Chapter Six

Chapter Six“Oh come on, Cat, I’m not asking you to go to the basement,” said Briar a week later as we spoke on the phone. “Just come see a burlesque show with us.”Letting my head fall back to lean on the car’s headrest, I looked up at my apartment building through the windscreen. “I’m tired. It’s been a long day. I want to get off my feet.”Walking around a shopping mall for hours was more tiring than one might think. The soles of my feet throbbed like little bitches. All I wanted to do was go home, take off my shoes, sift through my purchases, and try out one of my brand-new bath bombs. The idea of a long soak in the tub sounded like heaven right now.“You’ll be sitting on your butt throughout the entire show,” Briar pointed out. “There’ll be no strenuous activity. It’s been a while since we, Izzy, and Inaya went to the club together. You’re currently playing a hefty membership that you don’t even take advantage of. That’s just senseless. And come on, Cat, you love burlesque.”“I really can’t be bothered to get all dressed up.”A sigh. “You said you’d come see a show with us some time, but you always have an excuse. You’re tired. Your head hurts. You’re busy with work. You’re constipated.”I felt my brow crease. “I never once said I was constipated.”“Huh. Must have been someone else. Anyways, I know you said that you want space from Danton, but there’s no risk that you’ll bump into him on that floor.”I righted my head. “I thought you said that you were going to stop pressuring me to return to the Vault before I felt ready.”“What I should have said is that I’d try not to push.”I snorted, my lips quirking. To be honest, I’d expected my bossy and incredibly tenacious friend to resume coaxing me to go back to the club at some point. She didn’t handle it well when someone she cared for was hurting. It made her want to fix it. And in her mind, getting me back in the basement’s saddle where I could find myself a new play partner was what I needed. Dragging me to a burlesque show was simply a way to get me back to the Vault.“All in all, it’s been a month since you were last there,” Briar went on. “And if you want the truth, Danton has—”“I don’t want to hear about anything he has or has not done,” I stated, fisting my hand on my lap.“Yes, but—”“No, I don’t want to know. If I keep track of what he is or isn’t doing, I’m giving him mental space that I don’t want to allot him.” He took up enough of that as it was.“Fine. Consider the subject dropped. Not the part where I want you to come see a show with us, though. That part of the conversation is not over.”I groaned. “Briar—”“Please come. It’ll be fun.”I pinched the bridge of my nose.“Being tired never stopped you before. Chug down some coffee, and maybe even take a cold shower—the latter will wake you right up.”Dropping my hand back to my lap, I sighed. “Woman, you are so freaking—”“Bossy, I know. It’s a helpful trait. And it’s fun to wear people down. You know what’s more fun? A girls’ night out.”I rolled my eyes. She wasn’t going to drop this. I could tell. There were times when she’d fold, but this would not be one of them.“If I didn’t think it would be good for you to go, I wouldn’t pester you about it. Probably. Actually, I can’t be entirely sure. Anyway, you need this, even if you don’t think you do. If the situation were reversed, you’d encourage me to do the same thing.”That was in fact true. I wouldn’t like the idea of her steering clear of the Vault to avoid one guy; wouldn’t like her giving him that much power. I’d want to drag her back to the club and remind her how much she loved the place. I’d be sure that such a thing would be good for her. So just maybe it would be good for me.I sighed. “You only want to see a show? You’re not going to afterwards say something like ‘oh, how about we go to the basement for half an hour?’” Because I wasn’t ready for that.“No, I promise. Even Izzy won’t be going there tonight—she’s meeting Cole at his place later. It’ll just be us girls, and our only intention is to go see a show.”Rubbing at my temple, I asked, “What time does it start?”A pause. “You’ll come?”“I’ll come.”There was a low squeal of excitement. “Great! We’ll have a ball! It starts at eight. We’ll pick you up in a cab on our way to the club, so be ready for seven-thirty.”Grabbing my purse from the passenger seat, I said, “All right.”