Wouldn’t be long before that happened. He’d better get the guy here to set up the winterization kit next week.
That decided, he performed water therapy exercises on his knee. Something in the movement caused the pain in his shoulder to flare. He did push-ups against the side. One arm, then both arms. Then he raised his arm over his head like he was swinging a hammer.
“Are you supposed to be doing that?”
Ronin jumped. Then he spun around. “Were you trying to sneak up on me?”
The smile on her face said everything. “What goes around, comes around, ninja.”
“I deserve that.”
Amery shoved her hands in her pockets. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Why?”
“I don’t know. I thought you were mad at me or something.”
“What gave you that idea?”
“You hardly said anything to me when you came up from the dojo.”
He slowly moved his arm across the front of his body, then pulled on his wrist with his other hand. A loud popping sound echoed.
Her eyes widened. “Was that a body part?”
“Yeah. But it feels remarkably better now.”
“Oh. Well. Good.”
“I’d invite you to join me, but I know you’ll decline. I’ll probably stay in another half hour.”
“Why don’t you think I’ll join you?”
“Because I’d demand you strip to skin. And if you decided to thwart me and jump in in your swimsuit, I’d take great pleasure in tearing it off you.” He let his wicked intent show in his eyes. “With my teeth. Then I’d probably tie you up with your bikini strings.”
Clearly torn between defiance and desire, Amery blinked at him.
“So, baby, what’s it going to be?”
“Ronin—”
“That’s what I thought.” Ronin turned his back on her and resumed his exercises.
It took twelve reps of lunges before she stomped into view. Her pink-tipped toes twitched with anger.
“Do you know how much I hate that dismissive tone of yours? You assume a lot sometimes, Master Black.”
“Arguing with me about why you won’t get in the pool isn’t getting you into the pool, so why do it?”
“Infuriating man.”
Ronin swam to the opposite side.
“So you invite me into the pool and now you’re getting out?”
“No. I’m just grabbing my beer.” He drained it. “And I didn’t invite you, remember?”
“Rude, infuriating man.”
And it was about to get a whole lot worse. He waggled the empty bottle at her. “Babe, since you’re probably stomping off anyway, would you mind throwing this away on your way back downstairs?”
If that wouldn’t get her in the pool, anxious to dunk his ass, nothing would.
“Babe?” Off went her jeans as she spoke. “Babe?” Then her panties. “Babe?” Her T-shirt was next. Hey, wait a second; that was his T-shirt.
Her escalating use of the word babe culminated in an angry jump into the pool. Amery splashed him while flinging phrases like sexist pig and bossy bastard at him.
Eyes flashing, her tits bouncing, her ni**les rigid points . . . goddamn, the woman was a f**king goddess.
“Ronin! Are you even listening to me?”
“No.” He caught her wrist before she splashed him again. “Nothing registered after you started coming toward me, those perfect perky tits leading the way.”
“Omigod, you are such an ass.”
Ronin hauled her against his body. “Thanks for joining me in the pool.” His lips started at the spot below her ear and moved across that stubborn jawline, tasting her skin beneath the chlorine. “I miss that breathy sigh you make when I kiss you right here.” He zeroed in on the spot two inches below her ear.
She made the sound.
“I could spend the next hour telling you everything I missed in the past seven weeks, but I’d rather show you.” Holding her head in place, he kissed her with all the need he felt for her, with fire, with impatience.
Amery kissed him back, but her hands were wrapped around his forearms, holding him back.
Like. Hell.
“Need my mouth on you,” he growled against her throat.
“Ronin—”
“Now. Tell me you don’t want my mouth between your thighs.” He sucked on the spot below her ear that made her moan.
“I can’t think when you do that.”
“So stop thinking and give me what I want.” He pushed her backward until they reached the folded pool cover. “Lie back.”
“Won’t I sink?”
“Not if you hold still.”
“But I can’t hold still when you . . .”
“That’s never a bad thing. Arms above your head like you’re floating. That’s it. Beautiful.”
Ronin lowered himself into the water and raised her pu**y to the level of his mouth. He licked her slowly, searching every soft fold for the sweet taste of her.
There it was. Goddamn. There it was. He greedily buried his tongue inside her.
“Oh, god.”
He pulled back and rubbed his lips over the inner swell of her mound. “Tell me you missed this.”
She moaned.
“Tell. Me.”
“I missed you.”
You. Not this.
“I missed you too, baby. I . . .” Ronin’s attempts to tell her that he loved her were met with resistance, so here was his chance to show her.