Fireworks: Riley Read online

  Walker looked at the two Jeeps that were almost upon them and sighed, taking the knife.

  “Go ahead and lay tarps over everything we’re working on just to be safe. And then why don’t you, Jay, and Roxanne head into one of the tents.”

  Walker’s eyes rolled up to a fuming Roxanne and then back to Riley. “I’d rather deal with the bandits if it’s all the same to you.”

  “Bandits?” Roxanne screeched, finally noticing that everyone was focused on the incoming vehicles.

  Sam came over to stand beside them just in time to hear her declaration, and he winced at the decibel of her voice. “Damn, woman. If they didn’t know you were here before they sure as hell do now.”

  Sam had never been one for holding back his thoughts, and to say he wasn’t always politically correct—even when there was a lady present—was an understatement.

  “I told you to go pack your things,” Riley said, shrugging. “If you’d listened you could’ve stayed hidden. Too late now though.”

  “I want a weapon,” she said. “I can shoot. Dealing with bandits wasn’t part of the deal. I’m not standing around here while you morons get us all killed.”

  Sam rolled his eyes. “I hate to break it to you, little girl, but not every place is as safe and cozy as daddy’s mansion on the hill. I guess you’re about to find out how parts of the rest of the world work.”

  “I’ll pay you if you keep me safe.” Her eyes grew larger the closer the vehicles came. “I have lots of money. Anything you want.”

  The lead Jeep had gotten close enough that Riley was able to recognize Dr. Bekhit in the passenger seat. He was the director of the museum in Cairo, and someone Riley had worked with on several occasions. He was the key reason Riley had been selected for the dig in the first place.

  “I’m good, thanks,” Sam said, shrugging. “I’ve got plenty of money. And you’re kind of a headache. I’m sure you’ll make some man very miserable soon. You should’ve listened to the Doc when he told you to go to the tent. That bleached hair of yours is like a beacon. You’ll probably be kidnapped. They’ll either ask for ransom—you are a Senator’s daughter after all—or they’ll sell you to the highest bidder. And you’re wearing those skimpy clothes. You probably could’ve bought more time if you’d worn the long pants and shirt we advised you to wear.”

  Roxanne’s mouth opened, but nothing more than a squeak came out, and her face paled of all color.

  “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  All three men moved at rapid speed, pushing her away from the work areas and into an open area of sand. Stomach acid wasn’t the best thing for artifacts that were thousands of years old.

  The Jeeps came to a halt and Dr. Bekhit jumped out of the passenger seat and onto the sand, waving enthusiastically to Riley. He was tiny, a few inches over five feet and delicately boned—built more like a bird than a man. He was somewhere in his late fifties, but his dark hair was still thick, though liberally sprinkled with gray.

  “Dr. Bekhit,” Riley said, returning the wave and moving in to shake the other man’s hand. “What brings you out so late in the day?” Cairo had placed a curfew on the city and outer areas to keep people inside after dark because of the escalating crime in the city.

  “I bring many deliveries, my friend,” he said, taking Riley’s hand and then slapping him once on the shoulder. “Water and provisions for the next week.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. We’re low on everything. I was hoping you hadn’t forgotten us out here.”

  “Never, my friend. You know how it is,” Bekhit said, waving his hand in front of him. “So much red tape. Even for something so simple as water. There are still many who’d rather see the water poisoned than let you and your team put your hands on our artifacts.”

  “A comforting thought,” Riley said, looking at the barrels of water that were being unloaded by men who carried machine guns slung across their shoulders.

  Bekhit laughed, big and booming for a man so small. “Fear not, MacKenzie. I tested it myself. And I explained again that you are the best and you always keep your word. They do not understand a man with your ethics.”

  “Let us help you unload. You’ll barely make it back before curfew. Unless you plan to stay the night here at camp. I’m happy to go over what we’ve found so far. Nothing of great value, I’m afraid. But some nice pieces for your museum.”

