Lorelei James: Unwound

“Why are you trying to shut me out?”

Ronin turned his face to the wall.

“Hey.” She pinched his chin and slowly turned his head back toward her. “Last chance. Ask me.”

“Fine. Please stay with me. I need you so goddamn much it scares the shit out of me, okay?” Ronin locked his gaze to hers, trying to retain some control in this situation. “But if you agree, you’ll be in my home and in my bed for as long as my recovery takes.”

“That’s not—”

“Negotiable, Amery. Period.”

She smiled. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Jesus. He’d fallen right into that.

“I’m practicing my bedside manner and telling you to get back in bed and rest.”

Like hell. He’d let her take care of him at his place, but he was getting out of here today as soon as possible—even if he had to fucking crawl.

After he’d situated himself in bed, he said, “You don’t have to hover.”

Amery looked torn. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” He touched her cheek. “Thank you for seeing past my bullshit and sticking around today.”

“You’re welcome. But as soon as you’re out of here, we’re having a talk about all the bullshit I can’t see past, the things you kept from me that forced me to walk away from you in the first place.” Amery kissed his wrist. “I’ll see you later.”

After she left, he picked up the phone.

DURING their conversation in the hospital, Amery had felt like the lines of communication had been reopened and Ronin wanted to establish trust and honesty between them.

But apparently that honesty didn’t include sharing his plan to escape from the damn hospital.

The stupid, stubborn man needed to be hog-tied to his goddamn bed—and not for sexy fun and games. Imagining him in a straitjacket, his ankles bound to the bedposts and a gag in his mouth, didn’t cool Amery’s fury even a little bit.

As soon as the elevator doors opened to the penthouse, she barreled down the hallway. “Ronin Black, you lying asshole. Get your butt out here right now before I come in there and kick it!”

“No need to shout.”

She whirled around and saw him reclined in the far corner of the dark living room. “What is wrong with you? Why did you sneak out of the hospital?”

“I left because I wasn’t getting any rest anyway. I need the solitude of my own surroundings to help me heal.”

“And a phone call informing me of that was too much to ask?”

“I wasn’t thinking straight.” He sighed. “The food sucked. I felt like I was suffocating.”

Amery studied his face, seeing the lie in it. “Then maybe you should’ve heeded your doctor’s advice after your freakin’ head injury and stayed put for another day.” She balled her hands into fists.Had anything changed with him? Or would he continue to feed her half-truths because she’d always swallowed them without question?

Fuck. That. “Who drove the getaway car? Not Knox, because he was with Shiori at the hospital. He was just as spitting mad as your sister.”

“Did you go to the hospital?”

“Not after I got the angry phone call from her accusing me of aiding in your escape. I came straight here. Who helped you?”

“Zach. For the record, he wasn’t happy either.”

“Let me guess. You pulled that I’m your sensei bullshit.”

“Pretty much.”

“So why didn’t he stick around?”

“Because I made him drop me off in the alley.”

“Unfuckingbelievable. Why aren’t you in bed?”

Ronin dropped his head into his hands. “Because my bedroom was too goddamn far away. Head injury, dislocated kneecap, sore ribs. Who knew walking that extra five hundred feet would be so difficult?”

She forced herself to quell her anger and reminded herself she was here to take care of him. “You’re lucky I hadn’t shredded the keycard you gave me.”

“I didn’t change the codes because I was holding out hope that you’d show up and ream me for being an ass—kind of like you’re doing right now.”

“I haven’t even started to ream you.”

“It’ll have to wait. I need you to do something for me.”

“What?”

“Inside the coat closet, on a hook above the light switch¸ is a key ring. Can you grab it?”

“Where’s the coat closet?”

“End of the hall past the elevator.”

In all the times Amery had been in Ronin’s place, she’d never noticed the pastoral mural on the wall wasn’t just a framed picture but a sliding door. She found the keys and brought them to him.

He selected a key with a circular end. “Below the call button on the elevator panel is a small open circle. This key fits it. Turn it until the word lock appears in red letters on the panel.”

“And I’m doing this . . . why?”

“I’m locking the elevator car up here so no one else can get in.”

“Good thing I planned to stay over.” After locking them in, she returned to the living room to see Ronin hunched over, his head in his hands again. She crouched next to him. Even lying strapped on the gurney in the hospital, Ronin hadn’t seemed this helpless. “Tell me the truth about how you feel or I swear I’m calling an ambulance.”

When he whispered, “I’m in agony,” she briefly closed her eyes, knowing that admission probably hurt him as much as the actual head injury.

She ran her fingers through his hair and he winced at the contact. “Where are your painkillers?”

“On the kitchen counter.”

“I’ll get them.” After he downed the pills, she said, “Stretch out. I’ll get a pillow and a blanket.”

Ronin raised his head, and she saw it pained him. “There’s not enough room for both of us on this couch.”

“But I thought—”

“You said you’d be in my bed. I’m holding you to that.”

“You are so stubborn. What if I roll over in the middle of the night and somehow hurt you?”

“It’ll hurt me much worse if you’re not right there beside me.”

God. The man was relentless. “Stand up. I’ll help you to your room.”

Ronin was shaky and sweating by the time he rested against the platform bed. She eyed his clothes. Baggy athletic shorts and a baggier Denver Broncos jersey. “Where’d you get the clothes?”

“Zach brought them. Easy to get on.”

“Let’s hope they’re easy to get off.” She pulled the jersey, trying to free his arms.

Ronin murmured, “I love to get you off.”

“Please focus.”

“I am. Where I should be. Entirely on you.”

She looked at him. Her stomach cartwheeled at the determination in his dark eyes.

“You’re beautiful, inside and out. I’ve never had anyone in my life like you. I’d say I didn’t realize that until it was too late and you walked out, but I knew it from the moment I met you.”

Ronin Black saying that mushy stuff meant the pain pill had kicked in. “Hang on.”

“That wasn’t a lie when I told you the scar on your arm is the Japanese symbol for my name.”

“I know. I only said that to hurt you.”

“It worked.” He briefly closed his eyes and shuddered. “I’ve been in fucking misery since you left.”

“Hold still while I pull this over your head.” Amery froze once she’d removed his shirt. Her first glimpse of the mass of bruises on his torso made her gut clench. “Oh, sweetheart. Look at you. Why did you do this to yourself?”

“Pain made me forget.”

Just for a moment, she rested her cheek above his heart. “Crawl in before the pain meds knock you out.”

He gritted his teeth and pulled himself onto the bed.

Amery curled up beside him, watching him closely until he’d fallen asleep.