Damned straight. He’d never had it so good. But was that all this was? Could amazing sex make you think you were in love?
“That good, hah?”
Travis smiled. “It’s pretty amazing.”
“I’m happy for you, buddy. But don’t get too close. I wouldn’t want all this lovey-dovey crap to rub off onto me. I hope she’s at least well off.”
“I don’t have any idea. We haven’t spent much time finding out about each other.” It sounded pitiful saying it out loud, but he didn’t know much about Mattie at all. Only that she was a botanist from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Then again, did any of that matter? Loving her or not wouldn’t change what he thought of long-term relationships. He’d never had one and he never would. Not now—not ever.
“So what’s next for you two?” Galen’s question gave voice to what he was just wondering himself.
What was next? He had no idea. Right now they were just having fun exploring each other’s bodies.
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Love or not, I can’t get serious. What would that lead to? Her leaving when she grew tired of me?” Nope. Not something he’d ever allow to happen. He wasn’t stupid.
“I’m glad to hear you haven’t lost all your faculties.”
“Look, we’re wasting time talking about this. There’s no reason to. We need to find this treasure before I have to take the team back to Manu. Time is ticking.”
Galen grinned again. “You’re right. I think we can distract the women while looking for the rock. After all, they all want us—well, they all did up until I pissed Sara off.”
* * * *
Mattie trudged into camp, her legs as tired as her eyes. They’d worked all day, with little success at finding anything new. Not too much of a disappointment. Even if they didn’t find another new species, they’d consider the trip worth every penny because of the plant they had found.
Travis and Galen had even pitched in to help, which surprised and pleased Mattie. It showed that Travis cared about her work—something that was important to her. If they were going to have a relationship, respect was key.
She plopped down at the table and sighed. A smile curled her lips when she thought about the angry look on Sara’s face when she came storming up to them. She knew it was petty, but she’d give just about anything to know what had been said to upset her.
Dana dropped down next to Mattie. “I’m beat.”
Mattie looked at her. “I am too.”
“Tomorrow’s another day. We’ll find something new. I have a good feeling.”
Mattie nodded. “I hope you’re right. But either way, we’ll be fine. We do have one new species to show the world.”
“Yes we do.”
“I’m going to bed,” Sara said as she passed by them at the table.
When she was in the tent, Dana said, “I don’t know why she’s so tired unless flirting takes a lot out of you.”
Mattie snorted. “Did you see her face when she came to help? Galen or Travis had to have said something bad.”
“I did not,” Galen said from behind her. “The woman’s just overly sensitive.”
Dana laughed. “Yes she is, but I’d still like to know what you said.”
He grinned.
Travis came up behind him and slapped him on the shoulder. “He said he’d pick either of you two over her any day.”
“Really?” Dana studied Galen’s face so closely that he turned away.
“Let’s get something to eat.” Mattie hoped her suggestion would lighten the now charged air.
“Sounds good,” Travis interjected, clearly sensing the strange undercurrent that had closed in around them. “I could even eat one of those prepackaged meals.”
Mattie smiled, then went about preparing some coffee while food was handed out. While they ate, everyone seemed content to remain quiet. Mattie caught a look or two that Galen and Dana gave one another when they thought no one was watching. Something was going to happen there, and Mattie wasn’t sure it was wise. Galen Hall was one of those men who loved and left women and, according to Travis, was looking for a wealthy woman to take care of him. She didn’t think Dana fit that description, though she couldn’t say that as fact. Mattie hadn’t spent any time with her outside of college, but she could tell she was kind and hardworking. That meant something. But she’d never appeared to be well-off; at least the way she dressed at work never spoke to that fact.
Mattie glanced at Dana. She couldn’t be rich. She didn’t have that haughtiness about her that well-to-do elitists had.
“Help me light the torches, Galen.”
Travis’s request drew Mattie out of her thoughts.
Travis and Galen rose and left the table, leaving Mattie and Dana alone.
“Watch out, Dana. Remember he’s clearly not into anything serious.”
Her friend’s face reddened at her warning. She jumped up from the table. “I’m going to bed.”
Mattie watched her race for the tent, then sighed. Who was she to tell Dana what to do? It’s not like she had listened to her head when it came to Travis—her body’s wants had been much stronger—and this was on the heels of the disaster with Gerald, the biggest mistake of her life.
Mattie yawned, then rose from the table. “Good night,” she called to Travis and Galen.
“Night,” they both replied, Travis gracing her with a curt nod. The little gesture had her heart fluttering. The man made her feel things she’d never felt before, things that were frightening in their intensity.
She would have loved to stay with Travis, allow him to hold her in his arms, but Galen didn’t look even remotely tired, and she was. She needed a good night’s sleep more than trying to stay around until Galen went to bed.
Inside the tent, as quietly as she could, she undressed, then slid into her cot and closed her eyes. As images of Travis and their night together came flooding back, Mattie knew it’d be a struggle to sleep but there wasn’t anything she could do about that—not with Galen Hall and his supersonic ears in camp.
