Degrees of Passion Read online

  ‘She’s brilliant,’ Kat answered.

  ‘Of course.’ Sasha grinned. ‘She’s one of us. She has no choice but to grow up spectacular.’

  ‘Where are you? I hear traffic.’

  ‘I’m starting that internship this morning.’ Sasha readjusted her bag on her arm. ‘Shit, it’s freezing out.’

  ‘It’s about time. So, does this mean you’ve finally decided what degree you’re going to graduate with?’

  ‘Kat, don’t start,’ Sasha grumbled into the phone, ignoring those she passed as she picked up her pace. ‘I get enough grief from Dad.’

  ‘Well,’ Kat’s voice drawled, ‘you have changed your major quite a bit.’

  ‘I know.’ Sasha rolled her eyes in irritation. ‘But it’s my money and time I’m wasting.’

  ‘I don’t think it’s a waste.’ Kat began to pull back her attack. Sasha didn’t answer. ‘Sasha, did you hang up on me again?’

  ‘No.’

  Kat lowered her voice into a little pout. ‘Do you hate me?’

  ‘Maybe,’ Sasha teased. ‘Though you did help me defend poor Peter, so I guess I can forgive you being bossy.’

  ‘Omigod!’ Kat’s voice rose in volume. ‘You are having man troubles. That’s why you’re so surly.’

  Sasha grimaced. Maybe her sister knew her better than she thought.

  ‘You only talk about Peter-Peter when you’re having relationship issues,’ Kat continued. ‘And, by the way, I can’t believe you’re still holding onto that story.’

  ‘How can I not? It was my prom and he was so cute and popular. He was horrified when Mom forced him to do a reading and then told him he couldn’t date me past tonight because he was destined for a mediocre life and a highly contagious venereal disease in five years. Megan and Zoe encouraged her and made fun of the poor guy. The entire dance he kept making snide comments and then he ditched me for a cheerleader who was a sure thing. I was so humiliated. I had to take a cab home. Then he spread rumours about how I was stuck up and warned all the guys against dating me.’

  ‘I heard he works at a fast-food restaurant as a fry cook,’ Kat said. ‘Mom was right. He isn’t good enough for you. Though I think she made the VD thing up because he was being cocky.’

  ‘Don’t make me hang up on you.’

  ‘You know, Sasha, the real world isn’t too bad.’ Kat changed the subject, but Sasha followed with ease. ‘You’ll have to graduate some time.’

  ‘I know.’ Sasha stopped, seeing the address she’d been looking for. A narrow, pristine white door led into an old brick building. ‘I have to go. I’m here. You’ll just have to settle for prying into my love life later.’

  ‘Wait, you didn’t tell me who you were upset over. You have to at least tell me his name.’

  ‘Prince Charming,’ she answered wryly, hanging up.

  ‘So, you do remember me. I wondered.’ Sasha didn’t need to see Kevin’s face to know it was him. She recalled the exact resonance of his voice. It was the same tone that echoed in her fantasies.

  She spun on her heels. His light-brown eyes held hers, not showing anything in their guarded depths. Months had passed, but she remembered that look and it made her just as nervous now as it had then. Even though he’d shaved, there was a ruggedness to the weather-pinked line of his jaw and the messy strands of blond hair poking from beneath his tight knitted cap. The sudden passion she felt for him frightened and confused her and no time seemed to have passed since that night in his bed.

  His words slowly sank in and she couldn’t help the small laugh. ‘Did you just call yourself charming?’

  Instead of joining her in the irony of such a statement, his lips twitched downwards. ‘The idea of my having charm amuses you? I suppose we can’t all be Mr Trevor Kingston the Fifth.’

  Sasha swallowed nervously. It felt strange talking to Kevin about Trevor, so she tried to steer the subject away.

  ‘Well, you’re not exactly . . .’ Sasha glanced over him. Out of all the conversations she imagined they would have if they ever spoke again, launching into a strange battle of ill tempers wasn’t it. Her nerves bunched in her stomach and she realised she took her self-consciousness out on him. Easing her tone, she said, ‘What I meant to say is—’

  ‘Are you coming inside?’ Kevin reached to pull open the handle. ‘I’m sure they’re ready to get started.’

