‘Excellent!’ he exclaimed, snapping his laptop closed.
‘Which brings me to my request,’ Sasha proceeded. ‘For our final presentation, Kevin and I would like to do a short film on the project – with your and the others’ permission, of course. The film could be used to promote Project Aztec, raise funds and satisfy our class assignment as well as advertising. All we’d need from you is the necessary forms to use the artefacts and printed materials.’
Prichard didn’t answer right away.
‘The Richmonds wish to use it at a fundraiser,’ Sasha added.
‘Sounds like a splendid idea,’ he announced. ‘I’ll work on the paperwork to get you the necessary permissions.’
‘Then you wouldn’t mind if we started shooting pictures today?’ Sasha asked. ‘There’s much to be done.’
‘Not at all.’ Prichard tucked his computer under his arm and walked towards the door. Pausing on his way out, he said, ‘Good work, Miss Matthews. I had my doubts when you started, but you’ve proven yourself quite the resourceful team player. Don’t worry about picking up lunch today. One of the others will get it. You have enough to do.’
‘Yes, Doctor, thank you.’ Sasha could barely contain her grin of pleasure. As the door closed, she gave a small squeal of delight and clapped her hands. Things were starting to look up.
Sasha kept her eyes on the clock, watching the minutes tick by. She kept her hands busy fiddling with Kat’s digital camera. Her sister had made a detailed list of instructions on how to work the settings for the best shots. Sasha ignored them for the time being, turning it instead to the camera’s automatic settings. Lifting it up, she peered through the viewfinder and saw nothing but black.
‘It helps if you take the cap off,’ Kevin said. The sound of the door closing punctuated his words.
Sasha lowered the camera, bringing Kevin into view. Her breath caught in her throat. The winter cold flushed his cheeks and lips. ‘Hi, Kevin.’
‘Prichard told me you filled him in on the plan,’ he continued, dropping his bag on the floor next to hers. He took a sip out of his take-out coffee cup before slowly unbuttoning his coat. ‘Apparently, he loves your innovative idea.’
‘Yeah, sorry, I should have waited for you. He asked about the donation and it just came up. The good news is he said yes.’ This was not how she wanted to start a conversation with him. ‘I did share credit with you. Would you like me to go reiterate it to him? Because I will. I don’t want to seem—’
‘It’s all right. I don’t need Prichard’s praise.’ He gave a short laugh, tugging on his scarf. ‘I imagine he’ll stop picking on you now and find another target.’
‘You’re really not mad?’ Sasha’s gaze focused on his mouth, watching as it curled up at the sides.
‘Why would I be? You came up with the idea to do it in film form and I don’t think you’re the type of person to hog credit.’ Kevin took another drink of his coffee before setting it down on the table. He shrugged out of his coat, revealing the khaki and cream-colored baseball T-shirt with the long raglan sleeves.
‘No, I mean about Saturday,’ she corrected. ‘The way I left . . .’
‘I’ve given this a lot of thought.’ Kevin reached for the camera, taking it out of her hands. ‘I shouldn’t have pushed into things that weren’t my business. You’re absolutely right. What we have is a great, hot affair.’ He caressed her face, cupping her jaw. The light brush of his fingers danced along her earlobe. ‘I don’t want to lose that. I like what we have, and if, or when, it burns out, we’ll hopefully part as friends because we went into it with our eyes open.’
What? No. Wait. Sasha’s smile froze on her features. This was not what she wanted at all.
‘We both have too much going on in our lives.’ He removed his hand from her face and lifted the camera to his eye, scanning the room with it. ‘What we have going is perfect. Light, simple, no pressure.’
‘I don’t know if I was one hundred per cent right when I . . .’ Sasha tried to turn the conversation around. But how could she profess her love now? After that little speech? If she told him she loved him, told him she wanted more from him, he’d run for the Amazon and never look back. Her only chance to be with him was to play it cool and hope he came to realize he couldn’t live without her.
‘Let’s not dwell on who said what. We don’t owe explanations, do we?’ Kevin lowered the camera, his easy smile shining out at her. ‘I don’t think either one of us wants to feel pressured. Both of our lives are really busy. We don’t need complications.’
