She was his for the taking, and she wouldn’t let go until the moment he forced her to.

Flames ripped through her again as he slowly sank deep within her folds, and then pounded against her flesh, rocking her closer and closer to the edge of pure pleasure. She felt the muscles in his back flexing as he pushed inside her, and she sucked in his moans of desire as their tongues twined together.

The faster and harder he thrust against her, the louder she cried out. More. Always more. She couldn’t get enough of him.

Just before she came apart, Crew lifted his mouth and looked deep into her eyes. “Mine, Haley. You are mine. Today. Tomorrow. The day after. I won’t let you go.”

She tried to refuse his words, tried to not let them plant within her heart, but as they shattered together, she felt her tears threatening to spill. Yes. She wanted to be his forever.

But wasn’t that what people said in the heat of passion? They felt emotions on a much deeper level, but those emotions burned out swiftly. Still, she allowed herself to cherish a tiny hope of forever as he wrapped her in his arms and carried her to his oversized chair in the corner, holding her as she pulled herself together.

Maybe she wouldn’t have to let him go. Maybe her today would last an eternity.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“What are you so afraid of, Haley?”

Grabbing her shirt and covering herself, she turned away as she searched for her panties. Where were the stupid things? There was no way she would leave this office without them and risk the embarrassment of having a resort maid suck them up into her vacuum.

It had been bad enough when they’d been caught making out in the sauna like a couple of teenagers. She’d been utterly mortified. Crew, darn him, had just sat back with a big grin on his face while his poor employee had run from the room with excuses and a flushed face. But really, why was she thinking of that incident now?

Probably because she was afraid to face the conversation he was attempting to have. If she opened up to him only to be let down, she would be hurt, just as she always was. He had a family he could lean on — she had nobody. Why couldn’t he understand that?

Even knowing all along it wasn’t smart to do anything with him other than take him on as a teacher, she’d still managed to let her heart get involved. So now she was scrambling to build up some sort of defense against the inevitable pain.

He was selling the resort, probably in a matter of days, and after the sale closed, he’d move on to his next big adventure and she’d be by herself again. She used to deal with that just fine, but that was before meeting Crew.

“I’m not afraid of anything, Crew. I like the way things are with us, and I don’t see why you keep pushing me,” she finally said when he blocked the door.

“What is wrong with admitting that we’re good together?” His face was earnest, but she’d shared so much already. What would he think if he knew the depth of her feelings? He was the man out for a good time — not a happily-ever-after.

“We are good together. I don’t deny that,” she said, giving him something so he’d hopefully let the subject drop. She tried to make her tone light, but her soaring stress levels weren’t making it easy.

“I love being with you, Haley,” he told her as he grabbed her from behind and slid his hand around her waist, his fingers spanning across the flat of her stomach as he pulled her back against his chest. The way his thumb rested just below her breast had her body heating up again.

This was unbelievable torture. She needed some time to think — to pull herself together, and to try to figure out what all of this meant.

“And I love being with you, too, Crew. I do, honestly. I just don’t think we should try and put a label on what we have. We’re both in an unstable point in our lives and this is supposed to be fun and carefree. You’re my teacher, remember?” she said with an attempt at humor.

It fell flat.

“Do you want poems and chocolates?” he asked, sincerely perplexed. “I’m not being sarcastic, Haley. I need to know.”

The genuine confusion in his voice almost melted her. He was so good to her, anticipating her needs, caring about how she felt, and making her body sing for him. If only she could hold on to him forever.

“Doesn’t every woman?” she laughed as she turned in his arms and slid her lips across his in slow motion.

“Done. I’ll clear out the candy shop and have a poet flown in tonight.”

She wished she knew whether he was kidding or not.

“How about you just surprise me with a large Dove Bar and we don’t stalk writers,” she replied while his hands slid down her back. Then he took hold of her head and turned her gentle caress of the lips into a full-scaled attack on her mouth. It looked as if she’d done a good job of distracting him; she didn’t know, however, whether to be happy at her success.

When his phone rang just then, Haley felt a mixture of relief and frustration. Her body had just begun to warm up again, but she was glad that she could escape this awkward conversation.

“You take your call, and I’ll go for a swim,” Haley told him. Fire was just starting to flare in his eyes, so she retreated several feet, to keep temptation from winning her over.

She’d made it to the door before his voice stopped her. “Haley.” He paused while she turned. “This conversation is far from over.”

As she left the office, she felt fear battle with hope. The hope was more terrifying. If she let herself think of a real future with him, she’d be swimming without a life jacket in the middle of a stormy ocean, and it would probably be easier to just give in and let the water drag her under.

