“No worries,” Braden said. “I take it you’ve had an interesting morning.”
“No shit. Let me grab a towel.”
Braden turned to face the other man and found himself staring after Jamie’s retreating ass. Strong butt muscles flexed with every step Jamie took and a thrill of attraction shot through Braden.
Holy fuck, just what he didn’t need right now. Freaking merfolk hormones were going to kill him. Chelsea had him so riled up his cock was on a trigger switch. While there was nothing wrong with finding Jamie attractive, he really didn’t need another complication in his life.
Braden slipped into his bedroom to strip off his wet uniform shirt and pull a spare one from the closet. Jamie opened the bathroom door and glanced around, his gaze hesitating on the bare skin of Braden’s chest. He dragged his eyes away and headed for the dresser, clutching the towel wrapped around his hips. “Sorry again. I guess I’m a little jumpy after discovering I slept through someone covering the sliding French doors in spray paint without waking me.”
“No way. Damn it, I’ve never had anything like that happen before. This really is the strangest season on record.”
Braden was buttoning up his shirt before he realized he still stood in the bedroom, staring unintentionally at Jamie’s naked torso. “Shit, I’ll let you get dressed. Have you had breakfast yet? Can I make some coffee?”
Jamie grinned at him. “Coffee would be awesome.”
Braden rambled around the kitchen for a few minutes waiting for the coffeemaker to finish. He scrubbed his face and took a few long, slow breaths to try to regain control of his body. His cock stood at attention, a situation he hoped would disappear before Jamie noticed.
Enough was enough. This thing between Chelsea and him needed dealing with before his rotten libido got them all in trouble, especially now that she wasn’t going away. His heart ached for her—she’d been so excited about college. He’d thought it was already accomplished and ready to happen.
Adding to her pain was cruel, and he wasn’t waiting any longer. If she really wanted to get involved with him—
“Coffee smells great.” Jamie interrupted his thoughts as he entered the room dressed in a crisp cotton shirt and sharply creased dress pants. He reached for the pot and poured them two cups, adding a shot of cream to one and handing it to Braden.
Braden frowned in confusion. “Thanks, but how did you know how I take my coffee?”
Jamie shrugged. “That’s how you take it at the house. And you had no sugar in the condo. Not big on cooking, are you?”
“Sure I am. Chinese, Italian, Greek…”
Jamie laughed at him. “Takeout doesn’t count. You’ll have to let me cook for you sometime. I’m pretty good, and I’d love to show you how much I appreciate getting to stay in your place. You really have made my job easier.”
Braden sat at the table, stretching out his legs and nodding at the chair opposite him. “First, tell me about the vandals.”
Jamie pushed his laptop to the side to make room for his cup. “Spray paint. I still can’t believe I didn’t hear anything. I’m usually a fairly light sleeper, but the last couple nights…”
He stopped, his face flushed as he took a sip of his coffee. Braden wondered what Jamie wasn’t saying, but he’d already taken more liberties than he should with someone he barely knew. It was downright embarrassing how comfortable he felt around the human.
“Thanks for cleaning it up.”
“No trouble. Easier to do while it’s fresh, something I’ve learned at various digs.”
“Anything broken? Left behind?” Braden watched closely to make sure Jamie wasn’t too spooked by the situation.
“I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. You should check, since you’d spot anything unusual easier than I would.”
They wandered outside and Jamie pointed out the few spots he hadn’t been able to finish cleaning up, but there was nothing broken or otherwise wrong that Braden could see.
“Well, I guess as long as you lock up there’s not much else we can do to prevent it from happening again. Really, Jaffrey’s Cove has never had a run of the crazies like this before.”
Jamie chuckled. “Brought them in just for me. I’m honored.”
“Yeah, well let’s hope they all decide it’s too quiet around here soon and head down the coast to Cynterra Bay. I hear they need a little excitement.” Braden slapped him on the shoulder and ushered him back into the condo. “You planning on heading to the Coltens’ this morning?”
“No reason not to. I’ve barely made inroads to the collection. I have to tell you—Chelsea’s been a godsend.”
Did Jamie say her name with a little extra emphasis? Braden fought down the jealousy that shot through him. “I thought she’d be a help. She’s always been a hard worker, and good company.”
“Then why… Never mind. Not my business.” Jamie walked away and pulled some items from the fridge, putting together a quick breakfast.
“You want to know why I’m not getting involved with her?”
“That’s blunt. But, yeah. I don’t get it. She’s a knockout, but more than that she’s a wonderful girl. Intelligent, quick to learn… I was surprised when she said she’d never been to college.”
“She put off going for a few years for some reason. She was supposed to head out this fall, but she said she didn’t get in. Blew her SATs.”
Jamie snorted his disbelief. “That’s a load of bull if I ever heard it. From what we’ve discussed over the past week, she’s got more knowledge than most people I’ve met. Seems to have read a lot of the classics and researched all kinds of topics.” He froze with his spoon of yogurt halfway to his mouth. “Unless…”
Braden frowned. There was something odd here. “Unless what?”
Jamie pointed the spoon at him then shook his head. “No, that’s not it. I wondered for a second if she was dyslexic, but she’s done just fine taking notes for me. Still, sometimes people freeze up in test situations—you know, can’t get the words down on paper. Because her mind is sharp, I’m telling you that.”
Braden rubbed his forehead. It was possible, and could be why she’d refused all offers of assistance, if she was trying to keep a disability secret. “You know what? You’re right, something is off. I’m going to look into it.”
Jamie’s face brightened as he smiled. “Okay, since it seems you’re a decent guy I’m going to let you in on the plot. Chelsea is nuts about you and doesn’t understand why you’re ignoring her. She’s invited me to watch her dance tomorrow night at the Grotto, but it’s really a setup. She’s got some kind of big plan that involves you. If you’ve got any feelings for the girl, I suggest you get your act together. This might be your last chance.”
Braden shook his head. “Are you trained as a relationship counselor too?”
A sudden burst of laughter escaped Jamie as he cleaned up his bowl and tidied the counter. He spoke over his shoulder. “Years of hanging out at remote digs often means there’s nothing to do in your spare time but psychoanalyze each other. It can be damn entertaining at times.”
Chelsea peeked around the edge of the stage, searching the dimly lit seating area for Jamie. The music pounded through her whole body, the pulsing beat making the need driving her more and more difficult to control. Braden had one last chance, then she was going to forget him. She’d called in every favor possible to arrange the night, and if it didn’t work, she’d just have to accept he really didn’t want her.