Heat and passion she could take, and take, and take. This loving, slow exploration of her mouth and mind dropped her to her knees. Trying not to shout her love for him, she deepened the kiss, knowing he was close to losing all control.
"I need you, Haley. I always need you," he said as he aligned their bodies together. As he rested the thick head of his erection against her for just a moment, their eyes connected, and they were one.
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.