Ricco tested the water, making certain it wasn't going to be too hot, but he needed it hot enough to soothe her body. When he returned to the room, she was sound asleep, curled up on her side by the edge of the bed. His rings were on the nightstand, still in the jewelry box. He took the engagement ring out and slipped it on her finger.
She stirred, her lashes fluttering, and then she was looking at him. As it always did when their eyes met, his stomach performed a strange flip. She was magic. He knew he was the only one responsible for his happiness, but finding Mariko certainly went a long way toward helping.
"Come on, cara, bath time."
"You take a bath," she murmured sleepily. "I'm going to sleep."
She looked sexy lying on the silk sheets, her hair spilling everywhere, her naked body curled up like a sleepy kitten. He reached down and picked her up easily, cradling her against his chest. Had she been more awake he would have slung her over his shoulder and carried her off like a pirate hoisting treasure just to hear her laugh again. He loved the sound of her laughter.
"Bath, then sleep," he said decisively.
"Oh no." She gripped his shoulder looking alarmed. "I'm full of you. Of us. And it's leaking everywhere."
"I like you full of me and us." He stepped into the bath and lowered his body until he was sitting, legs stretched out, Mariko on his lap.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and turned her face into his shoulder. "This is nice. I don't mind this at all. But I'm going to sleep."
"Are we good, Mariko? Is my past going to haunt us?" He knew uncertainty was in his voice. He certainly needed her far more than the other way around, which put him at a disadvantage. He didn't care if she knew. He wanted her to be happy. "Is there anything else we need to put to rest?"
She tipped her head back to meet his gaze. "I choose to believe you, Ricco. That you love me and that you're certain I am the one for you. I choose to believe you will always feel that way. Love doesn't seem to work out for so many people, and I'm scared. I'm not going to pretend I'm not, but I don't know what's good or bad in a relationship. I'm going on faith and you're the person I choose to have faith in."
Her sincerity humbled him. Every moment in her company only made him love her more. "I can only promise you that I'll try every single day to be a man you can be proud of."
She reached up and traced his lips with her fingertip. "I love being with you, Ricco."
"Why?" He couldn't imagine why a woman like Mariko would choose him, with his past and his failures.
"Aside from the fact that you're very, very good at what you do"--she swept her hand down to encompass her body--"you're the best man I know."
"You can't have known very many," he protested.
"Not in the biblical sense," she agreed, teasing him. "But I'm a rider. I've seen things."
He liked the teasing note in her voice. "What countries did you travel to when you were training?" He'd been curious about that from the beginning, as had Stefano. The investigators found few riders able to give any information on Mariko outside of Japan, which was unusual.
"I wasn't allowed to travel to other countries. The council followed Osamu's advice. She believed I'd dishonor the riders of our country and they took her word that I was . . . difficult."
"Difficult?" he prompted, trying to hold at bay the building rage on her behalf.
She squirmed. "I don't like talking about Osamu's opinion of me."
"It is only her opinion," he pointed out. "The council should have done an investigation if they were worried. That's their responsibility." Every muscle in his body wanted to tighten up, but he forced himself to stay relaxed.
"Dai was the adviser, along with Isamu. Isamu is Osamu's brother. They both backed up her opinion and the council dropped it. They refused to send me for training outside the country due to the fact that I might bring disgrace and dishonor down on our riders."
There was no bitterness in her voice, but he could taste it in his own mouth. "I should have followed up, Mariko. I believed them when they told me a family had taken the two of you in because, of course, there was truth in their voices. Still, I should have asked who the family was and insisted on seeing you."
She shook her head, the silky strands of her hair tickling his skin and sending shock waves through him. He'd always had a strong sex drive, but now it seemed doubly so. More, he was utterly aware of her at all times. The way the water lapped at her breasts. How they floated, the pink areolas framing her nipples, drawing his attention. The thatch of curls at the apex of her legs, the curve of her body, so feminine. All of her. Every inch of her.
