Unraveled (25 page)

“There’s the magic word.” He opened his eyes, sat up, and reached on the nightstand
for a plastic packet she’d thoughtfully placed there.

Shiori rose up onto her knees and looked over her shoulder at him. “We haven’t tried
this position yet, but your cock is long enough it shouldn’t be a problem.”

After Knox suited up, he scooted in behind her, his knees bracketing hers, his chest
plastered to her back. Pressing kisses on the ball of her shoulder, he waited for
her direction. Because she’d tell him exactly what she needed, he could concentrate
on tasting her, touching her.

Reaching between them, she circled her fingers around the base of his shaft, aligning
the head with her opening. “Push in slowly and stop.”

He groaned as her hot cunt swallowed his cock. The slowness of the motion increased
the pressure of the—plug?—anal beads?—in his ass, and wow. Okay. That extra sensation
didn’t suck.

Shiori rested her cheek against his. “Since you gave me an anal play-by-play in the
tub, I’m returning the favor. Keep this big cock of yours moving slowly so the plug
presses in the right place.”

“I feel it.”

She dug her fingers into his neck. “Have you ever worn a butt plug?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Drive up hard with your hips when you bottom out.”

Knox snapped his pelvis, causing the plug to hit him . . . sweet baby Jesus. Right.
Fucking. There.

“Yes, like that.” Shiori used her teeth on his jaw. “You like fucking me?”

“Mistress, you naked in my arms is the best part of any day.”

“Such a sweet mouth.” Another scrape of her teeth, this time right below his jawline.
“You’ve let me fuck you and it’s been hot. But I don’t have the right appendage to
fuck you how I want.”

Knox forced himself to focus on her words and not how amazing her pussy felt squeezing
his cock and how every time she bore down on him, he clenched against the butt plug
too. “How do you want to fuck me, Nushi? With your fingers? With a vibrator? With
a strap-on?”

“Can’t you see me swaggering around with a big cock hanging between my legs?”

“I like it when my cock is between your legs,” he murmured in her hair.

“I do too. But before I bend you over, I’d want to feel the cock that would be fucking
you, fucking me.” She nuzzled his cheek. “Do you want to hear what I’d do first?”

“God, yes.”

“I’d be sitting at the edge of the bed with you at my feet. I’d hand the silicone
cock to you, telling you to work it inside me. You’d get that hungry, jealous look
in your eyes because I’m getting so wet.”

“Do I get you off with it?”

“No. Before I come, I take the dick away from you and slip it into the harness.” She
turned her head, letting her breath whisper across his ear, and he shivered. “That
rigid silicone is coated in my
juices, and I rub the tip across your lips, giving you a taste. And knowing you, a
little taste isn’t enough. So I start to push my cock between your lips.”

Knox stilled. Sucking cock wasn’t something he wanted to try.

Shiori sensed his unease and rubbed her cheek against his. “It’s not a man’s cock.
It’s
my
cock. You’re sucking my come from it—that’s all you need to think about. You can
smell how wet I am. You can see it. I stroke you like this”—her fingers brushed up
and down his jawline—“to get you to open up wider. Then I push over your soft lips
and hard teeth, over your tongue until I’m past your gag reflex. Think of how good
it feels when your cock is so deep in my throat that you feel me swallow.”

He groaned at the sexy, vivid image she painted.

“I’m tempted to fuck your face. Seeing your eyes on mine as I’m thrusting in and out
of your mouth. But the need to feel you bucking beneath me as I’m fucking your virgin
ass is stronger. I let my hands roam all over your chest. My fingers rifling the soft
down between your pecs. My thumbs brushing your nipples.” She bit his earlobe. “You
stopped fucking me.”

“Sorry, Mistress. I was distracted by your word porn.” Knox began the slow pump of
his hips again. This naughty play-by-play was making her hot—her pussy was sopping
wet.

“Then I’d want you on your hands and knees. Your ass in the air. And I’d take my time
lubing you up, because it’s about pleasure, not pain.” Shiori stroked the back of
his neck with her fingertips. “It’s not about humiliation. It’s about you trusting
me to give you something you’ve never had, something that will make you feel good.
A new experience for both of us that erases any doubts about what we are together.”

His mouth found her ear. “Something that proves I’m yours.”

“Yes.”

Another shudder worked through him. Even as he filled her with his cock, in another
part of his mind, he was on his hands and
knees, waiting for her to slide that strap-on into a part of him that’d never been
breached. Feeling her hair tickling his back as she moved in and out of his body.
Feeling her soft kisses on his spine. Feeling the press of her fingers into his hips
as she held him steady and fucked him.

