He stroked down her abdomen . . . and lower, into the damp curls, grazing over her clit. She mewled. Her pussy tightened on his cock, and Hunter swore. His vicious need for her had sweat beading at his temples, all over his back. Hot blood scalded his veins. He fucking ached to pound Kata to their mutual satisfaction, but establishing control first was nonnegotiable. Once she submitted, they’d both be happier. Proving that to her was going to be a bitch.

“Damn it! Can’t you just . . .” Whimpering, she thrust back on him, shoving him even deeper in her tight, silken clasp.

Only by literally biting his tongue did Hunter hold in a groan. Letting her know how good she felt, despite her disobedience, would only encourage her. “Don’t push me.”

“Or what?” Her voice was breathy, a heady combination of trepidation and demand, as she curled her hand around his neck, leaned back, and tugged his lips toward hers.

Hunter turned his head, refused her kiss. He’d answered her question, but she still tested him, trying in her way to top from the bottom. He wouldn’t have it. “Spread your legs wider.”

A long heartbeat passed before she complied. He breathed out, partially in relief, partially because the sight of her offering her body to him was flat-out one of the sexiest sights ever.

“Hold still. Don’t move your hands. You may moan and scream my name, nothing else.”

“I don’t like your orders, damn it,” she panted.

“I don’t like your defiance. Final warning.”

He held very still inside the hot grip of her cunt, dying to ease back, then slide deep, find that one spot that would send her reeling just for the sublime joy of hearing her shout his name. But he was prepared to punish her again if she disobeyed. She’d more than earned it. He was giving her a lot of latitude because she’d never submitted, and the last twenty-four hours would have exhausted even the hardiest of souls. He’d be lying, though, if he said the ecstasy boiling in his balls and clawing up his cock wasn’t strangling his good intentions.

She shuddered, hesitated. Then, finally, she nodded.

“Good. Bow your head.”

If she refused, he’d already spelled out the or else.

“Bow my—” She sucked in a breath and tossed back her head, dark hair spilling all down her back. “No. I’ve given some, but that? I won’t relinquish that much. I can’t . . . be subservient.”

Fuck. Slowly, he withdrew from her pussy.

“No!” She thrust back, fighting to keep him deep inside her. “Hunter.”

Turning down that temptation almost killed him. He wanted to work deep inside her again, his balls pressed right to her wet pussy, tangle his fingers in the silky mass, inhale her scent as he listened to her whimpers become screams. But he didn’t. Instead, Hunter fought for control as he brushed his knuckles over her clit in a soft, hypnotic slide. He pressed his dick against her ass, grinding.

Kata glared at him over her shoulder, defiant.

Hunter lifted his fingers from her clit, stepped back, and crossed his arms over his chest. No matter how much his cock ached, he wasn’t backing down. Her eyes simmered with fury, her lips pursed as if she was dying to spit acid at him. He braced for a long night.

“Apparently we’re going to do this the hard way.” Hunter shook his head and, in one quick stroke, tore off the condom. Damn it to hell.

She stood straight, her back stiffening. Eyes narrowed, she whirled to face him. He forced himself not to look at her heavy breasts, rosy brown nipples, and her traffic-stopping curves. Distraction now would only be detrimental.

“Bowing my head, are you serious? Why can’t sex be equitable? Why can’t we discuss what we both want, then do it together?”

Because she wanted his dominance as much as he wanted to give it to her. Her wet pussy proved that. She couldn’t be satisfied until she submitted. Still, he never wanted her to think that he wasn’t listening or didn’t care for her needs.

“What did you have in mind?”

“First, sleep. I’m exhausted.”

“If you could have simply complied with my commands—”

“Why should I? You don’t own me.”

He stiffened, then forced himself to relax. Kata would understand his possession soon enough. She knew the reasons he expected her compliance; he’d explained. Her protestations and questions were merely stall tactics. “All you had to say to stop me was ‘Ben,’ but you didn’t. Care to tell me why?”

She sighed, her shoulders sagging. “I don’t know. If you’ll let me sleep first, maybe I’ll be coherent enough to figure it out and I’ll tell you.”

Ah, the predictable dodging of the subject. So much easier for Kata than admitting that she was not only afraid to embrace what he ached to give her, but too aroused to turn it down.

As she bent and reached for her clothes, Hunter grabbed her by the shoulders and brought her body against his. “Listen, I will do whatever it takes to help you see who I am, what you are, and how great we’ll be together. Get in the tub.”

Kata glared at him, then turned to glance at the bathtub. Wisps of steam still rose from the water. He felt the tension leave her shoulders, signaling a modicum of surrender.

“Fine,” she muttered. “But only because that bath looks heavenly.”

Yes, and because she was finally learning that he wouldn’t let her derail him. He also suspected that her arousal was beginning to overcome her reluctance. Her pussy was still throbbing; he’d bet money on that.

Hunter released her, and she made her way to the tub, sinking into the clear water with a sigh that went straight to his cock.

As she settled into the steaming bath, Hunter climbed in behind her, sitting on the wide ledge above. She stiffened and started to sputter something. Hunter silenced her by laying his palms on her shoulders and massaging away the tension. Seconds later, she turned to butter in his hands. He smiled.

“God, you’re good at that,” she moaned.

“If you’re a good girl, you might find out what else I’m good at.”

Kata shook her head. “You just don’t let up, do you?”

“In case you hadn’t guessed yet, I’m generally a relentless guy. You have to be, in my line of work.”

Before she could say another word, he worked at a nasty knot just under her shoulder blade, then pressed his thumbs up either side of her spine until he reached her neck and began releasing the tightness there. Within minutes, she was totally limp under his hands.