‘I guess not,’ she answered. The hope of her morning faded. He handed the camera back to her and she set it on the table, not trusting herself to hold it without dropping it.
‘Good. Now we can pick up where we left off.’ He leaned in, pressing his cool lips to hers. The warmer glide of his tongue slid across the seam of her mouth, parting her lips in a deeper kiss. Kevin moaned lightly. ‘Though I want to ask you something as a friend and I don’t want you to get upset.’
‘What?’
‘Are you taking diet pills?’
‘I did, years ago, but not anymore. I’m sorry about your friend who died, but I don’t want you to worry about me. I might keep to a strict diet, but I’m healthy.’ Sasha focused on her words, praying they were strong. Inside, she trembled with fear and disappointment. She’d been ready to profess how she felt and now she had to swallow the words and keep them hidden. ‘I just needed the boost when I first started working out. They made me shaky and I didn’t like being on them.’
‘Glad to hear it. You’re beautiful the way you are. You don’t need that.’ He kissed her again, tender and slow. ‘This is good – light and unfettered.’
‘Yeah, good.’ Sasha’s heart ached, but she clung to the hope that more would come from them. She would wait if she had to because Kevin was worth waiting for. ‘We could start setting up some of the more interesting pieces for the still shots. Then I thought we could get some of the twins working on the pottery. Since we don’t have exact storyboards started, I figured we’d just take pictures of everything and sort it out later.’
‘Sounds like a plan.’ Kevin grabbed his coat. ‘I’ll just go put this up.’
Kevin took a deep breath as the door closed behind him. He wasn’t sure how, but he managed to play it cool. Sasha’s stunning new hairstyle, the curls springing around her head begging to be tousled, combined with the sophistication of her heeled boots and violet sweater left him aching to hold her. He’d always imagined when he loved someone that it would be easy, simple. All he’d have to do is say the words aloud.
Unfortunately, his relationship with Sasha was complicated. They hadn’t started it off right all those months ago – falling into bed before cementing a friendship. She’d just come out of a long relationship. Though Kevin didn’t like rich boy Trevor, he knew Sasha cared for him. Why else would she date the man for so long?
If he wanted to be more than a rebound affair, he had to be very careful with how he proceeded. Working together at the internship and on their presentation, he would have time to prove himself to her.
Sasha tilted her head, letting her eyes follow the weft threads on the intricately woven cloth. It didn’t take much to convince Dr Prichard that they needed to visit the new Peruvian textile display at the history museum for their film’s introduction segment. Already they’d spent all day Monday and Tuesday taking still shots of each other and the Schwartz twins as they worked.
Leaning towards the plaque, she automatically started to read it, ‘The back-strap loom was the most frequently utilized loom all through the Americas. It’s still in use today. The horizontal threads are called weft and the vertical are called warp. The loom’s strap is fitted around the waist while the other side is hooked onto a support.’ She frowned, straightening. ‘That’s not very informative. I wish it said something about the significance of the geometric shapes and how they managed to change the colors to create the pattern. Do t
hey weave and then dye? Use embroidering techniques? Or do they change the yarn as they work? It doesn’t even say what this yarn is made of.’
‘I thought I was the only one who read all the plaques.’ Kevin stood beside her, his hands threaded behind his back as he studied the back-strap loom on display. He looked dashing in his black and purple button-down shirt. She found her eyes following the woven cotton stripes, over the teasing peaks of his chest to hang loosely over his trim waist. The rounded hem lay un-tucked over light denim. Kat’s camera hung around his neck.
‘My father and I drive the rest of my family crazy because we insist on taking a scholarly approach to museums. We read everything.’ She sighed in remembered exasperation. Megan and Ella would march through museums at a steady, if somewhat fast, pace. Kat roamed, more concerned with the set up of her pictures than learning about the detailed history she photographed. And her mother spent most of her time in the gift shop. Sasha studied Kevin out of the corner of her eye. ‘How else can you get the full museum experience? I don’t understand how some people can go and not take advantage of all the education it has to offer.’
