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

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СКАЧАТЬ pulse of his erection against her thigh.

      When he broke off the kiss, they looked deeply into each other’s eyes. “Definitely feeling dizzy now,” she whispered softly.

      Wade smiled again and spoke in a low, raspy voice. “You want me.”

      It wasn’t a question but a statement of fact. One she couldn’t deny. “Yes.”

      Wade kissed her again and palmed her breast until spiraling heat curled up from her belly.

      “This is a long time coming, Gina.”

      He pressed her down lower on his lap and, leaning over her, he slipped his hand under the waistband of her jeans, his fingers trekking slowly, teasing, tempting, until finally he reached her.

      Gina welcomed him. His touch, the stroking of his fingers as they kissed, brought damp moist heat and an ecstasy she’d only known in his arms.

      Suddenly, Wade froze, his head shooting up and he muttered a foul curse.

      “What is it?” Gina asked, stunned by his quick abandonment.

      “Security jeep. Coming from down the road. They must have seen the gate unlocked.”

      He lifted her off him and together they stood facing each other, Gina’s clothes as disheveled as her mind.

      “Get dressed,” he said. “I’ll go meet them. Explain who we are.”

      No words came. She could only nod.

      Wade plucked his hat from the ground, yanked it onto his head and strode over to his horse. Before mounting, he turned to her with deep regret in his eyes, as he watched her button her blouse. “One of these days I’m going to make love to you in a damn bed.”

      Wade escorted Gina back to town, leaving her in front of the hotel. She’d been quiet on the ride back to the stables and then, as they walked back to the hotel, she hadn’t said more than a few sentences. Wade wasn’t in the mood for talking either. He’d had a few choice words for the security guards who needed convincing that he wasn’t a trespasser. Their interruption had cost him. His desire for Gina had gone unsatisfied and that made him want her all the more.

      It irritated the hell out of him how much he wanted her. She couldn’t be trusted and he’d never forgive her for her betrayal, so why wasn’t he satisfied with all the other women he’d had in his life?

      “Take a few hours to rest. We have a late lunch meeting. I’ll go to the boat and do some work. I’ll be back later to pick you up.”

      Gina nodded, but kept her eyes from meeting his. “Okay.”

      Wade cupped her chin and forced her to look at him. “Are you up for it?”

      She shot him a look of defiance. “I came here to work, Wade.” She backed away, releasing his hold on her. “So yes, I’m up for it. But back there, that was a mistake. We’ve both changed. We’re not the same people we were when we knew each other in El Paso. You’re paying me to be your personal assistant. I don’t believe sleeping with the boss is in my job description.”

      Wade tamped down rising anger. “That had nothing to do with business or the fact that I’m your boss. As I recall, you said yes and couldn’t wait for me to get into your pants.”

      Gina’s dark eyes went wide. She lifted her hand and Wade warned her with a searing glance not to even try it. When she lowered her hand, she spoke with quiet calm, her words more potent than any slap to the face. “I thought I saw an inkling of the man you once were, Wade. The man I wanted above all else, the man who was kind and generous and caring. But I was mistaken, you’re nothing like him.”

      Wade jammed his hands in the back pockets of his jeans, watching her spin around and walk into the hotel lobby. Her words stung but he wouldn’t be played for a fool ever again.

      No matter how much he wanted her.

      * * *

      Wade poured himself a whiskey on the rocks, something that always soothed his bad temper, and took a seat at his desk. He let the mellow rocking of the boat and the fresh sea breeze calm him for several minutes before opening his e-mail account. He punched in his password and viewed more than a dozen messages forwarded to him from Triple B.

      As he went through half of them, all having to do with the Catalina project, Wade came upon one message he hadn’t expected, from Sarah Buckley.

      He hadn’t spoken with Sarah in over six months. They’d always remained friends, but ever since that episode with Gina years ago, their relationship hadn’t been quite the same. He’d left El Paso shortly after that tumultuous summer to work at Triple B with his father. Maybe his imagination was in overdrive, but whenever he had visited his uncle and aunt in El Paso, he’d also made a stop in to see the Buckleys and, oddly, they’d been slightly distant, polite but not as friendly as he remembered. And Sarah, too, had seemed more cautious with him.

      He punched in and opened the e-mail.

      Wade, I know you’re out of town, but it’s important that you call me when you return. We need to talk.

      Always,

      Your friend,

      Sarah

      Wade sipped his drink, staring at the message for a moment, making a mental note to call Sarah once he returned to Los Angeles. Right now, he had enough to deal with, Gina being right up there on his list.

      He realized his approach with Gina had been completely wrong. She wasn’t an easy female to figure out but he did know that when she was backed into a corner, she came out fighting. Though she was as headstrong and volatile as she was beautiful, Wade wouldn’t let her get away this time around. She had become nearly as important as the Catalina Project and both were challenges he fully intended to win. He finished his drink, took a quick shower and changed into different clothes. Before meeting Gina at the hotel, he had one important errand to run.

      Gina glanced at the digital clock on the bed stand. It was ten minutes after two and Wade was late. It wasn’t like him to be late for a meeting.

      She glanced at her reflection in the framed beveled mirror, straightening out her tan skirt and cream knit shell top. She tossed the short tailored jacket she’d donned minutes ago onto the bed and headed to the wraparound balcony for a breath of fresh air.

      Her nerves had been wrought ever since she’d come to this island. The trip over here in Wade’s yacht had nearly done her in and she hadn’t thought things could’ve gotten any worse. But they had.

      She didn’t know where she stood with Wade. He was her boss, that was a given. He wanted to be her lover. That’s where it all got confusing. She knew enough not to get involved with him romantically, yet when he kissed her and touched her tenderly, memories flooded in, sweet hot wonderful memories of the times they had shared in the past. Gina had succumbed to him earlier today and the heat of his touch still sizzled on her lips and other highly sensitive parts of her anatomy. Wade had left his mark on her body.

      A light-hearted tap on the door surprised her. She strode the distance wondering who it could be. Certainly Wade’s knock had always been more commanding. When she opened the door to her suite, she stood in awe, looking at СКАЧАТЬ