Bound

CHAPTER FOUR

“IS this seat taken?”

Amery glanced up at the tall, lanky man with sandy brown hair. Cute in that geeky sort of way. “No. It’s open.”

“Great. Thanks.” He picked up the chair and carried it to his table of friends.

So much for him offering to buy her a drink.

But she’d suspected that’s how this hour-long social experiment would play out. She feigned interest in the TV in the corner, trying not to devour the bowl of snack mix placed in front of her.

This was a cool bar. Why had she walked by the place dozens of times but hadn’t stopped in? The vibe here was relaxed despite the upbeat music. Great ambience with the brightly colored pendant lights hanging from the high ceiling. Like in so many old warehouses in Lodo, the rafters had been left exposed, as had the brick walls. She’d checked out the scarred wide-planked oak as she’d walked in, wondering if she’d find similar flooring beneath the carpet in her loft.

As she’d prepped herself for a night at the meat market, she considered Ronin’s observation—maybe she hadn’t been looking in the right places to meet eligible men. She chatted with the same guys at the gym, but they’d never asked her out. No men attended her yoga classes. She’d smile at guys at the grocery store, or the bank, keeping it friendly, but it hadn’t made a difference. She went to the movies alone. She ate out by herself frequently and it didn’t bother her, but other patrons avoided making eye contact, pitying her as a single diner.

Amery admitted she’d fallen into a rut—relying on Emmylou and Chaz to entertain her. Molly had pulled into her shell completely after the attack and they hadn’t done anything together outside of work for ages. In recent months if her pals were busy, she’d stay home and watch movies or TV or read.

Nothing wrong with liking her own company . . . was there?

A man sidled up next to her and smiled. “Hey. I haven’t seen you in here before.”

“First time. I thought I’d swing in and have a drink.”

“If you’re thirsty I could buy the next one.”

“That’s sweet. Thank you, but I’m meeting a friend.”

His eyes filled with regret. “Shame. Enjoy.” He took off.

After that, Amery fended off advances from several other guys as she nursed her drink. If she hadn’t made plans with Ronin, she might’ve given her number to a couple of them.

Where was Ronin anyway?

Then she felt his eyes on her, even though she couldn’t see him. Calming her even as he assessed her. Thankfully this demonstration or whatever it was ended in ten minutes. She ordered another martini. As the clock wound down, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She faced the guy. He looked familiar.

“Amery? It’s Will Aberle. Do you remember me? I’m friends with Chaz.”

“Will! Of course I remember you. Chaz dragged us to that laser tag place last fall. We froze our butts off.”

“I haven’t seen Chaz for a while. How is he?”

“Good. He’s in a relationship now. Well, as much as Chaz can be in a relationship, which means—”

“He’s still on the prowl,” Will finished.

“God, don’t we sound like bitchy queens dissing on our friend?”

“That’s the problem with always being the straight man.”

She laughed. Will was funny and had the blond-haired, blue-eyed look Amery found so appealing. So why hadn’t she ever let him know she was available?

Because no matter how nice he seems, he reminds you of your ex.

“How’ve you been?” Will asked.

“I can’t complain. I’ve kept up with new business and haven’t lost much of my old business. What about you? You’re in insurance, right?”

“Yes, I’m in the actuary department, which sounds incredibly stuffy every time I say it.”

“So, is this your usual hangout?”

“I’m usually in one night a week. I never see you here.”

“My first time.”

“I ought to buy you a drink to celebrate.”

A hand landed on her shoulder and Ronin’s smooth cheek brushed hers as he inserted himself between them. “Sorry I’m late. I know how much you hate waiting.” Then he offered his hand to Will. “Ronin. And you are?”

“Will.”

“Thanks, Will, for keeping my girl company.”

What was up with Ronin acting as if they were a couple?

“My pleasure.” Will smiled at Amery. “Good seeing you again.” Then he moved to the other side of the bar.

“You ready?” Ronin asked.

“For you to explain to me exactly what the hell that was? Yes. Start talking.”

Ronin squeezed her shoulder. “A friendly reminder that you’re off the market.”

“Like I’m a slab of meat?” she asked sharply.

“You are Grade-A prime cut all the way, baby.”

“Ronin. That’s not funny.”

“No, it’s not.”

