Faith let her gaze slowly run up the tall man. He wore jeans that hugged his trim hips, and a thin, black, V-neck sweater that showed off every mouthwatering muscle that was honed to perfection.

His muscles weren’t so huge that they looked ugly. But they were big enough to be noticed—and appreciated.

And she couldn’t seem to stop appreciating them. Her gaze lingered on his thick chest, imagining her hands running over his pecs before sliding around his neck.

Her breath hitched as her blood heated. She unzipped her jacket to help cool herself. Then she looked up at his face. And what a face!

His wide, full lips softened the sharp lines of his jaw. Azure eyes framed with thick, black lashes watched her with a decided lack of interest. It was difficult to determine whether his hair was dark brown or black in the dim light of the cave.

But it was trimmed short with the top long enough to be parted to the side, the locks having a hint of wave to them.

She had a strange and overwhelming desire to run her hands through his hair and climb him.

Claim him.

Her knees threatened to buckle from the insane and decadent thoughts. The carnal longing swept through her shamelessly—and she embraced it.

Even as she feared it.

It took three attempts before she was able to have enough saliva to swallow.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“The man who’s going to keep you safe,” came his harsh reply framed in a Scot’s brogue.

Her gaze shifted to Tamir. “Excuse me?”

Tamir laughed nervously. “Yeah, this is what I tried to tell you earlier. When I spoke with Ronnie, she suggested someone to help keep the crazies out. So she sent Dmitri.”

Faith looked at Muscles again and noticed his interest was squarely on the skeleton. Just as she was about to tell Tamir to send him away, she realized they could use someone to keep the loonies at bay.

Getting to her feet, she extended her hand to him. “Faith Reynolds.”

“Dmitri,” he replied and briefly shook her hand, letting go as if the contact between them irritated him.

She frowned and looked at Tamir before returning her gaze to Muscles. She fisted her hand to lessen the slight tingling across her skin from the contact with him. Again, she had the urge to touch him, stroke him.  “No last name?”

“None needed,” Muscles said. “Why this cave?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Why did you pick this cave out of all the hundreds on the isle?” he asked in a slightly lower pitch.

Faith’s hackles immediately rose, shoving the majority of her lust aside. She didn’t need to explain herself to anyone. So why she answered him, she’d never know. “I saw it from shore and wanted a look.”

“There are five more caves you could’ve seen from shore. Yet you chose this one.”

His blue eyes were penetrating, as if he were trying to see into her mind. She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. “I got lucky. If it hadn’t been this one, I would’ve moved on to another.”

“So you were looking for such a skeleton?”

Was that a hint of mockery in his tone? Oh, I don’t think so! “I’m an archeologist. I look for anything.”

“Do archeologists no’ have a specialty?”

“Some, yes. For its size, this island has been more intensively studied by archeologists than almost any other area in Scotland.”

“Is that so?”

She let her confidence show in her smile. “That’s right. Did you know evidence has been found here to suggest Fair may have been settled by Neolithic people up to five thousand years ago?”

“And you came to find more verification?”

“It’s what I do.” No one was more surprised than she when she’d found the large horn and a portion of the skull sticking out of the ground.