Bound

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

RONIN held her hand as they waited at the valet stand.

Amery’s entire body tingled just from Ronin lightly stroking the inside of her wrist with his callused thumb. How would it be between them when they were alone? Mind-blowing.

Maybe it did scare her how addicted she’d gotten to his touch.

She shivered.

He swept her hair over her shoulder. “You’re shaking. Are you cold?”

“A little.”

“Here.” He unbuttoned his jacket and shrugged it off. Then he draped it around her shoulders. “Better?”

This was worse actually. The body-heated fabric that carried his scent completely surrounded her. “Yes. Thank you.”

He curled his hands around her face. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I can’t think of anything else but you.”

“Why is that making you frown?”

“Because you overwhelm me. Maybe I’m saying this because of my run-in with Tyler, and realizing he never knew me, not in the three years we were together. You’ve been in my life less than three weeks and you already know aspects of me better than I know myself. You don’t have any problems pushing my boundaries.”

“Are you afraid I might push you too hard?” he asked softly.

“No. I’m afraid that I’ll find out that I don’t have any boundaries at all when it comes to you.”

Ronin rested his forehead to hers. “You have no idea what you do to me when you say that.”

The valet broke the moment. “Your car, Mr. Black.”

Ronin released her and opened her car door. Then he skirted the front end and slipped into the driver’s side.

As soon as they were on the road, he said, “You are spending the night with me.”

Not a request. “We’ll have to swing by my place so I can get some clothes.”

“I still have your jeans. I’d like to see you in one of my shirts.”

“Then I guess we’ll go straight to your place.” Feeling buoyed by her confession, Amery unbuckled her seatbelt. She leaned across the console and worked the knot in his tie. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the equal time.”

“My tie isn’t connected to my zipper.”

“Want me to go straight for the good stuff?”

Ronin gave her a look so hot it scorched the breath from her lungs. “Yes.”

“Eyes on the road.” Amery found the buckle on his belt and unhooked it. She unzipped his pants, and his shaft jumped against her hand. “Spread your legs wider.”

He hissed in a breath when her fingertips brushed the crown of his cock.

With the angle of the seat, she couldn’t de-pants him and she couldn’t play with his balls, so she pulled his cock through the opening in his boxer briefs. She glanced at his hands, gripping the steering wheel much more tightly than before. She lowered her head and swallowed as much of him as she could.

“Sweet Jesus.”

Amery let his shaft slide back out of her mouth. She did that a few more times and his legs went rigid. “Do you wish you had my hair in your hands so you could force me to keep this cock in my mouth?”

“Yes.”

“Pay attention to the road, Sensei. I know how you prefer to look at me while I’m blowing you, but I don’t want to die choking on your dick after you wreck your fancy car.” Amery let her mouth slowly engulf his cock. When she started bobbing her head, the hard shaft bumped the back of her throat on every pass. She hollowed her cheeks and sucked, loving the musky tang of him and the feel of his velvety-soft, steel-hard shaft gliding over her tongue. Flicking the very tip and the thick ridge beneath the cock head before taking him deep. She circled the root and stroked up as her mouth slid down.

“Don’t use your hands. Just your mouth.”

Bossy man preferred her hands on his thighs or his abdomen, or gripping his butt cheeks when she was on her knees before him. Pleasing him gave her such a heady sense of power. But this time she controlled him. She pushed him to the edge at full throttle. No reason to drag this out. She wanted—no, she’d earned the right to make him soar and swallow him down.

“Amery. Fuck. Stop.”

She pulled her mouth away long enough to say, “No, give it to me. All of it,” before she took him back in.

Ronin swore under his breath.

His body went rigid. She heard his grip increase on the steering wheel. He bumped his hips up and she felt that moment when he let go. His cock hardened further for a split second and then hot, wet spurts hit her soft palate. She firmed her lips as she swallowed.

As soon as his orgasm ended, she licked the shaft and lightly tongued the tip. He’d never given her the opportunity to nuzzle and kiss his softening flesh.

He tugged on her hair. “Baby, you have to stop. I’m about to wreck the car.”

Amery kissed the head of his penis before pushing upright. “Why were you going to wreck the car?” she asked innocently.

“Because instead of throwing my head back and closing my eyes like I do whenever your hot mouth works me, I focused on the road. But my foot stepped on the gas and I don’t need a ticket for a hundred and seventy miles an hour.”

“We were going that fast?”

“Almost before I blinked.”

She zipped his pants, then refastened his belt. “There. You don’t look so disheveled.”

