her head fall back and closed her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so content.

Yet she felt Ronin’s eyes on her, moving across her body with as much power as an actual caress. She knew Ronin wanted her. They were adults; they should feel free to act on those desires. What was the holdup?

“What are you thinking about that’s put that furrow in your brow?”

She didn’t respond immediately.

“Don’t try to craft a plausible lie; I’ll know if you’re telling the truth.”

“How? Ninja mind tricks or something?”

He laughed softly. “No tricks. I can tell by your eyes. You have very expressive eyes, Amery. Your emotions are right there.”

Feeling a little reckless, she opened her eyes and leaned closer to him. “So tell me what I’m feeling, Ronin.”

He reached out and ran his knuckles down the side of her face, his gaze locked on hers. “You’re frustrated with me. You wonder why we’re not in my bedroom or even going at it right here on a chaise. You wonder if the problem is you. If you’re acting too desperate for sex and if it’s a turnoff for me. You also wonder if it’s me. If I have some kind of sexual dysfunction.”

Could he tell, even in the darkness, that she was blushing? She picked up her drink and drained it. Then she hopped up from her chair and walked around the edge of the pool. The concrete had retained some of the day’s warmth as she crossed to the steps on the far end. She dipped her toe into the water before she dropped both feet onto the first step.

She sighed. Of course the water was the ideal temperature. What would it feel like to have the warm caress of water over every inch of her bare skin? To float in the void where all her senses were dulled?

“You’re welcome to swim,” he said from across the patio.

“I don’t have a swimsuit.”

“So swim naked.”

Amery choked back a laugh. Right. She’d just strip and dive right in as if being naked in public was no big deal. It was a very big deal to her, and she hated that it was.

That sense of panic seized her. How had she ever believed she could get naked with Ronin Black? A man who probably had zero inhibitions and acres of muscles beneath his golden skin. Whereas she . . . had pasty white skin everywhere, the majority of it never having been exposed to the sun, or to very many men.

Right then she suspected this would be the last time she’d be alone with Master Black. She couldn’t risk—

Rough-skinned hands curled around her face and tipped her head back. Ronin said, “Lose that forlorn look, Amery. And don’t even think about leaving,” before smashing his mouth to hers in a consuming kiss.