“Awesome, see you there!” She hung up.Puffing out a breath, I dropped my cell into my purse and gripped my keys tight. I really wished I shared her eagerness. But though I’d agreed to go out, I couldn’t muster up any real enthusiasm about it. I was genuinely dog-tired and eager to relax. Plus, I knew that memories of the times I’d shared with Danton at the Vault would crawl all over me the moment I stepped foot in the club, whether I went to the basement or not.Mumbling a curse, I exited the car and hooked the strap of my purse over my shoulder. I didn’t worry that I wouldn’t handle the situation well. No, I worried I’d do something stupid while tanked up on alcohol—my friends were sure to get me drunk so I’d unclench. I’d hate myself tomorrow if, absolutely shitfaced, I ventured down to the basement and sought him out to confront him and his new toy.God, why had I agreed to this again?Spitting out another curse, I headed to the rear of the car. I needed to get my shopping bags out of the trunk before—A large hand slapped over my mouth, an arm curled around me from behind, and someone roughly hauled me backwards.I froze for the briefest moment, shocked. Then I screamed into the palm, twisting to escape the arm that held me in place. But its grip remained painfully tight.And then whoever the arm belonged to started to drag me away from my car.Fuck.Adrenaline pumping through me,I struggled, scratching at the back of the hand that covered my mouth. My breathing went to shit. My heart raced at a panicked beat, slamming against my ribs.A growl sounded into my ear. “Behave,” said a deep, male voice that I didn’t recognize. “Stop fucking struggling.”I bit into his palm.He hissed, his hand flexing. “Bitch,” he spat.I lifted my foot to stomp on his instep but then almost lost my balance as he stumbled, his arm still clamped tight around my waist.I went to try it again, but then the hand he’d slapped over my mouth disappeared. Yes. I pulled in a long breath and opened my mouth wide, ready to scream for—Something cold and metal dug into my temple.I stilled, terror forming a lump in my throat.“Now be-fucking-have or—”He was suddenly gone. Just gone.Free, I staggered backwards. My hands instinctively flew out at my sides, and one landed on something solid. A car, I realized as I looked to my right. Its trunk was wide open, and my stomach rolled as I saw what was inside. But my attention quickly snapped back to the sight before me.A guy—huge, unfamiliar, dark-skinned—was kicking the shit out of an equally unfamiliar male who was sprawled on the ground.I blinked hard, mentally scrambling to take in the scene. Logic eluded me. I couldn’t quite absorb the situation. It had all happened so fast. The asshole who’d grabbed me had come out of nowhere, and now I was struggling to get a mental foothold.Sounds seemed muffled. My body began to feel numb. My vision became a little gray around the edges.I distantly noted the gun lying a few feet away. My insides seized. I thought about grabbing it, but I couldn’t seem to move my legs.Finally, the dark-skinned guy turned to me, panting slightly, his face a mask of anger. “You all right?”No. No, I wasn’t. Someone had come at me from behind. Had tried to take me. Had put a gun to my head. And the trunk of the car beside me was not only wide open but had rope and duct tape inside it and … and …Out of nowhere, an icy calm ever so slowly fell over me. My rioting thoughts soon stilled, taken over by pure apathy, and my bunched muscles lost their tension.“I’m fine,” I replied, my voice quiet and flat.I looked down at who had to be my attacker, distantly aware that my helper was now making a phone call—no doubt to the police. I did nothing. Said nothing. Felt nothing.Seconds ticked by. Or maybe minutes. It could have even been hours. I lost all concept of time, feeling disconnected from the world.I kept my eyes on my attacker, who occasionally tried crawling away only to receive a vicious kick from my savior. I didn’t care. I didn’t care that the asshole was clearly in pain. Nor did I care that his face was swollen and his blood stained the ground. None of it mattered. Nothing did.I heard a car engine. Footsteps. A brief, quiet exchange of words.Someone appeared in front of me, and a finger raised my chin. Two dark, whirling pools of fury stared into mine. “Hey baby,” said Danton, his voice low and soft, but the words … they just didn’t reach me. I only really registered his tone—soothing, calm, patient.My helper flicked me a glance. “I tried getting her to talk, but she’s checked out.”Danton’s eyes drifted over my face. “Yeah, I see that.”Again, words meant nothing to me. But I latched onto Danton’s voice; heard the forced calm that laced it.He gently pushed my hair away from my face. “I’m going to check you over. I need to know if you’re hurt.”I stayed still as his eyes and hands roamed over me.He closed his hand around my wrist, placing his thumb over my pulse. “Too fast,” he said so quietly I almost didn’t hear him.