His Lost Mate (A Steamy Paranormal Romance Novel) (18 page)

Lauren laughed. “If the rain stops and we can build a campfire, that’s a deal. I won’t be long.”

The two young men wearing hooded slickers sloshed in the mud toward the trail heading back to camp. Margaret finished cleaning up, wandered around the site apparently in deep thought. She sat on the pyramid, the backs of her hands resting on her knees, her eyes closed. Lauren saw her chest rise slowly in deep breaths. Meditating. Lauren continued her work and tried not to invade Margaret’s privacy. After several minutes, Margaret got up and came over to Lauren. “I don’t think Jim’s coming. I’ll head back to camp. Don’t be long. It’ll get dark soon, dear.”

“I won’t.”

The rain had washed the piece of pottery clean, enhancing the painted decoration. She was almost sure the image was of the Moon goddess. Even if she worked in the field for thirty years, she knew she would be just as thrilled whenever she discovered an artifact. Obviously, Margaret still enjoyed working in the field. She was the type of professor who spent her life traveling around the world on various field projects and wouldn’t have been satisfied working strictly in the classroom.

The drizzle had soaked Lauren’s hair and plastered the strands to her head and neck. She jabbed her pink handled trowel into the damp clay soil and dug a couple of trenches to channel the rain away from her partially unearthed artifact.

A shower and clean, dry clothes was next on agenda. Tonight would be a good night to study and work on her thesis. If Deven was up to it, she’d like to talk to him about her project. Trying to concentrate on her studies was going to be a challenge when they were alone.

A twinge of tightness pulled inside her chest. She couldn’t keep her mind off the man. Every time she was near him, the air seemed to rush out of her lungs. Was this a schoolgirl crush, or was she falling in love with him? She wasn’t sure if she could trust her feelings because she hadn’t dated anyone since her divorce.

She’d only known Deven for a few weeks, but she admired his enthusiasm for his work, his patience in teaching students, his down-to-earth manner and the respect he gave to his colleagues. When he had talked about his family, his sister Sarita and his parents, Lauren had seen the look of love and pride in his eyes.

Every inch of him from his worn hiking boots to his slightly tilted Panama hat exemplified sexy.

She rubbed her arms, trying to distract her thoughts away from her sensual desires and needs.
Stop torturing yourself.

Taking a deep breath, Lauren reached for the plastic tarp and pulled it over her grid and then began collecting her tools. Not many jobs provided a lush, tropical office like this. The wild sounds of the late afternoon jungle grew louder. Isolated and alone, she felt the dense vegetation close in around her. Margaret was right, the rainforest was alive. It was a living, breathing, conscious entity and it never slept. Animals roamed and scurried about day and night, insects chirped incessantly and plants seemed to grow right before your eyes. Depending on personal perceptions, the jungle could be tranquil, tame and protective. Or it could be savage, wild and dangerous.

As long as it was daylight, she felt safe working alone at the dig, especially with the guards on patrol. But they weren’t around the dig right now and she hadn’t seen them since this morning. She tried shaking off her uneasiness and focused on her work.

The sound of footsteps coming up the path startled her. She suddenly felt exposed. Her heart pounded in her chest and throbbed in her ears. Then she saw Deven emerge from the overhanging ferns and shrubs. She let out a breath in a whistle.

“Why are you still here?” Deven asked. “Margaret said you didn’t want to leave your grid. The dig will keep until tomorrow.”

“I wanted to make sure the rain wasn’t going to cover my find back up with mud.”

Deven smiled, then picked up a couple of rocks and placed them on the edge of the plastic. “It looks like you got a lot accomplished today. I still don’t like you being out here alone. When I saw Kyle and Justin running into camp, I thought something had happened.”

“We had a good day in spite of the rain.” Lauren sucked in her breath, suddenly remembering the Lacandons. “Margaret and I walked to another site and ran into Lacandon Indians.”

“I heard. Jim has been expecting them. He has medical supplies to trade. So what was your impression of the Lacandons?”

“At first, I was terrified. One of them had a huge machete. Margaret managed to communicate a little. It’s amazing how they live out here in the jungle. I imagine they must look similar to the ancient Maya. I’d be interested in learning more about them and their culture.”

