Pyramids and Promises (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 2) (6 page)

Their guide, along with three others trying to tether the balloon, offered hands to help them up. Conner stood on his own and helped Jessica.

She scrambled out of the basket and dusted off her capris. He followed her, still looking somber.

“You know,” she said. “I think you liked me better when I was grumpy Jessica.”

He ran his hand through his hair, ruffling his golden waves into the most haphazardly handsome mess. “It’s not that. I’m not quite sure what to do with happy Jessica. My whole goal when you were grumpy was to cheer you up. I don’t know what to do now.”

“Well, you succeeded at goal number one. Pick a new one. Now take me to Valley of the Kings.”

That got a smile out of him.

W
hen Jessica was reserved and anxious, she reminded him a lot more of Nour than she did now. Nour could be happy at times, but only when they were utterly alone could she take off her hijab and talk about the future. He never realized that for her it was just a dream. She knew from the beginning that they couldn’t be together. He wished she’d told him before he fell.

Jessica. Happy Jessica made him a tad bit nervous. It was like his private time with Nour exploded all over the place for everyone to see, leaving him exposed and open. He’d wanted to pick a fight to see her cheeks color and her eyes flash. Instead, he made her laugh and got this gorgeous girl who was suddenly so full of light and life it overwhelmed him.

He wished he were showing her some place with more awe factor. She deserved the best that the ancients had to offer.

The Valley of the Kings was definitely not one of his favorites. It was cool enough to see once, but didn’t have nearly the grandeur of some of the other sites in the country. Ladies choice though, so that was what he was going to give her.

When the van stopped, Conner got out and bought the tickets. He sprung for all the extras, even though King Tut’s tomb wasn’t really worth it.

He put his hand on Jessica’s back as he led her through the gate. She gave him a huge smile, and he hoped she wouldn’t be terribly disappointed.

They walked up a hill, and she turned to face him.

“How far is it?”

“How far is what?” he asked.

“Valley of the Kings?”

He held back a laugh. “It’s right here. You’re at the entrance.” He pointed at a few tunnels. “There are the tombs.”

Her face fell. “That’s it?”

“You haven’t been inside yet. Come on.”

He led her up the stone walkway. “Which Ramses tomb would you like to start with? There’s the First all the way through the Eleventh or Twelfth, I think.”

She busied herself flipping through a guidebook that had been at the ticket booth. He rolled his eyes at her.

“You have a walking guidebook. You don’t need that.” He reached to take it from her, but she wouldn’t release it.

“Oh yeah, you know that tomb number 17 is Seti the First and right where to find him.” She blinked innocently.

He laughed. “You’ve got me there. Lead the way, Princess.”

Words he would live to regret.

She drug him through several tombs that all looked the same. She hit up tombs he didn’t even know were there. If only she’d put that book down, let him show her the highlights, they’d be back at the hotel eating lunch poolside.

“Saved the best for last.” She clapped as they neared tomb 62. Tutankhamen.

Of course. The first typical tourist thing she’d said.

Tut’s tomb was much like all the others. All of the glittering gold had been removed long ago and placed in collections and museums. The murals on the wall, though, were something to behold. Jessica’s gaze hungrily drank them in.

“I know it’s not as grand as it once was.” She kept her voice reverently low, even though it was only the two of them. Conner had slipped a worker some cash to make sure of it. “Still though, just breathing the air down here is amazing.”

He had the strong urge to pull her to him and kiss her. He was willing to bet that she tasted nothing like Nour. A tomb, though, probably wasn’t the most romantic of places, so he kept his hands in his pockets and pretended to be interested

“This isn’t doing much for you, is it?” She knocked her shoulder into his with a grin.

“You’ve seen one tomb...” He shrugged.

“Not so.” She wound her arm through his, and he sucked in a breath. She smelled like sunshine. It was the lamest thought that had ever rolled through his head, but it was the honest to goodness truth. Down there in all the musty dust, she smelled fresh and light. Sunshine. There was no other way to describe it.

“Picture the scene,” she said.

“What?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Close your eyes and listen to me.” She squeezed his arm. He obeyed without further question, curious to see where she was going with this.

“Imagine this room glittering with stacks of gold. Statues in effigy of the beloved pharaoh. Mourners on their knees, crying into their hands.” Jessica’s voice was breathy as she leaned against him and whispered into his ear. “The priests are carrying in the sarcophagus and placing it on the pedestal. The incense is burning heavy.”

Conner could almost smell it. She wove such a spell he could practically see it all lay out before them.

“The murals are vibrantly colored with their fresh paint, and the gold practically undulates in the light of the fires. It’s alive, infused with the last of Tut’s spirit.”

Conner cracked open his eyes. Jessica was pressed up against him, and her cheeks were flushed. She was so caught up in her own story she probably didn’t realize how close to him she’d gotten.

The overwhelming need to kiss her threatened to drown him again. Only a few inches separated them. He slid his hand down and intertwined his fingers with hers.

She popped her eyes opened, and her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink that he could barely see in the dim light of the tomb.

“So you see, not just any old tomb.” She leaned back a little. Her eyes were bright, brighter than they should have been in the gloom.

“I see your point.” He smiled.

