She exhaled on a shaky sigh. “But without all that, I can’t hope to have anyone arrested or brought to trial so I can have my life back. Damn it, I’ve never been helpless, and I won’t start now.”

So fiercely independent. No doubt, she was going to keep his life interesting for the next fifty years.

He grabbed her hand, squeezed. “You’re not. Far from it.”

Kata scoffed. “Look at me. I’m shaking and confused. I don’t know what to do next. I have to figure this out quickly.”

“Have any interest in lying down and dying?”

She gaped at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Hell, no!”

“Good girl. Some people crack and, not knowing how to deal, they give up and wait for the inevitable.”

“It’s not inevitable.”

Hunter smiled. It was good to see her moxie again.

“If you fight, it’s not. You, honey, are a fighter. I needed you to realize that for yourself. I knew it because you fended off a professional today, got a jump on him. I’m proud as hell.”

A smile crept across her mouth before it fell again. “But other than fighting constantly, I don’t know any way of dealing with this ... prick who wants to kill me.”

“Deke and his business partner, Jack, will help us dig until we figure out who’s behind this. Until we have more information, I don’t want to trust any of the cops you know. I’ll bet some of them were on duty when your attacker was processed today. And he was murdered. Until we know what’s going on, let’s not involve anyone else.”

“But they’re my friends. They would never—”

“Are you willing to bet your life on that?”

Kata hesitated, chewed on her bottom lip. “No, but why should I trust Deke and Jack?”

“Because they’re the best.” Hunter reached across the cab and grabbed her hand. “Honey, once we figure out who’s behind all this, we’ll have to act. As long as we wait for this guy to make all the moves, we’re at his mercy. Once we figure out who’s behind this, we’ll take the fight to him, dictate the terms and the tempo, keep him guessing and off guard. He’ll get sloppy, make mistakes. We’ll be waiting.”

“The best defense is a good offense?”

“Exactly. Are you up for it?”

“I don’t have a choice.”

She didn’t, and Hunter was proud of her for facing it. A professional hit would send most women into a panicked frenzy. But Kata had done her best to remain calm. She’d acknowledged her shortcomings in tracking down a killer and listened to logic. Even at her most vulnerable, she’d refused to give up the fight.

Hunter damn sure wasn’t giving up—on keeping her safe or preserving their marriage. He hadn’t chased Kata this far to let her slip through his fingers. He tightened his grip on the wheel. Kata scooted across the bucket seat, closer, then leaned her head on his shoulder. As he wrapped his arm around her, she curled herself even tighter around his heart. This woman was meant for him. Damn. Less than a week—that’s all the time he had to save her life and make her fall in love with him. Failure wasn’t an option.

Chapter Eight

IT was damn near midnight when Hunter parked Tyler’s truck in front of Logan’s condo on the northeast side of Dallas. Long fucking day after such an eventful night, but he could go many hours without sleep. Days, if he had to.

Hunter looked over at Kata, snuggled against his side, sleeping peacefully with her head on his shoulder. He didn’t like the smudges under her eyes or that she’d refused dinner when they’d stopped on the road. During the drive, she’d said almost nothing.

He’d refused to let her use her cell phone to contact her family, especially to say where she was going and who she was with. After he’d explained that her phone could be monitored, Kata had been frustrated but resigned. She’d used a pay phone to call Mari and assure her that, despite whatever the evening news said, she was just fine, and to let their mother know. Then Kata had called her boss to arrange a week off. Back in the truck, she’d curled her knees to her chest and stared out the windshield, looking shell-shocked. Damn, he’d do anything to wipe that expression off her face. When he caught the son of a bitch threatening her, he’d force-feed the bastard his own balls.

But first Hunter had to take care of his wife.

Gently, he shook her awake. “We’re here, honey.”

“Hmm.” Her lashes fluttered. Her lips parted.

In an instant, she made him hard. Stifling his urge to kiss her until she was clinging and wet, then sink deep into her pussy so he could connect deep into her, he settled for a light touch, brushing the hair from her face. “I’ll come around and get you. Gather up your stuff.”

Finally, his words seemed to register, and she sat up and grabbed her purse.

Hunter hopped out of the truck, vaguely irritated with the muggy night, then circled around the vehicle to open her door. Before she could protest, he scooped her up in his arms.

Her eyes flew open. “You can put me down.”

“You’re not taking away my fun.”

The amusement she tried to hide bled through her exhaustion. “Carrying me can’t be fun.”

“You’re wrong. I like you right here.” He raised his arms, lowered his head, and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth.

Her kiss was flavored with peppermint and a hint of the vanilla milkshake he’d finally plied her with a hundred miles ago. And sin. She always tasted like it, was made for it, and he wanted to share it with her again.

“I’m perfectly capable of walking,” she insisted, even as she wound her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Yes, and I love the way you walk, hips swaying, ass swinging. Hmm . . .”

She sighed. “Nice to know that you watch my ass so closely.”

A moment of sweet harmony flowed between them, and satisfaction settled into Hunter’s belly as he laughed. “I watch your everything closely, honey. Trust me, it’s my pleasure.”

Logan’s front door loomed ahead. On the little porch, Hunter reluctantly lowered Kata to her feet. His younger brother wasn’t due home for at least two days, and Hunter would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to the privacy with his bride. As honeymoons went, this sucked. But on his next leave, he’d make it up to her.

For now, spending time together here would have to do.

As he retrieved his key and inserted it in the lock, he hesitated, hoping that Logan’s taste in décor had improved since last year. But Hunter wasn’t betting on it.

