“Then the laborers will be dismissed.”
Hadara caught Maddie’s eye and smiled. “Perhaps not,” she said. “Dr. Ben-Meir may have other tasks for such strong men.”
She sent a significant glance across the excavations,seemingly oblivious to Ari’s scowl, though mischief danced in her dark eyes.
Maddie followed Hadara’s nod. Sure enough, Cade Leucetius was already at work, his dark head wrapped against the sun. Her body responded, tensing and softening in various places. She couldn’t quite remember why she’d run from his unexpected proposition last night. So what if she was seeing weird lights? So what if she was scrawny and nothing great to look at? In a few months she’d be dead. If she could only stop thinking about the end, she might be able to enjoy all that strength and beauty. At least for a little time.
Why not?
Because he frightens me so badly.
She wasn’t exactly sure why. She only knew that as strongly as Cade drew her, an instinctive fear tugged her in the opposite direction.
In a few days he’d likely be gone. The thought set her stomach churning. But why should it? He was nothing to her. As for his kiss—In the light of day, the whole episode had taken on the quality of a bizarre dream. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if it had even happened. Maybe she’d been asleep in her bed the whole time.
Her gaze crept back to him. He had his back to her. An angry red scar angled above his left shoulder blade. A recent injury? It looked like a knife wound. She sucked in a breath. She knew nothing about Cade Leucetius. Nothing. Just what kind of man was he?
He inserted a crowbar beneath a stone and applied force. Muscles rippled. He shifted his grip and half turned, revealing the tattooed dagger on his chest. The jeweled hilt looked real enough to grasp.
Hadara laughed softly. “Still watching our friend, I see.” With some difficulty, Maddie tore her eyes away. Ari and Gil had moved on, leaving her alone with Hadara.
“It’s kind of hard not to.”
Her roommate inhaled a long drag of her cigarette andexhaled a stream of smoke on a sigh. “So large! And what muscles he has.”
Maddie stirred her cooling coffee and tried to look nonchalant. “If you like that kind of thing.”
“If I like? If I like? What, I ask you, is not to like?”
The way I feel when he looks at me, as if I’m something he’s about to consume.
Maddie forced a nonchalant laugh. She and Hadara carried their cups—and Ari’s and Gil’s, damn the lazy males—to the wash station. Hadara left to prepare for the day’s excavations, but Maddie lingered by the trailer, her gaze once again drawn, quite against her conscious will, to Cade Leucetius.
He heaved another stone into the wheelbarrow. Her pulse raced. He straightened and looked toward her, as if he’d known all along that she was watching. Which, she realized, he probably had. Their eyes met. Hers, she was sure, showed her chagrin. His were laughing.
Mortified, Maddie spun around. She headed toward the parking lot where the volunteer bus, just arriving, churned up a cloud of fine white dust. It was Day One for this week’s crop of American volunteers. The group, mostly teenagers, hailed from a synagogue on Long Island. Their parents had paid a steep program fee for the privilege of having their offspring work Dr. Ben-Meir’s dig. Housed for two weeks at a hotel in the nearby village of Mitzpe Ramon, the kids would dig during the day and swim in the hotel pool each evening. Trips to local tourist sites had also been arranged.
This group consisted of a dozen teens and two adult chaperones: a young rabbi and his wife. Fourteen helpers-to-be divided among Maddie and the three grad students. Dr. Ben-Meir himself never claimed a volunteer group. He preferred to visit each team briefly, schmoozing the adults while laying the groundwork for future contributions of time and money.
Introductions were made. The morning was given over tobasic
Hadara caught Maddie’s eye and smiled. “Perhaps not,” she said. “Dr. Ben-Meir may have other tasks for such strong men.”
She sent a significant glance across the excavations,seemingly oblivious to Ari’s scowl, though mischief danced in her dark eyes.
Maddie followed Hadara’s nod. Sure enough, Cade Leucetius was already at work, his dark head wrapped against the sun. Her body responded, tensing and softening in various places. She couldn’t quite remember why she’d run from his unexpected proposition last night. So what if she was seeing weird lights? So what if she was scrawny and nothing great to look at? In a few months she’d be dead. If she could only stop thinking about the end, she might be able to enjoy all that strength and beauty. At least for a little time.
Why not?
Because he frightens me so badly.
She wasn’t exactly sure why. She only knew that as strongly as Cade drew her, an instinctive fear tugged her in the opposite direction.
In a few days he’d likely be gone. The thought set her stomach churning. But why should it? He was nothing to her. As for his kiss—In the light of day, the whole episode had taken on the quality of a bizarre dream. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if it had even happened. Maybe she’d been asleep in her bed the whole time.
Her gaze crept back to him. He had his back to her. An angry red scar angled above his left shoulder blade. A recent injury? It looked like a knife wound. She sucked in a breath. She knew nothing about Cade Leucetius. Nothing. Just what kind of man was he?
He inserted a crowbar beneath a stone and applied force. Muscles rippled. He shifted his grip and half turned, revealing the tattooed dagger on his chest. The jeweled hilt looked real enough to grasp.
Hadara laughed softly. “Still watching our friend, I see.” With some difficulty, Maddie tore her eyes away. Ari and Gil had moved on, leaving her alone with Hadara.
“It’s kind of hard not to.”
Her roommate inhaled a long drag of her cigarette andexhaled a stream of smoke on a sigh. “So large! And what muscles he has.”
Maddie stirred her cooling coffee and tried to look nonchalant. “If you like that kind of thing.”
“If I like? If I like? What, I ask you, is not to like?”
The way I feel when he looks at me, as if I’m something he’s about to consume.
Maddie forced a nonchalant laugh. She and Hadara carried their cups—and Ari’s and Gil’s, damn the lazy males—to the wash station. Hadara left to prepare for the day’s excavations, but Maddie lingered by the trailer, her gaze once again drawn, quite against her conscious will, to Cade Leucetius.
He heaved another stone into the wheelbarrow. Her pulse raced. He straightened and looked toward her, as if he’d known all along that she was watching. Which, she realized, he probably had. Their eyes met. Hers, she was sure, showed her chagrin. His were laughing.
Mortified, Maddie spun around. She headed toward the parking lot where the volunteer bus, just arriving, churned up a cloud of fine white dust. It was Day One for this week’s crop of American volunteers. The group, mostly teenagers, hailed from a synagogue on Long Island. Their parents had paid a steep program fee for the privilege of having their offspring work Dr. Ben-Meir’s dig. Housed for two weeks at a hotel in the nearby village of Mitzpe Ramon, the kids would dig during the day and swim in the hotel pool each evening. Trips to local tourist sites had also been arranged.
This group consisted of a dozen teens and two adult chaperones: a young rabbi and his wife. Fourteen helpers-to-be divided among Maddie and the three grad students. Dr. Ben-Meir himself never claimed a volunteer group. He preferred to visit each team briefly, schmoozing the adults while laying the groundwork for future contributions of time and money.
Introductions were made. The morning was given over tobasic
Similar Books
