45. Leona
LEONA
R yuji followed me into the elevator after I quickly changed my clothes.
We both strapped on a few hidden weapons, but by now I knew he always carried more knives than I could see.
He had the good sense to keep his mouth shut, as I asked, but when I pressed the button for the second floor—where his club was—he spoke.
“What are you doing?” He watched the elevator numbers ding downward.
I adjusted the thigh holster that held my Hellcat and inspected my butt in the mirrored wall of the elevator to make sure it couldn’t be seen beneath my skirt. “I figured you’d run away, like you have been whenever things get tense, so I thought we could run away together for a little bit.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets, then rocked back and forth on his heels. He was wearing more casual clothes than he typically wore to the club, but they’d have to do for now.
“Why?” he asked.
“You clearly have a problem, which we clearly need to resolve.”
“I don’t have a problem?— ”
My glare could have withered flowers.
“So…you think going to the club is a good idea?” He cautiously touched his cheek where I had smacked him. I refused to feel bad about it.
“I think not letting you disappear is a good idea. Dancing at the club is just a bonus.”
This idea was half-baked at best, born from the shitshow of what just happened, but I couldn’t keep letting him avoid us.
His outburst at Wynn just proved he was not over what happened with the kidnapping, even if I was.
Whenever he’d gotten angry recently, he’d stomp away or disappear, and that was not happening again.
So, my plan was to get us both to relax, and then give him the floor to say what he needed to say.
“Dancing…you’re not mad at me anymore?”
“Oh, I’m fucking furious at you.”
The elevator dinged, and we both stepped out. He grabbed my hand, interlacing our fingers and jerking me closer to his side. He looked around like he expected a boogeyman to jump out of the wall and steal me away.
Which is kind of what happened.
But it would never happen again.
“You can’t tell me that Wynn didn’t fuck up with you.” His lips brushed against my ear while we walked past the two bouncers monitoring the entrance to Club Dragon.
“I can tell you that, and I will.”
A few people in the long line shouted their frustration, but Ryu ignored them, instead waving to the men. They gave him a stern nod, but then raised their eyebrows at me and gaped, especially at how Ryu tucked me underneath his arm.
I winked and blew them a kiss, which caused Ryu to glare down at me.
The men smiled, exchanging glances at one another, until my dragon whispered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like keep your fucking eyes where they belong or I’ll take them from you.
Both men blanched, immediately looking past us and back to the long line of patrons waiting to get ushered inside.
“I’ll say what I said back at the penthouse again. If you have anything else bad to say about Wynn, say it to my face.” I pulled him toward the dance floor. “Or get over it and move on.”
I couldn’t keep my box from rattling when my men brought it up every single chance they got. It was better for all of us if we just left it in the past.
The music thumped through my body, immediately reminding me of the last time I’d been here—the same night I’d met Ryu.
I’d followed one of Max’s men into the club, then planted a tracker on him so we could find out where Max had taken Cas.
It had put me on a collision course with Ryu, and just when I thought we’d figured out how to stop butting heads, he persisted in being an asshole.
His arms curled around me from behind while he pressed his chest against my back. We swung our hips in time with the beat while his hands wandered all around my ribs.
His hand trailed up the back of my neck to tangle in my hair. He tilted my neck to the side. “If you would have died, I would have killed Wynn.”
The words were chilling, despite the heat of the club, but he needed to say it. He needed to get it out.
“Wynn saved my life.”
“Wynn let you get taken.”
“I survived.” They were all stuck, held captive by the events of that night. Why was I the only one trying to forget about them?
He growled into my ear. “Barely.”
I spun in his grasp before winding my arms around his neck. “Careful, Ryu, or I might think you have actual feelings for me.”
“Not possible,” he lied against my lips.
I knew he did. I knew I felt for him, too.
I kissed him the same way I did the night we first met. We were magnets, drawn together by an unstoppable force. The kiss seared through my body, and everything else around us faded away.
We’d had sex in the car on the ride home from New Jersey. He’d given me the safety I needed to find my power again. To know that I wanted to—needed to—take control of my body again. But now it was my turn to do the same for him.
