Page 104 of Her Reluctant Hero
Chapter Three
Adrian lifted an eyebrow, pretending surprise though the glint in his eyes said he’d expected no less. Damn, she hated to be that predictable.
“You said you hadn’t dived in years,” he drawled.
That dimmed her enthusiasm. “I don’t have my gear, either.”
“That we can fix.” He scanned the barge and grinned as his gaze settled on his student. “You can use Jacob’s.”
“Hey!” Jacob protested, and Adrian slapped him on the back good-naturedly.
Mallory looked at her smug ex-husband. Her ex-husband. That was the first time she’d thought of him in those terms. Wow. That—hurt, especially after the thrill they’d just shared.
She needed distance, and none could be found on this barge.
Dr. Vigil jumped in. “Are you going to map the damn site, or are you going to fight about who gets to go in? We have to get that wood covered up before it disintegrates completely.”
“All right.”
Adrian stripped off his shirt without a second thought, displaying breathtaking muscles, sculpted chest and arms, made that way by hard work. God, he hadn’t changed. Mallory’s fingers itched to skim over his skin, to rub against the hair of his chest.
“Jacob, get Mallory your suit.”
She snapped her attention over to Jacob. The young man’s mouth curved down in disappointment, but he clambered back to the boat to retrieve his suit from beneath one of the benches.
“Sorry,” she mouthed, fingering the neoprene of his suit with no small sentiment. She hadn’t dived since the sinkholes on the Yucatan Peninsula, deep and dangerous even with her experience, and she mourned the fearless person she used to be.
Adrian glanced over at her as he zipped up his own suit. “You’re not ready?”
She tightened her hand on the suit. The woman she’d turned herself into no longer felt this pump of adrenaline. Mallory had to admit she missed it. “I’ll be ready. Give me a minute.”
Her shorts were too bulky to wear under the wetsuit. She was going to have to dive in her panties and T-shirt. Which wouldn’t be too bad, but she had to get dressed in front of all these men. She scanned the flat, open area of the barge, seeking privacy, and found none.
She turned, edging as close to the shadows as she could, and shed her shorts, then stepped into the borrowed wetsuit. It was stretchy and tight and she bent a fingernail backwards trying to tug it up, all the while self-conscious in her panties, her legs bare. She kept her hair around her face, hiding from the men, feeling Adrian’s gaze.
She wriggled and straightened and zipped before tossing her head back to look at him. He was watching her, but not with desire.
“That suit’s too big. You’re going to be cold.” Frowning, he walked over, tugged at the zipper, pulling the suit away from her skin as she braided her hair.
“I’ll be all right.” She clipped on her weight belt and turned her back so Jacob could help her into the tanks.
She straightened, the tanks in place, adjusting to the once-familiar weight, to see Adrian squinting at the sun. “Yeah, we’re near the equator, but the water temperature is only about eighty.”
“You said yourself we’re not going to be down there that long. I’ll be fine. I can’t work if you’re going to fuss over me.”
“Pardon me.” His sarcastic tone bit as he checked his own gauges, then hers, tugged down his mask and shoved his regulator in his mouth.
He stepped off the edge of the barge, down into the water. She waited for him to bob up, signal Toney that he was okay, before she followed. Adrian gave the thumbs-down signal for them to dive.
She had to temper her competitive spirit with the need for safety. She checked her gear once more and went after him.
The water closed around her, quiet, peaceful, familiar. She’d missed this so much. The water was clear, beautiful. The fish that scattered on her appearance fluttered back, flashing silver in the sunlight. She could see Adrian clearly ahead of her, and she kicked off to follow.
How had she denied herself this for so long? The water parting around her felt like coming home, like being held in welcoming arms. The comfort combined with the anticipation of seeing the wreck created a joy in her she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Why had she let herself give up joy when she gave up Adrian?
Because she hadn’t been able to bear anything that reminded her of him. She still couldn’t.
