Bound: The Mastered Series (21 page)

“Better?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going to let you go. Are you ready for me to finish binding you?”

“Okay.”

Whatever configuration he used connecting her arms to the chest harness took longer than she’d expected. So by the time he finished, she’d drifted into that floaty headspace she’d experienced when he tied her to the chaise. She was attuned to every nuance in her body. The tug in her sex. The constriction around her chest. The position of her arms and hands that rendered them useless.

Ronin’s warm breath drifted over her damp skin as he made adjustments. Intensity radiated from him.

His fingertips followed the bindings from her chest to her belly, over her slick pussy, up the crack in her ass, and then from her shoulders down her arms to her wrists. He didn’t say a word, but Amery knew she’d pleased him.

A gentle push indicated she needed to return to her knees. Her head tilted forward and the ends of her hair brushed the tops of her thighs.

She wasn’t sure how much time passed before she felt Ronin behind her. His hand went to her hair, pulling to get her attention as that hot, wicked mouth of his assaulted her neck. Biting, sucking, sending tremors of need through her and yet she knew she remained under his control. She couldn’t touch him. Or herself. She couldn’t do anything but surrender.

And what a sweet, sweet surrender it was.

Ronin lightly tugged on the rope with the knot teasing her clit. His other hand toyed with her nipples. Sometimes pulling. Sometimes pinching. Sometimes just giving her a featherlight stroke over the aching tip. He held her head in place with his hand and nuzzled the skin beneath her ear. “Amery.”

“Mmm.”

“Are you close to coming?”

“No.”

He increased the speed and pressure of the rope on her clit and she sucked in a sharp breath. “Better?”

“Some, but I don’t think I can . . . without direct contact.”

Then Ronin slid in front of her and let his tongue flick across her nipple. He bent his head to her other breast and scored the tip with his teeth.

Her head fell back.

He moved the small knot in the rope away from her clitoris and stroked with his thumb. Side to side at first, bringing blood to the nub.

Amery clenched her thighs in anticipation. Every rapid stroke on her engorged clit pushed her closer to the edge. The binding around her chest forced only reedy breaths, increasing the dizzy sensation.

Then Ronin’s mouth was sucking in that spot below her ear—the spot that shot an electric charge to her nipples and ricocheted to her pussy. She had about a five-second warning before she came undone. And right after that first hard pulse rocked her, Ronin snapped the knotted rope into place over her clit.

The spark of pain lasted a split second before the pleasure hit and her cunt spasmed. Every pulse felt like another hard snap of that rope.

She arched back but didn’t have anywhere to go with her hands tied. Ronin’s mouth suctioned to her neck as his fingers twisted her nipple to the pulsing rhythm coursing through her.

By the time she floated back down, Ronin’s touches were aggressive.

He shifted her into the position he wanted—on her knees on a training mat, her chest against the cool vinyl, her ass in the air. Those skilled hands skimmed her naked back from the start of her spine to where her bound hands rested above her ass. Her name tumbled from his lips as soft as a sigh, but with as much reverence as the way he touched her. His potent mix of affection and need flowed through her when he clamped his hands on her hips and anchored his body behind hers.

The thick head of his cock circled the opening once before he plunged into her pussy to the hilt.

Although she was wet and she’d already come once, the ferocity of his thrusts made her breath catch. Good thing he’d switched his grip from her hips to the ropes binding her arms or she would’ve gone skittering across the mat.

But it felt good. Empowering. She’d driven Ronin Black to the tipping point. And he was proving his mastery with every hard, driving thrust. He didn’t speak. The only indication he’d finally reached the end of the climb was when his fingers dug into her hips and he released a soft grunt as his heat filled her.

Afterward Ronin retreated and pulled her to her feet. He immediately picked her up, cradling her in his arms as he carried her to his bedroom. The man wasn’t even breathing hard when he laid her on his big bed.

He kissed her with hunger and delicacy. First her mouth, then his lips meandered down her torso, stopping at her swollen clit. He was ruthless in bringing her to climax again with his tongue and soft, sucking kisses.

Amery sighed, surprised she had breath enough in her lungs to make any noise at all.

He traced the skin above the first rope wrap as he untied it. “You are beautiful bound. Beautiful in your surrender to me.”

“Even when you had to talk me down?”

Those ever-changing brown eyes hooked hers. “Especially then.”

“Ronin—”

“Hold on for a second.” He helped her into a sitting position and wedged himself between her knees. One quick tug and one of the knots on the chest harness loosened the binding above her breasts. Blood rushed in and the painful pins-and-needles sensation would’ve brought tears to her eyes if not for Ronin’s mouth being right there to alleviate the sting.

