"Make a guess," Blanche said lightly. She leaned back, ran her hands down her thighs like there might be lint on her robe.

"Okay. I think you like knowing Hugh's business because you love him like he's your own son, and you're trying to figure out what my motives are. You're disheartened because I've apparently tried to sneak away and you wanted to meet me before you decided what to do about that. But it's not my best interest you're after-it's Hugh's. So I really think you should spit it out, not me."

Blanche nodded. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" She looked at Tess with genuine interest-and compa.s.sion-in her eyes, before gesturing around the room with her hand. Emotion Tess couldn't put a finger on pa.s.sed over the older woman's features as she blinked several times. "He built this house for me. The old one burned to the ground last year. I thought I'd have to go to a senior s.h.i.thouse, but Hugh wouldn't hear of it. He took care of the insurance and got his friends to help out. Built this place in less than six months. And never asked me for a penny."

Tess gulped. Her heart squeezed. "Wow."

"He's a private SOB, but if anyone he cares about gets into trouble, he's first in line to help them out. He's had more lost souls up to that house than I can count."

For a brief moment, Tess forgot to breathe. "You think I'm a lost soul?" She shifted on the couch, uncomfortable with that a.s.sessment. Was she?

"No." Blanche shook her head. "I think Hugh's in over his head and he doesn't know what to do about it. He smitten with you, that's for sure. I've known that boy a long time, and I've never seen him so dis...o...b..bulated over a woman."

Something inside her softened, weakened. Awakened. She sighed. And she couldn't meet Blanche's eyes, instead picking a spot on the dark wood floor.

"So we've established you're smitten too," Blanche said, relief in her voice.

Tess lifted her head. "I didn't say that."

"Didn't have to. I don't know what's going on between you two, but it's been my experience that confronting it head on is always the best plan."

"Oh, believe me, we've confronted it." Tess looked down at the game board they'd yet to touch. "And unfortunately, whatever is going on between us is only short term. Sorry, Blanche."

Blanche chuckled. "That's what I thought when I met Artie."

"Artie?"

"My husband and the love of my life. He pa.s.sed away a few years ago. Told me on the day we met it would never last because he'd surely screw it up. We were married for fifty-three years and the only thing he screwed was me." She crossed an arm over her chest so that her palm rested over her heart.

She and Blanche eyed each other for a moment and then both burst out laughing. Tess couldn't remember ever laughing like this. It felt good. Felt nice to have a grandmother figure share something so unexpected and intimate.

Tess rose from the couch and stretched. "I should probably head back."

"He's worth sticking around for," Blanche said, standing and slowly making her way toward the front door.

"I'm not sure I'm-"

A heavy knock on the door silenced Tess. Only one person would pay a visit to Blanche at this hour.

"Hugh," Blanche scolded as she opened the door wide enough for Tess to be seen. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

He practically filled the doorway with his broad shoulders and height. "Just thought I should escort this lovely lady back home. You two have a nice chat?"

Clearly, he wanted to know what they discussed, but Tess had no intention of telling him. And the way he spoke made it sound like he'd known all along where she was.

She huffed and darted around him. "Thanks, Blanche, for the drink and the good company," she called over her shoulder, realizing the older woman probably never intended to loan her a pair of shoes.

"Anytime!" Blanche called out.

A moment later, Hugh was by her side, too close and too far away for her to think straight. She stumbled, not because of his proximity, but because a twig lodged itself between her toes. She swallowed a hiss.

Hugh scooped her up and held her against his chest.

Her entire body went rigid before relaxing. She thought about demanding he put her down. She thought about yelling at him to keep his hands to himself. But the truth was nothing inside her protested. And his quiet action spoke volumes she didn't want to address.

She put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

Chapter Eleven.

The setting sun cast the most breathtaking orange streaks across the sky. Tess loved looking up into the blue yonder, through the gaps in the trees, to watch the daylight disappear. She sat on the porch where the only noise came from chirping crickets and the occasional squirrel or other small creature. The peacefulness soothed her mind, relaxed her shoulders. She was content.

Confused.

For the past three nights, she'd sat out here, contemplating her job and her life. Continuing to work side-by-side with Hugh had shed little light on their mission. They weren't any closer to finding Trey or Dobson, despite their research. She also wasn't any closer to finding a reason to eliminate him.

Things didn't add up, and her stomach turned sour every time she thought about the task at hand. Who the h.e.l.l wanted Hugh eliminated? Never before had it mattered to her who ordered the hit, but this time she had a gut feeling it was important.

