Read Online Kathlyn Trent, Marcus Burton 01 - Valley of the Shadow by Kathryn Le Veque - Free Book Online

before letting go of one of her hands and pushing a stray lock of hair from her eyes. It was a fatherly gesture, as if there was no true emotion involved, but the heat from his cobalt blue eyes was intense.
    "I'm sorry if you're embarrassed to be here, but you fell asleep last night and this was the nearest tent. You seemed so exhausted and I didn't want you to be disturbed. No one in their right mind would disturb the sanctity of my tent, so I figured this was the best place."
    Some of the tension left her. Kathlyn studied his features, his long nose and granite-square jaw. Along with those mesmerizing dark blue eyes, his face was better suited to a male model or movie star. There wasn’t one thing about it that wasn’t perfect, masculine and symmetrical. They’d been fighting so much that she’d never let herself notice just how flawless the man was. Maybe because she knew just how much it would unsettle her. Gently but firmly, she pulled her hands from his grasp and slithered off his thighs, sitting beside him on the old dusty rug.
    "I'm not embarrassed," she scratched her mussed hair. "Just a little disoriented, I guess. I'm not really awake yet. What the hell happened?"
    "You don't remember me bringing you here? You were pretty wiped out."
    "I don't remember a blessed thing. We didn't...?"
    "No, nothing like that."
    "Thank God. No offense, but thank God."
    He fought off a grin at her relief, though he probably should have been insulted by it. Reaching under his bottom, he pulled out her other shoe. "Looking for that?"
    She took it from him with a lop-sided smile. "Yes, thank you."
    He watched her slip it on a foot with red painted toenails. "So are you going to leave or are you over hating me yet?"
    Her smile faded and she ran her hands through her hair, trying to gain control of the beast. "I'm not sure yet."
    "What do I have to do to get you to stay?"
    She thought a moment. "I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm comfortable staying on any more."
    He crossed his big legs and leaned back against the bed. "Look, I understand that we've got a rough history so far. It's my fault and I've admitted and apologized for it. I'm not sure what more I can do."
    She was quiet, trying not to look at him, trying not to think of his powerful arms around her as they had been last night. She'd stay only for that opportunity again, but she'd never let him know it. "If I do stay, then you and I have got to come to an understanding."
    "Whatever you say."
    He was too acquiescent and she eyed him warily. "No more Mr. Nasty."
    "Fine."
    "You let me and my crew go where we must in order to help you."
    He hesitated. "For safety's sake, I really have to know where you guys are going. There are a lot of crazies out here."
    She nodded. "I can appreciate that and I will comply to the very best of my abilities. But if we get the urge to go running into the valley, I don't want you all over my case like we're a bunch of idiots. We're seasoned professionals, and we've handled a lot worse than the Egyptian locals."
    "I'm not talking about the locals. There are terrorists around here in case you didn't know that. They'll shoot a blond American quicker than you can bat an eye. Or instead of shooting you, they might make you wish they had killed you if you get my drift."
    "I get it. But we've dealt with that kind before and I've never had any real problems."
    "It only takes one time for you to have a very serious problem."
    She let out a heavy sigh, twitching her foot in contemplation. "So… do you want to be my bodyguard? You can't protect me from everything on your dig, Burton, as much as I know it would be your neck if anything happened to me."
    He gazed at her. Then he yawned again.  "You're a pain in the ass, you know that?"
    She scowled. "So are you. That's not the way to convince me to stay if that's what you're trying to accomplish."
    He rubbed the stubble on his chin and cheeks as if rethinking his strategy. After a moment, he burst out laughing.