“Oh my God.”

“You like that?” he murmured, moving to her other breast.

“It hurts. Then it doesn’t. Is it weird I miss the hurting sensation, but at the same time I don’t?”

“No, baby, it’s not. That’s why it’s called the edge between pleasure and pain.”

“It’s easier to understand when I’m actually dancing on that razor’s edge.” She let her head fall back as Ronin kissed and nuzzled every section of her chest where the ropes had been.

Then he was in her face wearing a look of satisfaction. “You took to bondage amazingly well.” He kissed her forehead. “Is that something you’d like to continue to explore with me?”

Amery blinked at him. “Why would you think I wouldn’t be interested?”

“I never assume.” Ronin brushed his cheek over hers. “You agreed to try it. That’s it.”

“And I liked it,” she blurted. “A lot.”

“Good to hear. I have plenty more ideas on how I’d like to bind you.”

She shifted her head and saw the red marks on her skin. All over her skin. Would the marks still be visible in the morning? Would her friends and clients recognize rope burns on her wrists?

He tipped her chin up. “Hey. Where’d you go?”

“Just worried about”—
what other people will think?
jumped into her head before she blocked it out. “How long will the rope marks show?”

“They’ll be gone in a few hours. But you’ve got to expect to have marks every time I bind you. It’s physics. Something coarse rubs against a soft surface and it’ll result in a mark.” Ronin dragged a fingertip across the red line above her left breast. “Some who are tied want the marks. In fact, the more marks the better. It’s a badge of honor for them.”

“But they don’t have mainstream jobs where they have to face, say, the church camp counselor, who’s picking up promotional materials and she sees the graphic artist with rope burns on her arms, wrists, and ankles.”

“Amery, I’d never put your livelihood in jeopardy. But there will be times when the marks won’t fade as fast as tonight. It depends on the size and type of rope, what pattern I’m attempting, where I tie you, if I use suspension, and even if I fuck you when you’re bound.”

“So maybe the question is, how often do you want to bind me? Every time we’re together? Will you demand it? Do you need it?” Sitting on the bed, naked, talking about bondage specifics should’ve made her feel sexually free, but mostly she felt confused and exposed.

Ronin gathered her into his arms.

Almost immediately, she relaxed.

“One thing at a time, okay?”

She nodded.

“There’s no need to set a schedule, like I’ll bind you on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and Wednesdays and Mondays are no-tie days. Kinbaku can be spontaneous. But I can also plan to practice a specific binding on you several days in advance. So I’d let you know, like tonight, that we’ll be in a more formal situation. Does that work for you?”

“Yes.”

He kissed her temple. “You can ask me to tie you. If you ever want to look at pictures of possible poses you’d like to try, let me know. Will I demand that your body becomes mine to play with? Sometimes. But you can always say no.”

“I heard about safe words and—”

“We won’t need one because if you aren’t in the mood, all you have to say is no. If you have a panic moment while you’re bound and you want me to untie you, I’ll probably first determine why you want to be released, and if it’s not a health or safety concern, chances are good I can just talk to you to figure out the issue, okay?”

“Okay.”

“As far as me needing to bind you . . . that’s a trickier answer. Obviously I like the way you look when you’re bound. Working with ropes centers me in a way nothing else does. And like with any other skill, if kinbaku and shibari aren’t practiced regularly it fades. So it falls somewhere between a compulsion and a skill for me.”

She said, “Oh, I get it,” even when she didn’t, but she was trying. “If I decided I’m not into the kinbaku aspect of our relationship anymore?” Amery felt him smile, as if he didn’t believe that’d happen.

“Then we’d have to revisit a few things in our relationship.”

“Such as?”

“Such as you understanding that I would be binding other women. Which leads to my next question.” He shifted to look at her face. “I’m a teacher. I give demonstrations. Would you be willing to be bound in public?”

Amery shook her head. Vehemently. “No way.”

“Which is fine, just as long as you’re aware that I will use other models in public venues and possibly in private when I need to practice.”

Jealousy stabbed her in the gut.

“I won’t fuck them, but I will touch them in a sexual manner.”

She noticed he didn’t ask her permission. The thought of him touching another woman . . . made her want to try out a few of the choke holds he’d taught in her self-defense class on said women. She had to act mature—even if she didn’t feel it. “I wish I had the guts to bare myself like that, but I don’t. It’s been enough of a challenge baring myself to you. I won’t give you false hope that I’ll ever ‘get over’ it either.”