“She all right?” asked my savior.Sliding his hand from my wrist to my shoulder, Danton turned back to him. “She’s not hurt. I’m gonna get her away from here. You know where to take that piece of shit. I’ll deal with him later. Soften him up for me.”“Gladly,” the other male all but growled. “Here’s her purse. Found it over there on the ground with her keys. I locked the car with the fob and then tossed the keys in the purse.”Danton gave him a nod and then pushed something into my hands. “Hold onto this, baby.”I looked down at what he gave me and blinked. My purse. I didn’t recall dropping it.He moved closer, bent slightly, and lifted me into his arms. “You’re all right, I got you.”Melting against him, I stayed still and quiet as he carried me to his car. He carefully placed me inside and then clicked on my seatbelt before heading around to the other side of the vehicle. I watched as he slipped into the driver’s seat and put on his own seatbelt.Danton’s gaze snapped to mine, still alive with fury. He gently gripped my chin with his thumb and forefinger. His eyes searched mine, and his lips thinned.“I’m going to need you to snap out of it soon, Cat.” He released my chin and faced forward. The engine started up mere moments later, and then we were moving.His hand often rested on my thigh while he drove. He sometimes spoke to me, but I couldn’t take in his words. I focused on the movements of the car—so fast, so smooth—and how it purred almost like a panther.No sooner had the car stopped than he was lifting me out of it. He didn’t set me on my feet. He shifted me so that my front was pressed to his, silently urging me to curl my legs around his hips. I did so, burying my face in his neck.He carried me into a nearby building, stepping straight into a brightly lit lobby. Danton exchanged words with a man standing behind a desk, who skirted around it and pressed a button for the elevator.There was a ping. The shiny metal doors opened. Danton stepped inside, still carrying me. I heard a jingle of keys, and there was some fumbling near the operation panel. Moments later, the elevator began to ascend.Danton nuzzled my hair. Nuzzled. I frowned. It was so not a Danton thing to do. The surprise of it was enough to pierce my fog, and awareness slowly crept in.“Almost there,” he said.The words slipped into my mind. Registered. But I didn’t ask where ‘there’ was. I just clung to him.After a quick upward ride in the elevator, we were inside an extremely spacious apartment that I didn’t recognize. There were lots of dark woods, stylish furniture, and clean lines.In the kitchen, Danton carefully set me down on a stool at the island. He caught my face in his hands and tipped it backward. “Look at me, Cat. That’s it, right at me. Good girl.”I stared up at him, noting that fury still burned in his eyes. But there was something else there. Something softer. Warmer. Something I wasn’t used to seeing. And more of my fog began to lift.“Yeah, you’re coming back to me now, aren’t you? Good. Now, can you tell me where you’ve been today?”I licked my lips. It took a few moments before the answer came to me. “Shopping.”“Hmm, what did you buy?”I frowned, thoughtful. “Shoes. A purse. Bath bombs. Some other stuff.” I couldn’t quite remember it all.“What did you do after you were done shopping?”“I drove home.”“And did you go up to your apartment?”“Yes, I … No. No, I meant to. I was going to.” Flashbacks hit me fast. The hand slapping over my mouth. The arm around my waist. The growl in my ear. The cold metal at my temple.My apathy cracked like a frozen lake. Hard. Sudden. Fast. Reality quickly set in, pushing away the rest of the fog. And I started to shake.Danton took a firm hold of my shoulders. “Shh, you’re all right now, Cat, you’re safe.”“He tried to take me,” I whispered. Shocked. Astonished. Furious. “He put a gun to my head.”