Billionaire Bachelors 8 : Unexpected Treasure(54)

The sex was otherworldly. Sometimes it was hot and passionate, with clothing shredded and flying in their passionate frenzy to fuse with each other. At other times, it was slow and sweet. He'd lick her all over while his hands caressed her heated skin. No matter how they made love, the crashing conclusion was always the same - explosions and fireworks and an afterglow that bonded her closer to him.

But it couldn't last. Haley knew that good things never did. Once a servant of her grandparents had given her a Pound Purrie, an adoptable "down on her luck" kitty found in a charity thrift shop. She'd loved that ratty, stained stuffed animal with all her starved soul. Then one day it just disappeared. OK, Crew couldn't be likened to her grandparents. He was kind and attentive, but he was simply too wonderful, too good for her. The other shoe was poised to drop. After all, the Catalina Couture Resort was for sale, and there was a very interested buyer.

But she had to be grateful. "Take this day as if it's your last, Haley. Live, love, laugh," she told her reflection in the mirror. To live truly happy for even a short time was so much better than to walk through life as an empty shell.

There was no time to dwell on the future. She didn't know what it would hold. All she knew for sure was that for today she was a happy person - carefree and with a terrific man. Well, she would be carefree and happy if she'd quit stressing over every little thing for ten seconds.

Crew had business meetings all day long, so she planned to go shopping. The island wasn't a place for good bargains - for that, you needed to go to the mainland - but laziness was seeping through her bones. She'd stroll the beaches and check out some of the gift shops here on the island, part of a private tour to take it all in before she moved back home.

One thing she knew for sure was that her life was forever changed. She wouldn't hide in the corner anymore, and she wouldn't be afraid to go after what she wanted. Once she'd left Catalina Island behind, she would move forward, finish her degree and go on that dig someday. She wasn't going to give up on herself ever again. Hey, maybe she'd even get a cute little house, or a nice apartment with access to a swimming pool. 

Wherever she ended up, she was going to be a grown-up and make adult decisions. There was no need to keep being fearful she was this person her grandparents had convinced her she was - an abomination that no one wanted.

Now that she'd had a small taste of security and love, she wanted it on a more permanent basis. Her grandparents' taunts were a thing of the past; she wouldn't let those people haunt her from the grave.

Leaving the room with a smile on her face, and a future filled with endless opportunities, Haley pushed aside her fears of no tomorrow with Crew as she entered the lobby, then decided to go out the back door and walk to town by way of the beach. The breeze was a bit warm, but the waves were calling to her.

Stepping onto the patio, she looked to the right and froze. Crew was standing in the center of a group of people with big smiles on their faces as a petite redhead had her arms wrapped tightly around him.

With Haley's jaw gaping open, she watched as the woman kissed him loudly on the cheek and then told him how much she'd missed him and civilized life. With a burst of laughter, Crew lifted her from the ground and spun her in a circle.

After the initial shock, fire ran through Haley's veins, and she fought the urge to rush forward and rip the girl's hair out. How dare he humiliate her like this! No, she and Crew were not committed, there were no promises of forever, but he could have at least had the decency to end it with her before moving on to his next conquest.

She'd certainly been giving him enough sex to appease ten men, and yet he'd still felt a need to cheat on her. She wanted to destroy both of them, then kick him so hard he'd never be able to please another woman.

Before she could screech and act on her impulse, she took a fortifying breath and thought back to all the lessons he'd taught her on how to be more confident, how to make a man desire her so much, he couldn't see straight.

Squaring her shoulders, she strode into the small alcove, watching as Crew's eyes lifted and met hers. The jerk didn't even have the decency to look ashamed that he'd been so blatantly caught out.

"I see your morning meetings are going well. It seems you've even made your next major acquisition," she spat. She was trying to control her voice, but the venom running wild in her blood seeped through her words.

His smile fell away, replaced by a look of surprise. The cheating creep hadn't even removed his arm from around that little bimbo's waist. Was he really that cruel?

"I know we never talked about being exclusive, but I figured if you can sleep in the same bed with me all night, the least you could do is stay away from harlots during the day." Haley shook with mounting frustration; tears welled up in her eyes.