“Is this scenario making you hard?”

He clenched his ass around the plug, and the movement zinged to the tip of his cock
as he rammed into her, proving how goddamn hard she’d made him.

Her sexy laugh vibrated against his throat. “This word porn will make you harder yet.
Because when I slide into your tight ass, I’ll slip a warm gel tube down your cock
and jack you off with it, so it feels like I’m fucking you with my cock and my pussy
at the same time.” Her tongue teased the razor stubble on his jaw. “Doesn’t that sound
like fun?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Drive me over the edge, Knox. I’m so close.”

He pushed his middle finger down her slit, getting his fingertip wet, and returned
to rub the tender flesh of her clit until her belly, her thighs, her arms, and her
lips quivered. That slow pace forced him to focus on every stroke. Every thrust.

Shiori sank her teeth into the side of his neck as she started to come. And fuck if
that didn’t about do him in, her harsh cries muffled against his skin as her pussy
clasped his cock in soft ripples.

His ass tingled and burned. His balls were drawn up and ready to blow. And yet he
kept up the same rhythm as she returned to herself with a drawn-out sigh.

Then her voice flooded his ear. “Come now.”

Her voice had become his trigger, just like she’d warned him. He plunged in fast and
hard with one, two, three, four strokes, and then
kaboom
!

Knox came so hard, his vision turned hazy. Ass, cock, balls tightened and released
so violently, with such molten heat, that he
couldn’t keep himself upright. In his state of bliss, he felt himself spinning, falling,
and then he realized he really was falling forward, and he managed to catch himself
on his hands.

Shiori bolstered him with her body, with her kisses on his parched throat, with her
words of praise. Words that burrowed into his heart and soul, leaving him emotionally
and physically wrung out. She gently disconnected their bodies, laughing at his protest
that he wasn’t finished with her yet, and rolled him onto his back. She destroyed
any brain cells he might’ve had left with her loving caresses as she removed the plug
from his ass. A quick pinch on his cock and she got rid of the condom too.

This was what humbled him. The care she took with him in the aftermath.

When he could function somewhat normally, he pulled her into his arms.

She snuggled in, such contentment flowing from her that he swore he could hear her
purring.

“I have no words for that, Nushi. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I missed you. Stay with me tonight.”

Knox smiled against the top of her head because he knew how much she hated to ask.
“I’d love to.”

She drew her fingers up and down his stomach. “How was everything at Black Arts the
past few days?”

“Same as usual. I put the guys to work in the training room getting it cleaned up.”

“You nervous about meeting with Maddox?”

“Yeah.” Not because of the money she’d fronted, or even how Ronin would react. Knox
worried about his future with the MMA program. He didn’t bring anything worthwhile
to the table as far as a unique skill set. Ito had mad judo skills. Fisher knew boxing
inside and out. Deacon could work with the other fighters and had a background in
Muay Thai. Ronin worked with grappling. His only contribution was as Ivan’s fighting
partner, because they were
the same size. So of all the instructors, he was deadweight, and Maddox would see
that right off the bat.

And the really stupid thing was he worried Shiori had already come to the same determination.
Seeing pity on her face would do him in.

Then she was nose to nose with him. “Stop.”

“Stop what?”

“Obsessing. Everything—”

“Don’t you dare say everything will be fine.”

Shiori head butted him. “I’m no Pollyanna, asshat, so that wasn’t what I was going
to say.”

“Then what?”

“I’d started to say everything about the program doesn’t have to be decided at once.
One step at a time.”

Knox brushed her hair back over her shoulder. “You’re right.”

She grinned. “Ooh, did it hurt to admit that?”

“Yes. Is my tongue bleeding?”

After smooching his lips twice, she sat up. “I have something for you.”

“But, kitten, you already gave me a butt plug tonight that resulted in an orgasm that
almost put me in a fucking coma, so I think we’re good.”

She rolled her eyes. “Stay here.”

“Nowhere I’d rather be than in a bed waiting for you.” His gaze stayed glued to her
ass as she sauntered across the room to her dresser drawer. Too bad she hadn’t stashed
whatever it was in the bottom drawer, because he’d love to see her bend over.

When she turned around, he manufactured an innocent expression that she didn’t buy
for a single second.

Shiori cocked her head and snapped her fingers.

Fuck. Maybe he should be worried about this gift. He rolled off the bed and walked
to where she waited. Then he dropped to his knees. And the really fucking weird thing
about it was it didn’t feel weird.

“Give me your left hand.”

He did as instructed but kept his head bowed.

