Bound (Mastered #1)(102)

"Do you have plans for the rest of the night?"

"Wallow. Then wallow some more."

Ronin framed her face in his hands. "Come wallow with me in the pool. Or in the garden. But if you'd rather we can go to your place."

Amery looked into his eyes, entranced by how they changed color. Right now they were a warm, soft brown and filled with concern. Then she felt guilty for saying she didn't know him when very few people got to see this caring side of Master Black and he showed it to her-even if only limitedly. "Your place has more toys." When Ronin raised his eyebrows she amended, "Not what I meant."

"I'm calling that a Freudian slip anyway."

"Whatever. No weird sex toys," she warned.

"I promise only to use the usual sex toys." He smooched her mouth.

"Meaning ropes?"

"Among other things. Let's go."

Amery perked up at seeing Ronin's motorcycle parked by the curb. "Did you bring me a helmet?"

"Of course."

It seemed as if Ronin took the long way back to his place, but Amery didn't mind. There were worse places to be than twined around his strong body.

They held hands during the elevator ride.

Ronin asked, "Are you hungry?"

"No. I'd rather swim."

"Are you changing in my room?"

"I left my swimsuit in the guest room."

He kissed her forehead. "I'll meet you at the pool after I shower."

She opened the drawer where she'd stashed the two new swimsuits Ronin had bought her. As soon as she ditched her workday clothes, she breathed easier. Which was ironic since she'd never been comfortable in swimwear. Spying Ronin's white dress shirt on the back of the door, she slipped it on as a cover-up.

The elevator spit her out on the roof and she practically skipped to her favorite chaise on the pool side. With half a buzz relaxing her, she closed her eyes and basked in the sun's fading rays.

The next time Amery opened her eyes, the sun had dropped in the horizon. She scrambled upright and looked over to see Ronin stretched out beside her. Watching her. "Crap. Did I fall asleep?"

"Only for an hour."

She ran a hand through her hair. "Sorry."

"Don't be. You must've needed it."

"So you've been up here listening to me snore the whole time?"

"Except for the call I had to take right after I got out of the shower."

Was this his way of sharing? "What was the call about?"

"Boring business stuff."

And . . . not so much with the sharing.

But he did reach for her hand. After a bit, Ronin said, "I've been thinking."



       
         
       
        

"About?"

"Your financial situation."

Hard not to get her back up. "And?"

"And I came up with a way to help you."

"Ronin. I already designed a new logo for Black Arts. As a matter of fact, I saw the new patch on your gi top."

"Looks great, doesn't it? But you piddling around with graphic stuff for my dojo wasn't what I had in mind."

"Then what?"

He stood and moved to sit on the bottom of her chaise. "Please hear me out before you jump in and say no."

That definitely got her back up. "I'm listening."

"You've got a good thing going with your business. Unique, yet mainstream enough you haven't locked yourself into a niche market. I suspect given the chance you could spin it into a bigger agency. Not now but a few years down the road. Which is why I want to invest in Hardwick Designs."

"Invest in?"

"I'd give you a year's worth of operating capital so you could keep Molly on."

"Give?" she repeated.

He squeezed her knee. "Loan, if you prefer. You wouldn't have to start repayments until your company was operating in the black again."

"What's the interest rate for this investment?"

"Standard business rate. The whole point of this is to keep your business afloat during these market fluctuations. It'll level out sooner rather than later. The signs are already there with the unemployment rate dropping, new construction rates slowly climbing again, and the upswing in the stock market."

Amery stared at him. Since when did Zen Master Black give a damn about the effects of the economy?

Just another sign that you don't know him beyond sexually.

"I would be a silent investor, so you needn't worry I'd take over your business. I'm already running the dojo and dealing with other family pressures. I wouldn't require much for financial reporting besides a basic idea where you are bi-monthly on the profit and loss."