Ryuzo seemed nervous as we walked down the sidewalk into a neighborhood. I should have been worried about getting kidnapped or murdered. My mind raced with all the reasons he would be more worried than me.

This was his private space, and I had just invited myself over with an unintentional ultimatum. Maybe he had a roommate. Maybe he was embarrassed about where he lived. None seemed to fit as we passed by the new houses sticking out over metal gates.

Just a few blocks from my apartment and the restaurant, he opened a metal gate with a fob and led me to his building. The building was divided into two narrow volumes, one made of black wood and the other of white stucco, tied together with cedar accents and a slate roof. New and modern, the aesthetic played off the materials and lines of traditional houses, and his half was still huge compared to everywhere else I had seen.

Inside, there was no hallway or signs of another person. Just an entryway with three pairs of his shoes lined up next to a worn pair of slippers and another still wrapped in plastic.

No housemates, and no visitors. At least not recently.

Still, without speaking, he helped me remove my coat and hang it up. I took off my shoes while he untied his.

I peeked into the living space. Even in the dark, it was beautiful. The moonlight spilled through a large triple-panel patio door, and over a small deck shrouded in the red leaves of Japanese maples. To the right was an entryway into another room. I couldn't see deeper inside, but I saw enough to know this was a single-family house, not a duplex as I had assumed.

A house in Tokyo — a new, big house in Tokyo. I tried my best not to do calculations in my head while I grabbed the condoms from my bag.

"So . . . You live in a house," I said as casually as I could manage. Ryuzo didn't look offended, but he didn't look happy either. "You've been bending me over on a futon five feet from a mini fridge when you had a bedroom the whole time?"

He gave into my joke with a weak laugh, but his mood was still tepid. I didn't know what to make of that.

When I looked into the room again, a glowing pair of eyes made me jump. Ryuzo looked at me with a raised eyebrow. A black cat stalked into the light and sat at the edge of the step.

"You have a cat?" I asked with surprise.

His eyes drifted down. "Two."

A fluffy version of the same cat appeared, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with the first. It squeaked out little mews until Ryuzo crouched down. He petted both, whispering something to them in Japanese. I melted.

A man with cats. Why was that so hot to me?

He stepped up into the living space, holding his hand out for me to take. I did so, failing to ignore the excitement I felt when my hand was in his. When I looked back, the short-haired cat hissed at me. Cute.

I had so many questions, but it didn't seem like he was in the mood to answer anything else. We went through the dark room, the light from the entryway outlined the modern furniture and large kitchen.

He led me up a flight of stairs. Still, he was silent.

When we made it to the top, I gripped his hand tighter. He turned to face me. "Zo, I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable," I apologized. "I didn't mean to invite myself over, I just . . ."

I trailed off when he took my face in his hands and tilted my head up to look him in the eye. "I want you here, Mina," he whispered. "When do I not want you with me?"

He looked down at me with that odd expression, but when his lips took mine, his kiss was anything but ambiguous. The passion in every slow suck of my lips, the slip of his tongue, and its sultry caress of mine. His deep hum of pleasure breathed life into my body again.

He pulled me up by the back of my thighs and wrapped my legs around his waist, barely breaking the kiss. As if I weighed nothing at all, he carried me into a bedroom, kicking the door closed behind us.

He dropped me onto my back on the bed and immediately started unfastening my pants. I licked my lips with excitement for what would come next.

His room was just big enough for a bed, side tables, and a dresser, but it was lux. A minimalistic yet large bed with a solid wood headboard, and black and white sheets. A door led to a bathroom, where the moonlight reflected off white stone surfaces. I wanted to take in more, but when my pants came off and his shirt followed, I only saw him.

His inky hair tumbled into his face. His sullen look and intimidating tattoos darkened the gentle picture his space drew. Something didn't seem to fit — as if piecing together a puzzle without knowing what the image was. But it didn't matter. He fit perfectly with me.

