Special Forces Rendezvous. Elle Kennedy

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СКАЧАТЬ and said, “Are you sticking around in San Marquez for a while?”

      A regretful look entered his eyes. “I’m afraid not. I’m on a nine-o’clock flight back to Ecuador.”

      Disappointment skidded through her, but she hoped it didn’t show on her face. She trailed after him toward the older-model Jeep parked a few dozen yards away. She couldn’t help but admire his taut ass, which looked ridiculously good in those cargo pants of his.

      Oh, boy. She was totally lusting after this man.

      And he was leaving. Just her luck.

      Sebastian opened the driver’s door, but didn’t make a move to hop into the Jeep. Instead, he offered an awkward-looking shrug. She got the feeling this man didn’t feel awkward or nervous often, and she fought a smile as she watched him shift his feet.

      “Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, Doc.”

      “It was no problem at all.”

      He cleared his throat. “And if, er, if I find myself in these parts again, maybe I can come see you …”

      He trailed off, making it unclear whether that was a question or a statement.

      She treated it like the former. “Sure, I’d like that.”

      Their gazes collided, and there it was again, the crackle of heat, the sizzle of awareness. Her nipples promptly puckered and strained against her white cotton bra, and that spot between her legs throbbed with anticipation. Jeez. You’d think she hadn’t had sex in two years or something.

      Oh, right. She hadn’t had sex in two years.

      Pushing aside the sarcastic thoughts, she focused on Sebastian, who looked ready to say more. Julia held her breath, waiting for him to speak, but then an indefinable expression washed over his face. She glimpsed reluctance, regret, even a cloud of torment, and before she could try to make sense of it, he slid into the driver’s seat and shoved a key in the ignition.

      “Keep up the good work, Doc.” He raised his voice so she could hear him over the rumble of the engine.

      She swallowed another dose of disappointment. “Have a safe flight,” she told him, and then she stepped away from the vehicle and raised her hand in a wave.

      The Jeep raised a cloud of brown dust as Sebastian executed a U-turn and sped toward the gravel road that would lead him back to civilization.

      “Who was that?”

      Julia turned around in time to see Lissa Purdue descending the porch steps and striding in her direction. Out of all the staff at the clinic, she was closest with Lissa, the fun-loving Australian nurse she’d been bunking with for the past six months.

      “That was that journalist I told you about,” Julia answered, her eyes still focused on the Jeep, which was slowly disappearing from view.

      “For real? Because that was one crazy-hot bloke.”

      She sighed. “Yes, he was.”

      Lissa’s jaw fell open. “No way. The perpetually professional Dr. Davenport is showing not-so-professional interest in a bloke? Are you ill, love?”

      She rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t very well argue. It was true, the opposite sex hadn’t interested her much since she’d arrived on the island. While some of the other women—Lissa included—had no qualms about flirting with the single males in their vicinity, Julia made an effort to keep things professional.

      There were several attractive men working at the clinic, including Kevin Carlisle and Simone’s single father, Marcus, but Julia wasn’t one to mess around with a coworker. During her last placement in Ethiopia, she’d watched two colleagues fall in love—and then she’d witnessed the relationship crash and burn, making life downright unbearable for everyone who’d had the misfortune of being around.

      Unfortunately, with her coworkers off-limits, she didn’t have many other options in terms of sex or romance. Aside from the cute pilot who dropped off supplies every two months, there were no other single, eligible men to lust over.

      “You should’ve asked him to stay for dinner,” Lissa added, slinging an arm around Julia’s shoulder.

      At six feet, Lissa towered over Julia’s five-foot-five frame. Some of the men on staff teased the Aussie about her monstrous height, but truth was, everyone was a little bit in awe of Lissa. Now Lissa would definitely be Sebastian Stone’s type. A tall, gorgeous redhead with a great rack and endless legs?

      Call her selfish, but Julia was kind of glad Sebastian had already left before Lissa came outside. No doubt the man would have been drooling all over his hiking boots.

      “He had a flight to catch,” she replied as the two women headed inside.

      “Pity. You could’ve benefited from a good shag.”

      Julia burst out laughing. “Why are you so concerned with my sex life? Seriously, you talk about it a scary amount.”

      “I just don’t like seeing my mates work themselves to the bone, love. I wish you’d let yourself have some fun.”

      “I’ll have fun in three months.”

      She neglected to mention how incredibly not fun the thought of heading home was, but because Doctors International demanded mandatory breaks between placements, she had no choice but to return to Boston when her time was up.

      The nine-months-on, three-months-off cycle was liable to kill her. She’d joined D.I. the second she’d finished her residency, and she’d been with the organization for three years now. She was already dreading returning to Boston and twiddling her thumbs for twelve weeks while she waited for her next cycle to begin. She usually spent the time off taking shifts at a colleague’s private practice and counting the days until she could go overseas again.

      “Anyway,” she added as they headed for the small nurses’ station past the waiting room, “you can have fun for the both of us.” She grinned. “That is, if you’re still planning on seducing Kev?”

      “Definitely,” Lissa declared, her vivid green eyes shining with mischief. “The second you and Marcus graciously bestow me with a night off, I will be sneaking into Dr. Carlisle’s tent and finally putting us both out of our misery.”

      “You have been dancing around each other for six months now. It’s about time.”

      “Exactly.” Lissa pulled out the elastic restraining her hair and retied the curly red strands in a fresh ponytail. “I’ll see you later, love. Sally needs help with those vaccinations.”

      Julia watched the nurse bounce off in her usual lively fashion. Earlier, when she’d told Sebastian that her colleagues were her family, she hadn’t been kidding. Lissa truly had become like a sister to her. Kevin was her teasing older brother. Marcus was the father figure she’d lacked her entire life. Helga, the midwife on staff, was the sweet grandmother who handed out endless words of wisdom.

      With both her father and sister gone, Julia was all alone in the world. Sure, she still had her mother, but the two of them had never been close, and once Darlene moved to the West Coast СКАЧАТЬ