by Lily Cahill
Alex's grin was audible. "Kam, do have a crush on this guy?"
"No!" Kam said, too strongly.
"It's okay," Alex laughed. "I've got a crush on him myself. Did you see those pictures last year when he was on some yacht in the Maldives?"
"No."
"Let's just say, some paparazzo caught him getting an all-over tan. And I do mean all over."
Kam's cheeks burned. She wanted desperately to tell Alex that she had seen Cal's all over up close and personal. But Alex would be furious that she had jeopardized their project by sleeping with a backer. "I don't have a crush on him. Sure, he's handsome." And rich. And smart. And funny. And sexy as hell. "But I find him more annoying than attractive."
"Well, if you don't want him, maybe I'll make my move when I get back. I've lost ten pounds on the West Nile diet, so I've got that going for me."
An unfamiliar sensation curled in Kam's belly. Jealousy? It was just a one-night stand, she reminded herself. She had no claim to him, no right to want to beat off any other woman who touched him.
She would have to get used to it. He would move on to someone else soon, and she'd probably get to see their romance in the tabloids. But she didn't think she could handle seeing it up close and personal.
Through gritted teeth, she said, "He's not your type."
"Kam, Caleb Ingram is every woman's type. Try not to murder him before I get back, okay?"
"I'll try," Kam mumbled.
"What are you going to have him work on?"
"I don't know. He said to treat him like any other grad student."
"Yeah, definitely don't do that. Why not have him work on that LiDAR software? He's a tech guy, maybe he can figure it out."
The LiDAR system allowed them to use drone helicopters and laser imaging technology that could help them identify where the rest of the village was located. But neither of them could make sense of the program.
"Maybe I will," Kam said. "That would keep him out of my hair."
"All right. Well, I'm going to go, because apparently it's time for yet another blood test."
"Rest up, feel better. I need you back here to keep me from murdering a millionaire."
"Isn't he a billionaire?"
"After the first few million, does it even make a difference?"
When she hung up the phone, Kam missed Alex more than ever. They were partners, and it was difficult managing the dig without her. But they were also best friends, and Kam was having a hard time managing her life without Alex around.
She tapped her fingers on her laptop. She had resisted googling Caleb, because it seemed like admitting how badly she wanted to spend time with him.
She had never felt this way about a man before. Since she left Seattle, she'd thought of him over and over. And it wasn't just the sex ... though that had never been far from her mind. No, she also thought about laughing with him at dinner, walking arm-in-arm with him in the rain.
She had expected to spend a little time with a handsome man, satisfy her sexual needs, then walk away with the memory of a pleasant evening. Instead, she had ended up with this need that seemed to be getting stronger with every day that went by.
Dammit. She flipped open her laptop and had started googling "Caleb Ingram Maldives Naked" when a gruff voice shouted her name through the house.
She slammed the laptop shut. "What is it, Marley?"
"You're gonna want to come see this, Hutch. There's a big ass RV coming down the road."
"What?" Caleb wasn't supposed to arrive until tomorrow.
"Yup. Looks like our benefactor is on his way."
#
Kam emerged from the house, grimacing at the rain. The house sat on an acre of land, and was only accessible by a gravel road. She had thought it was charming when they rented the place, before weeks of rain had left the road pitted and muddy.
She tugged on the ancient poncho that she had left hanging on the porch. She deliberately hadn't changed out of her battered khakis and ancient flannel shirt. She wasn't going to dress up for Caleb Ingram.
It would be better if they established right off the bat that sex was off the table. She was an intellectual, she reminded herself. She should be perfectly capable of restraining her physical urges in the pursuit of science.
She came up behind Marley, her right-hand man, who was leaning on a porch rail. He was at least sixty, but he had the athletic build of a man half his age. "That must be the man," said Marley, chomping at his ever-present piece of wintergreen gum.
"Sure looks like it," Kam sighed in reply. "What is that thing, a mansion on wheels?"
"Sure is fancy," Marley said. Kam knew him well enough to hear the hint of approbation in his voice. Marley had worked for her parents for most of Kam's childhood, and when she made the decision to strike out on her own Marley had come along. Sometimes she wondered if Marley worked for her, or ifshe worked for Marley.
One thing she did know: Marley didn't approve of anything "newfangled" or "fancypants." He was a digger in the old style, leery of new technologies and changing ways. So naturally, he disapproved of the brand new RV, which was so shiny it glimmered against the gray day.
She tried to suppress a frisson of excitement. Sure, her libido was exultant at the idea of having Caleb Ingram nearby, but her head and heart were more cautious. After all, she was committed to this project, and someone like Caleb would quickly tire of the daily drudgery of the dig. There was no sense in continuing a physical relationship when he would surely move on soon.
"Where's he planning on parking that thing?" Marley asked.
"That's a good question," Kam said, looking around the yard. "I figured he would stay in a hotel or something. But it looks like he means to be up close and personal."
Marley stood up straighter as the RV skidded on the gravel road. "Who's driving that thing?"
"Caleb Ingram, by the looks of it," she said, seeing a flash of his bronze hair.
