His Lost Mate (A Steamy Paranormal Romance Novel) (10 page)

Deven closed his eyes and shook his head. “Nice guy.”

Lauren gave a painful chuckle. “That’s what my brother said.”

“It’s hard to imagine anyone could be that much of a bastard,” Deven said.

“My parents don’t understand why I didn’t see it coming. They think that if I hadn’t jumped into marriage, I would have seen his true nature.”

“He was your husband and you trusted him. You’re not to blame for his shallowness.”

“My parents hated seeing me hurt. They’re very supportive and suggested I move in with them so I could afford to go back and finish college. I love them dearly, but I’m ready to have my own place.”

Silence fell between. Lauren looked across the lake. White whirls of fog coiled along the surface of the lake and wove a diaphanous shroud among the tree branches.

She sensed a connection between them that was physical and emotional, but there was something more, something inside her was growing deeper and stronger.

“Are you hesitant to get involved with someone again?” His words startled her.

A tingling sensation twirled deep within her stomach and then swirled slowly downward. She began to twist her ring again. “Not really, I’ve put that all behind me. I do want to graduate and get my career established before I start dating.”

Deven’s gaze shifted to the ring that she was still spinning around her finger. He reached out and lightly grasped her hand and examined the ring. His hand was hard and rough.

“Nice piece of amber. I have a collection of amber at home I’d like to show you some time.” His thumb gently rubbed the back of her hand.

There was a splash in the lake and Lauren jumped. “What was that?”

Deven chuckled. “Probably a fish trying to catch a bug for supper.”

“A very big fish, from the sound of that splash.” Lauren laughed. “Well, he did a good job of scaring me.” She liked the glint in his eyes when he laughed. Then she remembered the scar above his eyebrow and touched it. “How did you do this?”

He smiled. “Wrestling with my sister at a lake by our house when we were kids. Playing ‘King of the Rock’—she won.” He was still holding and rubbing her hand.

Lauren’s pulse was racing. His gaze searched hers.
Oh God, oh God, there is something between us. I’m not imagining this.

Deven’s smile slowly turned serious and sultry. His lips quivered and parted slightly. Would he kiss her? She glanced down at his mouth. Oh yes, she wanted his mouth on hers.

Blood surged through all the sensitive areas of her body. Her mouth opened a sliver. Her lips felt dry and she slid her tongue across them. The corner of his mouth twitched upward a fraction and a glint of lust flashed in his eyes.

He lowered his gaze to her mouth again, moved closer, then paused. His sigh was almost a groan. No, don’t stop now, she thought.

“I’ve been fighting this,” he whispered.

Her stomach did a twirl and she smiled. “Is that so?”

“Yeah.” He brushed her hair back, his fingers lingering in her hair. “This could be a bad idea.”

“You mean the student-professor thing?” She squeezed his hand and stoked his palm with her thumb.

He nodded and focused on her mouth again. If he didn’t kiss her soon, she would go out of her mind.

“I’m over twenty-one and we’re professionals. I think we’ll manage.”

He raised his eyebrows and grinned. “It’s against my better judgment and would be a bad idea.”

Damn him. She pulled her hand away and stood up. “No problem, Deven. I understand. See you in the morning.”

Before she took a step, he grabbed her wrist, pulled her back down and kissed her with such force all the air was sucked out of her lungs. He leaned back slightly, searching her eyes for approval, which she gave and captured her mouth again, even more firmly this time, teasing her, until a soft moan escaped her throat.

His muscular arms reached under her and pulled her legs over his lap. Her breasts pressed against his hard chest. As their lips parted, air rushed into her lungs.

Lauren moved her hand around his head and began to stroke the hair at the nape of his neck. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. “Oh that feels so good,” he groaned.

Lauren felt her body quivering. A wave of need surged through her and she felt wet and achy between her legs. She urgently took his mouth again. His response was immediate. With mouths wide, their tongues searched fearlessly in delicious exploration.

