“I want you to keep a goddamned gun. I’ll even do the license paperwork. I won’t let you go back there unless you can protect yourself!” He held his condo door open and followed her in.

Candy’s mouth dropped open. The nerve of this guy! She didn’t care how good in bed he might be she wasn’t about to be told what she could and couldn’t do.

“You don’t get to make that call!” She slammed the door behind them. She was willing to stay here tonight, because if she was honest, she did feel safer with him but that didn’t mean he got to dictate her life. “I told you, I don’t want a gun in my house.”

“I’m not giving up my weapon.”

She took a deep breath. At least he wasn’t yelling anymore. Candy pulled Bitsy out of his crate and hugged him to her chest. The poor thing was shaking, and she knew just how he felt. “Did that mean man scare you baby?”

“Now I’m mean? You didn’t think that an hour or so ago.” God he was right. Was it really just an hour ago they were in bed together?

“I don’t mind you having a gun. I just don’t want one there when I’m alone.” She calmed the puppy and then tucked him back into his crate. He curled into a ball and yawned.

“But that is when you need one the most!”

“Stop yelling at me! I just can’t, it isn’t negotiable!”

“But why?” She might have laughed at his frustration if the situation were different.

“Because...” The word hung in the air and she willed him to understand.

“Sweetheart, I’m just a dumb grunt—“

“Stop that!” She threw her hands in the air and stomped into the living room. “You are not stupid so stop saying it, and don’t act it.”

He had followed her and motioned for her to sit on the couch. She stayed standing just to prove he couldn’t order her around.

“Have it your way. I am just trying to understand. You don’t seem edgy that I have a bunch of weapons here, so why the ban at your place?”

“I told you women are more likely to get shot with their own guns.” Would he hear it for the half-truth it was?

“Babe, I’ve got state of the art trigger locks on everything I own, well almost. They all have fingerprint ID technology. If someone wrestled your gun from you they wouldn’t be able to use it unless they held your thumb to the pad. You’d be perfectly safe from other people using it.”

“I thought that was James Bond kind of stuff?”

He laughed at her. “Yeah, well, it is a great idea and they made the tech work. So you’ll take one of my pistols? I’ll work with you on the range so you know what you’re doing.” Her belly quivered thinking about the last time they were on the range.

“No.”

He growled. Not a sexy growl but one of pure male frustration. “You are the most stubborn woman I have ever met!”

“I’d have to be to deal with you!” He laughed and shook his head. The tension in the air disappeared like fog when the sun comes out.

“You got a point there. Baby, I’m trying to understand, but you gotta give me more to work with.” He patted the couch again and this time she sat. Pulling himself close he trapped her legs between his. She knew what he was doing but caged the way he had her she felt more secure than trapped. “Talk to me, please?” Jameson gave her a quick kiss on the lips but let her duck her chin when she had trouble meeting his eyes. Her fingers knotted and unknotted and she swallowed hard before getting the words out.

“I can’t trust myself.” She looked up to see confusion on his face. The tears she’d held back broke loose then. She started chafing at her scar unconsciously. A long minute passed and then he leaned forward to hold her.

“Babe, I didn’t think. I thought you were better now, but, it doesn’t matter. If you can’t have a gun in your house I get it.” She started sobbing then. He maneuvered himself on to the couch next to her and held her while she cried herself out. “I’m sorry, Hon. I am an idiot. I didn’t even think about, well, that.”

“When I cut my wrist I knew immediately I didn’t want to die and called 911. If I’d had a gun...”

“I don’t even want to think about it. Are you okay here with my stuff?”

“You said I couldn’t use them anyway?”

“I have the fingerprint trigger locks on almost all of them or they’re in the safe. There is only one loose that I keep in case of emergencies.”

“The one you had tonight.”

He nodded. “I always keep one in my chair. Part of it is the job, part of it is I’m not exactly invulnerable in this damn chair.” It was the first time she heard him say something like that. “I can lock it up I suppose.”

“But you’ll forget to take it with you.”

“Probably, I don’t even think about it unless I need it. I mean, there aren’t any kids running around here. I’ve got the permits for concealed carry.”

“It is fine. Truthfully, I don’t feel my depression as much when you’re around. I’m not crazy enough to think it is gone but you are a heck of a distraction.” She grinned at him and was almost sorry she’d told him. The man was beaming and puffing out his chest.

“Baby, I’ll distract you any time you want. Listen, it is getting late. We should hit the hay. Why don’t you go ahead I’ll be in in a minute.”

He checked in the with the cops, the electric company, and Axel. He was gonna owe that kid big time when this was over. He rolled in to the bedroom pulling his shirt over his head as he moved. He was beat, relaxed with the good sex and Candy being safe in his...

“What the fuck?” His bed was empty, like still made, empty. Where the hell had she gone?

