“You know I’d never hurt you.”

“You’re missing the point I’m trying to make. It’s like I was seeing you for the first time. What you do as a martial artist is so much a part of who you are. And since I don’t know that side of your life, you can understand why I’d feel like you’re a stranger sometimes. Why it feels like the only time we’re intimate is when we’re naked. You expect me to tell all and you don’t reciprocate.”

Ronin’s gaze roamed her face. “I’ve shared more with you than anyone.”

“You mean the kinbaku and shibari?”

“Not just that and you damn well know it.”

“That’s the thing, Ronin. I don’t. There’s so much you’re holding back from me. And what’s hidden beneath the surface might be some scary shit.”

“Amery—”

“So I’ll show you how this sharing thing works. Today, one of my biggest clients informed me they’ll be taking their graphic design work in-house rather than outsourcing starting the end of the month. And yes, I understand it’s just business, but it’s killing my business. I’ve lost accounts over the past few months for the same reason. I picked up a couple new projects, but this is my bread-and-butter client. I always worried about having a client like that, because I feared this very thing would happen. Now it has.”

“I’m sorry.” He kissed the back of her hand.

“I could look on the bright side and be glad they aren’t giving me the old heave-ho because the quality of the work has gone downhill or I’m slow in responding to their needs.” She swigged the Coke. “But I can’t think of anything besides that I’ll have to let Molly go.”

“It doesn’t help to conjure up worst-case scenarios.”

“I don’t need to conjure them, Ronin, because they’re already here. This is the reality of the situation. I set out to drown my sorrows so I wouldn’t have to think about it for the rest of the night, and I don’t appreciate you showing up here and forcing me to think about it.”

“Why aren’t your friends here supporting you?”

Amery sighed. “They ditched me to go to their gay bar hangouts.”

“They left you alone after you’d been drinking?” he asked sharply.

“No. I meant I didn’t invite them to my pity party because we had words and we still aren’t speaking. The words I’m waiting to hear from them haven’t made it back to me yet.” She wouldn’t tell Ronin he was the source of discord between them. “But in my defense of drinking alone, I wouldn’t have attempted to walk home alone. I would’ve waited until I sobered up and called a cab.” She poked his chest. “Self-defense rule number one I learned at Black Arts. Avoid dangerous situations. See? I paid attention in class.”

“Do you have plans for the rest of the night?”

“Wallow. Then wallow some more.”

Ronin framed her face in his hands. “Come wallow with me in the pool. Or in the garden. But if you’d rather we can go to your place.”

Amery looked into his eyes, entranced by how they changed color. Right now they were a warm, soft brown and filled with concern. Then she felt guilty for saying she didn’t know him when very few people got to see this caring side of Master Black and he showed it to her—even if only limitedly. “Your place has more toys.” When Ronin raised his eyebrows she amended, “Not what I meant.”

“I’m calling that a Freudian slip anyway.”

“Whatever. No weird sex toys,” she warned.

“I promise only to use the usual sex toys.” He smooched her mouth.

“Meaning ropes?”

“Among other things. Let’s go.”

Amery perked up at seeing Ronin’s motorcycle parked by the curb. “Did you bring me a helmet?”

“Of course.”

It seemed as if Ronin took the long way back to his place, but Amery didn’t mind. There were worse places to be than twined around his strong body.

They held hands during the elevator ride.

Ronin asked, “Are you hungry?”

“No. I’d rather swim.”

“Are you changing in my room?”

“I left my swimsuit in the guest room.”

He kissed her forehead. “I’ll meet you at the pool after I shower.”

She opened the drawer where she’d stashed the two new swimsuits Ronin had bought her. As soon as she ditched her workday clothes, she breathed easier. Which was ironic since she’d never been comfortable in swimwear. Spying Ronin’s white dress shirt on the back of the door, she slipped it on as a cover-up.

The elevator spit her out on the roof and she practically skipped to her favorite chaise on the pool side. With half a buzz relaxing her, she closed her eyes and basked in the sun’s fading rays.

