Logan stopped the car beside the curb of a nondescript little house about six blocks from his family. “Got a surprise for you inside. Merry Christmas, bro.”
When he got out of the car and grabbed the duffel in the back, Hunter followed reluctantly. “If you’re trying to set me up with one of your pain groupies, please don’t. Just let me see Dad and everyone else—”
“Sorry.” Logan darted for the door and fished the keys from his pocket. He slung the duffel in Hunter’s direction, then tossed him the keys. Hunter caught them reflexively. “I’ll be back for you by dinner. If you’d rather stay in, just text me.”
What the hell . . . ? Hunter turned on his brother and stormed down the concrete walkway, toward the Jeep. “Damn it, I don’t want this.”
“Yes, you do.” Logan got in the car and locked the door, rolling down the passenger window. “Trust me.”
With that, he drove off.
Hunter sighed. He’d be furious if it didn’t take too much energy—something he hadn’t been able to muster much of in the past six months. Shaking his head, he stalked into the house.
A female lived here, he knew the instant he hit the threshold. The décor didn’t give that fact away as much as the smell. Vanillascented air fresheners were the top note. Musky amber and lilies hit him next—a scent that made him freeze in his tracks.
Kata? It was her scent, but she couldn’t be here. Maybe he’d finally lost his mind. It would be a welcome change.
Heart pounding ridiculously fast, he closed the door behind him and stalked through the house. He was going to find out what was happening here and get some fucking peace.
The cozy living area was filled with buttery tan leather and wrought-iron tables, which led into a kitchen with earth-toned paisley patterns and cherry cabinets. The scent he sought had weakened, so Hunter turned, wending back the way he’d come, until he found a hallway.
He inhaled more of the gorgeous smell. God, it was stronger here, perfect. For the first time in what felt like forever, he had a raging hard-on. He tried to will it away.
Two bedrooms down either side of the hallway proved empty and lacking the scent he craved. The corridor dead-ended with a closed door. The master bedroom? Likely, he’d find it empty, and this strong scent the work of a candle or something, but . . . that didn’t keep his heart from beating like mad, his hope from soaring.
Hunter gripped the knob and shoved the door open.
Inside, he found a Dom’s paradise. It was a shadowed room filled with toys, tables, and restraints galore. In the middle, a woman knelt naked on her knees, head down, palms up, thighs spread, glossy dark curls swirling around her body.
Shock spread over him. Everything inside him froze, stuttered, then began racing a hundred miles an hour. “Kata?”
“Welcome back, Sir.”
What the hell was going on? Why was she here, waiting for him like his perfect fantasy? “Look at me.”
Slowly, she raised her head, her familiar hazel eyes rimmed in black liner. She met his gaze with a languid, sure sexuality that made his entire body tighten—and love. Then he looked down.
Since he’d last seen her, she’d embellished her body into his most potent wet dream. A delicate weighted hoop dangled from each nipple. Down lower, her pussy was completely smooth and bare. A little silver ring winked from between her slick folds. Dear God ... He staggered back a step.
Hunter was about two seconds from pouncing on her like a starved man. It damn sure looked like she was offering herself but... “Explain.”
She swallowed. “I’m signaling my willingness and availability to you.”
The submissive pose was generally meant to convey that, but . . . coming from Kata? “We’ve been down this road. You didn’t want what I wanted. Not to say I don’t love the way you look.” Hell, he loved everything about her—except the fears that kept them apart. “But we’re divorced for a reason. I haven’t changed.”
“I have,” she assured softly. “I want to submit in whatever way you need. I want to please you, husband.”
Everything about that statement filled him with questions, but he focused on the most important. “Ex-husband, right?”
She reached onto the bed right beside her and pulled down papers that had escaped his attention. Not surprising since her gorgeous, naked form had captured it. With a trembling hand, she handed the papers to him.
Mind racing, erection nagging him like an infected tooth, he unfolded them, knowing full well what they were.
He frowned. “The petition for divorce. We both signed. What happened?”
Finally, she looked nervous. “I never gave them back to Mari so she could proceed. I wanted to see you again, apologize for everything, submit to whatever punishment you deem appropriate, then let you decide what happens next.”
The words sank in. Shock pinged through him. Hope crept back in. “We’re not divorced?”
“No, and we won’t be unless you want to. I love you.”
Her hazel eyes filled up with tears, sincerity pouring from their depths. Hunter’s breath caught. His heart seized up. He wanted to cover her body with his and take all she offered. What little logic he still possessed made him pause.
“You were terrified of me and the sort of relationship I wanted. You sought this divorce. Now you love me?” He shrugged, struggling to balance his hope and fear. “Yes, I see you’re pierced in exactly the way that turns me inside out, and I won’t deny that the sight of your bare pussy is arousing as hell, but it’s going to take more than that for me to understand what’s different.”
She bowed her head, her silky hair sliding over her soft shoulders. The gesture, the intimation—hell, everything about the woman—was about to undo him.
“Our last night together was a revelation to me. When I wasn’t afraid about the future and put my trust in you, I simply let go and discovered how connected I felt to you. How strong. You’re not Gordon. I’m also not my mother, settling for a man who takes pleasure in bending me low to cause me pain. The last few months, I’ve worked a lot of issues out. I’m at peace. I’ve learned to submit with grace and calm. Unless you no longer love me and have moved on, I want nothing more than to be your wife in every way.”
Hope crept over Hunter, damn near blocking out rational thought. In Kata’s head, she’d worked through their issues. Maybe. God, he hoped so. But what if she went running again the first time he overwhelmed her? He didn’t think he could stand the torment of losing her again.
“My love for you was never the question. I’m always going to love you, but if we can’t be together in the most basic way . . . ” He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her, trying not to focus on the little piece of jewelry dangling between her luscious thighs that made his tongue twitch. “Why should I believe that anything has truly changed?”
“I talked at length to your brother, along with Jack Cole and his wife. They introduced me to Cheyenne, a Domme. We’re . . . friends.”
Hunter stared hard at her, a bolt of jealousy piercing him. “You submitted to her?”