“Afraid?” he asked, laughing. “Hmmm. Maybe I am.” His hand, still laced in her hair, forced her gaze to his, his eyes meeting hers. His voice softened. “In fact, Kara, you scare the shit out of me.”

Her chest tightened with the raw quality to his words. “I don’t know what that means.”

“I think you do.” He shackled her wrist and slid the cuff over it before she could stop him. “I think you completely understand.”

“No,” she whispered, tugging on her arm when he lifted it to the bar behind her and attached it. “Don’t cuff me to the bed.” Her free hand went to his shoulder, and she meant to push but she didn’t. Damn it, why wasn’t she pushing him away? “Don’t, Blake.” He cuffed her other hand and settled back to stare at her. She swallowed hard, feeling helpless and vulnerable with her hands over her head, her breasts thrust forward. “Is this where you torture me for information I don’t have?”

“With pleasure, sweetheart. It’ll hurt so good, I promise.” He rose up and tugged his shirt over his head.

“You promise,” she repeated, her words rasping in her dry throat as he tossed his shirt away and exposed his impressive, muscular chest. His hair fell from its clasp, in long, dark strands to brush his broad shoulders. “You promise until you decide to kill me.”

He went completely still, his eyes steady on her face, never shifting to her naked, exposed body. “I’ve given you no reason to believe I’d kill you.”

“You said you’d kill me if you had to.”

“And with the way you handle a gun I’m pretty sure you’d kill me if you had to, too.”

“With good reason.”

“I’m no different than you, sweetheart.”

“Ignacio would kill me for looking at him the wrong way. How do I know you aren’t the same?”

“I didn’t kill you for drugging me.”

“You thought about it.”

“No,” he said solemnly. “I didn’t. I just wanted to fuck you again. You seem to have that effect on me.”

Her skin flushed with the bold statement she knew was meant to distract her from what was important. “You work for the cartel. Problems get solved by killing people.”

“You work for the cartel. I’m a contractor with loyalty only to my paycheck. I’d turn around after this job and help destroy Mendez if the money was right. And feel free to tell Mendez as much. I’d say that to his face.”

Her mind was reeling, and her emotions, too, none of which made any sense to her. He made no sense to her. “Then why are you pushing me so hard?”

“What are you so afraid of me finding out?” he asked instead of answering her question.

“I’m not afraid.”

“You said you were.”