Surrender to Me (36 page)

“Were you excited about the scene Ben had set for you?”

“Being touched by two guys at once was something I’d always been curious about. But in my head, since he’d arranged it, he was supposed to take control. But he didn’t. He was too drunk, and that’s not his style. Then you totally overwhelmed me, and I forgot about the silly fantasy. I got lost in you and your demands. So that’s that. Can we drop the subject?”

“All right.”
For now.

“Tell me why you agreed to Ben’s proposition.”

“He told me you were very hot.” Hunter shrugged. “But you were more than I expected. For years, I’ve wanted a submissive woman I hadn’t met in a club. So many of them are jaded or head cases or so damaged that they want to be abused. I wanted to meet a strong woman . . . with kink. I never imagined that I’d meet Mrs. Perfect-for-Me.”

She smiled wanly. “Who would have thought we’d wind up here? Amazing that a week ago I didn’t know you even existed.”

Ditto that. She’d changed his life completely. Hunter didn’t want it any other way. He wouldn’t ask if she regretted marrying him; it was too soon for that. But he could tell her how he felt and hope that she understood.

“I am glad we’re here. You’re everything I’ve wanted.”

She turned to him with a furrowed brow and an expression he could only call puzzled amazement. “You’re not afraid of anything—marriage, my stepfather, my emotional baggage. If I were a braver woman . . .” She smiled sadly, then sighed.

“You
are
a brave woman. Submission takes courage, and you’ve given me more raw honesty in mere days than some subs manage to ever give. Don’t give up on us.”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to handle this. It would be better if you signed the papers.”

Hell no. Never in a fucking million years.
“Better for who?”

“Both of us, but you’re not listening to me.” Kata looked away.

Because she was wrong.

A ballad turned low filled some of the silence. Hunter had never paid that much attention to music. Now, he felt the singer’s maudlin ache down to his bones. He had hungered for Kata’s touch for a long, lonely time without knowing it. He did need her love. What the hell was he going to do if he couldn’t convince her to believe in them before he left?

“What was our wedding like?” she asked softly.

Despite the turn of his thoughts, Hunter smiled. “Loud. Crazy. Christi and Mick married right before us.”

“Who?”

He laughed. “The couple we met in the bar. During the ceremony, the officiant kept rubbing his eyes, complaining that he’d pulled a double shift with a hangover. His assistant turned the music up loud, either to keep him awake or annoy the hell out of him.” He chuckled again. “Elvis tunes at a Vegas wedding. How cliché is that? But I don’t regret it.”

Kata didn’t say a word, just stared out the windshield, as if she were imagining the scene.

He frowned. “Did you have a dream wedding in mind?”

Her expression turned wistful. “I think most women do. I wanted to wear white and look beautiful. I wanted my brother to walk me down the aisle, with my mom and sister beaming in the first row. I wanted to hold a big bouquet of white roses, have a long train, and meet a man at the altar who’s crazy in love with me.”

If he could keep them together, Hunter vowed that, someday, he’d make that dream come true. “At least you got the last part right, honey.” He reached out, grabbed her hand. “I love you. I know you have feelings for me, too, that scare you, but I think we can work everything out.”

“How? We’re running from a killer, my mother is sick, we don’t see eye to eye, and what we have scares me half to death. You’re leaving town and—”

Hunter leaned over and planted his lips on hers, silencing her. “Window dressing, all of it. We’re going to find the killer. Your mother will recover. We’ll get along just fine once you realize we’re perfect for each other. There’s no reason for you to be scared. As for me leaving, yeah. But I’ll be back. It’s that simple.”

She gnawed on her lip. “Hey, is that the golden arches up there? I’m starving.”

A not-so-subtle change of subject. But pushing her now would be counterproductive. Four days wasn’t a long time for anyone to fall in love, be comfortable with a new sexual lifestyle, and overcome years of relationship fear. She needed time. Hunter glanced at the clock, then stifled his urge to curse. He shipped out in seventy-two hours. They’d come a long damn way in a short period of time. And he prayed they’d make it . . .

But his hope was beginning to dim.

