The sudden choking in his father’s voice came through the telephone line loud and clear. Crew didn’t know what to say. In all his life, he’d never heard his father cry. It just didn’t happen.

Crew quickly changed the subject. “Give me the dates you’re coming down so I can make sure to have our best rooms available for you.”

“We’ll need three rooms, and any will do. The point is to see you, not to vacation,” Richard said, then he promised to give his son a heads up when he knew a more exact time of his arrival.

“Three rooms? I’ll have to check, but I save a block for emergencies, so I think we’ll be fine.” He paused for a moment. It needed to be said, but it was hard for him to get the words to come out. “Dad, you did a good thing — a really good thing.”

Crew wasn’t going to elaborate. His father had a big enough head already. When Richard was silent for several seconds, Crew thought they might have lost the connection. Then, he realized that his dad was just trying to regain his composure.

“Thank you, Crew. Now, enough business talk. Have you managed to find a woman yet?”

Classic. The statement made Crew laugh into the phone receiver. “No, father. I’m not looking for love. One step at a time.”

“You know, you aren’t getting any younger, boy. You’ll be thirty-five on your next birthday. It’s time to settle down and keep the family name alive. A good woman will add years to your life.”

Something about the sadness of his tone alerted Crew that something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what it might be. It was most likely just his imagination, anyway. His father was as strong and vibrant as ever. If anything were worrying him, he would be sure to tell his children, despite their reprehensible behavior before Richard finally laid down the law.

“I’m not quite ready, Dad, but I’ll let you know when I find the one. As for kids, I don’t see that happening. I’m not the ‘dad type,’” he said, taking a large puff from his cigar and blowing the air out.

“That’s utter nonsense, boy!” his father snapped, sounding much more like himself.

The tense muscles in Crew’s neck relaxed. One worry down. And at least he wasn’t thinking about bedding Haley Sutherland. Unfortunately, if it wasn’t one kind of stress, it was another. His arousal had disappeared, and his father seemed just fine, but once again, he had his father on his back, pushing him to get married and settle down. It seemed there would be no relaxation for him today.

“Dad…” he warned.

“I’m getting to be an old man, Crew, and I demand to have some grandchildren before the good Lord decides to take me from this earth. I don’t see what’s so wrong with that request. Why, most people my age have at least ten grandchildren, but oh no, not me. My kids don’t think about raising the next generation. They don’t think about bringing me some happiness in my declining years…” Richard continued to rant for several long minutes, making Crew set down the phone and rush to the liquor cabinet, where he poured himself a shot of scotch. He needed something warm and soothing in his bloodstream. He knew this stupid speech by heart — he’d been hearing it for years, and he knew he wouldn’t miss a thing.

When Crew picked the phone back up, his father was nearing the end of his whine. “…and that’s why you need to settle down!”

“You’d better not be doing any more scheming. I still haven’t forgiven you for that time Sue Ellen and I managed to get locked in the boathouse overnight when I was twenty-four,” Crew reminded his father.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I wasn’t the one who locked you in, if that’s what you’re implying. But, at the age of twenty-four, you were more than ready to be married. Heck, by now, you should have at least three kids. I wouldn’t mind each of you having a dozen of the little ankle-biters.”

“I get it, Dad. You want grandkids. Talk to Lance. He’s more likely to give them to you than the rest of us.”

Crew felt a slight pang at selling out his brother, but Lance was more the father type, if there were such a thing. Their dad, with his incredible dedication, had given his children a great example of what a father should be, and it wasn’t that Crew didn’t want kids; it was just something he didn’t anticipate in the foreseeable future. Time to cut this call short.

“Hey, Dad. I’m sorry, but I’m getting a call on the other line,” he told him, grateful for the flashing red light. He wouldn’t tell an outright lie, but he’d suffered through his father’s guilt trip long enough; reports of zombies in the spa pool might have sounded good in comparison.

“Fine, fine. But you’ll have no choice but to listen when I show up down there,” Richard said.

“Yes, you can give me the talk about family obligation again, and again, very soon,” Crew told him. His tone was genial, and he hoped his remark wouldn’t set his dad off. Luckily, it didn’t, and he was able to say goodbye.

Crew missed the incoming call, but wasn’t too worried about it. After hanging up the phone, he looked at the clock and found to his surprise that it was nearing midnight. Time really flew when you weren’t having fun. Since he had an early-morning meeting, he decided to call it a night.

Switching his phone over to the emergency desk, Crew locked up the office and headed to his private suite.

Had he known he was going to spend the night sweating in bed with erotic dreams starring Haley, he’d have stayed up and caught up on work instead.

Chapter Ten

Crew woke up in a foul mood. He’d tossed and turned most of the night, finally giving up on sleep at five in the morning, stumbling from his bed and heading straight to the shower.