“You don’t need to worry about him.” Danton gave my shoulders a light squeeze, pinning my gaze with his own. “He’ll never get near you ever again. I promise you that.”I looked down at my tremoring hands. “I can’t stop shaking.”“It’s just an adrenaline bleed, you’re good.” He rubbed my upper arms. “Can you tell me what happened? I know some of it from Duke.”I blinked. “Duke?”“The man I put on you.”I felt my brow furrow. “You put a man on me?”“Yeah.” A flippant response. “Now what happened? This is important. Tell me.”I shifted slightly on the stool. “I was walking toward the rear of my car so I could get my bags out of the trunk. Someone grabbed me from behind and put a hand over my mouth so I couldn’t scream. He started dragging me backwards. When I wouldn’t stop struggling, he put the gun to my temple.”A fresh flame of anger flickered to life in those dark eyes. “Did he say anything to you?” The words were deceptively calm.“Only to order me to stop struggling and behave. Oh, and he called me a bitch for biting his palm.”Both approval and pride glimmered in Danton’s gaze. “Good girl. Duke said you were putting up a fight. So you have no idea why that guy made a try for you? He didn’t say?”I shook my head. “I figure he’s just some sicko who kidnaps and assaults women. He had … things in his trunk.”“Yeah, I noticed.” Releasing my arms, Danton took a small step back, twisting his lips. “Maybe he is just some sicko, or maybe he has another motive.”I narrowed my eyes. “Wait, you think he might be one of Jorge’s enemies or something?”“He could be. He also could be one of mine.”I felt my brow pucker. “But why would someone target me to get to you? That makes no sense.”“It’s possible that your family told others that I claimed you. Despite that there’s no specific reason for anyone to think you mean something to me, one of my enemies might have nonetheless thought to target you.”The reminder that I didn’t mean something to him made my stomach twist. “You didn’t tell Jorge that we’re not ‘involved’ anymore,” I noted.“Neither did you.”True. “I figured you would do it.”He gave a small, fluid shrug. “You thought wrong.”Apparently so. But I’d had very good reasons for keeping this nugget to myself. I couldn’t imagine what Danton’s were. Then again, he wasn’t the type to report details of his private life to people as if they were privy to such things.Flexing my fingers, I noticed that my hands were no longer shaking. The body tremors had also eased off. Feeling steadier now, I said, “I need to call the police.”Danton gave a slight shake of the head. “I’ll take care of the situation.”Understanding he wouldn’t want any contact with the cops for obvious reasons, I said, “I can be somewhere else while I call them, I don’t have to bring you or Duke into it.”He towered over me. “Listen to me, Cat. No cops. I will take care of this. Don’t argue. No point.”“But—”“No point,” he repeated. “And don’t call Jorge either. Not yet.”“Why?”“I want to first have a chat with who tried to take you and get some answers.”Confused, I opened and closed my mouth a few times. “You wouldn’t rather pass on the problem to my family?”He frowned. “Why would I want that?”“Well, it’s for them to deal with, isn’t it?” I was no one to Danton anymore.He leaned toward me. “You’re under my protection. You know that.”“I kind of thought that was in the past tense.” He didn’t put people who were outside of his circle under his protection—or so he once told me.“Well it isn’t. And I’ll personally be dealing with the fuckhead who thought to take you. So hold off on calling Jorge.”Never in a rush to speak with my father, I said, “Okay.”Danton gave a simple nod of satisfaction.As he crossed to a cupboard, I glanced around the very swanky kitchen. White quartz countertops, gray gloss cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and bright white tiles set on walls that were painted a light gray shade. “I take it this is your apartment?”“Yeah.” He pulled out a bottle of brandy. “Has that happened before?”My head twitched slightly to the side. “What? Someone trying to take me?”