“I’m not asking you to.” Ronin softly pressed his lips to hers.

“As long as we’re discussing expectations, there’s something I’d like to talk about.”

“Shoot.”

Amery rolled to face him, placing her palms on his smooth pectorals, secretly marveling at the perfection of his chest. “You’re at the dojo late most nights, which doesn’t allow us much time together during the week. So I’m fine with hanging out here or at my place in the evenings. But on the weekends, I want us to go out and enjoy the Denver area. That’s the only aspect of being part of a couple that I missed.”

“Doing couple things?”

“Yes. It isn’t like I’ve been sitting at home, letting life pass me by while I wait for that couplehood. It’s just some activities are more fun when you’re sharing them with another person.”

Ronin smiled. “I couldn’t agree more. So do you have things planned for us?”

She exhaled a quiet relieved breath. She hadn’t been sure how he’d take her suggestion. “Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park?”

“Cool. I haven’t been up there in a while. What else?”

“I’ve never been to the Coors Brewery Tour in Golden.”

“I’m always down with drinking beer right after it’s been tapped.” At the word
tapped
, he patted her ass. “These are great ideas. Keep going.”

Encouraged, Amery rattled off her next set of ideas, which included a visit to Tiny Town, Colorado, and attending an ice-skating extravaganza at the Pepsi Center. “I don’t want to overly plan so we have time for spontaneity.”

“Good. As a matter of fact, I’m feeling spontaneous right now.”

She squealed when he lifted her up, straddling her across his groin. “But you’ll be doing the work this time.”

“Yes, sir.”

THE
sidewalk was wet when they exited the theater out the side door to avoid the crowd. The rain had left a chill in the night air. Amery snuggled into Ronin and he wrapped his arm more securely around her shoulder.

“So? What did you think?”

“Interesting. Never heard a Christian death metal band before.”

She laughed. “Most people haven’t.”

“How did you hear about them? And more important, how does this correlate to your upbringing? Because I took you to kabuki theater last weekend and you took me to a rock concert.”

They’d spent the last two weekends doing couple things. But it hadn’t cut into Ronin’s plans for her—just seemed to reinforce his constant desire for her. He’d bound her standing up, similar to the tree pose in yoga: her heel pressed into her thigh, her arms above her head, hooked to the ceiling. He’d made her come three times before he fucked her like that.

“See? You’re quiet because you can’t justify it.”

“I took you to a
Christian
rock concert,” she corrected. “And it correlates because the lead singer and I are from the same area in North Dakota. We attended some of the same church camps. He always wanted to kick up the youth worship services with contemporary music to make it more relatable. You can imagine how well that went over. Rick left town, moved to Minneapolis, and started this band. I’d lost track of him over the years, so when I saw how popular they’ve gotten in the Christian music scene and were playing in Denver, I thought it’d be fun to check it out.”

“I was surprised to see so many people there. Who knew the devil’s music wrapped in angel’s wings had such a strong following?”

Amery elbowed him. “Not funny.”

“Although I wasn’t sure if I was disappointed or relieved there weren’t any animal sacrifices onstage.”

“Says the Buddhist with an altar in his practice room.”

“It’s not a Buddhist altar; it’s a Shinto shrine. And if you noticed, I didn’t buy a CD, but I was in the minority, so they are doing well, at least on the merchandising side.”

“I’m happy he’s successful doing what he loves. Not everyone is so lucky in their working lives.”

He kissed her temple. “We are.”

“For as long as it lasts for me.”

“Meaning what?” They cut across the street and walked past abandoned buildings that lined both sides of the block. Showing up late to the event meant all the prime parking spots close to the venue had been snapped up, so they’d parked several blocks away.

“Meaning I’ve been scrambling to find new business. With so many places taking their graphic needs in-house, not only have I lost clients, but it’s harder picking up new ones. I’ve tightened my belt as much as I can, but unless things pick up soon, I’ll have to let Molly go.”

Ronin stopped and faced her. “Amery. Why haven’t you told me this?”

“Because it’s hard to admit, especially to someone who’s running a successful business. I doubt you’ve got downward trends like in the line of work I’m in.”

“I’ve had some pretty lean years and done what I had to, to make ends meet.” He brushed a stray hair from her cheek. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Besides line me up a million-dollar client?” she joked. Then she kissed the frown on his mouth. “Kidding. One good thing is even if I have to close up shop and go to work for another company, I won’t lose my apartment because of the storefront rental income from Emmylou and Chaz. It’s just I feel guilty about Molly.”

A metal
clank
echoed and she spun around to see where the noise had come from. But there weren’t any streetlights and the area was completely deserted.

