"I'm not going to be your damsel in distress," she says quietly. "I won't hide while you fight. That's not who I am."
"I know."
"Do you? Because since we got here, you've been treating me like cargo to be protected."
"You need to be protected. You're the only witness to their vulnerability."
"I'm a person, not evidence." She steps into my space. "I have skills. I can help. I'm not going to sit here like some princess in a tower while you?—"
I kiss her. Hard, possessive, swallowing the rest of it. When I pull back, we're both breathing fast.
"You're not a princess." My mouth is still against hers. "You're a warrior who doesn't know how to fight yet. There's a difference."
"Then teach me."
No hesitation. Not asking to be saved—asking to be armed.
"Tomorrow," I tell her. "Sunrise. Basic firearms, then we work up."
"And tonight?" Her hands slide up my chest. "I need sleep, but I need something else first."
"What's that?"
"You." Her fingers find my belt. "Preferably multiple times. In multiple positions."
Christ.
"That's quite the bedtime request."
"I'm quite the woman." She's already working my buckle free. "Or haven't you noticed?"
"Oh, I've noticed."
She grins—wicked and wanting. "Then stop talking and take me to bed."
"Bossy."
"You love it."
I do, but I need to establish something first.
I catch her wrists as she reaches for my zipper. "We do this my way."
Her pupils blow wide. "Which means?"
"I'm in control." I release one wrist to cup her face. "Always. That's not negotiable."
She holds the look for a long moment—assessing, deciding. She just armed herself against an international criminal syndicate and sat across from me while the timer ticked. She's not afraid of anything right now.
"Definitely." The grin turns bright and filthy. "I like you in charge. Makes me wet when you go all commanding."
"Fuck, Wren."
"That's the idea."
I pull her to the bedroom.
The belt comes out first.I thread it through the headboard slats and secure her wrists above her—not tight enough to cut, tight enough that she feels it when she tests it. She tests it immediately. The low sound she makes when the leather holds sends heat straight down my spine.
