Bound

Amery Hardwick grew up in a small town and now runs her own graphic design business in Denver, Colorado. The work fills her days, and she has little room for dating. She does not think she needs a romance to feel fulfilled.

Then a friend who is recovering from an attack signs up for a self-defense class, and Amery goes along to support her. At the dojo she meets its owner, Ronin Black. He is drawn to her at once and takes over her training, in the studio and in private.

Ronin is enigmatic, and he tests Amery's limits from the first lesson. Each new encounter pulls her further in, and she becomes hooked on the pleasure and on him. Her wish to cast off her inhibitions leads somewhere she did not plan for.

The trouble starts when Amery senses that Ronin is keeping something from her. Her complete trust in him begins to waver, even as the thrill of being possessed by him stays strong.

This is an erotic romance and the first book in the Mastered series by Lorelei James. It centers on a dominant and submissive dynamic and a slow-growing doubt about whether the man in control can be trusted.