"Is that all Molly is to you? A hole to shove it in?" Knox asked sharply.
"No. Not even close." Deacon slumped back in the chair. "That's why I have to do this right from the start."
Knox lifted his sleeping daughter onto his shoulder and gently patted her back. "I'm not being a smart-ass when I tell you it's not a bad idea to start this out like you were in high school. When She-Cat and I started seeing each other outside of the dojo, we had an entirely different view of each other. My best advice is to listen to her. Women are sneaky. They'll leave hints about what they want. They're rarely direct."
Deacon folded his hands on top of his head. "Even Shiori? I thought she told you exactly what she wants you to do."
"As far as sex? Yes. She tells me exactly what her sexual needs are, but I'd be a poor sub if I hadn't learned to anticipate those needs. The woman ain't complaining about what she gets from me." He gave Deacon a cocky grin. "It's when we're not in the bedroom and are out of those Dominant/submissive roles that she drops hints about stuff instead of telling me directly."
"Explain that."
"Two months ago, she started talking about how much she missed the onsen in Japan. Then she asked if I'd ever soaked in a hot mineral bath after skiing." Knox cocked his head. "Decipher that for me."
"I wasn't expecting a pop quiz." Deacon racked his brain forever-probably fifteen seconds. "That was Shi-Shi's way of hinting she wanted a hot tub." As soon as Deacon said that, he knew he'd nailed it.
"Nice try, grasshopper. But that answer is too obvious."
"What? That was the perfect answer."
Knox chuckled. "I'll break it down for you. She asked if I'd been skiing in a place that had hot springs. So I put together that she wanted a weekend away with me in Steamboat Springs."
"You figured that out from just those few hints?"
"Yep. She acted like I was the most intuitive guy in the world for reading her mind."
"I am so fucked."
"Not if you listen. That's the whole point. If Molly says something like she gets cold at night and wishes she had a quilt like her grandma made, check the area events for a quilt show, because that's what she's hinting at."
Deacon stared at Knox like he'd never seen him before.
"What?"
"Dude," he said in awe. "You are like the woman whisperer."
"Nice shot, dickhead. Just trying to be helpful."
"I'm serious. That is a hard-core skill. Teach me."
"First one is free, my friend. Then you're on your own." Knox gave him a contemplating look. "But I could impart more advice if you agree help me out Friday night."
"Help you do what?" Deacon asked suspiciously.
"Hang shelves in Nuri's room. The kid's toy collection is out of hand."
"Sure. I can do that."
"Cool. As long as you're here, what's this I heard that Terrel and Ito got into it in the training room?"
Deacon bit back a smart-ass remark about Knox turning into a gossipy housewife-sometimes he forgot the big dude with the higher belt rank could whip his ass. "Ito's daughter, Simone, has been fucking Terrel on the sly. And Daddy ain't happy about the color of skin that's been all over his baby girl."
Knox looked shocked. "How can that be? Ito is Japanese. He's pissed off that his mixed-race daughter is sleeping with a mixed-race guy?"
Deacon could see where Knox would take issue with that since his wife-and now his daughter-were both of mixed race. "I know, man. It's fucked-up. But Ito cornered Terrel and knocked him out before Maddox could intervene. Blue wasn't happy when Sensei only put Ito on probation."
"Why isn't Shihan Beck handling it? That's his job."
"He tried to handle it. I don't gotta tell you, Ito can be a condescending prick."
"I don't remember there being this much drama when I was Shihan," Knox said.
"There wasn't. We were too understaffed to bitch at each other because we couldn't afford to piss off one of the teachers and take a chance they'd quit. Now, between the dojo and the MMA program, there are a dozen new people."
Knox kept lightly rubbing on the baby's back, but the kid didn't stir. "Do you miss teaching?"
"Kickboxing, yeah. Jujitsu?" He shrugged. "Some days. But it's a relief to focus on just one thing."
"Will getting involved with Molly screw with your focus when you're both in the dojo? You had problems with that when she was working with Fisher in the training room."