Chapter 11 Harper's Bay
As they motored through Harper's Bay, Emily was delighted that Gibbs genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself. She had been able to watch him during their entire sailing trip here, her hungry gaze safely hidden behind her mirrored shades. Admiring the athletic grace with which he moved around the boat, his strong muscular arms working the lines and winches, keeping the sheets trimmed perfectly, not too slack, not too tight. And those wonderful hands of his… God, she loved those hands…
She shook her head and refocused on her Captain's duties, and hailed the repair shop on the marine radio as they got closer to the shore. She expertly maneuvered the big boat and within minutes they were snugged against the dock and securely tied off. Three guys in gray uniforms boarded and headed for the bow, getting to work on the malfunctioning windlass straightaway.
Emily shut down the engine and powered down all the helm electronics.
"How about some lunch?" She asked Gibbs.
"Sounds great," he replied, smiling.
Emily perched her sunglasses up on top of her head and headed below. A few minutes later, she emerged from the companionway carrying a tray with two large French bread sandwiches and two cans of soda. Samson, the little black dog, followed her up onto the deck and looked around, sniffed the air, and apparently not seeing anything overly interesting, disappeared back below.
She set the tray of food down on the deck table and they both sat down.
"Hope you're hungry," she said smiling.
"I was born hungry," Gibbs replied with a sideways grin.
"I brought you a soda," Em added. "Hope you don't mind, all I have is diet."
"That's fine," Gibbs replied. He picked up his sandwich and chomped off a big bite. "Wow," he said, chewing away and looking down at the large sandwich in his hands. "This is great… what's in here?"
Emily grinned. "Slow-roasted pork tenderloin, with caramelized onions and red peppers, along with some smoked swiss cheese, baby spinach, heirloom tomatoes, and a spicy mustard."
"Oh, you have got to tell me where you got these…" Gibbs said, tearing off another large bite.
Emily smiled widely as she took a much smaller bite of her own massive sandwich. "I made them," she answered. She saw him nearly stop chewing for a moment, and give her a quizzical look.
"I also love to cook," Emily shrugged. "I'm glad you like it."
Gibbs tore off yet another bite, then took a swig of his soda. "Like it? Are you kidding? This… is delicious. I'm telling you McLaren… You could sell these… you'd make a fortune."
Emily giggled lightly, then things got quiet as they both continued to eat their delectable lunch.
"You know, we're not at work," she ventured gently. "You can call me Emily."
Gibbs looked up at her, and saw her soft green eyes holding nothing but open honesty. He nodded slightly and swallowed the food in his mouth.
"Emily." He replied.
She smiled at hearing her name being spoken by him, and quickly averted her eyes back down to her sandwich.
Gibbs took another long slog of his soda. He was quiet for a few moments, gazing down at the food in his hands.
He looked back up at her.
"Jethro," he said simply.
He was rewarded with a dazzling warm smile from her. He knew he shouldn't be flirting like this, but he couldn't help it. Being here with her, it just felt right. He was surprised at how comfortable he was. He chalked it up to the sailing. It had been ages since he had spent a day out on the water, and he was thoroughly enjoying every minute…
Like she was reading his mind, Emily broke his quiet reverie. "You're quite the capable sailor," she said, laying her sandwich down. "It's so nice to have someone along who actually knows what they're doing, and really enjoying it. It's refreshing."
"Thank you," Gibbs replied. "Your ex didn't sail?"
Emily huffed. "Who Kevin? Oh, God no," she laughed. "Major league motion sickness. Poor guy couldn't even sit on the dock for five minutes without hurling his lunch. So no. He didn't come along. Which is why I rigged her out for single-hand. If it's really blowing, things can get pretty busy… but it's nothing I can't handle."
Gibbs grinned. "Oh, I don't doubt that for a second. You're quite the capable Captain."
She smiled, and their eyes locked onto each other. The bright sunshine reflecting off the water made his eyes a crystal sky blue color. His wind-tussled silver hair gave her the urge to want to reach out and smooth her fingers through it.
Emily was just about to say something when they were interrupted by a workman who ventured back to them from the bow. "Miss McLaren? You're all set Ma'am." He said, as the other two uniformed gentlemen left the boat.
"Wow, that was fast," Emily said, a little disappointed that the work had gone so quickly.
"Yeah, easy fix. Common problem with this brand. See it all the time. We realigned your main drum and adjusted the tension. You shouldn't have any more problems with it." The paperwork and payment was handled promptly and the man turned to leave. "Oh, and feel free to take your time, Ma'am. Please, finish your lunch. There's no rush."
"Thank you," smiled Emily. "I appreciate that."
"Yes Ma'am," the man nodded. "Have a good day."
Emily sat back down, but the magical moment that had captivated them just a few minutes earlier was gone. She had barely touched her lunch, while Gibbs was nearly done devouring his. She laughed lightly.
"I guess you were hungry," she chided pleasantly. "Am I working you too hard?"
"Nope," Gibbs answered smiling. "Enjoying it."
Emily thought for a moment, pushed her sandwich out of the way, then reached over a pulled up the big nautical chart and laid it on the table.
"You know, since we have some extra time," she said thoughtfully. "We could take a different route back. Spend a little more time under sail." She traced a finger along the chart. "Here, what about this?"
Gibbs moved around and sat close beside her. They huddled over the chart, shoulder to shoulder. "We could take the long way around Lincoln Point," she continued. "Then make this quick run downwind before catching the channel back to the Yard."
She looked over at him, and watched his eyes study the chart. She noticed that he didn't wear cologne. But his clothes now held the crisp scent of salty sea air and sunshine. It was intoxicating.
"What do you think?" She asked. "Sound like fun?"
He turned to look at her, their faces inches apart. "Sure does."
They held each other's gaze for a few more minutes, the electricity in the air almost crackling.
"We should go…" Emily finally said, her voice whisper soft.
"I'll get the bow," he said, his voice deep and low.
Emily took a deep breath as the cleared the table. Then she reclaimed her position at the helm and fired up the big yacht. A short time later, they were once again under full sail, smiling and laughing, slicing through the beep blue water and having an absolutely wonderful time.
And again, all too soon, the outer marker buoys for the Naval Yard came into view in the distance, and Gibbs found himself feeling rather melancholy that this incredibly amazing day was coming to an end.
The sun was slipping lower and lower on the horizon as they motored their way towards the Marina, the sky painted in shades of brilliant oranges and purples. Gibbs stopped and stood still, wrapped a hand around one of the rigging lines and looked out over the bow. He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, trying to remember the last time he had felt so comfortable and relaxed… and had so thoroughly enjoyed himself. Years… he thought. It's been years… And he knew he had Emily McLaren to thank for such a magnificent gift. Emily…
He turned and looked back at her. She was a breathtaking vision, standing confidently at the helm, loose tendrils of soft red hair fluttering in the light breeze and brushing her shoulders. She looked over at him, and he was once again captivated by those sparkling emerald eyes.
He knew she had been watching him all day, he could feel it. Now, she was no longer hiding her gaze behind those sunglasses. She smiled softly at him before forcing her attention back to navigating the Layla back to her home port… heading for slip 23…
A/N: Okay folks, fasten your seat belts… Things are gonna start warming up here real soon... and this story will change to an M rating… As always, I would appreciate any and all reviews… I love the feedback! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!