"How silly, Ricco. You always try to take on too much. What fourteen-year-old boy would ask beyond if we were safe? Especially when he was being threatened. You saved us. What happened after that is not on you. It wasn't all bad. I had a roof over my head and food to eat. I was allowed to train as a rider and I excelled at it--enough that Osamu couldn't stop me or interfere. I had a space that was mine and I could read of faraway places. And I had Ryuu."
Her brother. He kept his worries to himself. "Kiss me."
Her head came up. "What?"
"Kiss me. I need you to kiss me." He ached for her taste.
"If I kiss you, that might lead to other things, and I'm so tired I'd fall asleep and miss it all," she teased.
His eyebrow shot up. "Fall asleep? When I'm making love to you?"
"It could happen."
"It could never happen." He growled and bit her neck.
Laughing, she caught his head between her hands and brought it up. Leaning into him, she brushed kisses over his eyes. "I haven't told you yet . . ." She kissed his nose and along his rough jaw. "Thank you for my beautiful ring." She kissed the corners of his mouth and then brushed her lips back and forth over his.
It was tantalizing. Sexy. His overactive cock stirred to life. Just at her touch. Her teeth nipped at his lower lips and she shifted position, still in his arms, straddling him, pressing her breasts against his chest as her teeth bit down and drew his lip out and then let go so she could use her tongue over the small sting.
Groaning, he reached between them to grasp his cock in his fist, right at the base, with one hand. With the other, he guided her hips so that he could lodge the broad head in her. With both hands, he gripped her hips and pushed her down while he surged up. There it was . . . home. He drove through those tight muscles, slick with the two of them, hot as hell, an inferno he welcomed, more, he needed.
Once she was fully seated on him, her sheath pulsing around him, so tight he could count her heartbeats through his shaft, he bunched her hair in his fist and pulled her head back. "You're teasing me."
"I am," she admitted.
He took her mouth. Hard. Dominant. Sweeping her into another level of his world. Sex could be many things and he wanted to show them all to her. Tender, wild, rough, it didn't matter, not as long as she trusted him and she tasted love on his tongue and felt it in everything his body did to hers.
He shouldn't have been surprised when his woman matched him, fire for fire. There was no holding back from her; she kissed him, using her tongue, following his lead, sending flames flickering down his spine and heat rushing through his veins. Of her own accord, without his urging, she began to move, riding him as if she'd been doing it for a hundred years. She was grace and fluidity, undulating her body so that he could feel every ripple, every vibration.
She reached behind her and planted both hands on his thighs so her breasts jutted temptingly, giving him a show as she rode him. Slow at first, and then when he thought he might have to take over, she picked up the pace. Water lapped at his skin, giving him the sensation of tongues on him. He cupped the soft weight of her breasts in his palms, thumbs brushing, watching her skin flush. He tugged at her nipples, gently, watching her reaction.
Those tight inner muscles squeezed him like a vise as scorching heat saturated him. He tugged again, this time harder, a little rough. Her body clamped down on
him and she moved faster, obviously close.
She threw back her head. "Again," she demanded.
He did as she requested, tugging and rolling, alternating gentle and rough.
She rode him hard, her body so tight around his cock, the friction was nearly unbearable. Watching her get herself off on him was one of the sexiest things he'd ever seen.
She moaned, her breath hitching then coming in ragged pants. "More. Harder."
"Use your hand at your clit," he instructed and waited to oblige her until she had obliged him.
He watched her hand slide between her legs, felt her fingers seeking her target and then heard her breath hiss as she stroked and pulled. He tugged and rolled her nipples and then began to match her rhythm, surging into her as she came down over him. The beauty of her stretched out on a rack of pleasure, desperate for release, would be forever branded in his memory.
Her mouth opened. Her eyes went hazy. Her skin was flushed. Her sheath clamped down on his in a vicious grip, forcing his cock to swell. Dio. He clenched his teeth. His breath rushed out of his lungs in a long symphony of guttural sound.
