due for a promotion as soon as I return to Alexandria, so it’s imperative I leave Greece on the next flight out.”
His silvery eyes bored into hers. “Will one more day matter in the scheme of things?”
Yes, considering the convulsion he’d set off by his unexpected presence here. “Since my boss is expecting me, I’m afraid so. Now if you’ll excuse me, people are starting to board the ferry.”
“Let them,” he declared. “My boat will take you wherever you want to go.”
She sustained his gaze without flinching. Andreas had an agenda and insisted on taking her to her parents, so there was no point in fighting him. If she kept her wits about her, she ought to be able to handle a few more hours alone with him. Play along for a little while longer. That was the key.
“Okay. I give up. Hello, Andreas. It’s lovely to see you again. What brings you to this island on such a beautiful summer morning?”
Laughter rumbled out of him. “That’s better.”
“I’m glad you think so.” The charisma of the man had the power to raise her temperature. “My plan is to go back to Heraklion. I need to pack the rest of my things before I fly home.”
He picked up her overnight bag. “Come with me and we’ll reach Crete long before the ferry gets there.”
Andreas walked her in another direction toward a sleek-looking jet boat tied up in one of the slips. The Simonides family had a different vessel for every occasion. For this trip it was going to be just the two of them. Though she forbade it, she couldn’t stop the thrill of excitement that spread through her body to be with him again. She had to be some kind of masochist.
After helping her on board, he handed her a life jacket and told her to put it on. While she buckled up, he undid the ropes and jumped in, taking his place at the wheel. Before he could turn on the engine, she handed him a life jacket. “What’s sauce for the goose…” she teased. “Do you know the expression?”
“I know a better one.” He smiled back. “Never argue with a woman holding a weapon.” He slanted her an amused glance before taking it from her and putting it on his hard-muscled frame. She felt relief knowing that if, heaven help them, something happened on the way to Crete, he was wearing a floating device, too.
The cold, implacable head of the Simonides corporation she’d first confronted at his office was so far removed from the relaxed man driving the boat, she had trouble connecting the two. Before she knew it, they were idling out to sea at a wakeless speed.
“How long are you going to keep me in suspense about what really brought you here this morning?”
Andreas didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Not long.” He engaged the gears and the boat burst across the water like a surfaced torpedo.
Gabi had to be happy with that explanation. She was happy. Too happy to be with him when he didn’t know what it meant to be faithful to one woman. Gabi wished she didn’t care and could give in to her desire without counting the cost.
Deline was a much better woman than Gabi. She’d forgiven Leon his one-night stand with Thea. Until she’d found out about the twins…
Resigned to her fate—at least until they reached Heraklion—Gabi put her head back to feel the sun on her face. Every so often the boat kicked up spray, dappling her skin with fine droplets of water. She kept her eyes closed in an attempt to rein in her exhilaration.
The problem was, she’d fallen irrevocably in love with Andreas, the deep, painful kind that would never go away. But she’d made up her mind he would never know he was the great love of her life. Nor would she ever dare to say it out loud. An ordinary mortal reaching for the unattainable might bring on the mockery of the gods.
“Tell me something honestly, Gabi. How wedded are you to returning to your old job?”
His question jolted her back to the real world. She sat up, eyeing him through shuttered lids to keep out the blinding sun. “I’m very wedded. Besides being stimulating, it provides me a comfortable living with the promise of great things in the future. Why do you ask?”
He cut the motor, immediately creating silence except for the lapping of water against the hull. In a deft motion he left his seat long enough to produce a couple of sodas from the cooler. After handing her one, he sat down again with his well-honed body turned toward her.
“Thank you. I didn’t realize I was thirsty until now.”
His eyes, a solid metal-gray at the moment, met hers over the rim of his drink. “I know what you mean.” An odd nuance in his low voice caused her to believe he was referring to something else. Memories of the two of them communicating in the most elemental of ways on that beach never left her mind. Trembling, she looked away.
“What do you recall about my receptionist?”
The question was so strange, she thought she hadn’t heard him right, but Andreas never said or did anything without a reason. “I suppose I thought she was firm, but fair…even kind in her own way.”
“An excellent description,” he murmured. “Anna’s going to be seventy on her next birthday. She worked for my father forty-five years and never married.”
“They must have been a perfect match for her to stay in his employ that long.” Gabi imagined the woman had been madly in love with the senior Simonides. If he had a tenth of his son’s brilliance and vitality, it all made perfect sense.
“When he stepped down, I kept her on with the intention of asking her to train a new receptionist before I let her go. However, after one day of working with her, I realized what a treasure she was and I refused to consider breaking in anyone else.”
Gabi swallowed the rest of her drink. “If it hadn’t been for her, the twins would still be without their father. For that alone, I like her without really knowing her.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath. “Being a receptionist is only one of Anna’s jobs. In a word, she’s the keeper of the flame. Do you understand what I mean?”
“I think so,” Gabi said with conviction. “She’s a paragon of the virtues you admire most.”
He nodded gravely. “But she needs to retire and get the knee replacement she’s been putting off.”
“I noticed her limping.”
“It’s getting worse every day. The trouble is, I’ve despaired of finding anyone else like her. Then I met you.” His piercing glance rested on her, reminding her of something he’d said to her a week ago.
If you were looking for a job, I’d hire you as my personal assistant on your integrity and discretion alone.
The worst nightmare she could conceive of was upon her. She knew exactly where this conversation was going and shook her head.
“Before you refuse me outright,” he said, “I’m only suggesting that I could use your help while I look around the company for the right person to replace her. It could take me several months. You’ll be given your own furnished apartment on the floor below my office. There’s a restaurant on the next floor down for the staff.”
“Andreas—”