“No. You mentally checked out earlier. That happened before?”I hesitantly admitted, “Once or twice.” Only if something really bad went down, though. It was like my emotions shut down while my brain processed it all. Or something. I didn’t know.Danton handed me a tumbler of amber liquid. “Tell me about the times it’s happened before.”I knocked back some brandy. “Uh, no.”His brow hiked up. “No?”I couldn’t stop my lips from twitching. “You always sound so surprised and offended when you hear that word.”Again, he towered over me, a tumbler in hand. “You know, you’re one of few people who dares refuse me.” A gleam entered his eyes. “Though there are times you follow my every order.”In the bedroom, he meant. I was so not touching that subject.He tapped my glass with his own. “Drink.”I took another swig from my tumbler. Awkwardness began to creep in as it occurred to me that, hell, he likely wanted me to hurry and finish my brandy so he could take me home. I idiotically almost didn’t pick up on it.I swallowed another gulp. “You don’t have to drive me back to my building. I can call a cab.” He’d done enough for me tonight.Danton’s brow winged up again. “In a rush to leave?”“I figured you wouldn’t want me in your inner sanctum longer than necessary.”His expression neutral, he only let out a low, “Hmm.”“I’m surprised you brought me here at all.”“Why is that?”“We never went to each other’s apartments when our arrangement was still alive and kicking. You kept me in a box marked ‘Vault plaything.’”His eyelids drooped slightly. “You make a very good plaything.”Explicit memories crawled all over me. “Thanks, I guess.” It took everything I had not to ask questions about his new plaything. It wasn’t my business, I reminded myself as I drained my glass.He took the empty tumbler from me and set it on the counter. “If I didn’t want you here, I wouldn’t have brought you here. And if I wanted you gone, I’d have already put you in my car.”“Why haven’t you?”“You should know better than to think I’d be good with you being alone after what just happened.”He wasn’t exactly Mr. Sensitive, so why would I assume that? “You are so confusing sometimes.”“I’ve heard that before.” He tossed back the last of his brandy and then placed his glass beside mine on the counter. “Want another drink?”“No, thanks, I’m good.” I bit my lip, torn on what to do next. I really shouldn’t stay. It would be seriously unwise. The best thing for me to do would be to call one of my girls—they’d be at my side in a flash.But … I didn’t want to be with any of them right now. Much as I adored them, I had no real desire to contact them. I wanted to be with him.Crazy though it might be, Danton was the only person who made me feel safe. At that moment, while a part of me was still shaken, I needed to feel safe.“Thank you for coming for me. And thank Duke for me.” I felt my brows dip. “I’m not sure I’ll feel so blasé about you having put a man on me once the shock has fully worn off, but for now I’m grateful.”Danton’s lips hitched up slightly.“Why didyou want someone watching over me? Did you suspect this might happen if what you told Jorge became common knowledge?” If so, he could have warned me. Instead, he’d made out like it wouldn’t seem like a huge deal to others.“You’ve always had a man on you.”My head jerked. “I … What?”“Since the day after we first met at the club, you’ve had a guard.” He said it so matter-of-factly, like it was no biggie.My lips parting in surprise, I stared at him. “But … why?”“It isn’t obvious? I claimed you that first night. You know that. I don’t take chances with what’s mine.”“And you never thought to tell me that, hey, one of your men was tailing me wherever I went? Because that seems like something I should have known.”He gave a nonchalant shrug. “You would have told me it wasn’t necessary for you to have a guard. I would have disagreed, and I’d have had good reason for that. But you’d have felt it was an invasion of your privacy, so you’d have brushed off my concerns. We would have gone around and around in circles, neither willing to back down.”My lips thinned. “So you just figured that you’d do what you want and leave me oblivious.” Typical. He was an absolute law unto himself.He leaned in close, planting a hand on the island either side of me, caging me in. “You would have been taken tonight if Duke hadn’t been close. Any number of things could have been done to you. I don’t say that to scare you, I say it to point out that my concerns are valid. Be pissed at me if you want, but I won’t apologize for ensuring that you were safe. It was necessary. Tonight proved it.”Hell if I could argue with that. “We’re not in an arrangement anymore, though. Why do you still have someone watching over me? Why do you still consider me under your protection?”His gaze flitted all over my face. “Why do you think?”