How could that be? For as many people who’d attended the show, there should be more people heading back to their cars. But the sidewalk was empty and no cars zipped by. She got a little creeped out in the eerie silence. “Are we going the right way?”

Ronin looked around. Frowned at the darkness. “This doesn’t look right. We must’ve gotten turned around and exited on the wrong side. My car is the other direction.”

They reversed course. Right after they crossed the street, two guys stepped out of the shadows.

Amery almost screamed, they’d slunk out of nowhere so fast.

“I see we got us some tourists in our neighborhood,” one guy said to the other.

“Know what we do to tourists who find themselves ‘lost’ in our neighborhood, bro?” the other guy said.

“We charge them a finder’s fee.”

“So pay up, motherfuckers.”

Fear slammed into her.

The two guys moved in uncomfortably close. She heard a noise and looked over her shoulder to see two more guys spread out behind them.

They were fucked.

Then Ronin put his mouth on her ear. “Stay behind me and out of the way.”

“I don’t like you whispering to your bitch, so knock that shit off and pay the fuck up.”

Ronin said nothing. But she noticed he’d maneuvered them so she was behind him and his back was to the wall.

The Hispanic guy taunted, “Don’t got nothin’ to say,
ése
? We’re insulting your woman and you’re gonna stand there and take it?” Then he leered at Amery. “Got a mind to prove to you what it’s like to be with a real man,
puta
. Make him watch how I can make you scream.”

Laughter echoed around them.

“None of that yet, bro.” The other guy gestured with his chin to Ronin and crossed his arms over his chest. “Hand over your wallet, watch, and everything in your pockets. Do it fast.”

Ronin didn’t budge.

Which pissed off the black guy. “You deaf? Or you need an incentive to do what the fuck we tell you?”

“I’m not deaf. I’m also not handing over my wallet. Here’s your warning to back off.”

“Back off? Or what? You’re outnumbered, dumb fuck.”

“Got ourselves a real hero here,” the other guy drawled. “Let’s see how tough you are.”

Please no.
What if the guy had a gun? Or a knife?

The Hispanic kid moved in on Ronin’s right side as the black guy came at him from the left. She wasn’t sure where the two other guys were. She just knew that four against one were shitty odds and she couldn’t get to her phone to call 911.

Everything happened in slow motion—but also lightning fast.

Ronin stepped forward as the Hispanic attacker came at him. He delivered an open-handed strike to the guy’s nose and swept his feet out from beneath him. The guy hit the ground hard and howled in agony, clutching his broken nose.

The black guy didn’t spare his buddy a glance; all his rage was focused on Ronin. He held his arms up and in front of his face and performed a couple of shadowboxing moves. But as soon as he led with his right hand, Ronin grabbed it, twisted the dude’s arm entirely behind his back until something popped. The guy yelled—as much from pain as the fact that he also found himself on the ground eating dirt.

In that moment Amery couldn’t look away from Ronin’s effortless control of the situation. He’d barely moved; he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

When the other two thugs—both white punks—approached him, Ronin said, “Walk away.”

“Fuck you,” one of the guys retorted. He jumped into the fray only to find himself facedown on the filthy wet pavement clutching the knee Ronin had kicked.

The other one turned tail and ran.

Amery thought they’d get out of there pronto, but Ronin was patting down each guy. When he found two guns, she had another resurgence of fear.

What if the guy had just pulled out a gun and shot them both?

Breathe. Come on, Ronin. We’re supposed to run. Remember what you taught me?

She watched in horrified fascination as Ronin ejected the clips from the guns, pulled back on the thumb release, and dumped the bullets on the ground. He wiped down the metal before he whipped the empty clips into the street drain. Then he jammed one gun beneath the waistband in the small of his back and let the other gun dangle in his hand.

Ronin backed away and said, “Let’s go,” to her.

They remained silent on their brisk walk back to his vehicle. They only stopped once at a Dumpster to ditch the guns. He opened the passenger door to the SUV, hoisted her in, and didn’t speak until they were out of the sketchy part of town.

“Are you okay?”

She shook her head.

He picked up her hand and kissed it. “What can I do?”

“I don’t know.”

Even after they parked his car and took the elevator to his place, Ronin gave her a wide berth. Maybe fighting and ditching firearms were just par for the course with him, but they weren’t for her. Not at all. Her body hadn’t settled down from the adrenaline rush. She shook so hard she thought she might be sick. As soon as the elevator doors opened to his penthouse, she made a beeline for the bathroom.

He didn’t try and barge in.