His eyes were so . . . penetrating that her heart sped up. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re a beautiful woman, who just rejected eight offers from strangers who wanted to buy you drinks.” He traced the edge of her cheek and tipped her chin up. “Watching you was a special kind of torture for me because I willingly devised it.”

“Why?”

“I wanted you to see the truth about yourself. Then I realized you would’ve let some of those guys buy you a drink or maybe even left with them had the situation been different.”

“Do you want me to admit you were right?”

“About letting any one of them buy you a drink? No.” Ronin’s thumb slowly followed the curve of her lower lip. When she trembled, he seemed to take great pleasure in treating her to another leisurely pass, ensuring that she trembled from his touch again. “Was I right about you being the sexiest woman in this bar? Yes. So say I’m unaware of my own beauty and you were irrevocably right, Ronin.”

Somehow Amery eased back from his enthralling touch. “Fat chance. So, where were you sitting while I was proving your point?”

“In the corner.”

“Watching my back?”

He gestured to the front of the bar. “I didn’t want to watch your back; I wanted to watch your face.” He plucked up her restless hand. “Since I won, I get to pick what we do tonight. Have any idea what that might be?”

Please say hours of hot, raunchy sex.

Ronin’s eyes narrowed. “Did you say something?”

“Uh. No.” Thank god she hadn’t said that out loud, but she half suspected he’d read her mind. “What are we doing?” she asked quickly. “I hope it involves food.”

“Isn’t it fortunate I planned to cook for you at my place?”

So maybe hot sex was on the menu for tonight. She smiled. “Sounds delicious.”

“Let’s go.”

Amery upended her drink and took his hand as he led her outside. No worries about driving since she’d walked to the bar. She’d even worn jeans in case Ronin had driven his motorcycle.

But out on the street he stopped beside a black Lexus SUV. He opened the passenger door. “You look disappointed.”

“I kind of like the bike.”

“Next time.”

Once they were tooling down the road, she said, “I don’t know where you live.”

“Same as you: where I work.”

She frowned. “You live in the dojo?”

“On the top floor. And also like you, I own the building.”

“What else is in the building?”

“Dojo offices and additional training areas take up the second and part of the third floor. I rent out the fourth floor to businesses that don’t have much walk-in traffic but needed office space.”

“How long have you owned the building?”

“Bought it ten years ago. Needed a ton of work. My priority was the dojo. Then my living space. It’s just in the last six years the middle floors were updated and ready to rent out.”

“So, do you have instructors and students just pop into your place to say howdy?”

Ronin shook his head. “It’s no secret I live on the top floor, but access is limited.” He circled the area twice. “The downside to this area is the lack of parking.”

“Sucks when you have to haul groceries, doesn’t it?”

“That’s why I don’t have a membership at Costco.”

He had a better sense of humor than Amery had credited him for. She headed for the front entrance, but he snagged her hand and led her to the alley. “Back door.”

“Afraid you’ll get waylaid and need to show a technique or ten to some poor struggling white belt?” she teased.

“No.” They stopped in front of a rusty steel door. He unlocked a small metal box, which housed a keypad, punched in a code, and the locks popped.

“Fancy.”

“Safe,” he corrected.

Amery could hear the sounds of the dojo as they cut down a narrow hallway. They stopped at another door, which also required a key card for the code box. Through that door was an elevator bay with two elevators. They rode in silence to the fifth floor and got off.

She followed him down a short carpeted hallway and he stopped in front of a set of double doors. Another swipe of the key card, another code.

“I’m starting to feel like I’m in a spy movie.”

Ronin held the door open for her. “Almost there.”

Before her was another elevator. She faced him, her mouth open. “You have a private elevator to your apartment?”

“Keeps the riffraff out.”

She laughed.

“It’s no different than standard high-rises. The top floor always has a separate elevator.”

With all the security measures, how would she get out if she had to? Her heart raced at the sudden thought and she studied the pattern in the fake-wood paneling as Ronin messed with another keypad.

The elevator started to go up.

He didn’t speak until the door opened. “After you.”

Amery stepped onto a tiled entryway and stopped.

Then Ronin was in her face. “What’s wrong?”

“This . . . private elevator, super-secret security stuff. What if there’s a fire and I can’t get out because I don’t have the key card or the codes? Or what if I just want to leave?”

His rapt gaze remained on hers. “If you want to leave, I’ll take you home right now. No questions asked.”

That mollified her some.