“I don’t know. That’s why I asked.”He slowly lowered his head and flicked the tip of my nose with his. It was such a small thing, but my nerve-endings lost their mind. He was just so very, very close, and he smelled so unbelievably good. And I’d missed him. Missed him like crazy.“I told you,” he began, his voice pitched low and deep, “I don’t take chances with what belongs to me.”My breathing stuttered as his hand settled on my thigh. The muscles there went tight, and I had to grip the sides of the stool to keep myself from reaching out and touching him. It did not help that he stared at me through eyes that burned with need.I swallowed. “We parted ways, remember?” My voice broke on the latter word.“Doesn’t matter.” His mouth did a whisper-soft pass over my own. “I still think of you as mine.” He snaked his hand further up my thigh, and I was so tightly wound I almost jumped.“You still feel mine.” His gaze dipped to my lips. “Hmm, I wonder if you still taste like you’re mine.” He gave me a soft, barely-there kiss, sweeping the tip of his tongue against my own. “Yeah, you do. Always fucking did.”He took my mouth in one smooth, entitled move. There was nothing barely-there about this kiss. It was hard. Deep. Bruising.I fisted his shirt, arching into him, soaking in the feel of his hands gliding and squeezing. God, this was stupid. This was really, really stupid. But I wasn’t going to stop.It wasn’t merely that I was so damn lonely. Or that he was so safe and familiar—two things I needed right then. It was quite simply that he was Danton.I had no willpower when it came to him. It was part of why I’d done my best to avoid him since ending the arrangement. I’d known I’d so easily cave if he made a move.The raw hunger in his touch was like a drug. He always touched me this way. As if he’d lose his mind if he didn’t. It was heady and thrilling.He peeled off my tee. My bra went next. I shakily unbuttoned his shirt while he palmed and squeezed my breasts.The shirt finally open, I urgently pushed it off his shoulders and down his arms, letting it drop to the floor. I smoothed my hands down his warm, solid chest, digging my nails in just a little.Growling, he shoved up my skirt and thrust his hand inside my panties, cupping me possessively. “Has any other cock been here since I last had you?” he asked, a dark edge to his voice. “Or has my pussy been good?”Uninterested in admitting that I hadn’t wanted anyone but him, I said, “Stop talking, Danton, and fuck me.”His eyelids lowered. “Answer my question.”Instead, I lifted my chin and asked, “What’s your cock been up to since you last saw me?”“Not a thing. Now answer me.”Not a thing? He couldn’t be serious. Could he? I didn’t know. I was in no state to think. I needed him inside me.“I will once you’ve fucked me. Now do it.” I frowned when he withdrew his hand from my panties. “Don’t you dare—”He snapped one hand around the front of my neck in a viselike grip while grasping my nape tight with the other. That was it. My nipples went hard. My core went hot. My skin prickled.He gave me a hard look. “You don’t make the demands, Cat. You don’t want to. It’s not what you need. Just feel and let your brain power down.”He was right. I didn’t want to be in control. It did nothing for me.I’d sexually experimented plenty over the years. Searching. I’d been searching for what I needed in the bedroom, and I hadn’t found it.Until him.He’d made me realize that I didn’t need props or scenes or safe words to get off. I didn’t want toys, I wanted to be a toy. I liked being objectified, and he’d taught me that there was no shame in it; that handing over such a level of power to another person was in itself an act of power.It was no effort to yield right then. Not to him. In fact, it was so easy it would have been scary if I hadn’t let go of my usual mindset.At that moment, I had no concerns. No fears. I’d done as he asked and let my brain power down. It silenced the chatter in my mind and allowed me to just float, feel, enjoy.His face went soft and lazy with approval. “There she is. My perfect little fuck doll.” He dragged his teeth over my lower lip. “Now tell me, has my pussy been good?”I nodded.