Undiscovered (Treasure Hunter Security Book 1) (14 page)

Layne felt the lick of desire pooling in her belly.

“But, as much as I’d like to strip all this off you, you’ve had a rough day.” He set her down. “You need more water and something to eat.”

Mr. Protector, looking out for her again. She watched him grab up the water bottles and hand one to her. Who protected Declan when everything got to be too much? When those horrible demons chasing him wouldn’t leave him alone?

She sat on the carved stone steps leading into the water and watched with great interest as Declan washed his shirt and hung it over a low stone wall to dry. Then it was absolutely no hardship to watch him climb the palm trees and collect dates.

God, all those lean muscles. She watched them flex and bulge. He had a strength that was hard-earned, not just surface gloss collected in a gym. He used those muscles for more than just lifting weights or running on a treadmill.

When he returned, he handed her the dates and sat beside her.

Layne managed to drag her gaze off the man and onto the temple. Her breath caught. It was beautiful. It reminded her of Kom Ombo on the banks of the Nile. An elegant design of columns, courts, and halls perched by water.

A few of this temple’s columns were still intact. God, she was itching to see inside.

She glanced at the horizon. The sun was setting, and, thankfully, that also meant the temperature was dropping.

“We’ll spend the night here and rest up,” Declan said.

“I want to—”

“See inside the temple.”

“How did you know?’

He smiled. “I’m getting to know you pretty well by now, Rush.” He stood and held out a hand to help her up.

They fished flashlights from their packs, and Layne also grabbed her copy of the translation of the scroll, stuffing it in her pocket. They walked up the steps.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I have no idea where this oasis is exactly, but I’ve never heard of this place and it looks pretty undisturbed.”

“An awesome accidental discovery.” He shone his light up at the carved pillars. “I’ve provided security for lots of expeditions around the world that came up empty-handed. They would have wet themselves to discover something like this.”

They moved deeper inside. The back wall was covered in hieroglyphs and images. People making offerings to the gods. She took it all in and stopped beside the carving of a woman who had a strange basket headdress and had a set-animal sitting by her feet.

Wonder filling her, Layne read the glyphs. “No one has seen these for thousands of years, Declan. God, you have to be impressed by that.”

“Maybe.”

She glanced over and saw he was watching her, not the glyphs. “This is a temple dedicated to Nephthys. She was the sister of Isis, and known as the Lady of the Temple Enclosure. She was associated with priestesses.”

“And?” he prompted.

“She was Seth’s wife.”

He froze. “You’re telling me this is an undiscovered temple dedicated to Seth’s wife.”

She couldn’t quite believe it. “Yes.”

“The House of Seth’s beloved. So, we’re on the path to Zerzura?”

“Maybe.” She ran her hands over the engravings, wondering if the priest buried back at the dig had been one of the people who’d carved these. She murmured to herself as she translated.

A warm hand touched the back of her neck. “I’m going to find us something to eat for dinner and then set up camp. We both need some rest.”

She nodded. “I can help.”

He smiled and squeezed the back of her neck. “Stay. Something tells me this will rejuvenate you more than a nap.”

“Looks like you
are
starting to know me well.”

His gaze dropped to her lips. “Yeah, I guess I am, Rush.”

She watched him walk away. There was a good man buried under his dangerous exterior. A protector, a man driven to take care of others. One who quite simply took her breath away.

They’d almost died in the desert. She knew she wouldn’t have lasted much longer, and even Declan with his training and survival skills couldn’t have held out too long.

She wanted Declan Ward.

She pressed her palm flat to the warm stone wall and took a deep breath. She’d never been with a man who she’d wanted more than her work.

But Declan gave her the space to do what she needed, hell, he’d even been helping her do it. He respected her need to do her job well and that made her want him even more.

Layne realized she was staring at the wall of hieroglyphs like a moony-eyed teenager. She shook her head, smiling, then her gaze fell on a familiar glyph.

Zerzura.

Heart beating hard, she pulled out her translation of the scroll from her pocket. “Find your way to the desert in the west, to the House of Seth’s beloved, then the place of the small birds, where he is king.”