“I like that look.” He snatched her hand and kissed the center of her palm. “On you. And by the time I finish with you tonight? You will be thoroughly disheveled.”

Silence settled between them, only broken by the hum of the engine.

Amery angled her head in the confines of the car and stared at the Denver skyline as it came into view. How many of the people at the party tonight lived in the expensive high-rises with the gorgeous view of the mountains? Probably their places made Ronin’s penthouse look like a dive. But how many of them were poseurs like her? Only there rubbing elbows with Denver’s elite because of a benefactor who invited them to the fancy shindig?

“What’re you thinking about?”

“The ratio of people at tonight’s party who were filthy rich and how many of them were pretending to be. Tyler told me the event tickets were ten grand a pop.”

“They are. But for all the glamour and glitz, it is a worthwhile cause. The bulk of the money goes to the organizations, not to fund a party, which is why I’m still donating to them.”

Twenty grand. Poof. All that hard-earned cash just passed over and tucked in someone else’s pocket. Amery didn’t know if she could ever be that cavalier about money. Ronin must be doing better in his dojo than she assumed if dropping that many Benjamins didn’t put a dent in his checkbook.

She hated that Tyler’s questions about Ronin’s finances jumped into her head.

“Don’t fret about the money, Amery.”

“I can’t help it. I feel like I owe you.”

“You owed me nothing but the pleasure of your company tonight, and you provided that beautifully.”

Amery noticed they were close to his building and he turned into a parking garage. “Did the blow job fluster you so much you forgot where you live?”

“No. It’s the closest place to keep my car. This one doesn’t get parked on the street.” He pulled into a spot resembling a concrete bunker. After they climbed out of the car, he clamped a tire lock on the front tire. He brushed his hands and sent her a sheepish look. “I make this car as hard as possible to steal.” Then he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Is the jacket keeping you warm?”

“Yes. Thank you.” She glanced at his thin dress shirt. “Aren’t you cold?”

“Rarely. I’m pretty hot-blooded.”

“I’ll say.”

Ronin brushed a kiss on the top of her head. “And you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

They walked at a decent clip to his building and her feet were starting to get sore. Ronin opened the front door instead of entering through the alley. By the time they’d reached his penthouse, Ronin took it upon himself to ignite the fire that simmered between them with an urgent kiss.

His jacket hit the floor first. She wrapped her hands in the loose ends of his tie and pulled him closer to kiss him harder. Then she started in on his buttons.

He didn’t attempt to undress her; he just controlled her mouth as he controlled the direction they headed.

Once Amery had his shirt undone, her hands roamed over his torso, from his pectorals, to his rib cage, to his six-pack abs. Her thumbs traced the deep cut of his hip muscle until it disappeared into his pants.

His intense kiss didn’t falter.

She knew the instant they were in his bedroom. Not only did the flooring change, but Ronin changed. He ended the soul-deep kiss, but his mouth kept teasing hers with licks and nibbles and a teasing glide.

“I want you, Amery. But I want you my way.”

“Which way is that?”

“My way,” he repeated. “And you’ll have to trust me. Can you trust that I’ll make you feel beautiful and bold?” He tilted her head to kiss below her jawline. “Trust me to worship your body the way it’s meant to be?”

“Didn’t I already say yes?”

“You did.” His teeth followed the tendons in her neck. She shuddered in his arms and she felt his smile against her skin. “But I want to blindfold you so you can focus on how you feel, not on what I’m doing.”

“What will you be doing to me?”

A kiss below her ear. “Teasing you.” A soft kiss in front of her ear. “Pushing your boundaries.” He gently blew in her ear. “Boundaries that you claimed earlier might not be boundaries at all.”

She wanted this sexy, intense man to make her so mindless with lust, to get her so drunk on him that she couldn’t think. She nuzzled the base of his throat. “No boundaries, Ronin.”

He kissed her with zeal. With finesse.

And she lost herself in him.

“First I want to get you out of this dress.” Ronin turned her around and undid the zipper. Slowly. He dragged his fingertips up and down her spine in a featherlight touch that brought all of those nerve endings alive. He slipped his fingers across her shoulders and loosened her dress.

Amery felt the beaded material slipping down her chest and she stopped it just before it cleared her nipples.

Then Ronin stood in front of her. He traced the edge of her jaw. “Do you have any idea how appealing you look right now? With your hair tangled from my fingers. With your mouth so full and ripe from kissing me.” His rough thumb followed the upper and lower bow of her lips. “With your sexy little dress clutched over your breasts, attempting to conceal what’s mine tonight.”