“This is a no-pressure situation, Amery. I won’t drag you into my bedroom and tie you to my bed.” He smiled devilishly. “Well, not at first.”

Her quick laugh held a trace of nerves.

“We’ll have dinner, conversation, see if there’s something between us worth pursuing.”

“And if there isn’t?”

The look on his face said he didn’t believe that was a possibility. “Do you want to be here?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Ronin crowded her against the wall and curled his hands around her face. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment you threw your pants at me.”

Amery couldn’t think of a witty retort; she couldn’t think period. Then he teased her mouth with his. A glide of his lips, followed by an exchange of heated breath. She trembled with heart-pounding, body-tingling anticipation.

His tongue lightly swept across the seam of her lips and she automatically opened her mouth wider. Wanting more.

Ronin slowly licked his way inside. First a taste. Another lick. A soft suck. His thumbs feathered across her cheeks as he held her face. Then he angled her head and consumed her mouth in a blistering kiss.

Oh god. Could the man kiss. No holds barred, he poured passion and skill and need into the kiss until Amery returned his fire with her own. She closed her eyes and her fingers curled into his chest, holding on to him even as she gave him control.

He took it as if it were his due.

By the time he ended the kiss, her body vibrated. Her head was muzzy and her lips buzzed.

“Still want to go?” he murmured.

“No.”

“You sure?” he asked, his lips trilling down her throat.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“I’m glad. Do you want a tour? Or are you starved?”

“A tour would be good.”

Ronin placed one last, lingering kiss on her lips and took her hand. He led her through a curved archway. “This is the living room. Feel free to look around while I see to dinner.”

Maybe austere was a Japanese thing. Or maybe his décor choice reflected his bachelor status. The furnishings weren’t scaled to the size of the room. Just two simple couches, long and low-backed, covered in plain neutral brown fabric. Two tan chairs sat opposite each other in front of a fireplace. A coffee table, end tables, a leather bench, and several floor lamps finished the space.

He hadn’t scattered personal items on the horizontal surfaces. No family pictures. No accolades from his jujitsu career.

Art hung here and there. One picture contained a graphic scene—a fat Japanese man opened his robe, exposing his exaggerated genitalia to a disheveled geisha cowering on the ground. Two more similar in theme hung next to it. One with a long-haired samurai wielding a sword at a snarling tiger standing in front of massacred bodies. The last picture featured a crouching Japanese man, naked, his oversized genitalia resting on the ground. In front of him was a half-clothed woman, tied to a post in some fancy rope configuration, and the man held her foot, licking the sole with an enlarged tongue.

From behind her, Ronin said, “Those are shunga prints.”

“Interesting decorating choice.”

“They’re heavy with symbolism, not at all what they appear to be on the surface.”

Ironic that description could also be applied to him?

They skirted a wall that divided the living spaces but didn’t reach the ceiling or the other two walls and left a large gap by the floor. Gave the illusion of a floating wall, which was cool.

A dining room and kitchen area took up the entire side.

She frowned. For the size of the building, the main living spaces seemed off.

“Something wrong?” Ronin asked in that deep and sexy voice.

“I just was trying to grasp the area spatially. The dojo, for being divided into smaller training areas, seems much bigger than this open space. Since I know the building is the same dimension on the bottom as it is on the top, it’s throwing me off.”

Ronin took her hand. “Very astute observation. As a single man, I don’t need seven thousand square feet of living space. The remodel chopped the top floor in half. So this is roughly four thousand square feet.”

“So you don’t use the other half of this floor for offices or anything?”

“No.” He skirted another long floating wall that created a corridor between the living areas. He opened the first door. “Guest bedroom.”

Amery wasn’t sure if he expected her to nod and move on, but she wanted to see the space because it actually had personality. Two bright red club-type chairs were arranged in front of a window, creating a small sitting area. A queen-sized bed with an ornately carved headboard with red lacquered accents took up the far wall. The floors were wood. Sisal rugs with red borders were scattered throughout. She wandered to the open doorway in the corner and stepped into a large bathroom. The shower stall walls looked like rice paper; the bathroom sink was a polished teak bowl atop a black lacquered cabinet. All the accents were red. “Great room, but does it make your guests want to stay longer?”

“I discourage that.”

She laughed.

