And that was exactly what he should do. He should walk right out that door and out of the damned building and have the hell done with it.
Instead, he was standing there, staring at her, seeing something in her eyes that had every male instinct inside him standing up in warning.
"And what will you do when I walk?" he snarled. "Find someone else so you won't have to sleep on that damned couch every night?"
He couldn't believe the words that burst from his lips, or the anger that seemed to ignite inside him. Damn her, he knew it was time to let her go. Knew it was time to walk the hell away before he hurt her, and yet he was still standing here. Still pushing both of them.
She inhaled sharply. "You think this is just because I don't like that damned bed?" She threw him a disgusted look. "How very good you are at salving your own pride, Chase. And whether or not another man fills it is none of your concern."
The hell it wasn't.
Chase had been ready to walk away. He had known, clear to his soul, that after tonight he had no choice but to break this off. Now, breaking it off was something he knew wasn't going to happen. Letting her go wasn't going to be an option.
He glowered back at her, watching as her chin lifted defiantly. Her shoulders were straight, her entire body braced for battle and humming with stubbornness.
And she was making him harder than ever.
"It's very much my concern," he growled. "Tell me, Kia, do you have my replacement picked out?"
Her eyes narrowed, satisfaction curling at her lips and fury burning inside her.
"Actually, I do. It's an electric blanket and a vibrator. I've decided, Chase, there are definite benefits to both."
Shock exploded through his system. It wasn't even another man? She wasn't even replacing him with flesh and blood?
"Have you tried it yet?" he snapped. "It's not going to be as satisfying as you think it will."
She shrugged at that, her expression tight with anger. "I've gotten along fine with my vibrator for two years. It's never cheated on me, yelled at me, or made impossible demands," she said. "It's never refused me, nor does it have commitment issues. And you know what, Chase?"
"What!"
"As long as I keep it in batteries, it never fails to keep me company all night long. A definite improvement over my dismal lovers, don't you think?"
"Dismal?" He said it slowly, feeling it now. He could feel it. Damn her. That darkness creeping at the edge of his senses, that pounding, primal need that he only f**king felt around her.
This was why it rose inside him like a damned animal fighting to be free. Defiance. From the moment he had met her it had glittered just behind her gaze, hidden, mysterious, daring him to find it.
"Dismal." She punctuated the word by propping her hand on her hip and regarding him with angry eyes. "You're a sex god, Chase. You have all the right moves, all the right words, and you can make a woman come until she's certain her brains have liquefied in the rush. But guess what?"
"What?" he growled.
"You're a lousy lover." Her nose wrinkled in disdain. "I can't imagine how your ex-lovers had the nerve to lie with such astounding ease when they bragged of you holding them through the night." Her voice rose. "Showering and washing them, drying them, and taking them even after Cameron left." She swung away.
Chase almost swore he heard her voice break. Kia almost swore she was going to lose control of her anger, and her pain. She shook her head and swallowed tightly.
She deserved at least as much as his past lovers, and she received so much less. It was breaking her heart, needing him to hold her, needing more in a lover than Chase was willing to give her.
"Why?" She turned back to him. "Tell me why you think they deserved more than just that very experienced c**k of yours and I didn't."
The pain blooming inside her was overshadowed not by anger, but by the pain, and the determination. She wasn't going to allow him to destroy her. She could love him. She didn't need him to be here, to hold her, to touch her, to love him. And she couldn't make herself not love. But neither did she have to let herself be destroyed.
"Because." He faced her, staring back at her, his eyes intent, watching her closely. "You're not strong enough for a relationship with me, Kia, and we both know it. You couldn't handle the games Drew wanted from you, and you may not be able to handle the dominance I'd bring into it. He nearly broke you. I won't be responsible for that."
Incredulity filled her. "You think Drew nearly broke me?" she asked in disbelief.
"You know he did, Kia," he snapped. "I watched you, when you allowed herself to leave this f**king apartment. You hid from the damned world. You couldn't face them knowing he had tried to share you. What the hell do you think you're going to face in a relationship with me, Kia? People know. Ex-lovers, friends, they know Cam and I shared our women until his engagement to Jaci. They'll guess what's going on. Is that what you want?"
She inhaled, held on to her control by a thread and refused to scream out in fury. She didn't give a damn about the gossip or what others thought they knew. What raked talons of agony across her soul was that he would use such a flimsy excuse to hold back from her.
"Fun and games are over, Chase," she told him harshly, her voice rough, her throat thickening. "You can leave now. Please lock the door behind you."
She turned away from him. She had to get away from him. If she didn't, she might get violent. Even worse, she might cry. Damn him.
"Don't you turn away from me, Kia." His hand gripped her arm, swinging her around. "You wanted this argument. You wanted the explanation, now deal with it."
"Deal with what, Chase?" she snapped. "A man who believes I'm a coward? One who thinks I deserve less than every other woman he's ever slept with?"
"That wasn't what I said, damn you."
"You called me weak." She pushed away from him.
"This is what I mean." He gripped her arms again. "Look at you, you're already hurt. Less than a month into whatever the hell is ripping through us, and I've already hurt you. This is where we are. You're soft, baby. So soft and gentle, and I'm hard. I'd break you, and I don't want that."