He gave her a sidelong glance. A smile twitched at his mouth. “If you’re interested in learning more about them, I’m sure we can find some information at the museum.”

“Thanks, I’d like that.” Standing this close to him was unnerving. Flashes of their time together dashed across her mind—his strong muscular arms around her, large hands caressing her skin, his eyes glazed over with lust and passion, his mouth, his tongue… The fluttering in her stomach traveled lower. What would it be like to have sex with him? God, she had to stop thinking about him. Had he thought about that night? Did he regret it?

“I hear you’re pretty handy with a shovel,” Deven said.

“Huh? Oh, you mean the snake.” She tried not to smile, but the smirk on his face was addictive and so appealing. “Kyle owes me a beer. I ran into a few snakes when I went fishing with my dad and brother. We killed a few.”

“You like to fish?”

“I’m not a huge fan, but I enjoyed spending time with my dad and brother—good memories. I like being in the outdoors more than fishing.”

“If it’s nice tomorrow, we’ll stop the dig early and hike to the waterfall. There’s a nice area for swimming. Bring your camera. You’ll find a variety of rare orchids to photograph.”

He picked up her trowel, dropped it in her backpack and zipped it up. He stood close to her, not backing away. “How do you like the field project so far?”

The huskiness in his voice was unsettling. Lauren had a hard time keeping her eyes off his mouth. She imagined his lips on hers again. At first his question didn’t register. “Huh? Oh. It’s fascinating. I hope to work on this the type of project when I graduate.”

He looked at her for a long time. His gray eyes were slowly unraveling the tight coil of tension in her chest. Would he kiss her again?

“Lauren, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the other night. I’m sorry I put you in an awkward position.”

The disappointment dragged on her heart. He
was
sorry that he kissed her. Her hopes of something developing between them plummeted into the blackness of a bottomless cenote. How could he brush her off so easily?

“Deven, get over it. I’m not sorry you kissed me. In fact, I liked it. If you feel awkward around me because I’m your student, that’s your problem. If you’re not interested, that’s fine. I understand. I won’t bother you. Right now I need a shower and dry clothes.” She snatched up her backpack, spun around and started stomping off toward the trail back to camp.

Her hands were shaking now. Where did all that emotion come from? She had exploded like a volcano and made a total fool out of herself.

“Wait,” Deven said softly as he walked up to her.

“What is it?” she snapped. The sultry look in his eyes caught her off guard and sent a tingling sensation to the pit of her stomach.

He grasped her arm and pulled her hard against his chest. He brushed her wet hair out of her face and lowered his mouth over hers. He kissed her with a frenzied madness that demanded her surrender. She opened her mouth and their tongues merged with the erotic blaze burning inside each other.

Her muscles went loose and her body felt like she was sinking in warm quicksand. She gave in to the sensations, wrapped her arms around his neck as a soft groan escaped his lips and he held her tighter, crushing her breasts against his hard chest.

Lauren pressed her hips into him and could feel the fierce hardening of his cock beneath his pants. A warm throb pulsed in her groin. Each breath was a gasp for air. She didn’t want to stop. Her knees felt rubbery and she didn’t know how much longer she could remain standing.

Deven skimmed his lips over her cheek to her ear. “Lauren,” he whispered, arousing wonderful chills throughout her body.

She shuddered as the tip of his tongue trailed a warm wet path down her neck. He slid his fingers into her damp hair and pressed her head gently against his shoulder. His chest heaved like he had been running.

“God, you feel so good,” he whispered into her ear. “I didn’t mean to get you upset. I have been attracted to you since I first met you at the airport, but I didn’t want to pressure you or compromise your studies.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything keep me from completing my studies.”

“This is not the best place to find private time for pursuing a relationship. I think people are already noticing the attraction we have for each other. We do need to keep our professional relationship intact. The guards send the officials regular reports. If they happen to mention that the director of the excavation is disappearing into the jungle with one of his female students, the conservative officials might make an issue out of it. It may seem old-fashioned to us, but you have to respect the morals and beliefs of the countries in which you are a guest.”

“I understand. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize the project. We’ll have to be discreet.” She wondered if the reputation of the project was his only concern. Was he using it as an excuse to avoid getting too involved with her? She really didn’t know him that well yet.

