“So I’m a dipshit.” Pulling off his shirt, he sent her a lopsided grin.

Kata couldn’t help but smile. Even drunk, he was self-deprecating and funny. And true-blue. Impossible to hate, even if he wasn’t showing his good side tonight.

“You are. You’d better not ruin my birthday.”

“Hey, didn’ I bring you someone?” He gestured vaguely in Hunter’s direction as he pushed his jeans around his ankles. “He’s done this before. And the girls who worked the bars near the RTC where we went to boot usta ooh and aah about him. I brought you the best. Happy birt’day.”

Hunter had experienced a ménage before? Her gaze zipped across the room to him. What little she could see of Hunter’s expression neither confirmed nor denied Ben’s claim . . . but she didn’t imagine for an instant that he’d been a choirboy.

So “yes” was a safe assumption.

His experience should have made her feel better. He’d know what to do, how to minimize any awkwardness and maximize the pleasure. But instead of feeling relief, the truth irritated her. Of course she wasn’t special to him. He hardly knew her.

But logical or not, she wanted to be special. Or maybe she simply wanted the event to be special. Yeah, that made more sense.

“Do you want to talk about this?” Hunter asked, approaching her, his hand brushing over her hip—and sending tingles down her spine.

“No. I asked for a ménage because I wanted it. Nothing has changed.” She shrugged. “So let’s do this.”

“My kinda girl!” Slivers of moonlight peeked through the drapes, enough to see Ben leer as he shoved the bedspread aside and kicked off his boxers. He bounced onto the bed, then lay flat across the mattress. In quick work, he started stroking his cock. “I’m waitin’ . . . Why don’t you strip for us?”

Strip for them? Even if it was mostly dark in the room, she was a little self-conscious. Ben knew that. Why the hell was he pulling this shit? Because Mr. Budweiser was doing his talking for him.

Kata opened her mouth to call him on it when Hunter leaned in and whispered, “Want help?”

Impossible to pass that up. Anticipation gripped her stomach in a vise. “Yes. Please.”

God, she sounded every bit as breathless and eager as she felt.

“Very happy to,” he murmured against her neck.

His voice vibrated inside her, and she quivered as every syllable crashed through her system. Damn, this man was potent. He knew just what to say, what to do, how to make her crave his next move. She wasn’t sure she liked being so unbalanced around him. Sexually, yes, more than she wanted to admit. But being independent to the core, she refused to do anything but meet him on equal footing.

Smiling, Kata reached behind her and folded her palm over his hand. With her other, she pushed her red sweater up a bit, then guided his palm right over her breast. Even through the lace of her cups, his touch was electric. His fingers scorched her. With a catching little gasp, she melted against him.

Hunter cupped her breast, testing its weight, thumbing her nipple through the lace. Her head fell back on his shoulder, and she let out a full-fledged moan.

“From the bit I can see, that’s hot. Get her clothes off, man,” Ben barked.

“We’re taking it easy here. Going slow . . .” Hunter soothed Ben’s belligerent demand. Then he turned his attention back to her.

He kissed his way across her shoulder, one hand cradling her hip. She barely had time to process how good his touch felt before he smoothed his palm up her waist, swept across her back, then pushed her sweater over her head. He threw it at Ben.

A moment later, her friend let out a drunken holler. “Whowee! That’s it. Get her bare. My dick is aching.”

Hunter didn’t say a word. Instead, he caressed her shoulders, then lower, before easing her bra from her body. Her large breasts hung heavy, aching, tips tight and sensitive. Then Hunter’s palms were beneath them, lifting, thumbing, creating a new scatter of tingles everywhere. The ache between her legs had been a dull throb since their dance, but now? It had become a needy, demanding pang, made worse as Hunter pinched her nipples.

“I would love to see you bare for me. Panting. Wet. Eager. Even the thought of it turns me on more than I can tell you. You’ll let me leave the light on and see you that way?”

It was a question . . . yet not. The command was subtle, but there. Normally, she balked when told what to do, but hearing the hunger in Hunter’s voice made her yearn to arouse him more, whatever it took. “Maybe . . . if you admit that I’m making your dick ache, too.”

“Oh, you have no idea.” She felt him smile against her neck, just as he raked his thumbs across her nipples again. “But I’ll do my best to show you.”

He grabbed her wrist and led it behind her, right over his cock. What she’d suspected from her earlier stolen grope confirmed her suspicion. He was both very hard and sizeable—and surpassed her expectations. Taking every inch of him would be a tight fit, and Kata wanted him inside her so badly, she was nearly ready to beg.

Her stomach tightened, rolled. He was good. Really good. Had she ever wanted it so badly, even though he’d done nothing more than kiss and pet her? No.

Kata moaned. “Hunter . . .”

“Off with this skirt,” he murmured against her skin.

She nearly protested when he nudged her hand from his cock, but he set to work on her zipper. The light rasp of the little teeth filled the room, along with the sound of her own rapid breathing.

“Yeah!” Ben hollered. “She’s got gorgeous thighs. I want them wrapped around my face.”

“Patience,” Hunter scolded. “She’s not even undressed.”

“You need help hurryin’ that up?” Ben raised himself from the bed.

“No. Stay there.”

The sharp command, though not directed at her, made Kata snap to attention ... and caused her to ache in a way she didn’t understand.

With a little tap on each leg, Hunter prompted her to step out of her skirt, then threw it at Ben, who caught the little leather garment—her silly birthday indulgence. “Oh, this feels good on my dick.”

“Don’t you mess up my skirt!”

“Then hurry, babe.”

“Tell me what color panties you have on,” Hunter whispered in her ear as he felt his way across her hip. “I can feel that they’re lace, but innocent white? Black, to match your skirt? Red, because you’re daring and naughty?”

