"let's go," he said urgently; he jumped up and held out a hand.

"aren't you eager!" she smiled and let him assist her from the intimate booth.

"you can't imagine," he groaned as he began leading her toward the doors.

"i know you want to get up there immediately, crew, but i'm so warm right now. would you mind taking a small stroll outside with me first?"

haley must secretly hate him and want him to expire from sexual frustration, he decided. yet unable to deny her request, he slapped down the monster clawing to be freed from inside of him, and led her through the lobby and out the back doors, moving quickly to the beach.

this would be the fastest stroll he'd ever taken - not that he was a man who normally took strolls. he was either running or sleeping; there didn't seem to be a middle ground with him.

"amari is a beautiful singer. i could listen to her all night," haley said. when they reached the edge of the water, she slipped off her shoes and let the waves splash over her toes. he was forced to retreat a step back or ruin his favorite leather loafers.

"yes, i was lucky to find her before a record label picks her up. it won't take long - she's amazingly talented. i have a contract for eight weeks, though, so this may very well be her last personal gig before she records something and hits it big."

he didn't want to speak about his headliner act. he wanted to talk about the two of them, but he could see that haley was avoiding the topic for some reason. alarm bells rang in his mind, and in his groin. if he didn't take her tonight, he would need to take one heck of a long swim in the cool water currently caressing her feet - something he'd rather be doing himself.

"i grew up less than a hundred miles from the ocean, but still i never made it there until a couple of years ago. how sad is that? i wonder how many people have similar stories to tell. there is just so much beauty in this world, and most of us don't even see one percent of it. someday, i'll travel the entire world and look in the most ancient of museums and touch as many of the wonders of the world - ancient, medieval and modern - as i can. i am feeling a need to roam now, thinking i may just leave school for a while and travel..."

her dreamy sigh told him she would do that, but he didn't want her to leave without him. when people's dreams were big enough and their will strong enough, they could make anything happen. he'd seen it countless times before. it was when people gave up that their life dwindled to nothing. what was the point of existing in this world if you didn't really live your life to its fullest potential?

to hell with the distance between them. crew threw off his shoes and socks in seconds and stepped in the water with her. the bottom of his custom slacks were instantly soaked, but he didn't care.

maybe a part of her was trying to keep him at a distance, but he didn't want that and if she was honest, she didn't want it either. she was just protecting herself, reverting to her old habits. he could feel her withdrawal in the melancholy mood she was in. he didn't know what had brought it on, but he was determined to find out, and refused to allow her to slip away.

"nothing is as beautiful as you, and i can guarantee you that anywhere you want to go can happen," he said, his hand coming up to caress her cheek. though it might sound a bit cheesy - par for the course that evening - he truly felt those words as he looked into her eyes.

she took his breath away far more than any sunset ever had, than any of the wonders he'd been lucky enough to visit. she was a vision, and she was his for now.

crew waited, his fingers rubbing her delicate skin, but he wanted her to choose the kiss, he wanted her to be in control. she needed that, and then he wouldn't feel the guilt of knowing he'd coerced her into it. he needed her to choose him.

yes, he could seduce her - easily. but, he wanted more than the night before, more than tonight. he wanted to be with her without thought of an end in sight.

slowly, she relented; her hands reached into his hair and she pulled his mouth to hers, her tongue demanding entrance. just having him hold her was enough to lift the unseen burden she was carrying on her shoulders. she knew he was strong enough to carry it for her if only she could bring herself to let him.

he nearly lost his balance in the gently lapping ocean waves as his raw hunger awakened with a vicious groan. fire licked at his gut, and no matter how she touched him, he hungered for more, his body demanding her total compliance.

letting her lead him for a few more moments, crew knew his control wouldn't last much longer, so he began walking them backward out of the cool water.

"come to my room." she was ready - so was he. he didn't want to start their lovemaking in the sand. he hadn't cleared it with his staff to leave them alone, and it would kill him to be interrupted once he started. he was too damned hungry for her.

she didn't speak, but the slight nod of her head was better than love songs to his ears. grasping her hand, he led her back up the beach and through the french doors, making a beeline for the elevator.

he looked straight ahead, unwilling to risk even eye contact with anyone. this time, he didn't care if the place caught fire. he wasn't going to be called away from her side.

doing something he hadn't done once in the last two years, crew pulled out his cell phone as they entered the elevator and pushed the power button. he felt total victory as the small picture on the screen disappeared and his main means of contact with his staff was terminated.

