She allowed herself to feel the warmth of his presence for long moments until she stomped hard on his instep and shoved him back.

“You don’t get to ask questions, Ben.”

“Ouch! What? Oh yes I do, Tegan Warden. Why was that ass**le touching you?”

Josh laughed along with Nick but Tracy seethed at her back.

“There’s only one ass**le here and I’m looking at him. As for who was touching me when you decided to finally show up, you know Josh. He’s a guest in my home. Unlike you. He’s a friend. Why are you here?”

“Because I wanted to see you.”

“You did? Well, thank goodness it’s all about you then, isn’t it? It’s been all about you since day one. What you felt about the bond. What you felt about our connection.

How you were going to deal with it. Lord, it must be nice in your world, all Ben Stonercentric.”

Ben’s jaw shifted, clenched and unclenched and she felt his frustration, his anger and if she wasn’t wrong, guilt too.

“I’m not sorry that I didn’t let you beat a suspect in the street.”

“We’ve established that. If that’s all you’ve come to say, hit the road.”

“I can feel what you’re feeling, Tegan. I know you’re happy to see me. You don’t want me to leave.” He had the audacity to smile at her and she growled, stomping her foot instead of slapping him silly.

“Do you now? Did you know what I felt every day this week every time the phone rang? How about when I answered it and it wasn’t you?” She hated how her voice broke with emotion but she’d missed him, wanted him to miss her as much as she had him.

Nick whistled low in the background.

“I didn’t know what to think after you sent me away!” Ben exhaled sharply.

“You might have if you’d called me back.” Putting a hand at her waist, she cocked her hip and kicked the door closed in his face. She’d only made it a few steps when he stormed in moments later. He grabbed her arm, spinning her to face him, hauling her against his body.

Growls filled the room as the wolves all stood.

“You’d best let go of my sister right now.” Tracy’s eyes began to shine with that otherworldly light and the scent of wolf rose in the air.

“Your sister and I have a lot to talk about and we can’t do it with an audience.” Good Lord, Ben Stoner had a lot to learn about werewolves. Tegan sent calming energy through their link.

“You can’t do it without a throat or a beating heart either. Now take your hands off Tegan. You’re standing in a room with two pissed off females and two male wolves who feel the need to protect family. You’ve pushed as far as this can go without blood being shed.” Nick slowed his breathing and Tegan saw the violence there in his and Josh’s faces.

“Ben, let me go. This can’t go anywhere positive. Not this way.” Tegan traced the backs of her fingers down his jaw, leaned in to kiss him.

He let go and looked into her eyes, letting her see deep into his soul. “I’m not leaving until things are right. You’re not afraid of me. You know I’d never hurt you.”

“I’m not afraid you’d physically hurt me. But you ripped my heart from my chest.

Where have you been?” Emotion filled her voice and she saw his response, knew he’d felt her pain.

“Please, won’t you talk to me? Alone? Give me a chance, Tegan.”

“Why?” she whispered and he dipped his head, brushing his lips over hers and her very DNA melted into a pool of need.

“Because I need you. I need us.”

Tegan turned to the others. “I’ll see you three later on back at Cade’s.”

Tracy approached, taking Tegan’s hands in hers. “Tee, are you sure?”

Tegan nodded. “I am. One way or another we need to talk and all this testosterone in one room is distracting.”

“Welcome to my world.” Tracy winked and sobered again. “Listen, Tee, I’ve missed you so damned much. I looked up to you, came to you when, well before. I finally got you back and I can’t lose that again. I need you to be my big sister. There’s so much to share with you. Don’t go. Don’t let go. No matter what happens here tonight, you’re still Tegan and you still deserve to live your life and be happy.”

“I know. I remembered that and I’m not going to forget it again. Thank you, Tracy.

I’ll see you all in the morning when I come on shift.” Tegan kissed her sister and hugged her mate and Josh, ignoring Ben’s emotional bristle when she did.

Josh stopped at the door and turned back to look Ben up and down. “If you blow it, I’m going to make it my mission to help her forget you. You get me?”

Ben narrowed his gaze at Josh who laughed before closing the door behind him.

Tegan locked up and set the security system before turning back to face Ben.

“I was just getting ready to make my dinner.” She walked past him into the kitchen and began to pull things out of the fridge.

“Can I help?” He stood in the doorway and watched her greedily. “Talk to me, Tegan.”

She pulled two steaks out of a plastic container and placed them on the grill of her stove which was nice and hot, and began to tear veggies for a salad. He moved into the room and cleaned and tossed potatoes into the microwave. Tegan liked their rhythm and gathered her thoughts as they worked side by side.