Between the guest bedroom and the next room was the main bathroom, which also carried the wood, black, and red theme. The next room housed an enormous blank wall for what looked like a projection-screen TV, a pool table, and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on one wall that were filled with DVDs and CDs. No snapshots or funky kitschy things either. Just out of curiosity she approached the shelf. Yep. The titles were alphabetized. That made her smile.

“Do you spend much time in here?” she asked.

“Not as much as one would think.”

Cryptic.

Ronin took her hand and she knew the next stop would be his bedroom. He bypassed the next door, which had a lock on it.

“What’s that room?”

“Storage.”

“Got valuables locked up in there?”

“A few things.” Ronin opened the last door. “This is my bedroom.”

Her face flushed.

He led her inside and released her hand.

The white carpet in this room was so plush she swore she sank to her ankles. The focal point of the room was a king-sized bed on a raised platform with two steps leading to the mattress. The headboard, easily ten feet tall, had been crafted out of twisted black metal and smooth chunks of thick wood. A beautiful, luxurious-looking turquoise silk covered the bed. Were his sheets silk too? Or simple cotton?

Why don’t you dive in and find out?

Ronin came up behind her. She closed her eyes against the surge of want when the hard wall of his chest connected with her shoulders. She breathed in his intoxicating scent.

“What are you thinking about?”

You and me naked, rolling around in silk. “How much I want to jump on your bed to see if it’s as puffy as it looks.”

“Know what I was thinking about?” His warm lips moved down the side of her neck.

She sighed and angled her head, giving him full access to wherever he wanted. “What?”

He lifted her hair, wrapping it in his fist as he kissed the sweep of her shoulder. “I want to see how you’ll look spread out on my bed.” His mouth stopped at the ball of her shoulder and he lightly sank his teeth down. “Will you indulge me?”

Amery twisted away from him and climbed up the platform, facing him. Something spiked her daring side and she taunted him. “How were you imagining me in your bed, Ronin? Like this?” She fell back onto the mattress and threw her arms above her head.

Was it her imagination or had Ronin just . . . growled? She lifted her head. Wasn’t her imagination that he’d inched closer.

“Or maybe you want me like this.” She turned and dropped to her hands and knees. She arched her back, canted her hips, and wiggled her ass, emitting a soft moan.

The bed dipped and Ronin was on her. His big, hard body caging hers, his mouth at her ear. “I definitely want you like this. Not for the first go-round, though. For that, we’ll be like this.” Ronin smoothly flipped her onto her back and pinned her arms above her head, settling his groin against hers. His mouth landed on hers hard. His tongue plunged into her mouth and he turned her inside out with a kiss that wasn’t careful and exploratory but packed with pure hunger. He rocked his hips, transferring her wrists to one hand, and followed the outside curve of her body from her forearm down to her hip.

Amery arched into him, lost in him.

But Ronin slowed the kiss. He released her wrist and offered that side of her body a thorough caress before he rolled to his knees and gazed down at her.

She pushed up on her elbows, trying to play it cool even though her body had gone haywire. Her chest was heaving; her panties were damp. Her breasts ached for his touch—his mouth, his hand, his chest, she didn’t care. She also tuned out the voice in her head warning her not to sleep with him on the first date. She’d played it safe, always been a good girl—yet something about Ronin Black made her want to throw caution to the wind for the first time . . . ever.

Ronin stared at her. His breathing was equally labored. “As much as I’d like to strip you and fuck you until we knock this mattress off the platform, I didn’t bring you into my home for this.” He angled close enough to curl his hands around her face. “This will happen between us, but not now. Not even tonight.” Then he kissed her once more.

His kiss was a promise, a tease and completely . . . sweet.

Ronin Black . . . sweet? Totally unexpected.

He stood and waited for her at the edge of the platform.

Feeling free, she laughed and leaped to her feet, bouncing in the center of the bed. “This is a springy mattress. I bet when I’m under you I won’t even feel the mattress coils digging into my spine.”

Another growling noise. “Tempting the beast while still in the cage might not be the wisest course of action for you.”

Ooh. A philosophical threat. “I’ll stop.” Amery bounced once more before landing on her feet.

“Let’s eat.” Ronin held her hand and towed her back to the kitchen.

“So, did you really cook for me?”

“I really did.” He pointed to the place settings at the counter. “Have a seat.”