KATA swallowed nervously as Hunter ushered her mother into the darkened house on the outskirts of Tyler, Texas. As they entered the classic southern brick house with large windows, a tall shadow fell over the threshold, same height and build as Hunter. Same haircut, same mien. This man also looked handsome as hell, but drawn, almost haunted. Would Hunter look like that in twenty years if she left and he never found love again?

“Son.” The man relaxed, as if he’d just identified the person entering his house as a non-threat. “Glad you’re here.”

“Colonel, this is Mrs. Buckley.” He nodded to Mamá, who looked so tiny in his arms.

“Carlotta,” her mother smothered a cough. “I don’t mean to intrude. If this is inconvenient—”

“It’s not. Call me Caleb.” He addressed Hunter. “Set her on the sofa. I’ll take her up to her room when she’s ready.”

The Colonel even sounded like Hunter, a bit gruff, very to the point. Kata lingered in the doorway. Was leaving her mother here really a good idea? It
was
doubtful that Gordon would find her or fuck with someone as intimidating as the Colonel, but could Mamá recover with a terse stranger hovering?

“Will do, sir,” Hunter said.

As soon as he moved to do his father’s bidding, she sensed more than saw the Colonel’s gaze zero in on her. Kata’s heart stuttered. Though she couldn’t see his face clearly through the shadows, something about his stance said he wasn’t pleased.

The Colonel stepped forward finally, the foyer lights spilling across his face. God . . . it really was like looking at Hunter in twenty years. Tawny hair, though his had sprinkles of gray. Blue, blue eyes. Attractive, hard, demanding.

“Hello, sir. I’m Kata.” She held out her hand, praying it didn’t tremble.

Silently, she berated herself. If she and Hunter weren’t going to remain married for long, it hardly mattered whether his father liked her or not. But that logic didn’t smother her anxiety.

“Hunter’s bride?”

“Yes.” At least for the moment.

He took her hand and stared hard. Damn it, there was no way she would allow herself to feel inferior under that assessing glare. She lifted her chin and met his gaze, refusing to cower.

“She’s got spine, son,” he called across the room to Hunter. “I approve.”

Finally, a stiff smile crossed the man’s face, as if he knew she’d been holding her breath, then he guided her into a cozy den dominated by a chocolate brown sectional and a huge flat screen. Kata relaxed, but wondered . . . what had the Colonel expected?

Hunter settled her mother on the sofa and wrapped a blanket around her. The TV flickered mutely in the background. Kata sat beside her mother, holding her frail hand. Carlotta drifted off almost instantly. Between the illness and the medication, she was exhausted.

“Clearly your mother needs rest.” The Colonel stared at her mother. “I’ll make certain she gets it.”

Mamá didn’t like being idle, but in this case, it was good for her. “Thank you.”

He turned to Hunter with a scowl. “You say her husband wanted her to make dinner?”

“Yep. Was cranky that she hadn’t.”

“Fucker,” the Colonel said under his breath, then glanced her way. “Excuse my language, but my opinion of him stands.”

Kata shrugged. “You’ll get no arguments from me. He is a fucker. I hate him.”

The Colonel threw his head back and laughed. “She’s definitely not like those twits you used to spend time with. Logan still hasn’t learned his lesson. He’d been here all of five minutes when he started sexting with some local hussy begging for a dose of pain.”

“Give it a rest, Dad.”

Kata whirled at the new voice from the edge of the room. He had the same piercing blue eyes that his father and older brother possessed, the same large frame and intimidating stance. The similarities ended there. His hair was like midnight, his skin naturally bronzed. The cleft in his chin a throwback to another side of the family. This had to be Logan.

As if on cue, his phone beeped. He took it out, slid the keyboard open, and muttered as he typed. “I said midnight. Natalie definitely needs a spanking.” Then he pocketed his phone. “Hey, bro!”

With a laugh, Hunter crossed the room. “How the hell are you?”

The two brothers embraced and gave each other hearty slaps on the back. “Damn fine.”

“I thought you’d be in Dallas.”

Logan shook his head, peering around his brother to stare at Kata. “Wouldn’t miss meeting the woman who snared your heart.”