  “I do plan to stay the night,” he said, nodding. “And I thank you for your hospitality. You see, just before I left the museum I found something of value I thought you might like to see.”

  Bekhit slapped his hand on the hard shell of the Jeep and the back flap opened. It wasn’t often Riley was caught off guard, and he had to blink twice to make sure he wasn’t seeing a mirage.

  But there stood Maggie, as fresh and bright as the desert sun, a smile on her face. She wore linen pants the color of sand and a loose white shirt. Her blonde hair was loosely braided and hung over her shoulder and sunglasses sat perched atop her head. She still had the ability to take his breath away.

  “Dr. MacKenzie,” she said, arching a brow.

  “Dr. Lawrence,” he replied, his heart thudding in his chest.

  “Can you use another pair of hands?” The wicked glint in her eyes made his cock harden at the thought of just how talented her hands were.

  Riley walked toward her, ignoring the silly grin on Bekhit’s face as he passed by. He stopped directly in front of her, so their clothes whispered against each other in the breeze.

  “If I weren’t so surprised to see you right now, I’d bend you over my knee and spank your pretty ass for taking the chance on coming here. This is the danger zone, Maggie.”

  He saw her shiver at the word and the corner of her mouth tilted up in a sultry smile.

  “All good things in life come with a little danger, Dr. MacKenzie.” She leaned forward so her breasts pressed against his chest and he could feel her breath against his lips. “Threatening to spank isn’t the way to get me to follow directions.” She nipped at his bottom lip and he sucked in a breath, struggling to maintain control in front of their audience. “You know how much I like it.”

  It was everything he could do not to push her into the back of the Jeep and relieve the pounding need racing through his body. “Maybe I need a reminder.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Maggie leaned against the Jeep casually while Riley finalized the plans for them to travel back to the city for the night. She’d been afraid Riley would see through her bravado when he’d stood so close. It had been a long time since she’d been this nervous. And it was stupid, really. Why should she be nervous to fly halfway around the world just to seduce her husband?

  At some point over the last year her need for having a baby had overtaken the need for physical and emotional intimacy with her husband. She’d turned into a woman obsessed. And though Riley hadn’t complained, she could see the change in the way he approached their lovemaking. Gone were the days where they spent hours exploring each other or experimenting with new pleasures.

  Making love with Riley was always amazing—she couldn’t ask for a more considerate lover. But they’d been going through the motions, getting the job done on a schedule instead of living spontaneously and with the edge of adventure that never failed to make her want everything he could give.

  Her time of selfishness was over. Once she’d sent the text the week before about them not being pregnant again she’d immediately felt overcome with guilt. It wasn’t fair to send him something like that when he was working on something so important. It was then she’d started making plans to meet with him in Cairo.

  She’d been on digs with him before. Their marriage had been full of trips all over the world, from one site to another. It wasn’t as if she weren’t qualified to stand at his side as an equal in the field—though their specialties were different. She’d decided it was time to bring the spice and adventure back into their marriage, and she couldn’t think of a more perfect time.
She didn’t care that she wasn’t ovulating. She just wanted her husband. And by the look in his eyes when he’d seen her, he wanted her right back.

  It was decided with little fuss that Dr. Bekhit and all but one of the men he’d brought with him would stay behind and guard the site, relieving Riley’s team for the night so they could get a hot meal, a shower, and sleep in a comfortable bed for the night. The other guard would travel back with them to the city for protection.

  “Dr. MacKenzie,” Walker said as they started to load into the Jeep. Maggie had known Walker for the last couple of years, and had liked his dedication to the profession and his loyalty to her husband.

  “Let’s go, Walker,” Riley said, tossing his backpack into the back cargo area. “We’re going to be cutting it close to curfew.”

  “If it’s all the same, I think I’ll stay here with Dr. Bekhit. I can use the lights and get a few more hours of work in. Jay said he’s found some pretty interesting stuff in the hieroglyphs, but he doesn’t know the meaning of all the symbols. I’d like to take a look.”

