followed Wade through the front door and into a large vestibule. From there it seemed that she could almost touch the pounding surf as the shore came into view with brilliant clarity through enormous windows. “Take a look around,” he said without ceremony. “I’m going up to take a quick shower.”
Gina watched him toss both of their briefcases down onto a soft moss-green L-shaped sofa before disappearing up a winding staircase. She felt safest standing there waiting in the safety of the living room, but curiosity forced her to walk through the French doors that led onto a sweeping veranda overlooking the ocean. Wade seemed to have all things necessary for the life of a single man; a hot tub surrounded by a cocktail bar sat in one corner of the deck while a fire pit took up the other corner. In the middle of the deck, patio tables and chairs were arranged to enjoy the view of waves crashing into the sand.
Gina walked to the wooden railing and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath she tried to calm her jittery nerves, but the combination of deep waters and Wade was too much for her.
Wade approached with two glasses of white wine. He handed her one. “To unwind.”
Gina accepted the glass, grateful for the fortitude, and both of them stood leaning on the railing, gazing out. “It looks peaceful here.”
Wade sipped his wine. “Looks can be deceiving.”
That’s exactly what Gina thought, but she was thinking of the deceptive calm of the uncompromising sea. She was certain Wade meant something altogether different.
Rather than stare at the ocean, she shifted slightly so that she could consider Wade Beaumont. His dark hair, still damp from the shower, was slicked back and tiny drops of water glistened on his neck. Late afternoon sunlight revealed a gleam in his eyes and highlighted high cheekbones leading to a beautiful mouth and the masculine line of his jaw. He had changed into a pair of tight-fitting jeans and a black polo shirt. Tan and trim with broad shoulders, his shirt couldn’t hide the strength of his powerfully built chest.
Now, as in the past, Gina had trouble keeping her eyes off of Wade. He affected her like no other man ever had. Her heart pumped twice as hard when he looked at her and an unwelcome tremble stirred her body when he came near. In those clothes, he reminded her of the man she’d once known during a time in her life when she could enjoy carefree days and hot summer nights.
Gina took small sips of her wine. She wasn’t much of a drinker and needed to remain in control. She couldn’t afford any more slipups.
“Only one more sip,” she said, “or my head won’t be clear for business.” Gina set the glass down on the table. Turning to Wade, she hoped that he would take the hint and lead her back inside so that they could begin their work together. She needed to prove herself on this job and, more importantly, she needed to keep her mind on business and not the glowing attributes of her new boss.
Wade didn’t move from his stance by the railing. He shook his head, his eyes fixed on hers. “Sorry, Gina,” he said, looking anything but sorry. “I can’t work with you.”
I can’t work with you.
Gina blinked as Wade’s words sunk in. A rapid shot of dread coursed through her system. She’d begun to think of this job as a means to an end. And she’d resigned herself to working with Wade, whether she liked it or not. Now, just like that, he dropped a bomb on her plans. What kind of game was he playing? She couldn’t control the anger in her voice, “I thought you hired me today?”
Wade slammed his glass down on the top rail and turned the full force of his words on her. “Yes, I hired you. Did you think I’d let you walk out of my office without an explanation? Did you think I’d let you go again? You ran away from me nine years ago and I need to know why.”
Two
Shocked, Gina stared into Wade’s stormy eyes. When she finally spoke, it was softly and devoid of emotion. “We were young.”
She had died that night. Leaving Wade had destroyed her and it had been a long hard road getting her life back. She didn’t want to dwell on the past or how her friend Sarah had duped her into leaving Wade. The truth had come out a few years later, and she’d long since forgiven Sarah. But the fact remained: Gina had left Wade in El Paso after one secret, glorious night with him.
“Not that young, Gina. You’d graduated from college. We weren’t exactly kids.”
“My parents died that year. I didn’t know what to do or how…or how I would survive.”
“My father solved that problem for you, didn’t he? He paid you off. And you took the money and ran, for all you were worth.”
Yes, Gina had taken Blake Beaumont’s money. It had given her a way out of a very serious dilemma. She’d fallen in love with Wade and the night she’d given him her virginity had been wonderful. She’d hoped for a future with Wade, but thinking back on it now, she wondered if she’d been too clouded by grief to see the truth. Later that night all of her hopes had come crashing down around her.
Sarah was pregnant and she’d named Wade as the father.
Gina went to bed that night, tears falling uncontrollably and her heart aching at how she’d been betrayed by the one man who had given her a measure of comfort and happiness after the death of her parents.
Blake Beaumont’s offer had come at exactly the right moment. She’d wanted to hurt Wade for his calculated cruelty. She’d wanted to make him pay for his betrayal. She’d hated him.
She remembered so vividly standing there, face to face with the older man who had abandoned his two sons in favor of building his company. Triple B had been Blake’s passion, not the two sweet young boys he’d pawned off on his sister and her husband to raise.
Blake Beaumont slid an envelope her way. “Take the money and this airline ticket and leave El Paso. You’re a distraction Wade can’t afford right now. I sacrificed his childhood so that he would one day stand beside me and run the company and that time has almost come. Sam, Wade and I, we’ll build an enormous empire together. There’s no room in it for you, dear.”
Gina’s first instinct was to rip the check up and toss it into Blake Beaumont’s smug face. The selfish man wanted his son’s full attention. He wanted to dictate his life—a life that didn’t include love. Blake Beaumont had made it clear that he fully intended for Wade to immerse himself in Triple B. The only relationship he wanted for Wade was one of dedicated service to the company.
If her heart hadn’t been broken, Gina would have laughed at the irony. Blake wanted her out of the picture but how would he feel knowing that it was really Sarah and her unborn child that would disrupt his plans? Gina had wished she could have stayed around long enough to see the look on Blake Beaumont’s face when he realized his troubles were just beginning.
Gina accepted the check and ticket out of town. She knew Blake was too ruthless not to tell Wade about the bribe. And that’s what she’d counted on.
Wade had a baby on the way with Sarah and that had been all that mattered. Sarah hadn’t known about Gina’s feelings for Wade and she’d kept it that way. By accepting his father’s bribe, Gina guaranteed that Wade would stay in El Paso with his family. She’d hoped that he would realize his responsibilities to Sarah, too.
Gina lost contact with Sarah then, deciding to deal with her pain in her own way. She moved to Los Angeles and dug her
