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An Excerpt From: WILD JADE
Copyright © KATHY KULIG, 2008
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing,
Inc.
Lauren was still hovering over that piece of pottery.
Her eyes looked dazed and miles away. He crouched down beside her. He
almost groaned out loud when he noticed her nipples erect beneath her
cotton tee-shirt. “Something wrong?” Deven asked.
Lauren didn’t answer right away. “No, I was wondering
about this piece.” There was a dreamy tone to her voice. “I was trying to
imagine the person who made this. What was his life like? Who taught him to
make pottery? What did he use it for—cooking, storing, eating… Did he have a happy life? A sad one? Did he have a
family?”
She stared at him, looking for answers. He wondered if
he also saw desire glinting in her eyes—desire for knowledge or desire for
him? He felt a tug in his chest.
“Those are good questions, but not all can be answered.”
Damn his voice was quivering. He cleared his throat. “You have a very perceptive
and nostalgic viewpoint.”
“Not very scientific.”
“No, there’s nothing wrong with looking for the everyday
details of an ancient culture within artifacts. It’s the little details
that help put the pieces together to understand history. You have the heart
and soul of an archaeologist.”
Lauren gently placed the pottery shard in the labeled
plastic bag and stared at him. “And what are you looking for?”
Deven was lost in her
honey-brown eyes. Her gaze traveled from his eyes to his mouth, then quickly glanced away. Was she regretting the
evening by the lake or aching for an encore as much as he was? He sucked
air into his mouth and tried to slow the pulse throbbing in his pants.
“What do you mean?”
“What are you hoping to discover with this project?” Her
tone was stiff and professional. He silently cursed himself for wishing
she’d at least acknowledge the heat between them. He’d never behaved
unprofessionally around a student before. This was so unlike him.
God, he wanted her. He took a deep breath, trying to
keep his voice steady. “I want what every archaeologist wants. To find out
what happened to the great Maya civilization. Around 900AD ninety thousand
or more people just disappeared. I want to know why.”
Lauren smiled. “A much bigger goal than finding out what
food they ate out of this bowl.” She held up the labeled bag with her
pottery artifact.“
I know. I sometimes get obsessed with this project.”
“I’ve noticed.”
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