Forbidden

Nick drained his own juice and aimed the empty can at the wastebasket across from him. He tried to respect Daniel’s pride and independence, sensing an affinity with the kid. Hell, Nick understood the need for privacy better than anyone. But at the same time, he sensed an underlying need in Daniel…. Still, the kid just wouldn’t let anyone get too close. He wouldn’t let Nick get too close, that was for sure.

Daniel pitched his juice can at the wastebasket, his aim as accurate as Nick’s. Then he stood and went to stare out the door of the hut, hands jammed into the pockets of his shorts.

“There she is–la rubia,“ Daniel said in a scoffing tone. “She smiles too much.”

Nick considered this; he hadn’t caught Dana Morgan smiling too much in his own direction.

“She works too hard–and she’s too pretty,” Daniel went on, in this peculiar catalog of Dana’s faults.

“I hadn’t noticed about the pretty part,” Nick said gruffly.

“Sure.” Daniel glanced at Nick with disfavor. “You look at her all the time, Señor Petrie.”

The kid was observant, along with everything else. “So she’s pretty,” Nick acknowledged. “But I have a feeling she won’t be around this island for long. She’ll get tired of ornery people like me–and like you, Daniel. Whenever she tries to talk to you, I’ve noticed you don’t even give her a chance.”

Daniel shrugged. “I don’t have time.” That was his usual convenient excuse for withdrawing from other people, and he used it now. “Have to go, Señor Petrie.”

“Wait–aren’t you forgetting something?” Nick asked. “It’s payday.”

Daniel stood reluctantly as Nick fished in his pocket, extracting more pesos than he could well afford. But he always gave Daniel a generous rate of exchange. It was the only way he knew to get around the kid’s stubborn pride.

Even so, Daniel eyed the money distrustfully, and it was only grudgingly that he finally stuffed it into his pocket.

“Adiós,” he mumbled.

“Daniel, be careful out there. We still haven’t caught Jarrett’s attacker–”

But already the kid was gone, as elusive as ever. An unwelcome thought occurred to Nick. Maybe Daniel had been the one to take the machete; it was something he’d be able to sell. At the same time it was a relatively small item, easily concealed. And no matter what Daniel said, he was obviously struggling just to survive….

Nick moved restlessly to the door of the hut. He didn’t like the way he’d become suspicious ever since the attack on Jarrett. He preferred to rely on what his instincts told him. Daniel would do everything he could to make it from one day to the next, but he possessed certain rigid standards for himself. He wouldn’t stoop to stealing that machete. The kid needed a break, more than anything else.

Nick emerged from the hut into the dazzling sunlight. It seemed that whenever the sun had a chance to break through the jungle canopy, it burned all the brighter. He shaded his eyes and glanced around. Pat was in the midst of talking intently to Robert and Tim–Pat was always going on about something or other. Robert listened with an air of detached amusement and Tim listened with a mournful expression on his face. No one could accuse Tim of enthusiasm. Nick still hadn’t figured out why the guy was studying archaeology, or why he chose to spend his summer on a dig; he seemed to have no true affinity for the work. Once again, Nick cursed his meager budget and his meager crew.

Now his gaze strayed to Dana and Jarrett. Dana was working, using one of the sifters, but Jarrett simply watched her as she sorted a soil sample. Jarrett seemed taken with Dana. But who wouldn’t be taken with her? She was la rubia–the golden-haired one, as Daniel had called her. Nick himself seemed capable of nothing more than standing here, watching the way the sun lit up her molten cascade of hair and the way khaki and denim traced the curves of her body so enticingly.

Just then Dana glanced up and saw Nick. She waved cheerfully, pushing up the brim of her hat. Jarrett turned and waved, too. He didn’t seem perturbed to be caught standing around, doing nothing but ogling a pretty woman. Under Dana’s influence, Jarrett appeared to be prolonging his recuperation as much as possible.

Nick didn’t want to watch the two of them together anymore. He turned abruptly and forged his way through the brush. When he came out near the temple, it was like entering a different world. Here the trees cast a dense shade, as if seeking to reclaim the shrine and cover it once more with vines and moss. Nick paced off the base of the shrine, reaffirming the calculations he’d made a few days earlier. Lately he’d developed a notion about the temple that wouldn’t let go of him. Wishful thinking, maybe that’s all it was. No doubt he was looking for a way to jump start his career again. But, still, the notion had taken hold of him and wouldn’t let go….

