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  "Oh, Lena, let me take your mind off all this for a moment. You're leaving tomorrow. Let me touch you and hold you tonight, love. Please.” His mouth worked against the skin of her neck, causing tiny goose bumps to break out across her skin. Craning slightly, she gave him more flesh for his wicked mouth to taste. She craved the touch of a man. Every morning when she woke up hot and bothered from her dreams, she had wanted someone to take the ache away, because she knew her dream lover was just some conjured, pent-up form of her desire. Not some true-to-life man who would suddenly appear and take her away.

  Samuel's hands moved around her waist, slowly, carefully, pulling up her shirt. Tentatively, he touched her bare waist causing it to spasm. She and he had gone far in their relationship, but they had never had full-blown intercourse. Things always seemed to happen right before the major heat of the moment.

  Now, though, could she honestly say that maybe she wasn't a little thrilled that they hadn't gone all the way? Did she really want to now? She felt all the things she thought she should feel, but something was missing. Elena didn't feel the same burning desire she felt with her dream guy. Turning her thoughts away from the one she couldn't have, she focused on Samuel's lips, pouring her desire into her kiss. Trying to feel for him what she so desperately felt for her fantasy man.

  His hands worked under her shirt until they came up and cupped her aroused breasts. She tried to let his gentle moves sweep her away, but nothing could take the pain or the memories away. With his fingers, he tweaked her nipples as they hardened to tiny points of desire, her body and her mind obviously at war with each other.

  Yes, she did want this. She wanted to look away from this horrible day and revel in this gift that he was trying to give.

  "Hang on, love.” Moving, Samuel placed her blankets and pillows on the floor. That would allow them plenty of room to move around. “There now, come down here.” Samuel looked up with eager eyes.

  Seeing him waiting on the floor, she lowered her body and accepted him against her cold flesh. He quickly removed her shirt and bra, allowing her breasts to hang freely for his lustful gaze. His hands reached out, cupping them. The flesh of his palms felt heated as she leaned into him for a kiss.

  Their lips met, and the passion exploded in the tiny space. Elena removed his shirt revealing his dark, tanned flesh. His muscles bunched and flexed as he moved to touch more of her, all of her.

  "There you go, Lena. I want you to touch me. Hold me, stroke me with your delicate hands.” He kissed her neck, nipped it and licked it.

  Touching the plains of his stomach, she reached the edge of his shorts. A little nervous, she began to work his belt free, then the button. The sound of the metal zipper opening sounded loud to her ears. His erection sprang from the top of his briefs. He was hard for her. So hard. Moisture seeped from the tip, showing how aroused he had become. Her breathing increased as her eyes took in the sight of him.

  "Yes, Lena. Yes."

  His words encouraged her. She wanted to feel him. Closing her eyes, she wrapped her hand around his erection, and he groaned, his body arching into her hands, pleading for her not to let go. He wrapped his hand around hers, and together they stroked his length.

  When she closed her eyes, she didn't see Samuel in the throws of desire, but another face, a dark face, with eyes that glowed with an eerie yellow hue. He looked angry with her. His arms crossed over his wide muscular chest. The jaguar hood clung to his head as he stared, his mouth in a straight line before he opened his lips and a mighty roar escaped. She felt the sound vibrate clear down to her toes.

  Scared, she jumped away from Samuel. The passion she had felt for him vanished in an instant.

  "Samuel? I'm so sorry.” She covered her mouth with her hand, not believing what had just happened.

  "What the hell was that all about, baby?” He reached out to her, but she couldn't go to him. No, she couldn't allow him to touch her. Turning away from him, she found her shirt and pulled it over her head.

  "Just leave, Samuel. I'm sorry. I can't do this."

  "My God, Lena. I wanted to ease your mind and, well ... your body, too. Why on earth can you not allow me to do that for you?” Angry, Samuel found his clothes and stood up, leaving the tip of his erection still visible as he pulled his shirt over his head.

  "I don't know, Samuel. Really, I'm sorry. I just can't. Not right now."

  Samuel went to her. He grabbed her arms tightly until she looked up into his eyes. This man was furious. Fire blazed against the color of his irises.

  "When then, Lena? When we get married?"

  Her breath caught. Her mind stopped. The room suddenly became very, very hot.

  "What did you say?"

  He pulled her to him until just an inch separated their faces. He looked into her eyes and repeated what he had said.

  Shaking her head, Elena roughly broke his hold on her.

  "Are you proposing to me? Are you!"

  Samuel looked down at the ground then back up at her. “Yes, I suppose I am. I just thought it was known that we would get married. Your father, Elena, wanted us to get married. He left everything to the two of us. He wanted me to be a part of your life."

  He reached out his hands to her, but she couldn't go to him. How could this man do this to her? Hugging herself, she let his words settle in her mind.

  "Samuel, leave. I can't handle this right now."

  "What do you want me to do, Elena? What!” His frustration apparent in his words and his movements. He whipped his shirt back into his shorts and zipped them up harshly as he kept his eyes locked on hers.

  "You are mine, Elena. I spoke with your father about us getting married, and he was all for it. We are going to be together."