“Kimber called with news of your surprise wedding,” the Colonel said wryly.

Hunter rolled his eyes. “Our little sister needs to keep her mouth shut. God, why doesn’t she just send an announcement to the paper? Or plaster it all over Facebook?”

“I’m sure she’ll do both as soon as she’s recovered from childbirth,” the Colonel assured. “I saw her and Baby Caleb this afternoon. He’s got a fine, healthy set of lungs. And seems to have the Edgington eyes.”

“Agreed,” Logan threw in. “Precious baby. Deke is in love all over again.”

Wincing, Hunter admitted, “I meant to see Kimber and the baby this morning when I reached the hospital, but I got . . . sidetracked.”

By the sight of her sitting on Ben’s lap. Kata cringed. Being with Ben hadn’t been emotional or sexual for her, but the incident had caused an argument, forced painful revelations—and Hunter to miss seeing his newborn nephew.

Logan’s phone beeped again. He glanced at the screen, raised a displeased brow, then pocketed his phone.

“Who wants Chinese food?” Hunter’s brother asked, as if everyone in the room didn’t know that some impatient woman was dying for his discipline.

“Good idea,” Hunter agreed.

Twenty minutes and a straight-up whiskey later, Kata sat with the men at the round, utilitarian table, trying to stay awake. The eventful morning and hours in the car piled on top of the days’ worth of vigil in the hospital were catching up with her. Resting her head on her hand, she closed her eyes. What she wouldn’t give for a bed and eight uninterrupted hours of sleep.

Then Hunter mentioned the one subject guaranteed to rile all the other alpha males in the room.

“What do you mean, someone is trying to kill Kata?” Logan glared at his brother.

Their father followed suit, eyeing her protectively. “Suspects?”

Oh, she didn’t need more drama—or testosterone—right now. “No one has made a move against me since Sunday. Maybe . . . he’s given up. Or the hired killer who died in jail took his secret to the grave. Or someone realized they had the wrong girl.”

“Or maybe they’re hiring someone new as we speak. Between the fact that I’ve tried to protect you and you haven’t stayed in one place for too long, we’ve been lucky,” Hunter stated.

Kata wasn’t feeling acquiescent. “Really, who would be trying to do
me
in? So I pissed off a gang thug by issuing a warrant for his arrest. I’m a probation officer,” she supplied for Logan and the Colonel when they looked confused.

Hunter shook his head. “I don’t think a punk from some street gang has the kind of connections to hire an assassin with that kind of equipment.”

“Professional?” The idea looked like it pissed Logan off.

“All the way.” Hunter nodded.

“What do we know about this guy, except that he’s dead?” her father-in-law asked.

“Not much. He had no ink or affiliations that we could find. Guy was iced ten minutes after hitting lockup. They still haven’t ID’d the body.”

Logan whistled. “Quick work. Someone wanted their loose ends covered.”

“Yeah, and fast.” Hunter grabbed her hand, squeezed. “Jack knows all the local cops. As soon as they figure out who this John Doe is, he’ll call me. Maybe that will be a clue. For now, Kata can’t think of anyone trying to kill her, other than this Cortez Villarreal.”

“Something’s not adding up.” Arms crossed, the Colonel stared her way.

He looked like he wanted to interrogate her, and frankly, Kata wasn’t in the mood. “Damn it, no one else has cause to be angry with me. I don’t know who else would want me dead or why. If I did, I certainly wouldn’t be keeping it to myself.”

The Colonel raised a thick, tawny brow at her.

Hunter looked like he was repressing a smile. “Kata hasn’t had a good night’s sleep or a real meal in two days. This morning was particularly . . . demanding.”

Oh, he didn’t just say that, grinning with that cat-that-ate-thecanary expression. The second she got him alone, she was going to kick his ass. Still, she felt a flush crawl up her face.

As Logan’s phone beeped with a new text message, he grinned broadly at them. Even the Colonel had a knowing look in his eye. Kata glared at Hunter, the rat bastard, then excused herself. No one laughed—but they wanted to, she was sure.