Whirlpool

Chapter Two

Braden closed the door firmly on her continuing protests, taking the stairs two at a time as he escaped to his truck. Maybe it was the coward’s way out, but staying around Little Miss Temptation any longer was impossible. Even a saint would have difficulty resisting Chelsea when she got into one of these moods.

He was no saint.

Traffic was light as he drove slowly into town, leaving the shore-side heritage home behind. The new matriarch and her lovers, now her husbands, wouldn’t be back for almost a month. In the meantime Braden was stuck babysitting the most difficult member of the Jaffrey Cove merfolk. He also had to keep an eye on the rest of the water shifters during what was fast becoming the strangest tourist season on record. While the number of visitors was slightly higher than normal, the minor criminal offenses he’d been called out on had more than doubled. He would have sworn there was a full moon every night of the week from the crazy things people were coming up with. Home invasions, Peeping Toms, rotting fish stuffed in mailboxes… He was ready for a holiday himself.

Now to discover Chelsea wouldn’t be leaving Jaffrey’s Cove was the last straw.

The police radio rang, shrilling loudly in the truck and he sighed. No rest for the wicked—even though he was trying really hard to avoid that title. He snatched the receiver off the console and switched on the talk button.

“Marley,” he snapped, turning back onto Main Street. He slowed to avoid a group of tourists gawking at the picturesque row of shops lining the boardwalk.

“Hey, Sheriff. There’s a bit of a ruckus down at the Beachshore Inn. You want to check it out?”

“Ten-four.” Hell, not again. He grabbed his hat and jacket and put them on as he drove. Damn woman had him so he didn’t know if he was coming or going. Fighting the urge to accept the delights Chelsea could provide had been the right thing to do, but now that she was staying in town…fuck.

To top it off, the two of them were roommates. It wasn’t her fault—he knew Chelsea had moved into Alexia’s spare room temporarily to housesit before heading off to college. When he’d been asked to step in while the matriarch was gone he hadn’t expected Alexia to insist he stay at the house as well as deal with emergencies among the merfolk community.

Knowing Chelsea was downstairs from him night after night was sheer hell.

Braden sighed. Even though he was suffering, he had to admire Alexia. His new leader had done well. From zero information to running the show in less than a week—Braden had been impressed. Alexia was gutsy, beautiful and very thoroughly taken by two of his younger cousins. Funny thing that—the men were not the strongest or toughest of the merfolk, but the three of them were a perfect fit when it came to supporting each other. Alexia now led the secretive group of shifters hidden away amidst the regular souls who lived in Jaffrey’s Cove.

Braden slowed as he approached the end of the road and the turnoff to the hotel. Holy shit. Dispatch had been right. Braden eyed the long lineup of bodies headed into the hotel/motel, the tangle of cars blocking the parking lot. He double-parked in front of the coffee shop and jogged the rest of the way to the entrance.

A deafening bedlam of voices assaulted him as he entered the office. Rapidly spoken Japanese and German bounced off the walls, accompanied by much hand waving. Max Linton, the hotel owner, and all the staff bustled behind the counter, plastic keys and credit cards flying through the air.

“Max…Max, hey, you got a problem? Need a hand?” Braden shouted.

Max cast a quick glance his direction, then dropped his gaze back to the keyboard and the mess of papers piled by his elbow.

“Hey, Braden. No problem. Well, yes, a problem—someone double booked us for two large tours, but I think I’ve almost got it solved. I finally got the guys who hired out the fishing charters squared away, but I have no idea what to do with him.” He swung his finger to the corner.

Braden turned to see Jamie Powell standing next to the wall, quietly examining an aged photograph of Jaffrey’s Cove harbor circa 1900.

“Troubles with his booking too?”

Max motioned Braden forward then leaned over the counter to speak quietly.

“He booked a suite, and I just don’t have it to give. I mean, one guy in that much space? I charged the tour company full price per person and popped six people in that room. Now I’m feeling guilty. It says on his application he’s doing work for Alexia. Think we can convince her to put him up for a while?”

Braden groaned. He sympathized with Max, he really did. Summer was the most lucrative time of year. Shop owners who didn’t take advantage of every opportunity to make enough to last through the lean winter faced the possibility of not opening the following spring. It was in everyone’s interest to keep the tourists as happy as possible.

He glanced over his shoulder at the archaeologist. Unfortunately, putting Jamie up at Alexia’s house was out of the question, not with Chelsea staying there. No way on earth would he allow another man…

Shit. The truth hit him like a two-by-four. He was as controlling as Chelsea had accused him. A heavy brick formed in his belly, disgusted at himself for not seeing it earlier. First he’d help Max, then he’d figure out how to apologize for unintentionally being an ass to her.

