Page 46 of Her Fearless Ronin

“Clearly,” I muttered in response, unable to keep thebitterness out of my tone. I was pretty sure she would not have come if she’d known.

She took a seat across from me, and the atmosphere seemed to thicken with tension. “Is everything alright?” Her question was laced with genuine concern, but it grated on my nerves.

“Is everything alright?” I repeated, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Well, I must say, Hope, I’ve had better days.”

I watched her squirm in her seat, her discomfort evident. She seemed to struggle with her words as if grappling with something she wanted to say but couldn’t quite articulate.

I leaned in slightly, my gaze locked onto hers, daring her to speak her mind.

“Look, I… I know you’re upset about what I said on the phone,” she finally started, her words tentative.

“Upset? Is that what you think I am? Upset?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, the frustration within me boiling over. It wasn’t just about her words on the phone. It was about everything—the tangled mess we had become, the conflicting emotions that seemed to constantly swirl between us.

She looked down, swallowing visibly. Her next words were so soft that I almost missed them. “I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful.”

“Do you think that’s what I’m upset about?” I shot back, my tone laced with exasperation. Her words were missing the mark, like trying to mend a deep wound with a Band-Aid.

“So you are upset!”

Her response sounded like an accusation. The tension in the air wasalmost tangible, crackling between us like a live wire. I had half a mind to grab her face and kiss her until she couldn’t remember her name.

I threw her a narrowed gaze. “Be ungrateful as much as you like. Be a little diva princess. Hell! You deserve to be! What bothered me is the low opinion you have of me.”

Her eyes widened in shock, and I knew I had struck a nerve.

“Jiro, no. You—” She shook her head, her voice wavering with emotion. “I could never think badly of you! You’re—have you seen to what length you went to help me?”

A bitter laugh escaped me before I could stop it. She didn’t know I was the opposite of the knight in shining armor, and I wasn’t even referring to my past as an executioner or my grim connection to her sister’s death. No, it was the fact that I wanted her for myself, to relish her presence, her touch, and to desperately make her fall for me like I was falling for her, even when I had no right to claim her.

I was not a knight. I was a selfish bastard.

I leaned in, my gaze unwavering as it traced the contours of her face, resting momentarily on her inviting lips. “Tell me,koibito, do you believe, for even a moment, it was pity that drove me so deep into you that I could barely tell where you ended and where I began?”

Her face flushed, and an unexpected gasp escaped her as she noticed the waitress approaching to take her order. I leaned back in my seat, a smirk playing on my lips.

Hope glared at me, her lips pressed into a thin line.

She quickly gave her order to the blushing waitress,who obviously heard everything I had said and turned toward me.

“Was all of this truly necessary?” Her tone was reprimanding, reminiscent of a strict teacher scolding a wayward student.

“I believe it was,” I replied, my voice low, my dick twitching at her tone.

Hmmm, maybe that would be a game she and I could play one day… I shook my head. There could not be another time.

“Jiro, I—” Her words faltered, and I caught the shift in her gaze, her eyes moving past me toward the door. I frowned, curiosity getting the better of me. Her reaction changed to one of surprise, her eyes widening. My chest tightened at the sight, a sudden surge of jealousy rising within me.

I swiveled in my chair, almost unable to stop myself from reacting to whatever—or whoever—had caught her attention. My jaw clenched as my eyes landed on the newcomer, and the jealousy within me flared even hotter.

Fuck my life.

It was Hoka, dressed impeccably in a designer suit, his infant son strapped to his chest in a display of unmatched fatherly cool. But what set me off was the way Hope was looking at him—with a certain appreciation that I couldn’t quite stomach.

The collective admiration of every woman in the café was practically palpable.

Hoka removed his aviator sunglasses, his gaze locking onto mine with a knowing glint in his eyes and a damnsmirk playing on his lips. That smug bastard was definitely enjoying this situation.

“Do you know him?” Hope’s voice was a soft whisper, carrying both curiosity and something else that grated on my nerves.

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