a small lamp was burning in his room, just enough light so they wouldn't bump into the furniture, but not enough to ruin the moment. hesitating long enough only to unplug the resort phone, too, he backed her toward his bedroom.

her body shook as he pushed her gently but firmly, causing her to land with a satisfying bounce on his soft comforter. tonight was going to be so much more magical than her first time. he now knew how innocent she was, so he would take his time and make her think of no other man but him ever again. he would end any and all thoughts she had of leaving him behind.

chapter nineteen

haley so wanted to cover herself, but she resisted the urge as she lay naked before him. crew obviously desired her - there was no hiding that he'd been ready to take her the moment they touched - and they couldn't make love while all her clothes were on. but the supreme self-consciousness she'd lived with for so many years didn't disappear overnight. he didn't give her time to dwell on it, though.

she sighed in pleasure as crew's hands slid across her torso, skimming over her waist, then moving higher and gliding across the sides of her breasts. he used just his fingertips to excite her skin, making her heart pound and her breathing grow ragged. he knew how to give pleasure, and luckily, she was the sole focus of his desire.

accepting that this was where she wanted to be, this was where she'd always longed to be, took away the burden of guilt that her grandparents had instilled in her. she'd never truly known pleasure before lying in crew's arms, and she feared she'd never know it again once this affair ran cold.

chasing away these negative thoughts, she embraced the woman within her and greedily took everything he was willing to give as his mouth began trailing across her jaw, just grazing the edges of her lips as his sweet breath warmed her face. it was both torment and pleasure, and she was already beginning to fly.

when his tongue began lazily stroking the edges of her lips, she tried to pull him to her, tried to fuse their mouths together, needing the torment to end, but he had other ideas. he was obviously in no hurry.

considering the pace at which they were moving, they'd probably still be making love when the early morning sun rose high in the sky. oh, well. there could be worse things. relaxing into the gentle caress he offered, she tightened when he began nibbling her bottom lip, applying gentle pressure as he threw his shirt off, then lay across her body.

"sex is all about the touch, taste and smell. trust me," he said.

she found her hands raised above her head and then felt that she couldn't move them. what was this? she struggled against his makeshift bonds as her eyes opened.

"crew?" she whimpered.

"tell me to stop if at any moment you're not feeling pleasure," he said and kissed each of her eyelids before slipping his tie across her eyes and making the room go dark.

"i don't think i like this," she whispered as his hand trailed between her breasts and down the flat of her stomach.

"do you want me to stop?"

when haley said nothing, he continued to speak. "i didn't think so. this is your next lesson - on touch. if you want a man to desire you, then you need to know what you like, haley. you need to tune out the world around you and focus only on your body and your needs," he said before his mouth captured her taut nipple and sucked it deep within.

"do you like this?" he asked as he paused before moving to her other breast and giving her other peaked nipple equal attention.

"yes," she sighed as her back arched.

"and, this?" he asked as he moved lower to skim over her stomach with his mouth.

"yes." moaning as his hands slid up her thighs, she spread them wide.

"tell me what you like."

she paused, feeling her face grow warm. how could she do that? she didn't know what she liked - she just knew that everywhere he touched sent fire through her veins.

"if you don't tell me what you like, don't tell me how to touch you, then i won't know. remember to feel the pleasure, think about where it begins and branches out. think about what will drive you over the edge."

his seductive words were mesmerizing her, and her muscles went slack as his hands slid up and down her thighs, making flames of heat shoot through every inch of her body.

when crew's mouth moved back up her torso, she was frustrated and disappointed that he hadn't continued south and given her the pleasure he had the last time. she couldn't tell him that, though, could she?

as his lips brushed across hers, teasing them into opening, she gratefully took his tongue inside her mouth, entwining it with her own. burning need raged deep with her, and she now knew that he was right - being blind and unable to move her hands electrified her other senses, made them spring to life with new vigor and intensity.

focusing on every touch of his hands, body and mouth made her tremble in his arms as she eagerly awaited his next move.

"where do you want me to touch you?" he asked as he moved over, now pressing the warmth of his chest against her side and swirling his tongue around her ear.

"everywhere," she gasped.

"that's not good enough, haley. tell me where you burn, where you want me to relieve the ache," he whispered into her ear, causing tremors to race through her.

after a pause, she threw away her embarrassment. "my breasts," she gasped, her nipples hard and aching, elongating as her body arched beautifully toward him, needing his soothing tongue to quench the burning.