by Ann Cory
She cried out softly when their lips were torn apart. The low sound was swallowed by the crowd as their bodies were separated by the jostling of the people surrounding them. Her eyes flew open
Her heart was more vulnerable than she’d ever believed.
Maybe coming to see Duncan wasn’t the smartest decision she’d ever made.
Desire hot enough to reach through the ages and melt the sands of time.
Uncovering Egypt
© 2008 Ann Cory
Jasmine Devi is eager to start digging up artifacts on a field expedition to Giza. But finding a hidden chamber and an ancient bracelet could change this Egyptologist’s life forever.
King Okpara is called through time to stop what he believes is someone stealing his former queen’s sacred jewel. When he finds the bracelet firmly attached to the wrist of a woman of impeccable beauty, his plans change. Believing Jasmine is destined to be his new queen, Okpara needs to use all of his skill to convince her to step back in time with him.
In the face of Okpara’s campaign to gain her trust and cater to her innermost desires, how can Jasmine refuse?
Warning: Explicit sex, hot Egyptian men and a unique body chamber.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Uncovering Egypt:
The two men lurched forward and gripped her arms, steering her toward the steps.
Stunned, she struggled against their hold. “Hey, what’s the big idea? Seriously guys, let me go.”
“Silence,” they commanded. “We have orders from the king.”
The costumed men were taking the joke much too far for her comfort level. “Did you just tell me to be silent? Oh, I don’t think so. I’m not one to listen to men giving orders.”
“You have no choice,” spout the shorter of the two.
Jasmine never responded well to that string of words, but she was at their mercy. They practically dragged her up the steps and down the long narrow hallway. She considered screaming, but decided it wasn’t worth the embarrassment of having everyone’s attention. And she worried no one would invite her on another dig again.
At the end of the hallway, they turned a corner and stopped. One of the men let go of her arm and approached the wall with a limestone archway. She tried her best to get loose from the other man’s grip when a section of the wall opened up. Much as she wanted to seem uninterested, her insatiable curiosity won over.
“Wow. You guys are really going off the grid. It might not be safe to enter there.”
“Silence!”
“Fuck you,” she retorted.
Sure, it was an immature comeback, but it made her feel better to have the last word. Against her will, she went with them inside the hidden passageway. At least now she could better see where they were going. Bright torches lined the walls as the men dragged her down a long causeway into an enormous room, where two more half-naked men in cloths stood, holding spears. The four to one ratio mildly concerned her, but she played it cool, at least they were to-die-for gorgeous. Once Mason had his fun playing king for a nanosecond, she planned to give them all a rant-filled lecture they’d never forget.
Her anger subsided momentarily and she drew in a long breath. Rows of artifacts glistened in a brilliant golden hue, and along the far wall lay a red granite sarcophagus. As her gaze swept along the large room, she couldn’t help but notice a bizarre contraption sitting smack-dab in the middle, and wondered what the hell it was. She’d never seen anything like it before. It looked like a cage molded into the shape of a headless body, with an open space where a chest would be, and another open space between the legs. If she weren’t in a pyramid, she would have thought she was looking at some sort of medieval robot.
The burly men forced her to the center of the room before releasing their vise-like hold.
Jasmine gently rubbed her arms. “Would one of you mind telling me what is going on? I’ve been more than patient and I demand an explanation.”
The only answer she got was one of silence. Irritated she tapped her foot. All four men had her surrounded.
The one with a sexy scar along his brow raised his hand and pointed toward the weird contraption. “You will remove your clothing and step inside the body chamber.”
Body chamber? She’d never read about one of those in any history book. “Like hell,” she countered and tried to move past them. They weren’t having it and gripped her arms again. “You guys have a lot of nerve.”
“They are orders from the king. You must obey.”
Jasmine had had enough. She glanced around and wondered if Mason was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle from wherever he hid watching. “Please inform the king that I demand to see his ass here right now.”
The scarred man scowled. “King Okpara will not meet with you until you are successfully detained inside the body chamber.”
Her pulse thundered at the highly formal name he spouted off. “I’m sorry, did you say King Okpara?”
The men grunted in answer. She racked her brain, wondering where she’d read the name before. Ah, yes, the hieroglyphics. On her way into the pyramid she’d read about a king named Okpara who reigned in 2130 BC. She gave Mason credit for his creativity.
“Now, remove your garments or we will remove them for you,” another guard insisted.
If they wanted her to feel insecure or intimidated, she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. In fact, she’d give them a little strip show. Under normal circumstances she wouldn’t bare herself to a bunch of strangers, but she’d learned to temper her modesty after spending so much time in the male-dominant expedition groups.
Jasmine removed her button-down shirt, jeans, bra and panties, displaying her naked body proudly with her chin held high. As she looked into the faces of the breathtaking men, their gazes remained fixed straight ahead. Suddenly she felt invisible and unattractive. Not like she was expecting applause or money thrown at her, but still, deafening silence? Talk about a let down to her self-esteem.
Scarface pulled open the backend of the body chamber and reluctantly she climbed in. It was awkward at first. She had to position her legs over the inner molding, which left her thighs apart and her crotch completely accessible over the open space. To make matters worse, she had to push her breasts through another open space as if they were on display. And if she couldn’t be any more uncomfortable, her arms rested along the unique molding, completely stretched up and out. Summed up, she looked like she was in the middle of doing jumping jacks and frozen in motion.
When Scarface closed the back end, the chamber conformed even tighter to her body, making it nearly impossible to move. The large open squares allowed others to touch her, but not the other way around. Still, the men didn’t bother to look. She bit her lip. This had to be her most vulnerable state ever.
Fueled by a low sense of self, she decided some answers were in order. “Fine, now that you have me in here, what do you plan to do?”
The shorter man of the four glowered at her. “Your punishment will be decided by the king, and only the king.”
She swallowed hard. Had she missed the memo? “Punishment? For what?”
“You’ve been charged with the theft of the queen’s most precious jewel. King Okpara will see you now.”
Jasmine felt the wind knocked out of her. So, they had seen her with it after all. Damn. Damn. Damn. “Look, I didn’t put it on, I swear. You won’t believe me, but it closed around my wrist all on its own, and I can’t for the life of me find the clasp to take it off.”
Like some scene out of the movies, a gorgeous hunk of a man entered the room, and he was not Mason. Everything from his clothing to his proud expression screamed nobility. Had she not been bound inside the chamber, she’d have instinctively bowed before him.
He approached with a slow, sexy gait. “Greetings. I am King Okpara.”
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