“Dreams are good. They give you a vision into the future.”
I tensed.
"There’s mullein leaf in there too."
“Why?”
"It will repair any damage the smoke caused to your lungs.” The breeze moved through his hair again. "And lion's mane to make sure your mind is sharp.”
I looked at the joint in my hand.
He built this for me.
I took another hit, but this time I held the sweetness longer before exhaling. Even more blue smoke left my nose.
“Thank you.” I passed the joint back. “Kaoru told me that you kidnapped my Tiger’s stylist.”
“He’s wrong about that.”
“How?”
He took the joint, brought it to his lips, and pulled. The gold paper sparkled against the dark. He blew out blue smoke. “I walked Deja back to the villa and asked her if I could take her to dinner. She said no.”
I grinned, knowing Rin was not used to anyone saying no to him.
“And then. . .when we got to her door. . .I told her to touch my braid."
I closed my eyes and shook my head.
Everyone knew what lived on Rin's braid. A poison he cultivated himself that was smoothly refined, odorless, and absorbed through the pores on contact.
One touch and the nervous system folded and consciousness left with no warning nor pain.
In a fight, Rin swung that braid like a blade made of sleep. With one graze across the skin, the enemy dropped and he simply shot them in the head. It was elegant, terrifying, and completely Rin.
Nyomi is going to be fucking pissed.
I opened my eyes and frowned at him. “That’s kidnapping.”
“I saw it as transferring her—”
“What did you fucking do with her?”
"Once she passed out, I took her to my villa. And when I woke her up with the antidote, she was on the roof of the villa. I'd set it up while she slept. Roses everywhere. The cliffs, the ocean, the sunset coming down. Lobster. Champagne. I gave her diamonds."
"You kidnapped my Tiger's stylist, poisoned her with your braid, and then set up a dinner date?"
“I transferred her to a dreamy luxury experience and she liked the surprise, after. . ."
“After what?”
“After cursing me out and slapping me once.” He pulled on the joint. The gold paper burned down another inch. "Once she was calm. . .we talked. She's. . .”
He paused and looked down at the sleeping island below us. "She's nothing like any woman I've ever met. Nothing. I don't even know what to do with her, Kenji. She doesn't understandhow powerful, rich, or deadly I am. She treats me like I'm a servant and. . .that makes me hard."
I blinked and looked up at the sky.
“Why, Kenji?”