He turned back to the innkeeper and nodded slowly. “There are a couple of options we can explore. I’ll take care of him.”

“Thanks, Braden. Thank a ton.” Max gave a quick dismissive wave, and Braden caught his attention before he buried himself in the chaos again.

“Is that the only reason I got sent over here? To help you deal with one homeless waif?”

Max swore. “I nearly forgot. There’s a couple of cars outside that zigged when they should have zagged. The owners are waiting in their rooms. We managed to calm them down and we did call a tow truck but…”

“No worries. You deal with your stuff, I’ll take care of it.”

Braden shook his head at the insanity of the place, even as it made something inside him very happy. Not the confusion, but the constant life and newness that living in a tourist destination brought. He loved the whole town and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

He stepped over and touched Jamie on the shoulder.

Jamie straightened from where he’d been staring at the fine print handwritten at the bottom of the black-and-white image. He smiled at Braden and the attractiveness Chelsea mentioned sprung to mind. The man was damn good-looking.

“Oh, hello again. Fascinating pictures. Do you know if they are originals from the family who owns the hotel? Who should I talk to if I want to find out more about the individuals in each photograph? Have you ever seen—?”

Braden held up a hand. “Whoa, Jamie, first things first. Seems you’re a little out of luck. There is no room at the inn.”

His forehead wrinkled in a frown. “But I had a booking… Oh, never mind. I’ll try the next hotel.”

Braden shook his head. “There is no other. This is it.”

Jamie stared at him. “Well, hell. That’s going to make this a little more difficult. Okay, plan B. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll see you in the morning.” He stooped and picked up his backpack from beside his feet, turning as if to leave.

Plan B? “Where are you going?”

He shrugged. “I’m sure there’s a campground around here somewhere. It won’t be the first time I’ve roughed it.”

Braden did a quick mental inventory of the information he’d read on the sheet at the house. His cousin Anthony had done a very thorough investigation into the man. Jamie’s excellent reputation had been clearly spelled out.

“How long is the job at the Coltens’ expected to take?” Braden asked.

Jamie’s eyes glazed over a little as he stared into the distance. “Have to sort and catalog, research the more isolated finds—not counting if there are any museum pieces to match. Then there’s—”

Braden hid his smile. Shit, the man could babble. “Just an estimate.”

“At least a month to start, but the rest of the sorting could take six months to a year.”

Braden swore lightly. “You’re planning on staying in Jaffrey’s Cove for up to a year? Buddy, you’ll need something more than the campground, or even the hotel. Tell you what. I’ve got an apartment you can rent. It’s being renovated, but should be done within a month. Until it’s ready you can stay at my place since I’m at the house with Chelsea.”

Jamie flushed at the mention of her name. Yeah, the man had it bad. “I don’t know what to say, except thank you. I certainly didn’t expect this kind of help. Not after my deplorable behavior at the house. I really do apologize—”

“Your things still in your car?” Braden interrupted again. The reminder of Jamie and Chelsea wrapped together made something inside him ache.

Jamie nodded. “I wanted to check in first. I’m parked down the street.”

“I need to deal with a fender bender, then I’ll take you to my place to get you settled.”

They walked outdoors together. Jamie brushed against him as they pushed through the crowd still assembled before the reception desk. An itch of an idea rose at the back of his brain. Chelsea was right; she needed a little male attention. Braden couldn’t stomach the idea of seeing her with any of the local merfolk, but maybe he could handle it if it was a human with her. One he’d handpicked and approved. Jamie was an attractive guy, and he was already interested in Chelsea. Besides, she was pretty damn gorgeous.

So why didn’t you take her up on her offer? Especially now that she’s staying in town? Braden dealt with the cars in the lot, only concentrating with half his mind. The other half continued to worry about his problem—blonde, stacked and way too beautiful for her own good.

No, it wasn’t her. He’d had this argument with himself a million times over the years. Merfolk were a sensual race. They had a lot of their dolphin form in their human bodies—sex was fun and they had no problem with the sharing of that pleasure in a far more relaxed manner than humans normally did. Except for him…with Chelsea. He just couldn’t bend his head around casual with her. It pissed him off no end, frustrated her and even had him wondering if there was something wrong with him at the root of his nature.

He sated his urges with other members of their community, leaving them extremely happy and himself vaguely satisfied. There was always something missing, and he’d suspected for a long time that something was Chelsea.

