This scene takes place during the first week of the archaeological field school in Cyprus. After spending the day surveying in the sweltering heat, Olivia develops a brutal sunburn. When she wakes up at midnight, unable to sleep, she discovers Rick is also awake. Feeling vulnerable, she tells him she’s ashamed her first day went so badly.
Rick gave Olivia’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “This was just the first day. It’ll get better.” When she flinched in pain, he drew back his hand. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“My sunburn is killing me. Do you have any aloe?”
“Sure. Hang on a minute.” He leapt up from the bench.
She scanned the field again, looking for signs of movement. She didn’t want anyone to catch the two of them together. Even if she hadn’t done anything wrong, meeting up with Rick in the middle of the night hardly looked innocent. But the camp remained quiet. Everyone was probably dead asleep, wiped out from the first day of survey.
When Rick returned, he sat beside her and handed her a large bottle of aloe vera gel. She squirted the aloe onto her palm and kneaded the gel onto her shoulders but strained to reach her back.
Rick took the bottle from her. “I’ll do it.”
With gentle fingers, he massaged the aloe into her overheated skin. The cooling gel sent shivers down her spine, making her recall a long-dormant memory. He’d administered the same treatment when they’d been together at field school seven years ago.
As if he knew what she was thinking, he chuckled. “I seem to remember doing this at Clear Lake. You got so fried during that first week of excavation.”
“It’s completely unfair. You’d think my Mexican heritage would come in handy. My father never burns. Neither does my sister. And my mom’s half-Italian, so she tans beautifully.”
“So do you—it just takes you a little longer.” He continued rubbing the aloe on her back and shoulders, his movements slow and gentle. “After a few weeks in the field, you had an incredible tan. I should know since I’m the one who saw those tan lines.”
Like the first time he’d seen her naked, when they’d gone skinny-dipping together. He’d stared at her in awe and told her she looked beautiful. No one had ever made her feel that way before.
Stop it. No more delving into the past.
But she couldn’t help it. Now that they’d grown closer, it wasn’t merely the memories that were returning but the powerful feelings as well. She wanted him to keep touching her. To brush his lips against her bare shoulders until she quivered with delight.
What would happen if she turned and faced him? A rush of desire enveloped her as she imagined claiming his lips and reigniting the sparks between them.
She needed to pull away before she melted into a puddle of longing.
But she couldn’t find the will to move.
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