Unraveled (37 page)

But the stubborn Viking wouldn’t budge. “No. Tell me now.”

She moved in close so they were body to body. “Remember that I still felt nauseous
after my accident?”

He nodded.

“The day you had all those meetings at Black Arts, I got sick again and decided to
call the car service to take me to a walk-in clinic.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you needed to go in? Baby, I would’ve dropped everything to
take you.”

“I know. But Ronin had already come down hard on you, so I wanted to spare you further
chastising and went alone.”

“What happened at the doctor’s office?”

She pressed her palms against his pectorals. “The doctor ran a bunch of tests.” The
words stuck in her throat, bogged down by her guilt.

Then his big hands were cradling her face. “Tell me.”

“I’m pregnant.”

He blinked. Frowned. Knox shook his head as if he’d misheard her. “Say that again.”

“I’m pregnant. That’s why I continued to be sick even after the accident.”

Shock distorted his features. His mouth opened and then snapped shut. “But we . . .”

“Used condoms every time. Except for that first time.” Shiori closed her eyes. “I
took the morning-after pill like I told you I would. But it didn’t work for some reason.”

He said nothing.

Finally she said, “I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“Not telling you first. For making you chase me here.”

“Is that what you came over to tell me the night I was a drunken asshole? That you
were pregnant?”

She nodded.

“Look at me.”

Shiori lifted her lashes despite the weight of tears on them.

“Are you sorry you’re pregnant?”

“No.”

Knox crushed her to his chest. “Thank god.” His big body shuddered as he kissed the
top of her head.

She felt like she was the only thing holding him up. “Let me go.”

“Never gonna let go of you again.”

She tried to squirm out of his hold, but he was having none of it. So she had to bring
out the Domme voice. “Knox. Let go. If you faint, you’ll take me down with you.”

“I’m not gonna faint.” Then he lowered to his knees again. This time his focus was
entirely on her abdomen. “Show me.”

“There’s not much to see.” She pulled her T-shirt over her head.

Immediately Knox tugged down her yoga pants. Gently holding her hips, he dragged his
mouth all over her belly. “A baby. Jesus. Our baby is in here.”

She hadn’t been sure how he’d react, but she hadn’t expected this. “You aren’t upset?”

“Surprised? Yes. Upset? Not on your fucking life.”

“Why not?”

“Because I love you.” Soft kisses around her belly button. “Because this baby is meant
to be.” More soft kisses. “Think of what this sprout survived in the past eleven weeks.”
Knox looked up at her. His eyes were wet, heavy with emotion.

And her love for him grew even more. She shivered when his lips teased her stomach.
“I’m relieved you asked me to marry you before you found out about the baby.”

“I want you for you, Nushi. Little sprout is just sprinkles on the cupcake.” He stroked
the hard lump above her pubic bone with his thumbs. “You felt any movement?”

“No. But I do have pictures, and I got to hear the heartbeat.” She ran her hand through
his hair. “I wanted you there beside me so badly at that point I cried.”

“I will be beside you for every damn thing from here on out. No matter what happens
at Black Arts or Okada. No matter if we live in the States or in Japan.”

“You’d move here for me?”

“Woman, I’d do anything for you.”

His blue eyes held so much love and heat and respect it was hard to speak around the
lump in her throat. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

That roiling sensation started pushing past her sternum. “I’m about to test that theory.
Oh god.”

Even before she clapped a hand over her mouth, Knox was on his feet and leading her
to the bathroom.

She had little in her stomach, so she mostly dry heaved.

Knox stayed beside her, rubbing her back.

After she flushed the toilet and stood, she rinsed her mouth. “Ack. I’m so tired of
barfing.”

He lifted her into his arms. “I’m putting you in bed.” He slipped her between the
sheets as though she were made of crystal, then covered her up. “Want some water?”

She nodded.

Knox stroked her cheek. “Be right back.”

Everything that’d been spinning around and around in her head quieted.

He returned and held the bottle of water to her lips.

She swallowed two sips and hoped it didn’t immediately come back up.

Knox crawled into bed beside her and wrapped himself around her as much as he could
without moving her. He placed a soft kiss on her temple and one hand over hers on
her belly. “Sleep. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

*   *   *

THE
room was completely dark when Shiori woke up. For a minute she was disoriented.

“Hey, how you feeling?”

“Better.” She didn’t move for several long minutes, hoping she hadn’t spoken too soon.
In the cocoon of Knox’s body, she listened to the rhythm of their breathing.

Then the feeling stirring inside her wasn’t from nausea but from desire. She loved
the tease of Knox’s breath across her skin, in her ear. The rise and fall of his chest
against her back.

She wiggled her butt, as if trying to get comfortable, and felt his cock—hard and
ready.

Until he tried to discreetly move it away.

She rocked her hips back into him again.

This time he said, “If you need more room, I can scoot over.”

Shiori rolled to face him. “I need something.” She pressed her mouth to the curve
of muscle above his nipple.

“I’ll give you whatever you need, Mistress.”

She dragged her tongue across his nipple. “I need your hands on me. Your mouth on
me. I need to feel you all over me.”

