“Dangerous, like you told me.”
“True. But not this time. You helped me see the truth. And more.”
“Damn straight. Brave and determined, that’s my Kate.”
She stood only inches away, so close he could smell the fragrance of her hair, see her pulse fluttering in her throat, see her eyes widen at his last words. Longing welled up inside him, bounded only by the racing of his heart. The urge to touch her, to absorb her softness, her sighs—her. Could he take the chance? He started forward.
“No, I’m all right. But if another tremor hit or, heaven forbid—an earthquake—I’d drop like a coconut.”
He forced from his mind that she’d just refused his help, his touch—him. At least he was close enough to catch her if she started to fall. “About the tremors, seems like they’re done with for now. DSF got reports. The tremors haven’t just subsided. They’ve stopped altogether. No stresses on the fault line, at least for now. No earthquake, like the priest said.”
Her eyes widened in amazement. “The end of the curse? Hard not to believe in Kizin.”
“Who knows? But no guarantees. Those fault lines didn’t magically disappear.”
When she swayed on the crutches, alarm flashed in his mind. Dammit, he was a selfish son of a bitch. “Your wound. I’ll get the chair. Don’t you want to sit down?”
“No. Let me finish.” Determined Kate had thought lines between her eyebrows. “We’re alike, you and I. We allowed our pasts to control us. You’re afraid to trust, to open yourself, and I’ve been afraid of... living. When I was growing up, I felt pulled along in my parents’ slipstream, not in control of my life. The gymnastics wasn’t even my idea. Mom thought it would improve Ms. Klutz’s coordination. No one considered my wants or feelings. No one needed my ideas or my opinion, or—”
“You.”
“Yes, but you did. From the start.” Her smile was brighter than the rays of the sun dipping below the treetops. “I like my museum work, but I’ve boxed myself in, where I know I’m capable—and, yes, needed. But now I want more. I’ve dealt with my past. What about you?”
He swallowed. When Devlin told him, he couldn’t wait to tell Kate, but now, how to start? “You were right. About everything.” He stabbed fingers through his hair. “Damned tough for a soldier to admit this, but I was afraid, like you said.”
She stared at him intently. “You asked Mara to search. When?”
His throat felt too tight for speech. He swallowed hard. “I talked to Thomas after the feast. He did the research when he hired me, sat on it.”
“Until you were ready.” Her hands white-knuckled on the crutches.
“She’s dead. Killed on the street. Shot. Same day she disappeared.”
Her face crumpled. “I’m so sorry. How—”
“False papers. Not her real name. I’ll tell you later.” If there was a later.
“Would you tell me her name?” The sympathy and sadness in her eyes nearly undid him.
“She was Maria Lourdes Rivera.” For the first time in twenty-five years, he said it with pride. “She’d gone to sign up for job training, for a better life for the two of us. She didn’t reject me. Didn’t abandon me.”
“She loved you.” She hiked the crutches and hopped a step closer. Her blue eyes darkened and she licked her lips. “Max, you just called me your Kate. What did you mean?”
Her words punched him in the gut. She’d opened the door. He took a giant step and pulled her against his chest. Her crutches clattered to the hard ground and she wrapped her arms around him. His whole body sighed at the feel of her in his arms again. He held her hard against him. Everything inside him said hold on and never let go. The soft shift of her body surged hunger through him. She moaned his name into his mouth and kissed him back with a passion that matched his. He slid his mouth along her jaw, kissed her ear, her neck. Dios. He had to stop before he combusted.
“Thank God you didn’t leave, Kate. Never thought I’d say this to anybody but here goes. I love you. I realized it a while ago but couldn’t handle it. And now I can’t handle losing you.” His voice came out too rough but he had no water to wash the grit from his throat.
Her eyes brimmed with tears. “Can I hear you say those words again? Those three little important words?”
He sighed, pressed his forehead to hers. Reveled in the touch of her soft skin. “I love you. Those three words?”
She kissed the cleft in his chin. “Perfect. And now I’d like to sit down, but only if it doesn’t mean letting go.” The smile on her lips was teasing.
He picked her up, taking care with her bandaged thigh. “Am I hurting you?”
“Not a bit.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.
Not confident the chair wouldn’t collapse under his weight, he inched down onto the canvas seat. The contraption creaked but held. He settled Kate on his lap. The movement of her delectable butt hardened him like a damn tree trunk. The gleam in her eyes said she felt it. “Careful, sweetheart. You’re starting something we can’t finish.”
