ANGEL WAS GONE.Mariana swam through her sister’s condo, making a mental list of what was missing: the slate tablets of notes Angel kept stacked on the desk in the study, the box of urchin spines she stored next to the Human perfume bottle of octopus ink, that bottle of octopus ink, and the sea-pak from the foyer closet.The shutters were closed on every window, and cloth¬ing was strewn all over the bedroom, the Human shirts Angel had bought at the Salvager’s Market floating atop the furniture in the soft current that wended through downtown Atlantis. This mess wasn’t like Angel. She was a total neat freak about her “treasures,” only getting maniacal like this for one reason.Mariana somersaulted back to the living room. The sea stars were missing. The little colony of colorful echinoderms Angel had recently adopted from Rod’s office usually spent the day wandering around the coral sculpture Mariana had designed for just that purpose.She swam over to the kitchen sink. Yep. The he
ANGEL FELT LIKE A PRINCESS.Okay, so, technically, since her family was royalty, she was a princess. But other than the occasional “my lady,” the title didn’t mean a hill of shells in her world. Here, though… wow.Wendy must have melted that plastic with all these clothes. Angel knew it’d be fun to try on silky item after silky item, then put more on top of those. Swishy dresses, flowing skirts, lightweight pants, colorful tops. They were all so beautiful, like a tropical coral reef on a sunny day. That Humans could create such beautiful products said a lot about them—and gave her hope for the future.And the shoes! Oh, the shoes. The flats came in so many colors, and Wendy had insisted she try on a pair for each outfit. Really, Angel hadn’t needed much convincing. She loved the flamingo-colored sandals the saleswoman had said were the latest style. They were comfortable and looked so very pretty on her new feet. And then, the high heels! All different heights, some thick-heeled, s
Okay, so maybe someone Up There wasn’t on his side after all.Logan opened the door to the ice cream parlor for Angel, leaning back to keep from touching any part of her or that bag.She’d picked out red lingerie.He’d actually given the saleswoman carte blanche— and his credit card—to outfit his son’s new babysitter, and, between the two of them, a woman who was sup-posed to know fashion and another who had as many degrees as he did, they’d come up with red lingerie. It’d be ironically funny if Michael weren’t involved.Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Maybe he should have just given her the money, bought her a one-way bus ticket, and told Michael she’d had to go home. He wouldn’t have to worry about what she wore, what her favorite flavor was, how her hair felt on his skin… nor what it’d be like to kiss her.Then Michael grabbed Angel’s hand and tugged her forward, his smile almost bigger than he was, and Logan knew he wasn’t going to ask her to leave. He couldn’t break Mich
“ANGEL, WATCH THIS!” MICHAEL JUMPED OFF THE EDGE OF the pool in Logan’s yard and did a half twist in the air before belly-flopping into the water. That had to hurt. Angel clapped when he surfaced. “Good job! You almost made it all the way around that time.” “I’ll get it. You’ll see.” “I’m sure you will, Michael.” She leaned back on the chaise lounge to watch him practice as he’d been doing since lunch. Logan had disappeared into his study to handle some business, and she and Michael had had an interesting afternoon making paper animals with pages from his notebook, as well as figuring out how to make a peanut butter sandwich. Between the two of them, there’d been enough pea-nut butter on their fingers that they hadn’t needed the sandwich part, but Angel wasn’t willing to pass up her first taste of dry bread. “I’m gonna do a handstand, ’kay, Angel?” “Go ahead.” She hooked the pen on the notebook where she’d jotted her observations and impressions before lunch, then ran her fing
Logan took one look at Angel and changed his mind again; someone Up There was on his side after all. Having her here to take care of Michael while he’d put out those seventeen or so fires on the project was a godsend. Now the lead scientist was back on the job, R&D was on track, all the investors were happy with the results of the latest solar-chip testing, and he could relax and enjoy the rest of Michael’s birthday. Then Angel flipped her hair to the side, a curtain of golden silk flowing over her shoulders and Logan’s re-laxation took a hike. Her hair was gorgeous and he simply could not stop wondering what it’d feel like falling across his chest. Intertwined in his fingers. Caressing his skin— Hell. He had to stop. She was here to help him with Michael and nothing else. If only he wasn’t aware of her all the time. Even with her nose buried in her book, something about Angel just reeled him in. Something called to him. Made him see her as a beautiful woman and not the hired h
MICHAEL KEPT CHATTERING SO MUCH DURING DINNER THAT Angel hadn’t known whether to be relieved she wouldn’t have to contribute to the conversation or to worry he’d accidentally blow her cover. Actually, she’d almost blown it herself. Human food wasn’t totally new to her, thanks to the occasional cap-sized vessel and the undersea wedding reception her parents had held for her brother Reel and his Human wife, Erica, complete with their favorite Human foods, but burgers hadn’t been part of her experience. She’d almost swooned when she bit into one. The combination of flavors and textures… And of course, the dry bread and condiments that hadn’t been watered down… The burger was to die for. The flavors were so different. Stronger. Better. And the beverages… She’d passed on the milk Logan had insisted Michael drink, but the iced tea was deli-cious. Fresh water, too, and even a sip or two of grape wine, so different from the kelp wine Mers had. What an experience for the palate. And the ch
ANGEL COULDN’T GET INTO THE KITCHEN FAST ENOUGH. Logan’s reaction freaked her out. She’d heard about the effect of Siren Song on Human males, but she hadn’t expected it to happen like that. Didn’t she have to want to mesmerize him with her voice for it to work? And that was definitely the last thing she wanted. Even if her toes had started tingling— No. Really. She didn’t want him to see her as any-thing other than Michael’s babysitter. “Angel, I wanna get some different paper.” Michael turned his hat cockeyed on his head. “I’m gonna make more animals after cake.” “Um, sure, honey. Go ahead.” Better to leave her alone to putter around the kitchen and try to regain her equilibrium— and she didn’t mean because of her legs—than stand there while she was trying to pretend everything was normal. Everything was not normal. She grabbed a glass out of the cabinet, then turned on the faucet and ran her fingers beneath the water. Logan wasn’t the only one who could use a drink of somethin
SHE HAD THE BEST BREASTS HE’D SEEN IN A LONG TIME. Logan jerked his head. What was wrong with him? Ogling Angel’s breasts? He should be shot. And as for pinning her up against the cabinets and mauling her, he ought to be drawn and quartered. He wiped his face with the towel she’d mercifully tossed him and gave half a thought to gouging out his eyes. He’d never leered at a woman before, much less attacked one. She was a guest in his home. Michael’s babysitter. Could he be a bigger cad? He slumped against the counter and reached for the glass. Christ. Something had hit him like a tidal wave. There hadn’t been a subtle thing about the staring he’d done. At her breasts, no less. The poor woman was look-ing at him as if he’d suggested he tie her to the bedposts. He couldn’t blame her. In another life, that idea would have a lot to com-mend it. He shook his head. Something weird had come over him. Exhaustion maybe. The shock of finding Michael on his doorstep finally catching up with h