“I don’t know if we can…” Crew started to protest.

“Thank you, Aunt Mae,” Haley interrupted as she picked up the spoon and scooped up a large bite, placing it on her tongue. When her eyes rolled back and she sighed in ecstasy, the blood rushed to Crew’s groin yet again. This lunch was going to bury him. Had he known eating a meal could be so damned erotic, he would have taken Haley to the corner for a loaded hot dog — extra onions.

When she was halfway through her cobbler, he watched as a piece of berry juice dripped out the corner of her mouth and her tongue emerged to lick it as best as she could. “Let me,” he said as he lifted his thumb and rubbed the trace of juice left behind over her chin and then her moist lower lip.

Without thinking — he couldn’t stop himself — he leaned forward and sucked on her lip, the taste of berries and ice cream sweet on his tongue. When the tip of her tongue slid across his lip, he had to fight to keep from clinging tightly to her and kissing her the way he wanted to. No, not in front of Aunt Mae. That was for later.

Pulling back, he locked his gaze with hers and filled his eyes with promise. He was going to take her to the furthest reaches of heaven and never let her settle back down on the ground again. The constant stirring inside his body was worth a bit of pain, because he felt alive and ready to conquer the world.

“Crew Storm, that kind of look should be reserved for the bedroom only,” Aunt Mae scolded as she set a bag on the counter in front of Haley. Crew couldn’t help his wide grin, knowing the woman so well. She couldn’t help but feed those she thought needed a little more plumping up.

“What’s this?” Haley asked brightly. Crew didn’t know how she could even think about wanting more food after the meal she’d eaten, but she eagerly opened the bag and peered in.

“That’s a treat for later. You come back and visit me soon, Ms. Haley — and leave Crew at home. I want to have some girl talk.”

“Hey...” Crew said with mock hurt.

“I promise I’ll be back soon,” Haley grinned. Crew had no doubt she’d be there tomorrow if she could get away.

“I gotta get cleaned up now, but I’d better see you both much sooner than your usual two weeks, Crew,” she said with a slight glare his way before leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek again, then patting Haley’s hand.

Crew pulled out his wallet and slipped two large bills into her tip jar when Aunt Mae wasn’t looking, and Haley picked up her prized takeout bag.

The warm breeze blowing outside was perfect for a walk. Strolling back to the resort took them half an hour, but all they did there was leave the bag at the front desk, making sure the staff would have it delivered to Haley’s room and refrigerated.

Crew took her on a walk through the touristy area that she hadn’t yet visited, and they spent the next couple of hours going in and out of small shops.

When she found a quaint antique store, she rushed inside and started fondling small trinkets and old antiques. An old woodstove with a cast-iron skillet from the eighteen-hundreds then caught Haley’s attention; Crew strolled over to a small glass case.

Inside was an old diary, the leather frayed on the cover and edges, but it was open and he could clearly see writing inside. He was certain that the stories it contained would be fascinating. On impulse, he purchased the treasured item and had it wrapped, knowing he’d find a good moment to give it to Haley as a gift. With her dreams of being an archaeologist, she would appreciate the words of an early settler.

When they left, he was also carrying her purchase, an old coffee grinder with a worn wooden box and small cast-iron handle.

“Why would you want that?” He didn’t see a use for it.

“Because it’s amazing. Imagine the stories that could be told about this box. It’s well over a hundred years old, and settlers used it to grind coffee beans in the early morning hours while they heated their water on the stove. Maybe a grandmother rocked her daughter’s newborn baby while the mother rested for a few minutes on the other side of a curtain. Doesn’t the past fascinate you? Don’t you want to know how our ancestors survived harsh winters, the devastation of ruined crops, and enemy attacks?”

Crew honestly had never thought about any of that — he was half asleep during his required history classes — but he didn’t want to admit that to her. That he’d ignored where he came from made him feel shallow and self-absorbed.

“We’ll have to go tour the one museum here, and more on the mainland.” he said.

“Oh yes, that would be so much fun. When I was a teenager, I wanted to own an antique store, but I realized I’d never want to part with any of the items, so I’d never be able to make it. My second dream career would probably be working with documents of the past, or in a museum. It’s all just so fascinating. But, if I get my way, I will lead an archaeological dig, discovering an unknown ancient culture. That is the brass ring as far as I’m concerned.”

Crew beamed at her and patted his pocket. He’d chosen his gift well, knowing she’d pore through the pages for hours. Paying attention when women spoke was a critical survival skill. He’d learned early that not paying attention could have dire consequences. His sister’s wrath when they ignored her had been deadly.

Crew and Haley continued to stroll the streets, but as the sun started to set, his phone rang with a minor emergency at the resort and he had to get back.

“I’ll meet you in a couple of hours,” he promised before escorting her to the elevator. As the doors shut, he sighed. His day had been far too enjoyable to even think about work right now. But, as his manager came rushing toward him, he put away his personal feelings and focused on his other woman, the resort, and on the man he trusted so well.