He shifted and peeled her yoga pants and her panties down her legs. He made short
work of her bra. Then his hands, his big, wonderful, callused hands were petting and
stroking and teasing. His mouth zeroed in on all her hot spots and he was relentless
in proving he knew exactly what would make her writhe and moan. He knew exactly how
to drive her crazy with desire.

But Knox never ventured beyond their parameters. He wouldn’t bury his face in her
pussy until she gave him the go-ahead.

“Knox,” she panted when she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Yes, Mistress?”

“Put your mouth between my legs and make me come.”

He threw the covers back and pushed her thighs wide apart. “I have one request.”

Shiori looked down her torso to where he’d settled between her legs. “What’s your
request?”

“Pull the skin away from your clit with your fingers using the hand that has the bracelet.”
His eyes glittered in the darkness. “I want to look up and see my claim on you as
you scream my name.”

The sexy growl sent a delicious shiver through her. She slipped her hand down the
flat—for now—plane of her stomach and hooked her first two fingers under the flesh
and exposed her clit.

“Fucking beautiful.” He blew a stream of air over the sensitive tissue, offering a
wicked grin when she jumped. “Fast or slow?”

“Fast.”

They had different definitions of fast. So by the time he’d thoroughly wound her up,
all it took were a few concentrated sucks on her clit and she unraveled. A hair-pulling,
gasping-his-name, hip-pumping orgasm that kept going with every sassy flick of his
tongue. When Knox finally relented, she melted into the mattress.

Knox kissed her abdomen, and then he placed a kiss on the bracelet on her wrist.

When her brain unscrambled, she pushed up on her elbows to see him resting on his
knees between her thighs. “Come here.”

He ran his hand up the outside of her leg. “Would it be better if you were on top?”

“No. We’ll have plenty of months where we’ll have to get creative with positions as
the baby grows. Tonight I want to look into your eyes when you’re moving inside me
and when you spill yourself into me without a condom. I want your ear close by so
I can tell you how much I love you when you’re making love to me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He levered himself over her, keeping his eyes on hers as he slowly pushed
inside. “Fuck, that feels good.”

“Very good.”

His eyes stayed intense on hers. He balanced on his arms, not putting his full weight
on her.

Each long stroke drove her up, up, up that slow rise until she reached the crest.

Knox left her dangling there. “Let me come with you.”

She pulled his mouth to hers in response, and they sailed into the abyss together.

Two weeks later . . .

KNOX
sat on his back deck, enjoying the warm evening. He really enjoyed having his warm
woman curled into him, her small body tucked against his. He ran his hand down the
side of her body, stopping to palm her ass.

Shiori sighed against his neck, and he kissed the top of her head.

After they’d left Tokyo—on Okada’s private jet, no less—they’d moved Shiori’s stuff
into his house. He’d found it funny that she’d left her clothes with Katie, since
she wouldn’t fit into them soon anyway. She hadn’t seen the humor in that until he’d
dropped to his knees and pressed his mouth against the tiny swell.

A baby. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. His mother and sisters were as
ecstatic about the pregnancy as Shiori’s mother and grandfather were. Fee, Katie,
Molly, and Amery were already planning a baby shower. Why they weren’t planning a
wedding shower stumped him, since he and Shiori were tying the knot in two weeks,
after some snafu with Shiori’s visa was settled.

Shiori nuzzled his throat. “What are you thinking about so hard?”

He placed another kiss on the top of her head. “How I can’t wait until you’re my wife,
Mistress.”

“I can’t wait for that either. Shiori Lofgren has a nice ring to it.”

“Yes, it does.” He trailed his fingers up and down her thigh. “I love you. I’m so
glad you’re here with me.”

“I love you too.” She kissed the side of his throat.

The gate hinge squeaked.

“Were you expecting someone?” Shiori asked, pushing up to a sitting position.

Knox turned his head, and a dark shape materialized into Ronin Black. Stealthy bastard.
He wouldn’t have known the man was there if not for the squeaky gate. “Hey. Pull up
a chair.”

“Thanks. Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“You’re always welcome in our home, brother,” Shiori said softly.

Our home. Damn but he loved the sound of that.

“Thanks, Shi. How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ll get sick of that question in the next six months.” She smiled. “Most days
I feel great.”

Ronin seemed at a loss as to how to respond.

Shiori set her feet on the ground and stood. “I’m hungry.”

“Want me to fix you a plate?” Knox asked.

“I can do it. I know you guys have stuff to talk about.”

“Nothing you can’t be a part of,” Ronin said. “I didn’t mean to chase you off.”

“You didn’t.”

Knox put his hand on her belly. “I’ll be in to check on you in a bit.”

“No rush.” She bent down and kissed him with enough sweet heat to make his dick stir.
Then she turned and ruffled Ronin’s hair. “If your conversation turns to fisticuffs
I’m calling Deacon, since I’m not allowed to fight or break fights up anymore.”

“Like we can’t take him,” Knox scoffed.

“I don’t know about taking him,” Ronin said. “Maddox is turning him into a fighting
machine.”

“’Bout time he got his shot.” Knox grabbed two Fat Tires, used the opener to pry off
the tops, and handed one to Ronin.