She splashed cold water on her face and gulped several mouthfuls of water before exiting the bathroom.

Ronin waited outside the door. “Can I get you anything?”

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Amery. Talk to me.”

“I don’t know what to say. I just don’t understand.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you take their guns? Why didn’t we just leave once you had them on the ground?”

“You think I wanted to take a chance they’d shoot one or both of us in the back? Not happening. I disarmed them, broke their guns down, and scattered the pieces.”

“Why not turn the guns in to the cops and tell them we were attacked?”

“Chances are slim the guns were registered. Those thugs won’t report them as missing. If I file a report and the cops go looking for those guys, and the guns I ditched, I could end up in a lawsuit and I sure as fuck don’t want those guys knowing who I am and where I live.”

Amery hadn’t thought of it that way.

“Plus, given my background in martial arts, lots of people, including cops, believe I go looking for fights. I don’t. But there is that perception and I’ll be goddamned if I’ll defend myself to anyone—including law enforcement—for my right to defend myself when under attack.” He breathed deeply. “You were there. You’d rather I would’ve done the PC thing, given them what they wanted? Because I can guarantee you neither of us would’ve walked away unscathed. And because I reacted the way I did, the way I’ve been trained to react, we’re both here, in one piece. I won’t apologize to you for that either.”

When Ronin turned his back to her, she noticed he was vibrating with anger.

Maybe she’d been freaking out about the details and had missed the big truth. Ronin’s quick thinking and years of training had gotten them out of a potentially deadly situation. She oughta be thanking him, not questioning him.

Amery moved in behind him. “Thank you for saving me tonight, Ronin.” She took a chance and circled her arms around his waist. “Sorry if I seemed ungrateful. I’m not.”

“Amery—”

“Let me finish. I’ve never seen you like that. In ass-kicking Master Black mode, showcasing your eighth-degree black belt skills in the real world.”

“You weren’t put off by seeing that violent side of me?”

“Shocked at first. But now? I’m more than a little turned on, if you want to know the truth. You moved so fast.” She stood on her toes and kissed the back of his neck. “It reminded me you don’t play at self-defense. Your body responds instinctively because that’s how you’ve trained it to respond. It’s sexy as hell.” She kissed the slope of his shoulder. “Makes me want you. Right now.”

Ronin whirled around. His mouth was on hers, his hands were on her, and nothing else mattered.

Her fingers automatically went to the buttons on his shirt, while Ronin’s hands made quick work of the zipper on her jeans. They managed to get undressed. He lifted his mouth from her throat long enough to say, “Bedroom is too far away. I want to fuck you here.” He pushed her up against the wall.

She groaned when his teeth scraped down her throat. “No. On the floor. Like a takedown.”

Next thing she knew, they were on the hardwood with her knees clamped against Ronin’s ribs as he slammed his cock inside her.

“Yes. God, yes, do that again.”

He withdrew and rammed into her with long, deep strokes, his mouth at her ear. “I want to feel your nails digging into my back and my ass. I want to feel your teeth on my skin. I want to wear your marks.”

She just about came right then.

As he pounded into her with enough force they slid across the floor, Amery sucked a love bruise on his pectoral. She dragged her nails down his back when his tongue flicked across the sweet spot in the curve of her shoulder. She arched and ground against him, giving herself over to this primal mating. This physical testament that they were alive.

Ronin’s hands pushed her knees until the outside of her thighs pressed into the floor. That change forced his pubic bone to keep continual contact with her clit and she gasped.

“Hands on me,” he demanded.

With his mouth sucking on her nipple, it only took six short strokes and she came so hard white spots obscured her vision. Ronin’s orgasm started on the tail end of hers and she dug her nails into the back of his neck, his long moan sweet to her ears since the man usually came in near silence.

They stayed slumped together in a sweaty pile, breathing hard, until the chill from the floor caused her to shiver.

Ronin pushed up and looked into her face. “You blow my mind every fucking time.”

“And just think . . . you didn’t even have to break out the ropes for it to be that hot between us.”

“Smart.” Kiss. “Ass.” Kiss.

She reached up and touched his face. Sometimes she couldn’t believe this gorgeous, complicated, kinky man was in her life.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked softly.

Rather than tell him again how hot, sexy, and amazing he was, she said, “Thank you for your quick thinking and getting us out of a bad situation tonight.”

“My pleasure.” He kissed her with such sweetness tears stung her eyes. “Let’s get cleaned up and ready for bed.”

“That means I’m staying over?”

“Be a little hard for you to leave after I tie you to my headboard.”