Whirlpool

Chapter Eleven

Braden stirred his coffee again, the liquid growing cold as Chelsea paced the living room for the umpteenth time.

“He’s awake.”

She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. Soon they’d know if it had worked. All night long she’d cuddled Jamie, taking in every second she could in his presence. Having Braden embrace her at the same time made the situation overwhelming. Powerful.

Painful.

She wished the situation could be different and she could wake up every day with the two of them. “How are you going to explain why we’re here? In the condo?”

“We’ll play it by ear. I’m not sure how much he’s going to remember, and I don’t want him waking up alone.”

The bedroom door opened and Jamie shuffled out, stark naked. Chelsea flushed and turned her back so as not to embarrass him. Jamie gasped out a curse.

“Holy shit. Sorry, guys.”

Braden snorted into his coffee cup. “Oh, damn. Meant to warn you. Hey, we’re here.”

Jamie laughed. “Nice heads-up. Give me a second.” When his footsteps retreated and the door to his room closed again, she turned to see Braden wearing a huge grin.

“He seems okay,” she whispered.

He nodded. “I think we’re in the clear. Didn’t act like he remembers a thing.”

The hollow pit in her stomach opened up again and her heart ached. “That’s…good.”

Braden lost his smile and held out his hand to her. She went and crawled into his lap, curling up and letting him pet her for a minute.

“I know, baby, you and me both. But we have to keep the rest of the pod safe.”

She sniffed softly. “Just, it hurts. I really care for him.”

He kissed her forehead and they sat in silence, waiting.

When Jamie joined them a few minutes later, she made sure she’d wiped her eyes dry and replaced her expression with a cheerier one.

“Why are you guys here? I mean, not that I mind, but it’s early hours. You need me for something?” Jamie felt the side of the coffeepot. “Cold. Man, I must sleep like the dead. Good thing you weren’t more burglars.”

“Just wanted to know if you were up for a little action today. Hit the boardwalk, go for breakfast. It is Saturday.”

Jamie nodded slowly. “Sounds like a plan.” He pointed to the two of them. “Neither of you had anything else on the agenda for today?”

She shook her head. He’d forgotten the whole incident of the day before, but he hadn’t seemed to forget they were friends. She’d take it. While having him as a lover was what her heart and soul wanted, having him lose all memory of her would have burned.

“I need to get a few groceries, but nothing else. You have anything you’d like to do?” she asked him.

Jamie paced over to stare out the window. “We could go paddling, but the ocean looks a little rough.” He turned slowly, his gaze flicking between herself and Braden, more guarded now. Hesitant. “I have another idea if you’re up for up.”

Braden nudged her and she rose, stepping to the side. “You’ll find we’re game for just about anything,” he said.

Jamie threw back his head and laughed out loud. When he stopped chuckling, he approached cautiously, almost like he was stalking her. A shiver raced up her spine. The look in Jamie’s eyes… He knew something.

Oh my God, he remembers.

Jamie stopped mere inches away. “First, I think you forgot to give me something this morning.”

She swallowed, glancing at Braden for direction. He frowned, rocking uneasily on his feet. Chelsea turned back to stare into Jamie’s blue-gray eyes. “What…what did I forget?”

He snuck his hands around her torso and pressed their mouths together. A lazy, but thorough kiss that made her toes curl. His tongue stroked into her mouth, playing with hers. She had her fingers tangled in his hair before she realized what she was doing.

She broke off with a gasp.

Braden sputtered in the background, finally finding his voice. “What the fuck do you think—?”

Jamie held up a hand. “Don’t try it. It’s not going to work. I remember everything. The diving accident, making love with Chelsea. There’s only one thing I’m curious about.”

He interrupted the stream of steady curses falling from Braden’s lips by closing the distance between them. Chelsea watched in amazement as Jamie grabbed Braden by the shoulders, pulled him down and planted a huge kiss on him as well.

Braden stiffened before assuming control, hauling the other man against him hard and ramming their mouths together. A hot and fervent embrace followed, both of them battling for dominance. Tongues and teeth and hands grasping in impassioned fury. Chelsea whimpered, a sudden hard throb between her legs demanding attention.

Jamie had remembered.

The men separated, backing away from each other. Jamie was breathing hard and smiling harder.

Braden shook his head. “Bastard. Why in the hell did you do that?”

“What? Kiss you? I was curious why you didn’t join in more last night. It was obvious you wanted to. Of course, I’m not a hundred percent sure I’m ready for a physical relationship with another guy, but I can’t say I’m totally opposed to the idea either.”

“You shouldn’t have remembered last night,” Braden complained.

Jamie sat on the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. He patted the place next to him and Chelsea flew to his side, curling up close to revel in the warmth of his body. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she rested her cheek on his chest. His rapid heartbeat betrayed his unease in spite of his nonchalant attitude and she fought back a laugh.

It was going to be amusing to watch her men find a place of balance.

She sucked in a breath of air. Her men.

“Oh my goodness.” She leaned back to examine Jamie closer. “I don’t understand. I mean, I’m glad, very glad, but how…?”