“Your office.” It wasn’t a question. It was a demand.
Our hands and lips barely left each other as we stumbled up the stairs and through the door to his office overlooking the club. I pulled him toward the couch, where everything between us had begun, but he redirected me toward the desk.
He swept his hand across the wood, pushing everything onto the floor in a giant clatter. Multiple piles of papers scattered on the floor while Ryu chuckled.
“What?”
“Alec is going to be so pissed at me.”
I snorted before he picked me up and deposited me on the desk’s surface. I was already soaking wet and already wiggling my thong down my legs when he unbuckled his pants.
“ Hanii . Fuck,” he breathed as he pulled up my skirt and drove into me with one firm thrust. My fingers dug into his shoulders, holding onto him for dear life while I adjusted to his size.
There was barely any resistance, but usually he gave me an orgasm or two first. He pressed his forehead against mine. “Sorry. I couldn’t wait.”
I cupped the back of his neck and pulled him back for more desperate kisses. We were starving for each other. Frantic. Like we just couldn’t possibly get enough…or like our time was limited, and we only had so long to drown in each other before we were lost forever.
My legs curled around him, drawing him closer, and he groaned. He peppered kisses from my mouth, up my jaw, and down my throat.
“This is not just about Wynn. Are you going to tell me what’s really wrong?” I asked with a gasp, tilting my head to give his mouth better access to the sensitive skin on my neck. The drag of his teeth sent pulses of pleasure through every limb.
“Nothing is wrong.” His hands slipped up the back of my thighs, holding my ass in place as he thrust into me.
I sighed. “You’ve been very fussy lately.”
“Fussy? Like a fucking baby?”
“I said what I said.”
He drove into me so hard the desk shook. If there were anything left on it, it would have clattered to the floor. “I’m sure I’m not so fussy when I have you impaled on my cock.”
I rolled my eyes. “I shouldn’t fuck you when I’m so pissed off at you.”
“That’s the best time for a good fuck.”
I yanked his shirt over his head, tossing it to the side without a care. My fingers traced over his tattoos, feeling his muscles rippling beneath his skin. He was so strong . All my men were works of goddamn art, and what a lucky woman I was.
“Tell me,” I murmured. It reminded me of that time in the gym all those weeks ago when I’d asked him what he’d wanted and promised to give it to him. He’d given me pieces, shown me little bits of what went on inside his head, ever since—but I wanted more from him.
I wanted everything he had to give me, because I would give him everything I had.
His fingertips bit into my skin. He slowed his pace, pressing his face into the groove of my neck.
“Fine,” he choked out. “You never should have left. I can never blame you for what happened, hanii . I won’t.
But you scared us to death. I can’t—” His voice cut off.
“I can’t live without you. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep.
I can’t rest without imagining what happened to you, and knowing that we let you down. ”
“You didn’t let me down. I let you down. ”
His hand collared my throat. “You made me care this much. That’s your fucking fault.”
There it was. The truth.
“You’re not mad at Wynn, Ryu. You’re mad at me. Just be mad at me.”
His eyes widened. “I…”
“It’s okay,” I whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m okay.”
His palm tightened around my neck, muttering something in Japanese.
“I can’t fucking explain it. I’m mad at you, but I’m not.
I want to blame someone . I want to destroy our enemies, flay them alive, burn them to a crisp, yank their entrails out of their fucking mouths, so you never get hurt again.
You should have been smarter, Leona. We aren’t safe yet, but I swear to you, I will make your world safe.
” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I swear it.”
I dragged his mouth to mine, swallowing all the complicated emotions he couldn’t quite process. His fears and mine. His regrets and mine.
What had happened with the Albanians had scarred us all, not just me.
And I still hadn’t told them what had happened. I was certain they could guess from the state of my injuries. Wasn’t that enough? What more did they need?
His head ducked to suck on my nipple while his thumb rubbed my clit.
I tightened my legs around him, pulling him deeper to me, harder to me, like I could consume him as much as he consumed me.
When we fell over the edge of the abyss together, another fragment of my fractured soul returned to its place.
His contented sigh as he gripped my neck told me he felt the same.
