Bound (Mastered #1)(86)
• • •
TWO hours later they were lounging by the pool.
Ronin said, "What would you like to do today?"
Amery cracked a lid open. "Besides this? Nothing."
"Nothing? Not one thing?"
"We could roll around in your big bed. Get ourselves hot, sweaty, and sticky and then jump back into the pool."
"You have a thing for my pool."
"No, I have a thing for you. The pool is just a bonus." She looked at him over the top of her sunglasses. "You up for a tumble?"
"Actually I wanted to talk to you about that." Ronin reached for her hand. "Since you've agreed to let me bind you, I'd like the first time to be a little more formal."
Her belly made a slow roll. "Can you explain that?"
"I want you in the right headspace from the start. And knowing that you're in my practice room, waiting for me, will put me in the right frame of mind too."
"Okay. But what does that have to do with us taking a tumble right now?" She paused. "Oh. Do you want to tie me up right now?"
"No. But as much as I want to build the anticipation of the binding, I'd like to build the anticipation of the sex after the binding, by abstaining from it."
"You're serious."
He kissed her knuckles. "Completely. It isn't like I expect to hold off for a week, just until tomorrow night. Can you be here at nine?"
Amery smiled. "Looking forward to it."
"Perfect. I'll leave instructions for you in the room."
Instructions. That did sound formal.
"Would you like a peek in the practice room?"
She'd wondered if he'd offer. "No. I'd rather it retain some mystery."
"Good point."
"Besides, the room is for you, not for me."
"Another good point. But I promise we'll both enjoy it."
She didn't doubt that for a second. "So now that I know sex is off the table for today . . ." She stood and whipped off her bikini top, then ditched her bottoms. She threw a grin at him from the edge of the pool. "Let's swim naked."
"You are getting bolder." He shed his swim trunks and moved in behind her.
"Yes, I am. And I'm blaming it on you." Then she wrapped herself around him and tipped them both into the deep end.
• • •
THE following evening Knox let her into the penthouse. If he noticed she was nervous, he didn't mention it.
Amery's steady heart rate skyrocketed when she opened the door to Ronin's secret room.
Spread out across the bench was a satin kimono the color of cherry blossoms-pale pink that gradually morphed into a deep rose at the bottom hem. She picked it up and rubbed the silky fabric against her skin, half expecting the sweet aroma of cherry blossoms to surround her. But Ronin's scent teased her nose and she breathed it in.
A piece of paper fluttered to the floor. Amery picked it up, realizing it was a list for her. Ronin's precise penmanship stood out in black, a sharp contrast against the thick white paper. She read:
INSTRUCTIONS
Strip and wear nothing beneath the robe.
Leave your hair down.
Kneel on the pillow in the center of the room.
Close your eyes and allow your mind to drift.
No wasted words. No surprise there.
As Amery ditched her clothing, the balls of nerves knotted in her chest, her belly, and the back of her neck began to loosen. She slowed her breathing and focused on her senses.
The cool robe slithered against her naked, heated skin. The velvet pillow provided cushioning for her knees as she rested back on her haunches. The only scents she could distinguish were Ronin's and the slightly bitter tang of her own sweat. Her mouth remained dry, but she could taste the remnants of her breath mint. Placing her hands palms up on her thighs, she searched for the quiet place inside her where unease didn't have a foothold.
Her happy sense of calm wavered when the door snicked shut.
Breathe.
Then Ronin's hands were on her scalp. Petting her, following the length of her unbound hair to the ends in the middle of her back. His mouth brushed her ear. "Nervous?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Not the response she expected, which caused her to bristle and ask, "Are you nervous?"
His softly whispered "Yes" was there and gone.
She permitted herself a small smile.
He said, "Stand," and helped her to her feet. From behind he untied the robe's sash at her waist. He slid his palms up the length of her arms. He peeled back the fabric from her shoulders, and the satin fell to the floor.
Amery had been naked in front of him before, but this seemed . . . new.
Then his lips were on her skin, trailing down the side of her neck in a silent command to arch to the opposite side. Her hair swished against her back in an erotic arc as she complied.