Page 110 of The Lost Guardian

Sure, they had spent every waking moment together since that meeting. Yes, he had come to know so many facets of her personality, had savored those precious and fleeting moments of vulnerability beneath her tough exterior. Maybe they had seen each other at their worst, bickering and filthy and mean, and managed to laugh right through it.

And yes, he now knew that, as strong and dangerous and cool as she was, she was also incredibly smart and passionate and kind.

True, he had liked Ali even before he saw the way her eyes lit up when she taught him about the stars.

But love?

No. It was just the situation they found themselves in. The adrenaline of the last few days, their forced proximity, the tension of their quest. She was—and would likely always be—the most beautiful woman Santiago had ever met. Any time with her was a gift, and having her naked in his arms was straight out of a dream. It all clouded his judgment. It couldn’t be love.

And yet, now that Santiago had given voice to the emotion, even if only inside his head, he couldn’t escape it. It saturated his skin, drowning him in realization. Too soon or not, every step deeper into the jungle brought Ali a touch closer to his soul. Her name was tattooed on the inside of his ribs, and every time his heart beat, it carved it deeper still.

Santiago felt her fingers tracing his face softly, lingering on the groove between his brows.

“I may not be able to see you,” Ali said quietly, “but I can hear you overthinking.”

He smoothed out his face, but she moved her hand around to cup his cheek.

“Are you worried about tomorrow?” she asked him.

He was. It wasn’t why Santiago had gone quiet, but he wasn’t about to tell her that he was more worried about falling for her than finding the lost tomb. That he was beginning to realize there was no way back to his quiet, unassuming life after this. Not now. Not after meeting her.

Not knowing that magic and curses and maybe even true love were real. No, that was far too corny to speak aloud.

“Yeah,” he said, a half-truth. “I’m worried about what happens next.”

“We find the next marker, whatever it is. And it will lead us to the tomb,” she assured him.

And then what? he thought. If we succeed, where does that leave us? What happens after we leave these mountains?

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

“We don’t have to talk about it now,” she said. “We can pretend we don’t have a giant ticking time bomb over our heads, just for tonight. Morning will come soon enough.”

Santiago wished it wouldn’t. That the night would never end and they could stay suspended in time right then and there.

But he knew the sun would rise again. It made the seed of anxiety in his chest unfurl in prickly tendrils. The thorny vines threatened to burst out of him.

Then Ali settled herself back into him, and her nearness alleviated the pressure in his chest. He found that he did, perhaps, have a bit of courage left in him.

“After we find the tomb and lay my abuelo to rest…” he began. “I was thinking I would take some more time off work. If I still have a job, that is. I mean, this is my first trip to Peru, after all, and as exciting as trekking through the wilderness has been—”

Ali snorted, and the sound was oddly encouraging.

“I’d like to spend more time in Lima. Maybe travel south, too. Visit Machu Picchu.” Santiago’s heart hammered in his chest, and he was almost certain Ali could hear his thundering pulse.

She rested her chin over his ribs. He gulped but forced himself to continue.

“Maybe we could stick together? You could show me around Lima? Do a little more traveling, somewhere with restaurants and museums and hotels with proper beds?”

Her pause was…a million years long.

Finally, Ali whispered, “I’d like that.”

“Yeah?” Santiago asked, his breath coming out in a relieved whoosh.

“Yeah,” she replied, shifting to find his lips with her own.

In the hours that followed, Santiago was very grateful for that second first aid kit.