  “You’re going to pass up a hot meal and a shower, Walker?” Riley asked, slapping the younger man on the shoulder. “I used to be the same way. Good for you. Priorities change the older you get.”

  “Yes, sir. I can see that.” He glanced at Maggie and she winked back at him, turning her head to hide her smile when he blushed bright red.

  “I’m not passing up the chance,” Sam said, coming up behind them and tossing in his backpack. “I know how rare these occasions are, and by this time next week I’m going to be stuck in a jungle that makes this place look like a palace. I don’t even care that I’m going to have to sit by the annoying blonde.”

  Maggie arched a brow at Sam, always delighted to see the rogue, and laughed when he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

  “I’m not talking about you, my love,” he said, devilishly. “I’d never call you annoying.”

  “At least not to my face,” she said wryly.

  “Oh, no. I would,” he nodded. “If you were annoying, I’d tell you so.”

  “Can you shut up so we can go?” Roxanne yelled from the back seat of the Jeep.

  Sam shook his head and moved to get in the car. “It’s a shame really. She’s quite attractive. Even more so if she never opened her mouth.”

  “Lord, how has some woman not tried to murder him?” Maggie asked.

  “One of life’s little mysteries.” Riley touched the small of her back to guide her into the front seat of the Jeep, and even that small amount of contact had her blood running hot and moisture pooling between her thighs.

  The ride into Cairo seemed to take a lifetime, and she could feel the tension between them as they sat thigh to thigh on the bench seat.

  The sun blazed like a ball of fire and made the sand shimmer like diamonds as day turned to night. The temperature rapidly cooled, and the lights flickered on across the city until it was washed in a yellow glow.

  The Jeep pulled in front of the hotel and parked in a no parking zone, and the guard put a sign on the dash that gave him permission to park where he pleased.

  Maggie waited as Riley and the guard got out first and checked the area. An open courtyard with a fountain led to the front of what was otherwise an ordinary building. It was what Americans would call a boutique hotel, only a few stories in height and made of stucco. Black wrought iron railings edged the balconies of the upper floors and the pulse of music from the hotel bar vibrated in her chest. Just because there was a curfew didn’t mean people gave up their pleasures.

  “Dr. Bekhit has secured your rooms and your keys are waiting in the mail slots for you to pick up,” the guard said. “I’m to drive you back to the camp after the sun rises in the morning.” With that, the guard left and slipped in the side entrance of the bar.

  “Come on, Jay,” Sam said, nudging the younger man in the back to get him moving. “I’ll buy the first round. We can always get a hot shower and find a warm bed later.”

  The two men took off, and Roxanne rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath, and then she followed after them. Riley was silent as he led Maggie into the front of the hotel and into the cozy lobby done in bronzes and deep reds. Nerves skittered up her spine and her breath grew shallow. She hadn’t been this nervous on her wedding night. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous now. Riley was her best friend. Her husband. There was no one else she felt more at ease with.

  An envelope with his name written on it waited in one of the mail slots next to the vacant registration counter. A folded sign that said Closed To New Guests sat front and center, and then scrawled below it in black it said the management could be found in the bar if there were problems.

  “This seems like a safe setup,” Maggie said sarcastically, eyeing the old-fashioned key Riley had dumped out into his hand from the envelope. They made their way to the elevator, open and waiting for them.

  “Probably not any less safe than most hotel rooms. There’s no such thing as an impenetrable lock.”

  “That’s very comforting, my love. I’m sure to sleep soundly tonight.”

  His hand touched her lower back as they entered the elevator and she turned toward him as the doors closed behind them. His fingers toyed with the hem of her shirt and then slid under it, so he touched the flesh just above her slacks. Her skin heated and her breath caught as his hand skimmed up her ribs and stopped just below the lace covering her breasts.

  He leaned down and stopped a hairsbreadth from her lips and said, “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about sleeping tonight.”

