The desire instantly forming in his expression had her green eyes rounding. She wasn’t so sure that was a bad idea.
“Woman!” he groaned as he got up and walked to the door as if it would somehow protect them both. “You were a virgin and you got a serious workout last night. It would do more damage than good for us to go another round. Please, for the sake of my health, too, get showered and dressed before I change my mind.”
With those words, he turned and left the suite’s bedroom, leaving Haley leaning back against the headboard with a thoughtful smile on her face.
This was what he’d been talking about — this feeling of power, of knowing she was responsible for making his body harden, for making him want her. She was getting a small taste of what it felt like to be a seductress — and she liked it.
Fully awake now and ready for her day out with Crew, she jumped from the bed, letting the sheet drop without feelings of shame as she walked into the bathroom and climbed into the shower. She didn’t realize what he was talking about until her hand ran over the outside of her core while she was washing.
She was tender, and now grateful for his consideration. She suspected that walking around would be difficult enough on her.
Panicking for a moment when she realized she was in Crew’s suite, she returned to his bedroom, then sighed with relief when she found her newly purchased outfits sitting atop his bed. He thought of everything.
Thankfully, she’d bought some silky panties that wouldn’t scrape against her lower regions. With care, she slid them on, and then chose a skirt and blouse.
Haley was happy with what she saw in the mirror. Her new colorful clothes made her feel feminine and appealing. She decided to put on a little makeup, which she’d found after rummaging through the bathroom drawers in search of a washcloth. Who had brought it here and knew that she’d stayed in the owner’s suite? It was too mortifying to think about.
She was just finishing placing her hair into a loose bun when Crew joined her.
“You look good enough to lick up and down your entire body. Do you smell just as tasty?” he asked as he pulled her into his arms and lowered his head. As his lips tugged on hers, Haley forgot all about soreness and pushed her body up against his. This was something she could get used to.
With a growl, Crew pulled back and looked deep in her eyes. “Yes. Yes, you do,” he said before pulling back and grasping her hands.
“Thanks for having my things here,” she said shyly. He must have seen the blush stealing across her cheeks because he answered her earlier question.
“I went to your room and picked up what I thought you might need.”
“Thank you, Crew. I don’t know if many men would have been so considerate,” she said and followed him to the living area.
“Would you like a cup of coffee and a pastry before we go?”
She sat down and happily poured herself a cup, then added cream and sugar before taking a sip. Sighing with pleasure at the much-needed caffeine, she pulled a foot up and hugged her leg while taking small sips and briefly attempting to interpret the clouds in her coffee.
Passing on the pastry so she wouldn’t ruin her lunch, she took a moment to study Crew as he conducted a phone call. She didn’t understand how the two of them had reached this place so quickly, how she’d had the boldness to make love to him, but she found that she had no regrets. Even if their time together turned out to be short, she knew she’d carry the memories with her for years to come.
Haley had the feeling that getting over a man like Crew wouldn’t be an easy task. It didn’t matter, though, and it wasn’t worth dwelling on. She was living in the here and now, and it was a great place to be. Whatever happened, happened. That was going to be her new motto.
At the very least, she’d walk away with more confidence and knowing she’d been well satisfied and treated well. Her grandmother had always said that all men were only after sex and they didn’t care about who they slept with. Even if that was true, she had him in this moment, and that was surely worth something. Besides, she was after sex, too, she thought wickedly.
No one could predict tomorrow with perfect accuracy. All you could do was make a guess, throw in your wager, and hope for the turnout you wanted. And that was what she’d do every day as long as this lasted.
“Are you ready?” he asked as he disconnected his call.
“Yes. Let’s see if this café is as good as you think it is.”
“Your faith in me is humbling,” he said, chortling, and Haley added one more item to her list of things she liked about Crew. He could laugh at himself.
*****
“It may look like a dive, but I’m telling you, Aunt Mae makes the best food I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve traveled a lot.”
“You haven’t lived here very long, have you? I thought you moved here only two years ago.”
“I did move here two years ago, but my family owns a home on the other side of the island and we spent at least a couple of weeks a year here. I discovered Aunt Mae’s café when I was sixteen, and I’ve been coming back ever since.
“Well, I hope it’s as good as you say because right now I feel like I could take a knife and fork to a grizzly.”
Crew stopped and laughed before opening the restaurant door. He was relieved to see her want a decent meal, for too often she just picked at her food. If he’d thought for a moment it was because she was putting on airs or worried about her figure, he’d be disgusted. Women who did that irritated him.
With Haley, he suspected that stress was the biggest problem. If she was worried about something, or frightened, she didn’t function right. When she was happy or sated — he’d done a good job with that last night — then she seemed to have a bottomless appetite.
Well, he’d brought her to the right place. Aunt Mae liked to pile on the food. He didn’t even bother ordering when he came here. Whatever she decided to bring him was always top notch.
He could see the surprise in Haley’s eyes as they walked through the rickety door with tall, lush plants framing it. The building needed a fresh coat of paint and was in desperate need of new furnishings, but no matter how many times he’d offered his help, pleaded with her to accept it, or even tried to force it upon her, Aunt Mae had turned him down flat.
The tables were scarred, but she said that just added to the atmosphere. He knew that one of these days, the rickety chairs were going to leave him with his ass on the floor, but the food was divine and the décor just added to the experience.