It wasn’t right to get involved with her. She’d talked about college for so long that he’d gone out of his way to ensure she didn’t get distracted from her goal by anyone local, including himself. Making sure nothing stopped her from stepping out into the world. Just because he loved Jaffrey’s Cove, he still understood there was a lot more to see and do away from their tiny village.

Now that she was staying, the thought of being with her obsessed him. He still couldn’t risk getting involved with her until he figured out what his own issue was. Imagining her with any of the local merfolk—jealousy raised its head damn quick. But Jamie? Could he handle seeing Chelsea with him? Heck, the guy was only a human. It might be a possible solution.

Thirty minutes later the collision was dealt with and Braden hopped in his truck and waved for Jamie to follow him. The man held up a hand and ran back into the hotel. He returned with a set of keys dangling from his fingers. Great, an absent-minded professor. Braden chuckled and led the way through the sleepy tourist town of Jaffrey’s Cove to his home above one of the harbor-side shops. A light breeze blew around them as he unlocked the door. Jamie’s aftershave carried on the air and Braden fought back the urge to lean over and take a closer sniff. Chelsea was right—something about the man really was very attractive. Braden opened the door and ushered Jamie in.

“I really do appreciate this.” Jamie placed his bags down carefully and headed toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Braden smiled. The ocean view was the first thing everyone admired. He grabbed the spare set of house keys from the side table. When he turned back he was surprised to see Jamie had ignored the view and instead knelt to examine the collection of shells piled on one coffee table.

“Fascinating. Where did you find a Conus gloriamaris in such good shape? And is that a reverse-coiled Lightning Whelk? Mr. Marley, this is an amazing collection.”

“Braden, please. We don’t go for very formal around here.”

Jamie peeled his gaze off the shells and glanced around the room. “Very comfortable. I like your style.”

“Thank you.” It seems we have the same taste in many things, including women. “Let me grab a few things from the bedroom, then you can get settled.” Braden paced off, wondering if he was a touch insane to be planning to allow a virtual stranger to get involved with the woman he wanted more than his next breath.

He dug into his chest of drawers, tossing clothes into a gym bag haphazardly. There was no logic in it, but for the moment, logic be damned. He just needed a few days’ reprieve. Surely granting Jamie permission to pay a little attention to Chelsea wouldn’t hurt anyone in the long run.

Would it?

Chelsea watched with fascination as Jamie dove into another section of the chaos. The day he’d begun work she’d been surprised to have Braden ask her to act as assistant to Jamie.

“You want me to help catalog the collection?” The real unspoken question was totally different. You want me around a human male all day long, alone?

Braden wrinkled his nose. “If he’s going to get the first stages done before Alexia and the guys return, he’ll need help. Since you’re not leaving for school anymore, I assume you need work and this should be right up your alley. After your years at the museum, I thought you’d enjoy seeing how a trained archaeologist works.”

“Of course, but…”

She checked Braden’s expression. He seemed serious. After he’d walked out on her, leaving her frustrated beyond belief again, she’d decided she needed to try a completely different tactic. Inspiration had not hit yet, but there had to be a way around whatever his reason was for keeping them apart. It was time to put the excuses aside.

Now, three days later, she and Jamie had fallen into a comfortable working relationship. He was fun to talk to, with his mischievous turn of phrase, and worked like a packhorse without stopping for hours at a time. He also refused to take apart any of the piles without her jotting down copious amounts of notes.

“Even though chances are the items have no relationship to each other, I’d hate to lose any clues to the identity of an object by moving it too quickly. Since the owner of the collection is dead, and his widow can’t tell us much about the items, we need to create as much of a record of history as possible. If we do find anything valuable, we’ll need to establish evidence of provenance—essentially documenting the items were honestly acquired for this private collection.”

So Chelsea sat with a notebook, writing down his comments as he picked through items one at a time. What was in the pile, what it sat on, where in the room. He took the notebook from her every now and then and scribbled down a few technical phrases, Latin terms, or dashed off a sketch on the page.

“You’re an amazing artist,” she commented as he handed back the book.

He blinked in surprise. “You think so? I’m just an amateur, really.”

She turned the book around and pointed to the open page. “You drew that in less than two minutes and you don’t think you’re talented?” The sketch of the ornate jewelry box was perfectly proportioned, the details easily identifiable.

He gave a wry grin. “I should be taking digital photographs but…I lost my camera.”

A small snort escaped her. “I believe that. Did you find your cell phone? You couldn’t find that yesterday.” Jamie shook his head and she smiled. He knew at a glance what era most of the items in the room were from, but he hadn’t made it to the house once yet without forgetting or losing something.

