Her students didn’t need telling twice. They scurried back up the slope to Dan’s truck. Grace dropped the tailgate and quickly began handing out the steel rods. Riley walked with Lisa, waiting for her students to clear out. “I hope this was a good surprise.”
“Oh my God, Riley, you bet. I find stuff like this absolutely fascinating.”
“I’m glad.” Riley could now breathe a sigh of relief. It had been a bit of a gamble. But who wouldn’t love digging through muck for a mastodon?
“Here you go, doc.” Grace handed her a steel rod. “And for the Amazon warrior…” She gave another to Lisa.
The three women walked down the slope to the muck pit. Her students had already spread out and were busy poking rods into the ground throughout the site. She was glad she had suggested old clothes and shoes. She had never seen such a muddy dig site. She turned to Lisa. “Be careful, it’s—”
But it was too late. Lisa tottered then fell backwards, landing butt-first in the mud with the big squelch.
“Tall lady down!” Grace in her typical fashion shouted for all to hear.
Riley shot Grace a quick scowl then whipped back to Lisa. “Oh my God, Lisa, are you…” She froze. At first she thought Lisa was crying, her entire body shaking and tears streaming down her cheeks, until she rolled her head back and let out a loud peal of laughter.
“I can’t believe I just did that.” Still laughing, Lisa shook her hands, flicking mud everywhere.
Riley tried to keep a straight face but it was challenging with the sight of Lisa sitting in the oozing muck, mud splattered all up her back and arms. “I’m sorry, I was about to tell you to be careful, it’s slippery.”
Lisa gasped, a smile still on her lips. “Are you laughing at me?”
“I would never…” She hid her mouth behind her hand, now shaking with silent laughter.
“You are.” Lisa’s mouth dropped open. “You’re laughing at me falling on my ass.” She picked up a handful of muck and chucked it at Riley.
Riley quickly dodged it, guffawing loudly. “I’m sorry but you should see yourself. It’s pretty hilarious.”
“I can just imagine.” Lisa flicked her hands again, unsuccessfully trying to de-mud herself. “If you can stop laughing long enough, why don’t you come over here and help me up?”
“Okay, hold on.” Riley carefully worked her way over to Lisa and threw out her hand.
Lisa grabbed Riley and gave her a yank, toppling her over with an almighty splat. “You’re right, Riley. It is hilarious.”
“Wow, two women mud wrestling. Damn, this must be my lucky day.” Grace stood smiling, one hand holding a steel rod planted in the ground and the other on her hip.
Riley whipped her head around, trying to extricate herself from the sticky slop. “Watch it, Grace, or you will be next.”
“From the looks of things, it might be worth it.” Grace grabbed her steel rod and quickly scurried away.
Lisa laughed even harder, barely able to catch her breath. “If nothing more…this made…it all…worth it.”
“So, is rolling in the mud anywhere on your Anti-Bucket list?” Riley sat up on her knees.
Lisa thought for a moment. “Actually, I’d have to say it would be number twenty-two—never be afraid to throw yourself into something and get your hands dirty.”
“Oh, come on. You’re yanking my leg, right?”
“No, I’m serious.” Lisa placed her muddy hand to her chest. “That’s really what number twenty-two says, I swear.”
“Well, I’d say we pretty much nailed that one.”
“That we did.”
Lisa made it to her feet first, this time offering Riley a hand. It was all she could do not to repeat Lisa’s mischief and yank her back down in the muck, but she was supposed to be the responsible professor. Besides, it was going to be bad enough when this story made its way back to the department. This was going to be talked about for years—the day Dr. Kate Riley did a header into a mud pit while on a dig. Oh please God, hopefully no one had a camera. She could just see it now—departmental Christmas cards with her sprawled out in the muck.
While Riley’s students were digging furiously, she glanced over at Lisa’s team. Lisa sat on her knees in the soft damp soil, shoveling away dirt with her bare hands. She was covered in mud all the way to her elbows. She was living number twenty-two to the absolute furthest extent possible.
