Because he had a point.
Therewasa spy on the island.
Hewasat war.
Men had died.
More would die too.
And standing here in front of Kenji—naked, furious, and clearly terrified in a way he'd never admit—I could see the stress carved into every line of his body. The tension in his shoulders. The barely controlled panic beneath his rage.
This wasn't about control.
Not completely.
Beneath all his outward fury, I could see inner terror. His pupils blown wide and dark like a cornered animal's. His breath coming out in shallow bursts through flared nostrils, the kind of primal panic that ripped through even the most powerful predator when what they loved most was threatened.
Aww, baby. I’m fine.
I didn't like being told what to do, but I also wasn't stupid. I understood the danger swirling around us, even if I didn't want to admit how much it scared me too.
So, I gave in.
For now.
I just hoped this possessiveness would truly leave once the spy was gone. Because if this was who Kenji was all the time—a man who couldn't let me walk down a hallway alone—we were going to have problems.
Big ones.
I moved into his space, my body drawn to his like tide pulled by the moon. Heat rolled off his skin in waves. I hadn’t even touched him yet, but I could already feel him.
When my cheek finally pressed against his chest. His heartbeat thundered beneath my ear. The sound of his breathingwas heavy, uneven, brushing against my ear. His lush scent filled my lungs until I was dizzy with it.
"I'm sorry," My lips brushed his skin with each word. "I will stay by your side."
His powerful arms enveloped me, wrapping me in a cage of protection and possession until there was nothing between us but shared breath and racing hearts.
Meanwhile, the guards wheeled the cart past us into the bedroom. I heard them distributing the bento boxes to Kenji's guards who'd been stationed outside our door.
Kenji's body went rigid in my arms. He pulled back, and a low growl rumbled from his chest. "What is this? Food for my guards?"
I blinked up at him. "Yes."
The guards had already accepted the bento boxes but froze completely, holding the wrapped packages with the careful stillness of men who'd just realized they were standing in a minefield.
They didn't dare open them.
Didn't move.
One guard's eyes flicked down to his box—just once, quickly—and I swear I saw longing. They could clearly smell the banana bread through the wrapping.
The Dragon sneered at them. “Put those back on the cart!!”
“No!” I raised my eyebrows. "Kenji, what are you doing?!"
"I implemented a new law this morning." His voice carried that dangerous edge. "No one is to eat your food. Beginning today. Now. . .I was thinking about changing it, but I haven’t just yet."
I stared at him—still naked, still furious, still absurdly beautiful. “Can we let the guards hold their boxes and we talk about this?”
