Page 101 of Her Reluctant Hero
He regarded her strangely, as if she’d declared she was no longer a woman. “Once a digger…”
She shook her head. It hadn’t taken much to get her to turn from the life she’d always known.
Not much. Just Adrian.
“Not me.”
He arched a brow. “You still have your clothes.”
That threw her off balance for a second. When she’d pulled them out of the closet, Jonathan had the same reaction. She hadn’t let herself think about why she’d kept them when she’d given up every other aspect of her life with Adrian.
He drew away, linking his fingers in front of him. “The woman I used to know would be chomping at the regulator to get down there.”
She wanted to see the ship so bad she twitched. “I need to get home.”
He reached into the front pocket of his cotton shirt, dragged out more beef jerky. He didn’t look at her as he said, “Going out won’t take long.”
All the yearnings she’d fought the past few years as she’d adjusted to the corporate world reared up, prodding her to take the plunge. For heaven’s sake, they’d discovered what might be a Mediterranean ship, thousands of miles from where it should be. She couldn’t just walk away.
She eased back, as if her surrender wouldn’t mean as much if she acted casual. “I haven’t dived since Mexico. And if I dive, I won’t be able to fly for twenty-four hours.”
A light of triumph glinted in his eyes. Damn. He knew her too well.
“That’s okay. You can see it without diving. You got here just in time to try out my new toy.” He reached out and waited. Her engagement ring weighed heavy on her finger as she considered the consequences of touching him. Hesitantly, she slid her hand into his.
The shock of his strong, warm hand beneath hers, the current that ran from his skin into hers, made her want to pull away. Sensing it, he tightened his grip and smoothed his thumb over her knuckles. He stopped when he reached her ring. Instead of dropping her hand as she expected, he lifted it for closer inspection. Her heart squeezing, she wanted to cover the ring. This was too hard.
Adrian looked up. “He does well, your linguist.”
She didn’t respond, couldn’t catch her breath enough to speak. It took everything in her to meet the power of those eyes.
“Does he love you?”
God. She pulled back then, missed the warmth of his touch immediately. She didn’t want to talk about Jonathan now. “Of course he loves me.”
“And you love him.”
“Adrian.” She looked away, but he crooked a finger under her chin and pulled her attention back. So close. Too close. She felt his breath on her lips, almost tasted the tang of the jerky.
“Answer me.”
Why was it so hard to say while she looked into Adrian’s eyes? It was true, wasn’t it? She swallowed. “I love him.”
Pain flashed over his face but he pushed it aside before a responding emotion could rise in her. He dropped her hand and withdrew.
“We’re going out on the boat in half an hour. Be ready.”
Adrian’s heart lurched when he saw Mallory walking down to the dock. Behind him, Toney slammed the ropes against the deck with more force than necessary, making his feelings known, but Adrian didn’t turn to look. He continued to stow gear into the boat. He wasn’t surprised she’d come—he knew her too well to disregard her natural curiosity—but the effect of seeing her surprised him, like a punch in the gut. She didn’t belong to him anymore.
He still considered himself married. The marriage had been over when he had walked out of their house three years ago, but he’d never thought of himself as free. He never thought he’d have to move on.
She’d moved on without him. Why had he hoped she’d wait for him?
He straightened and approached to help her on board, bracing himself for the shock of her soft hand, her bold ring. He reacted as if someone had reached down his throat and squeezed the breath out of him. Bad enough she’d shown up on the first dig he’d led since Tunisia, in a camp where everything reminded him of her and their past. But the sight of another man’s ring on her manicured hand ripped his heart out.
She wasn’t wearing the ring now. He touched the spot where it had been and looked up at her questioningly.
“I didn’t want to drop it in the ocean.”