“Then my work here is done.” She stepped away. Warm, dry air filled the space where she had just been, and the spell she’d cast over Conner broke. They both took a deep breath. Conner scraped his hand through his hair, and Jessica fiddled with her guide book.

“Let’s go find the sun.” Conner had enough of the dead for the day.

Jessica was all smiles when they left King Tut’s tomb. There was an extra bounce in her step as they walked back to the car.

“Well, I can cross that off my bucket list. Though, I have to admit it wasn’t as grand as I was expecting. If you’re trying to get me to fall in love with this place, you aren’t off to a very good start.”

“You didn’t exactly pick a good starting point. And you were singing a different tune two hours ago in the balloon, and just now, in the Tut tomb.”

The driver opened the door, but instead of getting in, Jessica turned to him.

“True, there have been a few amazing things. So then, it’s your turn. Show me something you think is spectacular.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. “We could go to my room. Lots of spectacular things there.”

“You flirt.” She laughed and pushed off his chest.

He wasn’t sure what he expected her reaction to be. Embarrassment maybe. Anger. Indifference. But he found he liked pushing her. Her emotions were wild and open. So very different from Nour. Jessica never disappointed him.

“You’d love it.” He winked at her. “Much better than some dead guys.”

She gave him a half grin and leaned close, making his blood boil. There was a light smattering of freckles on her nose that drove him wild. He wanted to see if they were all over her body.

“If it was that incredible, you would’ve shown me last night.” Her breath across his cheek nearly drove him to kiss her right there beside the car. He didn’t care who was standing around.

“Seriously, if the Valley of the Kings is here, then there has to be other cool things here too.” She straightened and cleared her throat. The little seductress! And she’d called him the flirt.

Conner grinned. “Fine. But if you want to see some of the other things, then we have to stay another night. Are you up for that?”

“Sure. But I’d like to head back early tomorrow. I don’t want to be too tired for my first day at work.”

“Of course. We’ll go see an alabaster factory, visit the Luxor Temple, and see the sound and light show tonight.” He thought for a few seconds. He’d plan something cool for breakfast the next morning too, but he wouldn’t tell her about that.

They spent the afternoon seeing the sights. Jessica was the perfect tourist, genuinely awed by the places he took her. The Luxor Temple was a huge hit. Even he had to admit it was pretty cool. And she wouldn’t put that stupid selfie stick away. He wondered how many pictures she’d post of him on her Facebook page.

In the middle of the temple, she stood up on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear. “Close your eyes, count to ten, and come find me.” Then she took off, weaving in between all the columns. There were probably a hundred of them in the room, all with a six-foot diameter. He’d never find her.

But he did as she told him. Life would certainly not be dull with her around. It took him a full ten minutes to finally lay eyes on her. She was hiding behind a pillar and peeking around the other side. He tapped her on the shoulder.

She squealed and started to run, but he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her tight against his body. Her hair was flying everywhere, and she quickly brushed it all out of her face.

She grinned at him.

“You’re pretty sneaky. What do I get for finding you?” He desperately wanted to take advantage of the moment. But she wiggled out of his grip.

“You get a turn. I’ll close my eyes.”

She covered her eyes and counted. He fought down the desire to pull her into his arms again. Instead, he took a deep steadying breath. This girl was making him want to forget his plan and move way too fast. He watched her for a second and debated on staying right there. But she’d be delighted if he played along. On her count of five he disappeared. She found him three minutes later.

“You don’t hide very well,” she pouted, sticking out her perfectly biteable lower lip. He shook his head.

“Maybe I wanted to be found.”

J
essica woke the next morning still exhausted. She and Conner ran around all day long and didn’t get back to the hotel until late. He wanted to do something again at sunrise, but she refused and told him she needed her beauty rest. Which wasn’t far off. In the mirror her eyes were puffy, and dark lines curved down toward her cheekbones. She sighed. This was definitely an extra make up day.

Conner knocked on her door at seven a.m. She was ready to go, but only because she opted for a ponytail instead of doing her hair. Did he have to be so punctual?

“Morning, beautiful.” He gave her a slow grin.

“Please tell me you have coffee again?”

He held out his hands, each with a cup in them.

“You are the best.”

“I am, aren’t I?” He winked at her. “Are you packed? Omar will keep our bags in the car.”

“I really do need to get home early today.” She shook her head. Of course he had one more stop planned.

“I know. I wanted to do this two hours ago, so no complaining.”

“Whatever,” she grumbled.

He took her bag and handed it to the driver. She gave Conner a sideways glance. Of course he looked perfectly rested. No dark circles under those green eyes, and his hair fell carelessly over his forehead. She’d be willing to bet it took him hours to look so effortless. At least she hoped it did.

“Have you enjoyed yourself?” he asked and took a sip of his coffee.

“I have.” She settled back in her seat. “You’ve done a pretty good job as tour guide.”

“Pretty good.” He glanced at her over the lid of his cup, and Jessica silently cursed the butterflies that flapped in her stomach. If he wasn’t so flirty and hot, she wouldn’t have to constantly remind herself to be on her guard.

“I think I’ve done a hell of a job,” he said.

She grinned and shrugged. His ego didn’t need more than that.