The candles weren’t in the usual spot in the window. And he hadn’t seen a note anywhere. He cut through the open library to the hallway that led to her bedroom.

She’d left candles burning in her bedroom, and he paused for a minute to notice it made the enormous space cozier. Then he saw that the door to the bathroom was ajar. He knocked twice. “Mistress?”

“Come in.”

As Knox entered the bathroom, a sweet perfume drifted to him—possibly from the candles she’d scattered in here too. Or maybe from the bubble bath. Peaks of foamy white rose out of the waters in the soaking tub. And amid those bubbles sat his beautiful Mistress, her hair piled on top of her head, a hint of pink on her cheeks.

“You look like you’re in heaven,” Knox said, noticing she held a wineglass.

Shiori’s assessing gaze rolled over his chest with such intimate possession he felt it as powerfully as an actual caress.

“I’m in heaven now,” she said huskily.

“What would you like me to do?”

“Drop the boxers and get in the tub with me. But first . . .” She handed him her wineglass. “Would you mind refilling this? The wine is in the bucket on the counter.”

“It’d be my pleasure.” Another wineglass waited beside the bucket, and he filled them both. He handed hers back and slid off his underwear before throwing his leg over the edge of the tub.

“You should know I like my bathwater hot.”

“Hot-tub hot?”

“Not quite. More the temp of the onsen in Japan.”

“Onsen. Those are hot-water mineral springs, right?”

“Right.”

She watched him as he eased his feet in, then his calves, and submerged himself completely. He leaned back and grabbed his wine. “Very nice.”

“Glad you approve.”

“So can I ask you something without offending you?”

“Interesting way to phrase it, but go ahead.”

“You don’t seem like the bubbles-up-to-your-chin, soaking-in-floral-scented water, sipping-wine-and-reading-a-book kind of woman.”

Her lips curled into a smile. “I’m not. I prefer a hot shower to start the day. Sometimes a longer shower to end it. But every once in a while, I like to indulge. And if I had to guess, taking baths isn’t your thing either.”

“To be honest, I’ve never soaked in a tub with a woman. Never mind doing so amid bubbles and candlelight, sipping wine—so you popped my romantic bubble-bath cherry.”

She laughed softly.

“I missed you.” She’d been gone three days—a phone call on her way to the airport had been his only warning.

Shiori looked at him and swirled the liquid in her glass. “Sorry for bailing on you at the last minute. I want to say it won’t happen again, but it probably will.”

“Did you have a good trip?”

“Productive. Maggie, who runs the Seattle office, is always two steps ahead, which is a nice change from being two steps behind.”

Knox took a tentative sip of wine. Normally he wasn’t a fan of rotten grape juice, but this stuff wasn’t half bad. “Is your mother your contact person at Okada?”

“Yes and no. After I resigned my position, they promoted my assistant, which was a smart move. She keeps me up to speed on the contracts I still handle. My mother . . . She’s the one who sent me to Mexico to negotiate that deal. She’s the one who sent me to Canada to negotiate this last one. My grandfather is essentially retired. Makes me wonder what he’s doing with all his time.” She sighed. “I doubt he’s shaping bonsai trees.”

Being this close to her and not touching her had him reaching beneath the water to circle his fingers around her ankle.

“I missed you too. Which is why I sent the text.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“At one point this morning, when I looked across the Seattle office and heard everyone speaking Japanese, I swore I was in our Kyoto office.”

“Do you miss Japan?”

“Yes, I do. More than I thought I would.”

Was it too much to hope for that what they’d become to each other would make a difference in whether she stayed?

Yes—this was just another aspect of their relationship where he had no control.

Knox set his wineglass on the back edge of the tub and floated toward her. Putting his palms on her knees, he said, “Can I kiss you, Mistress?”

“Yes.” She set her glass aside, wreathing her arms around his neck when they were face-to-face. Shiori’s eyes were a darker gold tonight.