“You always do something redeeming just when I’m ready to slap you,” she mumbled.

He grinned as he reached for the soap. To his relief, Kata didn’t protest when he lifted and washed each arm top and bottom, or when he gathered all the gloriously soft hair in his grip so he could soap up her back. After a quick rinse, he hopped out of the tub and leaned over her, urging her to lie back, then took hold of each leg and bent them at the knees until her feet rested flat on the bottom of the tub. In fact, she didn’t have a hint of defiance left in her body as he gently smoothed the white bar and his hands across her abdomen, over her shoulders, and lingered on her breasts. Then he edged between her legs. As he’d suspected, she was soaking wet.

Suddenly, she gasped and pulled at his wrist. “I can do that.”

Hunter didn’t budge an inch. “Look at me.” And he didn’t say another word until she obeyed. “Get this through your head. I’m going to take care of you. Kata.”

Biting her lip, she looked at him uncertainly. “It’s not that I don’t want you to touch me, but I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

“I never doubted that. Tell me the real problem.”

She looked down at his hand, still covering her pussy, claiming it. “That’s so . . . intimate.”

“Our relationship should be.”

She looked away, seeming to search for a reply. “Hunter, getting comfortable with someone takes time. I can’t just flip a switch inside me and be ready for whatever—”

“Time isn’t the real stumbling block. Both people have to be open.”

She hesitated a long time, then looked down. “And I’m not.”

“Have I hurt you?”

“No.”

“Would I?” he demanded.

“Physically, no. But you want more than that.” Her gaze was earnest as it met his own. “Trusting someone with your body and trusting someone with your soul are two very different things.”

“Agreed. But so far, you haven’t truly trusted me with either. Or really tried.”

Her eyes slammed shut. Pain pinched her brows. She struggled for a moment. Discomfort etched her face, and a part of him wanted to ease up on her. But he’d be sending the wrong message, and ultimately, not providing what she needed.

Finally, she let go of his wrist hovering over her parted thighs. Triumph slid through him.

Gently, he cleaned her slick female flesh. Kata closed her eyes. Her body remained tense, but she let him take over. When he’d finished, he moved back to massaging her neck, shoulders, mid-back until she wilted bonelessly.

At that moment, he pulled the plug from the tub and urged her to stand. She complied, her head lolling on his shoulder, granting him more trust than she’d ever given. His heart caught as he lifted her into his arms, out of the tub.

And right on cue, she asserted herself. “Hunter, this carrying me thing—”

“Is it really worth another argument?”

After a long moment, she sighed and sank back into his arms. A bit more progress. He smiled.

Hunter angled her through the doorway and back into Logan’s room, dimly lit by one small bedside lamp. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

“No.”

“Do you feel safe?”

Kata’s black lashes fluttered over her pretty hazel eyes, and his heart stuttered again. What was it about this woman? Her independence? That she wouldn’t give all of herself easily, but once she did, it would be so worth the battle? He didn’t exactly know the answer, but he couldn’t wait to find out. But she was, without a doubt, his.

“Yeah,” she murmured huskily. “No one is getting in here, past you. I hate to admit it, but I probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep alone at my own place. Thanks for watching over me. Though I don’t appreciate the whole ‘withholding orgasm’ thing.”

“We’ll rectify that.” He smiled. “Eventually. Rest for now.”

Without another word, she grabbed the sheet and snuggled next to him, then drifted off to sleep. When she closed her eyes, when her brain shut off, she trusted him. Her back nestled against his chest as though she found his touch comforting. They fit together as though they were made for each other, missing puzzle pieces that had finally snapped into place.

Hunter released a shuddering, exhausted breath. No matter how tired he was, when he felt Kata warm and naked beside him, his cock stood at full staff. Shit. He glanced at the clock. Thirty-eight minutes until the hour. He set a vibrating alarm on his cell phone and closed his eyes.

No matter how soft and accepting Kata seemed now, this was going to be a damn long night.

KATA lay across the sheets like a sacrificial virgin, arms and legs spread, in the near dark. She could make out a shadow between her thighs. Male. Stark, intriguing face not quite visible. Tremendously wide shoulders blocked the rest of the room. Powerful hands glided over her thighs, up to her hips. She tingled everywhere he touched. Then he settled his palm there, and sensations converged into an unrelenting ache. He fueled it by rubbing his thumb, hot and relentless, over her clit.

She shifted restlessly, trying to capture more of the sensation. Desire multiplied, tightened, gathered like a tropical storm, swirling, growing. With a gasp, she reached out for something to anchor her, but found nothing. Certainly, there was no escape. He made sure she felt every skillful, slow touch of his hands . . . but never gave her enough to hurtle her into release.

More. Please! She moaned, her entire body thrashing in need.

He stopped, not moving a muscle, not persisting with that perfect attention to her clit. The sweet ache between her legs turned vicious.

Kata wanted to beg but couldn’t speak. She wailed in frustration. As if he understood, he lavished attention on her clit again, harder, faster—the pressure precisely perfect to launch her into a supernova of an orgasm. Then he added to her sensory overload, slipping something inside her, prodding a spot that sent her careening faster and farther into a drowning pool of need.

Somewhere in the back of her hazy mind, she knew she was dreaming this unabashedly sexual fantasy, but it was too delicious to force herself to consciousness. Knowing it was all in her head, she opened her mind to the mounting pleasure. God, this dream man knew his way around her body, and wasn’t that heavenly?

Her back arched, her body lifting and clenching as she thrashed madly, seeking that little bit extra she needed, exactly where she needed it. She was nearly there, so ready to explode. But he eased back, gave her a gentler touch, avoiding her most sensitive spots. A mewled protest rose up in her throat.