The September afternoon warmed quickly into the low seventies and Riley tied her sweatshirt around her waist as she paused to stretch her back and wipe the sweat from her forehead. They had been prodding all over the mud pit for hours now with no success. If there was a mastodon there, it wasn’t quick to give up its secrets. They had already had three false alarms—just great big rocks buried deep in the muck. However, they were cautiously optimistic this time.
“We got something!” Sarah Dixon, the club secretary, screamed as her hand hit something solid and she began to dig with a new ferocity.
Riley turned her attention back to the deep impression they had excavated. The excitement around the hole was palpable. They had probed the outline of something long and narrow. It was about the right size and shape for a mastodon long bone.
Dan quickly shuffled over. “What have we got so far?”
“We hit something solid.” She stared down at the shape that began to take form—definitely something long and cylindrical. “If I had to guess, I’d say a femur or something.”
Just then, the excitement crashed like a balloon bursting. “What the hell—” Sarah turned around, looking completely crestfallen.
Dan chuckled as he slid down into the hole to survey their find. “Well, it looks as if you’d spent the last forty-five minutes excavating a twelve thousand-year-old log.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Riley also laughed as she stooped down over their treasured find across from Dan. “A twelve thousand-year-old log?”
Dan smiled as if it was still the biggest find of the century. “Happens more often than you’d think. The low oxygen environment preserves the wood perfectly.” He leaned down and scraped along the log with the blade of the shovel, revealing hard, solid wood. “See?”
Riley waved to the students around her, gathering their attention. “Hey everyone, check this out. It looks as fresh as if it were cut down yesterday.”
Dan nodded vigorously like a boy in a candy store. “You’re right, Riley. Historically, people have even used logs like this that have been dug out of peat bogs for lumber.”
Riley stood back up, again stretching her back. There was something about an archaeological dig that always cried out backbreaking labor. But it was worth it.
She glanced over to Lisa’s team again. Grace suddenly leaped up, pumping her fist into the air. “Holy donkey nuggets, Batman, we found something!”
Riley wasn’t exactly sure what donkey nuggets were or how they pertained to Batman, but given Grace it had to be good news. Everyone raced, slipping and sliding, to the other site. Riley fought hard the urge to jump up in the air and pump her fist just as Grace had. There in the hole right beside Lisa was what was unmistakably a row of mastodon teeth.
Lisa looked up and their eyes met. They stared at each other, the moment slowly ticking away. Everyone else faded, everything else faded—it was only the two of them, sinking deeper and deeper. Riley felt her stomach lurch and her knees grow weak. This must’ve been what Grace meant when she cried, ‘holy donkey nuggets,’ but in her case it had more to do with those deep pools of blue staring back at her. Holy donkey nuggets indeed.
Finally she shook her head, breaking the moment, and slid down into the pit beside Lisa, trying her best to ignore the flip-flopping in her stomach. This was a dig for crying out loud—she shouldn’t be feeling this way. But even the smudge of dirt on Lisa’s right cheek did little to dampen her attraction. If anything it made her all the more alluring. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. What was up with her? Lisa was only a friend. She couldn’t p
ossibly be thinking of her in the same way.
“You found it.” She clapped Lisa on the back.
“Yeah, I can’t believe it.” Lisa seemed in danger of hyperventilating. “This is even better than Christmas.”
Riley snorted out a laugh. “My, my, Lisa. We’ll make an archaeologist out of you yet.”
Lisa laid her muddy hand on Riley’s arm. “I’m up for this any time.”
Chapter Five
Lisa lifted her head from the headrest when Riley pulled into the driveway beside her house. She couldn’t remember a time when she felt so beat. Not even chasing twenty-four five-year-olds around all day could compete. She wasn’t sure what had been better—finding a complete mastodon skull or simply sharing the time with Riley. She then glanced over at Riley and there was no doubt. As much as finding an archaeological treasure had been great, being with Riley was even better. Not since Jessie had she felt such a close connection. Somehow Riley in her quirky and unique way had broken through her defenses. Maybe—
She shook her head. She wasn’t ready to go there, not yet.