His hand stroked her back and then roamed to the side of her breast. So close but not yet touching her there. She wanted him to take her breasts in his hands and fondle them roughly. Her nipples were already taut and craved his touch, craved his mouth. Oh, she’d never felt so hot, so quickly before.

His finger began to stroke the side of her breast while his mouth sought out her neck and glided his tongue along her pulse. It was maddening.

Her heated need overwhelmed her caution and she slid her hand down, touching his thigh. She wanted to, but didn’t dare feel for his erection. She wanted to know if he was as aroused as she was.

The firm muscles in his thigh flexed under her touch as his mouth took hers with such intensity that she felt lightheaded.

Then footsteps crunched on the gravel along the path. Someone was coming toward them. Lauren jerked away from him. Her heart pounded in her ears. Deven swung his legs around and hopped off the rock.

Her hands pressed against her chest, trying to will her pulse to slow and her mind to clear as the footsteps came closer.

A beam of light flickered through the bushes along the walkway as the footsteps approached. Lauren fumbled with her blouse.

“Deven? Are you here?” Sylvia’s voice broke the tension.

“Sylvia? We’re down by the lake,” Deven said.

She appeared on the path and flashed her light from Deven to Lauren. “The bartender said he saw you walk down here. Are we having a party?” The sarcastic edge to her voice made Lauren clench her fists.

Deven glared at Sylvia, then said flatly, “What is it, Sylvia?”

“I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

“I’m sure it can wait until tomorrow,” he said.

“No, it can’t,” Sylvia snapped. “I just received some information from the authorities and I need to discuss it with you now.”

Deven exhaled loudly.

Lauren’s romantic evening had vanished, blown away by Hurricane Sylvia. “I should head up to my room. It’s getting late and I have more work to do on my paper. See you both in the morning.”

“Good night, Lauren.” Deven sounded disappointed and seemed to want to say more, but Lauren decided if he did, Sylvia would figure out what she had interrupted. At this point it was probably best they kept their intimate exchange a secret.

As she dragged herself up the path, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Sylvia link her arm with his.

* * *

Lauren slammed the door to her room, stomped across the room and flopped down onto the soft bed. She felt her cheeks burning. “What is his problem,” she said angrily. As she stared up at the network of cracks in the ceiling that looked like a giant spider web, she tried to make sense out of what had just happened. Tears stung her eyes.

Why didn’t he insist Sylvia talk to him in the morning? She exhaled long and slow. She should have known better. She promised herself that she wouldn’t get involved with someone until after she graduated.

She didn’t need this type of complication, or aggravation, in her life right now, especially with a man who was interested in someone else.

Lauren could imagine her brother Matt lovingly shaking a finger at her. “Get over it, little sister.” Matt had suggested that she have a few casual flings before she became serious about anyone again. Like one of those sweet summer romances that faded with the approach of autumn. It sounded easy, if only she could keep her heart out of it. Why did she always fall for guys who were womanizers like her ex-husband? She groaned out loud, grabbed her notebook off the nightstand and started flipping through pages. In only a week, she had collected some valuable information for her thesis. Jumping out of bed, she retrieved a research book from her suitcase and hopped back on the bed. When she opened the book, something dropped out.

A piece of notebook paper was wrapped around something bulky. Turning the paper over in her hand, she noticed it had some writing which read: Sis, don’t study too hard. Take time out for some fun. Love, Matt. She opened the packet and found four condoms. Groaning, she threw them across the room into her suitcase.

She studied the chronological documentation of the major events that occurred during the Early Classic period, from 250 to 550 AD, and the Late Classic period, from 550 to 900 AD. The outline was now filled with details and sketches from her excursions to Tikal. At least this was something she could understand.

Mesoamerican history was fascinating. That’s where she needed to stay focused. Before she set herself up again for another disastrous relationship, she had to stop what was almost started. That was something she could correct.

The late hour caught up with her and Lauren gave up studying. She slammed her notebook closed and got ready for bed. She changed into a silky sea green nightgown. With its short length and spaghetti straps, it was cool and comfortable to wear on warm nights. Opening the sliding glass door, she stepped out onto the balcony and breathed in the floral scented air. A cool breeze rustled through the palm trees and felt good on her skin.