The man had a way with words that made her tremble.

“Drop the dress, Amery.”

She let go and it landed on the floor in a soft whoosh.

“Bend over and place your hands on the bed.”

Amery put an extra swing in her hips as she rolled herself down until her palms were flat on the mattress. Ronin stared at her ass so intently she swore his heated gaze singed her skin.

“Head up.” Ronin nestled his groin against her ass.

A spike of desire nearly shot her through the roof.

Then something soft and silky covered her eyes and everything went dark. “Is that your tie?”

“Yes.” His fingers hooked inside her thong and he slowly dragged it down her legs. Once it reached her ankles, Ronin dropped to his knees. He tapped the inside of her right calf and she lifted her foot, expecting he’d take her thong off. “No. Widen your stance with the thong where it is.”

His commanding presence filled the room, permeating the air. His will seeped through her skin and settled into her bones. And it was like this every time they were together. Would it flame out because it burned so hot?

“Hey, baby. Where’d you go?”

That quietly controlled voice caused her to jump. “What?”

“You were relaxed in a happy place and then you weren’t. What changed?”

“I had the fleeting fear this would burn out.”

“Don’t think.” He pressed openmouthed kisses across the backs of her knees. “Stay steady. Even when I do this.” He licked the crease of her knee, a soft tickle of his tongue while trailing his fingers on the outsides of her thighs.

Amery was half tempted to fall face-first into the puffy mattress; her legs and arms were absolutely quaking from his wickedly talented mouth. When he swept butterfly kisses across the curve of her ass cheeks, she made a low moan of need.

Even that didn’t hurry the man up. If her groin was closer to the bed, she’d be grinding her clit against it, trying to come. She sighed when Ronin gently urged her passion-flushed face to press against the mattress.

“Put your hands behind your back, palms facing out.”

Thank God for yoga. What would he do if she couldn’t hold the position he demanded? Spank her?

That’s where she’d draw the line. She’d been spanked as a child, by her father’s hand, a ruler, a hairbrush, a plastic pipe.

“Amery. Stop thinking.” He twined something soft around her wrists. As soon as he finished, he caressed the skin above where he’d secured her hands. Then he rested the side of his face against hers, his chest to her spine.

Having her vision blocked heightened her anticipation. She wanted the intimacy of skin on skin so much she squirmed.

“Stay still.”

“I can’t. I want—”

“I know what you want. Are you wet enough for it?”

“Yes.”

His hand slid around her waist and through the thin strip of hair covering her mound. That long, deadly accurate middle finger slipped inside her. “You are wet.” He plunged in and out a few more times, stroking and teasing the swollen flesh. “Wouldn’t take much for you to come.”

“You touch me and I can’t help it.”

“But you won’t come until I say.”

“Are you punishing me for something?”

“No, baby, I’m giving you this. So relax and let me.” Ronin began drawing tight circles on her clit. Immediately she started to tremble—inside, outside. He held her down and steadily increased the pace of his finger until her body tensed. When he whispered, “Now,” she went off like a bottle rocket.

Every molecule in her body went taut, leaving her breathless and dizzy.

Then Ronin was slamming into her as the last pulse lingered, setting off another wave of contractions in short, sweet bursts.

His hands bracketed her hips as he powered into her with forceful thrusts. There was a frantic edge to the way he fucked her. Animalistic. Fast. He had no intention of making this last.

As she felt the third orgasm of the night gathering steam, she didn’t care if he fucked her fast or slow or even upside down. This man knew what she needed and gave it to her without question.

Ronin came in silence, as he often did. His pelvis slowed in rhythmic increments. The evidence of his release came in a hot wash against her pussy walls.

When he stopped moving and returned to himself, that’s when he made the noise—a deep-throated hum of satisfaction.

She smiled.

He murmured, “Your skin is glowing. It’s breathtaking.”

“Ronin.”

“Stay like this. I’ll be right back.”

She stayed, content, sated, and yet revved up.

Amery didn’t hear him rustling around in the room. She heard a whisper of cloth and then Ronin’s fingers were undoing the ties around her wrists.

Then he flipped her over, teased her lips until she opened for him, letting his tongue dart inside. Their mouths clashed, tongues tangled, and he stoked the fire of passion again before the first embers had even waned.

From the energy pulsing off him, she understood this would be a long night; they’d only finished the second course of a five-course meal.

“Will you let me show you in my way how beautiful you are to me?”

“You do that every time you look at me,” she said softly.

