“Worried about me?” When was the last time someone had done that?

His entire frame came into view and more shivers ran down her arms. “I’m not sure how I should answer that.”

“You could al—”

“I’ll always tell you the truth, Tess.” His eyes held hers in the mirror as he stepped behind her.

Warm hands rubbed her upper arms and just like that, she melted. Her head lolled back against his chest.

“You’re shivering,” he said, moving his hands up and down a little faster. “Are you okay?”

Tess couldn’t speak. She couldn’t find her voice. Words ran through her mind in incoherent sentences. All she could do was shake her head no.

He moved even closer and her eyes fluttered shut as she enjoyed the feel of being cocooned in his arms. When his lips brushed the side of her temple, she lifted her lids. The song Hungry Like the Wolf played in her head when she noticed the blue of his irises spotted with gold. And not for the first time, she guessed the animal in him wanted to claim her as much as the man did. All the tension vanished from her body.

“I think I’m suffering from the same thing,” he whispered.

The decision to love him or leave him warred inside her. She’d lost most of her faith after Jason had died, but right now she wanted to choose faith over common sense and see where it led her.

“And I think I know the cure,” he said. “I want you.”

At that moment, there was nothing she wanted more than him. “Okay.”

“What are you doing?”

“Warming up the room.” Hugh finished turning the knob on the shower and returned to her backside. “You still feel cold.”

“I thought you were going to warm me up.” She remained where she was, hands on the countertop, speaking to the Hugh in the mirror.

When his chest met her back, every muscle in her body tingled. She leaned against him, unable to stay steady. His mouth dotted the side of her neck with kisses that turned her into a submissive sack of softness.

“Oh, I am.” His husky voice annihilated any last hope of composure.

His hands slid down her sides before finding their way to the front of her shirt. He cupped her breasts, pushed them up, massaged them, rolled his thumbs over her pert nipples. A quiet moan escaped her lips.

She wiggled her ass, made contact with his erection and wiggled some more.

He growled and danced his fingers down her stomach, slid them under her shirt and started back up again.

Steam filled the room, removing the chill that had settled around her earlier. With a slow, deliberate lift of his arms, he pulled her shirt over her head and let it fall to the floor. His lips slid to her shoulders and collarbone while those magic fingers of his undid the clasp of her bra.

She watched him in the mirror. His eyes were hooded and he seemed to be enjoying every taste, every feel. His fingertips drew circles around her breasts, then her nipples. He pinched the tight, hard points. A jolt of pleasure rolled through her.

Reaching back, she found the snap on his jeans, undid it and followed with a tug on his zipper. His erection sprang free. He let out a ragged sigh.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” he whispered, catching her gaze in the mirror before the fog completely took away their view of each other.

“Tell me.”

“I crave you. Need you. More than I ever imagined I would need anyone.” He kissed her earlobe, the nape of her neck.

“Your scent drives me wild.” He breathed in her hair as his hands moved down to the zipper on her jeans. “Your skin begs me to taste it.” His tongue swirled around her shoulder.

Her entire body alighted with sensations she didn’t want to end. The tips of her fingers tingled, the pit of her stomach did cartwheels, her legs shook with crazy need.

He winked at her just before the last bit of clear mirror fogged up. Then he spun her around and pressed her against the sink. “You make my days better. And you cause me so much pain that for the first time in my life I’m feeling. Really feeling.”

The sincerity on his face when he spoke scared the shit out of her. She felt the pain too. Felt it in her bones.

“I know what you mean,” she whispered.

“Do you?” He kissed her and didn’t stop until he’d shoved her pants down her legs, shucked his pants and boxer briefs, and roamed his hands over every inch of her body.

Then he cupped her mound and massaged his thumb across her most sensitive spot. Even through the thin material of her G-string, he stoked a fire inside her she wanted to burn all night. He dipped one, then two fingers underneath and traced her wet folds with exquisite pressure. All the while, he never stopped kissing her.

“Hugh,” she moaned. She gripped his wrist.

He got the message and they separated. She pulled his shirt over his head. He slid her panties off. Then he lifted her up onto the counter and angled himself between her legs. Sweat trickled down the side of his face, his chest glistened from the moisture in the room. Perspiration tickled her own skin, moving down between her breasts.

His mouth took hers again while she wrapped her arms around his neck. The feel of him made her forget all of her troubles, all the decisions weighing on her. She wanted to trade every sky dive, every bungee jump, every outdoor risk, for the thrill of being with him. A willingness to risk it all overwhelmed her.

Everything she thought she knew about love was wrong. Her time with Jason had merely been a precursor for true love because the feelings he’d given her paled in comparison to how she felt now. Hugh made her want to survive, to put more stock in her own worth. She wanted to live to see another day. Another day with him in it.

His hands cupped her bottom and moved her to the edge of the marble. His cock touched her center, and she couldn’t wait to have him buried deep inside her.

“No one else, Tess,” he said, lifting his head and holding her chin in his hand. “No one else ever touches you again. I’m the only one who gets to kiss that sexy mouth of yours. The only one who gets to suck on your tits. The only one who gets to taste between your legs. And I’m the only one who gets to bury himself inside your sweet pussy and make you come. You’re mine to keep.”

Tess shivered. The naughty words turned her on so much she almost came. But that last declaration? Her heart stopped. “Do you mean…”

The different colors swirling in his irises kept her riveted. “I mean this cosmic pull between us isn’t normal. Not a second goes by that you’re not in my head. And if you have to kill me in order to save yourself, I’ll happily oblige.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “I mean you’re my mate.”

Those words sounded better than anything she’d ever heard before. Better than Jason’s marriage proposal. Better than hearing the word love. Because she knew a mate meant for life.

But even though she felt the same way about him, how could she be his mate when she had no clue what her future held?

I can’t be.

No matter how much his words made her want to believe the two of them had a chance, she reminded herself her first commitment was still to P.I.E. and her roommates.

“Hugh…”

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t say anything.” The head of his cock nudged her opening. “I don’t want to hear how it’s impossible.” He slid inside her. Slowly, oh so slowly. “So stay quiet and let me show you tonight how much you mean to me.” He pressed all the way in.

One more night with Hugh might be all she had.

She took it.

“What did Trey say?” Tess asked.

“Six o’clock.” Hugh hit end on his phone and swiveled the desk chair to look at her. He neglected to mention that Trey told him Dane was in San Diego too. Something wasn’t right about that, and he wanted to think before filling her in. He remembered Dane had a relative in the area, but he didn’t know he’d scheduled a visit.