Thoughts of Deven teased her mind. She remembered his mouth pressing against her mouth, her neck. She touched her lips with her fingers, trying to imagine him kissing her there again. Then memories of his strong arms embracing her, crushing her breasts against his hard chest, stirred her body.
Let him go
.

She rubbed her arms and closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the night, and tried to recapture every detail, every touch. Her body ached and throbbed for him. Lauren breathed out a long sigh and gripped the wrought iron railing of her balcony. She was afraid to go to bed, expecting another episode of nightmares.

Exhaustion would provide the sleep she needed without any haunting dreams. Other than dreams, no other ghostly visits plagued her nights since that first night, about a week ago. Stress, lack of sleep, even strange food could cause restless nights. She reassured herself with all these things.

Her studies and the mysterious atmosphere of Guatemala probably didn’t help. Whatever the cause, dreams of Muan and a sexy warrior called Kayab also continued.

Below the balcony, darkness hovered like a barricade around the hotel. Lauren glanced down toward the gravel path, but didn’t notice any shadows wandering around that might be Deven and Sylvia and she didn’t want to get caught spying on them from her balcony. The thought of them together brought a stab of hurt in her chest. She walked back inside and secured the screen, leaving the glass door open so a cool breeze would keep her room comfortable. Then she dropped into bed.

* * *

“What’s so pressing that you couldn’t wait until the morning?” Deven asked Sylvia. She couldn’t have picked a worse time to intrude. He hated to see Lauren leave so abruptly. He knew she understood how important the project was.

He ran a hand through his hair. What was he thinking, kissing one of his students? The attraction he felt for her was undeniable and caught him completely off-guard. It didn’t matter. He knew it wasn’t a good idea, would look unprofessional to the other members, even though kissing her was so intoxicating and the thoughts of fucking her was driving him mad.

He shook his head. An affair with one of his students would create a lot of complications with the project. His involvement with Sylvia already proved that a bad idea. And what about after the semester? Long-distance relationships never worked out. He’d have to apologize to her and tell her it was a mistake. After all, this was an academic situation. They needed to act professionally.

Sylvia had her arm linked with his as they strolled along the path, her flashlight illuminating their steps. She pursed her lips together and glanced sidelong at him. “Sorry if I interrupted your secret rendezvous, but I have some great news.” Pausing to leave him hanging in suspense for a moment, she fluttered her eyelashes at him and flashed a satisfied grin.

“Well?”

“I received approval to allow the field crew to resume the excavation at El Zotz.”

“Immediately?”

“Yes, unfortunately they require twenty-four-hour guards at the site.”

“I was expecting that. At least we can start working again. I’m anxious to see the condition of the dig. It’s been over a month and there’s no telling what damage curious visitors or bandits could have done by now.”

Sylvia nodded. “I’m sure my father would assist with the extra cost for the guards.”

Deven cringed. “Your father has been very generous and I wouldn’t want to impose on him more. I’m sure the university will cover it.”

Sylvia leaned into Deven, resting her head on his shoulder. “My father knows how much this project means to me and the museum. He’s not assisting for your benefit. Without his support, I’m afraid the project would’ve been closed months ago.”

He knew she was right but hated admitting it. He wasn’t comfortable having Charles Bradford and his daughter having so much control over his project…and his life.

Sylvia turned to face him. “I still plan to stay at the camp.”

Deven pulled away from her, crossing his arms across his chest. “Why do you need to stay at the camp? You’ve already done all your lectures for the students.”

“I thought it would be nice to rough it a little in the rainforest. And I can transport any artifacts on my daily trips to the museum for safe keeping.”

“You hate camping.”

“No I don’t. I prefer a nice hotel. Camping is…adventurous. Beside, it’ll be nice to spend some time together. And my father wants updates on your progress.” She smiled. “Not only that, you may need my help if there’s trouble with those paramilitary rebels.”

“Sylvia, leave the security work for the guards. Your couple of weekends of training doesn’t automatically give you advanced military or Special Forces skills.”