His warrior woman was utterly abandoned, grinding down, taking him with her, forcing his cock to give her what she wanted--wringing every drop of his seed. Hot and vicious, it rocketed out of him in strong spurts as if she milked him ruthlessly. She cried out his name as she came, half sobbing, half shocked moans.
Mariko collapsed against him, her arms around his neck, her head on his shoulder, breasts pressed into his chest. He held her to him, so overwhelmed with love for her that he couldn't speak. He had it all in her. A partner. A woman willing to be his friend and have his back, as she had when he'd been injured in the streets of Ferraro territory. A rider to help defend the helpless. An extraordinary lover, one willing to match his passion and his adventurous ideas outside the norm of sexual boundaries. As ferocious as she was, she was still willing to accommodate him and even enjoy the sessions in his studio when he needed to practice Shibari to ground him. She was willing to take that further and incorporate it into their lovemaking.
"I love you, Mariko Majo Tanaka."
"Love you, too." She sounded very sleepy, already drifting.
He nuzzled the top of her head, liking the way the dark bristle on his jaw tangled with the blond silk of her hair.
"Marry me soon."
"Hmm?"
His hand slid down her back, following her spine to the curve above her buttocks. He stroked caresses there and felt her relax more. "Marry me soon."
"Okay." Her lips brushed his collarbone.
Just that small, intimate gesture shocked him. He was sated for the time being. Still deep inside her, still sharing her skin. Connected to another human being as he'd never been--not just physically but emotionally.
"Give me your word of honor."
Her lips curved. He felt her smile imprinted in his skin. He loved that. Wanted more.
"You don't want much, do you?"
The drowsy note in her voice sent heat shimmering like sheet lightning through his veins. He was done. She'd taken everything he had--for the moment--and yet he was still thinking about sex. That made him smile. He leaned his head against the back of the tub and closed his eyes.
"Promise me, farfallina mia." He murmured it softly, tightening his hold on her.
"Yes."
It was so soft that he almost didn't hear. "When I say."
He felt her laughter like a melody of soft notes against his skin. The rain poured on the roof, ran down the windows. Steam rose around them, enclosing them. Enfolding them. He waited. She wasn't quite asleep, but she gave him most things he wanted. He really wanted her promise. Mariko wouldn't break her word to him, and he had a bad feeling that things might not go well with her brother.
The feeling had been growing for some time. He knew Stefano had that same gut intuition he had. He didn't want to chance losing her, not if things went horribly wrong. Too much time had gone by and Ryuu had been gone far too long for the outcome to be very good.
"You always want your way."
He loved that voice, drowsy, sexy, drifting in a sex-induced exhaustion.
"I do." He reached down to release the plug and let out the water. As much as he didn't want to move, the water was growing cold, and he needed sleep, too.
"Okay."
"Say you promise." He stood, using the strength in his legs to stand them both up. Reluctantly, he had to allow his body to slip out of hers. "Grip the edge of the tub for me. It won't take a minute and I'll get you in bed."
She didn't protest or even open her eyes. She leaned over and grabbed the edge of the bathtub. Very gently he washed her, enjoying the task of taking care of her, grateful that she allowed it, extremely grateful that she wasn't shy with him. He wrapped a towel around her and carried her to the bed, drying her off quickly before putting her in the middle of the sheets again.
"Mariko. Don't go to sleep without promising me."
"You're a badger. You're badgering."
She turned on her side, curling her body, looking delicious. He knew he would always look forward to the times they went to bed. He hoped he'd never fall asleep first, just so he could have these moments when she was drifting off, goofy as hell, adorable and all his.
He laughed softly. "I can keep it up for hours. Better to give in now."
"Fine."
He knew she deliberately used that word because she lifted her head and gave him a quelling look. Laughing, he slid into bed, curled his body around hers and drew up the sheet. "I'll take that 'fine' as your promise, amore." He wrapped his arm around her, cupping one breast in his palm. "Go to sleep. We're getting on a plane in a few hours."
