His Lost Mate (A Steamy Paranormal Romance Novel) (5 page)

Deven eyed her suitcase and tried to lift it. “What do you have in here, Lauren? Did you bring stones to build your own pyramid?” he teased.

She couldn’t seem to get enough air in her lungs to speak. Her mind went blank and she searched for something intelligent to say. Damn, he was handsome. Lauren glanced at his sexy, full mouth and wondered what it would be like to kiss him. I…just came prepared,” she managed to say.

“I have no doubt,” he said while never taking his gaze from hers.

Sylvia flipped her long ponytail over one shoulder and strode up to Deven with a sultry smile, hooking her arm in his. Sylvia was almost as tall as Deven, with a body like a model. “I’m sure we’ll straighten everything out. Oh and my father sends his best. He’s made another donation to the field school, you know.”

“I heard. Very generous of him. We’re pleased that you could join us,” he said stiffly. “I’m sure we’ll uncover a number of artifacts for you to curate for the museum.”

Sylvia didn’t look convinced. “I hope so. The last trip didn’t yield anything worthy of my collection.” She stepped back from Deven. “Well, are we going to stand around here all day in the rain?”

He held up his hand to feel raindrops and grinned. “Rain? This is the rainforest you know.”

Lauren cringed as Deven echoed her words that had ticked off Sylvia earlier. She expected Sylvia to snap at him. Instead she gave him a sultry smile. “Very funny, Deven.”

Kyle and Justin snickered.

Sylvia glanced over her shoulder at them and tossed her hand dismissively. “Those are my bags over there.” She pointed to a pale blue backpack and matching duffel bag.

“Nice bags,” Justin said, not making a move to help her.

Deven pressed his lips together. He seemed to be trying to suppress a grin. Sylvia picked up her bags and strolled over to Deven, standing intimately close and with a distinguished Boston accent said, “It’s so wonderful being here with you again.”

Lauren felt a twinge of jealousy. If Sylvia had her eyes on him, what chance would Lauren have against her classy good looks? None, so get over it.

Meanwhile, her head was spinning. Giddy emotions percolated inside her. She didn’t know whether to cry from fear or cheer from excitement. She’d never felt so out of her element. Her last dig in Arizona was like exploring her backyard. Guatemala was her first foreign archaeological dig and it felt like another planet. She could do this. She had to do this.

Deven turned to the group. “You’re all checked in. I have your room keys. Settle in your rooms. We can meet for dinner in the hotel’s restaurant in half an hour.”

* * *

Later that evening, Lauren stepped into the dining room of the hotel. A bar framed in bamboo with six wicker barstools took up one wall. Several worn, wooden tables were arranged around the small room. Jaguar skins and paintings of the rainforest and ruins decorated white stucco walls, and brown Spanish tile covered the floors, giving the room a jungle-style atmosphere.

An orange glow from the setting sun streamed in through broad arched windows and reflected on the stucco walls. Beyond the outdoor garden patio was a tranquil view of the sparkling blue-black lake and distant fields and mountains.

Lauren had changed out of her dusty clothes, showered and put on a jean skirt, red tank top and flip-flops. She felt refreshed and starved. The spicy smells from the kitchen made her stomach growl.

At a table by the windows, Deven, Sylvia and Margaret were seated and Justin and Kyle occupied the adjacent table. Lauren walked up to the students’ table. “Mind if I join you?”

With a teasing grin, Kyle leaned back in his chair. “That depends. Have you heard any more voices lately?”

Justin smacked his beer on the table and tried not to spit out a mouthful while stifling a laugh. “Yeah, you were pretty freaked out when you came out of the tomb today.”

“Give me a break, guys.” Lauren closed her eyes, thoroughly embarrassed. She put up a hand as if to make a promise. “No more voices. If I do hear any, you’ll be the first to know.”

“In that case, sit.” Kyle reached over and pulled out a chair for her.

“So, have you guys ordered yet?”

“Just beer,” Justin said, handing Lauren a menu.

The three from the other table greeted her with a nod or wave. Deven gave her a quick up and down inspection. His eyes seemed to have the power to hypnotize her. A daydream of his hands running up and down her body, exploring every sensitive inch, flashed in her mind. She shivered and was conscious of her nipples tightening, showing through her tank. What was it about that man that completely unnerved her?

