Amery’s mouth dropped open.

Ronin leaned forward slightly. “You think I’m scary when I’m trying to maintain control? Wrong. I’m scary when I lose it.”

Holy. Shit.

“After you walked out? I. Lost. My. Fucking. Mind. Knox dosed me with an entire bottle of rum because passed-out drunk was the only way he could keep me from going after you. And trust me; you didn’t want to deal with me in that state.”

“I’m not being trite when I say thank you for telling me,” she said softly. “I’m sorry for the shit I spewed. Some of what I said is a blur.”

“What stung the most was your accusation that I’m a billionaire who plays at running a dojo.” His hands clenched and unclenched. “Direct fucking hit to the one thing in my life I’m most proud of. Everything I’ve built? I’ve earned. Every drop of blood I lost fighting, every sketchy thing I did to make a buck went into building this business. The only exception?” He gestured to the room. “My living space.”

“Your grandfather offered to pay for it?”

Ronin shook his head. “He’d set up several trusts to be paid at various milestones. I never touched a penny until the year I turned thirty-two. I’d been living in an office on the third floor for years—I didn’t need more than a futon, a TV, and a hot plate.”

Hearing him describing how he lived and looking around this place . . . It was hard to reconcile those two images and maybe even those two men.

“I’d convinced myself there was no shame in living a minimalist life. But something . . . clicked right around that birthday, and I decided I deserved to use some of the cash to create a living space with all the amenities. As soon as I withdrew money to pay the architect, I got a call from my grandfather.”

“What did he expect from you?”

“It’s not important now. But at the time? I had so much resentment toward him. He disrupted my business to attend to his, and he meddled in my personal life.” He shoved his hand through his hair. “He manipulates Shiori with this same shit. She’s been trying to prove herself worthy of taking over since she started working in the Okada offices at age twelve. She’ll follow any instructions he gives her.”

“Still?”

“She’s been in Colorado for more than seven weeks. I don’t know if she has an agenda—besides fucking up things between us.” Ronin’s eyes bored into hers. “That’s not me refusing to take responsibility for not telling you about my familial ties, but what Shiori freely admitted to me.” He reached for her hands. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about any of this. But being an heir isn’t something I’m proud of because I didn’t earn it. I hate that you questioned your own judgment because of me. I know what that feels like.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“I’d really like to have you back in my life, because it’s been empty without you in it.” Ronin stroked her cheek. “I missed you.”

“So you’ve said.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “You don’t believe me?”

“I think that you actually showing me this sweet side of you is the result of your concussion.”

“I’d turn you over my knee for that smart-ass comment, but it hurts too fucking much.”

“Speaking of . . . You are putting on that brace as soon as we’re done talking,” she warned him.

“When did you become such a hardass?”

“When you asked me to take care of you. That entails more than fluffing your pillows and administering your meds.”

“Yes, ma’am. So now it’s your turn to talk about fun family stuff.” He blinked at her with confusion. “I know in the past I’ve been lax about remembering details of things you’ve told me, but I’m positive you never mentioned you were planning a trip back to North Dakota.”

Amery’s cheeks heated. “I needed to get away. And since money is tight—not that you’d understand what that’s like—I couldn’t jet off to a tropical island for a few days. I ended up in my car, heading north. Ironically enough, my father’s thirty-fifth anniversary as an ordained minister was that weekend.” She twisted her fingers. “I wasn’t going to go. In fact, I’d told them I wouldn’t be attending. Then all that happened with us, and I couldn’t leave town fast enough.” She looked away. “Pathetic, huh? That the only place I had to go was the last place I ever wanted to be.”

“Jesus, Amery. How—”

“I’m glad I went if for no other reason than my brother, Aiden, got seventy-two hours’ leave from the army and surprised our parents, which worked out for me because I didn’t spend much one-on-one time with Mom or Dad. They were pleased that I showed up more for how it looked to my father’s congregation and the community than from joy at seeing me. So it was a miserable trip with the exception of spending time with Aiden.”

“Baby. I’m sorry.”

“It is what it is.”

After an uncomfortable moment, Ronin asked, “Are we done talking about this?”

