She kept telling herself that he was just being helpful, the little touches meant nothing, or it was all in her head. But still, every time he brushed up against her she found her heart beating a bit faster.

There were more than a few times when she’d meant only to glance over at him and she found her gaze lingering. Especially when he’d been working in the bedroom.

The whole bed had been flipped over, the headboard smashed, the dresser completely destroyed. Bernie didn’t believe in AC, so it was about a hundred degrees in the bedroom. Daniel had taken off his T-shirt as he strained and lifted the broken wood, tossing it out an open window before he took it to the woodpile to chop up for the fireplace.

Harper had offered to help him, but Daniel had insisted that he had it under control. She’d been sweeping the living room, and she’d found herself stopping to stare at him far more often than she should have.

There was something about the way he looked when he moved. The muscles in his back and arms flexing as he lifted the dismantled furniture. And that tattoo, which Harper had first thought was evidence that Daniel was bad news, she now found so appealing.

It was a thick black tree, with the roots growing out from the waistband of his boxers that were showing just above his jeans. The trunk grew upward, over his spine, then twisted to the side so the branches extended out over his shoulder and down his right arm.

He’d once caught her staring, and she looked down in a flash, blushing, but he’d only laughed at her. Daniel said that she ought to think about getting a tattoo, and then she hurried off to clean something far away, so she wouldn’t be able to gawk at him.

“Thank you for coming out to help me today,” Harper said, now that they were finished and he’d unfortunately put his T-shirt back on. “Not everybody would want to spend their Sunday cleaning up a house.”

“No problem.” He stretched his arms out so one rested on the couch behind her, but it wasn’t exactly around her. “I told you I’m always happy to help.”

“I know, but I really appreciate it,” she said. “I needed to get out and do something instead of moping about Gemma or worrying about her or talking about her with Alex or my dad.”

“Well, I was happy to help you keep your mind off her.” He looked over at her. “And I’ll be more than happy to help you keep your mind off anything anytime you want.”

“Thanks.” She smiled when she looked over at him, but something about the look in his eyes made her smile fall away.

His arm had moved, so she could feel his hand on her shoulder. It felt strong and rough on her skin, and he was holding her, moving her closer to him as his hazel eyes stared into hers. She leaned in to him, and just when she thought he was about to kiss her, he spoke.

“We should probably get going before it gets dark,” he said.

“We should,” Harper agreed when she found her voice.

He turned away from her and rather abruptly got up and walked away, leaving Harper dismayed on the couch.

“I’m going to start carrying the garbage out to my boat.” Daniel walked away and didn’t look back.

“Yeah, um, I’ll help you.” Harper jumped to her feet and hurried after him, but he’d already grabbed all the bags by the time she reached him.

When they got on his boat, he barely spoke a word to her.

FOURTEEN

Cravings

Gemma spent the whole morning in the ocean, swimming with Thea, Penn, and Lexi. Penn told Sawyer to stay behind, because she wanted to swim out farther and faster than he could go. And though she hated to admit it, Gemma was glad for that.

Penn led her out farther than she’d ventured on her own before. Gemma had set limits, afraid of enjoying herself too much, but with her new vow to heed Penn’s advice, Gemma let herself enjoy the exploration.

The four of them swam together, flitting between one another like they were performing an underwater ballet. Penn swam quickly, driving them forward, and now they had to be miles from shore. Not only that, but they went deeper down than Gemma had gone before.

The sunlight barely broke through the water, and it was so dark Gemma could hardly see. Fortunately, the iridescent scales of the sirens’ tails managed to shimmer in what little light made it down here, so Gemma could keep track of them.

When they finally surfaced after darting around the ocean, chasing each other and whatever sea life crossed their path, Gemma was relieved. The deeper they went, the colder the water got, until Gemma was nearly shivering. Now the sun warmed her skin as she stared out at the waves around her.

“I told you it was a great day for a swim,” Lexi said, grinning broadly as she floated next to Gemma.

“Everything’s so much easier when you play along,” Penn said, her voice an odd mixture of silk and contempt. “Isn’t it, Gemma?”

“It is,” she admitted, and wiped the salt water from her eyes. “But I think I’m going to head back to shore.”

“You’re such a party pooper.” Lexi pretended to pout, but Gemma couldn’t imagine that she actually cared all that much if Gemma stayed or not.

“Sorry, guys. I’ve had enough swimming for today.”

Penn narrowed her eyes at her, as if trying to decipher something. “You aren’t getting tired, are you?”

“No.” Gemma forced a smile at her. “I’m just getting a little cold. I think I want to go lie out on the beach.”

Penn didn’t seem convinced, but she shrugged noncommittally. “Suit yourself. Thea, head back with her.”