Page 19

Chapter Eighteen

T he pounding water turned into drizzle, and the waterfall’s bellow echoed around us. I wiped the water off my eyes and took in the large cavern. At the end of the corridor, light filtered through the green hanging vines, illuminating water droplets that rained like an overhead shower into a sizeable pool below. Moss and small ferns blanketed the wall behind it.

The place was enchanting, but disappointment settled like a heavy lead in my stomach. I could only imagine how Andrew felt. There was no sign of the Asiento de Padua cargo. Andrew loosened his grip, and I let go of him. My feet found the bottom, and we walked to the waterhole’s edge.

Andrew got out first, and I did my best not to stare too much at his wet boxer brief hugging his fine ass. Was it difficult? You betcha . He reached out with his hand and, with one yank, helped me out of the water. The cool air rushed around me and awoke goosebumps all over me. I wrapped my arms and stole a glance at Andrew. He was quick to drag his gaze from my body up to the ceiling as if he were studying it, but I was quicker.

Andrew cleared his throat. “All right. It might appear empty, but that’s not always the case.” He moved deeper into the cave and clicked the flashlight on. “Keep an eye on anything that looks out of place.”

We went in different directions. Water dripped in random places from the ceiling, making the stone wet and slippery. I didn’t have a flashlight, so I stayed mostly in the lit area, closer to the water and then to the back with the opening above. I concentrated on cracks in the rock wall looking for hidden passages and messages.

In silence, we searched high and low around the cave, passing each other many times. While I stole a few glances at him, I didn’t notice him doing the same. Instead, Andrew was in archeologist mode, eyebrows pulled together, his focus dedicated to finding the next clue. He stopped near nature’s overhead shower and shone the flashlight at the ceiling.

“Adriana,” he said, “come here.”

I hurried over. Tilting my head up, I peered at the crevice he was looking at.

“Does it look like something’s inside there?” he asked.

I blinked a few times before noticing what appeared to be a brown cloth or maybe a leather bag stuffed deep inside the crack. “Yes. How can we get it out?” Inside the cave there were no rocks we could stack for Andrew to reach it. “We need to return to the shore and find a long stick to scrape it off.”

“Or you could get on my shoulders and reach it,” Andrew said.

“What?” My attention snapped on him. “No.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not sure I want your head between my thighs.”

He held my gaze. His right eyebrow arched, and his smirk deepened. “You don’t?”

My heart leaped. Goddamn it. Of course I wanted it.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I closed it. Then tried again, but I couldn’t find a suitable reply. Dropping my shoulders in defeat, I shook my head. “Let’s get this over with.”

Andrew stepped behind me and squatted, my ass no doubt in his face. God, help me not to die from embarrassment.

“You need to spread your legs,” Andrew commanded, his gravel voice vibrating in the right places and my inner parts clenched.

I did what he said, and he slid his head between my thighs, the brush of his wet hair on my skin sending a million emotions through me, and I tried—I think I succeeded, but I wouldn’t know because blood was pounding in my ears—not to gasp or moan or make any other animal noises. Without leaning forward, he stood up, and I yelped from how fast it happened— impressive —my hand flew to his face and grabbed it. The warmth of his skin soaked into my cold legs, spreading fast through me.

“Take the flashlight,” Andrew said, his fingers digging into the flesh above my knees.

Shining a light into the hole, I located the mysterious object, but before sticking my hand inside, I made sure nothing else was there, like a snake or tarantula. Did tarantulas live in Colombia? Or were they from Africa? I had no idea and I found myself cursing my lack of knowledge. Satisfied everything looked safe, I reached for the item. My hand a few inches away from touching it, I pressed my ankles tighter around his torso and lifted my butt off his shoulders, my groin rubbing the back of his head and—oh my Lord, I shouldn’t have done it. The slight friction conjured up a dull pressure in my core. A weak moan turning into a hum escaped me, and I swayed, losing some of my balance. I jerked, releasing the flashlight straight into the pool of water, and grabbed Andrew’s hair.

“Ouch,” Andrew cried out.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, my hands letting go. The flashlight quickly sunk, illuminating the bottom of a deep hole.

He turned to look at the flashlight. And my hands grabbed his hair again. “Andrew! Don’t move like that. I’ll fall.”

“What were you trying to do?”

“The damn thing is about three to four inches out of my reach. I was trying to get a bit closer to it.”

“Let’s try it again.” Without breaking contact with my skin, Andrew’s hands glided from my knees to my ankles, and he pressed them hard into his torso, letting me use my entire leg muscles for leverage. I pushed my ass off his shoulders—this time focusing on my task—and my nails grazed the thing.