  The wind outside the tent began to pick up in speed until it howled through the stitching in the tent. It triggered something in her mind. Yes, the angry roar of her dream man. The wind blew harder against the canvas tent making the ropes that kept it upright creak with the added strain.

  "Get out, Samuel. And you might want to pack, too, because I'm closing this site down."

  There it was. The tension in the room became a living, breathing being. It wrapped around her, squeezing her lungs. Looking up, she saw that Samuel's eyes had gone black and the veins at his temple pulsed as he gritted his teeth. She backed away from him. Suddenly, she felt frightened.

  "You will not shut this site down, Elena.” Then he recognized her fear, and his features softened ... some. “Elena, love. You know how much this dig means to all of us. Why would you shut it down? There is still a lot to do here."

  Something flickered across his eyes. Elena moved away some more. She needed to get him out of her tent before something happened.

  Outside the wind howled through the tent village. It was angry.

  "Samuel, you and the others can stay a week here, but that is all that I will fund. Now, please leave."

  He opened his mouth then closed it, straightened his shoulders, and walked toward the exit. Turning around, he looked at her. She felt his stare all the way to her bones and was relieved that she hadn't let him get inside her. The man was obviously not stable.

  "A week isn't long enough, Elena.” Then he left, flipping the door wide open.

  Elena, fell onto her cot, pulled the covers up to her chin, and tried to sleep.

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  Chapter Three

  Her body was cool from the sweat that had broken out across her heated skin. Her flesh felt foreign as the waves of pleasure assailed every nerve ending in her body. Throwing her head from side to side, she allowed this man to work his magic along her tense muscles. To make her feel the pleasure no one else had ever come close to before.

  A brush of full lips along her cheek startled her as the scent of leather drifted around them. Elena felt the weight of his muscular body surround her. Her hands moved over his chest, down his side and around to his naked backside where she squeezed the taut flesh in her hands. He thrust his
groin against her thigh as the hardened appendage sought out its treasure.

  "Yes, yes! Please.” Elena pleaded. His lips wrapped around her nipples as he gently pulled them between his teeth, working one then the other with his tongue. The slight pain caused her to buck underneath him. He moaned, causing the vibration to flutter through her bones.

  She tried to look at her lover, but the darkened room hid his features, as it almost always did. The way he began to work his body, made all thoughts of anything else drift from her mind. She ached to have him inside her. To help find her release.

  He chuckled softly against her stomach where he kissed a trail. His tongue tasting, his teeth nipping flesh, his lips making a path down to her apex.

  "You are so responsive, little bird. So ready for what I can give to you. Always know I'm with you. Find me. You must find me, but be careful.” The yellow glow of his eyes burned into her brain.

  * * * *

  Elena startled awake as the sweat poured from her skin, soaking the blankets around her. The bed was once again a tiny cot without much support. Too bad she had gotten used to a real bed the last couple of months while she saw to her father's funeral. Her hair that was pulled back in a ponytail had come loose with her thrashing. She pushed the stray strands back as she sat up and let her feet dangle from the side of the bed.

  Fixing her hair back into a ponytail, Elena let her mind wander.

  The dream had come again now that she was back in South America. After her father died three months ago, the dreams had stopped. All the while she was in the states, her dream man had never made an appearance. It was strange, though, because when she slept, she never dreamed of anything, but just felt his presence.

  Looking around, she noticed through the thin canvas of the tent that it was still dark out. Still a little time left for sleep. Somehow, she doubted her mind would let her rest. She was finally back in the game, doing what she loved to do.

  Yawning, Elena got up and moved over to the makeshift nightstand. It was actually one of the many trunks she had had to haul into the jungle. It held her tools for the excavation that she would need in the morning. Pouring herself a glass of water, she let the lukewarm liquid rush down her dry throat.

  "Who are you? I don't even know your name.” She said into the empty room. Making her way back to the bed, she stretched out and stared at the canvas ceiling. “How can I find you if I don't even know where to look?"

  Her mind played over her dream, and she felt her body respond to the thoughts. A pool of moisture gathered between her thighs. Her limbs tingled with the need to be touched, caressed. One thing was for sure—her phantom man definitely had a tight body.

  "No, no, no. I will not let you rule my waking hours, too. Get out of my head. Out!” Elena felt silly talking to the empty room, but something told her that her dreams had always been more than just dreams, perhaps the precursor to something more. Maybe her father had been right. What if the dreams wanted to lead her somewhere?

  Ever since she stepped foot in South America again, she could feel the vibrations in the air. As a little girl, when her father had brought home a new treasure or trinket from his digs, she would hold the new piece in her tiny hands, waiting for that feeling that always seemed to accompany the lost treasures. It felt like a vibration of energy, traveling through her into her mind and calling out to something inside her. Even before she could fully understand what her father was doing, she knew something was out there waiting for her. As she had gotten older, each year when her father disappeared, she would beg him to take her, and each time he would say, “Maybe next year, Lena. When you're just a little bigger and can hold a shovel.” Then he would laugh his jolly laugh that always seemed to bring a smile to her face, even though disappointment weighed heavily on her mind.