Another wriggle was her revenge. “Along with protecting me—and the statue—from more dangers than I care to list, you helped me deal with my past and my insecurities. Because of your confidence in me, I could face bandits and floodwater and Le Noir. The man who did all that is the wonderful, gentle, sensitive, strong man I fell in love with. I love you, Max.”
Her words and the softness in her bluebonnet gaze ignited a wildfire in his chest. Kate cupped his jaw and kissed him, the sweetest kiss he’d ever received.
“Hell, we have about as much in common as a Thoroughbred and a burro. I’ve avoided relationships like scorpions but I want to give us a try. If you do.”
“We’ll make it work. You can help me with that lingering issue of control.” She snuggled closer and their gazes locked. Her eyes sizzled with the same heat firing his veins.
“No sweat. You aren’t the only one with issues.” He sent her a wicked grin. “If you’d like to build my self-esteem, I have some ideas. Once you’re healed, that is.”
“My house in D.C. has four bedrooms.” She nibbled his neck, pressed tiny kisses there, punctuated by her warm, wet tongue.
Her touch was flame licking his skin. He could barely think. “Ah, sweetheart, we can try every one.”
“Kiss me, Max.”
“That’s the controlling Kate I love. The Kate I need.” He lowered his mouth to hers. Everything would be all right.
He connected with her as with nobody else. She fit in his arms as no other woman ever had, ever could. She was his friend and his lover and his other half. That she loved him too was nothing short of a miracle, and he’d do whatever it took to keep things that way. He trembled as if Kizin shook the earth.
***
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading ON DEADLY GROUND. I was thrilled when the idea for Max and Kate’s story came to me, an adventure that combined my fascination with the Maya and my love of the movie ROMANCING THE STONE. For research, I traveled to the Yucatan area of Mexico and visited ruins similar to the ones in this story and a real Maya village like the one where Max and Kate stay. It didn’t hurt that the hubby and I stayed in a beach resort.
I hope you enjoyed this book. If you did, please help others find the book by leaving a review at the retailer where you purchased it.
--Susan
http://www.susanvaughan.com
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About the Author
SUSAN VAUGHAN is the multi-published author of romantic suspense novels. Her books have won the Golden Leaf, More Than Magic, and Write Touch Readers’ awards and have been an RT Book Reviews Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Nominee and a finalist for the Booksellers’ Best and Daphne du Maurier awards. Her books have been translated into German, French, Spanish, an
d Icelandic and published in more than eleven countries. She’s a West Virginia native, but she and her husband have lived in Maine for many years.
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She loves to hear from readers: [email protected].
Also by Susan Vaughan
NEVER SURRENDER (Task Force Eagle #1)
ONCE BURNED (Task Force Eagle #2)
TWICE A TARGET (Task Force Eagle #3)
PRIMAL OBSESSION
Read first chapters at www.susanvaughan.com
RING OF TRUTH (Devlin Security Force #2)
A former jewel thief’s only chance for redemption is to convince a dead insurance investigator’s daughter to aid him in retrieving a cache of legendary jewels ahead of an international smuggling syndicate.
CLEOPATRA’S NECKLACE (Devlin Security Force #3)
Take-charge security CEO Thomas Devlin, a former Delta Force officer, and his old flame, Cleo Chandler, an unconventional artist, must race a ruthless crime syndicate to recover a priceless treasure, but it means risking everything—their lives, their hearts.
Praise for Susan Vaughan’s Books
About TASK FORCE EAGLE
“NEVER SURRENDER is filled with action, suspense, romance .... I very much enjoy when an author lets you play along with solving the mystery by feeding you little bits and pieces.” – Fresh Fiction
“NEVER SURRENDER bristles with both suspense and romance.” –Reader Grady H –5 Stars on Amazon
“ONCE BURNED is action packed, with a number of twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing and reading. This...is an excellent action romance series.” – Fresh Fiction
“A good and fast-paced story with a similar cocktail of romance and mystery... and I just love it!” –Amazon reader John P about ONCE BURNED 5 Stars
“TWICE A TARGET gives you heart-pounding excitement from beginning to end.” –Fresh Fiction
“Plenty of mystery and intrigue... The characters are fantastic.” –Crystal Lanham about TWICE A TARGET, on Goodreads
About PRIMAL OBSESSION
“Susan Vaughan writes an intensely romantic thriller.... The depth of the characters in the story is probably the part that makes this such a great read. They’re all exceptionally well crafted.” - The Romance Studio - 5 Hearts
“PRIMAL OBSESSION is a first-class thriller with the author successfully throwing suspicion on all characters.” WRDF Review
On Deadly Ground (Devlin Security Force Book 1) Page 29