Cool metal circled his wrist. “Now you can look.”

The bracelet had thick chains on either side of a flat metal plate. It reminded him
of cheap ID bracelets from junior high, but the weight and the color indicated it
wasn’t cheap by a long shot. His belly fluttered when he considered what this might
be—what it might mean.

“I know we haven’t talked about anything long-term between us. But I wanted you to
have this.”

Stunned by the gift and the emotions racing through him, Knox squinted at the kanji
on the flat metal plate. “What does it say?”

“Watashi no.”

“What does it mean?” His gaze met hers.

“Mine.”

Holy fuck. Holy, holy fuck.

She traced the metal links with the tip of her finger, and all the hairs on his arm
stood up. “It’s up to you whether or not you wear it. It’s not a collar, just a reminder.”

“Of what?”

Those serious golden eyes hooked his. “Of me. Of what we are to each other.”

“Mistress. I’m . . . humbled and flattered.”

“As am I every time you drop to your knees for me.” Her thumb rubbed the kanji, almost
like she were polishing it. “Be aware that since I bought this in a BDSM shop, people
in the life will know what it means.”

“That I’m submissive?”

“Not only that, but you are taken.”

“That I am, Nushi. I’m very taken with you.” Knox took her hand and kissed her fingertips,
then her palm, then the inside of her wrist up to the bend in her elbow. “I will wear
this with pride. Thank you.”

KNOX
tried not to pace, but sitting in the conference room with his leg bouncing up and
down must have been just as annoying because Shiori put her hand on his knee to stop
it.

“It’ll be fine.”

“I’m not so sure. Especially when we tell him that Ronin wasn’t involved.”

“Let’s see that as a plus at this point, okay? Maddox’s salary is guaranteed for a
year. If Ronin pitches a fit, then he can buy out the contract. Maddox takes the money
and moves on.”

“And Ronin fires me.”

Shiori straddled his lap. “Wasn’t your money or your name as the signer for Black
Arts.”

“Jesus. I hope you’re right and this doesn’t blow up in our faces.”

“Maybe this will help.” She curled her hand around his throat and leaned in to kiss
him.

Her willingness to indulge in public displays of affection still surprised him—and
delighted him. He spread his hands across her back, urging her closer yet.

“God, seriously? I have to watch you two make out again?
Christ. I’m shocked y’all don’t have blisters on your lips,” Deacon complained.

She broke the kiss with a smile. Then she stood. “Deacon. Glad you could make it.”

“What am I doin’ here besides interrupting your game of grab ass?”

“Supporting Black Arts, Yondan,” Knox said.

“So do I have to kiss his ass, or can I act normal?”

“Normal meaning . . . a surly asshole? I don’t think any of us would know how to act
if you had a change of heart. Or showed that you actually
have
a heart.”

Deacon rolled his eyes. “That ain’t ever happening. And I liked it better when you
two were at each other’s throats instead of tryin’ to get into each other’s pants.”

“You’re more prickly than usual,” Knox said. “Did your favorite stripper get fired
or something?”

“No, she went to jail.”

“Knock it off. Both of you.” Shiori slid off his lap. When she walked past Deacon,
she kissed the top of his bald head. “Don’t worry. Maddox will want to work with you.
You’re an untapped talent waiting to explode.”

Knox watched in amazement as Deacon squeezed Shiori’s hand and mouthed, “Thank you.”

Seemed his little She-Cat could calm the raging beast in Deacon too.

Shiori took her phone out of her pocket. “Maddox is at the front door. I’ll get him
and bring him up.”

After she left, Deacon muttered, “Wish I had a shot of Jäeger right about now.”

“Me too.” Knox dropped his arm below the table and fiddled with his bracelet. It was
still new enough he wasn’t used to it, but it’d become his touchstone in such a short
amount of time.

“I thought Gil was gonna be here?” Deacon asked.

“Guess he’s coming later.”

Silence settled between them so completely they heard the ping of the elevator.

They exchanged a look that said,
Here we go
.

Shiori entered the room first and Maddox followed.

Although Knox had seen Maddox on TV, in MMA magazines, and they’d had a Skype conversation,
the man’s size surprised him. He was an inch shorter than Knox, and he had the build
of a boxer, not the doughy physique of a trainer who’d let himself go—which was the
norm in the world of sports training. It was hard to tell whether his ancestry was
Latin, Italian, or Native American. Dark hair in a buzz cut, a goatee, no visible
tattoos. As Knox assessed him, Maddox’s dark gray eyes met his, and he realized Maddox
had been assessing him also.