He ripped my panties down my thighs and tugged my hips to the edge of the bed.

Legs in the air, exposed to him, waiting while he unfastened his fly with antagonizing slowness. My breath grew heavy. I pulled up my shirt and slid my fingers between my wet folds, teasing him right back.

Finally, his pants dropped. My pussy clenched around my fingers when I saw him hard, ready, perfect.

"I can't wait, baby," I mewled as I circled my clit. I held a condom out to him.

He looked down at me with that sexy smirk. It felt like I had him back.

I rubbed myself faster, my breaths quickened to panting while I waited agonizing seconds. He pulled my panties off my legs, pinned my legs to the side, and pushed his way in. I arched back while he pressed himself deep, stretching my aching walls tight around him. We moaned at the same time.

As wet as I was, it was still difficult to take him all so quickly. He rolled his hips, stroking himself slow and deep. Filling me to my limit, I felt every fraction of every hard inch he gave me.

He pumped faster. I stopped the circles against my clit when I clenched around him — I was too close already.

"Fuck." I gripped the sheets next to my head. My eyes rolled. "Please tell me you live alone."

His teeth caught his lip as he nodded. "You can be as loud as you want. I want to hear you scream."

The thought made me shiver with excitement. I taunted him with a grin. "Then stop being so fucking gentle."

His lips curled into a devilish smile. He liked that.

Without hesitation, he stopped and pulled out, flipping me onto my stomach. I was bent over the bed, my face on the sheets, standing on my toes with my legs wide. Only a second passed before he entered me again in a single, hard thrust. My legs curled up with a whimper before my toes returned to the floor beneath shaking legs.

He stroked it slowly at first, letting me catch up. Wet sounds filled the quiet between our sighing breaths. His hand traced up and down my spine, spreading warmth through me. When I relaxed, the mood changed.

His hips slammed against my ass again and again as he fucked me hard. I clenched the sheets in my hands, taking everything he gave me, going blind with the flood of pleasure he sent through me every time his hips crashed against me.

"Ooh, fuck," I moaned. 

His breath was heavy, his grip menacing on my hips as he pinned me down. "Take it. Take it all."

He went harder, drowning me in ecstasy, the hot, deep pleasure consuming me. My legs curled up as I tensed around him. He moaned and I couldn't take it anymore. The orgasm exploded within me.

I screamed, just the way he wanted.

. . .

I woke up before I knew I was asleep. Ryuzo stared down at me, a happy, lazy grin on his lips. Our two rounds and three condoms had me smiling, too.

"Were you watching me sleep?" I asked him.

His thumb traced my cheekbone. "I was listening to you snore."

My eyes widened. "I don't snore!"

"You do after sex. It's cute."

"You are fucking lying."

He smirked and leaned down to press light kisses on my cheek and temple.

Our energy matched so well. The rougher we were, the more smitten he seemed after. I felt the same — obsessed with the uninhibited passion and the calm that followed. My lower back was in shambles, my pussy sore. I was relishing a little cuddle time.

I brushed his hair from his face and held it behind his head. "You are relentless at home," I mused.

"Too much?"

I laughed. "Never. But I should stretch if we ever come here again."

"You should come over often."

I didn't take the invite lightly. As cagey as he was, it was difficult not to feel special when he said he wanted me. He made me want to keep impressing him, and to keep letting him impress me.

He kissed me, slow and gentle the way he always did, but this time, it felt like more. My heart did flips in my chest. Had I not been sore and out of condoms, I would have turned his kiss into something else.

"I should go," I whispered. "Can you walk me home?"

He shook his head no. "Stay."

"Really?"

He hummed a yes and settled next to me on the pillow. No more discussion needed.

In some ways, I'm happy I stayed. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to see the full depth of the man Ryuzo was. Something changed that night. I just didn't know what yet.

____

A/N: Thank you for reading! Don't forget to add this story to your library and follow me for update alerts!