She pushed back into him, her only answer, and then she was perfectly relaxed, already asleep.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Mariko stood in the doorway of the amazing jet they'd used to travel to her country. The aircraft was more of a luxury hotel than a plane, complete with bedrooms. She'd spent more time awake than asleep, but she didn't regret one moment of her time with Ricco. He was a demanding lover--but then, so was she.
The lights of the city lit up the sky in every color of the rainbow. She loved everything about Tokyo at night. When she was a teenager, so upset with Osamu's treatment, or hurt that Ryuu had said something mean to her to get into Osamu's good graces, she'd ridden shadows all over the city. Sneaking out had been easy enough. Sneaking back to bed when Osamu was waiting for her hadn't been.
"You don't have to go with us," Ricco said, coming to stand behind her. His hand went to the nape of her neck. One finger slid over her skin in that caress she knew so well. The one that always seemed to give her confidence.
"I do." She glanced back at him over her shoulder and met his dark gaze. She wanted him to know she had to face Osamu--to see for herself once and for all. She'd be able to read Osamu even if the woman was adept at lying.
He didn't argue with her. He didn't want her to go. He'd made that clear enough. She knew he wanted to protect her from whatever they might find, and she loved him even more for that. Sometimes she didn't know how to take his protective streak, but she was always grateful for it.
She leaned back against him to show she understood it was difficult for him to have her go with them to confront Osamu Saito. The woman had been so harsh with her and yet she was the only mother Mariko had ever known. If Osamu was behind Ryuu's kidnapping, Mariko honestly didn't know what she would do.
"Let's get it done then. We have to be in and out of here fast," Stefano decreed. "You follow our lead, Mariko, and if things go to hell, hit the first shadow and ride it back to the plane."
She nodded because she knew the Ferraro brothers now. How stubborn they were. They'd stand there until hell froze over before they moved if she didn't agree to Stefano's orders. There wouldn't be an argument. They didn't argue. In any case, although she had complete confidence in herself and her abilities as a rider, she knew this would be an emotional jou
rney and it was going to take its toll on her.
She looked down at the ring on her finger. It wasn't just any ring. It was a rider's ring--specially crafted by the famous Ferraro jeweler in New York. She touched the band, rubbed at it, feeling the solid presence surrounding her finger the way Ricco's ropes surrounded her, the way his arms did.
The ring was a part of her and it would break down just as she did in the shadow tubes. She could carry it with her everywhere she went, which meant having Ricco with her. His strength. His power. His belief in her.
Stefano reached out and clapped Franco Mancini, another cousin and the Ferraro pilot, on the shoulder. "We'll be back in a couple of hours. If not, you know what to do."
Franco didn't smile, and Mariko could see, despite his expressionless mask, that he was worried. She wanted to reassure them that Osamu would be gracious to them. It was only to Mariko--and sometimes Ryuu--that she showed her mean streak. Franco's gaze shifted, just for a moment, to her and then moved away, out toward the large asphalted area where he had taxied the plane, brought it in nose first, and parked. Was he worried about her? She glanced at Ricco's face again.
"I'm going to be fine," she assured him, although she was really reassuring all of them. She'd gone from just having Ryuu--and that was often part-time--to having what seemed an enormous family. Siblings and cousins treated her as if she were already a part of them.
"I wish you'd stay with Franco here where I know you're safe," Ricco said. "I've got a bad feeling, il mio amore." He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. "I wouldn't make it very long without you. I'd much rather know you're safe than take chances."
"Seriously, Osamu is no threat to us. Her husband was a rider. As far as I know, she stopped riding shadows when she had children, but she always respects a rider."
"Except for you," Franco murmured.
Stefano's head jerked up. "Osamu was trained in riding shadows?"
Mariko frowned and nodded. "She told me once that she was. She was upset because I'd beat everyone's times in the trials. We had to go from one end of Tokyo to the other. There were checkpoints to ensure we didn't cheat, as if any shadow rider would. She detested that I was given any recognition and she told me she could have easily beat my times when she was training."