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middle of it again.”
    She dropped onto the couch and stared up at Brayden.

Chapter Six
    Brayden watched fear cloud Karina’s eyes. He wanted to force her to let him hold her. She was so damned stubborn.
    He didn’t like this at all. She shouldn’t be working this case, but they were already here, already in place.
    Brayden squatted in front of Karina and put his hands on her knees. Karina was a strong woman, but right now she seemed so vulnerable and scared. It was a Karina he wasn’t used to seeing, but at the same time, was so unbelievably attracted. He wanted to hold her, protect her, make the sadness in her eyes disappear.
    “Are you going to be able to do this, Kay?” he asked. “Be tied up? Dominated?”
    Her dark, almost frightened gaze met his. “I know you. I trust you. I can do this. You just have to go slow. Treat me like you do every other scared sub.”
    “Yeah, but those subs are afraid of the unknown and sometimes even themselves. You’re fighting a demon from your past. It’s a little different.”
    She nodded. “I know, but I trust you.”
    “Do you?”
    He gripped her wrists in both his hands. When she tried to pull away, he tightened his hold. He watched her closely—the flush darkening her cheeks, the hitch in her breathing, the dilating of her pupils.
    “Just this little bit makes you react,” he whispered. “Am I scaring you?”
    She swiped her pink tongue over her bottom lip, making his heart skip a beat. Karina was one of those women who sometimes intimidated men without even trying. Gorgeous, strong, and independent, she drew looks of admiration wherever she went. The male subs at the club adored her, especially the masochists, because one thing Mistress Kay could do better than most was mingle pleasure and pain in a way that had them begging for release.
    But now she would be on the receiving end. How did that make her feel…really?
    “No,” she whispered. “You’re not scaring me.”
    He glanced down at the ring on her finger. It looked good against her skin, the stone just the right size for her hand. In the back of his mind he wondered what it would be like for her to wear that ring for real.
    “We’re supposed to be engaged.” He raised his gaze back to hers. “Are you going to be okay with me touching, kissing, and even fucking you?”
    She drew in a slow breath and nodded. Brayden smiled slightly. She didn’t appear quite as sure of herself as she did a second ago.
    “What are your hard limits, Kay?” he asked softly.
    She shrugged. “All of it?”
    Brayden’s lips twitched just a little at the tiny spark of humor in her eyes. Now there was the Karina he knew.
    He shook his head. “Sorry, kitten, but you don’t get to deny me everything.”
    “I really don’t know, Brayden. Let’s just take it one day at a time. Start light, then work your way up. If it bothers me, I have a safe word. Deal?”
    Brayden nodded once. “Deal.”
    “Can I have my hands back?”
    He bit softly at her palm, then kissed the scar covering her hand. “I think I would prefer to nibble a little,” he teased as he moved up the inside of her arm.
    The purely evil smile that tugged at Karina’s lips should’ve been a warning, but Brayden ignored it until her fingers grabbed his earlobe and twisted, catching him by surprise.
    “Ow,” he snapped, letting go of her wrists and fighting the chuckle that threatened to take the anger out of his voice. “Damn sadist.”
    Karina giggled. “I did ask nicely.”
    He pointed a finger at her. “You can’t pull that shit at the club.”
    Her confident smile was back as she rested against the couch and crossed her legs. “Who says? I am supposed to be a sassy sub, remember?”
    “Too sassy, and you’ll get your ass busted,” Brayden drawled. He stood and then leaned down so his face was close to hers. “And you know how much I like to spank tight little asses.”
    Brayden dropped back onto the sofa next to her. She crossed her arms and