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Rafaelo shook his head in something akin to disappointment.
Not worth it,he nodded to himself as he turned his attention once more to his sandwich. But he could still spot movement from the corner of his eye.
The light-haired woman she’d come with went to the supply table, speaking with a guard and persuading him to bring more water. The mistress, however, was walking alongside the temple a good distance away, seemingly focused on studying its features.
A loud sound cracked in the air, and Rafaelo’s head whipped to the side in time to see one of the beams supporting the scaffolding wobble. The nets holding it together were loose, and for a moment it simply wavered in the air.
His eyes widened as he looked between the beam and her. She was so close to it, she would undoubtedly be hit if it fell.
Another snap and one of the nets broke away.
Rafaelo didn’t even think. He just acted.
Dumping his food to the ground, he dashed in her direction, his mind freezing on him as he realized the precariousness of the situation.
“Watch out,” he shouted.
She hadn’t even realized what was happening, still gazing upon the pyramid with an inscrutable expression on her face.
It was only when shouts erupted in the air, drowned out by the thumping of his feet, that she turned around, her pretty mouth forming an o as her eyes connected with his.
She was surprised to see him, but she was even more surprised when he tackled her to the ground, putting as much distance between them and the scaffold as a deafening sound pierced the air.
The beam fell, dust simmering in the atmosphere from the force of its impact.
They barely made it out of its radius.
Both were breathing hard and Rafaelo realized he was pining her to the ground, his entire weight on her. His face was in the crook of her shoulder, his body tantalizingly close to hers. So close he could feel her heartbeat, the speed of her pulse, a consequence of her narrow escape with death.
Adrenaline surged through his veins as he attempted to control himself.
He felt the contours of her body under his, the softness of her flesh and the way her breasts brushed against his chest. And then there was her scent.
Fuck, but her smell intoxicated him as he took a deep breath.
Not even the residue of dust that assailed his airways could make him ignore the sweetness emanating from her—sweetness that belied everything he knew of her.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he leaned back to watch her.
Her eyes fluttered open, widening as she stared at him.
She didn’t speak. She didn’t say one word as she blinked repeatedly, almost as if she couldn’t believe he was on top of her, touching her.
“Are you hurt?” he repeated, this time bringing his hand to her face to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
Slowly, she shook her head, her lips trembling.
Her eyes were wide with wonder, watching him.
He swallowed hard as he returned her stare.
God, but up close she was even more beautiful.
He noted her freckles and the way they spattered across her face, lined up like a constellation. Yet it was her eyes that held him captive. The day before, he’d thought them brown. Now, they were a hazel shade that bordered on green, one lighter than the other.
Just like the day before, one moment stretched across an eternity, the same thread of electricity wounding around them and pulling them tighter together.
His heart was beating something wild in his chest, adrenaline be damned. It was an abnormal beat that scared him just as it excited him, their proximity fueling his most ludicrous dreams.
