"Yeah. Just for a little bit."
"Once the spy is gone, you'll be in there more." His voice softened. "As I said before, my intentions for you were to write and enjoy yourself. Not to be a part of this."
I understood what he meant.
He'd wanted to give me peace, safety, a place to create.
But life had other plans.
"Kenji. . .I've been writing all my life. That's nothing that's ever going to change. That's who I am. That's every part of me." I moved closer to him, and my hand found his. "But right now, I want us to be together. And us being together means this man—the Fox, your father—must be. . .gone. I don't want any threats hanging over us. Once the threat is gone, once this war is over, I'll have all the time in the world to write."
Smiling, I snapped my fingers. "And believe me, I will still be writing about the underground sex industry in Tokyo, and you will be taking me everywhere."
He laughed—a real, warm laugh that made my chest feel too full. "Yes. Yes. I know. I will be your little tour guide slash assistant."
I grinned, thinking about how insane that was.
The Dragon. One of the most powerful and dangerous men in Asia. Serving as my assistant. Showing me around soaplands and hostess clubs. Helping me gather research for a book.
It made me feel warm all over.
Because he cared about what I did. He was dedicated to making sure I continued to have agency in my writing career and in my life.
Men like him—with this much power—probably never even thought about things like that. They probably expected their women to be little pets.
Decorative.
Obedient.
Waiting naked at home.
But Kenji saw me as my own individual. With my own passions. My own thoughts. My own purpose.
And that meant everything.
I kissed him.
Deeply.
Romantically.
His lips parted against mine, and I tasted honeyed tea on his tongue.
He groaned low in his chest, and his arms came around me as he breathed me in.
The kiss deepened. His tongue stroked against mine, slow and thorough, like he had all the time in the world and planned to use every second exploring my mouth.
I melted into him, into the heat, strength, and possession.
When we finally broke apart, both of us breathing hard, I looked up at him. "What do we do now? Should we start talking about finding the spy now?"
He looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. Like he was so deeply in love it hurt and scared him. "We should, Tora, but. . ."
I raised my eyebrows. “But what?”
"I want my men to continue to rest. I have a feeling Reo has not truly gotten to sleep today."
"No. He's been keeping up with everyone."
