Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 115388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
I ate another piece of fried okra and swallowed. “My father used to hold meetings in our garden. Big ones. Men with knives in their coats and blood under their fingernails. Sometimes he would torture the men. Do things. . .to the women. My mom never wanted me there, but he always insisted I witness it all to learn. So. . .”
Nyomi pursed her lips.
“I would sit by the Sakura trees and watch things so horrifying most adults would have nightmares from seeing. I was never allowed to scream or flinch during those moments.”
Nyomi’s expression shifted to wonder. “Even in a criminal underworld, people still have to keep up appearances?”
“Especially in the underworld. I was taught that emotions made you weak. My father stressed burying them, while my mother. . .she was the true example of never showing her emotion no matter what my father did to her.”
“Did she ever try to stop him from letting you be down there to witness all of that stuff?”
“My mother would never come out. She stayed upstairs and pretended our empire wasn’t built with death and blood.”
“That would have been so difficult for me to not scream while he tortured someone. I would have failed.”
“No. I believe you would have done what needed to be done.”
“No way. I would have failed. I was too bad. That’s why my parents kept sending me down south.”
I grinned. “Naughty Tiger.”
“But am I really naughty?” She reached for the sun-gold cornbread, broke off a piece with her fingers, and dipped it into honey.
When she moved her hand, I couldn’t move my eyes away from the honey dripping and glistening down her fingers. A second later, I thought she would pop the piece of honey-coated bread into her mouth, but instead she brought it to me. "Open."
I kept my gaze locked on hers. “Is that how you ask the Dragon?”
“You’re not the only one who gives commands.” She slid the piece past my lips.
I took the delicious morsal, but once I swallowed, I caught her hand before she could lower it to the napkin.
Fast, I had that honey coated finger in my mouth.
Mmmhmm.
Slowly, I sucked off the honey and circled my tongue along her finger. A deep groaned vibrated from my chest.
And she moaned. It was a small, involuntary sound that shattered my last thread of restraint.
I pulled back with a wet pop, licking my bottom lip like she was still there. “Are we still taking it slow, Tora?”
Chapter twenty-nine
Suck. Moan. Obey.
Kenji
I watched her, mouth parted, breath shallow, still tasting honey and memory. How the fuck did we go from talking about our broken childhoods to this—me trembling from one moan? She had slipped past every wall I’d ever built with nothing but food, pain, and fingers kissed in sweetness.
Now I was waiting. . .not for her forgiveness, not for her love—but for permission to fall all the way. And even more, I waited to see if she would finally accept defeat.
When Nyomi spoke, she gave me a confidant smile. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“Yes. Maybe.”
“You moaned.”
“You sucked.”
“Don’t worry, Tora. You’ll get to suck later too.”
She blinked, and her pupils were blown wide.
“Wait,” I leaned in, gripped her wrist gently and brought her hand back up. “I missed a spot.”
I licked some of the honey from her knuckle, lapping at the joint like it was her clit.
She watched me.
So fucking still.
So turned on.
I didn’t stop until every trace of sweetness was gone. To my shock, no throat-clearing came from Hiroko. The silence from her corner was its own permission. And that was dangerous. Because if she didn’t stop us, then that must have meant that Hiroko approved of what I was doing. . .which meant she was winning. I should have stopped from that information alone but I let my mouth trail from Nyomi’s finger to her wrist, kissing upward. My tongue flicked across her pulse. I could feel it—fast and pounding. Just like mine.
“Do you like this, Tora?”
She bit her lip.
“Do you like feeding the Dragon with your hands and watching him lose control?”
Her voice was raw. “I do.”
I smiled against her skin. “Good, because I’m going to want you to do that more.”
My other hand slid to her thigh. Red leather, hot under my palm. She was warm everywhere. Heat poured off her. Her breath hitched. Her knees spread just an inch wider.
Still no sound came from Hiroko.
Still no signal for restraint.
Nyomi’s head tipped back slightly. Her neck arched like she was offering it. Like she knew what she was doing.
“Careful, Tora,” I whispered. “If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll have you up on this table with your dress around your waist and my tongue buried in your pussy before the next course.”
She didn’t pull away. “Then maybe you should pace yourself.”
“I’m not known for that.”
Her eyes glittered. “Then let me teach you.”