Thalia just stared at the greenish color of the water for a few seconds, then she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and jumped.
The water was warmer than she'd anticipated. It completely engulfed her, soaking her clothes, her hair, her tired body. She kicked her feet, propelling herself to the surface, and squeaked in surprise when she noticed Dean's wet head right beside her.
"Are you okay, Doc?"
She spat water from her mouth. "I'm fine."
"Let's head in."
They swam together side by side, Thalia feeling like a wet rat. She removed the braid from her hair and let it loose.
"Ugh. Nothing worse than wet pants," she said.
"Don't worry, you won't be wearing that for long. You can borrow Ina's clothes when we get to the beach house."
"And how do we get to the beach house you're talking about?" Her suspicious gaze drifted to the trees. "Don't tell me we're going to walk again. In these wet clothes."
"Our car is not far away," he assured her. "We'll get there on time too."
But she just shut her mouth when she saw Dean take off his top. Gosh! Her eyes will be guilty again. Because his abs looks appetizing.
Dean suddenly turned to her because she seemed to have been dumbfounded for a while. "Are you really okay, Doc?"
"I'm fine," she muttered, then she looked away from him. "Come on, let's proceed so we can finish this walk."
Dean's soft chuckle confirmed that her appreciation over his delectable body was still written all over her face.
She felt that her face was already red, so she just bowed down and followed him walking when they got out of the sea. It was also a bit difficult for her to walk with her pants wet so she asked him to rest a little.
Gritting her teeth, she unbuttoned her plaid shirt and shrugged out of the wet sleeves. Her white tank top was soaked, too, but at least the material wasn't as heavy and stifling as the plaid. She quickly tied the shirt around her waist and said, "Okay, I'm ready."
Dean cleared his throat. "Um. For the sake of full disclosure here, you need to know that I see…well, everything."
Thalia stared at his broad chest, and the blush on her face seemed to intensify. Shit, she forgot she was wearing a thin white bra under her wet white tank top. She was sure that her nipples were really exposed in her white dress.
When Dean's eyes met hers, both of her cheeks suddenly warmed. Those magnetic eyes smoldered with unmistakable desire. In that moment, she knew that he wanted her. This gorgeous, powerful warrior actually wanted her.
Of course he does. Just by looking at her, it's like she's naked in front of him.
Thalia swallowed and immediately looked away. "Thank you for letting me know," she said. "But what if you just pretend you can't see what's inside my t-shirt so I can maintain my illusion of modesty?"
A corner of his lips lifted. "Sure."
And when they continued walking, she was really impressed with the man because he always knew where they were going no matter what clothes they were wearing. Either the man was a walking GPS, or else he was very familiar with this particular 'pickup' point.
"It's right through these trees," he said after twenty minutes.
When they stopped at a road, Thalia was just amazed at what she saw. Well, it was more of a trail, if anything, unpaved and bordered by towering trees on each side, but it was definitely wide enough to accommodate the beat-up Jeep parked ten yards away.
Dean pulled her arm. "Come on, Pierre is waiting for us."
Her walk suddenly accelerated so she had difficulty keeping up with his big steps. When they reached the parked olive-green car, a man immediately got down from the driver's seat and gave Dean a manly hug, while Thalia just watched their sweet scene.
"Thalia, this is Pierre Paredes," Dean introduced the man. "Pierre, she is Thalia Ricafort, the doctor I told you about."
Pierre immediately extended a hand. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Ricafort."
Whoa! In fairness, he's also handsome. They were about the same height as Dean, and he's very masculine as well. If Dean is overflowing with sex appeal, this Pierre is a heartthrob, and she is sure that women will really chase him.
Dean put his duffel bag in the back of the car. "We have to get out of here," Dean announced. "We can't stay outside like this."
His matter-of-fact observation was an unwanted reminder that her life was officially in trouble. Twenty-four hours ago, she'd been doing rounds at the clinic, checking on potential cholera patients and awaiting the arrival of the journalist who'd requested an interview with her.
Now their clinic is in ashes, as well as their patients and colleagues. And the journalist he met this afternoon turned out to be a Special Forces operative hiding from the law.
Now she is hiding, too.
Oh, God. How is this happening to her?
"Try to sleep for the duration of our trip." Dean said softly as he opened the car door for her. "I know you're having a hard time with wet clothes, but just think you'll be able to change clothes soon."
Thalia climbed into the Jeep and sat in the backseat. "I doubt if I can sleep. Every time I close my eyes I see..."
Liza. Nadine. Marc.
It was as if her heart was squeezed when she remembered her colleagues at the clinic. She blinked a few times, just to stop the tears that were about to fall.
"I know, Doc. I know how hard it is," Dean said firmly. "But it will be more difficult than that, so you need a rest before you experience the next challenges you will face."
She burst out laughing. "Wow, that's impressive. You can be a motivational speaker with that."
He grinned. "Well, I won't apologize as a realist."
"Yeah, but more like a pessimist," Pierre butt in and climbed into the driver's seat. "Dean over here always expects the worst, Doc. His glass is forever empty, not a single drop of moisture in there."
Thalia glanced over at Dean to hear his rebuttal, but he didn't deny any of it. For some reason, that caused a wave of sadness inside her. In spite of the pains in her life, in spite of the ones she witnessed who lost their lives on a daily basis, she was still able to hope despite everything. Hope that life would get better, hope that her efforts would actually make a difference. If that makes her naive, then so be it. But no matter how bad things are, she knows there is still hope as long as a person lives.
*****
