Page 114 of Tamed (The Courtside King Duology 1)

His tone was frisky, and yet Breck still stiffened, not missing the rib. Kai was teasing him over his status as town king. And doing so with much enjoyment, going by that look on his face.

Breck clenched his jaw. Willed his body to kneel. Nothing happened.

Kai laughed. “Relax, your highness. Not asking you to bow down at my feet.”

Breck grumbled and forced his knees to the floor. “This stays between us.” If Jegs or Charlie ever caught wind—or for that matter, Ned and Jay—he’d never hear the end of it.

“I give you my word.” Amusement was ripe in Kai’s voice. “Now sit on your heels and prop your weight on the balls of your feet.” When Breck complied, Kai squatted down too and started unbundling his rope. “I’m going to frog tie your legs, so you’ll need to spread your knees a little bit farther.”

“Frog tie?” Breck wasn’t sure if he liked the sound of that.

“Don’t worry,” Kai chuckled. “You’ll see. It’s very basic.”

Warily, Breck parted his thighs, then watched as Kai folded his rope in half and slid the looped end under Breck’s ankle. With his other hand, he grabbed it from between Breck’s legs. Breck stiffened. Way too close to his boner. His heart pounded as he swallowed and tried like hell not to move. Kai pulled the rope up and over his thigh, then back down and around to the outside of his ankle, where he fed the rope’s other end through that folded loop. Tugging downward, he tightened things up, then grabbed the rope’s other end and wound it under and over Breck’s leg. Once, then twice. Each trip requiring another reach between Breck’s thighs. Kai’s fingers grazed his sensitive flesh. Breck tamped back a moan as he fought not to shiver. Kai’s warm breath skimming across his abdomen sure as shit wasn’t helping.

Need more distractions.

He cleared his throat. “So, um… Taekwondo…. How’d you get involved with it?”

Kai hooked his finger through a loop and pulled the rope through. “I was introduced to it by my grandfather when I was young.”

Breck quirked a brow. “Your grandfather’s Korean?”

“No, Japanese, but he spent time in Korea during the occupation.”

“World War II?”

“Yep. Discovered Taekwondo while he was there.” Kai smiled warmly. “He discovered my grandmother there as well.”

“Ah. So she’s Korean.”

“Correct.” Kai reached between Breck’s legs again. Breck bit his lip. “He brought her back with him after the end of the war.” Kai fastened a knot against Breck’s inside ankle. “But all the while, he kept studying Taekwondo. Later, after my mom was grown, they moved to California, where he opened up his own dojang and started a business.”

Kai paused to test the tension of the binds. Straightened the ropes that ran so close to Breck’s groin. Breck’s dick kicked at the feel of Kai’s fingers. Kai rechecked the knot, then relocated to Breck’s other side. “I spent a lot of time at that dojang. Every day after school while my mom was at work.” Unwinding another bundle, he did the same to Breck’s opposite leg. “Spent more time there than I did my own home. When I got older, I worked as one of his assistants. I loved it. The teaching. So, I decided that’s what I wanted to do with my life.”

He grazed Breck’s inner thigh again. Breck swallowed. “I bet he’s proud of you… Not just a great teacher, but an incredible fighter.”

“Yeah,” Kai murmured, securing the final knot. “Hana wa sakuragi, hito wa bushi.”

Breck looked at him, really wishing he knew Japanese.

“My grandfather’s motto,” Kai smiled, “Of flowers, the cherry blossom; of men, the warrior.”

Breck stared at him blankly.

Kai chuckled. “As the cherry blossom is considered foremost among flowers, so the warrior is foremost among men.”

“Ah.” Breck nodded, finally understanding. “And you subscribe to that philosophy, too?”

“If the warrior is well-balanced, yes. If he’s not, absolutely no.”

Kai did another quick tension check, then smoothed out the ropes so they all rested flat.

God, Breck loved the feel of those fingers.

“At any rate, I’d planned to take over his business after college… but then I moved to New York and Granddad sold it to someone else. So later, after moving down here, I decided to open up a dojang myself. Which meant working two jobs for a couple of years, but I finally saved enough money to buy this place.”

“Two jobs,” Breck mused. “Not much time left for a social life.”

Kai shrugged. “I was new here. Didn’t have a lot of friends. Made it easier to stay focused on my goals.” Securing a final knot, he straightened. “You can sit down fully now.”

Breck shifted down off of the balls of his feet. “Done?”

“Almost.” Kai stood. “One last section to go.”

He strode to the coffee table and grabbed the remaining bundle of rope. Breck shifted in his binds, surveying his body’s current state. Kai’s frog tie made his immobility feel a million times more pronounced. He was completely fixed in this position. How could Kai possibly plan to restrain him more?

Kai eased down behind him, all nice and close. “Gonna rope your pelvis now,” he murmured, “so sit tight and relax.”

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