Page 26 of Undertow

I pull in a deep breath. “I saw something I wasn’t supposed to,” I say quietly, allowing the hint of a waver in my voice. I want them to think I’m nervous. Hurt, maybe even scarred by what happened. It’s been ages since I’ve cared enough about anything to wound me for real.

Not since New Orleans.

“What did you see?”

“Well… um…” I look to Julia in an obvious plea.

“He’s scared, Mama H,” she explains quickly. I notice the way she meets her mother’s gaze for a silent conversation. Mama H scans me again before nodding.

“We can talk later,” she says to me. “Enjoy dinner. Lincoln is making his famous ribs and twice-baked potatoes. Julia will get you a towel if you want to use the pool.”

A tug on the back of my shirt indicates this interview is over, and I twist back to find Adrian and another man standing behind me like a security detail. Fist locked in my shirt, Adrian drags me up and guides me away at a steady pace.

Once we’re a safe distance from the table, his hard expression softens into a smile. He shakes me by the collar before letting go. “She likes you.”

“Really?” I ask skeptically. “I thought she was going to use that nutcracker on me.”

He laughs and slings an arm around my neck. “Nah. If she didn’t approve, she wouldn’t have invited you to stay. Come on. I’ll introduce you to everyone else. You don’t mind if I borrow him, right, Jules?” Her irritated look says she does, and Adrian’s grin widens. “We’ll give him back by bedtime, promise.”

“Asshole,” she mutters, shoving him. “Sorry for these cavemen,” she says to me.

By the way she scours me in the silence, she’s definitely picturing me naked right now. It’s exactly what I want, and why I offered a glimpse of what could be early on.

The problem is, my own brain takes off on a perilous detour as well.

ThingsIwant to see.

Taste.

Explore.

Deny.

It’s too soon to sleep with her. Not until I talk over the latest developments with Merrick—and not until I get these strange impulses under control.

Over the next hour, I play my role to perfection. With each introduction, I log more information about the other members of the family and their relationships with each other. My flirting with Julia is merciless, punctuated by pockets of sincere conversation that have her hooked and drawing me in to more intimate discussions with the others.

By the time food is served, I’m surrounded by new “friends.” With every story and new acquaintance, I’m secretly evaluating,calculating, and planning my next move. I also watch for clues about their intentions for me.

“Hey, I want to show you something,” Julia says once she manages to break me away from a conversation with her cousin. We were halfway through an exhaustive list of every glass bead available for artisanal jewelry-making.

“I didn’t know there was so much to know about beads,” I say as we enter the house and start up a flight of stairs.

“Apparently there is for hot guys who are complex and interesting.” Her eyes narrow at my grin. “Don’t take that the wrong way.”

“What’s therightway to take it?”

She bumps my shoulder with hers, a hint of a smile on her lips. “Smartass.”

“Fair.”

She shakes her head in amusement as she leads me into a room several doors down the hall. As soon as we step inside, something pinches in my chest. No way she shows me this unless part of her feelings for me are real.

“Wow,” I say, looking around the large room.

The violet and black time capsule from a decade ago is sprinkled with artistic reflections of a teenage girl. This has to be her childhood room.

“Welcome to the lair of fifteen-year-old Julia Hartford,” she says with a laugh.