  ‘Here?’ Sasha glanced at the opened door and pointed in. ‘You’re part of the project?’

  ‘What else would I be doing here?’

  ‘Huh.’ She studied his hard face, hating that she couldn’t read his thoughts. ‘Can we start over? I don’t know how we got onto this, whatever it is we’re doing.’ She took a deep breath, trying to make her expression as blank as his. ‘Hi, Kevin, how are you? What you been up to, Kevin?’

  OK, so the nice tone she’d been going for sounded a little mocking. It took all her concentration not to show the emotions churning inside her. He still held the door open for her.

  ‘I’m fine, Sasha.’ The voice was far from conversational. ‘Thank you for asking, Sasha. How have you been, Sasha?’

  She scowled. This wasn’t going well. It’s not like she wanted to be around him. She had Trevor. Didn’t she? A part of her wanted to ditch this assignment and chase after her boyfriend to see what was wrong. She couldn’t exactly put her finger on what it was, but there had been something in Trevor’s demeanor that bugged her. Resisting the desperate urge to track him down, she said, ‘Maybe we should go in. Don’t worry. I won’t try talking to you again. Sorry to have bothered you.’

  Why was she being apologetic? Hadn’t he initiated the conversation? Sasha slowly stepped past Kevin into the lobby. Warmth surrounded her, hitting her cold cheeks.

  ‘That might be hard.’ Kevin followed her inside and she heard the door shut behind her. ‘I’m your partner on this project.’

  Sasha stopped removing her glove in mid-action. She spun on her heels in disbelief to face him.

  ‘You mean, you didn’t know?’ To her surprise, a faint smile crossed his features.

  ‘Professor Collins said I’d have a partner, but he didn’t say . . .’ Sasha ground to a halt. What she wanted to say was, He didn’t say it would be you. I never would have come had I known it was you! ‘He didn’t give me a name,’ she finished weakly.

  ‘Don’t sound too enthusiastic.’ The words sounded droll. ‘I know what I’m doing.’

  ‘Oh, I didn’t mean to imply . . .’ Sasha wondered why nothing would come out of her mouth in a coherent sentence. She never seemed to get this tongue-tied around Trevor. ‘It’s just you’re in anthropology, right? This is, well, to tell the truth I’m not one hundred per cent sure what I’m going to be doing here. All I know is that I was told to show up and participate in order to graduate.’

  ‘Do you always sign up for projects you know nothing about? Maybe I should be the one worried about my partner. I’m not one of those science geeks who likes doing the popular chick’s homework. I expect you to carry your own weight.’

  ‘For your information, I’m highly competent.’ Sasha glared at him, mumbling under her breath, ‘I think I liked you better when I was drunk.’

  ‘I know you did.’ He chuckled, making a move to walk behind the empty desk guarding the back rooms.

  ‘Ah,’ Sasha gasped. The man was infuriating. Her first instinct was to scream and throw something. She refrained. ‘Let’s just get this over with.’

  I know you did.

  Did he really say that? Kevin hadn’t intended to allude to their night together. In fact, the plan had been to not say anything at all and pretend it had never happened unless she mentioned it first.

  He had waited for this day with mixed feelings of anticipation and dread. Somehow, he’d convinced himself over the course of one night that more might come of them. Sasha Matthews and he might actually have a shot at a relationship. If that wasn’t laughable enough, he’d kept that hope alive for several months after their
episode of drunken sex. Alone, in the dark, he actually had fantasies of her showing up at his door, saying she wanted him, needed him, had dumped her jerk of a boyfriend to give him a chance.

  However, seven months later, he knew such dreams had only been the fantasies of a lonely man. Disappointment tended to make people disagreeable. He couldn’t help snapping at her, especially after all those times he watched her purposefully avoid talking to him. No one with a heart enjoyed feeling like a one-night mistake. The least she could have done was said hello or given him one fleeting smile. Was that too much to ask?

  On top of that, her boyfriend was a complete imbecile. It made Kevin sick to his stomach to think of it. Trevor Kingston was a face, and a name, and a family line, but men like him drifted through life. They were bred with an overdeveloped sense of self-worth. They never had to fight for anything, never even really had to dream of anything because the things they were taught to want could be purchased. Men like that took things for granted and that meant he’d eventually take relationships for granted. Kevin didn’t need to know the man to know this much about him. He saw the way Trevor looked at Sasha, a kind of smugness that said he knew she worshiped him and enjoyed being the object of her affection.

