Amamus, amatis, amant.
It seemed she was in a similar state, because Olive suddenly surged to her feet and turned around, giving him her back. Her shoulders were heaving, as if she was breathing deeply, but her tone was overly cheerful when she asked loudly, “So now you have your goldensphaera.”
“Aye, and I’m quite pleased, but as ye said, they come in pairs.”
He nearly groaned out loud when he remembered the possibility for crude jokes, and her breath hitched once before she exhaled.
Slowly, she turned, a rueful twitch of her lips telling him she didn’t begrudge him the jest. “Well, since they come in pairs, the other should have been here at this dig site as well.”
He shrugged, glad they were speaking professionally instead of focusing onballs, and his unruly cock, and by Zeus, that thing she did with her lower lip.
“If it had been here, I assume the archaeologists would’ve found it.” He’d reminded himself of that many times this summer, as well as the likelihood of medieval thieves. “I’ve had the chance to study the dig site?—”
“You mean, more than just the various outings Lady Dumpkins has arranged?” She took a hesitant step toward him.
He hesitated. “Aye. She gave me permission to begin a small dig, but I’ve done little more than survey the spot. I havenae found anything to indicate the early excavations missed the othersphaera.”
She was chewing on her lip again, and he realized she did it when she was uncomfortable or deep in thought. In fact, she’d crossed her arms in front of her chest—which did all sorts of exciting things to the bodice of her gown, although Phin tried his gentlemanly best not to notice—and began to pace.
“Perhaps the dig was not as exhaustive as they thought. Do you have any maps of the site?”
When she passed near him, Phin stepped in front of her, and she stopped so suddenly, blue silk swung against his legs.
“Why do ye want maps?”
She frowned at him in confusion. “To see the extent of the dig, and the extent of the site. Something might have been missed.”
Therewas a feeling Phin had experienced more than once in his career. It was a sort of quickening of his heartbeat, a shortness of breath. Something akin to excitement twisted in his belly, and he’dknownhe was on the right path. It was the moment the scent of the chase really began to fill his senses, where every part of him was attuned to what was to come.
It was the sign of the first hint, theknowinghe was on a path which would lead him to holding a new, priceless artifact…or perhaps place him in terrible danger to life and limb, sometimes both, but it was an intoxicating feeling, almost as good as the final moment when he held the artifact in his hands andknewhe’d won. There was a reason he kept tempting fate and risking death: for a taste of that heady feeling.
He felt it now.
“Ye want to help me?”
She blinked. “Well, of course. You have already said you think I know a bit about Roman architecture, and it should be simple enough to search through the reports, if not the dig itself, to see if I can find a clue to the missingsphaera?—”
He likely shouldn’t have done it, but in that moment, Phin doubted he could have stopped himself. His hands were on her shoulders, then her arms, then her back…he was drawing her to him…
Her lower lip tasted as perfect as he’d imagined.
By Zeus, she was smart and feisty, and arousing as hell, and he didn’t think he ever wanted to let her go.
When his lips first claimed hers, she’d stiffened. It was the fact she hadn’t relaxed which finally pierced Phin’s bubble of arousal and beat him over the head with reality.
With a gasp, he jerked his lips away from hers.
“I’m sorry!” He was a monster. “I’m sorry, Olive. I shouldnae have—” He shook his head, despite his arms still being around her. “I should’ve asked yer permission.”
Her eyes were wide behind her spectacles, giving her a sort of owlish impression as she blinked slowly up at him. Her shoulders and chest were heaving as she breathed—Eyes up top, laddie—but her expression was curiously blank.
“Olive?” he prompted again. “By Zeus, lass, I’m sorry. I shouldnae have thrust myself on ye?—”
When she slowly reached up and placed her hands on his shoulders, he trailed off.
“Phineas?” she murmured.
His voice was hoarse with regret and control when he choked, “Aye, lass?”