Lowering her gaze, Lauren studied the menu. It was written in Spanish, which she could understand, but she couldn’t make up her mind on the selections. She called over to Deven’s table, holding up the menu. “Any recommendations? You’ve all been here before, right?”

“Unfortunately, we have,” Sylvia said. “A bit too primitive for my taste.”

“The restaurant or Guatemala?” Deven asked.

“Both. I’m only here because I have to be. My exhibit of Mayan antiquities has to be completed by the end of summer.”

“Tamales
Negros
is good,” Deven said, ignoring Sylvia’s comment.

“My favorite is the
Jocon
—chicken in green sauce,” Margaret said. “But it’s all good.”

When the waitress arrived, Lauren ordered a bottle of
Dos Equis
and the
Jocon
. The others also placed their orders.

“So, Lauren,” Kyle said, “are you working on your doctorate?”

“No, I’m finishing my master’s.”

“We figured you were working on your doctorate, since you’re older,” Justin said.

“Older?” she groaned. “You guys are brutal. You make it sound like I’ve got one foot in the grave. I’m only twenty-nine.”

“That’s okay, I like older women.” Kyle took his Boston Red Sox hat off and laid it on the empty chair. He flipped his long blond hair out of his eyes. Lauren thought he’d look more at home with a surfboard under his arm than with a trowel in his hand.

The drinks came and she took a long swallow of her beer. It was ice cold and went down smoothly.

“I was sidetracked from college for a few years.” She didn’t want to go into the gory details of her divorce.

She found herself glancing at the other table to steal a look at Deven. Sylvia was animated in conversation with him. What was her story? Lauren mused. When Deven caught her watching them, she averted her eyes.

“Do museum curators always travel to excavations?” Lauren whispered to Justin and Kyle.

“Don’t know. Maybe she wants to pick out her own relics or maybe she likes to travel,” Kyle said.

“Something tells me relics aren’t all she’s after,” she added.

“What do you mean?” Kyle asked.

Lauren shook her head. “Never mind, just thinking aloud.”

The waitress arrived with their meals. The chicken was tender and spicy, seasoned with fresh cilantro and scallions, and the fried plantains were crispy and sweet. Kyle and Justin had steak and black beans and rice.

After hiking around the ruins all day, she was starved and could have eaten another helping. Once they moved into the field camp, she doubted the food would be this good.

“Are you both from Boston University?” Lauren asked.

They nodded and continued to devour their meal. Justin read from his murder mystery paperback while he ate.

“Finished with Stephen King?” Lauren asked.

“No, I usually have a few books going at the same time.” Justin looked up from his book, his sunglasses still propped on his head. He looked like he was still in high school. His dark buzz-cut hair and brown eyes reminded Lauren of her brother Matt, only Justin was much younger.

“What do you guys plan to do when you graduate?”

Justin sat forward in his seat. “I hope I’ll get accepted for the dig in Minorca, Spain.”

“What about you, Kyle?”

“Oh, I’d like to teach and maybe help out with the field programs like Dr. Chandler.”

“I think you’d make a good teacher,” she said. “The students would like your laid-back attitude and that slacker persona you have.”

Kyle laughed. His headphones hung around his neck and his cell phone was sticking out of his jeans pocket. Fortunately, his industrial metal tunes were turned off. She liked a variety of music, but industrial metal was one form she could do without. Despite Kyle’s raw taste in music and Justin’s interest in the macabre, both were easygoing and friendly.

“Don’t expect to get cell phone reception at the camp,” Dr. Chandler said.

Kyle pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. “The service isn’t that great here either.”

The waitress brought their check and cleared the table of dishes. The three counted out
quetzals
to cover their share of the bill.

Lauren leaned back in her chair. The second beer began to loosen the tension in her body. Her dinner partners looked like they were winding down too. She glanced over to the other table again. They were all laughing and Sylvia had her hand resting on Deven’s arm, giving him an amorous look. Damn, it didn’t take her long. Sylvia was already making her move on him. Or maybe she wasn’t hitting on him at all—they had been on other trips together and had known each other for years.

It shouldn’t concern her anyway. She wasn’t looking for a summer fling on this trip.

