Free Surrender to Me by Shayla Black

his bullshit meter ring. What she didn’t say was even more interesting. Her entire body was taut. She tried damn hard to repress a shiver as she licked her lips, looked at his. Definitely, he’d reached her on a level she hadn’t expected. That connection between them had her panicking. Even if he couldn’t get the why out of her now, he’d be god-damned if he was going to let her leave this suite alone wearing that curve-hugging sweater sans bra and those fuck-me shoes.
    “Give me a minute, and I’ll get dressed. We’ll find a party and have all the fun you want.”
    She leveled a stare at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Look, thanks for the bedroom tango. But I’d rather spend my birthday with people I know. No offense.”
    He tightened his arm around her waist. “We’ve been as close as two people can get. Why don’t you get to know me better? I want to know everything about you.”
    Kata shoved at his hold. “There you go again with your ‘everything’ talk, like this is some meaningful relationship. We fucked. It was nice. Now go away.”
    Nice? He snorted. “Walks on a sunny day are nice. Orgasms so powerful they incite tears aren’t. We both know what’s going on.”
    “I think you may have overestimated your prowess.” She raised a dark brow.
    “Yeah? So all the gasping, clawing, and screaming were you just stroking my ego? Okay . . .” He shrugged. “I think you’re lying, but I’m more than willing to fuck you again if you’d like to prove me wrong.”
    Her mouth pursed with fury—then suddenly she went limp. Had she fainted? He nearly stumbled at the unexpected shift in weight but found his balance and brought her upright.
    As he lifted her hair aside and whispered her name, she elbowed him in the belly. He released her to clutch his middle. The tricky woman darted out of the suite.
    Vixen . Damn, he was used to fighting enemy combatants, not sexy females.
    But by the time Hunter worked into his clothes and hit the door at a run, Kata was nowhere to be seen. He charged down the hall and made his way to the elevator, but all of the cars had moved to lower floors. He watched the indicators as one of the cars descended to the lobby. The ugly certainty that she was on that one sliced through him.
    No way he could leave her upset. He’d come on strong, he knew. He was a soldier, and subtlety wasn’t his forte. But once he found her, he could let her breathe a little. He just needed to know exactly what had spooked her so they could work through it. And he couldn’t know that without getting her to open up.
    Glancing at his watch, Hunter wondered where the hell she would go at this time of night, even in Vegas, alone and on her birthday. She’d said that she wanted to party. Pounding on the elevator’s down button, he waited. Finally, a ding announced its arrival. Empty. He prowled inside, hit the button for the lobby, then scanned all the hotel’s advertisements for its many bars and restaurants. In short order, he found one for a club that looked trendy and loud, with pretty people dancing and lots of alcohol. His money was on that place.
    After picking up another person or two on the way to the bottom floor, the doors opened. Hunter surged outside, scanned the area, and cursed. Fucking people everywhere, milling around the lobby, checking in, flooding the casinos that flanked the bank of elevators.
    As a bellman stepped past, Hunter waylaid him for directions. In less than thirty seconds, he was jogging through a casino, up a flight of stairs.
    As he reached the top, the electronica music throbbed through his body. Ahead stood a set of frosted double doors. The club’s name sparkled across them in glittery paint: SIN
    Hunter stepped inside, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, then scanned the area for Kata. Thirty seconds later, he spotted her at the bar, drink in hand, tossing clear liquid back with one swallow, then sucking a lime.
    Shit, what exactly had he done to fuck