I dropped my shorts on the ground and stepped out of them. Andrew’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his eyes did a slow sweep of my body.
“I’ll wait in the water.” He quickly submerged himself into the lake until he was waist deep.
William brought a fist to his mouth and bit on it, rolling his eyes.
“Oh, get over yourself.” I went past William, an impish smile plastered on my face.
“William,” Andrew called out, “don’t wander away. If we don’t come back in an hour, come look for us.”
“Make sure you come back here in an hour,” William said, plopping on the ground near the rifle. “Are there any piranhas in there? Or water snakes?”
Turtles?I wanted to say, knowing it would get a rise out of William.
“We’ll find out soon.” Andrew flashed a cocky smile.
Leaving William on the shore, I carefully stepped onto the slippery stones at the edge, cool water engulfing my feet and bringing a refreshing feeling of relief after a hike in the jungle. I crept farther. Goosebumps rushed in quick waves over my skin, and for the first time this week, it wasn’t Andrew who made my nipples hard.
I made the next step and the lakebed abruptly dropped, plunging me chest deep.
“Oh my god,” I squealed from the shock.
“What?!” William yelped. “Is there something in the water?”
“No. It’s just cold.” I started laughing, remembering William’s graduation party with his friends at someone’s lake house. We had gotten a bit rowdy, and the guys, including my brother, had decided to skinny dip. I kept my bikini on and stayed on the dock, chatting with other girls. About five minutes later William screamed in pain. A turtle had bitten him. The good news was that most people in that group were in the medical field. They acted fast and saved his big toe.
“It’s not funny,” William shouted now. “It could have been another part of my body!”
“What is he talking about?” Andrew asked as I paddled to him.
“That’s his story to tell.”
We swam out as close as possible to the waterfall and then stopped. While treading water and fighting the strong current that kept pulling my legs under, I craned my neck and stared at the tall, gushing wall of water. The idea of swimming through it was much easier to imagine than to do, especially when I was near it.
“I can touch the bottom with my feet,” Andrew yelled to me over the cascading water roar. “Give me your hand.” He reached out and linked his fingers with mine. When he pulled me to him, my body bumped against his, and my heartbeat jumped into my throat.
I met his gaze, and I probably looked as shell-shocked as I felt. Andrew’s face was so close to mine that the different hues in his eyes became clearer. Water droplets clung to his long, dark eyelashes, and he blinked them away. My brain short-circuited, over-processing what was going on below the surface. I pressed against Andrew’s torso. My right hand wrapped around his neck, and his arm encircled my waist. My legs were halfway slung around his hips, and I was sure my left ankle was brushing against his John Thomas.
Should I do it again? Just to confirm?
“Take a few deep breaths,” he said and took a deep breath himself, his chest expanding.
I followed suit but also pinched my nose with my free hand. Andrew tightened his grip on my body and stepped under the ice-cold force. The water pushed down on me, snatching my bra straps off my shoulders, and a blaring crash in my ears blocked off the outside world.
ChapterEighteen
The pounding water turned into drizzle, and the waterfall’s bellow echoed around us. I wiped the water off my eyes and took in the large cavern. At the end of the corridor, light filtered through the green hanging vines, illuminating water droplets that rained like an overhead shower into a sizeable pool below. Moss and small ferns blanketed the wall behind it.
The place was enchanting, but disappointment settled like a heavy lead in my stomach. I could only imagine how Andrew felt. There was no sign of the Asiento de Padua cargo. Andrew loosened his grip, and I let go of him. My feet found the bottom, and we walked to the waterhole’s edge.
Andrew got out first, and I did my best not to stare toomuchat his wet boxer brief hugging his fine ass. Was it difficult?You betcha. He reached out with his hand and, with one yank, helped me out of the water. The cool air rushed around me and awoke goosebumps all over me. I wrapped my arms and stole a glance at Andrew. He was quick to drag his gaze from my body up to the ceiling as if he were studying it, but I was quicker.
Andrew cleared his throat. “All right. It might appear empty, but that’s not always the case.” He moved deeper into the cave and clicked the flashlight on. “Keep an eye on anything that looks out of place.”
We went in different directions. Water dripped in random places from the ceiling, making the stone wet and slippery. I didn’t have a flashlight, so I stayed mostly in the lit area, closer to the water and then to the back with the opening above. I concentrated on cracks in the rock wall looking for hidden passages and messages.
In silence, we searched high and low around the cave, passing each other many times. While I stole a few glances at him, I didn’t notice him doing the same. Instead, Andrew was in archeologist mode, eyebrows pulled together, his focus dedicated to finding the next clue. He stopped near nature’s overhead shower and shone the flashlight at the ceiling.
“Adriana,” he said, “come here.”