“I’m sure we can work out some time alone. There is one other complication you should know about. Sylvia and I were once engaged. We broke it off over a year ago, but her father is also the main financial contributor to the field project. I’m not saying we should hide our feelings, but I don’t want to flaunt it in her face. She has expressed a desire to get back together.”

“Maybe you need to give her a heads-up.”

“Hmmm. You don’t know Sylvia.” He kissed her forehead. “Come on, let’s head back. Jim has dinner ready and he’s made my favorite dessert—chocolate cake.”

“Cool. We’d better get back before Justin or Kyle eat it all.”

* * *

Lauren stepped into her tent and tried not to track mud everywhere. Would it ever stop raining? But the rain could not dampen her spirits. Things in her love life were looking up. She was confident they’d find time to be alone. She dug out dry clothes and picked up her towel lying on the bed and saw something dark skitter away—a tarantula. A scream tore through her as she raced out of the tent. “Justin!”

Justin and Kyle ran out of their tent, rain slickers in their hands.

“Another one?” Justin said gleefully.

“Get it out of my tent. How are they getting in? No one else is having this problem.”

Justin charged into Lauren’s tent and in a couple minutes came out with the hairy creature perched on his arm. “I figured out where they’re getting in.”

“Where?” Lauren said.

“There’s a hole in the seam at the bottom of your tent, in the corner.”

Lauren ran into her tent and soon came out with scissors, thread and a needle. “I can’t get to the hole from inside without taking the bunk bed out. I’ll sew it closed from outside.”

“Hurry up, dinner’s ready,” Kyle said. “I’ll ask Jim to keep your food warm.”

“It won’t take me long. I’ll sleep much better tonight when I get this done.”

Lauren threaded the needle and began stitching up the split seam. Rain streamed down her face. She was soaked to the skin. She’d take a shower as soon as she was done, but she had to tarantula-proof her tent. No more creepy-crawly things were going to be sharing her quarters.

Her thoughts drifted as she sewed. Deven’s recent kiss at the ruins stirred warm sensations in the pit of her stomach. He certainly knew how to use his mouth.

Footsteps sloshed around to the back of her tent and Lauren glanced over from her sewing to see a pair of muddy hiking boots. Her gaze traveled up muscular legs, to lean hips that expanded into a broad chest. Then she met Deven’s gaze. He was grinning and shaking his head, while he held an umbrella over her.

“Don’t you know enough to get out of the rain?” he asked.

“I’m spider-proofing my tent. I’m already wet, so I figured I’d finish this first.”

“I’ll finish up. Get a hot shower and into some dry clothes before you catch pneumonia.” He took the needle and scissors out of her hand and started working on the hole.

“You can sew?”

“Yes and I can cook too.”

“Ah, a man of many talents.”

He chuckled. “I’ll check around for any more holes. Now hit the showers.” He winked at her.

* * *

After dinner the rain finally stopped. Water dripped from the trees, glistening in the last rays of sunlight. Lauren walked to her tent to exchange her rain slicker for a sweatshirt. She stopped at the entrance and spotted the sign above her door. Notebook paper was taped together, forming a banner across the top of her door. It read “Tarantula Motel”.

“Very funny. Who did this?” Lauren shouted as she spun around.

Justin and Kyle walked across the field in front of the tents, arms loaded with firewood. They chuckled while they dumped it on the ground next to the fire pit. Jim arranged the logs within the circle of stones. He didn’t look up but Lauren could see that he was smiling too.

“You guys.” She marched over to them, hands on hips, trying to keep from smiling. “You put that sign up.”

“Who, us? What sign?” Kyle wiped the smile off his face. Justin laughed harder.

She pointed to the banner. “Cute. Well, all the tarantulas have checked out. I fixed the hole.”

“We saw Dr. Chandler sewing up the holes,” Justin said. “Does he mend your socks too?”

The sly smiles on all three men made Lauren wonder what else they were thinking. “Very funny. He wanted me to get out of the rain and go eat, so he finished for me.”

“Let us know if you find anything else in your tent, Justin and I’ll come to the rescue,” Kyle said.