  What he didn’t get was Sasha. How could she go for a man like that? She was so pretty, and smart, and funny. She had kind eyes and when she thought no one was looking she had the purest of unguarded expressions. Surely a woman like her wouldn’t be swayed by Trevor’s wallet?

  Kevin tried not to frown at himself. He’d clearly given the subject of Sasha way too much thought. Maybe it was because she didn’t want him. Kevin well understood he had commitment issues. Any time someone wanted to get close to him, he ran the other direction. It’s why he focused so hard at school, why he found comfort in studying facts, history and old relics. Dead people didn’t change. He always knew where he stood with them. Maybe the appeal of Sasha was that he couldn’t have her. She was taken by a man that women built fantasies around. Who would choose the science nerd over – what did she call Trevor? Her Prince Charming?

  Before their present conversation continued down a catastrophic route, he changed subjects. ‘We’re helping a group of researchers with an independent grant to catalog, date and study Aztec artefacts from archeological digs in Mexico.’ He motioned towards a poster on the wall that showed an Aztec pyramid ruins under the bold letters spelling out ‘Project Aztec’. ‘You’re in Latin Studies and I’m here because I need experience to satisfy the forensic anthropology portion of my doctorate.’

  ‘The Aztecs?’

  Was that excitement in her voice? Kevin resisted the urge to turn around. He’d already been here and knew where he was going. The first doors they passed were offices. Usually someone would be in them calling people for donations to the project. Next were the male and female restrooms. Finally, in the very back, in the largest room, was the laboratory. It wasn’t the fanciest of places he’d worked in, but several local museums and the college donated equipment to the cause.

  ‘Glad you could join us, Mr Merchant.’ Dr Prichard’s dry monotone voice held little humor, as he gave the tardy arrivals a disapproving once over. Kevin glanced at the clock, seeing they were only two minutes late. Prichard’s squashed features swam in a sea of deep-cut wrinkles. Glasses only added to the almost comical appearance of the small round man. ‘I assume this is Miss Matthews?’

  ‘Sasha, this is Dr Prichard. He’s the lead on this project.’ Kevin kept his words short and precise. The two other students working on the project were fraternal twins, Jason and Jacob Schwartz. They looked the same, only Jacob was five inches shorter and had slightly lighter hair. Kevin had been on projects with the two of them before. Raised by scientist parents, they were incredibly smart and dedicated, if not a little peculiar in their affinity for moss.

  ‘Dr Prichard, my apologies for being late,’ Sasha said before Kevin could stop her. Prichard didn’t appreciate apologies or excuses. He also was rumored to have the habit of singling out one person from the very beginning to take frustrations out on and use as an example to the rest of the interns. His high-handed manner proved he got off on intimidating others.

  ‘Miss Matthews, when was the first investigative Spanish Expedition from the Spanish colony in Cuba to explore the Mexican coast?’ Prichard touched his glasses, wiggling them back and forth several times in what appeared to be an unconscious gesture.

  Kevin tensed, willing Sasha to have the answer. If she did, it would put her off to a great start with the good doctor. If she didn’t, he’d be on her case the entire internship.

  ‘Um, can I get back to you after I’ve had more coffee?’ Sasha asked, a coy, almost playful hopefulness to her tone. Prichard did not look amused, as he directed a withering stare in her direction. She cleared her throat. ‘Late 1400s, early 1500s.’

  Prichard frowned. ‘Mr Merchant?’

  Kevin considered giving the answer wrong, but failing wasn’t in his nature. He’d read up on not only Mesoamerican culture, but also Dr Prichard. The man liked facts and liked the people working with him to know them as well. ‘1517. Led by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba.’

  Prichard gave an imperious nod of approval. ‘The second?’

  ‘1518 by Juan de Grijalva.’ Kevin didn’t wait for more questions. ‘It wasn’t until 1519 that the Spanish conquistadors landed in Mexico led by Cortés. The ruler of the Aztec Empire, Moctezuma the Second, is recognized as the last independent ruler of Aztec people. Believing the visitors might be returning gods, he first sent gifts to them. When the Spanish rejected the great offerings, which were covered in accordance with custom in sacrificial blood, Moctezuma sent sorcerers to curse them. The Spanish naturally resisted the curses. Cortés and his men marched to the capital. Just a few years later, in 1521, the Aztec Empire had fallen.’