Chapter Seventeen

Crew’s minor mishap ended up being a couple on the fourth floor who’d left their tub running. By the time it was discovered, the room below it had flooded, too. He’d had to make sure the mess was cleaned up, his inconvenienced guests were transferred to a new hotel, offered full refunds, plus free stays and resort amenities, and the plumber was getting the job fixed quickly. Then, suddenly, it was three in the morning.

Though exhausted, he wanted to go straight to Haley’s room, but he didn’t want to wake her, so he instead trudged off to his own room, where he took a two-minute shower to wash off the grime from working in the slush, then fell face first into his depressingly empty bed.

Thinking sleep would be hard to come by, he was shocked when he woke up the next morning at eight, two hours later than usual. Not having time for the breakfast with Haley that he’d promised himself the night before, he raced to his office, where he was thrust into a whole host of problems that made him want to pull out his hair.

As the day crept by, he dialed her room when he had a minute, but when he never got an answer, he realized it was time the woman entered the cellular age. Placing a rush order, he had a smart phone brought to the resort and delivered to her room, then tried texting her several times but with no reply.

Where had she disappeared to? He owned neither her nor her time, but as the day wore on, he kept missing her — which was strange in itself. By the time the sun was setting, he found himself wandering through the resort, seeking her company. He was falling in too deeply, he knew, but he had no desire to pull back.

The ever-changing faces of new clientele checking in and others checking out would normally excite him, but nothing seemed to stir his anticipation these days except for a wisp of a blonde who, on paper, was all wrong for him.

None of that mattered.

He wandered into his favorite lounge and found Marlin busy as always with a full crowd circling the bar and filling up the tables as his new pianist lured people in.

The atmosphere was especially animated because tonight was the first day of the Catalina Film Festival, and crowds had flocked to the island in hopes of spotting a favorite Hollywood star. The red carpet was rolled out, limos were traveling through town, and the streets were jammed.

Crew would be lucky to get five minutes alone with Haley over the next five days.

With determination, he took a seat at the bar, determined to get information out of Marlin. His bartender and Haley seemed to be quite chummy, so Crew hoped his loyal employee might know where she was.

As he listened to the clink of glasses and the cheerful voices of his patrons, and waited for Marlin to have a free moment, Crew took out a cigar. He didn’t mind waiting — it meant his place of business was busy and a constant stream of cash was flowing in.

“Sorry I took so long, Mr. Storm. We’ve been swamped all afternoon and into the evening. I don’t expect we’ll be slowing down any time in the near future,” Marlin said as he pulled out a special bottle of single-malt scotch. He grabbed a glass and poured in three fingers of the fine liquor. Marlin pretended to be about to dull the experience with ice cubes, but Crew knew not to fall for that joke anymore.

Crew grabbed the glass and savored the first sip, enjoying the warm burn down his throat. With the night and day he’d had, he could down the entire bottle and still not lose the tension in his shoulders, but no — he wanted to be sober when he found Haley.

“Have you taken any breaks?” Crew asked suspiciously. He knew Marlin would work himself to the bone if he didn’t get caught. Crew admired the man’s work ethic, but he didn’t want his head bartender to get worn out when needed most.

“Why? Are you offering to take over? I think the ladies would enjoy that. You’d get my tip jar filled up real fast,” Marlin offered with a cackle, then lit a smoke and took a grateful drag.

Obviously, Marlin hadn’t had a break, or even the time to sneak in one of his beloved smokes. Crew had worked the bar before, and he knew the drill well, but tonight he was on a mission and that didn’t include warding off drunken socialites who had more money than brains.

“Maybe some other time, but I’ve been up since last night with only a few hours’ sleep. I’m starting to feel it,” Crew told him as he blew out a fragrant puff of cigar smoke, which Marlin leaned over to smell.

“Did you notice the two bombshells over in the booth? They’ve been eyeing you since you walked in. The broads have more plastic on them than a Barbie doll, but man, are they hot! If it wasn’t for my old lady, I might give ’em a wink or two. Not that I’m their type.” Marlin cackled again at his own brand of wit.

“Yes, I noticed them right off. They’re kind of hard to miss in the getups they’re…‘wearing.’ Keep an eye out, and if they get too inebriated, have security escort them upstairs. I don’t need anything to happen to the double-D twins,” he said with a wink.

“Why don’t you just escort them on up yourself? I know how you like the girls with nothing but sex on their mind, and believe me, those women are looking to get laid.”

“I think I’ll pass, Marlin. They’ll find their next victim soon enough.” Even as he spoke, one of the girls had begun scanning the room for new prospects since it was obvious Crew wasn’t interested. The other one wasn’t giving up so easily. He had a bad feeling that if he stayed at the bar too long, she’d work up the energy to approach.