But his heart was with her. Always.
Ronin had foregone rope play during their stay in Kyoto because he had something special planned for their last night. He wasn’t sure how Amery would handle how things were about to change for them, when his focus would be entirely on his training. There were no days off. If Master Daichi had his way, Ronin would train for two weeks, take two weeks off, return and train for two more weeks, and repeat.
But he knew his body well enough that it’d take week one to reach his prime condition. Week two he’d push himself. Week three he’d begin to tire and need a mental and physical break. And a week alone with his wife on a private beach would rejuvenate him.
Ronin just hoped they both survived the three-week stint of intense training leading up to sand, sun, and surf.
She sat on a bench waiting for his return. She frowned at the package he carried. “I thought we were waiting to buy souvenirs?”
“We are.”
“So what’s that?”
“A gift.”
“For your sensei?”
“No. I brought a case of whiskey for him, remember?”
“Then who’s it for?”
“You.”
When she leapt up and attempted to get in his face, Ronin crowded her against the wall behind the bench. “Hold that sassy tongue, woman. This is the first goddamned thing I’ve bought you since we got here.”
“This is not fair. You wouldn’t let me buy you that funky geisha clock that would’ve looked awesomely obscene in your office at the dojo.”
He placed his mouth on her ear. “You want to give me something?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll take your complete submission to me tonight.”
“Oh.” She paused. “You’re binding me?”
“Yes. And it will be a formal binding.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Master Black. But I accept your terms.”
“Perfect.” Ronin kissed her temple and handed her the package. “No peeking. Let’s eat before we head back.”
Sometimes during this trip Amery had been so quiet he wasn’t sure what was on her mind. But as they shared plates of pan-fried noodles with veggies and skewers of spicy tempura-fried chicken, she chattered away. While she waited for him she’d checked in with Molly. Evidently her office manager and her new graphic artist were doing just fine without the boss lady there.
Ronin tuned out for a moment, wondering how his second-in-command, Knox, was faring, working in the dojo with Shiori. Since he traveled to Japan twice a year, he’d learned it was easier not to worry about things that were out of his control. But leaving this time was different because Knox and Shiori fought like two tomcats—neither willing to back down. He should check in. . . but he figured it’d be a good test for him, and them, to see if they were capable of handling some of the duties he intended to hand over after he returned.
“Ronin?”
He glanced up. “Sorry. I don’t suppose Molly mentioned what’s going on at Black Arts?”
“Nothing beyond Yondan Deacon being a sadistic asshole for claiming she needed to ‘toughen up’ in his Muay Thai class.”
“I’m surprised she’s still going to classes. His dropout rate for men is high because they can’t hack it.”
“Hah!” She pointed her chopsticks at him. “Deacon the Destroyer won’t let her drop out. Molly tried. After she skipped class he showed up at her apartment with a heavy bag and sparring equipment. Twice.”
Ronin froze. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.”
“Why didn’t I know that?”
“Uh, because you’ve been mediating Knox and Shiori, you’ve been taskmaster for Katie the Kook, you’ve taken Ivan the Terrific under your wing, you’re strategizing training partnerships with Badass Blue, you’re running a dojo, building a fight promotion company, and dealing with health concerns.”
He lifted a brow. “Ivan the Terrific? Not Ivan the Terrible?”
“Ronin. The man is hot. Like seriously hot. There’s nothing terrible about him. Well, except for that mean face he makes when he loses during training. But when he smiles?” Amery sighed. “He’s back to being terrific.”
His wife fucking sighed. Over Ivan.
“Oh, don’t make that growling noise. You know I only have eyes for you.”
“Doesn’t sound like it. Sounds like someone has been breaking the ‘no observation’ rule again.”
“So punish me.” She smirked and scooped rice into her mouth.
“Oh, I intend to. Besides, you didn’t list the most distracting thing in my life.” Ronin ran the tips of his fingers up her arm, making sure to hit all the spots that made her tremble. “My beautiful wife.”