Worse, her body continued to betray her by perking up every time he was near. She had to work d.a.m.n hard to keep her heart rate in check so he wouldn't know the power he had over her. She couldn't blame it all on hormones either. Her thoughts, her dreams, all centered around him and what it would be like if the situation were different and he wasn't her mark.

Which scared the bejeesus out of her.

Because she couldn't fall for him. Could. Not. He was her mark and she had a job to do.

"Hey, mind if I join you?" His voice broke her train of thought.

"Not at all. Have a seat." She found it endearing that he asked if he could join her every night, rather than a.s.sumed.

The swing swayed as he sat, and she was acutely aware of his closer than normal proximity this evening. Their shoulders touched, his masculine scent made her bare toes curl. She wanted to lean into him, lose herself in his arms.

Usually they talked about Trey and Dobson, motorcycles or the extreme sports she enjoyed. Hugh was no slouch in his adventures either, and had mentioned in pa.s.sing he could teach her how to fly. She'd shrugged it off, knowing it was a slip of the tongue and nothing else. They wouldn't be seeing each other for much longer.

"How long have you worked for P.I.E.?" he asked, surprising her with his choice of topic.

He'd been nothing but honest with her so far, so she figured he deserved the same in return. He'd even stopped locking her in her room at night. "Since I was sixteen."

"Really? That young? What about your family?"

"I didn't have one." A vague picture of her parents remained in her mind, but if she really wanted to see them, she needed to look at the few pictures she had. "I bounced around foster care."

She went on to answer his questions, trying not to let too much emotion seep into her voice. It had been ages since she'd dug as deep as he was asking her to go, especially with regards to her parents. Not even Jason had coaxed this much out of her. The truth was, talking about it with Hugh was cathartic. Finally getting so many turbulent feelings off her chest felt good.

He felt good.

His hand wrapped around hers at the first mention of her parents' death. With their fingers intertwined, she shared what she remembered about their accident, and how she hadn't understood the permanence a.s.sociated with losing them because she was so young. Gradually, she'd accepted it, but when she did, hate and despair had consumed her. She grew indifferent, apathetic. Nothing had held any meaning for her.

A dull ache filled her heart as she shared what she could with Hugh. He barely moved a muscle while she relayed her story.

Even mentioning how P.I.E. had saved her and made her what she was today didn't get a reaction from him. His grip on her hand simply tightened.

"So there's my life story in a nutsh.e.l.l." She kicked her legs out and back until the swing swayed in a steady rhythm. "How do you feel about me now?"

His thumb rubbed over hers in a slow, methodical manner, and hot waves of pleasure tightened her stomach muscles, made her b.r.e.a.s.t.s tingle and aroused the juncture between her thighs.

He needs to stop. Stop right this minute. But I don't want him to stop. I want him to touch- "I think I want to-"

"Stop! Stop right there. Don't say it." She jumped to her feet. "We can't talk nice to each other anymore. We can't tell each other what we want to do. We can't-"

He stood, pulled her into his arms and let his actions speak louder than words. His lips crushed hers. He kissed her with pa.s.sion. With feverish intensity that sent more jolts of pleasure spiraling through her. And she melted into him. Threw her arms around his neck and sank deeper into the kiss.

Their mouths took to each other fast and furiously, and Tess couldn't think straight. She'd been aching for this since their first kiss. Falling asleep at night wet between her legs in antic.i.p.ation of kissing him when he wasn't fighting for his life.

All the times they'd sat a little too close, or accidentally touched, or caught each other staring, had led to this moment. This seamless joining of their mouths.

His hands roamed her back, her sides, brushed the swells of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and settled on her a.s.s. More pleasure rumbled through her.

And then...then his tongue slipped between her lips and she felt the kiss everywhere. He kissed her more thoroughly, more deeply, more deliciously than she'd thought possible.

Everything vanished for her. Nothing existed anywhere else. It was only the two of them. Lost in a time and place where no one could see them or touch them or harm them. The world as she knew it didn't matter. Nothing was as real as the two of them in each other's arms, Hugh kissing her like he might die without her.

And that was when he pulled back.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Yes, you should have," she interrupted, the taste of him on her lips. She wanted more. So much more. How dare he stop?

He stepped back. "I needed to kiss you," he said, his breath ragged. "But the rest is up to you." His eyes flamed with want before he moved around her and headed back into the house.

What? He was walking away from her? Happy to leave her in charge now?

Didn't he realize she had no idea what to do?