“Are you okay?” Riley stared at her, her brow knitted in concern. “You seem troubled.”
She hadn’t realized she had been so transparent. It seemed as if Riley could read her like a book. Jessie was the only other person who had ever been able to do that. “No, it’s nothing.” She chuckled softly. “I was just thinking about the mess I’ve made in your truck. Thank God you had a blanket to throw over the seat.”
“Comes with the job.” Riley patted the blanket. “I never know where I’m going to be called out to so I try to be prepared for anything.”
“Still, I can take it home and wash—”
Riley quickly cut her off. “Lisa, seriously, don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal. I’ll just throw it in the washer and it’ll be good as new.”
“Are you sure? I can—”
“I’m sure.” Riley eyed her up and down, a smile growing on her lips. “And speaking of washing, we really should throw your clothes in the washer before you leave. You’re a bit of a mess, girl, and I wouldn’t want you getting that cute little car of yours dirty.”
“But Riley, I don’t have anything to change into.”
“Really?” Riley cocked her eyebrow, a mischievous chuckle deep in her throat. “I’m sure we could find you something to wear. I’m not just going to make you go home naked, although that would make for an interesting trip.”
Lisa could feel her cheeks flushing. Riley seemed to be having way too much fun teasing her. “Seriously, Riley, I’m a mess. I also need to take a shower.”
“And as luck has it, I have a shower too.”
Lisa crossed her arms, eyeing Riley. “Why am I getting the feeling that you don’t want me to leave?”
“Was it that obvious? And here I was trying to be subtle.” Riley snapped her fingers.
Lisa began to laugh now. She wasn’t sure if Riley was being serious or not, but it was endearing nonetheless. “Riley, you’re many things but subtle is not one of them.”
“Okay, okay, I tell you what—why don’t you come in, we’ll dump your clothes in the washer, you can take a shower, I’ll get you something to wear and we can get something to eat. How’s that sound?”
“Wow, Riley, dinner too?”
“Before you get too excited, it’s just leftover lentil chili, but I do have Tabor Hill demi-red wine to go with it.” Riley then leaned closer, lowering her voice. “It comes highly recommended by a very beautiful woman.”
“Does it now?” As cheesy as that line had been, somehow Riley made it work. “All right, you’ve got me convinced.”
Riley nearly bounced in her seat. “Excellent.”
Lisa followed Riley into her house. The interior was as interesting as the exterior. Riley had added her own touches. Various tribal masks from all around the world lined the hallway. A gigantic spear hung over the doorway into the living room. Lisa half expected to see an iron maiden or some other medieval torture device in one of the corners. Instead, pile upon pile of books dotted the room.
Lisa pointed to the nearest stack. “You read all these?”
“Mostly. Never seems to be enough time, though.” Riley rolled her eyes with a sigh. “I keep telling myself one of these days I’ll get caught up on my reading.”
Lisa continued to follow Riley. She felt as if she were walking through a museum or perhaps a library, half afraid to speak in anything more than a whisper for fear a horn-rimmed bespectacled old lady might jump out, a finger to her lips and a very stern shhhh.
Riley led her down the other hallway to the last room on the left. She reached in and flipped on the lights, holding the door for her. The room was huge, at least fifteen by fifteen, covered in a deep brown ceramic tile. A walk-in shower lined the back corner across from the marble top double vanity. All the hardware was a deep antique brass.
Lisa blew out a small whistle. “Wow, Riley. This is fabulous. I feel like I’m at a resort or something.”
Riley slowly bobbed her head. “It’s another of my guilty pleasures.”
“Oh, like Harry Potter?”
A shy little grin lifted Riley’s lips. “You’re learning too many of my secrets. I’m going to have to be careful.”
“I promise I won’t tell.”
“Good.” Riley lowered her eyes. “Sometimes with what I do, I just need to shut out the world and wash away the day.”