“A lot of people use their computers for note-taking as well, but there’s something I appreciate about using pen and paper. Or in this case, you using pen and paper. I hope you don’t mind.”

Chelsea laughed. “It’s not like you’re making me slave out under the hot summer sun, Jamie. This is fascinating. Really.”

She settled back and got ready to take more notes. Instead, he sat next to her and tugged the notebook from her fingers, flipping through the pages, adding small notations in the margins. She breathed in his scent, clean sandalwood teasing her nostrils. His thigh pressed tight against hers, the warmth of his body spread like a blanket. It was tempting to lean closer and press their torsos together.

But it wouldn’t be fair. She’d kept a very tight rein on herself as they worked, not wanting to torment him like she’d accidentally done at their first meeting. She struggled to find a distraction. She needed to control herself this time.

“Do you travel a lot with your work?”

“I was in New Mexico last, Greece before that, and the Isle of Man at the start of the year.”

He said it so casually, but Chelsea’s heart thrilled. “Greece? Isle of Man? Oh, I’d love to see those places. It must be so exciting.”

He nodded, his hands gentle as he picked up a Japanese float resting beside him. He examined it in the light before rising to lay it in a box with other cataloged items. “I love traveling, but it’s been a little stressful. It means I’m off the North American continent a lot of the time, and my family hates that. My mom in particular doesn’t like that I’m not available to visit as often as she wants.”

“Moms never want their kids to go away. I’d love to travel someday. I’m saving up.” Well, she had been saving. After she had finished helping the family pay off her dad’s emergency medical bills, and contributed to keeping her sister in school, the funds had dried up and disappeared. All her plans were completely turned around now that she couldn’t afford to head to college.

He winked at her and his beautiful smile warmed the coldness that had begun to creep inside her chest. “Good for you. There are a lot of interesting places in the world.”

“I know, but some people don’t see it that way at all.” She sighed. Jaffrey’s Cove was nice, but she wanted to be able to visit some of the places she’d read about. Experience them for herself. The stolen opportunity twisted her gut tight, and she fought to keep the bitterness from coming through as she spoke. “I still think you’re lucky your job takes you around the world. I bet your family is proud of you.”

Jamie snorted. “My family hates what I do for a living.”

“You’re kidding? But you’re so good at it.” She stared after him as he paced.

“It has nothing to do with how good I am, it’s more to do with being a common laborer and getting my hands dirty.”

That made no sense. “They would prefer you didn’t work?”

“No, no, it’s just that I didn’t go into the family business, and that, my dear, was like kicking them and saying they weren’t good enough for me.”

Ahhh. “Oh, now I get it. My family doesn’t like what I do either. So I just try not to talk about it with them.”

Jamie brushed his hands together as he turned to frown at her. “I’m a complete idiot. I never even thought to ask if you helping me would cause problems. I assumed since Braden said you were available—”

“Oh, this isn’t the problem. I had quit my position at the museum since I had planned on leaving…” She coughed lightly and brushed at imaginary lint on her shorts. She didn’t want to talk about her aborted college attempt. It still hurt too much. “Helping you is not a trouble at all. I needed to find a new job. No, it’s my side job they don’t like.”

He raised a brow.

“I dance.” Holy cow, were her cheeks getting hot? She was blushing.

She never blushed.

His gaze darted over her again, quick, impersonal this time. “I don’t think you’re built right for the ballet. You could belly dance, or do modern jazz. I can easily see you in a funk ensemble, or then you could—” He broke off, dipping his head in embarrassment. “Damn, sorry. You’re not something to catalog.”

Chelsea smiled to reassure him. “I said you were good. You’re right, although I did train ballet before I hit my growth spurt in my teens.”

He perched on the arm of the loveseat, staring at her. “Chelsea, can I ask a personal question? Feel free to tell me to take a hike, but…what’s up with Braden?”

“What do you mean?”

He checked his watch. “He’s going to arrive in twenty-seven minutes. He’ll pace around the room, look you over carefully, grunt in my direction, then disappear into the kitchen.”

The giggles in her belly started to rise. How had Braden thought he could slip anything past this observant man? “He comes home to make lunch, that’s all.”

Jamie’s expression betrayed his disbelief. “He’ll call out to see if you want anything, remember at the last second that I’m here and add my name to the question. After we both turn him down he’ll sit there…” Jamie pointed to the table, “…and watch us while he eats. Actually, he’ll watch you. Then he’ll clean up, come and ask me if I need anything, tell you to behave yourself and he’ll leave after one final dirty look in my direction.”

She couldn’t hold it in anymore. Her laughter rang throughout the room and Jamie joined in. When she could speak again her amusement still sounded in her voice.