“Emotions are bullshit,” he whispered against my cheek.
I broke out in laughter. “You’re not wrong.”
His other hand touched the scar going down my face, and my heart twisted at the thought of how much he must hate it. “This scar makes you look so fucking badass. I love it, hanii . I just hate how you got it.”
My lips pressed together while tears pricked the corners of my eyes. “You like it?”
“Of fucking course , I do,” he growled while his eyebrows knit together. “I always knew you were a fucking warrior. If I wore panties, I’d drop them at the sight of you. You’re a boxer dropper.”
“We both know you prefer to go commando.”
He grinned as he pulled out and tucked himself away. “It’s so I have one less layer between my cock and your sweet, perfect pussy.”
I smacked his bare chest while giggling. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to tell you I’m sorry I lost the knife you gave me. You’ll be happy to know it saved my life. I used it to carve the eyes from the man who hurt me the worst. Still, I am sad that I lost it.”
It had slipped from my bloody grip at some point, but I could barely remember. I wish I hadn’t left it behind.
He made some sort of choking sound. “I don’t fucking care. I’ll buy you a thousand knives. You survived. That’s all that matters to me.”
My heart swelled with emotion. “I love you, Ryu.”
I loved him so much it fucking hurt .
His face twisted into a scowl. I pulled back with an unsteady laugh. Maybe he wasn’t ready. That was fine. “Okay. I won’t say it again. I just wanted you to know.”
He grabbed me, crushing me to his chest. “No, I’m pissed I didn’t say it first. I love you, Leona. I love you with every shard of my blackened heart. Every atom of my being. I didn’t give a fuck about love before meeting you, but you’re my everything. You make me feel whole.”
I kissed him while my hands pulled at the bun in his hair. I wanted him messy and wild, just like how he made me. “I thought you’d never admit it.”
He chuckled, looking me straight in the eye while his hair curled around his ears. “I love you more than breakfast food. I love you more than my knives. I love you more than money and freedom.”
I gasped. “ That much? I knew you were a romantic at heart!”
He sank to his knees, pushing my legs wider apart, and pulling his hair back.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
He bit the skin on my inner thigh. “I rushed earlier, but I’m going to show you exactly how romantic I am by eating your pussy until you faint from orgasm overload.”
I tilted my head back when his tongue flattened and dragged through my entrance. A groan slipped past my lips. “How do we taste together, Ryu?”
He sucked my clit. “The best thing I’ve ever had on my tongue.”
“Get to work pleasing your queen.”
His chuckle was dark and delicious as he did exactly as I asked.
I leaned back on the desk, letting him work me higher and higher until he drew me over the edge.
He was insatiable, completely determined to fulfill his promise to make me faint, and I was halfway to a light-headed second orgasm when the door burst open behind us.
I jerked my legs together while Ryu whirled a knife toward the intruder. The person held up a stack of files and the knife embedded in thick folders.
“Fuck, Ryuji!” a man shouted. “Goddamn it. This is important! ”
“Alec?” Ryu said while his body moved to block mine. He was still shirtless with his tattoos on full display and hair escaping his disheveled bun. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Alec lowered the papers and scowled at the knife stabbed almost all the way through the three-inch stack. “That would have hit my face, you imbecile.”
My eyes widened. I’d never heard someone talk to Ryuji like that. He muttered something else while he yanked the knife free and dropped it unceremoniously to the ground.
“You better start talking, or get out and leave me to my meal.”
Alec looked up, jolting slightly at his boss, half-naked and wild, until noticing me peeking over Ryu’s shoulder. “I’ve seen you before, sneaking out of the office a few months ago.”
“Hi, Alec.” I gave a little wave. I’d heard plenty about him, but it was obvious he didn’t know who I was.
Ryu didn’t budge, but he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “This is my woman. We were busy. Now, please.” He gestured to the door. “Get the fuck out of my office. Whatever it is can wait.”
“I do have a name. It’s Leona.”
“Hello.” Alec looked at me for a moment longer before he shook his head. “We have a problem.”
Ryu went still. “What?”
“The feds are downstairs.”
I met Ryu’s surprised look. Fuck .