Then he stepped forward and offered his hand. “Knox? Maddox Byerly.”

Knox shook his hand. “Great to finally meet you in person.” Then he hung back when
Deacon moved in.

“Deacon McConnell. It’s an honor to have you here, sir.”

“I’m glad to be here. And no need for formality . . .” He looked between the three
of them. “Unless that’s a requirement since this is a martial-arts studio?”

“We use formal titles during class hours. Makes it easier for the students to show
respect to us if we show respect to one another.”

“Understood.”

“What would you like to do first?”

“Since I’ve been sitting in the car the better part of the last two days, I’d like
to stretch my legs and see the training areas.”

So Knox took him through the dojo from the first floor up to the third floor. Deacon
and Shiori tagged along, but neither had jumped into the conversation, which left
Knox feeling like he’d been droning on for forty-five minutes by the time they returned
to the conference room.

Shiori passed out bottles of water and they settled in.

“This is a great facility. I know the jujitsu program here is top-notch.”

That was a nice . . . platitude. Some awkwardness was to be expected, but this meeting
needed to set the tone for their working relationship, so Knox barreled ahead.

“Look, Maddox, we are thrilled that you chose to join us. With your reputation I imagine
you had dozens of other offers, so we figured we’d better jump while we had the chance.
Since Ronin is training in Japan with his longtime sensei and out of contact, we—Shiori
and I—brought you on board without discussing it with him because we feel that you
are the best person to reinvent our MMA training program.”

His face remained blank. “Why are you telling me this now?”

“I wanted full disclosure. You’re contracted for a year, so even if Ronin comes back
and disagrees with our decision, you’ll retain the full salary you were guaranteed.
But I’d like to think Ronin would be more pissed off that we had a chance to hire
you and didn’t than that we’ve secured you for Black Arts.”

Maddox crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t go into any situation with blinders
on. I quizzed Gil about this situation and he admitted Ronin Black wasn’t in the picture.
I could’ve taken that two ways—that Ronin’s second-in-command and his sister were
trying to overthrow his leadership and take over his business. Or Ronin’s second-in-command
and sister were trying to expand the business for the benefit of all. Obviously, I
banked on option number two.”

Knox nodded.

“I’ll be honest. Taking the owner out of the decision-making process has made it easier
all around. It’ll allow me do my job rebuilding the training program while Ronin does
his job running a respected dojo.”

“Gil is shit for keeping secrets. But I’m relieved he clued you in. We didn’t want
you to think we got you here under false pretenses.”

“Leaving the familiar for the unknown is always a crapshoot. You leveled with me,
so I’ll level with you.” Maddox sighed and laced his hands behind his neck. “This
last year has been utter shit. I finally got the psycho woman I was married to, to
agree to a divorce. It only cost me everything I had, and that seems like a damn bargain.
I couldn’t leave my former employer until the divorce was finalized because she would’ve
demanded a chunk of my future earnings too.”

“And you were married to Gil’s sister?” Shiori said.

“To say they’re nothing alike is putting it mildly.” Then Maddox went on to explain
his dissatisfaction with the company he worked for. The change in philosophy that
affected the attitudes of the fighters. MMA had become big business, but at the same
time he was training less because even the biggest fighters were lucky to get one
bout in a year. “So the bottom line is, they wanted me to train a fighter at a time.
They didn’t believe that a strong training program with diversity builds strong fighters.”

“You’ll essentially be starting from scratch here. We’ve retained two fighters for
you to gauge.”

Maddox’s gaze zoomed to Deacon. “You one of the two?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Tell me your weak spot.”

“Takedowns. Being a former wrestler and a third-degree black belt in jujitsu hasn’t
benefited my fighting style, and it’s frustrating. That weak spot is keeping me from
advancing like I should.”

Knox withheld his surprise that Deacon had analyzed the situation with such precision.

Maddox looked at Knox. “I’m keeping him on the roster.”

“Without testing him?” Shiori said.

“I just did. A fighter who’s honest about his weak points is a
better bet than a fighter who doesn’t think he has any weak points or makes excuses
for them.”

Deacon grinned. “Now I could really use that shot of Jäeger.”

Knox said, “We weren’t sure if you had dinner plans. We could order food in and just
relax here.”

“I appreciate the invite and I’ll take a rain check, if you don’t mind. It’s been
a long haul, and I’m ready to call it a day.”

“Not a problem.”

They all stood.

Shiori asked, “Where are you staying?”

“With Gil just for tonight. I’ll need tomorrow to get my bearings, so I’ll keep in
touch about when we can get things going this week. Will that work?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Deacon said, “I’ll walk you out since I’m headed home.”

