What worried her was that she had no intention of sneaking off.

It was a huge mistake keeping Tess close.

Hugh’s pulse didn’t race. Ever. Yet the second she walked into the kitchen everything in his body revved up. She’d looked amazing in that blue dress, but seeing her just out of bed with casual clothes that hugged every curve of her body and noticing that she was comfortable by the confident way she moved, upped her sex appeal tenfold.

He bit the inside of his cheek to stop any lusty sounds from escaping his mouth. The animal in him wanted to strike. Down boy.

“You know,” she said, her voice upbeat, “you’re getting yourself into big trouble by doing all the cooking. Dinner last night. Breakfast this morning. One more meal and I’m going to inform you the duty is all yours.”

She blessed him with a bona fide look of appreciation and sat down at the table.

“I figure if I do all the cooking you can’t poison me.” As much as he wanted to exchange pleasantries with her, it would serve him well to keep some distance between them. Make sure her assignment never left the room despite the fact they were working together. If he let himself forget about that, he’d surely topple the rest of the way over.

“I gave you my word that wouldn’t happen until our partnership is over.” Goodbye appreciative look. “When I give my word, I mean it.”

She mumbled something under her breath that sounded a lot like “dumbass.”

If he issued another uncooperative remark it would keep her kindness at bay, and he needed to do that, but when he caught the hint of hurt in her green eyes, he couldn’t do it.

Wait. Green eyes?

He stepped to the table with two plates of eggs and bacon and looked more closely to be sure he was right. “You’ve got green eyes this morning.”

“So?”

“So last night they were blue.”

“Green T-shirt. Green eyes. Blue dress. Blue eyes. I’m just lucky that way. Confuses people all the time. Do you know how to cook anything besides eggs?” She picked up a piece of bacon and brought it to her mouth.

“Lunch is grilled cheese sandwiches.”

“Cool. So what have you been up to this morning without me? Made any progress or discovered anything I should know about? Or am I privy only to information I’m awake for?”

He deserved that. “I spoke with Dane this morning.” A forkful of scrambled eggs went into his mouth. He wouldn’t tell her it was his second breakfast. “Since last night, everything’s been quiet. There’s no word on Trey or the Wolf Seekers. The Banoth’s been taken care of and the factory cleaned up.”

“Did you expect anything different?”

“I expected some word on the position of the Wolf Seekers. Dane’s got someone who usually gets us what we need to know.”

She got up from the table and went to the fridge. He took in the slope of her neck, her narrow shoulders, her toned arms. The redness around her wrists was gone and he gave silent thanks before his gaze moved to her backside The jeans fit perfectly and allowed him to see what the dress had hidden. An ass he’d follow around the world.

“What’s the deal with you and Dane anyway?”

“The deal?”

“Yeah, you know, what are you guys? Because it seemed to me you were friendly but not friends. I’m guessing he doesn’t like you as an authority figure.” She pulled some orange juice out and examined the carton for an expiration date, he guessed. Satisfied, she found a couple of glasses on the first try and poured.

Hugh took the glass she dangled in front of him. “Thanks. You’re right. Dane hates the fact that I’m the alpha. Hates even more that Trey is my second in command and being groomed to take over.”

She sat back down and took a sip of her juice. “So Dane doesn’t like Trey very much?”

“Actually he likes him a lot. His beef is more with me.” He and Dane had much more history.

Tess studied him, her emerald eyes completely capturing his attention. “A beef over a girl?” She blinked away the connection, redirecting her gaze to the food on her plate.

How the hell had she guessed that? If he had any doubts regarding the undeniable chemistry between them, she was wiping them away. She might be the one woman who could read his mind. Scratch that. She was the one woman who could.

“Not how you might think.”

“Explain it to me.” She put a forkful of food into her mouth.

He didn’t like remembering this part of his past. His jaw clenched, his chest ached. “I’m not sure I can.”

A minute of silence passed while she ate more of her breakfast. Then she looked back into his eyes with so much concern that he relaxed enough to finish his eggs. “I’m positive my knowing will help us work together. I can tell it’s painful for you, so why don’t you just give me the abbreviated version?”

The sweet sound of her voice completely unnerved him. Kick-ass one minute, kind the next—she had no idea how much she complicated things for him. He’d planned on keeping the upper hand here, working together under his terms. But when she got personal and said shit like “I can tell it’s painful for you,” with genuine concern, he had the urge to spill everything and let her run the show.

“It was a long time ago.” Five years next month. “Nothing I plan to elaborate on now.”

“Oh, come on.” She pushed her plate to the side and leaned on the table. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

He stayed quiet.

“I know. You both fell for the same girl, you won, and Dane still hates you for it. Am I close?” Long eyelashes reached her arched eyebrows.

The look on his face must have confirmed she was damn close because he didn’t need to say a word for her to beam as if she’d discovered every secret about him. Shit.

“It wasn’t me,” he relented, torn with feelings of wanting to share and keeping the memories bottled up inside.

“There’s no way Dane got the girl over you.”

Flattered—no, horny—because she thought that, he still couldn’t come out and say it. He did have a strong desire to toss the table to the side, grab her and carry her to his bedroom. Probably his way of transferring the emotions plaguing him. At least that was what Gavin had told him on more than one occasion. “He didn’t.”

“You’re wasting precious work time, Hugh. Would you just come out and say it already?” Tenacious as he was, she’d continue until she dragged it out of him.

“Dane’s college sweetheart dumped him for my brother, Max. Her name was Heather and the moment she and my brother met, they fell in love. The kind of love that comes around once in a lifetime. Max took her as his mate.”

“Mates are for life, right?”

“Right. Dane was devastated. Not because he wanted Heather for a mate, but because he was embarrassed and ridiculed by some of the other younger pack members. Myself included. My brother was the leader so it was without recourse that he and Heather became matched. They were madly in love, deeply connected. Their union lasted only a year before Heather passed away. Without her, my brother died inside. I tried everything to bring him out of his depression. Nothing worked and three months later, he was gone. Dane expected to take over the leadership position.”

“But you did.”

“Yeah.”

There was more to it than that, but he didn’t want to delve deeper into what had cost him his best friend and mentor. He’d looked up to Max more than anyone, wanted to be just like him. Wished every day he was still around.

Tess got up from the table, picked up the plates, then put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry about your brother.”

She lingered there for a long moment. He didn’t look up, opting to keep his gaze level with the empty chair across from him. If he looked at her, he was sure her beautiful face would completely rattle him. He had to remind himself that love was a curse, that he didn’t need anyone. Not now. Not ever. Shutting down his growing feelings might not be easy, but it was necessary. When his partnership with Tess ended, he needed to walk away and not look back. The pack depended on him.