Her Reluctant Hero: A Romantic Suspense Boxed Set

by MJ Fredrick

  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.”

  “Of course not.” It was a treasure, after all. He gritted his teeth against the resentment of the damn thing, something he’d never even thought she would want or expect.

  She tightened her grip on his wrist, just a bit, as she stretched her leg from the dock to the boat, and released him once both feet were on the deck. She was too much of a pro to sway into him with the resulting roll of the boat.

  Damn it.

  “We’re not going out alone, are we?”

  He moved away to deal with the ropes, not caring for the skepticism in her tone. “The prof’s already on board.” He motioned to the pilothouse where the elderly doctor sat in the shade, under his trademark straw hat. “And Jacob and Toney are running the electronics. Linda will stay in camp.”

  “Are you diving?” She walked over to check the tanks strapped securely to the pilothouse.

  “Not this trip.”

  “How long have you been out here?”

  “A little less than a month.” He readied himself for accusations, for questions, but they didn’t come.

  Leaning on the railing, she looked out over the ocean. “Have you found anything?”

  He stopped to dig his beef jerky out of his pocket. He pulled a chunk out of the cellophane package and offered her some. She considered it warily but shook her head.

  “Nothing we can get our hands on till we get the hull uncovered,” he told her.

  “So how did they wreck? Can you tell?”

  “Not yet.” He shook some more jerky out of the pack. “High winds could have knocked them against the cliff, there may have been a sandbar or coral under there at some point. They may have already been at anchor and on land when it went down. We’re sending the robot down today.”

  She stepped close to help him stow the ropes under the benches. The ease with which they fell into the rhythm of the task alarmed him. All his senses went on alert. She must have realized it too, because once the chore was completed, she darted to the far side of the Miss M, considered him a minute, then ducked into the pilothouse with Robert.

  Damn, the Mallory he’d loved wouldn’t have bolted so easily.

  They set off, out of the cove, hugging the shoreline, wind whipping the scent of the sea over the deck. Six hundred yards beyond, beneath the cliffs, an equipment-laden barge was anchored over the site.

  The barge had taken the bulk of their money but would be necessary once they started bringing up artifacts. Locating the site itself had taken another huge chunk. Now he was short on divers until he could drum up more funding. Ordinarily he was patient with his finds, but this—this was too big. He was anxious to get it logged, get it up and prove himself to Mallory, and beyond that, to the archaeological community.

  They pulled up to the barge with a gentle bump. Jacob and Adrian unloaded the submersible camera as Robert and Toney stacked the equipment near the rail. Mallory joined them, looking uncomfortable with nothing to do. Adrian wondered if that was why she’d helped him earlier, to feel like she fit in. Did it still matter to her?

  “Come on, Mal, have a look at my new toy.”

  He unpacked his newest purchase, the package Toney had picked up at the same time he collected Mallory, a submersible remote-controlled camera.

  Mallory traced a finger over a scratch on the casing. “Used?”

  “Yeah, but in perfect condition. It’ll help us map the area faster, so we can lay the grid and start bringing up the artifacts.” He gently plopped the camera in the water.

  “Now we watch.” He motioned for her to precede him under the roof of the barge, where the professor was already seated in front of the laptop. Jacob and Toney had set up two other laptops and were plugging them in. The area would have been cramped if not for the open walls. Adrian was going to have to close them in soon, before they got hit with a storm. As soon as he got more money.

  Adrian edged in beside the prof and picked up the joystick controller to guide the submersible down through the clear water, past darting fish, swaying fan coral. It skimmed above waving seaweed as if it knew just where it was going.

  Mallory leaned on his shoulder to see the monitor, her breath rushing against the side of his neck, coming faster in her excitement. With each movement of the camera, she edged closer, as if that would urge the camera deeper. The occasional wave rolling beneath the barge had her breast bumping against his arm. His control slipped another notch.

  “There!” She jabbed a finger at the monitor. “Is that something? Go that way.”

  Her breasts pressed against his shoulder and her hair fell against his ear. Her hand rested on his arm. Every nerve in his body was at attention. He damn near couldn’t operate the controller, and not only because she inhibited the movement of his arm.

  He turned his head, covering his ear with his hand mockingly. “You want to do this?”

  Her eyes brightened despite his sarcasm. “You mean it?”

  He pushed back the folding chair, the legs scraping over the rough wood. “Go ahead. Just remember there’s several thousand dollars’ worth of equipment down there.”

  He eased around her in the close space, holding his breath so not to graze against her, to no avail. His body came to swift attention as her bottom brushed his groin, and he hung suspended after she took his place in the chair. He stepped behind her, trying not to breathe in the scent of sunscreen and fruity shampoo, resisting the urge to lower his nose to her hair.

  “Adrian,” she murmured after a few moments of trying to maneuver the camera where she wanted it to go. “How do I—?”

  He leaned forward, unable to avoid contact. Effectively embracing her, he folded his hands around hers on the controller, his chest against her back, where he felt the catch of her breath. He wouldn’t think about how soft and fragile her hands felt beneath his as he guided them on the control. He wouldn’t think about how her hands had once glided over his body.

  He couldn’t think of anything else.

  Did he have to be so close, so warm, so male? Every breath he took, labored though it was, rushed past Mallory’s ear, sending goose bumps over her skin. A wave rolled under the barge and he gripped her shoulder a minute for balance. He smelled of coffee and his own scent, his own flavor that she could taste without even trying, though their last kiss had been over three years ago. If she turned her head…

  But she couldn’t. Whatever heat remained between them had to be buried. That was why she’d been so eager to get out of here.

  Damn her curiosity.

  “Look!” Dr. Vigil’s voice made them both jump. He leaned into the space that had just been the two of them.

