The sandstorm had risen out of nowhere on the final day of their dig, sweeping towards them with all the savage ferocity of a tidal wave, blotting out the sunlight as the mass roared in.
Evie hadn't noticed it, engrossed by a fascinating engraving at the foot of a pillar, but broad hands had scooped her up and all at once, she was bouncing uncomfortably along, flung over Rick's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Rick!" Her vehement protests had fallen silent when she followed the backward jerk of his thumb and saw the wave sweeping in towards them. "Oh my God..."
"Yeah, thought so too," the voice drifted up from the level of her backside a moment before he dived into the gaping opening of the ancient tomb they had been digging nearby. They tumbled, tangled together, down the shallow passage, as the bellowing cloud of dust crashed overhead.
Landing in a sprawling heap, O'Connell's body half-shielding hers as stinging sand lashed around them, Evie pressed her face against his shoulder. it was still pressed there a few moments later when she became pointedly aware that the sand was no longer blowing and that Rick was laughing and still lying far too pleasantly over her.
With an indignant swat, she wriggled out from underneath him and peered up at him in the dim light of the tomb. "I suppose you did that deliberately, Mister O'Connell," she said sternly.
Sitting up, Rick gave her the devilish grin that always made her tingle down to her toes. "Well, I thought summoning a sandstorm, just so I could jump on you was as good an idea as any," he said cheerfully.
Honestly, Evie thought, the man was utterly incorrigible.
Still, she at up and leaned closer to him. "You could have just asked, you know," she said, with a small smile.
He blinked at her. "Huh?"
"Well," Evie smiled again, more shyly this time. "It is Valentine's day."
And, covered in sand and dirt and nursing two scraped knees, she kissed him firmly on the mouth.