“Hero.” He snorted. “That’s stretching it.”

“Not from where I was standing. Vivie and Zara worship you.” She traced circles on his chest. “You being there for them whenever they need you means more to them than a party dress. And I’ll admit I’m jealous of them because I wonder what it would’ve been like to have a brother like that.”

“So the distance between you and Ronin . . . ?”

“Isn’t a recent development. He left for the martial-arts academy when I was fifteen. He promised to keep in touch, but I didn’t see him for four years. And that was only to tell us he was moving to the United States. So in a way, buying that dress for her was filling in an empty space from my teen years.”

“That was incredibly generous of you. But that’s who you are. Buying a dress for a girl. Buying a trainer for your brother, who hasn’t always been there for you.”

“It was a loan. If Ronin gets on board with Maddox, I will expect repayment.” She bit her lip. “So that was part of your problem earlier at the dojo. After you’d heard from her, you thought I was trying to buy her affection.”

“The thought had crossed my mind. Until I realized if that had been the case, you would’ve taken credit for it.” He kissed her. “So thank you.”

This time she held him in place when he tried to pull away. “Knox. I can feel your restlessness. Will you let me take care of you tonight?”

“Isn’t that against the Domme code or something?” he joked.

“Completely. I’ll probably get kicked out of the ‘I don’t give a shit about my sub’s well-being because it’s all about me’ Domme club. Oh, right. I don’t belong to that club anyway, so we’re good.”

“There’s that smart mouth. I’ve missed it since we’ve become civil to each other.”

“Then I’ll try to insult you at least once a day.” She pressed her palms to his cheeks. “Go into your bedroom, strip, and lay facedown on the bed.”

“Shiori—”

“No games. I just want to touch you.” She hopped off his lap and held out her hand. “Lead the way.”

It was late, and the two beers had made him tired. He shed his clothes and pulled back the covers on his bed before he stretched out.

Then she was there, straddling his butt, leaning forward to rub her naked breasts on his back. She whispered, “Hard or soft?”

“What? My cock? Getting harder by the second.”

She playfully sank her teeth into the nape of his neck. “No, your massage. Do you prefer hard or soft?”

“Hard.”

When Shiori dug her fingers into his shoulder muscles, he let out a hiss of pleasure. He made that sound frequently as she worked him over. Reaching those deep tissues by pressing with her thumbs. Using her fists in a circular motion and digging her knuckles in.

Giving himself over to her—a sneaky way for her to prove her dominance—Knox felt himself sinking deeper into the state of bliss.

“Turn over so I can do your front.”

She massaged his hands. His forearms. His biceps and triceps. His nipples hardened when she massaged his pecs. When those caressing fingers stopped at his sternum, he forced his eyes open.

Shiori brushed the back of her hand down his face. “Keep your eyes closed. No matter what.”

“Okay.” He stared at her, struck by the softness in her tonight. It was a side of her that he never would have believed a month ago.

“Starting now.”

He let his eyelids flutter closed. And his body, which had been relaxed almost to the point of sleep, perked back to attention when her silky hair trailed down his belly.

His cock went erect as the moist breath from her soft laughter blew over the tip.

Knox clutched the sheets beside his hips instead of grabbing her head.

In true Shiori fashion, she teased him with licks and hand action. Stroking his balls. Letting her hair drift up the insides of his legs.

The teasing ended abruptly, and she sucked him into her mouth, past her lips, over her teeth.

So wet, so hot, so fucking perfect.

When she began to bob her head, he drifted into an altered state. The hot, wet suction felt amazing. Tiny swipes of her tongue in the magic spot beneath the head of his cock. Then long strokes as she pulled back and pushed his shaft back in deep.

She started with sexy humming noises that drove him to the edge. With all those sensations together . . . this would be an embarrassingly short blow job.

Shit. He couldn’t come until she allowed it.