‘You take the pamphlets home to read later, don’t you?’ He shot her an adorable look of amusement. Sasha guiltily nodded. ‘It’s OK. I do, too.’
‘We should write a complaint about these educational plaques,’ Sasha said.
‘Let’s give it a chance. They might answer your yarn questions yet.’ He motioned that she should continue on.
They passed several more plaques, reading simple descriptions of work baskets constructed of reeds, bamboo needle cases, spindles of spun cotton yarn and more examples of woven textiles. Kevin took pictures of several of the displays, moving in for close-ups and back for the wide.
Focusing the camera, he pulled his eye away from the viewfinder and pointed to a plaque. Humming thoughtfully, as if totally enthralled with what they were doing, he said, ‘See, there’s your yarn questions answered.’
‘I guess my stern letter to the complaint box would have been premature.’ She laughed.
‘Maybe we should have taken a tour guide.’ He lifted the camera and took a couple pictures.
‘They move too fast and get annoyed with my constant questioning,’ Sasha admitted, before reading once more, ‘Cotton was used for the upper classes and yucca, palm and maguey fibers were used for the lower. Dyes were made from fruit juice, shellfish and insects.’ She wrinkled her nose and lifted her arms to the side, pretending to model a gown instead of the casual, blue cotton sweatshirt with the sateen embroidered hood. ‘Do you like my squishedant-dyed tunic?’
‘Gorgeous,’ he teased, playing along.
They made it to the end of the display and kept walking. Sasha said, ‘I can’t believe you convinced Prichard to let us come instead of working today. I almost feel bad leaving all the grunt stuff to Jason and Jacob.’
‘Don’t. They’ve gotten all the interesting pieces to work on. It’s about time they got to brush off broken pottery.’ Kevin smiled, lightening the cattiness of his statement.
‘I know, but poor Jacob is getting picked on now. I heard Prichard asking him about Aztec sexuality.’ Sasha shivered. ‘Ick. Thankfully they were a very puritanical culture in many ways. It was bad enough that he said the avocado was a forbidden fruit and all female virgins weren’t allowed out of doors when they were being harvested. I don’t know that I could have taken much more of a sex education lecture from that man. Hearing him say that the translation of the Aztec word for avocado was testicle was scarring enough.’
‘I’m not sure the puritanical view is correct. Montezuma had a harem of well over five hundred women.’ Kevin slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. His voice lowered to an intimate whisper, tickling the back of her ear and neck as he spoke. ‘You know Mesoamericans were among the first to discover the aphrodisiacal properties of the cacao bean? They celebrated the bean’s harvest with great orgies and the king was said to have been very fond of hot chocolate. He used it as an aid to pleasure all his concubines.’
‘Is that true?’ Sasha didn’t move, liking the way he held her. ‘Cite your source.’
‘I much prefer field research. Let’s go get a cup of hot chocolate and find out,’ he suggested. Kevin nipped playfully at her ear.
‘Do we have all the pictures we need?’ She angled her head, allowing him access to her neck.
His lips followed the cord of her throat, planting light, tremble-inducing kisses on her flesh. ‘Yes. Let’s go.’
‘Where?’ Her mouth was dry, as she drew in long opened-mouth breaths. Desire coursed through her blood, heating her in all the right spots. For some reason, with Kevin, she couldn’t rely on logic to guide her. Instinct took over, winning over sanity. She glanced around, wondering where she could get him alone.
Kevin pulled away and his hand fitted against hers. She could still feel the lingering touch of his mouth to her throat. He tugged her gently, urging her to follow. She hoped he had the same urges in mind and followed him willingly. ‘To get hot chocolate, of course. It is for scientific research after all.’
Sasha giggled, as he rushed from the textile display. Each step sent a small jolt of pleasure from her clit through her body. Kevin led her through the nearly empty rooms of the museum. Their feet echoed on the hard marble floor. An old man glanced away from his painting to watch them. Sasha ignored him, too busy concentrating on keeping her body from erupting into full-blown passion.
