Reaching down for her Chacos, she straightened and pointed. “You got your gun wet.”
He smiled. “The privilege of being a Navy SEAL. My equipment is waterproof and can fire anywhere on the planet.”
“I forget how special you are.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” she asked sassily. “Tease you, or forget how special you are?”
“You can tease me all you want.Neverforget how special I am.” His voice deepened. “Or at least should be to you.”
His grin was so appealing she had to force out a laugh, embarrassed when it was husky and unsteady. He was special. He was amazing. She had to somehow resist his appeal. She wanted to ask him if he ever planned to settle down and get married, but that would send all the wrong signals, as if she yearned to be the one he’d marry. He was only teasing and making things fun, and she needed to remember that.
She turned away and headed up the stairs. He followed without saying anything.
They reached the back patio and the pool, still dripping. “I don’t want to drip water through that beautiful house,” she said.
He looked around and then walked to a shelf by the pool, bending down and pulling two large towels off the lower shelf. She followed him and took one towel from his outstretched hand.
“Perfect. Thank you.” She set her shoes down, squeezed some water from her hair with the towel, then wrapped it around her torso and legs.
They were quiet as they made their way back into the house. Aiden locked the patio door behind them and then set an alarm. “Wait just a moment,” he cautioned her.
She didn’t say anything but watched as he walked into each of the bedrooms and then out and even checked the pantry. “Everything’s secure,” he said. “I’d get an alert from the sensors or cameras, but I like to make sure.”
“Thank you.”
He walked to the fridge, retrieved two water bottles, and brought one to her. Their fingers brushed and set off a warmth inside her.
Aiden smiled at her. She uncapped the water bottle and took a long, satisfying, restorative drink to cover her reaction to him. She felt so safe, warm, and taken care of with him around. If only she could bring him with her to her next assignment. She doubted very much she’d get back to Banida or Poland. She wondered where the owner of Health for All, Avalyn Shaman-Hawk, would assign her next. It needed to be somewhere far from General Phillip’s reign of terror, like Fiji or Tahiti. There was no shortage of charitable missions with so many people not being born into the privilege and opportunity she had, then to make it worse, evil people created more havoc and poverty through war and selfishness. She felt a pang as she looked around at this beautiful and luxurious retreat. It would be hard to relax knowing so many were suffering.
What about Thomas’s family and all those people at the refugee camp? Had Phillip gone after them? She feared he would, but nobody would confirm that to her. Probably because it was true. It made her sick. Sadly, there was nothing she could do besides pray.
Hopefully, twelve hours in a comfortable and clean bed would help restore her normally positive attitude, and help her have the self-control to not beg Aiden to take off his shirt and show off his tattoos and then pull her against that nice chest of his again. It had simply been too long since she’d dated or flirted with a man. It wasn’t that Aiden was special to her.
But maybe it was.
“Which room is mine?”
He pointed at the bedroom closest to them. “Your clothes and girly stuff are in the master.”
“Clothes and girly stuff?” She suddenly felt lighter. She wouldn’t have to subsist in these clothes and with no toiletries until they were given clearance to leave here?
“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned and pushed at his wet hair, making his muscles all too evident in that wet T-shirt.
Melene let out a happy cheer, which made him chuckle. She held on to the towel as she rushed for the bedroom door. It was a gorgeous, airy bedroom with an enormous bed covered in a fluffy white comforter, a divan sofa by the huge windows, and white dressers against the other walls. Large windows perpendicular to the bed probably gave a great view of the ocean and greenery in the daytime.
She ran into the attached bath to her left. It had a nice granite shower enclosure, a corner soaking tub, a toilet in its own small room, and a large granite double-sink vanity. There were a multitude of hair products, lotions and perfumes, makeup, and most importantly toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and mouthwash on the counter. There was also a small walk-in closet with sundresses, swimsuit coverups, and fancy dresses hanging up. On the shelves were stacked shorts, T-shirts, bras, underwear, swimsuits, and socks. There were even some strappy sandals, flip-flops, and running shoes. Would she be able to go on a run through this huge property? Who had been so thorough and generous with her needs?
Melene was used to being the one who showed up with necessities to help people eke out a life barely above survival levels. She always brought her personal backpack with toiletries, her phone, scriptures, her running shoes, and what clothes she could fit. Health for All provided anything else she needed on location, but this was above and beyond. Someone had personally anticipated her every need and made sure that even though she was in survival mode of her own, she would have things to make her beyond comfortable. She found herself strangely emotional and very grateful. Having all of this felt like something her family would do for her, felt like home and someone caring for her in a way she hadn’t felt since she was a small child. Scratch that. Aiden had cared for her like this on all those ships and submarines.
She heard Aiden walk in behind her. “Do you have everything you need?”
The contents of the closet were blurry, and she couldn’t blink them clear. She dropped the water bottle, spun around, and threw her arms around his neck. “Bless whoever was so thoughtful!”
The towel dropped from around her and she was pressed tightly against him as he returned the hug. “I, um, thought that you would …”
“You did this?” She should’ve guessed. Ah, Aiden. How could he keep impressing her more every moment?