by Anna Hackett
“Except when I’m bad. Because with the right woman, one who is extremely sexy doing her job, one with a sharp mind that I love to watch at work, and one with tightly-toned curves and an ass I’m begging to hold in my hands, and a mouth I want to taste—”
“I think you made your point.” Her voice was husky.
“Then I can be very bad,” he murmured.
He heard her breath hitch. “We have a mission, a—”
“Dangerous one. I know. That’s why I haven’t touched you, and I won’t.” He made a strangled sound. “And why I have to try and get some rest with a painful hard-on.”
Elin was silent. Suddenly, she sat up and faced him. He could just make out her bare shoulders and the thin straps of her tank top.
Then, she leaned over and kissed him, sending shock rocketing through his body. It was a light kiss. A testing taste, rather than a full kiss.
She pulled back, and they stared at each other.
Damn, she tasted so good. Hale wrapped his arms around her and yanked her closer. Her hands gripped his shoulders, and she slithered into his lap. Her mouth opened and Hale took.
Their tongues twined, and he felt heat explode through him, his cock throbbing. She kissed him like she needed him more than air, and he fucking loved it. Elin Alexander was wild under her FBI gloss.
She yanked back, panting. They stared at each other in the darkness.
He gripped her hips. “Elin—”
She shook her head. “Ah…that got a bit out of control.”
And something told him Elin didn’t like losing control.
She scooted back onto her sleeping bag. Arousal still sang through Hale’s blood, and he flexed his hands on his sleeping bag. He wanted more. He wanted to touch and taste every part of her. He wanted her laid out naked before him, ready for his fingers, his mouth, his cock.
A breath shuddered out of him. Sex was fun. He liked the hell out of it. But it didn’t usually leave him feeling this jittery and on edge.
“I think we need to cool it off,” Elin said. “And remember our mission.”
Frustration bit at him. She was in full retreat. “You want to pretend it didn’t happen?”
“I don’t pretend anything, Carter. It happened. Now we move on.” She yanked her sheet up.
He laughed. “Right. You keep telling yourself that, Elin.”
“What’s that mean?”
He reached out and ran his thumb over her lips. She went still, but he felt her lips part.
Oh, yeah. She wanted him. “You know what that means.” Then he pulled back, lay down, and rolled over.
He heard her plump her pillow and lie down, too. Fuck, his skin was still hot. He wanted to reach for her and pull her under him until she was begging him to touch her.
He listened to her toss and turn, and her obvious discomfort made him smile. Good.
Then he stared at the wall of the tent and wondered how the hell he was going to make it through the night.
Chapter Seven
When Elin woke, she found her face pressed against a hard, firm chest. She breathed deep, snuggling in. He was warm and he smelled good.
He smelled like Hale.
Hale.
She jerked back and sat up. He was awake, and looking at her with a sexy, sleepy smile. “Why aren’t you asleep?” It was still dark and she guessed dawn was still several hours away.
“I told you I wouldn’t risk hurting you in my sleep.”
He’d stayed awake. To protect her. Something inside her softened. “You need to rest, Hale. I told you, I can handle it.”
He shook his head.
“Look, I’ve had several hours’ sleep. You rest now, and I’ll keep watch.”
He looked uncertain.
“I need you in top form, Carter, not falling asleep.”
He gave a reluctant nod. “Okay, but if I have a nightmare—”
“I’ll wake you.”
He slid an arm under his head and in the darkness, she could just make out a shadow of a tattoo on his shoulder.
“So, how do you sleep with your girlfriends?” Elin rolled her eyes and wished she’d bitten her tongue.
“I don’t have girlfriends. And I…ah, never stay the night. I wouldn’t risk it, even if I wanted to.”
Oh. Elin lay in the darkness, listening as his breathing evened out and his body relaxed. She promised herself that he’d get a few decent hours of sleep.
The murky light of dawn was filling the tent when she next opened her eyes. Shit, she’d fallen asleep. And somehow, she was wrapped tightly in Hale’s arms, her face pressed to his hard chest again.
