Light footsteps pattered in the hallway outside, and he finished his drink, standing and setting the glass on the counter as he moved toward the door.

He opened it on the second knock to find Dana in another cute camisole and short set, her face scrubbed clean and her feet bare. She was sexy as hell and somehow adorable at the same time. The top barely covered her breasts, and her nipples were hard beneath the thin cotton.

There was no way he was strong enough to be smart for the both of them. So he shifted his weight to the side without a word. Surprise danced across her face and she moved past him, turning around feet from the bed.

He shut the door and locked it.

Her eyes widened, and her chest moved as if her breathing had quickened. “You owe me a kiss,” she whispered, looking beautiful in the moonlight streaming through the window.

His body tightened, need raging through him. “If you stay, it’s gonna be more than a kiss,” he said, his blood starting to hum.

Her chin lifted. “Good.”

“I can’t promise you more than this.” The vow he’d taken, bleeding and furious in the dust beside his slaughtered team, meant something. As did she, so he had to be honest. The pull she had on him was unreal, and his control was close to shredding. “I need you to understand that.”

“I still understand that nothing has changed between us,” she said softly, “but I’m not giving up on your survival or on getting you to let me help.”

There was no chance he’d let her get involved in the fight with Rock, but she could hope for his survival all she wanted. Couldn’t hurt. “I dream about you sometimes.”

“Yeah?” Her smile held a feminine knowledge.

“Yeah.” Oh, this was a mistake, but for the first time in his life, he didn’t care. He crossed the distance between them, getting closer to her sweet scent of orange blossoms. The bruises on her arms had faded, and he needed to be careful not to leave any more on her. The smooth skin on her face called for his touch, and he traced along her cheekbone and down her neck to her clavicle, his fingers light. “Are you sure?”

Her dimples winked. “I’m here, barefoot, in the middle of the night, Wolfe.” She looked around. “No whipped cream to play with this time.”

“I ain’t playin’ this time.” He pressed his thumb in that enticing dimple, the way he’d wanted to do for months. “I went gentle on you last time, and I also ain’t feeling gentle right now.”

She stepped into him, her hands sliding up his bare chest, teasing him with a light touch. “I never asked for gentle.”