His fingers crept slowly, ever closer, to the juncture of her thighs. Kata’s knees went weak. Dear God, please let him touch me there . . .

He didn’t.

“I’m waiting . . .” Hunter’s fingers hovered a fraction above her mound, the heat from his flesh burning—but the absence of his caress was killing her.

“Me, too.” She pressed her hips forward, but he evaded her, giving her the promise of a touch but never delivering.

“Answer me.”

His demand pinged through her like a live wire. A jolt. A flash of desire. “Hot pink.”

“Nice.” In reward, Hunter slid his fingers under the elastic of her little panties and brushed his fingers over her clit.

Her breath stopped, literally, and her heart drummed madly as he rubbed a teasing circle at the top of her pussy, right where she needed him—but not hard enough to send her over the edge. Her clit swelled. She sucked in a hard breath as the ache gouged her belly.

“Please . . .”

“I can’t wait to hear you beg when you really mean it.” His fingers feathered over her clit again. “And you will.”

Something about Hunter’s tone told Kata that he wasn’t just playing dominant games. He wanted to control her tonight. Kata bit her lip at the realization. Warning bells rang in her head . . . even as she melted against him. She gasped at the sensation that washed over her like hot rain. Looking for an anchor in a sea of drowning desire, she reached out for him, clung to his thighs, her back tight against his chest.

This was insane. She didn’t give this much of herself or her control away—ever. Kata knew painfully well exactly where allowing a man to control her would end. She had to find the voice to tell him her limitations now. Equals all the way or she didn’t play. But his touch on the hard, swollen nub, delving deep into her moist folds, was blinding, magical, as damn necessary as her next breath.

“You’re wet. Perfect,” he purred.

“Hunter,” she panted. “I don’t—ooh!—beg. I—I—” She gasped. “I don’t submit.”

“She doesn’t,” Ben slurred.

Her flesh tingled, burned. Orgasm was right there, and the only thing standing between her and it were his fingers. Still, she couldn’t let this slide.

Gritting her teeth against the pleasure, she reached for her stern voice. “No man commands me. Period.”

“Give me time,” he murmured against her ear, making her shiver again. “I will.”

What the hell?

Before she could protest, he lifted her, cradling her in his arms. Shock tumbled through Kata. Carrying a plus-sized girl to bed? Hell, no! Hunter could feel the effect of every tamale, every bite of chocolate, every day she’d overworked and been too late to hit the gym. . . .

“Put me down!”

Instead of complying, he raised her higher until his lips hovered over her own. “Trust me, Kata. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I might hurt you.”

Hunter snorted. “Not likely, honey.”

Before she could argue, he covered her lips with a hard kiss. Kata linked her hands around his neck and clung for dear life, expecting to have her ass meet the carpet at any moment. Instead, he sauntered across the room like he didn’t have a care. Soon, she felt the mattress and slightly stiff hotel sheets against her back.

“All better?” he murmured.

“No. You didn’t listen!”

“You didn’t trust me.”

Ben crawled across the bed to them. “Finally!”

Kata felt a hand slap down on her stomach and flinched. Was it terrible to admit that she almost didn’t want Ben here? Not in his current state, anyway. Normally, they had fun and laughs, but tonight . . .

“Gimme those luscious tits,” her friend demanded, his hand working up until he grabbed a breast and used it as a guide to pull himself closer. His mouth drifted across her shoulder, teeth slightly nipping. “You always taste good.”

Ben licked his way to her nipple, and she settled into the bed, trying to relax. She was naked, he was there, and . . . where was Hunter?

No sooner had she wondered than she felt the bed dip at her feet. Two hot hands clutched her panties and dragged them down her legs. Then his fingers curled around her ankles and urged them wide apart.

As it had every time Hunter came near, Kata’s stomach tightened and her heart galloped like a herd of wild horses. She offered no resistance as he crawled between her thighs and breathed right over her slick folds.

He brushed his thumb over her clit, and she sucked in a huge draft of air, fisting the sheets. Ben took that as a cue to suck the other nipple into his mouth, and before she could process the feeling and the rough slide of his teeth, Hunter dragged two fingers through her slick valley, then pressed them inside her deep. Almost instantly, he found a magically sensitive spot and rubbed. Arousal soared through her. She gushed, cried out, spread her legs wider, and lifted her hips in a silent plea for more.

“Ya likin’ this, Kata?” Ben asked, dragging his tongue over her nipple.

Before she could answer, Hunter rubbed that one spot again, unmercifully, and settled his tongue over her clit, slow and sweet, like he had all day.

Kata couldn’t find her voice except to whimper as pleasure bombarded her and the need grew from an ache to desperation.

“Guess that’s a yes.” Ben’s laughter rumbled as he kissed a wet trail down her neck and flicked her wet nipple.

She barely noticed. She was too busy drowning in pleasure as Hunter’s lips wrapped around her little bundle of nerves and pulled it into the heat of his mouth.

“Fuck, where’re the condoms? Shit, left ’em in the john,” Ben groused as he got off the bed, crashed against the wall, and stumbled to the adjoining bathroom.

Kata felt a guilty relief that she and Hunter would be alone for a few moments, and she sank back into the unending pleasure of his touch. He toyed and explored, wringing gasps and whimpers from her, driving her up higher . . . but always dangling her orgasm out of reach.

Seconds—minutes?—later, she heard a soft buzz and stiffened. What was that noise? Everything was still close to dark. Kata frowned. Had Ben never turned on the bathroom light?

Kata felt around on the bed beside her, but the mattress was empty. Was he still in the bathroom? Was that noise him . . . snoring? It sounded again, a light sawing, followed by a harsh exhalation. Ben had freaking passed out?