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When she looked closer, she noticed waterproof weight bands clamped around his wrists, to , this went beyond exercise and leaned toward ain, she hadn’t used the ship’s fitness center for a while and tended toward yoga to keep most of the unwanted pounds off her curvy frame

She had long gotten over hoell Juan had adapted to losing his leg He never let it stop or even slow hie to be conquered

Cabrillo made a crisp flip turn at the far end of the pool and powered his way toward her, his blue eyes obscured by a pair of goggles, hiswide for every breath Heto an end, because he suddenly accelerated, pouring on the power to finish the last part of his swih it was a sprint

As the ship’s doctor, Hux knew everything about the crew’s e by the way he swam

He reached her in a froth of water that spilled onto the landing and forced her back to save the Gucci loafers she earing with a pair of khakis and a simple oxford shirt Over that, Julia sported her ubiquitous lab coat He slapped the edge of the pool and looked up at the big timer’s clock on the wall behind her

“Dales and the weights from around both wrists

“Could have fooled me” Julia tossed him a towel as he heaved himself from the water in one fluid motion

“I’ve been down here for thirtythe thick towel over his body If he felt self-conscious wearing a Speedo in front of her, it didn’t show, but with his physique there was nothing to be eo, I could have done at least fifteen more laps”

“And five years ago, I didn’t have crow’s-feet Get over it,” she said with a smile that revealed the tiny lines at the corners of her eyes were laugh lines and not a sign of ie

“What do they say, ‘youth is wasted on the young’?”

“I have a feeling you didn’t waste much of yours, Juan Cabrillo”

He chuckled but didn’t deny it “You aren’t dressed for a swim, so you didn’t coton we had for dinner What gives?”

A look of concern darkened Huxley’s face “We have a little problem Well, it’s actually Max’s problem, but I think it should affect all of us”

Julia wasn’t a trained psychologist, but herdemeanor made her the ship’s de facto counselor

Cabrillo draped the daave Hux his undivided attention “Talk to me”