“That’s what I wanted to hear. You know I don’t like other people touching my things.” He propped me on the island. “Lay back. And not a word unless it’s to tell me to stop.”The marble was cold against my bare back but I didn’t care. Not when he was sliding off my panties. My skirt vanished next.And then his mouth was on me.A gasp got stuck in my throat. He devoured me with the same raw desperation that he touched me. He did wicked things with that tongue. Licked and lashed and stabbed. All but shoved me into an orgasm that destroyed me as it whipped through my body, tightened my muscles, and made me choke on a scream.I was still panting when he tossed me over his shoulder. The hand splayed on my ass was nothing short of possessive. He stalked through the apartment and into his bedroom.The breath whooshed out of me as he dumped me on the bed.His eyes were twin pools of intensity. “Train your gaze on the ceiling, and don’t move a fucking inch unless I tell you. Don’t make a single sound.”I flicked my eyes upward and went pliant, inwardly groaning in frustration. Shit, this was going to be hard. I wanted to touch him. Had missed touching him. I wanted to drink in the sight of his gorgeous body and long, thick cock.I heard thuds that made me think of shoes being kicked off. Heard the rustle of clothing. Heard the tearing of a wrapper.The mattress dipped as he joined me on the bed. Difficult though it was, I didn’t look at him as he settled between my thighs. A hand slipped under my ass to palm it, and then he tilted my hips. I almost gasped at the feel of the broad tip of his dick inching inside me.His lips grazed my ear. “I should have brought my toy home before. You belong with the rest of my things, don’t you?” He forcefully rammed his cock deep.My breath snagged in my throat as his size stretched my inner muscles until they stung. I could sense by the tension coiled in his muscles that this ride was going to be rough. Awesome.He scraped his teeth over my jaw. “Missed you.” And then he was pounding into me. Brutally. Coldly. Impersonally. Making me feel reduced to a mere pussy that was his alone to fuck. And I bit back every moan and groan and whimper by sheer freaking will.Neither of us were going to last long. I could feel it. He was too greedy, too frantic, too desperate to … reconnect, maybe? I didn’t know if I was imagining the latter.Feeling way too possessive at that moment, I would have bitten down on the column of his throat if I’d been allowed to move, or maybe settled for scratching at his back. Instead, I made not one move. If I hadn’t had over six months’ worth of practice at remaining still and quiet while he rode me, I’d have been moaning and bucking all over the freaking place.A hand tangled in my hair and gave it a rough yank. “I should spank your ass raw for leaving me,” he snarled, still slamming hard and deep. “I should pump my come all over you and leave you high and dry.”Oh, he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t.Actually, he probably would.“Lucky for you, I only want to take care of my toy. But you pull that shit again, I will blister your ass.” He crashed his mouth down on mine and kissed me so hard I almost couldn’t breathe.It was a struggle not to kiss him back. Especially when my release was so damn close I could practically taste it, making my control a fragile thing. My thighs trembled, and my inner walls fluttered.“Nu-uh, baby. Me first. Then you.”Oh, no. I wasn’t sure I could hold out.He violently jacked his hips forward again and again and again, his cock throbbing and thickening … pushing me closer to the orgasm I was striving to keep at bay. Just when I thought I’d lose the fight, he slammed home one final time as a guttural groan vibrated in his throat.“Now you, baby.” He rolled his thumb around my clit and I. Was. Gone.I barely stopped my mouth from falling open in a silent scream as surge after surge of white hot pleasure arced through me, stealing my breath and making my world freaking tilt. Then, finally, it subsided.We both lay there, shaking, our chests heaving. Knowing I was allowed to move after I came, I didn’t stop my head from weakly falling to the side.Danton pressed a kiss to my neck as he withdrew his softening cock. He rolled onto his back, a deep sigh easing out of him, and then edged off the bed.Pure reflex made me tense, bracing myself for him to redress and pull down his mental shutters again. He might not be able to walk out on me this time, considering we were in his home, but he could still leave