In his reports to the Institute, he continued to assert that his main goal was ascertaining the viability and extent of Mayan farming on the island. He hadn’t yet mentioned anything about his theory in regard to the temple. This was his idea alone for now, whatever its worth might be.

He heard a rustle in the bamboo stalks nearby, and swiveled around to see Dana striding toward him. Nick frowned at her.

“What the hell are you doing, traipsing around by yourself? I told you to be careful.”

“I am being careful,” she said imperturbably.

“Jarrett shouldn’t have allowed you to wander off alone.”

“Jarrett is very chivalrous, but I declined his company. I decided that it’s time for me to…well, it’s time I climbed the temple steps.”

She had a determined look that he was already coming to recognize. “Remember what the superstition says,” he cautioned. “Anyone who ventures here is subject to misfortune.”

Dana only looked all the more determined. She faced the temple and slowly climbed the first few steps. She appeared almost reverent as she reached the first ledge, but then she seemed to gain confidence. She climbed to the next ledge and then the next, until she’d reached all the way to the top. For a moment she gazed inside the altar room. Then she turned and sat down.

“There,” she called to Nick. “It’s too late now. I did it…and I don’t see any lightning in the sky. I don’t hear any thunder.”

He climbed up and sat beside her. “Didn’t I tell you the rest of the story? It takes a while for the misfortune to strike. Your chances of escaping it are a whole lot better if you leave the island.”

“You can stop hoping, Nick. I won’t leave.” She took off her canvas hat and rested it on her knee. Perspiration had curled strands of hair next to her face. Nick studied her profile, lingering on the decisive outline of her features. Dana had mentioned that she’d grown up on a farm in Missouri, and she did look like someone who’d spent years riding horses, milking cows and such. She was wholesome and seductive all at once. Lord, what a combination.

“I saw Daniel hurrying away, as usual,” she said, treating Nick to her clear, straightforward gaze. “He seems to trust only you–he never stops to talk to anyone else.”

Nick’s own gaze dropped to Dana’s mouth. Her lips were tinged a natural shade of rose. He rubbed the back of his neck distractedly. “The kid’s already advised me in so many words that you’re trouble, Dana. Big trouble.” He heard the thickness in his voice and felt that clench of need in his gut.

Dana stared at him, a rose color tinting her face as well as her lips now. “I’m doing my job, Dr. Petrie. Nothing else should matter to you.”

She was right about that much, but it was already too late. The need, the wanting in him took over…and without another word, he drew Dana into his arms.

CHAPTER FOUR

N ICK WAS OUT OF practice with this sort of thing, and it didn’t go well. Dana was stiff and unyielding in his arms, as if he’d caught her by surprise and she didn’t know what to do about it. Hell, he’d caught himself by surprise. But he went on holding her a second longer, moving his cheek against hers, feeling the softness of her skin. She smelled faintly of soap–clean, fresh soap. It made Nick imagine her bathing under the hot island sun. It made him imagine too much….

The way he figured it, they both pulled away from each other at the same time. Dana frowned at him, her cheeks flushed.

“Darn it, Nick–what do you think you’re doing?”

“You tell me,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Look…just forget it happened.”

She stood quickly, and her silly canvas hat went tumbling down. Nick bent to retrieve it.

“Thank you,” she said acidly and she jammed the hat back on her head. It was the kind of hat straight out of a safari movie. Nick could imagine Dana marching into a store and requesting a full complement of adventure gear, right down to the patch-pocket shorts and mosquito netting. For a moment, that almost made him smile. He had to get a grip on himself.

“You shouldn’t have come looking for me,” he said.

Her flush deepened. “If you think I wanted this to happen–dammit, I didn’t want anything from you. I didn’t intend for anything to happen!”

“Neither did I.”

She took a deep breath. “It was a mistake.”

He didn’t say any more. He just went on standing there with her in front of the altar room of the temple. Against his will, his gaze lingered on Dana’s face…on the creamy rose of her skin, the deep brown of her eyes, the sensual curve of her mouth….

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said, almost in a whisper. She turned and hurriedly began making her way down the temple steps. She didn’t seem to be watching where she was going. Nick came along beside her and halfway down he reached out to steady her.

She pulled away from him. “Don’t.”

“You’re overreacting just a little, don’t you think?” he said gruffly.