He sat up and put his hand on the small of her back, pushing her closer to him, then he kissed her. He moved more aggressively than she had been just now, but it still didn’t match her ferociousness in some of their earlier encounters.

“What are you doing?” Penn asked, pulling away from him almost as soon as he’d started kissing her.

“I thought this was what you wanted,” Daniel said, bewildered by her resistance.

She shook her head. “I told you that I didn’t come here for that.”

“What’s wrong with now? We can just get it over with.”

“Just get it over with?” Penn laughed and pushed his hand off her back. “How romantic.” She got up and climbed off him while he just stared up in total confusion.

“Wow. It’s like the Twilight Zone out here. Are you seriously turning down sex?” he asked.

“No, but I want the mood to be right. It’s been so long since I’ve really had to chase someone down, and when I have you, I want to savor you.”

“So…” He scratched his head, then got to his feet. “If you didn’t come out today for the whole sex thing, then why are you here?”

“Daniel, I knew your hearing was messed up, but I didn’t know your listening skills were so bad. I already told you. I came out to see if you’ve healed enough to perform.”

“I hurt my arm and my ribs, and I have a couple scratches. I think I’ll be okay.”

She bit her lip. “You only say that because you don’t know what I have in store for you.”

“When you say stuff like that, you think you’re being flirtatious, but you’re really not,” Daniel said as he smoothed out his shirt and brushed off pine needles and leaves. “Given that I know what you’re capable of, that comes across as more of a threat than innuendo.”

She laughed. “Since you handled that roll in the grass just fine and seem to be doing so well, I think you’re just about ready for our date. So we should reschedule in…” Penn cocked her head, as if thinking. “One week from today?”

“A week? But that’s my…” He sighed as it dawned on him. “Birthday. You knew that. That’s why you picked it.”

“I want to give you the best birthday present ever. And what could be better than a night with me?”

“Oh, I’m sure I could think of a couple things,” he muttered.

“Now, Daniel, you shouldn’t say things like that. You wouldn’t want to hurt my feelings, would you? Because if you did, then I might get angry, and I might have to take out some of my rage on your girlfriend and her sister.” She smiled at him as she spoke. “I might even have to kill them.”

“I’m just keeping it interesting, Penn,” Daniel replied coolly, instead of throwing her to the ground and telling her that if she ever touched Harper, he’d kill her. “I know it’s the thrill of the chase that gets you off, so I can’t make it too easy for you.”

“That’s why I like you. You know exactly what I want.”

She leaned into him and kissed him on the mouth. She put one hand on the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair and holding him to her. Then he felt her teeth sinking into his lip. He was about to push her off when she let go and stepped back.

“Eight o’clock on Wednesday night,” Penn said as she backed away from him. “You and me.”

“I won’t forget,” he promised her.

Penn laughed, then turned and ran down to the end of the dock. She dove off and went into the water with hardly a splash.

He could taste the blood from his lip, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. His heart pounded in his chest, and he felt like throwing up. Every encounter he had with Penn left him feeling like he needed to shower.

He was ashamed to admit that a small part of him liked it, which made him crave the shower all the more. As much as he detested Penn, she sparked something in his anatomy that he couldn’t completely control.

Penn had left his clothes wet and dirty from throwing him on the ground, and he’d have to change before he went down to the theater. He really did want to shower now, but he wasn’t sure he’d have enough time to, so he pulled out his phone to check the clock.

That’s when he saw he had two missed texts from Harper. In all the commotion with Penn, he hadn’t noticed his phone vibrating.

But I want to do something special for you, Harper had texted when Penn interrupted.

Daniel? Are you still there? That was her newest text, the one that came when he didn’t respond.

Daniel stared down at the phone, unsure of what to say, and feeling worse than he’d ever felt before. While he’d been kissing Penn, Harper had been texting him, completely oblivious to the fact that Daniel was cheating on her.

He knew he’d do whatever it took to protect Harper, but he didn’t want to betray her like this. She deserved more from him.

But he knew that if he told Harper about his pact to sleep with Penn, she’d try to talk him out of it. She might even succeed. And it wouldn’t be worth it. Saving their relationship would be meaningless if it meant sacrificing Harper and Gemma’s lives.

I have to go to class. I’ll talk to you later. Love you. Harper texted him as he stared down at his phone, trying to decide not only what to reply to her but also what he should do about the whole situation with Penn.

In some strange way, that text seemed to solidify his decision. Harper loved him, she trusted him, and she needed him now more than ever. He had to protect her the only way he knew how to, even if it meant that he’d lose her forever.