Page 65 of Her Fearless Ronin

It was strange, but the way he said my name as a prayer allowedme to know everything I had been too scared to hope for. Jiro Saito loved me, too.

My fingers brushed against his warm cheek, the sheer intensity of my emotions causing them to tremble. The joy bubbling up inside me was so overwhelming that, for a moment, I feared this might all be a dream.

“Is it really you?” I whispered, my voice choked with emotion.

He turned his face, pressing a gentle kiss to the center of my palm. “Yes,” he murmured, his voice thick with regret. “I’m so sorry I kept you waiting.”

Tears welled up, blurring my vision as I gazed into his eyes. “Waiting for what?”

He took a deep breath, his eyes reflecting a depth of emotion that words could hardly capture. “For me to understand what my heart recognized long ago.”

“And what is that?”

He gave me a half smile, keeping me tightly in his arms. “I’m a man of action, Hope Myers. I don’t want to tell you. I want to show you.”

I leaned back in his embrace, now intrigued, and despite the joyful look on his face, I didn’t miss the apprehension radiating from him.

“Okay…” I trailed off. “You know there are security cameras here, so if what you want toshowme is your peen, there’s a high probability you’ll end up on a certain website.”

He chuckled, the sound deep and rich. “The viewer would probably say, ‘Lucky girl.’”

I laughed, the sound bubbling up from deep within. I really felt like a lucky girl when I was in his arms. “They’dbe right.”

He pulled me close again, his eyes serious. “When is your shift finishing?”

I glanced at the clock, momentarily disoriented by the whirlwind of emotions. “In an hour. Max is taking over for the evening.”

A slow, promising smile spread across Jiro’s face. “Wait for me out front.” He leaned down, capturing my lips in a brief but electrifying kiss that left me breathless. “I missed you,koibito.”

“I missed you, my warrior.”

The final hour of my shift at the emporium felt like the longest of my life. Every glance at the clock and every chime of the doorbell heightened my anticipation. Jiro was back. And not just back in town, but back forme. Even though he hadn’t uttered those three words, his every action, every stolen glance, screamed of unspoken confessions. He loved me. I could feel it.

I tried to distract myself by rearranging some items, but my thoughts kept drifting back to him.

As soon as Max walked in, I almost skipped to the back room, quickly grabbing my bag. Taking a deep breath to calm my racing heart, I stepped outside. There he was, leaning against a sleek car, looking every bit the dashing figure I’d dreamed of during our time apart. The moment our eyes met, the world seemed to blur out, leaving just the two of us.

He pushed off the car, closing the distance between us, and without a word, he pulled me into his embrace, his lips meeting mine in a soft, lingering kiss that spoke of longing and reunion.

Breaking away, he opened the car door for me, and soon we were driving through winding roads, getting out of the city. He gripped my hand, interlacing our fingers and resting our intertwined hands on my lap.

Before I knew it, we pulled up to a picturesque house with a white picket fence. The distant sound of waves crashing against the shore added to the dreamlike atmosphere.

Jiro quickly came around, opening my door and extending his hand. As I took it, the warmth of his grip enveloped me, grounding me in the surreal moment.

“Whose place is this?” My voice was barely above a whisper, the beauty of the scene before me taking my breath away.

He paused, taking a deep breath, his eyes never leaving mine. “Ours, if you’d like it to be.”

My heart raced as I searched his eyes, looking for any sign that he might be joking. But all I saw was pure, unfiltered emotion. My voice wavered, disbelief evident in my tone. “You’d really give up everything? Just… us?”

He gently pressed my hand to his lips, his eyes shimmering with emotion. “In a heartbeat, Hope. Without a second thought.”

“Jiro, no.” His face fell, and I felt a pang of panic, realizing how my response might have sounded. “Jiro, I didn’t mean…” He started to pull away, but I tightened my grip, not ready to let go. “I want this. I want us. But I fell for Jiro Saito, the man who took on the world without flinching. I don’t want you to change for me.”

He frowned, visibly confused.

“But I want to be with you, Jiro Saito. Not awatered-down version you think I need. I love the fearless man. I have nothing keeping me here. I’m sure they have good centers there for Mom and…” I shrugged. “If you don’t mind me being there with your family.”

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