With a shake of her head, she suppressed her confused tears and made her way to their suite to change. A good swim and workout would put her mind back on track. That was all she needed, she convinced herself.

*****

Crew got off the phone, and then rested his head in his hands. He knew and understood her fears of the future, but he’d hoped she’d have a bit more trust in him by now. He would give her a week or two to work through her emotions, and then he’d pounce.

Haley had changed his life for the better; he couldn’t possibly let her go now. Did everyone have a one perfect mate out there somewhere? He only knew that without her, his life would be emptier.

The two of them could have a good life together. Her insecurity still held her back, but over the last couple of months, he’d watched as she’d come alive, opened up and faced so many of the demons that littered her past.

One by one, she was slaying her dragons, and he vowed to be there fighting by her side.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Crew ended up giving Haley a break for only a day. He’d planned to give her more time, but he had news, and he couldn’t wait to tell her.

His lawyers and those hired by the buyers had pushed through the paperwork, and he needed to let Haley know that at the end of the month it was time to move on. He hoped she wouldn’t mind going off with him to a new location. Though she had her schooling to finish, she was taking this semester off, and he’d find her the best school possible. What was important to her was important to him, too.

Crew had decided that his next business venture was going to be in Oregon. There was a great resort on the beaches of Tillamook, and he wanted to restore it. He’d be closer to his newfound family and get to know the cousins he’d never met.

Haley should love it there. The weather was almost identical to that in Seattle, plus she’d still be on the beach, he reasoned.

This kind of news required a candlelit dinner with at least a few dozen roses, and a lot of chocolate. Women, he’d theorized, were a lot more likely to listen if they had good chocolate in their hands. Haley had certainly proved that often.

A flashback to one night when they’d experimented with chocolate syrup and whipped cream flooded his memory, and Crew lost his train of thought. Dammit. Shaking his head, he got back to work. There was a lot to plan, and it needed to be just right.

“Mr. Storm.”

“Mr. Storm.”

Crew turned to find the Stanther twins wobbling toward him. The two old ladies were in their eighties and full of life, though doubtless a bit slower than they’d been in years gone by.

They must have been true beauties in their day. Knowledge and laughter glowed in their eyes, and he’d delighted in having them at the resort for the past week. He rarely became attached to guests, but he’d made an exception with the two spitfires.

“How can I help you beautiful ladies?” he said as he gave each woman a kiss on the hand.

“Oh, you’re such a charmer. If I had the energy that I used to,” Bertha Stanther said, “I’d drag you up to my nice big suite with me. It’s just too bad age has caught up to me.”

“Ah, age has made you only more striking,” he said with a wink.

The two ladies giggled, and soft blushes stole over their cheeks. Penelope now spoke: “We just wanted to say goodbye. Our grandnephew is picking us up today and taking us back home. We’ve so enjoyed our time with you, Mr. Storm. I do hope to see you again in a couple of months.”

“Sadly, I won’t be here, ladies. But when I get my next resort up and running, you have a free week on me,” he promised, handing them each his personal business card.

“Ooh, we’ll certainly take you up on that. A free vacation sounds divine,” Bertha said. The women were dripping in jewels and had more money than they’d ever need to spend, but they’d been through hard times in their lives, and pinched pennies where it counted. He was honored to give them a week vacation at his cost.

“You’d better come, because I will miss you both. How about a kiss?” He leaned down so each of them could give him a pink-lipstick-stained kiss on his cheek.

“We’ll see you soon, Mr. Storm,” they called out as they turned to walk toward the nicely dressed young man who gave each of them a hug and began asking how their trip had been. Crew hoped to see them again. He really had enjoyed their sense of humor and positive attitudes. Neither of them was letting age stop them from enjoying life, and he hoped he was just the same when he hit his eighties.

After watching the sisters safely escorted away, Crew turned to hunt down his father and uncles. His family was leaving the next day and, though he hated to confess it, the ease with which they’d snuck into Haley’s heart made him the slightest bit jealous.

Every moment she could find, she was with the three old men, and she and his sister had really hit it off, even teaming up with some of his staff to cause chaos for him.

He couldn’t be angry, though, because Haley had no family, no friends — no one. That was before he’d entered her life, of course; now she’d never be alone again.

Each day he was with her, he fell further in love. The deepest desire of his heart was to hold on tight and never let her go. And, yes, he would miss the meddling old men once they departed, but he had a feeling Haley would miss them even more.

Crew was hardly surprised to find the three of them sitting at the bar, visiting with his favorite bartender, with whom they’d hit it off quickly. Not a shocker, since both they and Marlin swore by fine booze and expensive cigars. Crew had decided already to offer Marlin a job package too good to refuse if he came to the next resort with him.