Knox didn’t breathe again until he heard the elevator doors close.

Shiori wrapped her arms around him.

He loved that she was so attuned to what he needed without him even having to ask.

After a bit he said, “That went better than I expected.”

“I was glad to see he wasn’t an asshole prima donna. Guys like him with that much
raw masculine energy can have serious ego problems.”

“Raw masculine energy?” he repeated. “Should I be jealous?”

“No, because you have it too. Maybe it just comes with the territory with big, good-looking
guys.”

Knox had a momentary flare of jealousy. “Now you’re saying he’s good-looking too?”

“Yes. He’d be at the top of my list of if I were attracted to tall, dark, and handsome.
But tall, blond, and gorgeous is my type.”

He snorted.

“What?”

“I thought you’d say tall, blond, and submissive.”

“Well, that goes without saying.” Shiori pulled him in closer to her. “So now that
we’re alone . . .”

“Got some plans for me, Mistress?”

“Let’s grapple. Or spar. Or break out the katanas.”

“Seriously? Why?”

“I’m feeling out of sorts. I can’t put my finger on why.”

Knox brushed his mouth over hers. “Have you talked to your mother?”

She shook her head.

He had a feeling that was part of it. Shiori missed her mom. He suspected she also
missed her grandfather. Maybe even Ronin. Since he couldn’t commandeer the Okada jet
to whisk them off to Tokyo so she could visit her family, he’d do the next best thing.
“How about we work out for an hour, and then we’ll clean up and drive to Golden. You
can meet my mom and her husband, Rick. We’ll see what the wonder brats are up to on
a Sunday night. I’ll even spring for sushi since I know Vivie and Zara love it as
much as you do.”

The smile she beamed at him made him feel like a fucking king.

“I’d love that. Really love that.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. “You’re so
good to me. Thank you.”

*   *   *

THE
closer they got to Golden, the more nervous Shiori acted. Unlike her brother, she
didn’t fidget from nerves. She became unnaturally still.

Knox picked up her hand and kissed her palm. “Relax. My mom is gonna love you. Vivie
and Zara have been singing your praises to her for weeks.”

A small smile curled her lips. “That’s sweet. Can you tell me about your mother before
we get there so I don’t say something stupid?”

“Don’t ask her about my biological father, because she doesn’t know who he is.”

Shiori turned and looked at him. “Can I ask you how that’s possible?”

Few people knew the truth about his parentage. It wasn’t something he was ashamed
of; he just figured it wasn’t anyone’s business. “Freshman year in college my mom
went to a Halloween party. Alcohol was involved and she slept with a guy dressed up
like Mr. Universe. Free love and all that crap in the seventies meant she didn’t get
his name. Hell, she had no idea what he looked like without a costume and the party
hadn’t been on her campus. Anyway, she wound up pregnant. Her family cut her off,
and she moved away from Washington and raised me alone. We lived in government housing
and we were on public assistance until she earned her teaching degree when I was eight.
But I never felt like I went without because I had her. She might’ve been young, but
she was always a great mom.”

She squeezed his hand. “She sounds wonderful.”

“She is. She married Rick Christensen when I was sixteen. The year I graduated from
high school they had Vivie. Then Zara a year and a half later. It would’ve been easy
for them to be their own little family since I’d joined the army, but Mom and Rick
have made sure I’m part of their lives.”

“Vivie and Zara are lucky to have you.”

Knox parked in front of the two-story Colonial that’d been the only home his sisters
had ever known. He climbed out of his truck and came around to help Shiori out just
as the two wild girls barreled out of the house.

Vivie threw herself at him, nearly knocking him down. “God, how slow did you drive?
We thought you’d never get here.”

He pecked her on the forehead. “Nice to see you too.” He watched as his sisters tried
to maintain decorum with Shiori rather than bowling her over.

That lasted like fifteen seconds.

Then Zara gave him a one-armed hug. “We’re starving, so get the introductions over
with so we can go eat.”

His mom and Rick came down the sidewalk. He kept his hand in the small of Shiori’s
back, hoping to relax her tense posture, even as he leaned forward and kissed his
mom’s cheek. “Mom, this is Shiori.”

Shiori offered her hand. “Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Christensen.”

“Please call me Lisa. The girls have been talking nonstop about you.”

Rick set his hands on his wife’s shoulders. “I’m Rick, Lisa’s husband. It’s nice to
meet you.”

“Same here.”

Zara moved in and addressed Shiori. “I know what you’re thinking.”

Shiori lifted a brow. “Really? What?”