“God,” I groaned. “I’m so close.”

Thank goodness William wasn’t with us; he would point out how it sounded.

Andrew’s hands tightened, and he stood on his toes, closing the needed distance, and my fingers grabbed the leather object. “I got it.” I yanked the dark brown pouch out of the stone’s crack.

When I stepped off Andrew’s shoulders, my legs tingled where our skin had pressed together. A cocktail of being in contact with his body and the excitement of finding something rushed through my bloodstream. Andrew untightened the string around the leather bag and opened it. He angled it so light from above could reveal the inside. His eyebrows pinched. Frowning, he reached inside, and when his hand came out, clumps of wet yellow paper clung to his fingers.

“What is it?” I asked.

Andrew ferreted in the bag more, then finally said, “Something that is of no use to us anymore.” He pulled the bag inside out and a decayed pale brown paper that looked like porridge landed between our feet.

“I’ll get the flashlight, and we can leave.” He handed me the bag and sat on the verge of the pool, lowering his legs into the water. Taking a deep breath, he pushed off and submerged, moving his arms to push himself to the bottom. I watched him reach for his torch, but instead of coming up for air, he stayed under as if he’d seen something.

He finally broke the surface and swept his wet hair off his eyes. “There’s an underground passageway.” He pushed to the edge and folded his forearms, breathing hard. “You stay here. I’ll swim to see what’s there.”

The recent news flashed in my head about scuba divers who were lost in underground caves and ran out of air, their lifeless bodies found days later.

My stomach roiled. “Is it safe?”

“I’ll be okay.” Andrew began taking a series of deep breaths, filling his blood with oxygen. His eyes held mine before he took the last one and pushed off, diving deep into the water.

“If you aren’t back in one minute, I’m coming after you,” I yelled but doubted he heard me.

My fingers fumbled with my Apple watch as I started the timer. Andrew swam into the opening, and soon the light he carried vanished. I checked the time. Thirty-three seconds. How long can people hold their breath? One minute? Two minutes? Andrew was in great shape and obviously worked out, so he probably could stay without taking another breath for at least three minutes. I rechecked the time. One minute and four seconds. What should I do if he didn’t come up soon? Do I go after him? I had no flashlight so I couldn’t see there. Shoot. I should have thought about it and brought another one with me. I bit my nail, noticing my hands were shaking. Two minutes and forty-two seconds. I couldn’t take it anymore. I dropped the leather bag and plunged into the cold water. I sank and peered in the direction Andrew had disappeared in, hoping to see a glimpse of light. I could barely make out the rock path, but it quickly turned into pitch-black, intimidating darkness. Pushing off the rocky bottom I went up and gulped in the air.

A frustrated groan left my mouth. I took another deep breath and submerged. I repeated it several times until my head felt dizzy, and I had to climb out before I went to Davy Jones’s locker. I fell flat on my back near the pool, falling drops misting my skin, bringing waves of shivers. My chest rose and fell fast, and then it began to quiver, hot tears running down the sides of my face. I sucked in some more air and told myself that Andrew had found a different open cave and was now exploring it. Maybe he found the treasure and was rolling around in it, laughing like a mad person. If that were the case, I’d smack him when he returned for scaring the shit out of me.

I checked my watch. Seven minutes. Ice-cold fear coursed through my veins, and my lungs felt like they were collapsing under the weight of anxiety and horror. Andrew was either dead, or lost but alive, or alive and busy exploring.

After what felt like forever, the water in the pool gurgled and rippled, and I jumped to a sitting position. Relief washed over me when I saw Andrew emerging. He gasped for air when his head broke the surface.

“You are a fucking asshole!” I yelled at him.

Andrew wiped the water off his face and held onto the edge. “That’s one way to say hello.” His shoulders heaved as he panted.

“Goddammit. I thought you were dead.” I squeezed my fists, holding myself back from smacking him hard. Tears swelled in my eyes. “What took you so long?” I croaked.

Andrew’s face crumbled with remorse. “Adriana, I’m so sorry I scared you.” He pushed out of the water and collapsed next to me, taking my hand. “I’m an idiot. I should have come back right away. Please forgive me.”

I pulled my hand out and wiped my eyes. “You are an idiot, but it’s okay.” I sniffed. “Just don’t do it again. Don’t make me think I’ve lost you.”

His heartfelt gaze searched mine. “You’ll never lose me.”

I took a shaky breath. “Did you find anything?”

Defeat took over Andrew’s usual composed and confident posture. He sat with his head sagged, his elbows pressing into his knees, his hands clasped together. “There are two smaller caves. Both empty.” He scoffed. “This was a colossal waste of time.”

