He clenched his jaw and softened his voice. “I’m sorry your mother’s been ill. Tyler updated me on the situation earlier this morning. I’m glad she’s recovering. Now I’m concerned about you. Answer the question, Kata. When?”
“The way you’re glowering at me doesn’t exactly make me want to answer, but it’s been two days.”
If she’d seen thunder on his face before, it now held a storm of fury. “Goddamn it—”
In the chair behind her, Ben groaned, stretched, and opened his eyes. He froze when he saw Hunter. “Oh. You’re back.”
Ben didn’t even try to sound happy about that fact.
Hunter gave him a single nod, then grabbed her hand. “I’ll take care of my wife from here. I’ll make sure she gets a damn meal.”
Ben stood and edged right behind her and added fuel to the fire by wrapping his arm around her waist. “Fuck you! I begged her to eat. I’ve been by her side for the last day and a half while you were off playing soldier. In fact, I’ve been with her for the last two years. I’ll stand by her, no matter what, and she knows it. It’s up to Kata to choose who she wants to . . . help her.”
“Help” clearly being a euphemism for something much more meaningful. Kata gaped at Ben over her shoulder. They’d been casual lovers. Was he seriously trying to stake some claim now?
“Ben?” She sent him a questioning stare, tension gripping her insides.
His arm around her tightened. “I guess I didn’t realize how important you were to me until you weren’t there anymore. But you are, and I’m here for you.”
Kata was there for him, too, but as nothing more than a friend. She didn’t know if she’d just naturally outgrown him or if Hunter had played a role, but she knew that whatever had once been between them was over.
“Back off.” Hunter pulled Kata out of Ben’s grip, then held up her left hand. Her wedding ring glinted in the white hospital light filtering in through the hall. “I take care of what’s mine.”
“You’re such a bastard,” Ben snarled.
The testosterone in the room was so thick, Kata thought she might choke. She stepped away from them both.
“You knew that when you invited me to Vegas.” Hunter smiled coldly.
Ben clenched his fists and looked to her, his expression a plea for reassurance. Kata’s stomach cramped with guilt. If she’d led him on, it had been unintentional. No doubt, they should talk this through at some point.
She turned and gave him a friendly hug. “Thank you for everything. I wouldn’t have made it through this difficult time without your help. I’m fine now. Rest. I’ll call you.”
Ben closed his eyes. Despite her gentle rejection, the sting of it tightened his face. Abruptly, he stepped away. “You’re living in Fantasyland if you think this controlling prick will ever let you call me again.”
He brushed her shoulder with his own as he exited the room.
Was Ben right? Would Hunter try to forbid her from even saying hi to someone she’d considered a friend for two years? Kata wouldn’t put up with that.
“Your mother isn’t set to be released until at least thirteen hundred, in seven hours. She’s out of danger, and you haven’t left her side in days. You need to rest and refuel. You and I need to talk. Tyler will watch her and call if anything arises.” He tugged on her hand. “Let’s go.”
Kata dug in her heels. “I can’t go anywhere until Mamá does. She needs me to take care of her.”
Hunter’s cold eyes narrowed. “She’s in a hospital filled with health-care professionals. You can’t take care of anyone when you’re falling down on your feet. If you’re not going to take care of yourself, I’ll do it for you. Don’t think I won’t carry you out.”
She absolutely knew that he would. A part of her reveled. Another part railed. How could he expect her to leave when Mamá needed her most?
“If this is your way of taking care of me, it feels more like bullying.”
He crowded into her personal space, then glanced down at her br**sts, his gaze a hot caress. “But you respond to it.”
Shit. Kata became aware of her ni**les, tight and hard, poking against her shirt. A few minutes in his presence did that to her. Her body felt heavy, her breathing shallow. Her panties? Best not to think about how wet those had become.
“You haven’t even begun to discover all the ways I’m going to take care of you. Come with me now.” Each word he spoke in low tones, his voice like smoke and steel, infused with that controlled demand she knew so well.
Kata knew she should just shut up . . . but she couldn’t bring herself to simply give in. “If I don’t?”
His grip on her hand tightened, and he stepped even closer, his chest brushing hers. “Itching to add to all the punishment you’ve got coming?”