Kevin glanced back, his eyes narrowed in what seemed to be the same emotion she was feeling. Her heart hammered in anticipation and excitement and her flesh tingled with the need to be touched. She had visions of his naked form beneath hers. He licked his lips, as if he could read her mind.
Seeing a hall off to one side, her breathing deepened. Kevin tugged on her hand and she realized she’d stopped walking. His eyes bored into her and she tilted her head, beckoning him to follow. He obeyed the silent command. The excitement of their location hummed through her. She led him down the hall, eagerly glancing at the doors they passed. The first three were offices, marked with various doctors’ names. She was about to give up, but at the end they found a janitor’s closet.
‘I don’t think they’ll have hot chocolate in there,’ Kevin whispered, his hand moving over her hip as she tested the handle. The door was unlocked and she nearly screamed with relief.
‘We’ll never know if we don’t at least look,’ Sasha said, gripping the front of his shirt and dragging him inside the dim room.
Light shone through an open crack in the painted black window panes. Rows of dreary gray industrial shelves lined the walls, filled with cleaning products, a bulk supply of paper towels and large rolls of toilet paper. The smell of pine and bleach belied the dustiness of the room with its sanitary fragrance. Kevin slipped the camera strap over his head and gently placed it on a shelf.
‘Come here,’ she ordered, jerking him against her. The tight press of his erection molded instantly to her stomach and the janitor’s closet faded away. Nothing else mattered but the feel of his mouth, the grip of his hands, the urgency of their bodies. The entire world disappeared, leaving only Kevin and the way she felt about him.
The taste of his kiss burned into her as they fought for control. His tongue thrust into her mouth, massaging and exploring at the same time. The delicious hint of mint flavored his tongue. Sasha delved her hands into his hair, holding tight. The pine and bleach was replaced with the intoxicatingly erotic scent of his body. Everything about him called forth her pleasure, influencing her with his euphoric potency.
With each brush of their lips, the more turned on she got until she was sure her thighs would explode from the pressure. She tore her mouth away, needing air. Panting, she said, ‘I love the way you kiss me.’
‘I love the way you taste,’ he answered, ‘and feel, and smell, and sound, and look, and . . .’
‘I want you. Now.’ Sasha reached for his waist, urgently trying to free hi
s cock. She needed him inside her as desperately as her lungs needed air. His hands found her breasts, massaging them through the material. The warmth caused her nipples to pucker in response.
Once she’d unzipped his fly, she set to work on her own jeans. Her clit ached, protesting at the confinement of her panties with throbbing beats. Sasha thrust her hand down the front of his pants. Kevin groaned, rocking his hips. He became aggressive, forcing her jeans and panties from her hips.
‘Turn around.’ He spun her away from him and walked her to a narrow strip of wall at the end of an alcove between the shelves. Moisture gathered between her thighs. Kevin moved behind her, his body so close she couldn’t get away even if she wanted to. Sasha pushed on her jeans but, with her shoes on, she couldn’t take them off completely. The turgid flesh of his erection brushed her naked ass.
‘Should we lock the door?’ Sasha asked, her heart thundering.
‘No,’ he answered, the words hoarse. ‘This is perfect. I’m going to fuck you just like this.’
Kevin’s hands fumbled behind her. He pressed her shoulders, urging her to bend at the waist. Parting her from behind, he sought the heat of her sex with the tip of his cock. When he found her entrance, he grabbed her hips and began to ride. His knees hit the backs of her legs as he dug his hips for the perfect angle. ‘Oh, yeah, that’s it.’
Sasha gasped, her eyes opening wide. The thrill of knowing someone could walk in at any time only heightened her desire. Since her ankles were trapped by her jeans, her legs stayed close to force a tight hold on his shaft. She gripped the textured cement wall for support. He tweaked her clit, rubbing the sensitive bud with each thrust forwards.
She tried to move, but her position made it impossible to do much more than circle her hips. Tension built as she neared completion. A low growl sounded behind her. Kevin palmed her breast, squeezing it from outside her shirt. She came hard, her body exploding. He pumped a few more times, before jerking out of her. Warmth hit her thigh as he came.
Degrees of Passion Page 17