She stayed glued to her spot. Tried to get her breathing under control. A need stronger than any she'd encountered before filled her, but she had to remember there was an ocean between them, even though it seemed like a puddle the more time they spent together.

While the thought was unbearable, the best thing for her to do was let him go. Forget that she felt him all around her, yet his physical absence swamped her with loneliness and twisted her insides. Forget that he made her wish for things to be different.

Never before had she wanted anything-or anyone-so badly.

Could she take what she wanted and move forward? Could she make love to him and follow through with her a.s.signment? Did she want any more a.s.signments? Her recent failures told her no. Her heart and head told her no.

Sometime during the past week, doubts about her job and obligation to P.I.E. had escalated. Working with Hugh on something that seemed more legitimate in both its mission and cause had made her think. Not all Veilers were the monsters they were painted to be. Hugh had explained the growing tension between Wolf Seekers and the Night Runners. He'd shared the wrongdoings on both sides, and it reminded her that human history was rich with atrocity. Most Veilers lived in the human world without incident. They blended in and contributed to society. Criminals came in all forms, human and Veiler. Innocence couldn't be measured by one's heritage. And nothing was black and white. Yet prejudice played a huge part in culpability.

Was she prejudiced? She'd accepted the teachings of P.I.E. Followed through on a.s.signments without serious question.

Until now.

A noise in the distance grabbed her attention and she looked toward the mountainside. A rabbit hopped out of the bush, its nose twitching. It was white and fluffy and Tess found herself wishing she had a carrot to dangle in front of it.

A carrot. To dangle. Hugh had just dangled one in front of her, hadn't he? She'd be an idiot not to grab it.

She ran into the house and found the door at the end of the hall open. An invitation if she wanted it. She slowed her steps so she could take some deep breaths and quiet the rapid beat of her heart.

The idea of being intimate with him filled her with happiness. The kind of happy she thought she'd never feel again. The kind of joy that if she were honest, she hadn't felt since her parents were alive. Unfair she knew, to compare Hugh and Jason, but with only one lover in her past, it was inevitable. The time spent with Hugh had made her realize what she had with Jason didn't go nearly as deep as she'd once thought.

A couple of feet from his bedroom, she stopped and put a hand on the wall to steady herself. The musings over her past as she was about to embark on something new, something that would take away from those memories, gave her second thought.

She'd never reflected so much about anything. Follow your instincts, Tess.

Follow your heart.

She'd never been given that opportunity before.

Her mind had always ruled her actions, not her emotions. Now she felt so mixed-up that making any coherent decision seemed futile.

Time to go with her heart, she reasoned. See where it led her. What did she have to lose?

Everything.

When had that ever stopped her?

She moved to Hugh's doorway and peered inside his room. He'd just stepped out of the bathroom and was pulling his shirt over his head. Tess stood mesmerized by the well-defined planes of his torso.

He was surprisingly void of hair, given his half-shifter birth. In her dreams, he'd looked just like this, but she'd thought the reality might be different. His chest muscles were definitely larger than her palms, and she wanted to splay her fingers across his skin for confirmation. Sliding her gaze to his rock solid abs-the sort with ridges she'd only seen on male models in magazines-she found she really wanted to touch.

His biceps muscles were exceptional too. Defined like a heavy lifter's, and she was struck with the notion that he'd let her win their arm-wrestling match. But the s.e.xiest thing about his bareness, aside from the way his jeans hung low on his hips to reveal a sprinkling of hair leading down past his b.u.t.ton, was the tattoo.

On the smooth skin over his heart was a tattoo-a symbol with thick, beautiful black strokes like two waves curling around each other. It was about the size of her fist, and she found it more appealing than any artwork she'd ever seen before.

Her breath hitched, and if he hadn't known she was there, he did now. He threw his shirt to the side and his eyes met hers. He looked at her with so much hunger that she wobbled, catching herself on the edge of the door. With just a look he had her panting, her nipples hardening, and the spot between her legs throbbing.

Seconds pa.s.sed without a move by either of them, all the while their eyes were fixed on one another. Tess gulped. His gaze was a warm caress she didn't want to end.

"Tell me what you want," he said, breaking the silence.

She wanted everything, but couldn't find the words.

"Tell me what you want," he repeated, "and I'll give it to you."

Pudding, her legs felt like pudding. "I want..."

He inched closer, and the throbbing, the hardening of her nipples, the loss of oxygen, amplified. When he stood within reach, she touched the tattoo, the sculpted muscle. His skin sizzled. Heat, strength, animal magnetism poured off him.

"Tell me, Tess." His voice, husky and thick with desire, made her heart pound.