style="font-size:15px;"> She watched another minute, then made up her mind. She could act like an idiot and avoid the man as much as possible or take advantage of the invitation to the bridge and learn all she could.
She spun around and almost marched to the high table with the charts. “So what are we looking at?” she asked, peering at the yellow page with blue lines swirling around.
“A depth chart of the sea between here and the island. We are looking for deeper water, which will minimize some of the wave action. We want as smooth a journey as possible,” Nikos said, moving slightly so she could see better.
He put his arm over her shoulder and pointed to a series of irregular circles. “This shows the topography of the sea floor. Here are depth indicators.” She watched as he pointed out aspects of the chart and the route they were planning.
“How will you know where these are from up here?” she asked.
Nikos removed his arm and looked at the captain. The older man gave a concise explanation of the depth sounder and GPS positioning to which Sara was able to listen and understand without Nikos’s touch rocketing her senses.
“I thought you just hopped aboard and took off,” she said at the end of the explanation.
“More or less if we use the heliport. My father usually uses that as it’s faster than ship, but I prefer the Cassandra. Since the weather has kicked up a bit, we’re looking for a smoother passage than the usual route we take. We’ll be there by lunchtime.”
“So if it takes you hours to get there, I bet shopping is a two-day affair.”
“There are islands nearby which offer shopping and other amenities. My grandfather wants a new runabout to get to the nearest one. Takes about forty minutes in a smaller boat.”
“Your grandparents are there now?” she asked. She couldn’t be this close and bear to learn her grandmother was elsewhere.
“Of course, they’re who I’m going to see.”
She nodded and looked back out of the window.
Sara enjoyed watching the men on the dock cast off the lines. She marveled at how the captain could maneuver such a large ship away without a scrape anywhere. The rain had not abated. The large wipers on the front windows kept the glass clear. She smiled as she felt the power of the engine when they went to cruising speed sometime later.
Turning, she met Nikos’s eyes. He was standing on the far side of the bridge, leaning against the glass watching her. He raised an eyebrow in silent question.
“This is fantastic. Do you ever drive the yacht?” she asked.
“Sometimes.”
“He is as proficient as I am,” the captain commented. “Perhaps with not as much practice, though.”
“Who has time to command a yacht when a resort needs a firm hand?” Nikos asked.
“So who is running the resort while you are away?” Sara asked.
“I am. The marvels of modern electronics. I have a laptop here that connects to the main computer at the resort. My assistant can manage the day-to-day activities. I am always available if he needs me.”
“Will I meet your grandparents?” Sara asked. She might as well find out from the get-go.
“Do you wish to?” he asked.
She shrugged, trying to show a casual demeanor. What would another crew member do? She didn’t even try to guess—none of them had been invited to the bridge since she’d been on board.
“Just wondered.”
“My grandfather knows all the crew—except you. He’ll want to meet you. In the meantime, you can swim in the sea, enjoy the island. We have some beautiful flowering gardens. A nice gazebo near the beach. I’ll take you to one of the coves to dive—there are some amazing sponges and fish there.”
“Sounds like a vacation, not work,” she said. He still hadn’t answered her question. It looked as if it would be up to her to find a way to meet Eleani Konstantinos.
Once the ship was under way, Sara grew bored with watching the rain on the windows and the gray sea that stretched out to the horizon. It would have been lovely had the weather been good. She gathered up the mugs and the coffeepot and thanked the captain for the time on the bridge.
Nikos opened the door for her and followed her into the narrow passageway.
“Thanks for the chance on the bridge. I’ll get these back to the galley and see about what to prepare for lunch.”
“We’ll be at the island by lunch,” he said. “And the crew eats with the island staff. You’re done for the day.”
“Oh.”
“Dump the cups and come to the aft deck. We can sit in the lee of the wind and stay dry.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” she said slowly. Her first inclination was to say yes. Yet, after his explosive kiss last night, the last thing she should do is place herself in the path of temptation.
He stopped her and swung her partway around. “Come for a little while,” he coaxed softly, his eyes warm and dark.
Her heart skipped a beat. This was so not a good idea.
“Okay. Unless it gets too wet.”
“It won’t.”
She went first to the galley, then stopped in her cabin for a sweatshirt. It was part of the uniform, with the logo of the resort clearly embroidered over her heart. She stared at herself in the mirror. “Do not forget this is only a means to an end. You are not going to get any more attached to the man!”
Sara had a feeling she was lying to herself. The attraction she felt for Nikos was not something she controlled. Maybe her tactics were wrong. Maybe she should be around him as much as possible—to see if once she saw the flaws he was bound to have, it would lessen the pull.
Nikos was already on the aft deck when she stepped out. The overhang had kept the three feet of deck closest to the main structure dry. The wind hadn’t touched it. The air was cooler than she expected. The wake was white against the steely gray of the water.
She shut the door and walked to stand beside him. Nikos had pulled two chairs over and dried them. The towel was on the floor.
Sitting, she looked at him.
“So, what shall we talk about?”
He groaned softly. “If we have to talk about what to talk about, we have nothing to say.”
“Do we?”
“You mean after last night?”
“Of course.”
“You mean a chance to kiss a beautiful woman after a pleasant evening together?”
“Good
