Now, given the light slanting through the window—or the lack of light slanting through the window—it wasn’t even dawn. When another low feminine oath sounded, he rose from the bed, grabbing his jeans as he did. Pulling them on, he found the source of the cursing.

Piper, trying to get off the boat.

She’d apparently been going for stealth, which, considering she’d gotten out of bed without waking him, was impressive. The fact that she’d put on the life jacket to go from boat to dock made him smile.

It’d snagged on a hook, leaving her trapped and fighting to free herself. Damn. He was going to fall for this woman hard if he let himself. Trying not to laugh, he came up behind her. “Sneaking out without a good-bye?”

“Hey, I said good-bye.” She was tugging on the vest for all she was worth. “You just didn’t hear me.”

Taking mercy, he untangled her and turned her to face him, holding on to the straps of the life vest. “Nice touch.”

“Yeah, well, I figured it’d be just my luck to fall in and get eaten by a lake monster,” she muttered into his chest. “That adventure is most definitely not in my journal. Which, by the way, is in my pocket. There are whole days I fantasize about tossing it into the lake, but it’s going to be on my terms, and not because I was stupid and fell in.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Tell me why you’re sneaking off.” He bent his knees a little so he could see her face better. “Let me guess. Things got so good you got scared. Am I hot or cold?”

Her pretty eyes narrowed.

Yeah, he was hot.

She lifted her chin. “Maybe it was so bad that I couldn’t do it again, you ever think of that?”

“I’ve got ten fingernail indentations in my ass that say otherwise.”

She blushed. Cute. “Okay, fine, whatever.” She tossed up her hands. “It wasn’t . . . bad.”

He laughed, and she huffed out a sigh and a reluctant smile. “You’re an ass.”

“Noted,” he said. “Now tell me why you’re running away.”

She turned her head and eyed the lake, gorgeous and smooth as glass at this time of morning. “I like you,” she said to the water, quietly, as if admitting a state secret.

“Piper.” He waited until she looked at him. “I like you back.”

She bit her lower lip, and he tilted his head. “Help me out here. I’m not sure I get the problem.”

“I said stuff.”

“You mean like ‘oh yeah, Cam, just like that’ and ‘harder, please, harder’ . . . ?”

She pointed at him, her cheeks blazing. “You know what I mean.”

“Actually, I don’t.” His smile faded because suddenly she seemed way too close to tears. “What’s wrong? If you tell me, maybe I can fix it.”