The lock turned, then he entered the code on the keypad that controlled the dead bolt. The second trigger for that catch, a thumbprint scan, was located just under the doorbell. A green laser and a ding later, the door finally opened.

“Oh my God. Is your brother paranoid?”

He stifled his smile. “He’s a SEAL, too. In our line of work, honey, you make enemies. It pays to be cautious.”

“Guess he doesn’t have anyone watering his houseplants while he’s gone.”

Hunter stifled a smile. “Logan doesn’t allow strangers into his domain.”

Kata shrank back from the door. “Then he won’t appreciate me being here.”

“You’re family now. Inside.”

Pressing a guiding hand to the small of her back, he ushered her over the threshold into the pitch-black room. One step in, a shrill beeping assaulted his ears. He grabbed her elbow, pressed her to the wall, then locked the door behind them. “Stay here. He’s armed the motion sensors.”

The warning chime of the interior alarm played hell with the headache developing at the base of Hunter’s neck, but he zeroed in on the little backlit pad and punched the appropriate code. The high-pitched screech stopped immediately. Finally, blessed silence.

“Is there a light in this place?” Her voice trembled.

Hunter reset the exterior alarm and reached for Kata, wrapping his arm around her waist and leading her through the dark living room. He intentionally left the lights off. She’d see plenty of this place tomorrow. No need to add one more shock to her already-crazy day.

“Not necessary. Just stay near me. I’ll get you settled.”

She walked hesitantly, digging in her heels. “Wait! I’m going to trip and—”

“You’ve got to trust me, honey. Do you think I would let anything happen to you?”

Kata hesitated. Hunter knew the instant she realized that, if he was protecting her from killers, he’d keep her from hurting herself while crossing the dark room.

She relaxed. “No, but—”

“Never,” he interrupted. It didn’t matter what she planned to say. She needed to know one truth. “I would never let anything happen to you. I should spank your ass red for even thinking I would.”

Her gasp shot straight to his cock. Sitting next to her for hours, her scent, soft and womanly, filling up in the cab of the truck, while she’d curled trustingly against his side with her hand on his thigh, had revved him up.

“You did not say just that. Don’t you dare think you’re going to spank me,” she growled.

Hunter smiled in the dark. “Dare? Honey, I can’t wait.”

“Stop trying to keep me off balance and forcing me to rely on you. Just . . . stop.”

He understood the trepidation in her voice. Last night, he hadn’t expected to take the lead. By all rights, that had been Ben’s honor, who was vanilla all the way. So Hunter hadn’t come prepared for anything more than a good time. Then his buddy’s drunkenness and Hunter’s own possessiveness had changed the plan. He’d been unprepared to lead her in any sort of D/s scene. But here, alone . . . Yeah. He couldn’t wait to show her exactly how much he’d dare.

A few steps more, and he ushered her into the master suite, setting the motion sensors in the living room, then shutting and locking the bedroom door behind them. He flipped on the overhead light. A bright glow spilled out over the heavy two-toned gray comforter, its pattern thoroughly modern. The black upholstered and brushed nickel headboard sat against the charcoal walls, between two vertical windows with dark blinds drawn tight. A dresser, matching nightstand, and area rug—all black—added to the heavy air in the room. The only shred of warmth was the Brazilian cherry floors and the bridal portrait of Kimber. The rest? Off-putting and impersonal, just the way Logan liked things.

Idly, Hunter wondered how long it would take her to notice the manacles dangling from chains down from either side of the headboard.

“Wow.” Her gaze skittered almost frenetically around the room. “This is your brother’s place?”

He nodded. “Warm, huh?”

“Not in the least.”

Logan had been fucked up for years. But instead of his mental state improving over time, it was growing worse. By leaps and bounds. Another reason that he and little brother were going to have a heart-to-heart. Not that Hunter didn’t understand Logan’s dark needs. They had a lot in common there. But lately . . . his brother behaved as if he’d done a belly flop off the mental deep end.

Rather than giving Kata more time to rubberneck, Hunter pushed her to the sleek adjoining bathroom. At least here, a patterned marble inlay and travertine relieved the black of the walls, cabinets, and trim.

“He, um . . . has a real hard-on for contemporary décor.”

Or black simply matched Logan’s mood. But why debate the subject? “Let me run you a hot bath, honey.”

Without waiting for a reply, he turned the hot water on and placed the stopper in the tub. Beneath the vanity, he found a towel and washcloth and set them on the counter. He rummaged through a few drawers and came up with a toothbrush still in the plastic and a new comb.

Then he turned to Kata, watching her step away and look at everything but him. Her evasiveness had to end, especially now when he was dying to reconnect with her. Time would help her adjust to marriage and to him—but that was something he didn’t have. So, on to plan B.

He took a deep breath. Yes, he had to tread carefully, give her a lot of latitude, considering all she’d been through, but . . . he couldn’t allow her to keep walls between them.

Begin how you mean to go on.

“Thanks,” she murmured, stepping toward the door, presumably to see him out.

Hunter stepped into her path. “You’re welcome. Now strip.”

Kata’s hazel eyes went wide. “Excuse me?”

Her flippant reply didn’t interest Hunter; he’d expected it, would deal with it. But she couldn’t hide when her pupils dilated and her cheeks turned rosy. Kata’s involuntary reactions sliced desire through his belly, shuttling straight down to his cock. He leveled her with a hard stare, raising his head a fraction, stepping far into her personal space.

In response, her nipples beaded. She swallowed, dropped her stare.