Amery studied the space. The kitchen, like every other area in this enormous loft, was spacious and uncluttered. But he did have a few whimsical pieces in here. Ceramic salt and pepper shakers shaped like samurai warriors. A fruit bowl entwined with dragons.

Ronin poured her a glass of white wine. “Poached salmon okay?”

“Sounds perfect.” She squinted at the double oven. “Are you cooking it right now?”

“It’s done. Why?”

“It doesn’t reek like fish in here. That’s the thing I hate about cooking fish at home. Takes a day to get the smell out.”

“These ovens have exceptional ventilation, or like you, I’d rarely cook fish.”

She sipped the wine. Very dry. Maybe she could choke down one glass. She’d seem unsophisticated if she admitted she preferred wine coolers to actual wine.

Ronin didn’t bustle around the kitchen. No wasted movements as he removed the pan from the oven. He scooped out a piece of salmon, arranged it on a square red plate, and doused it with a spoonful of yellow sauce. He added a scoop of risotto from a pan on the stove and slid the plate onto the bamboo place mat. He plated his own food before he grabbed two bowls from the fridge and set one beside her.

“Ronin. This is amazing.”

“Maybe you should taste it first before you say that,” he said dryly.

Amery sliced a chunk of the flaky fish and popped it into her mouth. The sauce wasn’t lemony as she’d expected, but orange and mint. “I stand by what I said. This is amazing.”

He nudged the bowl of greens toward her. “Spinach, kale, and bok choy salad with a spicy peanut yogurt dressing.”

She bumped her shoulder into his. “This is an incredibly healthy meal, isn’t it?”

“It’s a staple in my cooking repertoire.”

“Good. I was afraid maybe this was your way of telling me to lay off the Keebler fudge-striped cookies.”

Then her chin was in his hand and Ronin was right in her face. “You are beautiful. Every inch of you. I’d never presume to change you, Amery, only enhance what I know is already there. And if eating Keebler fudge-striped cookies makes you happy, eat them.”

Okay. His intensity even when he was trying to be cute was a little scary. So why was she tempted to kiss him? Nibble on his lips, wanting his flavor on her tongue along with the food?

“You are trouble,” he murmured, “although I do like that you look as if you’d rather take a bite out of me than the food.”

“You caught me.”

Ronin lightly kissed her lips and returned to his meal.

The silence lingering between them wasn’t awkward. If Ronin had something to say, he’d say it; she appreciated that he wasn’t the type of guy who yammered on because he had a wealth of knowledge to share. Besides, she preferred a quiet dinner to the dinners she’d suffered through growing up, where her parents grilled her about everything and would lecture her endlessly on mistakes that would put a mark against the entire family.

“You’re picking at the salad. My feelings won’t be hurt if you don’t like it.”

“No, it’s not that. This is delicious. I was just thinking it’s refreshing we don’t have to talk all the time. It’s like people are afraid of silence.”

“And you’re not?” he asked.

Amery shrugged and swigged her wine. “I work alone seventy percent of the time. I don’t have music playing in the background. I don’t call people and spend hours on the phone. To be honest, I think being content with silence is out of the norm. Chaz can’t work without his iPod blaring in his ears. Every thirty minutes he has to wander around and see what everyone else is doing. Even Molly wears earbuds most of the time she’s in the office.”

“What about Emmylou?”

“She has soothing music playing, and she only holds a minimal amount of conversation with her clients during her sessions. But as soon as she’s done, she’s talking a mile a minute on her cell or surfing online.” Amery shrugged. “Or maybe there’s something wrong with me.”

“Then it’s wrong with me also. I’d prefer a quiet dojo with students working on mastering techniques without distractions. But my supervisory belts disagree with me. They claim music inspires the students to work harder. And since I trust their judgment, I’ve left it their choice on how to run their classes. But if I’m teaching? No music.”

“Did your stance on that come from your monastery years?”

“I learned many skills there, including finding the balance between what I need and what the world requires from me.”

Amery sighed. When he said Zen stuff like that, she wanted to curl into him and absorb his strength and wisdom, while surrounding herself with his enticing scent.

She managed to eat half of her meal and felt guilty when Ronin asked, “Are you finished?”

“Yes. Thank you. It was delicious.” She excused herself to freshen up in the bathroom. After rinsing her mouth and popping a mint, she ran her fingers through her hair and double-checked her makeup. Then she turned away from the mirror—it was a rare day when she was happy with the reflection.

