Kenji grinned. “Welcome home, Tora.”
The scent of hinoki wood and incense hit me first.
Inside the threshold, a polished wooden step waited for us, elevated slightly from the stone we stood on. Beside it was a low lacquered bench and a traditional Japanese shoe cabinet, elegant in black and gold.
A small silk cushion rested beside it, just beneath a carved wooden crane.
Without a word, Kenji let go of my hand.
I got ready to take off my heels.
“No. Allow me.” He stepped forward, lowered himself to the ground, and knelt in front of me.
His Eyes exchanged shocked looks. What did they think as they saw their boss—the Dragon—kneeling for a woman and attending to her feet like a servant?
Staring at my heels, he licked his lips, lowered himself even more, and kissed the tip of each heel before removing the first and then the second.
Some of his men stirred.
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
When both shoes were off, I stood barefoot on the step, feeling the warmth of the wood beneath my toes.
Not done yet, Kenji stroked slow circles over my ankle bones with his thumbs. Next, he let out a low groan under his breath as he ran his hand along the curve of my arch.
Fuck.
So sweet, he cradled one foot in both hands, then bowed his head, and pressed his lips softly to my big toe.
My knees weakened. “Kenji. . .”
More of his men shifted their weight as if witnessing a ritual they weren’t meant to see. A few widened their eyes and looked in the other direction.
You’re freaking your people out.
One of the white-clad attendants appeared and handed him a pair of soft indoor slippers. They were black silk with gold embroidery across the toe.
Groaning, Kenji guided one of my ankles forward, carefully placed the slipper onto my foot, and whispered something in Japanese.
An Eye grinned.
What did he say? I bet it was nasty.
When Kenji was done, he rose from the floor, quickly took off his shoes, and put on slippers.
I smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I enjoyed every second of that.”
I made a note that Kenji definitely had some sort of foot and heel fetish.
We will definitely be exploring that.
We headed forward and it felt like entering a shrine more than a home. Every detail was exquisite. Shoji screens stood open on either side, revealing long corridors that stretched forever.
Kenji’s hand rested on the small of my back as we crossed another threshold.
I was still trying to make sense of it all when one of his men approached us from a hallway.