*
“I’ll keep the girls busy tomorrow while you go look for the rock again,” Travis said as he sat on his cot. “If you find it, then look for the next landmark.”
“Sounds like a plan, but how are you going to explain my absence to the ladies?”
Travis shrugged. “I’ll think of something. I could say that you were afraid to spend any more time with Dana.”
Galen snorted. “Why would I be afraid of her?”
“Because you two want to sleep with each other and you know she’d want more.”
He smiled. “If she wants me, who am I to deny her the pleasure?”
Travis laughed. “Remember what you told me. She’s not a whore or a prostitute. She’ll expect something in the morning.”
“She can expect all she wants. It doesn’t mean I have to give her anything. What are you planning to give Mattie?”
Travis lay back on his cot and thought about Galen’s question. What was he going to give her? Heartache?
Then again, what did she feel for him? Maybe she was like his mother—couldn’t care less about him and his feelings.
“No answer?” Galen asked.
Travis rolled to his side. “Not really.”
“They’re grown women, Travis. I think they’re smart enough to know that we aren’t looking for love—not in the middle of the Amazon.”
“Smart or not, I don’t want to hurt Mattie. She’s not like any woman I’ve slept with.”
“That’s because most of those were paid, a transaction. Easy to forget.”
“I just think that you should consider the consequences before you get involved with Dana. She’s sweet and seemingly innocent.”
Galen scrubbed his hands over his face. “You’re right. She’s too sweet for me. Sara, on the other hand…”
“Don’t even think about her.” Travis sat up in his cot and shook his head. “That woman would get the better o
f you. I don’t care how jaded you are.”
Galan raised his hands in defense. “I was just kidding. Now go to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I don’t envy you having to entertain the ladies while I’m gone. What do you plan on doing?”
“I’ll think of something.”
Travis dropped his head onto the pillow and closed his eyes and drifted off.
A dark figure in the distance appeared, then a mist of fog rolled in over him. “Are you a man of honor, Travis Kane?” the image asked, the hazy cloud around the shadow thinning out enough to discern an outline of a very tall man.
Travis wasn’t sure what to say. It’d be a lie to tell him he was. But was that what the man wanted to hear?
He strained his eyes on the form. The man repeated the question. “Are you a man of honor?”
“Probably not,” Travis forced out, his throat dry as dirt.
The figure seemed to grow larger, more menacing by the answer.
“Who are you?” Travis moved toward the shape, the mist growing denser, so much so that he could hardly move through it.
“A man with no honor is no man at all.” The words were loud and echoed painfully around him. Travis covered his ears to block it out as the man’s words played over and over, almost deafening him.
Travis woke with a start, his heart hammering in his chest.
Christ Almighty. What the hell did these crazy dreams mean? Was someone trying to tell him something?
A man with no honor is no man at all.
Travis swallowed hard. In all truth, he knew that to be so, which meant he wasn’t a real man—at least not the kind he wanted to be.
Chapter Sixteen
“You’re crazy if you think Galen wants anything to do with you.” Sara’s angry words woke Mattie.
She opened her eyes and rolled to her side to find Sara and Dana staring daggers at one another.
“What do you care?” Dana shot back. “It’s not like he wants you.”
Mattie sat up, trying to get a handle on what the two were arguing about.
“I don’t want you to throw yourself at him. It’d be foolish. You are so out of your league.”
Clear anger reflected from Dana's eyes.
Mattie needed to put a stop to this now. “Can I ask what you two are fighting about?”
Both women turned toward her.
“I was trying to explain to Miss Innocent here that she wasn’t Galen Hall’s type,” Sara said matter-of-factly, the expression on her face completely serious.
Mattie would have loved to tell her she was wrong but knew the woman wouldn’t believe her anyway. Instead she asked, “Do you think he’s into you?”
“I didn’t say that. Forget I said anything. Just go ahead and make a big mistake. I was just trying to save you some embarrassment.”
“Look, ladies.” Mattie stood. “We’re here in Peru to work. We shouldn’t let anything affect that.”
Dana hung her head. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Mattie wasn’t holding her breath waiting for Sara to do the same. She wasn’t the apologizing type.
“Let’s get dressed and have breakfast,” Mattie suggested as she picked up her bag and rifled through it.
“What’s going on with you and Kane?” Sara’s inquiry stopped her in her tracks.
Mattie turned to face her colleague again. “What do you mean?”
The woman smirked. “I think you know what I mean. Are you two sleeping together?”
Mattie temper flared. “I don’t think that’s any of your business and even if it were, I wouldn’t tell you. Now, like I said, we’re here to work, not discuss our personal lives.”
“I guess that’s a yes.” The smug look on Sara’s face almost got slapped off. Mattie would’ve loved to bring her down a peg or two, but that’d be unprofessional. Mattie had to retain her professionalism. Heaven knew Sara had zero herself.
Mattie turned her back on Sara, knowing full well she was begging for a fight and she didn’t care with whom she had it. She refused to allow a colleague to bait her.
In a rush to leave the tent, she dressed quickly, unable to keep her hands from trembling. The woman had angered her to the point of a physical reaction.
