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)
But now, staring at Nyomi, I felt it again.
That hunger.
That ache to be owned.
She might be the first woman I ever wanted to kneel for. To let devour me. And somehow, the only one I wanted to build a life with. To give not just my body—but my fucking heart.
A safe word. Mmmm.
Nyomi lifted her glass and sipped her water like she hadn’t just changed my entire fucking life.
“Tora. . .” I forced myself to cut another bite of oxtail. “Are you going to tell me what the surprise is?”
“I’m not.”
I ate the oxtail and swallowed. “I am going insane over here. At least give me a hint.”
“I already did.”
“A safe word isn’t a hint. It’s a warning.”
She grinned.
I stabbed a candied yam and took a bite the bourbon butter was thick on my tongue. “What are you going to do to me, Tora?”
“What am I going to do?” She leaned forward. “Whatever I want.”
My cock twitched again.
Fuck yeah.
The clink of glass pulled me from the heat simmering behind my eyes.
The waitresses returned, each holding a tray with narrow-stemmed crystal glasses. The liquid inside shimmered gold.
They placed the drinks in front of us and bowed.
When they left, I picked up my glass.
“This is a black card-only cognac,” she lifted it. “Limited barrel, hand-poured in France. It’s blended with saffron, black fig, and a whisper of tobacco and honeycomb.”
“And how did you remember all of that?”
“This happens to be the only thing that my father and I both like,” She winked.
“Interesting. Now you’re seducing me through liquor also.”
“Is it working?”
“Yes.” I took a sip.
The rich liquid hit my tongue like a silk glove lined with brass knuckles—smooth, warm, then sharp right at the throat. The warmth lingered, spreading heat into my chest.
I nodded. “This may be as dangerous as you.”
She lifted her own glass. “Cheers to danger.”
“Yes. Cheers to danger,” I drank again, watching the way her fingers cradled her glass, the red leather of her corset pushing up her breasts just enough to make every breath look like a power play whether she intended on that or not.
The food between us was still glowing under the ambient lighting.
Between sips, I let her food ruin me bite by bite.
Her cooking was sex—slow, indulgent, and meant to be savored.
I groaned through every bite—tender oxtail, sharp cheddar, pasta dripping with cream. Even the fucking food had the nerve to seduce me. Candied yams. Greens laced with smoked turkey. Bourbon on my tongue. Her scent in the air.
She’d crafted this night like a seduction spell and I was halfway to binding my soul to her with every fucking bite.
She spoke again and this time her voice was soft but firm. “Kenji, I am serious about that safe word.”
My fork paused halfway to my mouth.
I met her gaze. “I would never need one with you.”
“You would.”
“You’re the only person I would trust to rip me apart.”
“That’s beautiful but it’s not about trust. It’s about clarity and communication.”
“I’ll give you all the clarity you want, Tora,” I picked up my glass again. “Just don’t stop doing whatever it is you’re planning.”
She smiled—but didn’t back down. “Then trust me when I say this; even someone like you needs boundaries.”
I wasn’t used to being spoken to like this. Not by women I fucked. Not by anyone. But somehow, her words didn’t feel like weakness. They felt like truth with teeth.
“Yes. You are the Dragon, but you are still human especially when you’re kneeling.”
My cock twitched. “You think I’ll kneel tonight?”
“I think you want to be my good little Dragon, and good little Dragons kneel for their mistress.”
Did she say mistress? Fuck!
The next sip I took was sharper and still her words went down harder than the liquor. I didn’t know if I wanted to fuck Nyomi or fall to my knees and ask her to rewrite every rule I’d ever lived by.
“And if we do this more than once,” she added. “I need to know your limits. And you need to know mine.”
Stubborn, I grinned, just to keep my pride intact. “I have no limits with you.”
Then, I took a sip.
“Oh really?” She tilted her head and a few curls brushed her shoulder. “So, you would be fine with me sliding the handle of a whip into your ass?”
I choked on the liquor. It was a full body jolt. A cough burst from my chest as I set the glass down hard.
She just raised an eyebrow and sipped her drink like she hadn’t just detonated a landmine under the table.
I cleared my throat. “Alright. Perhaps. . .we do need a safe word.”
She beamed. “Thank you.”
“What are you thinking?”
She shrugged. “Mercy?”
“Tora, I’m not the kind of man who begs for mercy in front of a naked woman, even if she’s got a whip in one hand and her foot on my neck. There’s something within my brain that wouldn’t let me.”