Her gaze traced over hard pecs. His right shoulder and muscled arm were inked with a fascinating black swirl of a tattoo. His face was relaxed, his breathing even. Looked like he’d slept just fine.
Desire was a hot curl in her belly. God, what the hell was she doing? She pulled away from him.
His arms tightened. “Elin?”
“I’ll go and wash up.”
He released her and rolled over. She grabbed her backpack and ducked out of the tent. She wasn’t running. She wasn’t afraid.
She headed toward the shower. A few of the others were already up and making coffee on the fire. She stepped inside the shower canvas and quickly stripped off. Then she scraped a hand over her face. Oh, God, she was in trouble.
She stepped under the lukewarm water. The cool morning air made her nipples tighten, and her churning thoughts turned to Hale. Damn the man. She pressed her hand to her belly. She really, really wanted to slide her hand lower and touch herself.
But then someone near the campfire coughed and she shook her head. She flicked off the water, toweled off, and pulled on fresh clothes. She took a deep breath and headed out.
Hale had already packed up the tent, and was loading their things in their Land Rover. He handed her a plate. “Breakfast.”
She eyed the bread and eggs. “Thanks.”
“Alex—”
She smiled brightly. “We have a big day ahead.”
“I thought we weren’t pretending?”
“I’m not.” God, now she was a liar, as well.
He leaned closer. “I just wanted to thank you.”
“For what?”
“For the best sleep I’ve had in a long time.” He stalked away to finish packing up the last of their gear, and left her staring at him.
When Claude called for them to move out, she strode over to the driver’s seat. “I’m driving today.”
“All yours,” Hale said.
Soon, the convoy pulled out. Elin focused on the rough ground, driving slowly and carefully. The minutes blurred as they headed north, the monotony of the desert landscape a lulling backdrop.
Minutes turned to hours. She and Hale speculated more on King Solomon and the mysterious treasure. They ate some biltong—South African jerky—and trail mix.
Elin eventually decided she wasn’t coming back here on safari. In fact, she was pretty sure she’d be avoiding deserts for a while.
“There,” Hale called out.
Elin straightened, and spotted another rocky outcrop in the distance. This one rose up sharply from the flat land around it.
The other vehicles veered off course, and Elin followed. As they got closer, she sucked in a breath. “Hale.”
“I see it.”
A circular structure was built on top of the hill. “This one is definitely man-made.”
***
Hale carefully climbed up the rocks. They passed under an imposing stone archway, still standing after all this time. He saw a small lizard dart away.
Amazing. There was no doubt that this was an ancient structure.
As they neared the peak, he studied the stone-built formation. It was incredible, but it didn’t look like a sprawling city.
“This isn’t Ophir,” Sabine said.
Claude frowned. “No.”
“It must be another outpost,” Elin said.
Claude flipped fro
m despondent to excited, looking around eagerly. “Fan out. There must be more engravings.”
Elin moved up beside Hale, and they climbed up to the structure. They skirted around the circular wall.
“Claude reminds me of a bomb about to go off,” Hale murmured quietly.
Elin nodded. “Let’s hope we find something, and quick.” Her face sharpened and she leaned closer to Hale, her voice a murmur. “Then we let him lead us to Ophir, find out what treasure he’s looking for, and then we call in our team and take them all down.”
Hale stepped into the structure and held out a hand to Elin. She put her hand in his, and they walked into the center.
Part of the wall had tumbled down long ago, but the rest of it was still intact. Hale moved forward, trying to imagine the people who’d stood here before him. The people of Ophir.
“Imagine what this looked like back in its heyday.” He turned, looking across the hill. There were more tumbled rocks. The structure would have been substantial.
Elin looked out across the desert. “I can see huge convoys loaded with gold, diamonds, and ivory heading to the sea. It must’ve been incredible.”
“Getting fanciful, Alex?”