The next time Amery opened her eyes, the sun had dropped in the horizon. She scrambled upright and looked over to see Ronin stretched out beside her. Watching her. “Crap. Did I fall asleep?”

“Only for an hour.”

She ran a hand through her hair. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. You must’ve needed it.”

“So you’ve been up here listening to me snore the whole time?”

“Except for the call I had to take right after I got out of the shower.”

Was this his way of sharing? “What was the call about?”

“Boring business stuff.”

And . . . not so much with the sharing.

But he did reach for her hand. After a bit, Ronin said, “I’ve been thinking.”

“About?”

“Your financial situation.”

Hard not to get her back up. “And?”

“And I came up with a way to help you.”

“Ronin. I already designed a new logo for Black Arts. As a matter of fact, I saw the new patch on your gi top.”

“Looks great, doesn’t it? But you piddling around with graphic stuff for my dojo wasn’t what I had in mind.”

“Then what?”

He stood and moved to sit on the bottom of her chaise. “Please hear me out before you jump in and say no.”

That definitely got her back up. “I’m listening.”

“You’ve got a good thing going with your business. Unique, yet mainstream enough you haven’t locked yourself into a niche market. I suspect given the chance you could spin it into a bigger agency. Not now but a few years down the road. Which is why I want to invest in Hardwick Designs.”

“Invest in?”

“I’d give you a year’s worth of operating capital so you could keep Molly on.”

“Give?” she repeated.

He squeezed her knee. “Loan, if you prefer. You wouldn’t have to start repayments until your company was operating in the black again.”

“What’s the interest rate for this investment?”

“Standard business rate. The whole point of this is to keep your business afloat during these market fluctuations. It’ll level out sooner rather than later. The signs are already there with the unemployment rate dropping, new construction rates slowly climbing again, and the upswing in the stock market.”

Amery stared at him. Since when did Zen Master Black give a damn about the effects of the economy?

Just another sign that you don’t know him beyond sexually.

“I would be a silent investor, so you needn’t worry I’d take over your business. I’m already running the dojo and dealing with other family pressures. I wouldn’t require much for financial reporting besides a basic idea where you are bi-monthly on the profit and loss.”

As much as she wanted to snap, No way in hell am I ever taking a penny from you, and then list the reasons as dispassionately as he had done, she coolly asked, “Are you finished?”

His eyes narrowed. “Don’t you have questions?”

“Just one.” She cocked her head. “Will you take business advice from me?”

“Sure.”

Maybe the buzz of anger gave her the push to address the grumblings she’d heard in his dojo. “Pull out whatever stick you’ve got up your ass about Brazilian jujitsu and consider adding that martial arts discipline to the Black Arts class schedule. You’ve already got self-defense classes, kickboxing classes, you’re training mixed martial artists, and your staff offers personal protection training. I heard Ito talking to Knox about his judo background. He should also be teaching judo classes, which would be another addition to the lineup. Right now you have space to expand into on the third floor and a diversity of classes, including Muay Thai, would increase your income base.”

If she expected a stunned reaction from him that she’d poked her nose into his business, or that her attempt at redirection would actually work, well, she was sorely mistaken. Ronin’s expression didn’t change. He merely said, “So noted. Any questions about the business solution I proposed to address your issue?”

“No, because I already have an answer.”

“Which is?”

“Hell no.” She pushed off the chaise.

“Where are you going?”

“For a swim. Alone.” Amery dove into the deep end and popped up like a cork. The water temperature was perfectly refreshing and cooled off her hot head. She floated in the warm void, eyes closed. Filling her lungs with air to keep herself afloat forced her to focus on her breathing.

But eventually her ears picked up weird sounds underwater, distorting them to the point she couldn’t figure out what they were. She remained perfectly still.

One sound that she didn’t need to decipher: a body diving into the pool. She righted herself after being tossed around by the waves and then Ronin was right there.

Amery backed up.

He followed her.

“What part of ‘I want to swim alone’ is confusing to you?”

“What part of ‘this is my pool’ is confusing to you?” he countered.

“Fine. I’ll get out.”

He blocked her exit. “Can we finish our conversation?”

“We did. Now move.”