“For now. But I reserve the right to ask other questions as they occur to me.”

“Anything, anytime. From here on out, I’m an open book for you, Amery.”

As much as she wanted to believe him, unless he proved that statement true, he was just paying lip service to what she wanted. “Good. But for now, you need to get back in bed. I’ll grab the knee brace.”

He slowly rose to his feet but still had to slap a hand on the wall to keep his balance as he started down the hallway.

His knee buckled, and Amery made it to his side before he hit the floor. “Sweetheart, you need to remember I’m here to help you.”

“God, I missed hearing you call me that.” Breathing hard, he sagged against the wall.

“Are you okay?”

“No. I’m exhausted. Feels like I got hit by a truck while running a marathon. But that’s not the worst part.”

Amery waited as his eyes roamed over her face.

“The worst part is, after six goddamn weeks without you, I can’t even kiss you like I want to.”

Maybe it was reckless, ignoring the warnings to take it slow, but she closed the gap between them and slid her hands up his chest to cup his jaw. Meeting his gaze, she said, “Then how about if I kiss you?”

Those soulful brown eyes watched her with hunger and relief.

She swept gentle kisses across his upper lip, placing an extra-soft kiss on the stitches. Then she moved to the corners of his mouth and his lower lip, dipping her tongue inside that pouty lower swell. Keeping their eyes locked, she pressed her lips to his fully, letting the moment linger.

Watching his beautiful banged-up face, she knew her tenderness soothed more than just his bruised mouth. “Let’s get you tucked in.”

• • •

WHILE Ronin was resting, she raced to her loft and showered. In her overnight bag, she packed clothes, her laptop, a few client files, and her e-book reader.

At Target, she bought the bare necessities for groceries. Just because Ronin hadn’t shown much of an appetite didn’t mean it wouldn’t suddenly appear. She picked up a bottle of over-the-counter painkillers, an extra ACE bandage, and two more ice packs. In the clearance section, she noticed a single wooden crutch. That would allow him to keep weight off his knee. She threw it and a pair of foam pads in the cart.

The universe smiled on her when she found a parking space close to the dojo. Trying to get all the bags carried to the front door in one load made for slow going.

She heard angry footsteps and looked up to see Knox bearing down on her.

“Goddammit, Amery, are you really too stubborn to ask for help?”

“I didn’t know you were at the dojo today or I would’ve asked.”

He took all the bags except her suitcase and the crutch. He didn’t speak until they were in the elevator. “How is he doing?”

“He’s in pain. And tired. Cranky. Frustrated with himself.”

“I can’t fucking believe he locked the damn elevator.”

“Yes, you can. He’s got way too much pride. Couple that with a head injury . . .”

Knox sighed. “Thank you for being there for him. I hope it means you’re working things out.”

“We’re trying.”

They switched elevators. The doors opened, and she immediately saw Ronin poke his head out of the den. “Did you invite my sister up too?”

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, Ronin,” Knox said. “I figured Amery would need provisions, so I waited her out. Not her fault.”

“Provisions. Spoken like a true soldier.”

When Ronin started down the hall, she said, “Not so fast. I brought you something.”

“A crutch? Jesus, Amery. I’m not that bad off.”

She marched up to him and shook the crutch in his face. “I imagine if you would’ve remained in the hospital like you were supposed to, they would’ve discharged you with a pair of these. You need to stop aggravating your knee. This, at least, will allow you to take the pressure off. I assumed you’d rather have this than my original idea of locking you up in your practice room.”

His eyes bled from brown into the molten black that indicated he was turned on.

A curl of heat unfurled in her belly.

“Careful, baby. That sharp tongue, those fiery eyes, and your pouty lips are a potent combination.”

Backtrack. Backtrack now. “Really? You’re freshly out of the hospital, Ronin. You are injured. In. Jured. Get that through your head.”

“The big head hears you. The little head sees you and wants you.”

The man took advantage of her distraction and brushed his mouth across hers. His tongue even snaked in for a little taste before she snapped out of it.

She stepped back and fiddled with the crutch, attaching the foam pads to the top and the bar in the middle. “Try that.”

He headed down the hallway. “You’re right. Much easier. Thank you.”