She pulled a face at him.
Once again, Hale felt that hit of heat to his gut. He liked lots of things about Elin Alexander. Hell, he liked the entire sexy, competent package, and wanted to see more of it.
“Who were the people of Ophir?” he asked.
“I don’t know. The local San people have been here a long time, but they’re semi-nomadic, and descended from hunter-gatherers.”
“Who didn’t build vast rock-cut cities.”
“Right. But they talked of an Old Race. So, maybe some of their ancestors or a neighboring race?”
Suddenly, he heard a noise. A buzzing sound. He tilted his head, looking up into the blue sky.
Elin frowned, turning around slowly, her ponytail swinging out behind her. “What’s that?”
Hale had done enough work with them to know. “A drone.”
The small aircraft rounded the rock wall, rising up above them. It was black and, from the look of it, military grade. It was also equipped with weapons.
Hale watched as the two guns swiveled in his and Elin’s direction.
Fuck. He dived, tackling Elin to the ground. She grunted, and they slid toward the edge of the rock platform.
Gunfire sprayed the rock all around them. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Up.” He grabbed Elin’s arm and yanked her to her feet. Together, they scrambled over the edge.
They both slipped on small rocks as they slid down the hill. More gunfire hit, frighteningly close by, and Hale yanked Elin behind another rock wall.
“Keep moving.”
Ducking down, they kept running over the rough ground. Then, he heard the buzzing sound again. The drone reappeared in front of them, coming out from behind a tower of rocks.
“This way!” Elin yanked Hale in a different direction. Together, they dove inside another semi-circular structure.
Gunfire roared around them. Rock chips hit Hale’s face, stinging. He swiped at his forehead, and his hand came away streaked with blood.
Beside him, Elin yanked out her Glock, and Hale did the same with his SIG.
“It has us pinned down.” She popped up, aiming over the rock wall. She took a shot.
Bullets peppered the wall around them, and she ducked back down. Hale waited, and when the firing stopped, he rose and fired.
“Can you distract it?” Elin asked. “If you can get it facing in a different direction, I’ll have a better shot at it.”
“You sure you can hit it?” he asked.
More gunfire, which caused them both to hunker down. “Yes.”
He had no doubt. He’d seen her at the firing range, and besides, Elin would never embellish her skills. He nodded, took a deep breath, and moved toward the edge of the rock wall.
“Hale.” She grabbed his shoulder.
He turned his head and realized her face was right there, a heartbeat from his.
She pressed a quick, fleeting kiss to his lips. “Be careful.”
He gave her a nod, and then spun around the wall. He leaped up and sprinted. A spray of gunfire hit the ground, and he dived and rolled, ignoring the rocks biting into his body.
He jumped back to his feet, dodging around some larger rocks. Suddenly, the drone sliced to the right in a fast move, cutting in front of him. It swiveled to face him.
Fuck. He slid in behind a small boulder. It was barely big enough to cover him. He ducked down, and gunfire peppered around him.
“Come on, Elin,” he muttered.
He heard her Glock firing. The sound of the drone changed, but then, more gunfire hit right near him.
He looked back behind him and saw the rest of their group rushing toward them. Claude was yelling.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Elin was firing again. Suddenly, the drone gunfire stopped. Hale looked around the edge of the rock.
The drone was smoking and drunkenly flying sideways. He looked over, and saw Elin standing on a rock wall. She had her gun aimed at the drone, and with blue sky behind her, she was a clear target.
He saw the wobbling drone turn, and its guns swiveled toward Elin.
Without thinking, Hale leaped up, sprinting toward her, his arms pumping. He expected to see bullets hit her body at any minute.
He wasn’t going to fucking watch her die. He reached her, and even though she was still firing at the drone, he snatched her off the wall.
“Hale!”
“You’re a fucking perfect target.”
“I needed a good shot.” She turned in his arms. “Look.”
The drone was flying off, wobbling from side to side. Together, they watched it careen out over the desert, and a second later, it crashed into the sand.
