Hey, I start to get used to it... a quote for the chapter :) Enjoy reading!

"Sometimes, perhaps, we are allowed to get lost that we may find the right person to ask directions of." ~Robert Brault

When Kurtis touched her arm, Lara closed her eyes. All those emotions… she did not even know what she felt. When he cleaned the blood from her arm, she wanted to run. So she stirred and he sensed it. But his fingers were so gentle on her skin that she stayed put. Thank God for the darkness, she thought. When his touch carefully ran down her arm, she wanted more. A barely audible sigh left her lips and she prayed that he had not heard it. Something in her head was telling her, it did not matter anymore. It did not make sense trying to convince herself she did not feel anything for him. When Kurtis covered the cut with something soft and tied it around her arm, her muscles tensed. But it was not the pain that made her do so. She did not even realize the slight ache running down her arm. All she felt was his touch.

"Better now?" – he asked softly, and Lara nodded without saying a word. Why did she feel safer sitting in a dark corridor of a lost tomb with him, than she had ever felt being alone anywhere else? "Please tell me." – he said as if sensing her swirling thoughts.

"I can't." – she whispered, grateful to fate for not letting him see her. It would have taken only a move for him to raise the light and look at her, but he did not do it. Maybe he knew that she needed to hide.

"Why not?" – when he said the words, Kurtis could feel that he had made a mistake. Her arm tensed under his fingers, but this time it was different. He did not try to hold her back when she pulled it away.

"I need to keep going. I'm running out of time." – she jabbered nervously and stood up. Taking the light out of his hand, she looked around. The bitter taste of disappointment filled him, but it made no sense to oppose now. She would get there, he thought. Sooner than Lara knew. So he let her go.

Lara did not get far anyway. She hardly took three steps when a room appeared in front of them. As soon as they walked in, a click could be heard and suddenly there was light. They both started, remembering well what had happened the last time they had heard such a click, but this time the floor did not collapse under them.

"What is this place?" – Kurtis asked in amazement. There was no real word to describe the room. Probably calling it a huge, strange chessboard would have been the closest to reality, but the two different colors on the floor did not follow the usual pattern. The tiles were just scattered all over without any noticeable logic. Lara stepped closer, Kurtis followed her. One more click and the door behind them crashed down with a huge bang.

"That's bloody fantastic." – Lara muttered under her breath. "There's no choice but to go on." – she did not like it, but they could not turn back. Rubbing her aching shoulder, she tried to examine the room. Without making a move. It all looked so harmless, peaceful. Too peaceful actually.

"Another puzzle, I guess." – Kurtis whispered behind her. He did not really know why, but the place felt creepy even without a reason.

"Yeah." – Lara answered without looking back at him. "Don't move."- there were holes all around the wall and the ceiling, which did not look very promising. "I guess we need to cross this somehow."

"I'm not a treasure hunter, but the different colors must mean something." – he suggested, but following her orders, did not move anywhere. Lara looked so concentrated, he did not want to disturb her. "Which color do we start with?"

"I don't know. There's only one way to find out." – Lara drew in a deep breath and moved her left foot forward. When she stepped on the tile with the lighter color in front of her, there was a click again.

"Is that a good click or a bad click?" – Kurtis asked looking around a bit frightened. There was no time for an answer. With one single jump, Lara hurled forward to the other tile with the darker color, grabbing Kurtis' hand in the meantime, pulling him with her. On the exact spot where Kurtis had been standing, a huge block crashed down.

"I guess this means a bad click." – he let out the air he was holding. The tile was fairly small, they could hardly stand on it both. Their bodies brushed as they were watching each other. Suddenly Kurtis saw something in the corner of his eyes. "Go!" – he pushed Lara forcefully to the next tile when he saw the dart coming. Their fingers stayed linked and she did not let go, pulling him with her in the very last moment. His body bumped against hers, and he swirled her around, stepping to the next tile. When he pulled her with him, the next dart whizzed behind them.

"Nice." – she smiled at him, forgetting where they were. It all felt like a slow, sensual dance they shared in a silent moment. They moved on, following the same rhythm they found, moving from tile to tile. Only the music was missing, but Lara could almost hear it in her head. Darts were flying around them, stones were crashing down from the ceiling, but they did not care. Kurtis held her gaze, his hand found its place on the small of her back again and again. A carnal waltz that followed secret, long forgotten steps in the sand.

Lara almost did not notice that they arrived to the other end of the room. Kurtis was still holding her close, his hand on her back. Why did she not care about all the danger lurking around? Lara felt safe and calm. Until he leaned in, and his lips touched hers. Then she did not feel calm anymore. Her senses were burning, her head went blank and all nerves in her body cried for more. His kiss was soft, smooth, promising more and she was lost for the millionth time. Her hands slipped around his neck, her body pushed against him and the emotionless mask fell off her face. God, she was waiting for this and feeling it was better than she had ever imagined. The simple comfort he had meant to offer turned into urgency. The need rising in her was so sweet, she wanted nothing more than to just fall into it. Suddenly she wished with all her heart they could be just two people drowning each other in this slow, endless kiss.

"I can't do this." – she pulled away abruptly, tears running down her cheeks.