Page 63 of The Eagle's Vault

He ran a hand through his hair. “You’ve gotten caught up in some bad stuff since you arrived in Rome.”

I crossed my arms and took a deep breath. “I know. One little job led to another. Fixing Edoardo’s safe, then the Cassaforte test, stealing Giovanni’s notebook, and now? Now we’re visiting a wealthy smuggler’s villa.”

“That’s the problem.” He sounded uncharacteristically tender. “It sounds like Giovanni wants us to crack the vault in the catacombs. But what comes after that? And what if we’re not lucky next time? Why would you want to go even further down that rabbit hole?”

No idea.

“What if it’s something worse?” Declan’s gaze grew distant. “I mean, what if there’s something diseased inside? Bodies, maybe. Why would a pope commission a vault down there? Hidden away for centuries?”

I shivered at his words, the breeze suddenly much cooler. “You have a point. They must’ve wanted to keep something secret. Something dangerous, maybe.”

“Exactly. Giovanni thinks it’s the eagle standard of this lost legion. But who knows?”

“Plus, Martina’s kidnappers wanted the notebook. They’re obviously after whatever’s inside the vault, too.”

His gaze fell on me, a hardness in his eyes. “Which only adds another layer of danger to the whole mess.”

A wave of anxiety washed over me, the familiar knotting of my stomach. This wasn’t what I had in mind when I dreamed of Rome.

Snapping us away from talk of danger, he asked, “What is the lost legion, anyway?”

“It was a Roman military legion that disappeared, theoretically at least, in northern England in the second or third century.”

“I’ve never heard of that.” He stared up toward the angel’s hand, a rainbow forming in the mist around the spray. “You’re a smart woman.”

Flower petals floated around the pool at the base of the statue. The burbling noise, the wind, the scent of the flowers all around us. And a man paying me a compliment. My ex-boyfriends found my curiosity, my love of learning, too nerdy. Especially Finn. Finn, who everyone wanted me to get back together with. Finn, who Ann proclaimed was so smart, but my brain threatened him.

“What do you need a PhD for?” Finn had laughed. “You work for your family.”

I wanted more than my quiet little life with everyone suffocating me, for fear I might breathe in the wrong direction and keel over.

I’d wanted a Roman adventure, the type my stepmother teased me about, the kind my overprotective brother Isaac tried to prevent. I wanted to experience the world outside of the vaults and locks at Barton Safes.

And now, here I was, in the middle of a real-life Roman adventure, wrapped up in danger and intrigue. With Declan and the Reynolds team, no less. Ironic, wasn’t it?Be careful what you wish for, Leigh.Instead of the lust-fueled adventure I’d hoped for, I was left with one that could cost me more than just a broken heart.

“Do you… do you like smart women?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I held my breath, suddenly aware that his answer mattered. More than I wanted to admit.

Declan looked down at me and took a step closer, sharing a silence that wasn’t awkward. His irises were pale in the brilliant sunlight, reflecting a depth, a mystery. He took my face in his hands, his big hands with the long fingers, and leaned closer. Before his lips met mine, he whispered, “Very much.”

His lips were soft, yet insistent against mine. It wasn’t like the car when I’d misread his actions. His tongue probed into my mouth, and I opened to him, tasting the pastry he’d eaten from Giovanni’s table.

I melted and slid my arms around him, skimming over the hard muscle of his back, each flex with his movements sucking the willpower out of me. I sighed into his mouth. His taste, his fingers moving into my hair, his hungry moan.

This was what I’d wanted from my trip. The villa, the garden, the stunning views. And a man like Declan Ramsay. Strong, daring, complex. A man who kissed like he was claiming every inch of me.

One of his hands lowered to my waist and he pulled me closer, so close his hardness pressed against my belly. Oh god. He wanted me. The realization filled me with a strange power—a power I’d never felt before—that a man could want me so hard and so fast.

I flexed one hand on his back, gripping the muscle along his spine, and his hand dropped lower as he deepened the kiss. His thumb skirted over my hipbone in a teasing circle, and I shivered at the sensation it sent throughout my body. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, a vision of straddling him on the nearby bench overwhelming me.

The moment was wild and exciting; I wanted to take what he offered. I could feel his arousal growing against me, and I ached for more contact with him.

This was real.

Raw, primal, and utterly delicious.

A Vespa.That and the Trevi Fountain are all I need now.What a silly thought. I slid my arms around his neck, raking my nails over the back of his head.

His tongue swept against mine, circling, prodding, learning. It wasn’t a battle. It was a dance.This man can kiss.

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