In Deep Waters by Melissa McClone

Warmed up to the father and showed him how much he loved his daughter."
    "I would have stayed," Eugene said.
    Vance and Gray agreed. Funny, until Eugene spoke, Kayla had forgotten the other three men were there. Her focus had been totally on Ben.
    "She never gave him reason to trust her," Ben said.
    "He needed a reason?" Kayla had never been in love, but she knew how she wanted matters of the heart to work. "She gave him her promise, her word, her love. Just one of those things should have been enough."
    Ben shrugged.
    "What would you have done in Luis's place?" Kayla asked.
    "Not fall in love in the first place." Ben made it sound as if love could be flicked on and off with a switch. No wonder he was divorced. "He should have ransomed Ana to her father or fiance, got his money and sailed away."
    Ben sounded like such a guy. Disappointment shot through Kayla. "That's horrible."
    "It's real life." His eyes narrowed. "You never mix business with pleasure."
    She never believed it would happen. At least not in her lifetime. Kayla laughed.
    "What?" Ben asked.
    "We finally agree on something."
    Ben didn't care whether they agreed on anything or not.
    Two days later, he stormed down the passageway. In the short time she'd been aboard, Kayla Waterton hadn't simply won over his crew. She'd turned the Xmarks Explorer into a ship of fools. She'd taken a group of lewd yet entertaining men and turned them into panting and primping poodles with little bows tied on their ears.
    Fights for showers before dinnertime. A run on razor blades. The toxic mixture of aftershave lotions and co lognes in the air. A battle to see who got to sit with her at meals. The sudden interest in folklore and fairy tales, two of Kayla's favorite subjects. Not to mention the emphasis on proper etiquette.
    Maybe they'd been at sea too long. How else could he explain grown men acting like a litter of love-starved puppies lapping up whatever attention Kayla gave them?
    He had to do something. Fast.
    A pack of distracted puppies was useless to him.
    "Hey, boss." Monk rushed by, nearly knocking Ben over. "Do you have an iron?"
    The insanity continued. "This isn't a cruise ship. We don't dress for dinner."
    "I don't care about dinner, but Kayla..." He blew out a puff of air. "She's one classy lady. Highly educated. Refined tastes. Definitely the nonwrinkle type. Hence my need for an iron."
    Hence? Next thing, Monk would be spouting Shakespearean sonnets. Now, that would be scary.
    "Classy, educated." Ben raised a brow. "Doesn't sound like your type."
    A first-rate ocean geologist with a Ph.D., Monk was also the crew's resident ladies' man who lived by a "love 'em and leave 'em before they got your last name" motto. With surfer-dude blond hair and clear blue eyes, he got away with it thanks to his Southern drawl, farm-boy charm and movie-star good looks. "Come on, boss. You saw her wet. Talk about hot."
    Yes, hot described a soaking-wet Kayla in her clinging pants and transparent T-shirt. Hell, it would describe her wearing a flannel nightgown that covered everything but her hands and head. Didn't matter. She was still trouble with a capital T. "Kayla's attractive."
    "I told the guys you weren't immune to her--" Monk nudged Ben with his elbow "--charms. Want in on the action?"
    This was worse than high school and the navy combined. "What action?"
    Monk winked. "The get-Kayla action."
    Just when Ben thought it couldn't get worse... Hadn't he warned Kayla? Time to put a stop to this. "While Kayla Waterton is on board, she is a member of this crew. Not some bimbo you want to nail."
    "I know that, boss. So do the other guys." Monk sounded almost earnest. A surprise, since earnest was one adjective Ben never associated with the man. "We're not talking about hooking up with Kayla. We're talking marriage. You know, a permanent arrangement."
    Marriage was a four-letter word to all of his crew, including himself. The only good things about weddings were an open bar and free food.