“Yes, how?” Braden’s expression rivaled thunderclouds and she tossed him a glare of her own, warning him to calm down. He sat on the coffee table, and his knees bumped hers. She leaned over to lay a hand on him as well, the three of them all connected.

Jamie shrugged. “You have to explain more for me to be able to calculate the exact quantitative reasoning—”

A loud burst escaped Braden. “Incredible. You’re sitting here, knowing the things about us you do and you’re going scientific on me?”

“Just being myself.” Jamie squeezed her shoulders and she snuggled in a little tighter. It felt so good to be there, touching him, touching Braden. “I take it you are what the legends named mermaids. What’s your name for your race?”

Chelsea answered this time. “Merfolk. The guys get kind of riled if you call them maids.”

“I can see why. St. Elmo’s fire involved in your particular skills?”

A furrow appeared between Braden’s brows. “How in the hell do you know these things? I know I let it slip about the merfolk, but the fire?”

Jamie stared at her and Chelsea blushed. Having all his attention turned on her made her warm inside. He stroked her cheek. “I saw you. Making love that first time. The fire was everywhere. Then I saw it last night.” He shrugged. “And I’ve seen it before, years ago, when someone else seduced me.”

A sharp sting of jealousy shot through her. She fought it down, but not before Braden noticed and laughed. He picked her up from where she sat and arranged her on his lap. “You planning on calling the girl out for a fight?”

She tried to speak without betraying how much it actually bothered her to think about Jamie with another merfolk. “Who was she?”

Being held in Braden’s arms was so right, but having Jamie there was just as important. She didn’t want to give either of them up. Now she just had to convince Jamie, and the pod, because she couldn’t go through the potential threat of losing him again.

“I don’t know who she was.” Jamie told them everything. The dive, the medallion he’d found. The woman on the beach and the way his memories of the night had vanished. When he told about the erotic dreams he’d been having of the three of them, Chelsea interrupted.

“Why are you sharing all this with us? Aren’t you afraid that we’ll, well…”

“Kill me and hide the body? Nahh. Too much work. Besides, there’s no real crime in Jaffrey’s Cove. You guys don’t want Braden to be the sheriff on duty when the first-ever homicide occurs. Bad for the resume.”

“Bastard.” Braden growled.

Jamie grinned at Braden. “Actually, I figure the more I tell you, the more you’ll share, and between the three of us we might be able to figure out what the hell is going on. I obviously didn’t react the way you expected to your lovemaking.”

Chelsea smiled. “I don’t know, I think you reacted just fine.”

He winked at her.

Braden gave her ass a light spank. “Stop flirting.”

He motioned for her to stand, then proceeded to pace the room. Chelsea debated nestling in with Jamie again, but until things were settled, a little restraint was in order. She leaned on the wall and watched Braden wear a hole in the carpet.

“Jamie’s right, there’s something odd about his reaction.” He looked at the other man. “You should have forgotten about the merfolk, and the sex from last night. Do you think it has something to do with the fact you’d already been exposed to the merfolk?”

Jamie considered. “Possibly. I need to research a bit more. If we hit the library, I can get some information that might help me. As long as you trust me not to tell anyone.”

“You know what would happen if you announced to anyone that we exist?” Braden spoke softly. Chelsea stilled. Jamie’s response was vital.

“I have no intention of being the reason you end up under the microscope. I can know a secret without having to share it. For example, have you heard of the Manteca statue? Missing since before the First World War?”

Chelsea answered. “I read about it when I was prepping for college.”

Jamie nodded. “I know where it is.”

“No way. Where? They’ve had a reward posted for that for years.”

Jamie smiled. “It’s in a private collection. I saw it by chance when I did some work for the current owner. He showed me sufficient proof it had been gifted to his family years ago. Only, the legal uproar and media attention involved in revealing its location would be devastating to his health. It will end up in the public galleries soon enough, but it’s not hurting anyone to stay where it is for a few more years.”

“You’re not tempted by the reward?” Braden asked.

Chelsea fought back a laugh. “Umm, Braden, Jamie is a Powell. They are one of the richest families in New York. Old money.”

Jamie hung his head and groaned. “Damn, I didn’t think you knew that. Now I’ll never know if you seduced me for my pocketbook.”

He winked at her and she laughed. This was the man she enjoyed working with. The one she’d grown to care deeply about.

Braden was still frowning but his anxious tension slowly eased. “Why do you seem to be taking this in stride?”

Jamie paused for a moment before speaking. “Archaeologists live in the past, present and future. So many things have slipped from the record books, and suddenly a dig or excavation reveals the truth. We see the impossible as memories that were forgotten and are waiting to be rediscovered.”

Jamie met Braden in the middle of the room. “I swear I will never do anything to harm Chelsea or you, or any of your people. If a promise isn’t enough, then I guess we have a problem, because I can’t forget what I’ve discovered. Still, I give my word I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

Chelsea held her breath. His sincerity rang loud and clear. Was it enough to satisfy Braden’s mandate to the pod?