“Candy?” No answer but he checked the can and no, she wasn’t there. No sign of the dog either. He tossed the shirt he’d already taken off in the hamper and went to find her. His usual MO would be to just bellow at the top of his lungs but she’d had a tough night. He tried to ignore the pain in his chest that she wasn’t waiting for him in his bed. He didn’t even want to admit to himself he’d been looking forward to it.

His search took all of two minutes. He watched her sleep for a second and heard the little dog give a yip.

“Oh no, it is bed time but you can sleep in your crate in my bathroom. This crazy lady is not sleeping in here and if I know her she’ll want to be able to hear you if you need anything in the middle of the night.” He got the dog squared away and then it was time to deal with his stubborn woman. She was out cold so she couldn’t see the smile he tried to hide at her being his woman. If she could read his mind she’d probably slap him or pick a fight with him. She hadn’t been entirely wrong when she said she needed all her stubbornness to deal with him. Hell, that was part of the turn on.

He buried his nose in the nape of her neck. Her scent begged him to take a bite but that sucked as a way to wake up. Still, she was sleeping in his bed, end of story.

“Candy, what the hell are you doing in here?” he whispered, following it up with a kiss.

“Mmphfff?” Her curls fell in her face and she swatted at him.

“Come on doll. You ended up in the wrong bed.” That earned him a grunt that may or may not have been a question. Sometimes you just have to grab the stubborn woman by the horns. “Upsie-daisy.” He slid his arms under her and rolled her into him then dropped her into his lap. Fuck, she was naked and warm from sleep. Now she was wide awake, clinging to his neck and spitting mad.

“What are you doing!”

“Taking you to bed.” Her breasts were pressed against his chest, her butt was massaging his cock with the way she was squirming, and her legs were dangling over his arm as he started maneuvering his chair back to his room.

“I thought I was your guest.”

“You are.”

“Then why aren’t I using the guest room, and Bitsy is in the guest bath.”

“The dog is now in my bathroom, and you will be sleeping in my bed.”

“Jameson, you have to be the most arrogant, overbearing man on the planet!”

“You love it.” He reached around her to pull back the covers and then tossed her on the bed. When she started to get out he glared at her and smart girl that she was, she decided to stay put. He washed up and stripped down to his boxer-briefs and snapped off the light. Then he got into bed. One touch of that silky warm skin on his and he went back to full on hard. Fuck, his body had no sense of self-preservation. He pulled her closer. Candy was acting like she was still mad at him but she started drawing swoops and swirls all over his skin and he lay there and took it like a champ or at least that is what he told himself. At some point a moan escaped his chest and she stopped.

“Don’t stop. Fuck, I love your hands on me.”

“Jameson, I know why you do this kind of thing.”

“Like a woman touching me?” Fuck yeah, what straight guy didn’t.

She pushed at his chest. “No, you big jerk. I mean the being overbearing and not actually just asking if I want to share your bed and stuff like that.” Great, now she was going to psychologize him, guess it was just part of her being female. Of course if she kept stroking like she was, what the hell did he care.

“Why?”

She stopped stroking and just stared at him. Damn it.

“You really want to know what I think?”

He started running his fingers all over her skin now and watched as she shivered, hell, that was almost as much fun as her touching him.

“Sure. Doesn’t mean I agree, but you’re entitled to your opinion, even if it’s wrong.” He couldn’t help grinning at her, but she went back to touching him again so he’d have let her read the phone book at that point.

“You give orders and take over because then you never have to worry about anyone telling you no.”

He thought about what she said for a minute. At some point she curled up closer and kind of burrowed into his chest. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I just like seeing that flash in your eyes when you are thinking about fighting me. And then there is the moment when you give in and trust me, trust that I want what’s best for you. Then I get to watch you melt a little. Best fucking feeling ever.”

“Maybe if you asked if I wanted to join you here instead of telling me, you would get the chance to know for sure?”

“You’re here now aren’t you?”

“I suppose.”

“So I know.”

“Does it feel like you know?” She kind of had him there. He’d overruled her all the damn time. Didn’t stop her from asking him to sleep with her, that had felt fucking incredible until she started in with the whole we don’t have anything in common/this is just temporary/scratch an itch bullshit. He knew better than to ask if she really wanted to be here. She was going to play that game, well fuck, so could he. Hell, he’d damn near invented it. And he hadn’t been kidding about the shit he’d said. Watching her work through to trusting him was like crack.

“I know everything I need to.” She was in his damn bed, it wasn’t like he’d forced her to do anything they’d done. “I’m beat, you should get some sleep. I’ve got a bunch of stuff to do before...” Fuck. He’d totally forgotten about tomorrow night.

“Before what?”

“Some of the guys are coming over to watch a boxing card on pay-per-view.”

“Oh.”