Lisa wasn’t exactly sure what Riley did other than that she was an anthropologist who worked at the university, but if today were any indication she could certainly understand needing to wash away the day. She had muck and mud in places that she didn’t know possible. A shower sounded divine. “Speaking of washing away…”
Riley grabbed a towel from the linen closet. “Here’s a towel, just take your time. You can throw your dirty clothes on the floor. I’ll bring you something clean to wear and toss your clothes in the washer.”
Riley shuffled out, closing the door behind her. Lisa glanced around again, letting out another small whistle before yanking her filthy shirt over her head. Looking in the mirror she saw distinct grime lines on her arms and along her neck where her T-shirt had been. Next, she unclasped her bra. “What the—” She leaned forward and rubbed at the dirt streaks between her small upturned breasts. “Oh man, that’s just not right.” She was right—she had dirt in places she had never had dirt before.
She dropped her pants and peeled off her panties. She wasn’t even going to look there. Lord knows what she might find. Finally, she yanked off her socks and tossed them on the pile. From the amount of organic matter ground into them they might make good garden mulch.
She stepped into the shower and after a bit of initial fiddling she figured out the controls. Sweet, luxurious hot water pounded against her front and back from the two oversized showerheads. It felt so wonderful that she sighed with delight. Every muscle in her body cried out in gratitude as the pulsating jets hammered her skin. If she wasn’t careful she could spend all night in here.
But as tempting as it might be she couldn’t stay in there forever, so she lathered up with Riley’s tangy citrus body wash. Next, she grabbed her shampoo. It instantly reminded her of Riley. She hadn’t realized she had noticed but this scent was Riley. She simply held the bottle under her nose and breathed in. Her knees grew weak and she felt her stomach roll.
But it was the growing heat farther down that surprised her the most. She hadn’t felt that way since Jessie but there was no denying that building fire in her center. She leaned against the back of the shower, trying her best to hold herself up. Was it the excitement of the day or the olfactory reminder of Riley that was arousing her? The more she thought about it, it had to be Riley. Even thinking of her now, picturing her, sent her own response into overdrive. Oh God, was she ready for this? What should she do?
She flipped the water all the way over to cold—it didn’t help. Now what was she going to do? Her body cried out for to
uch. All it would take was even a light brush of her own hand and she knew it would push her over the edge. But she couldn’t do that now, not here in Riley’s shower. With the cold water still running, she closed her eyes and did her best to regain control. Finally, slowly, she could feel her body relax, the feelings no longer raw but just a dull, manageable ache.
She stepped out and quickly dried off. She then wrapped her long thin torso with the towel, tucking it into a knot between her breasts. If she were an inch taller, it wouldn’t have covered, always a problem with her height whether it was towels or t-shirts or long-sleeved shirts where the sleeves ended three inches short of her wrists. The curse of being six-foot one.
Just as she ruffled her fingers through her wet hair, she heard a single knock and the door cracked open.
“Knock, knock. I have some clothes for you, Lisa, if you’re decent.”
Lisa could hear the lightness in Riley’s voice. She looked down and noticed her pile of dirty clothes was gone. Riley must have snuck in while she was in the shower. Somehow, just the thought of Riley being that close while she had been naked began to arouse her again. She swallowed, finding it hard to catch her breath. “Um…yeah…I’m decent…you can come on in.”
Riley slipped in and closed the door behind her. She had a pair of gray sweats and a Central Michigan sweatshirt in her hands. But it wasn’t the clothes in Riley’s hands that she noticed—it was the thin, silky, black robe clinging to her body that caught her attention. She also couldn’t help but notice Riley’s nipples straining against the sheer fabric. Without realizing it, she licked her lips, unable to tear her eyes away.
Riley seemed as frozen as she was. Slowly, very slowly, Riley’s gaze worked up and down her body, taking in all of her. Riley’s eyes darkened with desire. She had caught Riley looking at her several times earlier that day, quick, fleeting glances, but nothing compared to the intense focus of her stare now. At that moment, she saw that Riley was feeling the same desperate longing as her.
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