  Each time the door shut behind him, the pull to follow grew. Her dreams plagued her even then. Not with the erotic images that now shadowed her, but with images of stones, rocks, mountains, places she had never visited before. The dreams didn't come every night but, when they did, they struck her with a powerful feeling.

  Over the years, as she grew, the dreams morphed into more. New landscapes—or maybe it was the same landscape, just a different view—would appear. Different forms of people dancing around a fire slowly emerged into her mind's eye. One man, in particular, always stood out among the rest. Elena could tell he was a leader.

  He was the one she became focused on. He was the one who had slowly introduced her mind and body to the wanting and needing that only a man could teach. When her father began taking her on his archeological digs, the feeling of needing to find something grew with each new location. The dreams progressed into more, her lover's touch and look sent her body into an instant ache to be filled.

  Then entered Samuel deSaul. He had been the one she tried to assuage the hunger her dream man had built inside her. Samuel was one of her father's associates and the most handsome man in the camp. She hadn't expected anything to come from their relationship, but he managed to keep her close to his side, never too far away from his sight. Dig after dig, he wiggled his way further into her life until the day her father died and Samuel had announced that he had expected them to marry.

  Shivering, Elena pulled the blanket up higher on her body. Her heart ached for her father, but thank God, she didn't have to deal with Samuel now. She needed this dig more than anything. She had to do this alone, with only a select few of her father's old workers at her side. Elena had even agreed to fund Samuel's dig site for another six months. Just to keep him off her back. That man scared her and, right now, she just wanted to keep him happy. He had been so angry when she left him there.

  Elena pushed the thoughts of him out of her mind. Now, she was here in Machu Picchu. With the dig site not far from her camp and the possibility of finding what she had been looking for all her life. At least, she hoped it would be here.

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  Chapter Four

  "Ms. Flabear?” An older gentlemen tapped on a bar outside her tent to get her attention. Putting her glasses down, she turned and told him to enter. The light from the ending day poured into her tent.

  "Ms. Flabear. The men want to know if they can go into town. Someone will stay behind to make sure you're safe, but they have been complaining about working constantly. You have them digging almost day and night."

  Rubbing the spot between her eyes, she sighed. She knew something was waiting for her. She knew it was out there, but so far the workers had not found a single weapon, or piece of pottery, or anything. She had been taking her growing frustration out on her workers.

  A voice flittered into her mind, urging her to allow the men to leave. Thinking it was just her subconscious, she agreed.

  "Fine, Jose. Tell them all they can have the night out. Everyone. I wouldn't mind a night just for myself anyway."

  The man's eyes lit up like fireworks as a large grin spread across his face. “Oh, yes ma'am. They will so appreciate this. Thank you."

  "Yes, yes. Now go.” She shooed him away and couldn't help the good feeling that spread through her. A smile actually crossed her lips. A little bit of tension left her body. God, it had been so long since something had made her smile. With all the problems and accidents at the sites, her nerves were beyond frayed. It would do the men good to get away from this accursed site for a few hours.

  As the man turned to leave, she caught a glimpse of the setting sun. The laughter of the men carried down to her, making her smile more. Yes, they did deserve a night for themselves. They worked very hard for her, but they mostly did it out of respect for her father. Even with the trouble that had gone on, the workers had stayed. The thought made her heart ache, and the smile disappeared.

  The wind began a lazy howl through the camp. Suddenly, Elena got a chill and found her sweater. The days were always so hot, but then, once the sun went down, the nights got down right chilly.

  Pulling the soft material around her shoulders, s
he pulled the ponytail out and slipped her arms through the holes. Outside the night called to her. It was always so peaceful in the woods. The night creatures creating a nice lullaby for the rest of the animals made her want to curl up and sleep for ages.

  Slipping from the tent, she pulled the sweater tighter around her and began to walk away from the camp. She wanted to survey the site again. Just look around and see how far the workers had gotten during the day. Check to make sure the safety features where holding. Elena placed a little gun at her back just in case a wild animal or something tried to attack her.

  The wind blew through her hair, flipping her ponytail around.

  Eleeennnnaaaa. It seemed to say. The wind whipped around her, caressing the exposed flesh of her calves like a lover's fingers taking in their heat. She shivered and shook her head to shake the growing fear. Moving quicker through the trees, she tried to push away her fear.

  Finally getting to the site, she flipped a switch, suddenly flooding the land with light. It could have been noon with how bright the lamps were. The dust and sand skittered across the work site making Elena pull a cloth around to cover her mouth and nose. It was odd how strong the wind seemed to be tonight. Usually, the wind in this part of the world was almost dead.

  Eleeennnnaaaa.

  Leeeennnnaaa.

  "Okay, this is really freaky.” Turning around in circles, she half expected one of the workers to jump out at her and yell “Boo". “Elena, just get a hold of yourself. It's getting dark. Of course, it's going to feel a little strange. The energy is thick around here.” Laughing lightly, she walked up to where some of the workers had been digging. Their brushes and picks still lying beside the soft, newly turned earth.

  Elena picked up a tool and slowly brushed away some sand. Not finding anything of worth, just more rock, she walked over to another spot and gently dusted away the dirt that had accumulated from the wind. Nope, nothing in here either.