Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
"But?" My brow kicks as the cold, flat edge of the sword caresses my jaw. She only has to turn the blade to slice my mandible in two.
“I have this thing for manga.” Her face beams, a glow emanating from her.
“Do you?”
A second later, Ryann quickly becomes a contradiction. She drops the sword to her side, and her initial enchantment fades as she waves a nonchalant hand. I realize she's done this before, apologized for her elation. “I’m sure you were aware, Ryoichi. I don’t know why I’m acting so giddy. Essence thinks it’s silly for a grown woman to be so into it. I thought my students would get it since they’re younger. Some of them give me a few blinks. Others just offer an open-mouthed stare when I get like this.” A hesitant smile graces her lips. “You're . . . very polite.”
I love reveling in your happiness. Stop the hesitation. Be excited.
Ryann grips the handle, attempting to return the sword to me. My palm engulfs her hand. “The sword is yours.”
Ryann snort-laughs. “Ryoichi, if you weren’t preying on my love of a good story when you removed this relic from the glass display a little while ago and this sword is honestly from the Fifth Emperor of—”
“Every word I said was true. You examined the inscription. It’s yours, Ryann.”
“You’re too generous.”
“No. Keep it.”
“That’s- that’s . . .” The smile on Ryann’s face disintegrates, and she glances up at me through a fan of gorgeous lashes. “Shiny baubles like this don’t belong in my life.”
Ryann might as well have added, “You either.”
Her tiny fingers curve over the handle. The fit is perfect, exactly the same as when her fingers curled around my dick. “How so, Ryann? Why can’t you accept a simple gift?”
“Because no matter how beautiful this katana is, it’s deadly. It has taken lives. So, I can’t have it in mine.”
Once again, the woman I fell for at first sight is saying she shouldn't have me either.
Chapter
Seven
Ryoichi
The muscles in my jaw tug. “Yes, Ryann, I’ve taken lives. Only when required.”
“But—”
“We haven’t visited the kitchen or my dining room,” I add, pulling my hair down, much like I’m prone to do when I lack control, which has been years. Long strands fall over my shoulder. “I thought we would reconvene with our pertinent discussions after dinner. My mistake. Let’s not go another moment without—”
“Addressing the elephant in the room?” Ryann glances around my property. “Err . . . Not room. Vast outdoor area. But yes, we got some chatting to do. Actually, I’ve got some chatting to do, and you’ve got some listening to do.”
“I agree.” Perhaps we can now have a meaningful conversation about Ryann’s abuse. “I’ve been forthcoming, Ry.”
Another sniffed chortle emits from her. This one is sarcastic. “Yeah, sure. You have a way of making things sound enchanting, like telling the history behind the various weapons in the room we just left. But I’ll be honest here, Ryoichi, half the time I look at you, my thoughts dissipate. All I want is what’s in front of me. You. The other half, I’m afraid to talk with you about certain things.”
“Why?”
“Because you are dangerous. Because you react without thinking.” She delicately holds the sword down. “Ryoichi, when we aren’t arguing, I’m fascinated by every word you say. The pride with which you talk about your home or your first taste of fish. I like what we have going on, but you just plow ahead without considering anything I say. You killed a man in front of me—”
“I protected you.”
“No. And you don’t listen.” Ryann huffs, and her hair floats off her face, revealing her beautiful skin and eyes gleaming with frustration. “Also, I need you to understand that I’m returning home in a week. My month abroad will—”
“Officially end.”
“Yes. Do you understand?”
“I do. Your official time will end. That was a schedule you created before our introduction.”
Her eyes narrow, and she stabs the wood plank at our feet with the katana’s tip, leaving the sword speared there. Ryann’s hands fly about her aggressively as she talks. “Before all the crazy, I wanted to see you again. After I returned home. I was going to ask when you would be in the States and—”
“A few times a year, for various reasons.”
“Yes, and I can hear from your tone what you’re not saying. You’re in the States for business or whatever. Not for me! I sense it in the way you chose your words.” Her hands move next to her head like she’s working the gears of her mind. “Just as you said officially, which means you aren’t allowing me to leave.”
“That is true.”
Her hands continue to move in the air, irate. “See! That right there makes you officially manipulative, Ryoichi.”
“Not exactly.” I lean an elbow against the railing. I’m as calm as the river beneath us, whereas she’s this tiny ball of fury. “When we left Greece, I advised you that your place was at my side. Forever.”