“Thanks.” Ronin took a couple of sips before he spoke. “I can’t believe you knocked
my sister up.”

“You and me both.”

“Jesus. You’re gonna be a dad.”

“I’ll be a damn good one, if that’s what you’re worried about. Just because I didn’t
grow up with one—”

“Hold on. That wasn’t what I was getting at. Not even remotely. Shiori and I essentially
grew up without a dad, too. I just had an image of you carrying a diaper bag and baby
talking.”

“Fuck you. I ain’t gonna baby talk. It’s not good for their language development.”
He’d been reading everything he could on pregnancy and childbirth. It was already
starting to drive Shiori crazy—which was half the fun.

Ronin laughed. “But there are diapers, strollers, stuffed animals in your future.”

“Yep.” Knox swigged his beer. “It’s a good thing.”

“I think so too.”

Knox smiled. “Bet Amery’s pregnant sooner rather than later.”

“I’ll admit after the shock wore off I was a little jealous.” He gave Knox a sly look.
“Ojisan offered Amery a million bucks if she got pregnant in the next few months.”

“Seriously? Dammit. I knew we should’ve waited to tell him. I could’ve had a cool
mil in the bank.” He laughed. “But we’re just so happy about this we couldn’t keep
it quiet.”

“I’d be happy if we had a kid in the next year. But Amery’s not ready.” He shrugged.
“So we’ll wait until she is.”

They sipped their beer and each got lost in their own thoughts.

After a bit, Ronin said, “That baby is one tough little thing. Surviving a car accident
and an MMA fight.”

“Strong, stubborn, and resilient. So I’m betting it’s a girl.”

Ronin laughed and clinked his bottle to Knox’s. “Amen, brother.”

Another bout of silence settled between them. A soft breeze stirred the leaves and
carried the scent of freshly mown grass.

“Knox, I gotta ask.”

“About my resignation as dojo GM?”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes. It wasn’t an easy decision to make. But you had to make some hard choices too.”
After the Shihan issue—misunderstanding, drama, whatever it was—Ronin opted to bring
Beck Leeds back to Black Arts from House of Kenji. So Beck would become Shihan. Again.
Knox had always liked the guy, and he’d be a great fit for Sensei Black and the dojo.

“How much will you be working for GSC Security?”

Knox had followed through and called the security company after returning from Tokyo.
He’d passed both interviews. “Two to three days a week for a couple of hours, teaching
hand-to-hand defensive tactics.” He took another drink of beer. “Look, I hope you
understand that I needed to do something for myself outside the dojo. After I quit
wallowing, I realized I’d gotten complacent.”

Ronin looked at him. “I never saw that in you. Just the opposite, in fact.”

“It was a wake-up call when I realized I didn’t have anything to offer the MMA program,
but that didn’t mean I didn’t have skills others would find useful. I’ll still be
teaching at Black Arts, so it isn’t like you’re getting rid of me. Especially since
we’ll officially be family.”

“That’s fucking weird to think about.”

“No doubt. Did you hire a replacement for Shiori?” Knox had nixed her teaching during
her pregnancy, and she hadn’t given him any grief about it. She had nagged her brother
to hire a woman with at least a third-degree black belt to replace her.

Ronin sighed. “No. A few have expressed interest. I imagine now that Black Arts is
paying an above-average salary for all instructors, we’ll have more applicants for
all the openings. I’m just damn glad it’s summer and all these changes haven’t affected
the students.”

“You still feeling guilty about using your inheritance to fund dojo expansion?”

“Honestly? Not as much as I thought I would. The money is just sitting there. Seems
a waste not to use it.” Ronin shot Knox a sly smile. “Does it bother you to be my
sister’s kept man?”

He laughed. Oh, if Ronin only knew how true that statement really was. In addition
to meeting her scary-ass grandfather in Tokyo, he had gone with Shiori to her club
where she’d become Mistress B. Afterward they’d decided they were done with any club
scenes since they’d found what they’d been looking for in each other. “Not at all.
It’s not like I’m
not
working. Being part-time at GSC, teaching at Black Arts, and comanaging Black and
Blue Promotions with Katie—all adds up to full-time work. After the baby is born and
Shiori decides how invested she wants to be in a career at Okada, I’ll need a job
with fluidity that’ll allow us to travel with her. I know my Mistress won’t want to
be away from me or baby Shox any longer than one night. Her inheritance allows us
the luxury of focusing on our family so we both can be hands-on parents.”

Ronin looked at him oddly.

Shit. He’d screwed up and called Shiori
Mistress
. “What?”

“Baby Shox?”

Whew. Lucky, Ronin had zeroed in on that. “We don’t like calling the baby ‘it’ so
she combined our first names; hence baby Shox.”

“Jesus.”

“That name is taken.”

Ronin laughed. “Did you ever think a year ago our lives would be like this? Me married,
you about to tie the knot and having a baby and the dojo not the most important thing
in our lives?”

“Nope. But I’d always hoped for this.”

“Me too.”

Knox tapped his beer bottle against Ronin’s bottle. “Change is good, brother.”

“Change is very good.”