Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 161615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 539(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 161615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 539(@300wpm)
The hydra wound around his ribs, heads twisting like it wanted me for itself.
An oni demon writhed on his shoulder, teeth bared in a promise of violence.
And then—the katana. Black ink, blade pointed down toward his groin, sharp as a secret, daring me to test whether the threat ended in his tattoo or between his legs.
As always, it was too much.
Too much beauty.
Too much terror.
And the worst part?
He knew what he fucking did to me. I saw it in the slow curl of his mouth, the way his eyes narrowed just enough to tell me he could read my pulse without touching me.
I lifted my gaze back to those piercing eyes. “In the tub. . .during the breath play.”
He quirked his brows.
My voice fell to a whisper. “You were in subspace at the time but. . .you told me you loved me.”
“Because I do.”
A shiver ran through me. “That. . .scared me.”
“Why?”
“Because. . .I feel the same way too. . .I’m just. . .not ready to say it.”
“But you must say it.”
“What if it’s too soon?”
“None of that matters, Tora. It’s just us two. Together. In this bed. Heads on the same pillow. Holding each other and listening to our whispers. Skin to skin. Saying what our hearts truly feel.”
“But. . .” My pulse skipped.
Then raced.
Then stopped entirely when his eyes pinned me.
My bottom lip quivered. “I love you, Kenji.”
“I love you too, and will always love you. There will never be another woman after you. No one else can compare.”
My heart pounded in my ears.
Those words were so much I had to sit with them and close my eyes just to let them imprint into my heart and drown any fear away.
Damn. . .
And in that instant, I realized loving the Dragon would never save me—only ruin me beautifully.
Fuck it. Then that is just what will be. . .
I opened my eyes.
He continued to watch me.
I had to change the subject, if only to give my heart a few minutes to catch up. I swallowed. “Why can’t you really go to sleep?”
“I told you.”
“That’s bullshit. You’re horny, but you’re exhausted.”
His eyes didn’t move, but his jaw twitched.
“Something is on your mind. Or maybe. . .a lot of somethings are on your mind.”
“Why do you say that?”
I tilted my head, studying him like I’d studied so many before. “Your face is giving it away.”
“It isn’t.”
“It is.”
He smiled. “Tell me how.”
“The set of your mouth. The way you’re watching me without blinking, like if you blink, the thoughts will escape. That tightness around your eyes that I believe comes when you’re not angry, but you’re stressing about something that’s really heavy.”
His hand tightened on my hip, almost reflexive, as if to stop me from peeling him open. “So you think you can read me?”
“Am I right or wrong?”
“You’re right.”
I shrugged. “But. . .you’re also at war with your father, so maybe what I said is just a good guess in the context of the situation. Anyone would reasonably think you are stressed.”
Kenji’s eyes narrowed a fraction, the kind of shift most people wouldn’t even notice. “Let’s test this.”
“What?” My brows lifted. “Test it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I’m intrigued.”
I caught it—the smallest flare at the corner of his mouth, the briefest twitch of muscle along his jaw, like his face couldn’t quite hold the burden of a big lie. His gaze slid away from mine for half a second before snapping back, too sharp, too quick.
I leaned closer, studying him the way I’d studied a hundred men who thought they could bluff their way through an interview. “No. You’re not intrigued. You’re hiding something else. The little tells give you away—your mouth twitches, your jaw goes rigid, your eyes can’t hold mine for more than a beat without overcompensating. You’re scared to tell me the truth.”
His nostrils flared. “Careful, Tora.”
Fear coiled in me, yes, but so did fire. I wanted his secrets, his shadows, his truths. I wanted to drag every hidden thing out of him, claws first if I had to. I steadied my next words. “Why do I have to be careful?”
“I don’t like to be easily read.”
“We’re naked. You’ve been inside my body. You’ve bit my flesh and drank my blood like a vampire. If anyone is going to be able to easily read you. . .it will be me.”
His eyes glinted, dangerous and molten, but his voice came out low and sensual. “You already have my heart and my cock. You have my soul. You don’t need my fucking brain too.”
“Yet,” I whispered, brushing my fingers along the hard line of his jaw, “I want it all.”
A dark chuckle left him. “Greedy Tiger.”
“You’re one to talk. You’ve swallowed my life whole. Every cell within me belongs to you.”
He moved his hand up and gripped my chin. “That’s because you’re mine.”
I thought back to what he said in the shower. “Apparently I’m yours in this life and others.”