Leila laughed. “I’ll take leopard print.”
Aunt Nur draped the scarf around Leila’s neck. “There we go. No one will notice a thing. Ready for some cake?”
“I’m always ready for cake.”
Aunt Nur smiled and adjusted the scarf over the brown stain. “That sounds like something Xander would say.”
“Talking about me?” Xander’s voice rumbled from the doorway. He leaned against the frame, dressed in a collared shirt tucked into a flattering pair of jeans.
“Oh, yes.” Leila grinned. “All kinds of embarrassing stuff.”
“Really? Like how you burned the rice again on Wednesday night?”
Leila’s smile vanished. She glared at him as Aunt Nur laughed.
“Enough, you two.” Aunt Nur waved a hand as she walked out the door. “Come, it’s time for cake.”
Leila crossed her arms once she heard Aunt Nur’s footsteps pad down the stairs. “You know what?” She stepped up to Xander and poked his chest. “You get to do all the cooking.”
“No problem.” Xander grinned. “I already have all the take-out places memorized.”
Leila flipped her hair over her shoulder and pushed around him to walk out the door. She tried to hide a smile. Their first sort-of fight as a married couple. That didn’t take long.
Xander stopped her with a grip on her upper arm.
“Nice scarf,” he rumbled, then took a step closer. “Matches your eyes.”
Leila narrowed them. “I didn’t know I had leopard print eyes.”
“Now you know.” He tugged on both ends of the scarf, drawing her to him. Their lips met, softly at first, then more passionately. It wasn’t just rice that burned.
“Cake!” Leila’s grandma yelled up the stairs.
“I think our guests are hungry,” Leila whispered.
“Well then, let’s feed them. Then we can make our escape.”
Leila grabbed his hand and led him back downstairs.
To family.
To a new beginning.
To the adventures waiting beneath the sand.
END OF BOOK THREE
Note From The Author
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Acknowledgments
I can’t believe I’ve actually finished and published the third book in The Artifact Guardians series! It’s been a wild ride, and thankfully, I wasn’t on it alone.
Thank you to my beta readers, Chelsea, Kelsey, Ken, Sara, and Verity. Your feedback was amazing and invaluable! Thank you for all the time and thought you put into reading this book.
Thank you to my editor, Sylvia Curry, and my proofreader, Jenny Sliger, for helping me make this book shine.
Also, a huge thank you to the design team at MIBLart for the fantastic cover!
And finally, thank you Matt, R, and M, for your continuous patience, love, and support.
About the Author
