Page 11 of One Week in Paradise

I walk back to the group and place our drinks on the small glass table in front of Cash.

He’s in the middle of a heated conversation with Marcus and Sara about a TV show called The Traitors .

I’ve never heard of it before, but Cash is wildly animated as he talks about it.

It’s oddly endearing to see, and I make a mental note to check out the show once we’re back home.

I move to sit down in the empty seat next to Cash, but before I drop into it, something snakes around my waist.

It’s Cash’s arm.

Without interrupting his conversation or even breaking eye contact with the others, Cash deftly pulls me onto his lap. I jerk forwards instinctively to move away, but his grip on my waist tightens, holding me firmly in place.

What is he doing?

A rapid warmth spreads across my body as Cash guides me until my back is flush against his chest. He leans forward suddenly to reach for his drink with his free hand, lips brushing against my ear as he moves back and forth.

‘Is this okay?’ he whispers.

I give him a jerky and hopefully imperceptible nod. I realise that this is his way of making our relationship seem believable. While I appreciate it, a heads-up would have been nice.

I grab my own drink, and when I lean back, his hand drops from my waist to rest on my exposed thighs.

My breath catches in my throat as his fingers start tracing lazy patterns on my skin.

Images of me lying on that giant bed in our room while Cash slowly runs his hands along every inch of my body flash through my mind at lightning speed.

Cash sips from his glass casually, completely unaware that he’s ignited a fire within me.

I glance around the pool area. If anyone is surprised by Cash pulling me onto his lap, they don’t show it.

Lacey and Danny are curled up in a dark corner together, but the others are still sitting by us.

Marcus has unearthed an old pack of playing cards, and he’s dealing them out to everyone so we can play a game of blackjack.

‘You in, Bailey?’ Marcus asks.

‘Sure,’ I say. I try and shimmy off Cash’s lap, but he squeezes my thigh to stop me. I roll my eyes and glance over my shoulder. ‘You’ll see my cards.’

‘I won’t look.’

‘That’s exactly what a cheater would say.’

Cash looks at me. ‘I don’t cheat.’

I swallow. There’s something in his tone that makes me think he’s not only talking about the game.

Before I can respond, Cash shifts so he can lean forward and avoid looking at my cards. The movement sends me dipping down a bit, and the base of my spine brushes up against something hard.

I inhale sharply. Pressed up against me is Cash’s rock-hard dick . I wiggle against him experimentally and grin as his dick twitches against me. A smug sense of satisfaction surges through me as I realise something.

Cash may not like me, but he’s definitely attracted to me.

And I can work with that.

He grips my thigh a little tighter, and I can almost hear his silent warning. Please stop .

I don’t.

Something feral comes over me, and I give him another wiggle, arching my back slightly as I pretend to look through my cards like I’ve actually got any skin in this game. The only thing I care about right now is Cash and the way his body feels beneath mine.

‘ Bailey ,’ he groans quietly in my ear, leaning forward to drop a card onto the table. ‘ Stop .’

‘Hm?’ I hum innocently, my eyes wide with faux confusion. ‘What’s wrong?’

Something flashes in his eyes, and, this time, I recognise what it is. It’s pure, unbridled arousal. And I’m sure it mirrors what he sees in my eyes.

‘Are you cold?’ he says suddenly and loudly.

Huh? Cold? We’re in Jamaica, and I’m hotter than I’ve ever been, but Cash doesn’t wait for me to respond.

‘Meera, can you pass me that blanket behind you?’ he calls. I wonder if I’m the only one who notices how choked he suddenly sounds. ‘Bailey’s getting a little cold.’

‘Sure!’

Meera hands Cash a blanket from the pile hidden behind one of the chairs.

He murmurs a thanks and then drapes the blanket over my lower half.

As soon as I’m covered, his hand dips under the hem of my dress.

I swallow down a quiet moan as he travels up my thigh.

I try and stay as focused on the game of blackjack as I can, but Cash makes it incredibly difficult.

My vision blurs slightly as his fingers reach the elastic of my panties.

It’s like I’m running on autopilot as I angle my hips downwards slightly, trying to coax his hand exactly where I need it to be.

‘Bailey, your turn.’

I blink. They’re already back to me? I throw down a random card and impatiently wiggle on Cash’s lap. He’s playing one-handed and easily keeping up conversation with the others while his other hand pulls down my panties and gives me one quick stroke.

My whole body stiffens, and I have to take a huge gulp of my cocktail to stop myself from crying out. I see stars in my eyes as Cash continues to lazily move his fingers up and down. His touch is somehow gentle and urgent at the same time.

I don’t think I’ve ever been more turned on in my life.

‘Are you all right, Bailey?’

I snap back to reality for a moment. Sara is looking at me with concern.

‘Your face is really red. Are you okay?’