She looked up at the carving on the temple wall.

“Follow the path of the birds to Zerzura directly into the setting sun. Find the buried marks of the birds and reach the home of Seth and his followers.”

So to find Zerzura, you had to head west and find these marks of the birds. Adrenaline winged through her. She jogged out of the temple and down the steps toward the water.

Where she pulled up short.

Declan was standing thigh-deep in the center of the water.

Completely naked.

Her brain took a second to notice the small fire nearby, with some small animal roasting over it. But all her attention was on the man scooping up water and letting it spill down his hard, toned body.

He didn’t have an ounce of fat. She let her gaze run up the strong lines of his legs. He was side-on to her, so she got the view of one toned buttock and the hint of his cock. The rest of him was long lines of muscles, with rivulets of water arrowing down his bronze skin.

Layne couldn’t ever remember wanting anything quite this much. God, her hands were shaking.

She dropped her flashlight and unbuttoned her shirt. It took her seconds to shuck off her trousers, tank and underwear. The warm breeze brushed over her naked skin, and she shivered. She was already flushed, her breasts swollen, an empty ache between her legs.

As soon as she stepped into the water, Declan froze and his head whipped up. His gray gaze settled on her and he seemed to still even more. Like a predator sensing prey entering his range.

For a second, Layne wondered if the priestesses of Nephthys had done this. Stepped naked into the water in worship, a sacrifice to their goddess.

Right now, Layne knew this was no sacrifice.

She strode through the water and that seemed to trigger something in Declan. He surged toward her, the water splashing around his feet.

She wasn’t sure who closed the last few feet between them. She leaped at him and he dragged her into his arms. Layne wrapped her legs around his waist, and then his mouth slammed down on hers.

God
. That taste. She kissed him back, her hands fisting in his hair.

He groaned, his kiss deepening. His hands clamped under her butt and he strode toward the shore.

Layne was too busy kissing him to worry where he was taking her. When he knelt and lay her down, she realized he’d made a bed for them just inside the temple, not far from the fire outside. He’d laid down palm fronds and covered them with their clothes and a blanket from his pack.

She reached her arms above her head and watched as he knelt above her.

The temple columns rose up against the magnificent backdrop of the bright stars in the night sky.

But none of that compared to the molten desire in Declan’s eyes and his hard body, inches from hers.

He kissed her again, then his mouth traveled downward, tracing along her jaw, then he nipped at her neck. She arched into him with a small cry.

“Damn, I feel like I’ve wanted you forever,” he rasped against her skin.

Next, he lapped at one of her nipples before sucking it into his mouth.

“Declan!” She tugged on his hair.

“Wish we had more light.” He sucked on her nipple before his mouth traveled over to her other breast. “I’d like to see all this smooth skin of yours. Trace the veins beneath with my tongue.”

“You’re doing fine,” she gasped out. As his mouth abandoned her breast, sliding down her belly, she sucked in a breath. “Don’t stop.”

“I won’t.” He lapped at her skin. “Not until I’ve fucked you so hard you’ll feel me tomorrow.”

He pushed her thighs apart and Layne felt all her muscles trembling. He made a hungry sound and she felt the warmth of his breath over the most intimate part of her.

“You want my mouth on you, Rush?”

She lifted her hips up to him in answer.

His fingers bit into her thighs. “Do you want my tongue inside you?”

“Declan.”

“Give me the words, sweetheart. Tell me you want me.”

“Yes. Yes! I want your mouth on me. Please.”

With a growl, he leaned down and lifted her to his mouth. His tongue slid deep inside her, pumping against her, licking, lapping.

“Oh…” Layne heard her cry echo around them.

He was relentless, and the sensations crashing over her made it hard to breathe.

Then he moved and his clever tongue circled her clit.

“Yes.” She grabbed his hair, trying to move him where she needed him.

“Say it,” he growled.

“Suck my clit, Declan.”

His mouth closed around her slick nub.

God.
She thrashed as he sucked and licked at her.

The sensations were so strong she could barely hold on. Then with one more wild, primal suck, she fell over the edge and screamed her release.