the room. Maybe even ask me to leave.Opening my eyes a tiny bit, I watched as he padded into what appeared to be an attached bathroom. Probably getting rid of the condom, I thought. Moments later, he was striding back into the bedroom. And since he’d noticed that my eyes weren’t fully closed, I didn’t bother quickly shutting them again as I waited to be tossed out.He retook his position on the bed, to my surprise. “Get over here,” he said, lifting his arm in invitation.I pretty much just stared at him, taken off-guard.His brows lifted imperiously. “Today, Cat.”Impatient bastard. I slid closer, cautiously burrowing into him. He buried his hand in my hair and gently kneaded my scalp.This was different. And confusing.“Relax, woman.”“I’m not used to you snuggling me.”He let out a distinct sound of male offense. “I don’t snuggle.”My mouth curled. “You’re totally snuggling me.”“I just like having you close.”He could have fooled me, considering this was a first. I was struggling to crush the hope that tried to surface; hope that things were about to change between us. He might have spoken a few noteworthy comments just now, but he often did during sex. They’d never meant anything in the past.But … he’d put a man on me. He’d kept said man on me after I ended the arrangement. He’d come to me when I needed someone. He’d brought me to his apartment when he could have simply walked me to my own.More, he was insisting on dealing with my would-be-kidnapper personally. Also, if what he’d said earlier was true, he hadn’t slept with another woman since we’d parted a month ago.Missed you.Oh, and there was that, too. Though I wasn’t sure whether I could afford to read anything into it. And that whole threatening to blister my ass if I walked away from him again? He could just mean he wanted us to resume our arrangement. Which wouldn’t be happening. But it would be my own damn fault if he assumed differently. It could be said that I was giving off mixed signals, considering I’d just let him fuck me, couldn’t it?His phone rang, pulling me out of my thoughts.The arm he’d curled around me gave me a light squeeze. I rolled onto my back so he could easily slip off the bed.Having dug his cell out of the pocket of the slacks he’d thrown on a plush chair, he answered, “Yeah?” Something lit his eyes. A sort of dark satisfaction. “I see … Good … Yeah, I’ll be right there.” He hung up and began pulling on his clothes.I sat up in bed. “Is everything okay?”Danton’s gaze dropped down my body, hotly possessive. “Fine. That was Duke. It was good news. The fucker who tried to take you is ready to talk.”Ah. Good news indeed. I was looking forward to getting some answers.I scooted over to the edge of the bed. “Can you give me a ride home on the way to wherever you’re going, or shall I call a cab?”Zipping up his fly, he said, “I want you to stay here.”I mentally stumbled in surprise. “Stay here? In your apartment?”“I won’t be gone long.” Picking up his shirt, he slipped it on. “You’ll be safe here. The place has top-notch security. No one gets in this apartment unless I allow it.”That was great and all, but I’d feel awkward hanging out here in a strange place all by myself. Still, whereas I’d normally want the comfort of my home after what happened earlier, it wasn’t where I wanted to be right now. I didn’t think I could look at the parking lot outside my complex without wanting to throw up.“I’d rather not leave you alone,” he added, fastening the last of his shirt buttons. “But I need to talk to that piece of shit. I want you to be here while I do.”I felt my nose wrinkle. “I don’t know, Danton …”“Like I said, I won’t be long.” He pulled on his socks. “Sleep. Eat. Watch TV. Whatever you want. Just don’t leave.”“Why is it such a big deal?”Having slipped on his shoes, he crossed to me again and caught my face with his hands. “Do it for me. I’ll feel better leaving you if I know you’re here where no one can get to you. It makes sense for you to stay anyway.”“It does?”“You’ll want to know what the bastard told me, won’t you? Plus, you and I aren’t done talking. There are things we need to straighten out.”That much was true, at least. I wouldn’t be able to wait until tomorrow for answers. I swiped my tongue over my lower lip. “Okay.”He let out a satisfied hum. “That’s my girl.” He dipped down and gave me a quick kiss before then breezing out of the room.I puffed out a breath. Now what?