After work, she drove home and climbed out of her car, taking a moment to just look at the lake and unwind. Other than that one bad storm, winter hadn’t been much of a threat. She hoped it stayed that way. Right now it was windy but a downright balmy sixty-two degrees. The sun was setting, casting the choppy lake and the surrounding rolling hills in a kaleidoscope of colors.

Grabbing her bag, she headed toward Emmitt’s house for her daily check-in. Halfway there, she caught sight of someone on the docks. A tall, built someone sitting with his feet hanging over the side, staring at the water the way she’d been.

Cam. He was in a wet suit that he’d peeled off his torso and shoved down to his waist. His hair was wet.

It was ridiculous how he could affect her mood. And her pulse. She’d told herself this was a bad idea, he was a bad idea, but there seemed to be some sort of disconnect between her brain and heart. Not to mention decidedly south of her heart.

Her life was chaos, always had been. But somehow Cam had become the calm in the storm. He was easy to be with. He was slow to anger, steady, determined, focused. And best yet, she didn’t have to take care of him. She could just enjoy him.

The knowledge felt . . . freeing and fun, a lot like the freedom she’d been yearning for and dreaming about. She’d like to keep things just as they were. Well, okay, maybe with a whole lot more nudity and orgasms. But other than that, just like this, no complications.

Complications continued to ruin her life.

It was then that she realized Cam’s shoulders were set with tension, and even from this distance, she could tell that something was wrong.

Emmitt was going to have to wait.

She got down to the marina and came to a halt just before the docks. Because of course Cam was on the longest one, which jutted straight out at least a hundred feet over the lake.

If she wanted to get to him, she’d have to walk it.

Oh, boy. She took a few more steps, but stopped right before stepping up onto the actual dock itself.

She was already sweating. “Hey.”

He didn’t hear her.

Damn wind. She drew in a deep breath and stepped up onto the dock. She swiped her clammy hands over her thighs and took another step. Suddenly she felt ill. Maybe she’d caught Winnie’s flu. Maybe she should turn around and go straight home.

Except Winnie had texted her earlier not to worry, she didn’t have the flu. Maybe food poisoning, but whatever it was, she was fine now.

Great. So Piper couldn’t even use “close to death” as an excuse. “Cam.”