"So you think it's okay that Raiden did what he did?" I pushed.

"I think he didn't hurt you and I think he could, easily. I think what that said was, you were standing in the way of him doing something he thought was important, that something was looking out for you, so it actually was important and he did what he said he was doing. He got you to shut up and pay attention. It isn't me, babe, who can say if that's right or wrong. I wasn't there. You gave me what you gave me, so I only have that to go on, and this is my opinion. It doesn't have to be yours. But if he doesn't hurt you, hit you, smack you, shake you but simply moves to make a point that you need to shut up and listen to him because he's relaying something important, honestly, Hanna, I cannot think that's wrong."

"He backs me into walls," I blurted.

She blinked before she whispered, "What?"

"Well, we've had some kind of... intense conversations," I thought it safe to share. "One, well, I mistook his intentions about me and accused him of using me..." Her eyes got big and I held onto Sam with one arm but waved my other hand in front of my face. "Long story, and not for now, but he kind of lost it when I wouldn't listen to him. He backed me into a wall, caging me in, got in my face and explained he is most definitely into me."

When I was done speaking, her lips were parted and her eyes were glazed.

"KC?" I called when she didn't say anything.

"Shh," she shushed me. "I'm having an o.r.g.a.s.m."

It was my turn to blink.

"What?" I asked.

KC came back into the room and focused on me.

"Honey, in the bedroom department, Mark rocks my world, every time. Every time. He does not mess around and has made it clear from the very beginning he has two priorities when we hit the sheets, and the first one is me. No joke. And my man is hot. Yum... mee. Four years of marriage, a kid and one on the way and I still get a shiver just hearing his car pull up the drive. And still, the thought of Raiden Ulysses Miller backing me into the wall and telling me he's into me. Instant o.r.g.a.s.m."

"But... it scares me," I told her.

"Then start paying more attention to him and less to whatever it is mucking up your head," she returned. "Honestly, Hanna, with how cute, pretty, funny and sweet you are, plus those legs, which I would murder for, I do not get and never have, and I've told you that a million times, why you're so d.a.m.ned shy and don't know down to your bones you deserve a guy like Raiden Miller. But that's you and I love you, so..." she shrugged, "whatever. I'm a.s.suming that he again didn't hurt you. He just wanted your attention, and babe, he's got a fine way of doing that, which a lot of women would pay him to do with them."

"Maybe I should explain more around how that came about and you'd understand," I suggested.

"No," she shook her head. "Maybe you should stop trying so d.a.m.ned hard to find fault in him or yourself or how you both are together and just accept him for who he is and how he is as he's obviously doing with you. I get you wouldn't quite believe, after years of crushing on that guy, that this can be real and it's all going to go up in a puff of smoke, but girl, the time is nigh to believe."

My breath caught at what she said, all it meant and just how true it was.

KC wasn't done.

"Hanna, babe, I haven't seen it, but word on the street is that you've got that man caught so tight in your snare he's never going to get loose. But the thing is, he has no intention of trying. The whole town knows this. The only one who doesn't is you."

Oh my G.o.d.

She was right about that, too!

KC kept on talking.

"Now, what you have to get is that he is who he is and he does what he does, and none of it, girl, with the way he is, is a surprise. This would be a different conversation if he took his hands to you, caused you pain, said s.h.i.t that made you feel like dirt, but what you've said, he does the opposite. I'm not saying you need to be a timid little mouse and let him walk all over you. Get in his face. Make him back you in a corner. But then see it for what it is. Babe, if he cares about you and what you two are talking about so much he cages you in and gets in your face, that says volumes. Intense discussions, h.e.l.l, even fights mean there's feeling. It means that what you two are building is worth it to him. If he didn't give a s.h.i.t, if he thought you were a pain in the a.s.s, he knows he can get it good elsewhere, so he wouldn't put any effort into it and he'd just walk away."

This totally made sense.

"I so should have talked to you weeks ago," I told her.

KC smiled huge and twirled her hand in her hair.

"This is me. I got an alpha who p.i.s.ses me off at the same time he rocks my world. Four years, five and a half with all that dating and engagement malarkey, I'm an expert." She again wagged her finger at me as she invited, "Now, seeing as I have years on you, you now should feel free to come and share with Auntie KC all there is to Raiden Ulysses Miller. Everything. I'll give you insights, girl, set you up to go forth and keep your bada.s.s hot guy happy."

I smiled back. "I'll do that, honey."

And I would. Well, I mostly would.

She kept smiling at me as she came toward me, stopped, bent and kissed the top of Sam's head loudly. That pretty baby head shot back. Sam let me go and smacked KC's face, giggling.

KC giggled back and moved to the stove.

I thanked the Lord I had a good friend right before Sam turned her attention and I got a baby fist to the face.

This was when I started giggling.

Sam and KC giggled with me.

Thus, KC making me feel better about just about everything, when Raiden told me he was off on a job, and, "Babe, this one is gonna last awhile," I'd felt safe to do what I wanted to do.

I wasted no time in doing it.

Therefore, Raiden had been gone for over a week and now he was back. I was pedaling to his den, excited to unveil what I had to unveil, hoping like all heck he liked it so much that maybe he'd back me against a wall to share that with me.

And I was looking forward to him doing it.

Chapter Sixteen.

Bounty Hunter Language.

I pedaled up the lane to Raiden's den and saw him, arms and ankles crossed, leaning against the side of his Jeep.