Before leaving, she glanced over her shoulder.
Dana smiled weakly at her. Thank God she had her on her side and that they were able to help one another deal with their colleague.
Outside the tent, Mattie rushed to make coffee. Travis was at that moment putting out the torches.
He turned and smiled, then frowned when he saw she was upset and rushed to her side. “Is everything okay?”
She nodded, in no mood to tell him what happened. At least not now. She wanted to forget what was said, then get to work.
“Galen still asleep?” She hoped the question would distract him enough so he would drop the subject.
“He’s on patrol. We heard something earlier and he went to look for any signs of trouble. I don’t expect him back for hours.”
Mattie glanced around sharply. “You don’t thing the Numas tracked us here, do you?”
He shook his head. “No. They wouldn’t do that. It was probably just an animal. I don’t want you to worry. I’ll be here with you.”
She smiled. “That’s reassuring.” She brushed his arm with her hand.
He covered her hand with his, the heat of his palm racing up her arm. Her eyes met and held his. She’d give anything to have him hold her, but with Sara’s suspicions, that wouldn’t be wise. Not that their affair was anyone’s business but their own. But Mattie wasn’t ready to advertise their relationship yet, especially to a woman who’d had her own eye on the man she was now sleeping with.
She stepped away from Travis and poured coffee grounds in the filter.
Dana came out of the tent, the look on her face indicating that more had been said before she’d left. The best thing for both Mattie and Dana would be to steer clear of Sara for the rest of the day. She was angling for a fight and they needed to avoid her as best they could.
“Do you need some help?” Dana asked.
Mattie smiled. She wished she could help Dana with dealing with Sara. Mattie could hold her own, especially after the mess at the college. Dana was different. She seemed so sweet Mattie doubted she’d ever had to fight anything controversial, which made it tougher for her to deal with Sara’s cross words and negative attitude.
“You could grab the meals from the bed of the truck.” Maybe if she kept her busy all day that’d help them avoid trouble. She didn’t need a fight, not when she wanted to rip Sara’s hair out herself.
Dana nodded and took off for the truck.
Mattie sighed and turned her attention to preparing the coffee. Staying busy was key to smoothing out angry feelings—a respite they needed badly at this point.
*
Travis’s nerves were on end. Galen had been gone for hours and his absence was starting to get to him. What was taking him forever?
A thought hit him. What if Galen had found the second and third landmarks? What if he was holding the treasure in his hands right now, wondering how to cut Travis out of the find?
No. Galen wouldn’t do that to you.
Travis shook the idea out of his head and inhaled deeply. The dream from the night before came rushing back. What was he supposed to interpret from the message? Was someone trying to keep him from searching for Templar treasure? Could it be his subconscious preaching to him?
He wished he knew. All he could say for sure was that the dreams didn’t set well with him, especially when he’d never had anything like them before. It was as if someone was trying to give him an important message—information that would affect him if he didn’t listen.
His throat went dry. This waiting was getting to him. If they were traveling, he wouldn’t have so much time to over think, which was the one thing he didn’t need to do right now.
Whistling off in the distance had him on alert. He release
d a breath when Galen broke through the underbrush ahead of him. Travis started forward, hoping to have a few words alone with him. Galen grinned when he saw him coming.
“Did you find the rock?” Travis asked.
“Did I find the rock?” Galen repeated, then walked past him.
“Well?” Travis clasped his shoulder to stop him. He was in no mood for his friend’s games, not after the day he’d had.
Galen turned to face him. “I found it under about ten inches of soil. I found the third landmark on the map about two hundred feet beyond the clearing. We’re close to treasure, Travis. So close I can taste it.”
Travis thought Galen would be more excited but something was keeping him from being so. That confused the hell out of him.
“We need to get these ladies out of our hair so we can find it.”
Galen’s comment had Travis glancing his way again.
“Speaking of which. Where are they?”
“In their tent. My day wasn’t quite as exuberant as yours. I spent most of it refereeing three women on the edge of a catfight. I’ve dealt with wild animals that gave me less trouble.”
Galen laughed. “Sounds as if I picked the perfect time to disappear.”
“Yeah.”
“So what are we going to do about the ladies?” Galen asked.
Travis shrugged. “We may have to wait until after the expedition is over to find the relics.”
“I don’t think that’d be wise. We’d be asking the authorities to look at us more closely.”
“I don’t want to talk about this now.” Travis walked away, sure his friend was wondering what was wrong with him. He didn’t care. He had too much to think about right now to reflect on the treasure.
He ducked inside the tent and walked straight to his bag. He opened the flap and removed his grandfather’s journal. With care, Travis turned to page four and began to read. Each word made him even more confused about what he was doing in the jungle. How could he be the one to uncover a treasure, a fortune that had been hidden for centuries, that was meant to stay buried?
He swallowed a lump in his throat.
What would Galen think if he knew Travis was having second thoughts about finding what the Templars buried? He’d probably think he had lost his mind, that Mattie had influenced him in some way and had made him look at life differently.
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