Gunshots waken Ian Tunbridge, an assistant curator of classical antiquities at the British Museum, on his first day on a dig in California. The only way to save his life is to run for it, but luck is not on his side. At least, not until he meets Lucas Arpini, the brash American photographer who seems to have some sort of clue what’s going on. Together, they’re supposed to be the tools in finding an artifact nobody believes is real -- nobody, that is, except Lucas and the man kidnaps them both.<br><br>Ian doesn’t know what to believe. His colleagues are dead, he’s injured, and he has no choice but to put his faith in a gorgeous stranger. Their escape should lead them straight to the police, but when Lucas shows him pieces of the puzzle they were meant to solve, Ian is too intrigued to walk away. He wants to solve the riddle as badly as Lucas does.<br><br>Unfortunately, they aren’t the only ones ...

Riddle Me Wicked

Ian couldn’t breathe. Not with Lucas staring at his mouth like that.


Seconds stretched. A crush. Was there anything wrong with indulging in a little flirtation? Lucas certainly seemed interested. Every other word from him felt like innuendo. And Ian had thought him attractive from the start. They deserved whatever they wanted at this point, just for surviving.


One kiss would hardly be the end of the world. Though from the way his body heated at the thought of it, one kiss would hardly be the end, period.


The boat dipped with a sudden swell, jerking both of them off balance. Lucas grabbed the edge of the bench to keep from pitching to the side, and Ian’s sore shoulder slammed into the wall, the frigid metal searingly cold even through the jacket he’d borrowed from Lucas. It subdued whatever had been brewing between them, and Ian kept his eyes away this time, looking out over the glistening water.


Better to keep things simple. The rest of his life was complicated enough.


Chapter 22