Page 49 of Big Bad Wolf

“No one ever makes me breakfast,” she said, tugging her T‑shirt up on her shoulder again.

“I know.”

“How could you possibly know that?” she asked, a small shiver of fear running up her spine. Had he been watching her at home too?

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair, his breakfast long gone already. “Well, I assumed.”

Ruby stared at him until he finally went on.

“You take care of everyone. That’s clear right away.” He held her stare. “It’s time someone took care of you.”

Ruby’s eyes widened. Why did he say that out loud? Why did he imply he should be the one to take care of her? God, he really was an idiot.

He stood too quickly, rattling the plates again. He grabbed his empty dishes and walked them to the sink, leaving Ruby staring after him in confusion. He needed to get to the bottom of whatever the hell was going on with Wyatt and the Highland pack and fast. And then he needed to get far away from Ruby.

“I’m going to see my brother today.” It had only been a vague plan, but it came out of his mouth like an edict.

“Your brother?” She’d followed him into the kitchen and now stood leaning against the counter, cradling her coffee. Hot pink letters said Fuck off, I’m reading on the side. He bit down on a smile.

“Yeah, maybe he’ll have some insight into what’s going on.” Rafe actually had very little hope that his younger brother, Theo, knew anything, but he had to get out of here, and he had to do something that at least felt remotely helpful. He had gotten way too damn comfortable around Ruby. It was time to snap out of this false sense of domestic bliss. He wasn’t built for this shit.

“Don’t leave the house while I’m gone. I’ll be back before your shift.” He peered at her out of the corner of his eye. He was still facing the sink, his hands braced on either side of it, like this piece of plumbing could save him from all the things he wanted to do right now.

Ruby’s T-shirt had slipped down her arm again, revealing the curve of her shoulder, the soft line of her neck, her clavicle bone just beneath her delicate skin. He’d been avoiding looking at her breasts all morning, and it had taken a nearly Herculean effort. He let his gaze slip lower now, over the outline of her tits beneath the soft fabric. Lower still her thick thighs made those tiny shorts look even tinier. Goddamn it. He ground his teeth so hard his jaw ached. This was why he slept in wolf form.

Ruby placed her own mug down on the counter and turned to face him, her hands on her lusciously wide hips. Fuck him. Maybe he should just change and run like hell out of here. She’d never catch him.

“Nope. No way.” She stepped closer. “Be honest with me.”

“Nothing I’ve said this morning has been a lie.”

Another step closer. The smell of cinnamon and coffee clung to his nostrils. “Maybe you haven’t lied, but you haven’t told me anything. And now you’re just going to run off on your little mission and leave me here wondering what the hell is going on? Nope. Not happening.”

A low warning growl tumbled from his lips, but Ruby didn’t back up. In fact, she stepped closer.

“Fine,” he ground out. “What do you want to know?”

Ruby grinned. “First of all, who is this brother of yours?” She held up one finger in front of him, and it took all his remaining strength not to suck it into his mouth and run his teeth along her sensitive skin.

“His name is Theo. He’s my younger brother.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow, waiting for more. Rafe had nothing else he needed to say. Theo was his younger brother. He’d seen him only sporadically in the last year. Theo was a spoiled fuckboy who spent his days screwing women he barely knew and shirking all responsibilities. Rafe was the one who made that life possible for Theo all those months ago, and it pissed him off that he chose to waste his second chance at life. But none of that seemed relevant right now.

“And is he still with your pack?” Ruby asked, trying to draw out more information. He’d been stingy with it, with stories about himself, while Ruby had opened up to him a little more every day. He already knew it was a privilege she afforded to very few people. But he couldn’t reciprocate.

Rafe ran a hand down his face, pressing down all memories of his damn pack and both his damn brothers. He never should have mentioned it. He should have just said he was going to look for clues or something.

“No, he isn’t. He left when I did. But he may have heard from our other brother.”

“There’s three of you?”

Rafe nodded. There were three of them and that had always been the problem. “Our older brother, Knox, is the current Alpha of our pack. It’s possible Theo has heard from him.” He could go straight to Knox for information, but he doubted his older brother would meet with him.

“And you’ll talk to him for me?”

Rafe blinked. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

Ruby’s lips tipped into a small smile. “Well, you clearly don’t want to. You’re obviously estranged from your family and you’re still willing to go talk to them for me.”