"Shit, doesn't he see the mud?" Marley said, waving at the driver to stop.
But the RV didn't stop. Apparently he had mistaken her wave for welcome rather than caution. She started to walk toward him, waving both arms now, but it was too late.
One chunk of the gravel road had been completely washed out with mud. Kam and her team knew that, and they were careful to drive around the edge of the spot. But Caleb didn't know that, and he drove right into it.
She saw the exact moment when he started to lose control of the big RV. His cheerful expression turned quizzical as he felt the tires slide.
Instead of stopping, he cranked the wheel and hit the gas, hoping to catch a little traction. Between the weight of the vehicle and the power of the engine he was only digging himself deeper. To make matters worse, the back wheels were now in the mud too.
The weight of the RV loosened the mud, and the big beast started to slide into the yard. She caught a glimpse of Caleb's determined face as he spun the wheel hopelessly.
Then, the RV started to tilt. Kam ran toward it, heedless of the rain, not knowing what she intended to do to stop it. But it was too late. The right side of the RV teetered ever higher. Finally, with a crash and a squelch, the vehicle slammed down on its side, still bogged in the mud.
Fighting the suction of mud on her feet, Kam struggled around to the front of the RV. Her heart was pounding with panic.
The windshield, which had been glittering only moments ago, was now splattered with mud. Doggedly, Kam fought her way over and smeared at the window. "Caleb? Caleb, are you all right?"
When she finally caught sight of him--strapped in by the seatbelt with a sheepish look on his face--she wasn't sure if she was relieved or enraged.
Chapter Seven
Caleb
"I'm sorry," Caleb said, for what felt like the thousandth time.
"We lost a whole day," Kam said as she paced up and down. It had taken that long to get a truck to tow the RV out of the muck and back to town for repairs.
"It was an accident," he said,
though he doubted it would make any difference.
"One that never would have happened if you'd been paying attention to the road," she groused.
"I wasn't expected the La Brea Tar Pits to be in the middle of your road," he couldn't resist pointing out.
He sat on the hard couch in the basement of the huge, ramshackle house. He knew that Kam shared the house with Marley and Alex; he had pored over their financial statements, along with all the other information he had about the dig.
Kam stood over him with her hands on her hips, and he was uncomfortably reminded of how his old nanny used to lecture him. Of course, his nanny didn't have Kam's emerald eyes, bronzed skin, and long silky hair.
It took all of his willpower not to touch her. She had made it very clear in the meeting that she didn't intend to continue their relationship. He was going to respect that ... up until the moment when she changed her mind.
"I assumed you could manage to avoid an obvious hazard," she said, in her most didactic tone. "Have you even driven an RV before today?"
"Yes," he said defensively. Although, to be fair, the ones he had driven hadn't been quite so big.
It had been a long time since someone had yelled at him, and Caleb found he hadn't missed it. But he only had to look at her to know he deserved it. She had worked alongside him and the man she called Marley all day, and she was still covered with mud.
Which somehow did nothing to detract from how much he wanted her.
"You need to understand," she said, her voice peeved. "In Seattle, you wave your manicured fingers and everyone jumps to obey. But here, you need to think before you act."
Cal examined his hands, which, until today, had in fact been well maintained. Now there was dirt under his fingernails and bloody scrapes on his knuckles from digging out the RV. His beautiful, brand new RV, which was now in the body shop with a broken axle.
He had looked forward to sleeping on the plush, king-sized mattress in the RV, preferably with Kam at his side. Tonight, however, he had barely managed to wrangle a spot on the couch in the basement. Marley had taken pity on him, though Caleb was certain the old man was far from pleased with his presence.
"I didn't realize how hard it would be to get control of that thing once it started to slide."
"Why did you get an RV that size if you don't know how to drive it?"
Her tone pricked at his masculine pride. "I was fine on the highway."
She snorted and started unbraiding her hair. It was caked with mud, which took away from the sensuality of watching her loosen the long black strands.
"Is there any way I can repay you for today?" he said, trying to keep his mind off his desire.
Her mouth quirked down. "You are paying for it," she said grimly. "I suppose my time belongs to you."
"No, it doesn't," he said. "Your work is important, and I took away from that. I really am sorry."
She looked up, surprised. Her green eyes searched him for a long moment before she shook her head and sat down in a nearby armchair. "Maybe this isn't going to work."
He gripped the cushions of the couch. "Look, I know I fucked up. This wasn't the impression I wanted to make. But tomorrow, we can start again."
She waved her hand. "That's not the point. You're used to being the boss, but you're out of your depth here."
"I'm an excellent swimmer. Just give me some time."
"Why are you even bothering?" she asked, exasperated.
He could have given her his reasons. But if he told her he was keeping an eye on her research to pass information back to a secret society of bear shifters, she would think he was insane.
And his other reason--that she was his mate, and they were fated to be together--probably wouldn't sound any more sane. In fact, with the way she was looking at him right now, she was probably regretting ever meeting him in the first place.
But he was more certain than ever that they were meant to be together. During the few days it had taken for him to get organized and drive out to Pasco, he had yearned for her with every second. As soon as he had seen her on the porch, in baggy khakis and tent-like poncho, his heart had leaped with delight.
