I watched him, holding my breath, waiting for his face to flash with exultant recognition as he steadily rotated my hand. I could practically see the wheels turning inside Andrew’s head, just like when we were under the church. Lines on his face changed, his mouth twitching a bit, and his jaw muscle shifting ever so slightly as he bit the inside of his cheek. He was a handsome man, but when he was concentrating, he was fucking gorgeous.
“You’re staring at me again,” Andrew said, attention on my wrist.
Of course, I was. He was hard not to ogle.
My face turned warm. “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are, like you did when we were in Iglesia San Antonio.”
What the hell? Did this man have eyes in the back of his head?
“I wasn’t. I was waiting for you to share more of your thoughts.”
“And you were staring.” A cocky grin grew on his face, but then it fell, his beautiful eyes widening. “Christ.”
Excitement rippled through me. “Do you see mountains and rivers?”
“Yes. There’s more than just those. This is stunning. And it’s been with us all this time.”
Without releasing me, Andrew bent to check something in this journal, turned the page, and ran his finger down the sheet.
“What else is there?” I asked.
“Come, sit with me.” He picked up his notebook and his phone and sat on the bed.
I dropped next to him, hands on my lap, my hip pressing into his. I didn’t have to sit this close, but I wasn’t about to move.
Flipping a few pages, Andrew paused on one with sketched crests and hallmarks. Then he took his phone and found the photo of the ranch with horses that I’d airdropped him earlier in the bar. He zoomed in, then pivoted his phone to me. “What do you see?”
“Um…” I said and leaned a bit, my arm flattened against his—I might have done that on purpose—and looked at a blurry image of two horses and a rising sun. “The crest on this photo is the same as the one on your page.”
Andrew brought my hand close to his face and slowly turned it. “It’s also here.” He pointed at a small spot carved into the gold with a pencil. “See it?”
Pulling my hand out of his hold, I leveled the bracelet with my eyes and concentrated, turning it slowly. The same crest appeared in the curve near the smaller stone in a river bend. If I’d blinked, I’d have missed it.
An unexpected thrill ignited my heart.
“I see it,” I whispered and faced Andrew.
His hands remained at his sides, but his gaze skimmed over my face before stopping on my parted lips.
“You found a map,” he murmured with a coy smile, his eyes turning up. He held my gaze, unblinking, and a wave of desire coursed inside me, muddling my senses. I ached for him to kiss me. One kiss. To celebrate this discovery. It would be fine. I would be fine. I was in no danger of falling for Andrew. There wouldn’t be enough time. We had a map now, and in a few days, the bracelet would be off. Our paths were going in different directions and would never cross again.
“Map to where?” I could barely form the words. My breathing was shallow, and my heart was in my throat.
The air was hot and thick as his eyes were intent on me. God, why wouldn’t he lean in and kiss me already?
The phone on his lap rang. The display showed that Dr. Garcia was calling.
“I’m sorry,” he rasped. “I need to answer.”
“Of course.”
I hate that phone.
Andrew brought the phone to his ear. “Carlos.” He looked down at the floor. “I got your email but might no longer need the scans. Adriana uncovered a map on the bracelet.” He could have taken full credit for the discovery, yet he didn’t. He paused, listening. “I’m not sure yet. It has Las Loma on it. Yes. Just like we discussed.” He nodded, raking a hand through his hair. “Yes, I can do it. You should have it by the morning.”
He hung up, and the quiet groan that escaped him was genuine frustration. He turned to me with a sad smile, the fire in his eyes gone. And maybe it was for the best.