“You’re blindfolded. How can you tell?”

“I can feel it.”

“You undo me.” Ronin kissed her forehead. “Hold on.” He lifted her into his arms and spun her around.

She shrieked, “Stop, you’ll make me dizzy.”

“There goes my plan to play pin the tail on the donkey.”

“But I’m sure you have other games in mind.” She bounced in his arms as he continued to move around.

“I could show you.”

Amery turned her face toward his neck and placed a kiss on the pulse bounding in his throat. “I’m game.”

“Good answer.” He set her on her feet.

“Can I take the blindfold off?”

“Not yet.” His palms skated up her arms and he draped them over his shoulders. “Come here. I can’t get enough of your mouth.”

Lips as soft as silk brushed against hers. Once. Twice. Three times. Ronin mixed it up every time he kissed her. Which always left her craving more.

“On second thought, why don’t you sit?” He gently pushed on her shoulders until her butt met a padded bench.

Ronin must’ve brought her into the living room.

“Sit forward and hold your arms out slightly. Knees together.”

As much as she wanted to ask questions, a different vibe surrounded Ronin that kept her quiet and still.

Fingers brushed the outside of her calves, and then her ankles were pressed together and wrapped in . . . what?

Before she could ask, something circled her wrist and then it was pulled taut. Same thing on her left wrist and then both arms were pressed together behind her. Tightly behind her. She could feel his movements but couldn’t see what he was doing. But whatever it was pulled her forearms together and weighted her hands down. She couldn’t raise her arms at all.

“Ronin?”

No soft assurances from him, just silence.

This isn’t right.

But she trusted him.

Didn’t she?

You told him you were into anything he wanted. This is what he wanted. Just keep your mouth shut and go with it.

That spiked her unease. Hadn’t she stopped being that eager-to-please girl years ago? The girl who wouldn’t make waves or speak up even when she needed to?

Yes.

So why was she reverting when something felt off about this situation? Like really, really off?

“Ronin. What’s going on?”

No response.

Why wasn’t Ronin answering her?

Had he left her alone?

Panicked, she wiggled side to side to try and free herself, and the blindfold slipped. She squinted at the unfamiliar space.

Where was she? She’d been in every room in his penthouse except for the locked storage room down the hall from his bedroom. Why had he brought her here?

In the dim lighting Amery couldn’t see much beyond the wall directly in front of her. But what she saw on that wall froze her blood.

Coils of rope. Dozens of different kinds. Some colored, some plain, a variety of thicknesses and lengths. Why would he need so many ropes?

Her mouth dried when she saw the wall of swords. He’d flat-out told her he was an expert with knives. With his martial arts background, he could kill with his hands.

Fear hit her so hard she couldn’t breathe. Ever since the first time they were together, he’d used something to tie her up. He’d made it sexy and exciting and he’d never hurt her, so she hadn’t examined it too closely. But now, being in this room, a room he’d had to keep locked because it appeared to contain instruments of torture, she wanted to scream. Except that no one would hear her.

She’d really fucked up this time.

Between the voices from the past, and her fear that she wouldn’t have a future, she thrashed so hard the bench started to move.

“Amery. Take a deep breath.”

She had a momentary sense of calm before she realized the soothing tone was part of his mind tricks to get her to relax her guard. “Why do you have me all tied up? What is this place? A secret torture room?” Amery felt the immediate change in his demeanor. Although it wouldn’t do any good to beg, she couldn’t stop the “Please don’t kill me.”

Ronin yanked off the blindfold completely. “Kill you? What are you talking about?”

But Amery was too busy craning her neck around to gawk at the room to answer.

Next to the wall of ropes was a wall of silk scarves. When she tilted her head back, she noticed eye hooks and pulley systems permanently embedded in the ceiling. Had he faced her this way so she couldn’t see what was on the wall behind her? Oh God. Was it really that bad? She craned her neck around and saw what looked like an altar. For sacrifices?

“Amery,” he said sharply. “Look at me.”

She shook her head.

“Why would you think I planned to kill you?”

“Because you blindfolded me. You’ve tied me up with actual ropes. You’re strong and you know I can’t fight you off. All those other times led up to this, didn’t they? You got me to trust you and—”

“Stop babbling.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” She twisted her body against the bindings, trying to get away from him.

“Don’t. You’ll hurt yourself.”

“Why do you care? You’re going to hurt me anyway, aren’t you?”

He grabbed her chin, forcing her face up. But he couldn’t make her look at him. “I won’t hurt you. Ever.”