That was why he had lost control of the RV, to be honest. He'd been so pleased to see her he'd stopped paying attention to the road. He'd bought the big, flashy thing thinking it might impress her, but he could see now that it was a mistake. He should have known that substance meant more to her than flash.
Why did he find that so intimidating?
She was waiting for an answer.
"I'm interested in this project," he finally said. "Your research is fascinating, and I want to learn more about archeology."
"Do you often take a personal interest in your company's philanthropic projects?"
"Sometimes." Rarely. "I have a lot of interests. I like to learn as much as I can in a hands-on environment."
Her eyes flicked to his. He wondered if she was thinking about the last time she had worked with him hands-on. He couldn't get the memories out of his mind. And from the way she had writhed when she came, it was hard to believe she wasn't interested in a repeat performance.
"Where's your partner? Dr. Winter?"
"Still in South Dakota. Gods, Alex is going to love hearing about this," she said with a sigh.
He really tried to feel guilty about stealing her from another man, but he couldn't quite manage it. He wanted to touch her, but he thought she wouldn't allow it just now. Instead, he decided to engage her intellect.
"I've been doing some Internet research," he said. "I found a lot of stuff on tribes in the area, but not much about the actual process of managing a dig."
"Did you try reading any books?"
He shuddered jokingly. "Hardcopy, ew."
She didn't even crack a smile.
He sighed. "Do you have anything I can borrow?"
Rolling her eyes, she went over to her bookshelves. If they were organized, Caleb couldn't see it, but Kam easily put her hands on the titles she was looking for. She brought them back to him, sat beside him on the couch, and explained what to look for in each book.
As he had expected, talking about her work had calmed her. She even relaxed enough to scoot a little closer as she showed him something in a book. Underneath the mud, her hair smelled like rain and citrus, and it took all his concentration to pay attention to what she was saying.
"Okay, I'll take a look at these. But there have to be some good websites. That's more my area," he said with an apologetic smile.
"I suppose that makes sense," she said, picking up her laptop. She had brought it down earlier to search for a towing company, but Cal had found one using his smart phone. Her laptop wasn't one of InTech's computers, and Caleb make a mental note to rectify that as soon as possible.
"I'll show you a couple of websites I use," she said, then gasped. She angled the laptop away from him, but not before he noticed what was written in her searchbar: Caleb Ingram Maldives Naked.
He mad an involuntary sound that was half laugh, half choke. On the one hand, he hated that those photos were out there. Some enterprising photographer had used a helicopter and a telephoto lens to take his picture when he thought he was completely alone. It was a huge violation of privacy, and Caleb had won the lawsuit to prove it.
But he knew better than anyone that once something hit the Internet, it never truly disappeared. He could have spent a lot of time and energy trying to erase every copy of the photo, but he decided it wasn't worth it. He could at least say that the photographer had an eye for composition, even if he was a vile human being. The pictures were flattering, and Caleb could say objectively that he looked good.
He hadn't expected that his buttoned-up professor would be interested in seeing them, though. It sent a rush of heat through him that she had at least been curious enough to look up the photos. It meant she was thinking about him ... wanting him.
She was busily typing. "What's your email address?" she asked, her voice a little higher than normal.
"I'll send you some links."
He gave it to her, then reached out to brush some mud off her arm. "You should get cleaned up."
She froze at his touch, almost as if she had forgotten how close they were sitting. She hadn't mentioned the night they had spent together, but now he had proof that she hadn't forgotten. Even if there was another man in the picture, she felt the same incurable yearning that he did.
He leaned in slightly, watching her jewel-like eyes go wide. "I could use a shower too," he whispered. "I could join you and show you just how dirty cleaning up can be."
She jerked back, jumping to her feet and moving around the end of the couch. "That's off the table."
Her firm words were undermined by her breathy voice. "Why?"
She shook her head. "We discussed this. It would be inappropriate to pursue a physical relationship at this time."
He grinned slowly and got to his feet. She was like a magnet; he had to get closer. "I thought we agreed that being bad feels good."
She shuddered slightly. "Mr. Ingram."
"Call me Caleb."
"We have a professional partnership."
He pushed back a wave of frustration and reminded himself to be patient. After all, she didn't know they were mated. "I'd like to get to know you on a personal level as well."
"It's not ... I'm not interested in continuing a casual sexual relationship."
He lifted an eyebrow. "There's nothing casual about the connection between us. I made you come until you were all but blind."
A pretty flush rushed into her cheeks. "That was simply a response to physical stimuli. It was very enjoyable, of course, but I think it should end there."
Her shell of professionalism was cracking, so he repeated himself. "Why?"
She exhaled sharply and straightened her shoulders. "I don't regret what happened between us. But I won't risk my professional reputation so I can be a playboy's plaything."
That stung. But if he was honest with himself, he had never taken a woman seriously before her. He was in the uncomfortable position of wanting more from someone than she wanted from him, and he didn't like it.
He gestured at the laptop. "Don't believe everything you read on the Internet."