  And just like that the nervousness that she’d been feeling disappeared and was replaced with the warm glow of anticipation. Then his mouth took hers in a scorching kiss and the warm glow turned into a blazing inferno. His touch was so familiar, yet the hunger and desperation in his kiss was something she hadn’t felt in a while. Her senses exploded as his tongue licked and stroked against her.

  Her fingers grasped his hips for balance and she moaned as he bit at her bottom lip. It still amazed her that something as simple as a kiss could take her right to the edge, where she floated somewhere between a dream and complete oblivion.

  “I missed you,” he growled against her lips.

  Dizziness swept over her as he spun their positions so her back pressed against the elevator wall. His cock felt like steel against her stomach and she hooked a leg around his waist, wanting to feel that hardness against her very core. Her pussy was slicked with desire and she cried out as he grabbed her hair and pulled back her head. His lips trailed wet kisses down her neck and his other hand flicked open the front closure of her bra. Her full breasts spilled into his hands and he groaned as he tested their weight, tweaking her nipples between his fingers.

  “God, Riley,” she moaned. “I’m going to come. Just by having your hands on me.” She’d lost her mind. She didn’t care that they were in a public elevator or that there were cameras mounted in the corners. Her nails scraped down his chest until they reached the button of his pants and she jerked it open and stuck her hand inside, grasping the hard, hot length of him.

  “Jesus, Maggie. We can’t do this here.” She could feel his pulse pounding in the base of his cock and she squeezed him harder.

  “Sure we can,” she purred. “No one will know. Hard and fast. At least the first time.”

  His thumb and forefinger clamped hard on her nipple, the razor sharp edge of pain taking her to the brink of an orgasm.

  “I see you’ve forgotten who gets to be the boss in the bedroom.” He pried her grasp from around his dick and took control of her other wayward hand, confining both wrists with one of his larger hands.

  “Maybe you need to remind me.” Her smile was challenging and he answered with one of his own.

  Riley looked over his shoulder and saw the elevator doors were wide open. He had no idea how long they’d been stopped, but was grateful they didn’t have an audience. He untangled her leg from around his waist and p
ut some space between them. Her hair was mussed and her cheeks flushed, and her gray eyes had darkened to the color of storm clouds. Her lips were red and swollen from his kisses and the top button of her shirt had come undone, her breasts teasing him with a glimpse of plump flesh every time she inhaled. She’d never looked more beautiful.

  His eyes never left hers and he kept hold of her wrists, knowing if he gave her the chance her hot little hand would be wrapped back around his cock, and too much more of that would be his undoing. He’d take her where they stood and say to hell with it all.

  Riley backed her out of the elevator and down the hall toward their room. Their gazes were locked, as if in a trance, and then her back hit the door of their room. He lifted her wrists above her head and pressed them against the door and then he took her mouth in another kiss. He’d missed her taste. The way she whimpered when he nipped at her lips.

  He dug the key out of his pocket and made himself take a step back before unlocking the door and pushing his way inside the room.

  “I need a shower.” He tossed the key on the entry table and dropped his backpack to the floor, and kept walking her backward until they reached the bathroom. Neither of them stopped to take in their surroundings. They only had eyes for each other.

  “I’d be happy to help you with that.” Her voice was soft and rasped against his skin like velvet. “I could use one myself. But you’ll have to let go of my hands if I’m going to help you—” She paused and her gaze raked down his body, stopping at the very obvious bulge behind his zipper “—get clean.”

  He let go of her wrists and took another step back, just to be safe. He couldn’t trust himself. The need pounding through his veins felt like a bomb on the verge of detonation. An animal raged inside of him and pure lust tore through his system.

  “I’m in control here, Maggie.” He arched a brow and smiled, knowing she’d take it as a challenge. “We’re going to do things my way tonight. And if you promise to do exactly as I tell you, maybe you’ll get that spanking you were asking for after all.”