She lay there, panting, her gaze moving upward.

Declan knelt above her, a stark, hungry look on his face. His large, thick cock jutted upward toward his six-pack abs.

Layne shivered again and knew the pleasure wasn’t over.

It was only beginning.

***

Declan felt the rush of blood pumping through his body and the sweet taste of Layne on his lips.

Blind need made his gut clench hard, and his only thought was to lodge himself deep inside her warm, willing body.

He needed to be inside her.

He gripped his cock and leaned down, he rubbed the head against her damp warmth. She made a small sound that enflamed him.

“Declan, please. I need you.” She curled her legs around his waist, one foot pressing against his ass, urging him on.

He fought for some control. “Shit, Layne, I don’t have any condoms.” He dragged in a breath. “I’m clean as of my last check up.”

She undulated against him. “I get a birth control shot, and I’ve got no health issues.”

“Thank God.” Dec gripped her hips and pulled her toward him. At the same time, he thrust inside her, burying himself to the root.

The sound that erupted from her throat was a deep, raw sound of pleasure.

God, she was wet and tight. Perfect. He started thrusting, unable to find his usual control. He was a strong man, one used to violence, and he tried never to bring any of that to the bedroom.

But here, under the stars, lost in the desert with a woman who left him feeling so dangerously close to the edge, he couldn’t find that control.

He needed her. All of her. No boundaries.

His rhythm was hard and fast, her snug body driving him beyond pleasure. He was grunting as he shoved himself inside her and she was making small cries, her arms and legs tight around him.

“Touch yourself,” he murmured. “I want to watch your face when you come.”

She slid a hand down to where his cock speared into her. He groaned, loving her easy sensuality, loving the feel of her fingers slipping between his slick cock and her swollen lips.

Then she found her clit, her sexy body shifting as she stroked herself.

“That’s it.” He kept up his steady, hard thrusts. He felt her muscles contracting around him and knew she was close.

Fuck
. He was close, too. He felt his balls drawing up, the primal sensations growing low within him.

She shattered. She arched beneath him, a beautiful, stunning sight. He thrust once more and held himself deep. He felt his release erupt out of him, spilling inside her.

“Layne.” He groaned her name holding himself still as pure pleasure filled him.

“I’m here, Declan.”

As he collapsed on top of her, he felt her arms wrap around him. For the first time in a long time, he wasn’t alone, lost in the darkness that prowled inside him.

For the first time in forever, he just felt like himself.

Chapter Eleven

Dec lay in the blankets, staring up at the sky. Layne was pressed against him, her hand idly stroking his chest. He was only just coming down and he felt damn good.

Hell, this was the last thing he’d expected when he’d flown to Egypt.

Her hand stroked lower, over his abdomen and when it met the thick ridge of scar, he tensed.

Her strokes didn’t falter, she caressed it the same way she’d touched the rest of his skin.

The black memories, that fucking dark thing inside him, reared its head. He grabbed her wrist.

“It’s a part of you, Declan.”

“Don’t turn shrink on me now that we’ve fucked.”

She stiffened and Dec closed his eyes and released her hand.
Dammit
. He hadn’t meant to hurt her or to ruin this moment between them. He waited for her to get up and walk away.

Her hand started stroking his scar again. “It must have hurt.”

“You’re going to let me off being a dick?”

“Take the free pass. I won’t always let you get away with it. To make it up to me, you can tell me how it happened.”

“It was right after Anders… I got hit during a firefight.”

He hadn’t been as careful. He’d been raw and angry, and hadn’t cared anymore if he lived or died.

He’d lost what had made him a good soldier, and the Navy had been right to make him leave before he’d killed himself or anyone else.

But that dark thing still prowled, waiting to drag him under.

She stroked him. “Shh. It’s just you and me here.”

“The guilt’s always there, Layne. It won’t ever go away.”

She sat up, leaning over him. She pressed a kiss to his scar, so impossibly gentle. Then she looked him in the eye. “No, it won’t. But until you look it in the eye, it’ll continue to rule you.” She leaned down again, her tongue lapping at his nipple.