Ronin was staring out the windows in the space separating the living area from the kitchen. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to his mood changes. He could switch from hot to cold literally in the blink of an eye.

Maybe he’s decided this isn’t worth pursuing after all.

She approached him cautiously. “Ronin?”

He didn’t turn around.

“Is everything all right?”

“Not really.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m a liar.”

She froze. “About what?”

“I told you I didn’t invite you here for dinner because I intended to take you to bed. But that’s a total fucking lie. I want you in my bed in the worst way, Amery. All I can think about is stripping you bare and feasting on every part of you before I bend you over the back of the couch and fuck you. Then I’d fuck you on the chair or on the rug before dragging you to my bed and starting all over again.”

That was his I’m a liar confession? Amery nestled her cheek against the heat and hardness between his shoulder blades. She couldn’t help it; she smiled against his back.

“You find that amusing?” he said a bit testily.

“Somewhat.” She snaked her arms around his waist. “Because when I saw you standing in front of this window, I half expected to see your keys in your hand. Like you’d changed your mind and couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Maybe I’m not what you expected? We’re different when it’s just you and me, rather than in the dojo, or talking business, or when we’re having lunch in a crowded restaurant or a drink in a crowded bar.”

He spun around and cradled her head in his hands, keeping their bodies close. “No, baby, it’s better when we’re alone like this. I’m the one who feels like . . .” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “I don’t want to go fast, and yet everything inside me races when I see you.”

The man had all the right words. “So take the pressure off yourself and off me. I didn’t come here tonight expecting to get laid.” Amery turned her head, letting her mouth whisper across his jaw. “In fact, I wore crappy, mismatched lingerie so I’d be too embarrassed to take my clothes off in front of you.”

He laughed softly. “You are such a breath of fresh air in my life.”

Amery looked at him. “I don’t want to scare you off, but I haven’t done the whole dating thing in quite a while.”

“I know that.”

“How?”

“Because you’re not completely jaded. You weren’t sizing up my assets.”

“Well, yes, actually I was sizing up one asset in particular.” Her palms slid up his chest. So firm and defined. She wished she could feel the warmth of his solid muscles beneath her hands.

“Amery,” he warned. “I’m a little on edge, so tread lightly.”

“That commanding tone is so sexy.”

“It’s who I am.” He fastened his mouth to hers. The kiss started out slow but didn’t stay that way for long. His heat, his passion bowled her over. His hot, wet, demanding tongue warred with hers. He gathered her hair in his hand, pulling until she angled her neck exactly how he wanted it.

Her skin was electrified from his openmouthed kisses. Each nuzzle, below her ear, on the pulse point of her throat, the arc of her shoulder, the underside of her jaw, sent her senses reeling. “Ronin.”

“Your skin is like a drug.” He planted kisses to the top button on her shirt. He released her hair and ran his hands down the sides of her face and her neck. His fingers circled her wrists and he brushed his mouth across her ear. “Beautiful girl, I’d better get you home before I come up with one hundred more reasons why I shouldn’t take you home.”

Ronin placed another kiss on her temple and stepped back.

Amery noticed the bulge in the crotch of his jeans.

His rough-tipped fingers were under her chin, forcing her focus higher. “Eyes off my asset.”

After he’d driven her home, he insisted on walking her to the door in the alley she used to reach her loft. “I had an amazing time tonight, Ronin.”

“Same here.” He kissed her fingertips. “Unfortunately I’ve got things scheduled, so we can’t do it again this weekend.”

She masked her disappointment and chastised herself for expecting to spend more time with him over the weekend anyway. They’d had one date. One. She needed to keep her enthusiasm in check. “I’ve got plans myself.”

“Doing what?”

“Catching up on work. Dinner with friends. Hitting the movies. The usual. How about you?”

“Nothing as enticing as what you’re doing,” he said with a smile. “Would that work have anything to do with designing a new logo for Black Arts?”

“Could be. A few drafts are almost done and ready for you to look at.”

“Would Monday work for you to meet with me and a couple instructors to show us what you’ve got?”

She did a mental check of her schedule next week. “Sure. What time?”

“Ten. The dojo offices are on the second floor.”

“Any crazy security measures I need to be aware of?”

“No.” His mouth landed on hers hard for a quick kiss. “See you Monday.”