“You don’t have to say anything right now,” he whispered, his mouth lifting in an exhausted smile. “That look tells me everything I need to know.”
Kata knew what he saw—a woman on the precipice of losing her heart. It scared the hell out of her. She’d rather give a public speech to millions just before she jumped off a skyscraper with no safety net. But she didn’t think even fear was going to stop this plunge.
She swallowed, hid her face in his neck, but even then she was surrounded by his musk, his sweat, his strength. And as he caressed her hair, lips whispering over her temple, she felt his love most of all.
A shrill ring sliced through the breathless silence. Hunter cursed and leaned toward the nightstand, refusing to withdraw from her body. That meaning wasn’t lost on her.
He glared at the display. A scowl tightened his face, and he cursed again, longer, uglier. “Barnes. What?”
This close to Hunter, Kata couldn’t help but overhear the conversation. “I know you’re on leave, buddy, but we just received critical intel. You know that development we discussed about your last mission? We have a problem.”
Chapter Eleven
“KATA?” Hunter reached across the cab of the truck to caress her shoulder.
She pulled away and looked out the passenger-side window.
Son. Of. A bitch.
Jerking his hand back, Hunter wrapped it around the steering wheel of Tyler’s truck as he drove east into the rising sun. The last thing he wanted to do while on leave and this spontaneous “honeymoon” was to report for duty, especially after coaxing Kata’s stunning surrender. She’d also revealed sensitive information about her family. Now, with his pending departure, she probably felt abandoned. But he and Barnes and other members of SEAL Team 4 had spent years trying to take down Venezuelan prick Víctor Sotillo and his arms-dealing gang. If there was even a chance that the prick’s brother, Adan, had reorganized the group after Víctor’s demise and was trying to do a big deal with his Iranian contacts in the next twenty-four hours, then Hunter had to do whatever necessary to stop them, hopefully for good.
So he’d promised Barnes that, after returning his wife to Lafayette, he’d be on a plane to the base in Virginia Beach by noon. No doubt, he’d be out of the country before nightfall.
Beside him, Kata looked shell-shocked and hurt. All his plans to make her safe, well sated, and head over heels in love had swirled down the toilet with that one call. Fuck.
His timetable to persuade Kata to fall for him would run even shorter now that he had to take an unexpected detour to a jungle shithole. He heard the damn ticking clock in his head. Worse, he’d blurted out his feelings before she was ready to hear them. And this morning, all her defenses seemed to be back in place. Hunter began to wonder . . . He might be able to compel her body, but her heart? The sinking dread in his gut warned him that this might be one mission he couldn’t complete in time. Her stepfather had f**ked up her psyche good. The question was, how could he fly a continent away to fight tangos, then heal her during the precious little time of his remaining leave so she could be free to love? It sounded f**king impossible, but Hunter refused to give up.
“You okay, honey?” He reached across the cab of the truck to grab her hand.
“Where are you taking me?” She tensed and tried to tug away.
Hunter held firm. “Back to Lafayette. I’m hoping to be gone two days, three at most. While you’re there, you’ll be guarded by friends, men I have no doubt will do everything possible to protect you.”
Kata scowled at him. “You’re dumping me on your buddies’ doorsteps and asking them to babysit? Hell no. I’ll get some of my cop friends—”
“We’ve already discussed this. With your assassin killed so quickly in jail, we don’t know if we can trust the police. I usually only dominate in the bedroom, but when it comes to your safety, all bets are off. While you showered, I made some phone calls.” This part pissed him off most, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. “You’ll stay with Tyler for the first day or two.”
“Tyler? The flirty beefcake who called me ‘baby’?”
Hunter strangled the steering wheel, wishing it were Tyler’s neck. “Yes. He’s a former detective who’s done some bodyguard work. He’ll keep you safe. I’d rather leave you with Deke, but my sister went into labor about two this morning.”
Which was a f**king shame. Not only would he miss the birth of his niece or nephew, but the worry that Tyler was hitting on Kata would be niggling in the back of his mind. His brother-in-law would never touch her. Hunter had no such warm fuzzy about Tyler.
“I’m happy for Kimber, but—”
“Jack Cole is due home tomorrow night, so he’ll relieve Tyler of duty. Jack is the best.” And the guy was so deliriously in love with his gorgeous submissive wife that he’d barely notice Kata was female.
“I know you’re trying to keep me safe, but I don’t know any of these people. I wouldn’t be comfortable camping out at their place and having them hover. There must be another way.”
He leveled a stern stare her way. “I’m going to be halfway around the world, up to my eyeballs in terrorists and their illegal shit. I’ll be more focused if I know you’re with professionals who can and will do whatever necessary to protect you. I get that it’s awkward, but I need to know that you’re safe while I’m gone.”
She leveled a get-real glare at him. “In other words, do what I say or I might be so unfocused that I’ll die? That’s blackmail.”
Hunter flashed her a grin. “Is it working?”
“Ugh! You annoying son of a . . .” She shook her head, glossy black curls skimming her back. “Fine. I’ll stay with your pals for a few days.”
He squeezed her hand, smoothing his thumb over her knuckles. “When I come back, I’ll have a bit of leave left. We’ll work on us. I want to meet your parents, help you with your concerns. I want you to feel free to give yourself to me without fears or worries.”