At the sight, my thrill went wild.

I smiled huge and came to a stop behind his Jeep. He grinned back at me, his shades moving over me, Spot and my bike before he started to shake his head and pushed away from the car.

I shoved down the kickstand and hopped off. I started skipping to him, but stopped, dashed back and wagged my finger an inch from Spot's kitty nose.

"Be good."

He made a kitty face at me, which said clearly he would be whatever the heck he wanted to be.

I ignored him, turned and saw that Raiden had almost made it to me. There wasn't a lot of room, but still, I ran it, took a leap and landed in his arms.

They closed tight around me.

I returned the favor with all four limbs then dropped my head to his that he'd kindly tilted back and laid a hot, heavy, wet one on him.

One of his hands slid to my behind and he let me.

I broke the kiss, smiled down at him and said, "Hi."

"Hi," Raid said back.

I battled a shiver that one syllable, said in his deep voice, shot through me and went on, "Welcome home."

"Yeah, baby. You're absolutely f.u.c.kin' right. That was a welcome home."

I didn't bother battling the shiver that time and gave him a four limbed squeeze.

He returned the favor with two arms and a hand tightening on my booty.

"Right. Put me down," I ordered. "We've got to get Spot and go inside."

His mouth twitched before he dropped me to my feet and let me go.

I skipped back to Spot and hoisted him out of the basket.

"Meow," he protested.

"Quiet, we have to show Raid his surprise."

"Meow." Spot, like most cats, wasn't big on surprises.

"Shut it, buddy," I ordered, walking up to Raiden, whereupon Spot made a break for it, a successful one, ama.s.sing his considerable kitty bulk and launching it at Raid.

Raiden caught him. Spot shoved his way up Raid's chest, planted his paws in Raid's shoulder and started purring.

"Crazy cat," I muttered.

Raiden chuckled, one arm under Spot. His other hand came out and tagged mine.

"You got a surprise?" he prompted.

"Right," I replied and bounced in my flip-flops. "Let's go."

Up the stairs we went, Raiden in front of me, Spot glaring at me over his shoulder, still purring.

When we got to the top, I shoved onto the landing, took the keys from Raiden's hand and said, "Let me."

I didn't give him a choice.

So excited, I was again bouncing on my flip-flopped feet. I unlocked his door, threw it wide, took a huge step in and cried, "Voila!"

Raiden and Spot followed me. Raid lifting a hand to push his shades back on his head, he shut the door and looked around.

I danced around.

"Right!" I cried. "Starting here!"

I danced to the bed, stopped and looked back at him.

"Your sheets and comforter were nice, honey, but they didn't match my afghan so I got this!" I motioned to his bed on the floor, the box springs now covered in a gray sheet, the mattress and pillowcases too. The comforter on top was black and gray, and there were two more pillows and some (not too many, only three) masculine but cool toss pillows scattered across the top.

I moved to the head of the bed.

"Mrs. Bartholomew was talking and said her grandson needed a project for Wood Shop. I got an idea, got the measurements and he made this!" I exclaimed, touching my hand to the black painted, low wood shelves that now ran the length of the head of the bed. Raiden's paperbacks were shoved in the shelves, two attractive lamps on top at either side.

"I got the lamps," I went on. "And Barry came in and wired an outlet in the floor under the shelves, so no more extension cords."

Still holding Spot and standing just inside the door, Raiden stared at the bed, but I was so wired, I didn't take that in and skipped to the kitchen.

"This, I found in an antique shop up Harborough Road. Killer sale," I shared, running my arm down the front of a tall, wide cupboard against the wall like I was a game show hostess. "Up top, on the shelves, as you can see, cereal, protein powder and foodstuffs." I bent and opened a cabinet door at the bottom of the cupboard. "Dishes down below."

I straightened and sideways skipped to touch the range.

"As you know, Rach.e.l.le is redoing her kitchen at home and this is her old stove, but it's only two years old and she's a cook so she only gets the best, so even used it's still awesome," I announced.

More sideways skipping to the fridge.

"Same with the fridge, and look!" I pointed at the water and ice dispensers in the front door. "Hugh came around and plumbed it so it works!"

I threw open the doors, but turned to him, forcing my face to mock grave.

"Now, I hesitate to share with you that I disposed of the lab experiments you were conducting, but Grams got you all this food and all of it is actually edible."

I was so into my show, I didn't notice that he still hadn't moved as I closed the fridge doors, did more skipping toward the table and I threw an arm out to indicate the wardrobe.

"Barry and Hugh fixed that to the wall so it's st.u.r.dier and not in danger of collapsing, and I WD-40'ed the hinges and the hinges on the bathroom doors so no more haunted house sounds."

Winding it up, I threw my hand wide toward the floors that now had a scattering of rugs.

"More sale items from the antique store," I grinned at him, "from me. They don't cover a lot, but they're better than wood, especially when it starts to get cold."

I leaned a hand onto the back of one of his kitchen table chairs and kept right on babbling.

"They have a kitchen table at the antique shop I hope won't sell, seeing as I kinda ran out of money, but it would be great in here, and bonus: no padding on the chairs so none of it can come out. They're also having a furniture sale at this place in Denver that has fabulous stuff. I almost bought you a couch, but I figured a man is usually one with his couch, so you'll have to go with me."

I threw my arms wide and finished.

"What do you think?"