  Adrian drew away. Mallory was swamped with a sense of loss that had her wanting to shove away from the computer and jump into the water. Maybe she’d find her wits down there.

  She focused on the screen, at what Dr. Vigil had pointed out. Adrian edged closer to make room for the older man. He pressed a button to zoom the camera in. The unmistakable glint of metal showed through the silt and seaweed, and as Mallory maneuvered the camera closer, she could see the curve of a portal.

  Ship window? Or oar bank?

  The familiar old zing of discovery went through her. This camera wasn’t doing it for her. She had to get a closer look. She looked at Adrian, pushing her hair out of her face.

  “So,” she asked, excitement trembling in her v
oice. “When are we going in?”

  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.

  Not something she was going to think about now. She kicked harder and pulled alongside Adrian. He turned to look at her, and his eyes crinkled a little behind his mask, smiling encouragement. Of all the signals they’d developed in their years together, that one pierced her heart. Still lost in that memory, she almost missed his gesture as he pointed toward the ocean floor.

  There it was, sprawled beneath them. Enough of a hull remained that she could see oar ports, badly eroded. How deep had this been buried before the hurricane uncovered it?

  She moved closer but Adrian caught her arm and pointed. A swirl from her fin had sent up a flurry of splinters where she hadn’t noticed the wood was exposed. Her very movement could disintegrate the hull if she wasn’t careful. Chastened, she nodded and took the end of the rubber sheet he handed her. Her excitement had overwhelmed her sense of priorities. She couldn’t let that happen again, couldn’t let herself become invested. She was going home.

  Working together in a familiar pattern, they covered the exposed hull, swam about to see if any more remained uncovered, then weighed the sheet down with sand before Adrian motioned to his dive watch.

  Time to go up, back to real life.

  They swam to the guideline, marked with decompression stops. She’d forgotten what a stickler Adrian was for diving by the tables. Out here, with such a small group, that would be more important than ever. Regret flashed through her as she realized this was her only dive on this site, or probably ever again.

  The sadness of the thought stunned her. She’d been ready to give this up forever. Now, with the taste of oxygen in her mouth and blue water embracing her, she wasn’t so sure. She hated uncertainty.

  Adrian grabbed her arm, startling her. She looked into his eyes behind the mask and saw the exaggerated crease of his brow. She signaled that she was okay, but he continued to watch her closely.

  Strange how they could read each other’s emotions so well after all this time.

  They surfaced and he stripped off his mask. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his brow furrowed. “Are you cold? Is it the suit? Your oxygen?”

  Amused, she paddled out of his reach when he tried to look at her gauges. “I’m fine. I’m just—thanks for letting me see it.”

  He looked at her blankly. She swam past him and grabbed on to the barge’s ladder. Impulsively, she reached over and kissed his cheek, trying not to think about the stubble under her lips, about the surprise in his eyes. About how she would never again offer such a casual gesture to the man she’d loved. “Thanks.”

  Heart pounding at her own recklessness, eager to make her escape after the whim, she reached up to Toney and Dr. Vigil who waited to bring her out of the water.

  “Your nose is bleeding,” Jacob said in alarm, motioning to her face as Adrian hauled himself onto the platform.

  She lifted a finger to her nose and drew it away to find it bright with blood.

  Adrian sat heavily on the bench beside her and swore. His tone changed as he stripped off his gloves and pinched the bridge of her nose with his waterlogged fingers. “I’ve got it.”

  She’d forgotten that she always had nosebleeds when she surfaced. She’d always taken care of them herself. Why was he helping her out now?

  “Did you come up too fast?” Jacob asked sharply, handing Adrian a towel. He took it and dabbed the rough cloth under her nose.

  “No, this is usual for her,” Dr. Vigil said, not hovering like the rest.

  She was aware now of Adrian’s leg pressed along hers, hi
s arm against her breast. She brushed his hand away to pinch her own nose, to hold the towel herself. He took the hint and moved aside. When she opened her eyes, she could just see the tops of his bare shoulders as he stripped out of his wetsuit.

  “What did you see?” Dr. Vigil asked.

  “Most of the bow, the port side, buried under a bunch of sand. This is going to be one hell of an excavation.”

  But Adrian’s tone wasn’t as excited as she expected. He sounded like a man with too much responsibility weighing him down.

  The project was huge. Adrian’s responsibility meant he was under incredible amounts of pressure, most of it from himself. The Adrian she knew would handle it or die trying.

  She dropped the towel to her side and stood to unzip her wetsuit, remembering too late that she only wore her T-shirt and panties, both now wet and clinging to her. Four sets of male eyes focused on her. Adrian stepped in front of her, his back to her.

  “There’s an extra T-shirt in that bag there,” he said gruffly, his burr a little heavier than usual. “Gentlemen?”

  Adrian made sure the other men faced the other way. He hoped to hell they weren’t picturing her as clearly as he was. Hell, what had she been thinking? He could see her lacy bra, her erect nipples through the thin fabric of her T-shirt, and could see even more through the sexy little panties. His body responded to the sight, to the familiarity. What the hell was she doing wearing underwear like that out here anyway?

  He turned when she cleared her throat. She wore his old, limp college shirt and finger combed her loosened hair. She looked so young, like the girl he’d fallen in love with.

  He picked up the bloody towel, wiped some crusty blood from her upper lip. Even now he hated to see her hurting, and she was, beyond the nosebleed. It went deeper than that, and she wouldn’t tell him. He wasn’t that person for her anymore.

  “It’s stopped now, I think,” he said, stepping back.

  She nodded, not looking at him. Was she thinking about the peck on the cheek she’d given him? A perfectly innocent kiss that put him in a perfectly foul mood because for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why she would show him affection the day after she’d served him with divorce papers. And it didn’t look like she planned on enlightening him.