“Three days and you know what he’s going to do?”

Jamie pulled his wallet from his pocket and drew out a twenty. He slapped it on the coffee table. “If he deviates from the norm, you win the twenty.”

Chelsea smiled. “I’m not betting against you. That’s exactly what he’s going to do.”

“So the question remains, what’s up?”

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Immaculately dressed in dark slacks and a crisp cotton shirt, he looked like he should be in a New York office, not digging through fishing nets and seashells. He was night and day to Braden’s casual jeans or sweats when out of uniform. Damn if she didn’t find them both attractive.

“Braden thinks I need to find a boyfriend.”

Jamie slapped his hands together and pointed at her excitedly. “So that’s what those cryptic comments he made back in his apartment were about.”

His gaze darted over her, the admiration in his eyes clear. This time he wasn’t analyzing what kind of dancer she was. Heat spread over her skin, her heartbeat picking up.

“What comments? What did he say to you?”

“He let me know that when my girlfriend joined me she was welcome to stay in the apartment with me. When I told him I was currently unattached, the grunting began.”

“Oh Lord, not the grunting.”

“Yeah, the grunting and the questions. ‘You think Chelsea is good-looking?’ he asked.” Jamie rolled his eyes and gestured at her, his hand sweeping the length of her frame as if he were at a carnival, gesturing in the main attraction. “I asked if he’d been diagnosed with a brain condition.”

“You didn’t!”

“Chelsea, I’m missing a piece of the puzzle. I think you like Braden, and the man is obviously head over heels attracted to you—”

“Really?”

“Really. So why does it seem like he’s trying to hook us up? At least for the duration of the time I’m working this job?”

Chelsea flopped back in the loveseat, her head resting on the opposite arm from where he sat. How much could she say so the lines of privacy for the shifters of Jaffrey’s Cove remained uncrossed? She sniffed. How could she explain when she wasn’t sure herself why Braden was acting so strange?

She kept it simple.

“The only thing I can come up with is that he thinks we’re not right for each other. For some misguided reason he’s being noble and refusing to get involved with me. I guess he’s approved you as a backup boyfriend, so he’s pushing us together.”

“Backup boyfriend. Hell, I feel like we’re back in eighth grade. But he actually wants you for himself, so he’s still checking in the hopes nothing happens. Got it. No wonder he’s pissed at me.”

Chelsea sat up and touched his leg. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but while I like you a lot, I really want Braden. I have forever.”

Jamie frowned. “Right back at you. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not looking to hook up with anyone right now. While you’re very attractive, I don’t need a girlfriend.” He tapped his fingers on his thigh, brushing her hand accidentally, and Chelsea sucked in a breath. She might know what she wanted, he might know what he wanted, but their chemistry was potentially explosive. She tried to pull her hand away but he grabbed her wrist, held her still.

“I have an idea if you’re game.”

“Involving Braden?”

He gave her a mischievous grin. “He’s on the edge. I’m sure it wouldn’t take much to convince him that his idea isn’t what you two really need. So as long as I’m not in danger of losing any teeth, how about we do a little playacting?”

“To try and make him jealous?”

Jamie nodded.

Chelsea thought fast. Maybe that was what Braden needed to nudge him over and finally not only admit he wanted her but act on it.

The idea held possible dangers though. She’d been without a lover for a long time, and Jamie was damn attractive in his own way. She bit her lower lip. The sexual fever burning in her veins was difficult enough to control at the best of times. If they pretended to get intimate, she might not be able to hold back.

She lifted her chin. If Braden didn’t react, then…to hell with him. Getting involved with Jamie for a bit of fun would hurt no one. Neither of them was looking for forever, and she really needed to gain back some control of her life.

“What are you thinking?”

Jamie pointed to the twenty. “Let’s start by making him mess up his routine. Give him a little something to look at. Just talk quiet to me, like you’re sharing secrets and stand close. Start pushing a few buttons. See what happens.”

“What if he doesn’t respond?”

“Then I get to spend the twenty and buy you dinner. That should go along with the goal of making him jealous.”

Chelsea grinned at him. “How about if he doesn’t react then we bump it up another notch. I’ll take you to the Grotto where I dance and you can spend the twenty on the floor. Deal?”

“Deal.”

They shook hands, the mischief in his eyes shifting to something that made her sex tingle. Tension floated in the air.

“Maybe we should do a test run before he gets here.” His voice had dropped a notch and a shiver raced over her skin as he tugged on her fingers, drawing them closer until her body was flush with his. “Just to make sure it’s going to look believable.”

He lowered his head and brushed their lips together.