Bound (Mastered #1)(111)

She stood and grabbed her empty coffee mug. As she passed Molly's desk, she said, "Want a refill?"

Molly handed over her cup without looking away from her computer screen. "Might as well load us both up because it's going to be a late night."

• • •

AMERY finished the last shot for the newsletter around ten o'clock and sent Molly home. Since she got to keep the items she photographed, she sorted items she didn't need, like organic dog food, into donate and save piles. But after a long day she only had the energy to refrigerate the perishables.

Around eleven Ronin texted he was at the back door. Yawning, she hefted herself out of the chair and cut through the back room to let him in.

The man was on her even before she closed the door. She twined her arms around his neck and held on, letting the energy that always pulsed from him restore hers.

He broke the kiss and said, "I missed you last night."

"Same here. I was just finishing up."

"Anything I can do to help?"

She pecked him on the mouth. "Keep me company." As she locked the door, she said offhandedly, "I should just give you a key." When he didn't respond, she backtracked, "Not that I'm making it into a big thing, I just thought-"

Ronin spun her around and framed her face in his hands. "It is a big thing. Next time you come over I'll give you a key card and the codes to my place." He pressed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm not doing this just to give you free swimming privileges-you know that, right?"

"Right." Smiling, she took his hand and led him to her small studio.

He bent down and peered at the props on the table. "What are those? Turnips?"

"Golden beets. They're milder than regular beets but still good."

"I might have to try cooking with them." Ronin's gaze took in the piles everywhere. "Looks like you've been busy. Does that mean things are looking better on the business front?"

They hadn't talked about her business struggles at all in the weeks since he'd offered her a loan. While she still appreciated his generosity, taking his money-no matter how much she needed it and how well intentioned he was in offering it-would drive a wedge between them. Not only because of her pride, but it'd just add another layer to their already complicated relationship.

"All this"-she gestured to the piles-"is for a Grass Roots newsletter. As far as adding new business . . . it's been pretty slim pickin's." She thought back to the phone call from today. That could be huge. So huge she couldn't wrap her head around it, or why they'd approached her.

Then Ronin was in her face, resting his right hand against her cheek. "I recognize that look. Did something happen today that's worrying you?"

How could he read her so easily and she couldn't read him at all?

She latched on to the first random thought that popped into her head. "It didn't happen today. It's something I've been putting off, which isn't smart when I need the work, but the project is out of my usual realm." She frowned. "Out of my realm photographically speaking."

"What do you mean?"

Amery dropped into her chair and propped her bare feet up on the edge of her desk. "Several weeks ago this author contacted me, asking if I'd be interested in creating a cover for her next digital book. At first the whole thing tripped my warning bells because that was a day after the night I ran from you and your magic rope tricks."



       
         
       
        

A smile ghosted around his mouth.

"Anyway, it struck me as coincidental that this erotic author I didn't know wanted a specific image for her cover."

"And what image is that?"

Her gaze hooked his. "A woman in bondage."

His expression didn't change.

"I thought you'd put her up to contacting me, expecting I'd ask her a lot of questions and during those conversations I'd get a handle on the mixed feelings I was having about you and your rope proclivities."

"And?"

"And she did give me a different perspective, for which I owe her. I agreed to work on her cover. She's not under deadline, and neither am I, so in my spare time, I've been thinking about how to create the image she wants-a woman in bondage that's tasteful and sexy, yet doesn't show any of her girl parts." Amery twisted her ponytail around her finger. "The thing is, if I do a good job, it could open up a whole new income stream for me. I won't get rich creating custom digital book covers, but any projects that keep me in business are worth attempting. So I can't figure out why I'm dragging my feet."