Her Dirty Archeologists by Mika Lane

12

DRAKE BANCROFT

I’d just seen Fleur’s bare ass.

Not what I expected for this trip, but that could be said for the multitude of other things swirling around me.

Everyone else had gone to bed—or so I thought—and I was enjoying my time alone, admiring the full moon shining on the desert landscape. It was times like this that made me love my archeological work.

Actually, I loved digs regardless of the surroundings, whether in the desert or the middle of a busy urban center. There was something exhilarating about bridging past and modern-day societies. I suppose it taught us something about ourselves by taking a look at how humans lived in ancient times and comparing them to how we live now. Why did some societies thrive while others became extinct?

People go into archeology for a variety of reasons. Some just want to travel to exotic parts of the world, while others crave human understanding.

I knew Fleur got into it over something having to do with her father and his death. I’d never heard the full story. Maybe I would on this trip, since we were stuck together for an extended period of time. You tended to get to know your teammates pretty quickly in situations like this.

In fact, sometimes you got to know them better than you really needed to.

It was on a trip like this ten—or was it twelve?—years ago where I met my now-ex-wife.

I’d always been warned not to get involved in any dig-related romances. In fact, someone had even told me that romance put a curse on a dig. I didn’t buy that superstition, at least not completely, but hey, our marriage did eventually fall apart, so maybe there was some truth to it.

She’d been in another camp. I’d seen her from a distance the very first day. And after that, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I introduced myself the next day, and we were never apart after that.

Well, until she started carrying on with her new boy toy.

But I wasn’t bitter. Not entirely, anyway. I did know, however, that I was off women for a good long time. I just didn’t see myself interested in anyone, for any reason, anytime soon.

At least that’s what I told myself until I saw Fleur’s adorable bottom.

I figured someone in the camp was getting up for water or maybe to use the latrine, when I heard a tent zipper open. I held perfectly still in my camp chair, hoping they wouldn’t notice me. The solitude of the night was chilling me the hell out, and I wasn’t about to share that with anyone.

As the footsteps got closer, I figured I was about to be discovered. It wasn’t the end of the world, and it was high time for me to get some sleep, anyway. But whoever it was took a turn towards the latrine, never noticing me.

Out of curiosity, I craned my neck around the side of the kitchen tent, and who did I see zipping by, but Fleur.

Not that that was some sort of surprise. I mean, everyone has to pee in the middle of the night now and then. But what did surprise me was that she was in nothing more than a long T-shirt—one she probably thought covered her ass, but didn’t.

And, she hadn’t come from the direction of her own tent.

She’d come from Penn’s.

Oh boy. This was not good. I didn’t deny any consenting adult their god-given right to nookie, but I wasn’t a big fan of people hooking up on one of my trips.

The old guy who’d told me romance cursed a dig would be pretty irate right about now, if he were here.

Crap. Old superstitions aside, this could bring a level of drama to my work that I just didn’t need. I’d already gotten over the upset of having Jonas invite himself and his brother, thereby edging out the support team I so dearly counted on.

And now I had to keep them calm about threats that marauding looters were on the loose. I wasn’t having much success on that front.

Which, I hated to say, may have been for the best, because it was beginning to look like the threat was not only real, but that it was just a matter of time until a robbery attempt occurred. I needed everyone on the team to be on high alert, and ready to protect any artifacts we found.

And I did feel responsible for protecting Fleur. We all did. I realized that sounded sexist, to be extra-concerned about her, but let’s face it, in a dangerous situation, a woman is much more vulnerable than a dude.

And besides, we liked her.

Penn especially, it seemed.

Fleur was special. She was smart, driven, and so completely opposite of the more cynical students I advised. She loved the study of archeology. And to top it off, she was beautiful, with her long red hair and full lips.

I’d have been lying if I didn’t admit I found her attractive—not in a ‘oh, she’s pretty sort of way”—but more in an ‘I’d like to take her out’ way. But hell, she was my advisee. Talk about a conflict of interest.

Plus, I think she’d been seeing someone until recently, as she told me on the plane after several tequilas had loosened her lips. The jerk had apparently dumped her. I could say without a doubt, he’d regret that someday. You just didn’t meet women like Fleur all the time. I was glad Penn had moved on her.

Or maybe she’d moved on him?

And now that I’d seen her bare ass, I could confidently say that all the sexiness I’d suspected under her clothing, really did exist.

In fact, when she returned to Penn’s tent, I made sure to get an even better look at her ass, her cheeks slightly jiggling as she tried to walk silently in her hiking boots.

Hiking boots and a bare ass. Now, that was a first.

But first things first. I had to address the looter threat.

When Jonas had turned down my budget request for site security, saying there was just no money for it, I’d offered to pay out of my own pocket. After all, I could easily afford it, not that my colleagues knew that. They actually knew nothing about my financial situation, although some whom I’d known a long time might suspect I came from a family of means. My ex-wife knew, of course, but she’d never tell anyone.

My fortune was nobody’s business.

But Jonas had shot the idea down, saying the university would never approve it, and I, not wanting to flash my money around, knew not to insist. I’d only offered out of an abundance of caution. Never did I think the threat was truly imminent. But a couple guys with big guns from the local village taking night shifts would have bought us all some nice peace of mind.

So much for that.

The guys in the next camp over, who’d chased off thieves just the week before, had told me looting was on the rise due, in part, to economic uncertainty in the region. When people were desperate for money to feed their families, they did desperate things.

And excavated artifacts can bring in a pretty penny.

On one hand, I didn’t blame the thieves. I did, however, blame the rich collectors who created the market for stolen goods.

As I returned to my tent, finally sleepy, I heard the sounds coming from Penn’s.

Bastard.

I wouldn’t mind being in his shoes right then. Or should I say, between his sheets?

Maybe I should have brought a dude for my assistant, although my PhD advisee, Rob, drove me up a fucking wall.

But I’d brought Fleur, if for no other reason than she needed this trip to satisfy the requirements of her degree. And now that I could hear her little moans and sighs, I was even happier I’d brought her.

She was giving me plenty to imagine when I stroked my cock at night.

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