Kata yanked her hand from his grasp. When Hunter slanted a glance at her tight face and downcast gaze, his guts seized up. Uh-oh.
“What’s on your mind, honey?”
“I saw your brother’s living room, if that’s what you want to call it. That hardly put me at ease. What the hell? Is regular dating just too bland for you guys?”
Hunter had dreaded this discussion. As he’d led her through the predawn shadows of Logan’s living room, she’d finally gotten a firsthand peek. No sofas or big screens for his younger brother. Instead, a St. Andrew’s cross, a spanking bench, a restraint table, spreader bars, and chains dangling from the ceiling beams filled the space.
To a woman terrified of giving up control, Logan’s living room would be a nightmare. Hunter’s thoughts whirled as he tried to figure out how the hell he could do damage control.
“So Logan and I are both dominant. His décor has nothing to do with you and me.”
“Are you going to try to tell me that you’ve never used any of that equipment?”
No, he was well versed, and she was too astute not to know it. “I prefer restraint tables and spanking benches. Not as fond of the crosses.” He shrugged. “But it doesn’t matter what I use. I’d never hurt you.”
“You’d just restrain me and do whatever the hell you wanted so you could turn me inside out. Both you and your brother are intent on locking down the women in your lives. What the hell is that about?”
He’d already explained his need to protect and sate her . . . yet push her to take all of him in any way he felt necessary to truly connect them. He’d been over this—and over and over it. He definitely wasn’t going to explain that he’d discovered BDSM the summer after his mother’s desertion. Okay, so the two were probably linked, but at this point, why explain it? It was what it was.
“That was you screaming in my ear a few hours ago while I restrained and satisfied you, right?” Hunter challenged her. “Did you think, for even one minute, that I was going to force any act on you that your body didn’t fully respond to?”
“No, but my body and my brain are having one hell of a disagreement about what I need in a man for the long term, and you’re trying to push past my boundaries faster than I’m ready.” She looked out the passenger window.
That, he believed. If not for this mission, he’d spend more time reassuring her . . . before putting some of the items in Logan’s living room to good use and giving her a darker taste of his dominance. She needed to experience more of the deep, incredible power exchange between them so she could see that she had nothing to fear. His mission put all that on hold. No wonder she felt a little lost.
“Kata, listen to me—”
“No, Hunter, you listen to me. We have awesome chemistry. I won’t deny that, but . . .” She sighed. “I liked last night. I won’t try to say I didn’t. You make me feel adored and aroused in a way I never believed possible. But I don’t think I can handle this. Getting married was a stupid impulse. You want something I can’t give you. We should be smart now and end it, before we both get hurt.”
Fear sent dread resounding all through him. She wanted a divorce? “I’m not letting you go.”
“Be reasonable. We’ve known each other for less than two days.”
He shook his head. “Not happening. I love you.”
She shook her head, gaze falling away. “You don’t mean it. You don’t know me.”
He gritted his teeth together, wanting to strangle her “logic” with his bare hands. The only thing running her brain was fear. “Honey, I meant every word.” Hunter had no idea how to explain what he knew in his gut was true. He shook his head, sorting through his thoughts. “Why did you invite your sister to your party?”
Kata frowned like he’d lost his mind. “She’s my sister.”
“But she’s married and has kids, and this wasn’t her sort of party.”
“Yeah ... but the celebration wouldn’t have felt complete without her.” Her mouth turned down a moment later.
“You wanted your mother there, too.”
Now Kata looked downright unhappy. “Fucking Gordon wouldn’t let her come.”
Another strike against the ass**le in Hunter’s book. Little wonder Kata hated him. “I’ll bet you called your brother as well.”
“Joaquin didn’t answer,” she shrugged glumly. “Guess he’s undercover.”
Hunter put his arm around her. “You knew he might not, but you still tried. You’ll always try because you care. You’re the glue holding your family together, aren’t you? That’s one reason I love you. Honey, you’re smart and sexy as hell, and even when you’re pissed at me, your razor-sharp humor makes me smile. I know underneath that is a scared girl, and I want to show her that she’s loved and doesn’t always have to be in control.”
She bit her lip. “But I don’t like not being in control.”
“Some part of you does, at least in the bedroom. You found that out last night, and the depth of your submission scared you.”