Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 154368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 772(@200wpm)___ 617(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 772(@200wpm)___ 617(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Zo examined his toes with approval, then glanced back at me. “Perfect.”
And for a moment, watching him there—pampered, attended to, surrounded by luxury—I thought of Kiko.
Kenji’s Maybe-baby mama.
Where is she now? And what is she doing?
I was sure that she was being pampered somewhere on this island too. Carrying twins tended to earn you that kind of treatment. Especially when those twins might belong to the Dragon.
Might.
That word sat in my chest like a stone.
Hiro had told me they hadn't done a paternity test. Said it wasn't their way to disturb a pregnancy. That the testing would come after the babies were born.
And I understood that. Respected it, even.
But understanding didn't stop the wondering. Because those twins could be Kenji's. Or Hiro's. Or even his father's.
Three men.
One woman.
Two babies.
And no answers until they arrived.
There had to be a way to know sooner. There had to be.
I hated that I thought about that in this moment.
Her pregnancy was the pause button.
That's what it felt like. Like everything between Kenji and me—the love, the future, the children—all of it had an asterisk next to it. A footnote that read pending maybe-baby mama’s results.
If those twins were Hiro's, the asterisk disappeared. We moved forward clean.
But if they were Kenji's. . .
Then I wasn't just his woman. I was a stepmother. Helping the Dragon co-parent with a woman I didn't trust. Sharing his bloodline with someone who had been in his bed long before me.
And it wasn't like I could leave if the results came back wrong.
Kenji would never let me go. I knew that with the same certainty I knew my own name. The Dragon didn't release what he claimed. Those bite marks on my neck were proof of that.
So, I'd stay either way.
Love him, either way.
But I wanted our life to start without a question mark hanging over it. I wanted to look at him and not wonder if somewhere on this island, a woman was carrying his children while I was just now learning what his shadow looked like.
I exhaled and pushed it down. Buried it beneath the incense and the laughter and Zo's ridiculous silk pajamas.
Not tonight.
Tonight wasn't for Kiko.
Tonight was for whatever Kenji had planned behind that calm smile and those dark eyes.
Zo must have seen something shift in my face because his expression softened. Just for a moment. Then he sat up, careful not to disturb his pedicure. "Well. Enough about me and my woes. Let me get you dressed for the Dragon."
“Oh. You’re dressing me.”
“Of course.” A wicked smile spread across his face. "Because tonight is going to be a lot of fun."
He rose and walked to the other side of the living room, and that was when I noticed the cage.
What the fuck?
In the corner of the room.
Half-hidden by a rack of leather harnesses.
A man was inside a cage. Full leather. Face covered with a mask. A black ball was in his mouth. Crouched on his hands and knees like an animal.
I froze. "Uh. . .who is this?"
The cage was barely big enough for him. His knees pressed against the bars. His back curved to fit the space. And yet his breathing was relaxed.
Hiroko was at the rack of leather lingerie and barely glanced over. "He's my pet."
The pet purred. The sound was low and rumbling, barely human.
It also sent a chill down my spine.
"Would you like to meet him?" Hiroko stepped back from the rack. "I could let him out."
Zo cleared his throat.
I looked at Zo. He shook his head slowly.
"Oh. No thank you." I took a small step back and then I looked directly at the pet. "Unless you want to get out."
The pet didn't look at me or acknowledge my words at all. He simply continued to stare at Hiroko with pure obsession in his eyes.
He didn't want out.
He didn't want freedom.
He wanted to stay exactly where she had put him, right in that damn cage.
Hiroko smiled softly at her pet. Tenderness passed across her face. Then she turned back to me. "Now. Let's get you ready."
One of her assistants came over and handed me a towel. "You have to take a shower.”
“What?”
“Yes, and quickly. We need to make sure there's nothing on your skin. No oils. No lotions. No perfume. Nothing that could interfere with the scene or cause you harm."
Cause me harm?
I wanted to ask what that meant. What kind of scene required skin this clean? But Hiroko was already turning away, and I knew she would not answer anyway.
"The bathroom is through there. Be thorough, Nyomi and fast."
O-kay. . .
I went.
The bathroom was small but elegant—stone tile, a rain shower, soft lighting. I stripped out of the phoenix gown as well as the undergarments and stepped under the water.
It was warm.
Cleansing.
I scrubbed every inch of myself, wondering what the hell I was preparing for.