I wanted to say I told you so but my red anger subsided and I said, “I’m sorry.”

“Fucking bollocks.” He shook his head.

A deep sadness sank into my stomach. I scooted closer to him until our thighs touched, the heat of my body radiating against his cold one. I leaned in so I could catch his eyes.

He glanced at me. “I’m sorry I dragged you here.”

My eyes searched his face, fighting the swell of ache in my chest.

“I’m not.” I bumped into him with my shoulder. “I almost did a cheerleading stand.” He huffed a silent laugh. “Do you think it was ever here?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“What should we do next?”

“The question of the hour.” Andrew blew out another breath. He rubbed his forehead, his eyes closed. “Back to my notes and their letters. Back to figuring out the location of the palace.” He scoffed. “If that even exists.”

Andrew turned his face to mine, and the corners of his lips curved ever-so-slightly, but then his mouth relaxed, erasing laughing lines around it. “I’m tired of this.”

“Of this trip?”

“No.” He groaned. “Of this constant chase. It’s always like this. You think you’re getting closer, and in the end, it’s an empty shell or another clue leading you somewhere else that leads you to another clue. My whole life is chasing clues.”

“I thought you enjoyed discovering things. You and your team found parts of King John’s treasure. That’s pretty cool.”

“Yes. But how many years have we wasted on that? I spend half of a year in constant motion. I’m turning thirty-five this year,” he said. “I want what Charlotte has. A family. And what’s worse, in two months, she’s moving to Wales to live with her boyfriend. When I come home, it’ll be empty.”

He shifted forward and pressed his elbow hard into his knees again, burying his fingers in his hair. When a man was broken down and feeling weak, it wasn’t a proper time to notice beautiful muscles rippling all over his body. But I did anyway. I had eyes after all.

“I’m sure they’ll visit you often.” I had no clue how long the drive was from Cambridge to Wales, but it couldn’t be more than a few hours. My arm went up to his back, and I rubbed it—to comfort him. Despite the cold air around us, his skin was hot under my touch. I stroked his back, paying no—absolutely none whatsoever—attention to every contour of his muscles. “You could stop working for the secret-saving-historical-crap-society and only teach at the university. No more chasing things around the world. Just a regular nine-to-five job. If you sit for ten minutes in a pub or stroll in a museum, you’ll find a line of women who want to have babies with you. You’re a dream man.”

A twinge of jealousy went through my gut at my own words. I wanted to be among those women. No, not among them. Just me.

He faced me, a brown curl of hair stuck on his forehead. “Even yours?” His brow puckered, and his eyes met mine and lingered.

A zing roared down my spine, and my smile dropped, but the corners of his mouth lifted. The cool air was heavy with our breaths. Something passed between us. I couldn’t stop staring at his moist lips.

Andrew straightened. Shifting closer, his hand reached my face, and he smoothed away the wet hair that had stuck to my cheek. The brush of his fingertips over my skin took my breath away. His fingers traveled down my face and wrapped gently at the nape of my neck. I slowly gravitated toward him. His mismatched eyes glinted with a million questions in them. He cupped my cheek and leaned in, tilting his head. My heart thumped out of rhythm, and his chest’s quick rise and fall suggested he felt the same way.

Andrew’s lips parted, and his face was so close, his breath touched my mouth. I wanted to kiss Andrew so desperately that it hurt inside my chest. Or maybe I was having a heart attack. A fling was a bad idea because I wanted this man for more than one night—I was falling for him. No, not falling. I was plummeting headfirst into a maelstrom of forbidden feelings. And there was nothing for me to grab on to for safety. Andrew’s mouth brushed over mine.

It was a soft kiss. Tender. Perfect. The featherlight touch of Andrew’s lips was like a petal of a fresh rose. My hands moved to his chest, then quickly to his neck, threading my fingers into his hair. The low sound in his throat let me know he enjoyed it. The pressure of his mouth on mine triggered a hunger I hadn’t been aware I felt. My mouth opened to him, and his tongue moved over mine. I moaned in pleasure. Andrew wrapped his arms around my body and brought me flush against him, his mouth devouring mine. My head whirled. I knew it would feel incredible to be kissed by Andrew, but I’d had no idea how drunk I would get on this.

Without breaking our kiss, I hauled myself on the top of him, his hard length pressed against me. I thrummed with need, and my greedy side took over. Arching into him, I ground my hips, my aching spot seeking friction and pulling another groan out of him. I shuddered at the image of his tongue on my body, of his cock inside me.

My heart was going to explode?—

“Get a room, Jones.” Richard’s voice detonated like a bomb in the cave and Andrew and I broke apart as if lightning had struck us.