Between the CEO's Sheets / House Calls: Between the CEO's Sheets / House Calls. Michelle Celmer

      “You’re right on time.”

      She took her eyes off the ocean long enough to answer, “Thanks to the driver you sent to pick me up.” She bit down on her lip and stood there looking quite businesslike, her chin at an unapproachable tilt and her stance slightly rigid. But that dress…that dress could make a man forget his own name.

      “Come aboard,” he said, putting a hand out to help her.

      She scanned the length of the boat and drew a deep breath as if steadying her nerves.

      “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?” he asked.

      She gazed once more at the ocean beyond the marina and shook her head, but her soft tentative answer left room for doubt. “No.”

      Wade gestured with his outstretched hand. “Come on, Gina. We have to set sail soon.”

      From the minute he’d seen it, Wade had known he had to own this fifty-two-foot Jeanneau sloop. It hadn’t mattered that he didn’t know how to sail. He’d made it a hobby and a far-reaching goal to master the craft when he’d first arrived in California. And he’d never been sorry.

      Gina’s gaze scanned the deck and the steps leading to the quarters below. “I don’t see the crew? Are they late?”

      “You’re looking at the crew.”

      Gina’s dark almond-shaped eyes opened wide. “You?”

      “Sam’s the pilot in the family and I’m the sailor.”

      He stepped from the boat onto the ramp and grabbed the suitcase from her hand. “Come aboard and I’ll show you around.”

      After a moment’s hesitation, Gina accepted his help and he guided her down onto his boat, releasing her the moment her feet hit the deck.

      “I had no idea this was how we would arrive in Catalina.”

      Wade had purposely left that detail out. He didn’t know how she would’ve reacted to his sailing them across to the island. Some people got jittery when they realized only one man had full charge of the boat. But that was what appealed to him most about sailing—the solitude and the challenge of being at the helm. And since he’d had a hard enough time convincing Gina to take the job last night, he’d thought it best to leave their travel arrangements out of the conversation.

      His old man once told him that timing was everything. Wade believed him. He knew that after that kiss last night and then the untimely appearance from Veronica, he was on shaky enough ground with Gina. She’d been ready to walk out of his life again.

      But that kiss had him tied up in knots all night long. Gina had melted in his arms. That much hadn’t changed. She’d tasted like wine, her lips soft and full and ripe. Her body molded to his, they fit each other like two puzzle pieces. He couldn’t hide his reaction to her any more than she could to him. Wade had lost himself in that kiss and he realized that he couldn’t let her go until they’d cleared up all of their unfinished business. Then and only then, would he say farewell to Gina for good.

      “Can’t say that I ever imagined I’d get you on Total Command.”

      Gina arched her brow. “Excuse me?”

      “Total Command. The name of the boat. And the only way I operate these days.

      Gina cast him a disapproving look.

      “Listen, I’ll get us both to the island safe and sound. There’s no need to worry.” Wade picked up her travel bag and stepped down into the living quarters of the boat first and reached for her hand. She advanced carefully down the steps. But when the boat rocked slightly, she lurched forward. Wade grabbed her and their eyes met as their bodies collided. Intense heat sizzled between them. She was soft where she needed to be soft, and firm in all the right places. Wade held her for only a second before stepping aside.

      He showed her the open space that would serve as a living room and then they walked through the galley where he had fixed them a mid-morning snack of fresh fruit, cheese and coffee.

      Next he explained about the VHF radio and the SSB, the Single Sideband system used for a wider perimeter of communication. He’d even explained to her how she should call for help in case of an emergency. “But don’t worry about that. The weather is clear, the wind perfect, I’m in good health and we’ll be in Catalina before lunchtime.”

      Gina nodded, but he didn’t miss her wide-eyed expression when he described to her how she could reach the coast guard if necessary.

      “And what’s in there?” she asked gesturing toward a doorway.

      “The master bedroom and bath. There’s two more bedrooms on the opposite end of the boat.”

      “You don’t expect, uh, you don’t expect me to sleep down here.”

      Wade wouldn’t get a lick of work done if she did. “That’s not in your job description. You’ll have a room in the finest inn on the island.”

      “And you?” she asked. “Where will you be?”

      “Right here. I stay on the boat when we moor. I don’t get as much time as I’d like on the boat. So I’ve set up an office in one of the spare bedrooms.”

      He guided her back to the stairs, catching a whiff of her perfume, some exotic fragrance that reminded him of sultry tropical nights. As she climbed up the steps to the top deck he admired the wiggle of her bottom and those long tanned legs as he followed her up.

      “Ready?” he asked.

      She drew another deep breath into her lungs then put on dark sunglasses. She looked mysterious in them, a superstar trying to conceal her identity. And in a way Gina was a mystery to him. He didn’t know her mind, how it worked, what made her tick. He’d known her body and, hopefully, would try his best to know it again, but he would never believe he knew what she was thinking. He refused to make that mistake again.

      Wade prepared the yacht for their departure, untying the ropes and setting the sails. Soon they were moving through the marina, past the rocks that harbored the bay, picking up wind that would take them into the Pacific Ocean.

      Gina shook with fear the moment the boat began its journey out of the calm marina waters. She took a seat in the cockpit area as salty sea spray lightly drizzled her. With slight desperation she tried to block out images of the last time she’d been on the water, the last time she’d seen her parents alive.

      She prayed for enough courage to sustain her through this trip and placed her faith in Wade and his sailing abilities. She watched him move along the sheets and sails, making adjustments and setting the course.

      In faded blue jeans and a white tank, Wade might have looked like a typical sailor except his muscles strained harder, his body held more steadfastly, the concentration on his face appeared deeper than on any man she had ever known. Studying his fluid movements along the rigging, Gina could only admire him.

      His kiss last night had been something.

      But it had meant nothing to him.

      I need you.

      Yes, she understood that he needed her as his personal assistant, a right-hand man and a secretary all rolled up in one. He didn’t need her in any other capacity. Not in the way she had needed him nine years ago.

      Wade took his place behind the wheel and they sailed in silence for a short time. The boat rocked and waves smashed up against the hull as they sailed along. Gina shuddered, unable to suppress the trembling of her body.

      Wade turned at that very instant, catching her in a moment of fear. Their eyes held for a moment before he angled around again and Gina hugged her middle, tamping down the tremors that passed through her.

      A few minutes later, Wade left the wheel and handed her a life jacket. “Put this on. You’ll feel better.”

      Gina didn’t bother to