***
Elin slipped her Glock back into her holster. Behind her, she heard Hale drag in a deep breath. She looked at him and froze. He was covered in blood.
What the hell? “Were you hit?” She patted his chest, looking at the spots of blood, her heart racing. “Did it get you?”
They were in the middle of nowhere. If he was badly hurt—
He grabbed her wrists. “Elin. I’m fine. I just got hit by rock chips.”
She tried to calm her pulse. His handsome face was covered in small nicks, and there was a bad one on the side of his neck, blood sliding down into his shirt.
The panic drained out of her. They’d been shot at and nearly killed, but they were alive.
“I’m still pissed at you,” he ground out. “Standing on top of that wall like a fucking superhero.”
She ignored him, leaped up, and wrapped her legs around his waist. He reacted instantly, his hands sliding under her ass, and then she didn’t know if it was her kissing him, or him kissing her. All she knew was that he had the best lips—full and firm—and the man was a mighty fine kisser. As his tongue tangled with hers, she felt the shock of sensation right down to her bones.
He paused to tease her lips, his hands clenching on her buttocks. Then, he dived deep again, and every one of Elin’s thoughts were centered on Hale, and how much she wanted him.
His mouth moved along her jaw, teeth nipping at sensitive skin. “First second I laid eyes on you, I knew.”
“I know.” She’d felt it, too.
Dimly, she heard shouts, and the sound of the others getting closer. Hale took her mouth one last time—hard and insistent—like he needed one last taste to survive. She reluctantly pulled back, and Hale stared at her with unreadable eyes.
“Whoa,” she murmured. “Well, that was…”
“Whoa works for me.”
The first of the group crested the hill, and Hale let Elin’s legs drop back to the ground. Claude appeared, incandescent with rage.
“What the hell was that?” He tossed his hands in the air. He started ranting in French, before he switched back to English. “Th
ey want the ring. It’s my ring, my treasure.”
Elin eyed the Frenchman as he started pacing with jerky steps. So it was a ring. Any piece of jewelry that could be linked to King Solomon would be highly valuable. But if this was about the Seal of Solomon…well, that was something different.
“I very much doubt the FBI or THS would send a drone to mow us down,” Elin said. “So, who the hell are these other players you mentioned?”
“I don’t know. But I won’t rule out this drone belonging to the FBI or THS.” Claude’s eyes flashed. “This treasure is enough to make people do desperate things.”
A cold shiver skated down Elin’s spine, despite the heat. If it was that valuable, how far would Claude go? And more than that, what would he do if he discovered who Elin and Hale really were?
“Boss, we found the inscription,” the woman, Thompson, called out.
Anger over the drone attack was replaced by excitement over the new engravings. Elin fell into step with Hale, as they crossed the hill to another ruined structure. Sabine was crouched down by the end of the circular rock wall, and Elin spotted the markings etched into the stone.
“Alex?” Claude waved at the rocks.
“I’m not an expert, Claude. So don’t shoot the messenger if I can’t translate this.” Sabine moved aside, and Elin crouched down. Hale towered over her and she looked up. He crossed his arms over his chest, menacing and protective. She felt a glow of warmth in her chest.
Elin pulled her small backpack off and prayed her tablet hadn’t been damaged in the wild rush to escape the drone. She slid it out, and it was fine, thanks to its heavy-duty case. She focused on the symbols and got to work. She tapped in her translation, changing a few things, and taking her time on some of the harder symbols.
“We aren’t far,” she said. “It talks about reaching a mountain. We need to head west until we find the mountain.”
Hale held out a hand for her tablet and she handed it over. He tapped and when she peered over, she saw he’d pulled up satellite maps of the area.
He frowned. “There are no mountains west of our location.” He spun it around so she could see the flat terrain.
“Damn. Let me check my translation again.” She ran over the inscriptions once more, and heaved out a breath. “It definitely says a mountain, and definitely west of here.”