Tears leaked out the corners of her eyes because even now, when she was scared spitless, she wanted to believe him. “Let me go.”

“Talk to me.”

“Untie me.”

“If I untie you will you talk to me?”

No fucking way. I’ll run. But she didn’t voice her plan to flee, just nodded at him.

Ronin reached down and tugged, releasing the binding from her ankles. He undid the ties around her arms so quickly she almost fell forward off the bench.

As soon as she was free, she left the chamber of horrors, heading toward his bedroom. She opted not to make a break for the elevator, first because she was naked, second because Ronin might tackle her to keep her from leaving.

Don’t be ridiculous. If he wanted to kill you he wouldn’t have let you go.

Amery sensed him leaning in the doorway to his bedroom, watching her as she slipped on her thong and bra. After she got the dress on, her hands were shaking so hard she couldn’t get it zipped.

“Will you let me help you?”

“No!” she practically shouted. “Don’t touch me.”

But as usual, Ronin did as he liked. He clamped his hand around her hip and tersely said, “Hold. Still.”

Her traitorous skin broke out in goose bumps when his rough-tipped fingers connected with her flesh as he zipped her up.

“Now will you talk to me?” he asked softly.

She shook her head.

“Baby. Please. What is going on with you?”

That’s when she spun around and looked at him. “How did you expect me to react when you trussed me up and left me in a secret room full of ropes and God knows what else? What did you plan to do to me?” The fear returned and she started to cry.

“You said you trusted me.”

“How can I trust you when it’s obvious I don’t even know you!”

Ronin’s face showed no emotion.

“I want to leave.”

“It’s one o’clock in the goddamn morning.”

“I want to leave,” she repeated stubbornly.

“And you’re planning to do what? Walk home?” His gaze swept over her. “Dressed like that? I don’t think so.”

“I’ll call a cab. Just . . . let me go.”

“Jesus, Amery, don’t be ridiculous. I’ll take you home.”

Shaking her head, she slipped on her shoes and walked to the elevator. On her phone, she scrolled through the information for taxis and called the first one on the list. After rattling off the address, she learned it’d be a ten-minute wait.

After she hung up, Ronin said, “You’d rather get in a car with a stranger than trust me to take you home?”

Amery looked away.

“I’m not a killer. And it wounds me in ways you can’t even begin to imagine that you’d think that of me.”

You know he’s right.

“I thought you’d be okay with the binding, since I’ve used scarves and belts and ties on you before.”

“But not ropes.”

“Is it really the ropes that set you off?”

“Yes. And the swords. And . . . everything.”

“I’m sorry that scared you. I . . .” His jaw muscle flexed. “I should’ve told you.”

“About the secret locked room?” Even saying that sounded scary and surreal.

“That and other things. The ropes are for . . .” His face hardened. “Don’t look at me like that. The ropes aren’t for torture. I use them in kinbaku and shibari bondage.”

Amery wrapped her hands around her upper arms and shivered. “What the hell is that? A jujitsu thing?”

“No, but that’s where shibari and kinbaku came from,” he said evenly. “Please come back upstairs with me and I’ll explain everything.”

Did she even want to know?

Yes, she did. But her emotions were too raw, too unstable to process anything right now. She managed to choke out, “You should’ve told me.”

“I know. So will you please come back upstairs?”

She shook her head. “I can’t. Not now.”

“If I give you a few days, then will you talk to me?”

“I don’t know.”

“This is killing me,” he said softly. “Absolutely fucking killing me to see you so miserable and scared and looking at me like I want to cause you harm. When all I wanted . . .”

Amery wiped her fingers under her eyes, completely unaware she’d been crying. “When all you wanted was what?”

“For you to understand who I am. To show you this part of me.”

That caused her to cry harder.

The tense silence between them stretched until Amery felt a black hole had opened up, threatening to swallow them both.

The cab pulled up out front.

Before Ronin unlocked the door, he stood behind her and spoke into her ear. “This isn’t over between us. I’ll give you time to come to terms or process or whatever you need. But you owe me the courtesy of a conversation. You need to listen to me with an open mind. And sooner, rather than later, would be better for both of us.”

This was the Ronin she knew—the one she wanted. Reasonable, but determined. Amery wanted to throw herself into his arms, bury her face in his neck, and just breathe in the scent of him. Pretend nothing had happened.

When his words for you to understand who I am echoed back to her, she realized this secret would’ve come out eventually.

The cab honked.

“I’ve got to go.”

“One week,” he said hoarsely. “You call me or come to me within a week or I’m coming to you.”