“Can’t wait to get to the Big Dig,” Justin said.

Lauren swung her attention back to her table. “The Big Dig? You mentioned that earlier. What is it?”

“Yeah, that’s what the students call it,” Kyle said, “after the ‘Big Dig’ in Boston.”

She was still confused.

Kyle explained, “It’s the road construction nightmare that had been going on for several years in downtown Boston.”

“Ah, it fits.” She took a swallow of beer then studied the two students. “Why did you guys come after the other students cancelled? Weren’t you worried about the traveler’s advisory?”

“My stepdad is glad to get me out of the house,” Kyle said with an edge to his voice.

“I wasn’t worried. My parents travel all over the world,” Justin said. “They understand there are some risks involved no matter where you go. What’s your excuse?”

“Just want to graduate and get out into the working world.” And find my own apartment, she thought, after a ruthless ex-husband and college fees forced me to move in with my parents.

“So, Lauren, what do you want to be when you grow up?” Kyle asked.

Deven slid a chair over to their table and straddled the seat with his arms resting on the back. “Yes, Lauren, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

“I am grown up, if you hadn’t noticed.” She smiled.

“I’ve noticed.”

From Deven’s tone and smile, she wondered if he was flirting. She felt her face grow hot. The sparkle in his eyes sent a wave of heat though her.

“I’m fascinated with the ancient Mayan culture,” she said, “and I’d like to continue with excavation projects like this, but I also want to travel to other digs in Spain, Greece, Scotland and Belize.”

“You’re adventurous,” Deven said. The next moment he stood up and his tone became formal. “I’m sure any excavation project would welcome you. Your grades at Montclair are exceptional.”

Lauren felt a little self-conscious by his compliments. Of course the program director would evaluate the transcripts of every student who applied to the field school. “I still need the hands-on technical experience.”

He glanced at the other two students. “In a week or two we should be able to move to El Zotz.”

“A week or two.” Lauren groaned. She couldn’t hide her disappointment. “What do we do in the meantime?”

“We’ll spend time in Tikal, studying the ruins and working on a few projects. Sylvia and Margaret have a few things planned as well. Don’t worry. We’ll have plenty of time to practice field techniques.”

Sylvia and Margaret rose and walked toward the stairway that led to the rooms.

“See everyone in the morning,” Margaret said as she left the dining room.

“Good night.” Sylvia flashed a look to Deven that Lauren couldn’t decipher, then hurried up the stairs. Was it a silent invitation to her room? Lauren hoped not.

Deven continued with the students. “We’re meeting down here early, at six thirty. After breakfast we’ll head to Tikal.”

“Sounds great,” Lauren said. The exhaustion from the day suddenly settled into every muscle. She tried to stifle a yawn, but Deven caught her and grinned.

“Long day?”

“I’ll say, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

He held her gaze in silence. The look of amusement in his eyes made her heart leap. She could lose her soul in those eyes.

Deven broke the spell when he slid the chair under the table. “It has been a long day. See you in the morning.”

She watched him climb the stairs, wondering if he was sleeping alone tonight.

In her room, Lauren changed into a short silky nightgown. Clothes and notebooks spilled out of her suitcase onto the brown Spanish tile, but she didn’t have the energy to put them away in the wicker dresser. She wanted to make sure she had everything ready for the next day.

Opening the sliding glass door, she stepped onto a wrought iron balcony. Lauren sucked in her breath. Even at night, the view of the lake was mesmerizing. The sparkling lights rimmed the shoreline and the moon reflected on the water.

Below her, strands of small light bulbs were strung between trees, illuminating a flagstone patio, and flickering shadows from swaying palm trees danced over the rough stones. The cool breeze smelled clean and fragrant with jasmine blooms.

Beyond the veranda, a pebbled path led down to Lake Peten-Itza. She made a mental note to take a walk by the lake before they moved to the field camp, then stepped back inside her room.

The cool breeze from the balcony chilled her skin beneath the whisper-thin nightgown. The silky material teased her breasts and made her nipples hard and sensitive. She closed and locked the door.

As she slid her hand over her breasts, down the curve of her belly and then between her legs, she imagined Deven touching her, kissing her, pleasuring her and felt that familiar tug of desire deep inside.