throaty. The sound rang out across the moor and vibrated in her spine. “ I think I ’ ve done most of the work here. Not bad for a rookie, wouldn ’ t you say, Doc? ”
She scanned the pit and saw that he ’ d cleared over half their plot while she ’ d been lost in her thoughts. With a look of chagrin, she said, “ You ’ d have made a decent archaeologist. ”
He leaned an elbow on the handle of his shovel. His dimples resurfaced. “ I can find more interesting ways to get dirty. ”
Was he flirting with her? Why was he flirting with her ?
Did she dare flirt back?
Should she?
Oh, God, how she wanted to.
Dustin ’ s light-brown head was bent over the sieve box. Thomas had taken away another wheelbarrow of peat. Faith swung a pick into the earth a few plots away.
Ian cast an eye at the lowering angle of the sun. “ Ready to get out of here? ”
“ Yeah. ” She wiped sweat from her brow and came away with grimy fingers. “ Ugh. ”
“ We could go for a swim first. ” He leaned closer and his smile vanished. “ I promise not to sneak up on you this time. ”
His nearness almost overwhelmed her. Every molecule of her body seemed to fizz with awareness of him. The very air between them heated. “ I don ’ t— ”
“ For crying out loud, you two. Go swim! ”
Sara jumped and spun around.
Faith laid her pick over one shoulder and wound her way through the markers. She grabbed Sara ’ s elbow and pulled her a few steps away. “ I can feel the sparks shooting off you two way over there, ” she hissed in Sara ’ s ear. “ You are scrambling me . Get out of here so I can hear myself think, for God ’ s sake. ”
Horrified, Sara said, “ I am not sparking. ”
“ In about five minutes, I ’ m going to radio the fire brigade from Unst to come put you out. Go. ” She gave Sara a little shove in Ian ’ s direction, then stomped back to her plot.
“ What was that all about? ” Ian asked, pushing sweaty bangs off his forehead.
“ Nothing. Let ’ s get out of here. ” She walked ahead of him toward the edge of the pit, as fast as she could without making it look like running.
Chapter Six
Ian stared as Sara waded into the inlet without looking back. She shivered as the water inched up her slender legs. His gaze traveled up the back of a sensible red bathing suit that had driven the sense right out of him the instant he saw her in it. There was nothing wrong with looking at her, he told himself. But oh, God, she had curves in all the right places.
Then she ducked under and came up with water sluicing down her back, and he wanted to do a whole lot more than look. Get in there, you idiot.
Dustin had offered him a pair of swimming trunks—quite possibly the ugliest Ian had ever seen. He ’ d refused. His jeans were good enough. He hoped they would also do a better job of keeping his growing interest in her dripping, hourglass figure in check.
Before he could embarrass himself, he stripped off his T-shirt and tossed it on the sand beside his jacket. He strode down the beach and splashed into the water.
Cold water jolted his exertion-heated body, and he huffed in surprise. His arousal fled before an onslaught of chills. Thank God for that.
Watching him shivering with the sudden cold, she laughed. His pulse jumped at the soft sound as though she ’ d touched him.
He ’ d thought that by forcing her to admit to her abilities, he could drive away the blazing desire to kiss her the way he had the night of the storm. Even now, he battled the urge to feel her satiny skin under his hands again.
She was everywhere, damn her. At his camp, she haunted his waking hours. A chill would fly up his back as he worked. He ’ d get the feeling that if he just turned his head, she ’ d be there waiting. Hair whipping in the wind, arms reaching for him...
He ’ d have taken a hundred such days over the nights. At night, his dreams boiled with images of a blood-covered man who ordered Ian to help
She scanned the pit and saw that he ’ d cleared over half their plot while she ’ d been lost in her thoughts. With a look of chagrin, she said, “ You ’ d have made a decent archaeologist. ”
He leaned an elbow on the handle of his shovel. His dimples resurfaced. “ I can find more interesting ways to get dirty. ”
Was he flirting with her? Why was he flirting with her ?
Did she dare flirt back?
Should she?
Oh, God, how she wanted to.
Dustin ’ s light-brown head was bent over the sieve box. Thomas had taken away another wheelbarrow of peat. Faith swung a pick into the earth a few plots away.
Ian cast an eye at the lowering angle of the sun. “ Ready to get out of here? ”
“ Yeah. ” She wiped sweat from her brow and came away with grimy fingers. “ Ugh. ”
“ We could go for a swim first. ” He leaned closer and his smile vanished. “ I promise not to sneak up on you this time. ”
His nearness almost overwhelmed her. Every molecule of her body seemed to fizz with awareness of him. The very air between them heated. “ I don ’ t— ”
“ For crying out loud, you two. Go swim! ”
Sara jumped and spun around.
Faith laid her pick over one shoulder and wound her way through the markers. She grabbed Sara ’ s elbow and pulled her a few steps away. “ I can feel the sparks shooting off you two way over there, ” she hissed in Sara ’ s ear. “ You are scrambling me . Get out of here so I can hear myself think, for God ’ s sake. ”
Horrified, Sara said, “ I am not sparking. ”
“ In about five minutes, I ’ m going to radio the fire brigade from Unst to come put you out. Go. ” She gave Sara a little shove in Ian ’ s direction, then stomped back to her plot.
“ What was that all about? ” Ian asked, pushing sweaty bangs off his forehead.
“ Nothing. Let ’ s get out of here. ” She walked ahead of him toward the edge of the pit, as fast as she could without making it look like running.
Chapter Six
Ian stared as Sara waded into the inlet without looking back. She shivered as the water inched up her slender legs. His gaze traveled up the back of a sensible red bathing suit that had driven the sense right out of him the instant he saw her in it. There was nothing wrong with looking at her, he told himself. But oh, God, she had curves in all the right places.
Then she ducked under and came up with water sluicing down her back, and he wanted to do a whole lot more than look. Get in there, you idiot.
Dustin had offered him a pair of swimming trunks—quite possibly the ugliest Ian had ever seen. He ’ d refused. His jeans were good enough. He hoped they would also do a better job of keeping his growing interest in her dripping, hourglass figure in check.
Before he could embarrass himself, he stripped off his T-shirt and tossed it on the sand beside his jacket. He strode down the beach and splashed into the water.
Cold water jolted his exertion-heated body, and he huffed in surprise. His arousal fled before an onslaught of chills. Thank God for that.
Watching him shivering with the sudden cold, she laughed. His pulse jumped at the soft sound as though she ’ d touched him.
He ’ d thought that by forcing her to admit to her abilities, he could drive away the blazing desire to kiss her the way he had the night of the storm. Even now, he battled the urge to feel her satiny skin under his hands again.
She was everywhere, damn her. At his camp, she haunted his waking hours. A chill would fly up his back as he worked. He ’ d get the feeling that if he just turned his head, she ’ d be there waiting. Hair whipping in the wind, arms reaching for him...
He ’ d have taken a hundred such days over the nights. At night, his dreams boiled with images of a blood-covered man who ordered Ian to help
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