Ronin plucked up her hand and kissed her palm. “I lost you there for a moment. But I’m not complaining because you look happy.”

“I am happy. Being with you—just you—really makes this feel like a honeymoon.”

“Baby, these weeks we have alone are our honeymoon.”

She gazed at him. “Sometimes when I look across the table, it just hits me . . .”

“What hits you?”

“That you’re really my husband.”

He smiled softly at her while his eyes shone fiercely in the glow of the paper lanterns. “We’re getting sappy on sake. Time to go.”

As soon as they were through the front door of the condo, Ronin was on her. Ripping away the articles of clothing she wore, he hoisted her against the smooth teak wall in the foyer. No bondage games, no foreplay, just pure raw sex. He slammed inside her and started fucking her in such a primal way, it soon had her coming so hard that her mind blanked.

Ronin’s harsh grunt against her cheek and the stillness of his powerful body roused her from the white haze.

She forced her hands to loosen her tight grip on his ass. “Happy honeymoon to us!”

“Indeed. And I guarantee we’ll being doing a lot of this to make it the best honeymoon ever.”

“How many times have you had your hands on me in the last day?”

“Four.” He nibbled on her throat as he tried to catch his breath. “And yes, I’m keeping track.”

As distracting as it was to have his mouth working such shiver-inducing magic on her skin, Amery concentrated on adding up their naked time. Ronin had tied her hands to the showerhead with her loofah in their shower at home and fucked her very thoroughly before they’d left for the airport. He’d fucked her twice on the plane. He’d gone all caveman on her just now. And before they went exploring in Kyoto . . .

“You forgot one. The blowjob in the shower right after we got here. You definitely had your hands on me then. Mostly gripping my head, but it counts.”

“I stand corrected. Five.” He nipped her earlobe. “Wanna go for six?”

She laughed.

But it soon became clear that her insatiable husband hadn’t been joking.

***

They spent the early part of the morning of day two at Maruyama Park beneath the cherry blossoms. Then they ventured to the Imperial Palace, and the equally gorgeous Imperial Palace Park. That night they took a romantic walk through the canopy of cherry trees in bloom at Philosopher’s Path. Amery caught herself tearing up when she thought about Ronin’s surprise in bringing her here during such a magical time.

After they’d returned to the condo, Ronin showed her on a map where they’d be in the upcoming weeks. During his training weeks they’d be in a small village at the base of the snow-capped mountains in Hokkaido. Then during the first break they’d be on the beach in the Ryukyu Islands, then back to Hokkaido, and they’d spend the last week in Tokyo.

“Any part of that you don’t want to do, tell me. I purposely kept our itinerary fluid.”

“No, I want to do it all. Ronin, I’m still pinching myself that I’m really here. While this is my first exotic foreign adventure, I know it’s not a once-in-a-lifetime event for you like it is for me.”

Ronin pressed his lips to hers, bestowing the type of sweet, reverent kiss that made her sigh. “Wrong. This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for me too, Mrs. Black. This is the only honeymoon we’ll ever take. Yes, I’ve seen some of these sights, but I’ve never seen them with you. In years to come we can return to these places, but it’ll never be like this again for us.”

Amery nuzzled his neck. “I love you. And I’m loving this romantic side of you.”

“Does it surprise you?”

“Yes. You’re so used to being . . . Sensei Black that sometimes you forget you’re also just Ronin. My Ronin.”

That appeared to startle him. “I’ll work harder on showing you my romantic side, okay?”

“Okay.” If they continued this conversation in the same vein she’d end up genuflecting at his feet—and the rope master side of him would enjoy that far too much. So she changed the subject. “I took stock of the pantry. There’s not much to cook so should we go to the store tomorrow?”

“I’d rather sample Kyoto’s cuisine.”

She frowned. “Really? Why? We don’t eat out that much at home.”

“Which is why I want to take advantage of having hundreds of different restaurants within walking distance. Plus, you’ll end up cooking for me every night during my training weeks.”

“You trust me to cook? Aren’t you afraid you’ll get fat-laden meatloaf and buttery mashed potatoes and other not-good-for-you Midwestern comfort foods from me?”

“Smartass.” Ronin smacked her butt.

Amery wrapped her arms around his neck. “I assume your diet will be different with that much training?”

“Yes. But we can talk about it later. I’ve got a better use for my mouth at the moment.” With those promising words, Ronin carried her to the meditation room and showed her the benefits of a low table surrounded by cushions.

***

It didn’t escape her notice on day three after they’d visited the formidable and majestic Arashiyama Bamboo Grove that Ronin had embraced the laid-back “on vacation” vibe. Like everything else he did perfectly, Ronin was a perfect travel partner. Knowledgeable. Attentive. Flexible. Spontaneous. Passionate.