Page 23 of Delirium

Something that could grow, if I nurtured the tiny seed it was now.

I tried to ignore the way her words heated my blood, warming my skin to an uncomfortable degree. My family always said I wore my heart on my sleeve. My blush gave me away every time. Anger. Passion. Embarrassment. Love. It all made my skin light up the same shade as a traffic light.

Thankfully, the dark evening hid most of it, even though I was acutely aware of the way I felt too small for my skin. The effect she had on me was something else.

Or maybe I’d just been alone for too long.

“Well, seeing as you left dinner, you must be starving,” I said, getting to my feet—this time without falling.

She shrugged. “I’m okay. Don’t go to any extra effort on my account.”

As she finished speaking, her stomach growled loudly, and I gave her a pointed look.

“Okay, maybe I’m a bit hungry. I haven’t really eaten since this morning. But it’s fine, really. I have some granola bars in my bag, and I know you probably don’t want to go back into that dining room right now, and?—”

I cut her off with a wave of my hand and a smile. “Who said anything about going back to the dining room? Come on. I’ll show you where the galley is.”

I offered her my hand, unsure if she would take it or not. But with only a second-long look at me, a quick examination as if she could tell the measure of my soul with a single glance, she slipped her hand into mine and jumped off the table.

“I still feel bad you have to make me more, and all that food in the dining room is going to go to waste.”

I looked back at her in the flickering lights, the half-moon barely visible through the copse of trees, and laughed. “Did you not see Camp in there? The man looks like he can’t remember eating something thatdidn’tcome out of a can. I’m pretty sure no food in that dining room is going to waste tonight.”

“Okay, okay, you might be right there.” Something flashed through her gaze at the mention of Camp’s name, and my blood warmed another degree.

Jealousy.I saw the way he looked at her when he and James were fighting. I didn’t miss the way she looked back at him. They were both science-types, right? They made sense together. I had no claim on her. Scarlett was a free woman, as far as I was aware.

Except her hand fit perfectly into mine. And she looked at me like she knew me. She knew I was hiding something, and somehow she still looked at me like she could trust me.

I didn’t want to lose that feeling.

Regretfully, I had to let go of her hand when we got to the stairs. “Watch your head here, okay? It gets low for a minute. I think people were a lot shorter when oldCarpe Diemwas constructed.”

I patted the awkward ledge that jutted out into the steep stairs—a superstition that hadn’t failed me yet—and straightened once the stairs rose again. Scarlett’s footsteps trailed behind me, light and sure, even as the boat swayed beneath our feet. It was easier to feel the rock of the river beneath the deck, surrounded by the water on all sides. It never felt suffocating down here, though. It only ever felt like coming home.

“Ooooof!”Carpemust have swayed to the side a bit too much, because the next thing I knew Scarlett was practically on top of me, gripping my shoulders for dear life. “Sorry! Sorry!”

She struggled to find her balance again, butCarpewas righting herself, and if you weren’t used to the sway of a boat in a river, you’d never stay upright. I grabbed her hand, squeezing it lightly. “You stay right there, darling. No sense in falling down the stairs again if you don’t have to. Besides, I don’t mind getting a little close to you.”

Getting a little close to you. I could’ve smacked myself. I was a dork and a half, only confirmed by Scarlett’s silence behind me. Although, she didn’t remove her hand from my shoulder.

“Just keep one hand on me until we get downstairs. It’ll help keep your balance. The river must be unhappy about something tonight.” The river had been churning something fierce all day, more so than usual. The mosquitos and no-see-ums were out in full force.

Something was off, but not quite wrong enough to put my finger on it. More a feeling than anything.

I helped Scarlett down the last few steps, and released her hand so I could point out a door across from us. “Engine room is right there. Across from it is the storage room. Any of your books I couldn’t fit in your room are in there. Don’t worry. They’re stored nice and safe.”

“Thanks, Nash.” Her stomach growled again, protesting anything else I might’ve said. “Jesus, you probably think I’m an idiot for forgetting to eat.”

I smiled to myself, pushing open the door to the small galley. “I think it comes hand in hand with the excitement of boarding the boat the first day. We all forget something.”

Scarlett brightened once we stepped into the well-equipped kitchen. “I wasn’t expecting allthisto be hiding down here.”

“She might be an old boat, but she’s still got a few tricks up her sleeve.” I patted the stove, aging, but still in good condition.

The boat swayed with the river once more, something thatshouldn’tbe happening in the small alcove I anchored us in. I grimaced when something creaked and groaned around us, praying like hell it wasn’t the crankshaft. She’d been close to giving out on my last trip, but when I examined her closely, I thought she still had a few more trips left in her. Enough time for James’ money to hit my bank account at least. But if I turned us around now, James was likely to walk off the boat altogether, and then I’d never see the money.

“Nash? You okay? Do you need some help?” Scarlett’s voice pierced my thoughts once more.

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