“You can just hide-out in here. They won’t be here all night.”

“Oh.”

“Or I can call the guys and cancel it.”

“No, no this is good. You didn’t want me going back to my place and it wasn’t like I could just sit twiddling my thumbs all day. I can get the food ready for them and then I can hang out with Bitsy and read while you guys watch your fights.” He didn’t miss her shiver of revulsion at the thought of watching guys pound each other to a pulp.

“If you want? We don’t need anything fancy.” She curled up with her back to him then and he found himself turning toward her. A minute later she wiggled herself closer until she was smack up against him. No complaints there, he’d never felt skin as soft as hers. He realized he was skimming his hand back and forth over her hip and pulled it away.

“Don’t stop. Please. It feels nice when you touch me.” There was something so innocent about the plain statement it made his breath catch. She wasn’t playing any games with him. At least he didn’t think so. A jolt of shock raced through his system when she reached back and lifted his top leg to curl around her and over her thigh. He fought to keep his breathing steady but his blood was racing through him so fast it was burning through oxygen. Other than the PTs in physical therapy, nobody ever really touched his legs. It was weird because losing the ability to walk didn’t affect the nerves that let him feel. He could feel the warm silkiness of her skin. The pressure of her hand on his leg. Somehow that little moment felt more intimate than when they’d had sex.

“Um, that is going to get heavy.”

“I know but right now it makes me feel safe.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

“This better?” He whispered in her ear. Damn, he could feel her blush all over her body. Her butt was nestled up against his cock and the damn thing was acting like it had found its happy place, or close to. He tried to ease back from her and she moved back against him, twitching until she was comfortable. He was most definitely not comfortable. He ached like a man starved for attention and he’d just had her less than two hours ago. Shit, he should have let her just sleep in the guest room. She let out a deep sigh as she relaxed into him. Yeah, this was why he wanted her here. Her weight against him was steadying, not claustrophobic. She nudged his leg off her, well, it had been nice while it lasted.

He damn near swallowed his tongue when she flipped around to face him and looped her arm around his neck.

“You alright?” He’d asked because she had a confused look on her face and she was gnawing at her lip.

“No, I’m not.” He was about to ask if there was anything he could do when she pulled herself closer and damn near stuck her tongue down his throat. He let her have her way with him for a minute and then tried to ease her to her back. He was even more surprised when she fought him.

“Now I’m confused.”

“I want,” he didn’t miss the way her skin heated up under his hands. “I want to be the one… in charge.” It was a damn good thing he was laying down ‘cause that was not what he had expected to hear. His cock went from mildly uncomfortable to forged steel in an instant.

He rolled to his back. “What are the rules?” She sat up next to him and crossed her arms over her chest, that was not a happy face for damned sure.

“You make the rules.”

“And?”

“I should tell you if there is something that bothers me, scares me, or I like.”

“Good girl.” He spread his arms wide. “Baby, I am all yours. If I can physically do it, I’m your willing victim.” Shit, her smile did things to him.

“Really! You mean it?”

“What’s your pleasure?”

“Stretch out on your stomach and get comfortable.”

He started laughing. “Sweetheart, comfortable became a lost cause as soon as I got into bed.”

“Oh.” Except the grin on her face was priceless.

“What the hell do you want me on my stomach for?”

“I just want to touch you. I was going to give you a massage.” Fuck, a guy could get real addicted to this.

He stretched out and folded his arms under his head. The way her eyes raked his body would make a lesser man weep but he held it together. Then her hands drifted up and down his back and holding it together got a hell of a lot harder. Her hands stopped at the small of his back and he waited for the questions. He knew the scar back there was pretty ugly. A hunting knife isn’t exactly a surgical weapon. Then there were all the surgeries to try and sew everything back together. Most of it he didn’t even remember, he’d blame the drugs but some of it was pure denial. Another stilted breath and then he felt her lips press just below the worst of the scars. The air left his lungs with a whoosh.

“Did I hurt you?”

“No. Did you want to know about...”

“Do you need to tell me?”

“Hell no. But you told me about you.”

“Maybe some other time. Right now I’m fine with this.” Then she pinched his ass. Jesus, he almost fell off the damn bed.

“Don’t think you can get away with that again.” He rolled to his back and pulled her closer. He was losing it. He started rolling her under him when she fought her way out.

“You said I could be in charge!”

The groan that rose up felt ripped from his toes. “Then quit teasing me.”

“I wasn’t. I was just... exploring.”

“Alright, you explore but I’m keeping my eye on you.” That got him a kiss. Yeah, her exploring he could live with.

At least until she massaged his cock through the cotton of his boxer briefs. Okay, he didn’t die, but his eyes rolled back in his head and the muscles in his gut quivered hoping she did it again. She did for a minute and then started tugging his shorts off. The look on her face did him in. No pity, all want.