Dirty, Dirty Liars [Mature]

[26] 二十六

A tickle on my nose brought me out of my sleep. Susu's squeak in my ear made me flinch.

Her green eyes stared at me from an inch in front of my face while she complained about something. I stroked my hand over her velvety soft head. "What are you doing in here, bestie?" I asked, as if she could answer.

As I became more coherent, I found the door open. Ryuzo wasn't in bed next to me. After throwing on clothes and tying up my hair, I went downstairs.

I saw him through the archway of his extra room. He sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, his breaths slow and even. I gave myself a moment to take him in — the sunlight falling over his face, adding a golden glow to his dark hair, tattooed skin, and lashes — then turned to leave him alone.

"Come in, Mina-chan."

I turned back around. "I thought I was being quiet."

He opened one eye and smirked. "You are never quiet."

"Ha, ha," I acknowledged his joke, walking over to him.

I lowered myself onto the floor in front of him, placing my hands on his knees to lean in for a kiss. He hummed when my lips were against his.

I leaned away, gauging his mood. "You seem stressed."

"Are you not?"

"Not after last night. You worked out my kinks." A low chuckle showed his understanding of my double entendre. His next kiss lingered against my lips. "I'll leave you to it. Didn't mean to interrupt."

He stopped me with a hand on my waist. "Why leave?"

With a grin, I climbed into his lap, draping my arms around his neck. "Meditation isn't my preferred way to work out stress."

"It is not mine either."

Even in the middle of a mess, he never failed to bring a smile to my face. I looked around the room. The pristine tatami floors, the displays of practice swords, black kendo uniform and mask. He rarely came in here and had never let me see him practice. It was another part of his life he pushed into the dark, only letting it come out when absolutely necessary.

"Are you really as good as you say you are?" I asked.

"At what?"

"Martial arts or whatever. Fighting."

He looked down at my hips, hiding his pride. "I am."

"Teach me something."

His hands cupping my ass showed his focus was not on my words. "Teach you what?"

"Show me how to kick your ass," I said. A laugh burst from him. "Oh, you think I can't? Try me."

"So bold," he commented, then lifted me to my feet. Standing in front of me, he looked down at me with a titillating glower. "Fighting is not always about power or aggression," he said. "True mastery is restraint. Knowing when to fight is just as important as knowing how."

His quiet confidence was delicious. "Well, I want to fight you now, so . . . Bring it." I gave his chest a shove.

Before I knew what was happening, I was turned around with my back against his chest and my arm wrapped over my neck beneath his. "Do you see?" he whispered in my ear. "Your desire to show strength can be your greatest weakness." He let me go.

I turned back around to face him and rolled my eyes. "I'm supposed to beat you by doing nothing? That doesn't even make sense."

He laughed. "Restraint, Mina-chan. Try again."