‘Yeah,’ I say, cringing at just how high my voice sounds. ‘I’m fine. It’s the alcohol. Always makes me go red.’

Sara gives me an understanding nod and then turns her attention back to the game.

‘You’re being too obvious,’ Cash murmurs in my ear as he dips two fingers inside me. ‘Relax.’

I squeeze my thighs together as pleasure shoots through my body. ‘Not my fault,’ I manage to pant out.

I can’t believe we’re doing this. In front of everyone. His dick twitches against me again, and I picture it straining against his shorts to break free. He’s just as turned on as I am, and I know he wants to be inside me.

I press down onto him as much as I can, taking pleasure in the way he exhales deeply through his nostrils. In response, he presses his thumb against my clit, and I swear everything goes blurry for a good five seconds. I’m so close. And he knows it.

He quickens his rhythm, his fingers moving in and out of me with equal amounts of care and speed.

He doesn’t seem to mind as I slowly start to rock back and forth.

I don’t care if anyone else notices. I’ll deal with that later.

Right now, all I need is this sweet release and to return the favour somehow.

There. Right there.

My breathing quickens, my vision blurs, and—

Cash pulls his hand away and places it back on my thigh.

He leans forward to whisper in my ear, and I can feel the smirk tugging at his lips. ‘I told you to stop.’

I blink, unsure of what to say. What the fuck just happened?

We hang by the bar and pool for another thirty minutes or so before the jet lag seems to hit us all at once, and we agree to call it a night. I can’t say that bothers me.

I’m desperate to be alone with Cash. The air between us is thick with tension. We need to talk about what just happened, and I desperately need to get some kind of resolve.

Irritatingly, Bea and Marcus climb into a golf cart with us, prolonging the time it takes for it to just be me and Cash alone. Luckily, I’m able to mask my frustration as tiredness, and they don’t question my moody silence as we approach our suites.

‘See you tomorrow,’ Bea and Marcus say as we hop out of the golf cart and walk up the path to our suite. ‘Maybe we can all meet and grab breakfast before we disappear for the day?’

‘Sounds great,’ says Cash. He grabs my hand and guides me up the pathway. ‘Have a good night.’

I barely get out my own goodnight to them. I’m too transfixed by his hand. I remember where it was just half an hour ago, and I want it back there again.

As soon as we’re inside the suite, Cash drops my hand and turns to face me. For some reason, he looks guilty.

‘Bailey,’ he starts, but then his phone vibrates angrily in his pocket. He pulls it out. ‘Shit. It’s my mum. I forgot to call her when we landed.’

‘No, that’s fine,’ I say. ‘Answer her. I’ll get ready for bed.’

He still looks weirdly guilty, but he gives me a nod and then disappears outside onto the terrace. Before he slides the door closed behind him, I catch the beginning of their conversation.

‘Hi, Mum. Yeah, we landed fine. Sorry. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, she’s great. No, I have—’

I want to hear more, but I give him the privacy he deserves. Instead, I quickly rush around and get ready for bed. When he comes back inside, I’m lying underneath the thin blanket with my hair wrapped for bed.

‘Everything all right?’ I ask as he slides the terrace door shut and makes sure that it’s locked.

‘Yep.’

I frown. His voice sounds clipped, and he’s desperately avoiding making eye contact with me. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Mhm. I’m gonna get ready for bed.’

He grabs a few things from his suitcase and then disappears into the bathroom.

When he comes out again, he’s only wearing boxer shorts, and he’s pulled his hair into a messy bun.

It’s an incredibly attractive look. I try my best not to ogle him as he walks over to the bed, but I’m not sure I succeed.

I expect him to drop right next to me in bed, but he doesn’t. Instead, he climbs in at the very furthest end and makes himself cosy down there.

‘Do you know what we’re doing tomorrow?’ he asks as if I’m not seconds away from jumping his bones.

‘A waterfall hike,’ I say. I stretch out an arm and swipe it across the empty space between us. ‘Are you all right down there? You’re so… you’re so far away.’

‘Isn’t that what we agreed?’ he asks, brows knitting in apparent confusion. ‘You take one side; I take the other.’

I nod slowly. That is what we agreed, but I’d assumed, given everything that just happened by the bar, things would be different.

He pulls the blanket over himself and then glances over at me. ‘You ready to turn the lights off?’

What ? Are we just going to lie here and pretend nothing has happened between us? Pretend like I didn’t spend the latter half of the evening grinding on him, or like he didn’t just bring me to the brink of orgasm in front of everyone?

When I don’t answer, Cash turns away from me and hits the light switch on his side of the bed. The room is quickly plunged into darkness.

‘Goodnight, Bailey.’

I don’t respond. Instead, I lay there, staring up at the ceiling as Cash’s breathing quickly evens out, and he falls asleep. Only one word comes to mind.

Fuck.