  ‘A condensed version, but very well done, Mr Merchant.’ Prichard nodded. ‘I’m glad to see someone came to this project prepared.’ He gave a disapproving glance to Sasha. ‘Mr Jacob Schwartz, what changes did Moctezuma institute to elevate his status and that of other pipiltin?’

  ‘He established new court etiquette, stripped warriors of common birth of their special uniforms and made laws on behavior and clothing to set the nobles,’ Jacob paused, correcting, ‘the pipiltin, apart from commoners or macehuales. He put young noblemen from the various cities under his control to work in the palace, supplanting the servants. He replaced officials and set up rituals to ensure his place as a living reflection of the god Huitzilopochtli. He—’

  ‘Well done,’ Prichard interrupted.

  Kevin finally gave in to the temptation to look at Sasha. Her mouth pulled into a tight line and he could practically feel the tension radiating off her. She glanced at him, meeting his gaze for the briefest of seconds before turning her attention once more to Prichard. That eye contact was all the encouragement his body needed. His hand flexed and he mentally kept it from lifting to comfort her.

  ‘And the reason the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec people is important to our work, Mr Jason Schwartz?’ Prichard asked.

  ‘It’s the end of the era whose artefacts we will be analyzing,’ Jason answered.

  Prichard nodded, even though the last question had been an easy one. His tone changed from questioning to the loud dry boom of a lecture. ‘The items brought back from the dig sites predate the events Mr Merchant just described. So, if you come to me trying to tell me the pottery you’re dating is from the 1700s, we will have a problem. If you tell me it’s from the 1600s . . .’ He pointed at Sasha.

  ‘We’ll have a problem,’ Sasha answered, her voice flat.

  ‘We’ll have a problem,’ Prichard confirmed. He turned his attention to all of the students. ‘You must have a thorough understanding of the culture you will be studying. I expect your documentation to be clean, references listed, your scientific deductions are impeccable and, above all else, you must never damage the integrity of the artefacts you will be ha
ndling. One misstep and I will make it my personal mission to see that you graduate without honors and a letter of warning to potential employers placed into your files.’

  Jason and Jacob shared a look before seriously nodding their heads to indicate they understood. Kevin didn’t move, focusing on where Sasha stood in his peripheral view.

  ‘Mr Merchant.’ Prichard drew his full attention. ‘I suggest you set up some intense study sessions to help your partner learn her facts. Her misunderstanding will reflect upon you. Not fair, but neither is life.’

  Intense study sessions? Sasha alone with him? Studying, talking, looking? Intense. Intimate. Private. Just the two of them.

  Kevin swallowed, a nervous anxiousness taking over his gut as fleeting thoughts invaded his mind. Scattered, sexy images of the last time they’d been alone tried to find their way into his consciousness, bringing a rush of sexual frustration with them. He nodded once, gruffly answering, ‘Of course.’

  As Prichard persisted with his small lecture, speaking on the conception of the project, his long and distinguished career in this field of study and the daily duties expected of the team, Kevin couldn’t help but continue to watch Sasha from the corner of his eye. They all stood, even though there were a few chairs in the lab. After Prichard gave an overview of each piece of lab equipment, stating things all of them probably already knew, he turned to Sasha. ‘Miss Matthews, since you are in need of coffee, why don’t you take everyone’s order?’

  ‘Not a problem,’ she said. Kevin tried not to smile at the slight defiance in her tone as she reached into her bag and grabbed a notepad and pencil. Looking at the others in forced expectation, she inquired, ‘What will it be?’

  ‘Large coffee and a strawberry Danish,’ Prichard answered. ‘Use the bakery at the end of the block. I only like their pastries.’

  ‘I’d like a coffee as well,’ Jacob said, lifting his hand to get Sasha’s attention. ‘And maybe a blueberry muffin with those crumbles on the top.’ His twin brother nudged him in the arm with a slight frown. Jacob appeared confused. ‘What?’