He would have just guffawed had a fortune-teller laid out his tarot cards and said: “I see in your future a crazy blond woman wearing shapeless clothes. She will approach you with an indecent proposal, and you’ll be unable to do anything but think about her.”

Both awake and asleep.

After washing the sweat from his body, Crew planned his day. There was no time like the present, he decided, to begin his damnable lessons. In order for Haley to become the seductress she wanted to be, she needed first to feel like a beautiful woman.

This was something Crew knew how to do. He loved the courting game, though it had been a while. A man who didn’t spoil his woman or treat her like his most valuable treasure wasn’t worthy of her love. And, hey, it could be fun.

Romance didn’t always mean large gestures. Often it was the small things that mattered most. A note telling her how beautiful she was, a single rose laid upon her pillow at night, a chocolate sitting next to her coffee cup. Small things to let her know she was always on his mind.

Crew was often confused by his fellow men. He didn’t see how guys were so blind to what women wanted and needed. Haley wanted to make men flock to her, but it would help her to find out — and she was about to — why women flocked to him, and how he chose a woman.

Once she knew how incredibly intoxicating she was, she’d be the type of girl he would have approached a week ago. Her only flaw was her lack of confidence. She didn’t realize it, but the only thing he was teaching her was how to love herself — everything else would easily fall into place for her after that.

First on his list of to-dos was to order a large bouquet of pink and purple stargazer lilies, making sure the greenery matched the color of her eyes and the flowers themselves were fragrant enough that each time she entered the room, their smell would tease and delight her senses.

He also ordered breakfast to be delivered, heading to the kitchen himself to ensure that no mistakes were made. He’d yet to find a woman who couldn’t be seduced by silky chocolate and vibrant flowers. The longer she was with him, the more expensive the gifts, but in the beginning, subtlety was best.

Sliding the delicate chocolate truffles onto her plate and attaching a note, Crew smiled and waited for her call. It didn’t take long — about twenty minutes, in fact.

“Crew?” her sleepy voice drifted through the phone line, to his ear.

“Speaking,” he said softly as he made his way toward her room.

“You have an impressive way of wangling a breakfast invitation,” she said, her voice soft and husky from sleep.

“I do what I can,” he replied as he neared her door.

“The flowers are beautiful, and this chocolate is the best I’ve ever had,” she mumbled around the sweet concoction in her mouth. As Crew pictured filling her mouth with much more than chocolate, his groin tightened. Man, he wanted her sweet, full lips around his shaft – hell, all over his body, but especially his shaft!

“Are you going to invite me in?” he practically whispered. To himself, he said: Down, boy!

“Well…you did have breakfast for two sent up. I hate to see such a good meal wasted…”

“Invite me in, Haley. This is Lesson Three,” he said, his voice purposely low and seductive. Satisfaction filled him at the hitch in her voice.

“I need time to get dressed.”

“Then our breakfast will get cold. You look fine, I’m sure,” he said with a hint of impatience. He really wanted to know what she slept in. Was it nothing at all? The sudden thought had his blood racing.

“Fine. Come on up,” she conceded.

“I’m already here. Open the door.” Crew hung up and waited. He had the master key in his pocket, but he wouldn’t use it. She needed to have the confidence in herself to let him through her door.

The door opened just a crack and Crew first saw big green eyes peering out at him. He said nothing, just raised his eyebrows as he waited for her to open the door all the way.

He wanted to push his way through, take her in his arms, and taste the chocolate on her tongue, but he was supposed to be teaching her. This wasn’t about his own needs, though he promised himself they would get met.

By the time he was finished with Haley Sutherland, she’d never think again about this other man she’d been so desperate to capture. Of course, it wasn’t as if Crew wanted to find himself captured either. He just needed a few nips of her perfect skin, a few cries of passion from her slender throat, and a few whimpers and gasps for air as she fell apart in his arms.

“Are you going to let me in, Haley, or just stand behind the door gaping at me?” he asked with a smile.

She narrowed her eyes, then rolled them as she gave him enough room to step through. Crew waited patiently for the door to shut firmly behind him before he made eye contact.

He was grateful for his decision, because when he turned and saw her, his jaw nearly dropped. She was wearing nothing but a pair of men’s flannel boxers and a tight tank top, displaying exactly what she’d been hiding beneath those baggy clothes.

To make matters worse, the white cotton tank was just the slightest bit too thin, showing him the shadow of her dark nipples beneath the soft fabric. His throat went dry and he took an involuntary step toward her.

As if she knew exactly what he was thinking, she turned quickly and raced toward the bathroom, calling out that she’d be right out. Damn! She was most likely covering up all that beautiful skin.