“I’ll take the twinge of pain if I can be naked with you. Besides, it’s sore no matter what I do—or don’t do.” He seemed annoyed with himself after that admission and reached out to touch her cheek. “And I’ve had a few hours’ recovery time, keeping it elevated, thanks to you.”

Amery kissed his fingertips. “Is that your way of telling me you’re up for a third round?”

“While hard and fast always appeals to me . . .” Ronin followed the V of her pajama top from the edge of her collarbone to the swell of her cle**age. “I haven’t put my hands on you with slow deliberation for seven weeks.”

“You are a menace with those hands.”

He pressed kisses across her collarbone, stopping to run his tongue in the dip between her neck and shoulder as his rough-skinned hand caressed her belly. “I missed this. All the different ways I can worship you.”

When she twisted her fingers in his hair and tried to pull him away, he continued his maddeningly erotic exploration of the sensitive skin on the side of her breast.

“You know what I do with hands that get in my way,” he warned, rubbing his soft lips across the same spot.

“Tie them up.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t like that.”

“I do like it. It’s just . . .”

Ronin raised his head, stopping his delicious torture. “It’s just what?”

“I’m really sore from earlier.” She tried to say it without blushing but didn’t quite manage it.

“So touching you automatically leads to f**king you?”

“It always has in the past. Not that I’m complaining,” she added quickly.

“Sounds to me like you are.” Ronin pushed upright. His eyes were dark with that you’re-in-for-it now look. “It’s up to me to prove you wrong. Hands above your head.”

“I didn’t mean . . .”

He got nose to nose with her. “I won’t repeat myself.”

Shit. Amery raised her arms and grabbed on to the headboard.

Ronin reached into the nightstand and pulled out a length of rope.

“You keep rope in here?”

“Baby, I keep rope everywhere. I never know when it’ll come in handy.”

She watched with total fascination as he folded the rope. Then he straddled her chest, and within thirty seconds, he had her wrists bound and secured to the headboard. “What was that?”

“Hojojutsu quick bind.” Those wonderfully callused hands skated down her arms from below the wrist binding to her shoulders. “That’s the only thing that’ll be quick about this. One of my greatest pleasures is getting to put my hands on you whenever I want.” He circled her nipple with the tip of his finger. “Not just the obvious parts.”

Her stomach performed a little flip when he brushed a velvety-soft kiss on the edge of her jaw.

“And using my mouth to taste and tease is another pleasure.”

His warm breath and deep voice sent tingles down the left side of her body.

“You’ve voiced your concerns about establishing intimacy outside of sex.” He nuzzled beneath her chin until she arched her neck, giving him the section of skin he wanted. “Let me establish it right now. I will touch you, taste you, tease you—but I will not f**k you. This isn’t about seeing how hard I can make you come. It’s about you understanding how much I enjoy the journey of getting you there.”

Amery gave herself over to him.

His hands and mouth were in constant motion. Sweet, powerful words were whispered against her skin. He stayed true to his word; no part of her body went unattended. When he reached her sex, he touched, licked, nuzzled, and kissed with no more reverence than he’d given the flare of her hips and the curve of her outer thighs.

When he finished the front side of her body, he turned her and started over. By the time he finished, her skin felt electrified.

Next Ronin kissed her—a kiss unlike any other. Kissing her as if her mouth should never be parted from his. The only place he touched her was on her face and neck with achingly tender caresses as the kiss heated up and cooled down. Finally he broke his lips free and sighed softly into her hair.

Yeah, she didn’t need to lecture him on the meaning of intimacy.

Then he untied her hands and pulled her into his arms. “Sleep.”

And she did.

• • •

AMERY woke alone.

She slipped on her robe and went looking for Ronin. She found a note in the kitchen.

Handling oversight on Saturday-morning classes. Then working on PT. It’ll be mid-afternoon before I’m done. Groceries will be delivered today—I’ll bring them up. Stick around. Please.

No signature.

At loose ends, she brewed a pot of coffee and opened her laptop to check her e-mail. She forwarded a couple things to Molly and clicked on the e-mail from Cherry Starr—the erotica author she’d created a sexy book cover for.

Amery,

The book reviews have been awesome so far—fingers crossed sales will reflect that! The cover has been getting serious buzz. Like, serious buzz. I’ve had several author friends ask who designed the cover after they’ve failed to find out more information online about Hard-Edge Designs.

I know you weren’t sure whether this type of sideline would be worthwhile, so I haven’t given out your contact information. A really selfish part of me wants to keep you all to myself, but I realize that’s unrealistic .