He’d tried. Devastation had exploded inside him after discovering she’d left the hotel room in San Diego. He’d ran to the door to check the hallway, flew down the stairwell to the lobby. She was gone and he knew he wouldn’t find her, knew she needed to be alone to process the night’s events. He also knew he needed to take care of what was inside the room without delay so he could get back to L.A. and make sure Trey and the Night Runners were okay.

Upon his return home, he’d found Trey and the pack had successfully defeated the Wolf Seekers in a street fight designed to eliminate Trey. To Hugh’s surprise, Trey had gotten wind of the ambush and taken backup. The kid had proved he could handle things. Had proven he was ready to take over the leadership role whenever Hugh wanted to relinquish it.

With pack business done, he’d gone in search of Tess, determined to take her as his mate. He’d kept to the shadows with a close ear to the ground. Watched and listened. She didn’t show up at home. Didn’t show up at P.I.E. Didn’t show up anywhere.

“She doesn’t want to be found,” Hugh finally said, leaving his memories and slouching down in his chair. His chest ached, his head throbbed. The spot on his hand that had bruised this morning—after he’d punched one of the walls at home—stung when he thought about it.

“Every woman wants to be found.”

“You’re an expert on women now?”

“Better than you, shit for brains.” Gavin grinned, and for the first time in more than two weeks, Hugh couldn’t stop the slight smile from spreading across his face.

His brain had functioned well enough to take a chance and meet with the new man in charge of P.I.E. There wasn’t any choice really. Not if he wanted to guarantee there were no future elimination plans for him. He also wanted to find out if the new boss intended to follow in the old boss’s footsteps. A resounding no assured Hugh he and his pack were safe. In fact, the two of them came to an agreement on many topics.

So where was she?

“I’ll admit I’m no expert, but if Tess wanted to be with me, she wouldn’t be so difficult to find. Or better yet, she would have found me. I haven’t been hiding.” Ouch. Those words cut deep.

“Maybe you haven’t looked in the right places.”

“Maybe.” But I doubt it. I’ve lost her scent.

Gavin stood, readjusted his tie. “Well, I’ve got a charter in an hour so I need to get moving. I’ll be back in time to help you get the LSA ready to go.”

“Afraid I’ll need that kick?”

“Nah. Just want to wave goodbye.”

As soon as Gavin left, Hugh got back to his paperwork. At the rate he was able to focus, he’d be at it until departure time. The talk with Gavin had brought to mind the one thing he’d kept pushing away. That maybe Tess didn’t want to leave P.I.E. Maybe she wanted her life to return to how things were before she’d met him.

There had always been something else nagging at her. Something that made her afraid to give him her heart. He felt her hesitation down to his bones, just as he felt her devotion. Whatever that something was, it was obviously big enough to keep them apart.

Lack of sleep soon turned his writing to scribbles, and he fell back in his seat for a few minutes of shut-eye. Being alert for his flight to Canada was more important than finishing logs.

Of course he dreamed about Tess. The two of them were in a mountain hideaway, far away from everyone and everything. A fire blazed in the fireplace and they were busy keeping each other warm. They lay on a bearskin rug, the glow from the fire touching her naked body in the most provocative way. He traced his finger along the curve of her side and she kept giggling while trying to hold still. His nose was buried in her hair and he breathed in her smell. Her scent drove him wild. Made him hunger for her. It was the most incredible smell. He could smell her like she was…

His eyes opened. He couldn’t have been asleep for more than a few minutes, but the clock on his desk proved hours had passed. And sitting on the other side of his desk, looking more beautiful than he remembered, was Tess.

Tess.

“I didn’t want to wake you,” she said, her voice soft, warm and sweeter than honey. God, how he’d missed that voice. It sounded so much better in person than it did in his head.

She’s here. In the flesh.

“I hope you don’t mind that I’m here. Gavin didn’t seem to think it was a big deal that I wait for you to wake up. He told me you hadn’t been sleeping very well.”

And she’s talking to me.

“I understand if you don’t want to talk to me.” She made a motion to get up from the chair.

“Wait,” he finally said, finding his voice and shaking himself from his dreamlike state. He wasn’t dreaming anymore. Thank God.

She sat back down. “Okay.”

He got up and moved around the desk until he stood in front of her. Then, deciding it would be better to be on an even level, he brought the second chair in his office over to hers and took a seat. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too.” Her eyes sparkled like the ocean under a full moon.

What passed between them—without a word, without a touch—nearly put him in cardiac arrest. Heat, passion, respect, adoration, love. He could feel her. She filled all his senses with her indescribable aura and he’d never let her walk out the door again.

Their knees bumped, and a shock reverberated through him. She felt it too because she wiggled her leg away.

“Just like the first time we met,” she said, her lips curling up in a most appealing way.

Her lips, along with the wiggle, sent his desire soaring. “I remember it well.”

More staring took place. More comfortably explosive silence. More depth than he thought possible without language. Tess captivated him, embedded herself deeply into his core with a simple bat of her incredibly long eyelashes.

For so long he’d avoided getting close to anyone. His guard always up, his heart never accessible. When he’d watched his brother deteriorate over the loss of his mate, Hugh couldn’t stand the idea that love was the culprit. As the end drew near for his brother he’d despised love, hated the thought of an emotion taking his best friend away. He still mourned the death of his brother. But now, fixated on the most breathtaking creature he’d ever laid eyes on, he understood what happened.

Why his brother passed away.

And how if anything ever happened to Tess, he’d die of a broken heart too.

He hadn’t planned for it to happen. But it did. He’d fallen so hopelessly in love with her that she was worth anything and everything that came his way.

She dropped her gaze, breaking their connection, and straightened her back. “As nice as you are to look at, that’s not the reason I’m here.”

The reason better be to his liking. “Before you start, I need to tell you something.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?” She fidgeted, crinkled her freckled nose.

“Saving my life.”

He could see the wheels turning in her head and knew she was contemplating a smart-ass response.

She went with, “You’re welcome. Now it’s my turn. I’m sorry.”

“For what?” He fidgeted, lifted his brows.

She reached out and took his hands in hers, sending his body into an awesome addictive stupor.

“I’m sorry I ran away like I did. But I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t look at what I’d done for one more second.” Her chest rose and fell. “I wouldn’t take it back. Not any of it. And for so long I thought I was doing the right thing. For so long I’ve immersed myself in things to keep my mind off the fact that I was alone.

“I’ve loved only two people, well three, actually—my parents and Jason—and they died. I’ve been afraid to love again because I’m terrified to lose again.”

“I won’t—”

Her hand moved to his lips.

“Die on you,” he mumbled.