Going Overboard Read Online Free PDF

apologize.”
    “So I heard.” One brow spiked. “Especially the part about unfortunate and unforgivable. By the way, I liked the jerk part best, because it sounded honest. Now tell me about the raw panic.” Water slid down his chest, settling in the soft hair above the opened button at the waist of his jeans.
    Heaven have mercy.
    His chest was even more remarkable up close. So was the rest of him.
    Calm
, Carly thought.
Bat your eyes and play to his ego.
She managed a sickly smile. “You heard all that?”
    “Every word.”
    “I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I completely misread the situation at the pool this morning, and I want to apologize for that.”
    “Apology accepted.”
    Carly held out a hand. “Carolina Sullivan. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. McKay.”
    “Make that Ford.”
    Carly wanted badly to wipe her damp palms, but resisted as he took her fingers in a firm handshake that had her nerves jolting. She managed a cool smile, then pulled free. “I'm here shooting a series of TV spots for
    the cruise line. That's what I wanted to discuss this morning.”
    He rocked back, shoving his hands into his pockets and making the jeans strain even tighter. “Are you any good?”
    “I'm extremely good at my job.”
    He nodded. “So you're some kind of wunderkind,” he said with a dry smile. “Why the raw panic?”
    “Going right for the jugular, aren't you?”
    Something crossed his face. “It's the best way.”
    When Carly looked him square in the eyes, she was struck by the intelligence there. The man was more than a mass of well-toned muscle. There was power and cool reason behind his gray eyes. Odd that she hadn't noticed before.
    She realized her fingers were still hot where he had touched her. Frowning, she slid her hands up and down her arms.
    His focus never wavered. “You haven't explained the panic yet.”
    Carly sighed. “The panic is professional. I've got a killer deadline and no model.”
    He shrugged one powerful shoulder in a way that had her yearning for her camera. “What's the problem? The ship's full of men.”
    “Not one that looks like you. And there's that quiet, controlled way you move, as if you owned the place.” She realized it was time for the naked truth and no more fluttering eyelashes. “You'll burn up the camera.”
    Something between pain and irritation crossed his face. “Being photographed is right at the bottom of my wish list.” He held up a hand as she started to speak. “And you're dead wrong about my acting skills.”
    “It's my job not to be wrong,” Carly said firmly. “I flunked geometry in high school, and I occasionally botch my checkbook balance, but not reading people. That's my job. You'd be good, Mr. McKay. Very good.”
    He made an exasperated sound and Carly found it fascinating to see such a powerful man look befuddled. “You don't have to worry about privacy,” she assured him. “We'll be shooting in a stateroom, and I guarantee it won't be a zoo scene.”
    “Why me? I thought you people hired professionals for work like that.”
    “Sometimes their shoulders are wrong or their proportion to the other actors is off, and then we fill in with a body double. It happens far more often than you might think.”
    “And you're asking me to do that? Be some kind of body double?”
    Carly fidgeted under the force of his cool gaze. “I'm desperate. Our current actor just won't do, the clock is ticking, and I'm sunk without a replacement.” She reconsidered her rehearsed flattery, but the words wouldn't come. Even if they had she was certain this man would see right through them. “I'm prepared to grovel here, if that's what it takes.”
    Humor touched his eyes. “Groveling can be interesting, but in this case it won't be necessary.”
    Despite the finality in his voice, Carly made one last stab. “Please give it some thought. I'd be completely in your debt.”
    “I'm afraid not.”
    “Your choice.” She turned away to hide her