Page 13 of One Week in Paradise

Leroy leads us into the bushes, and we soon come across a small but well-worn pathway. Lacey and Danny storm ahead. Lacey’s eager to get to the waterfall, and Danny seems happy enough to follow her. He’s a bit like a puppy.

I purposely stay close to Leroy, asking him questions about the route we’re taking and all the various plants and bugs we come across. Cash isn’t far behind me, but he seems to respect that I’m in no mood to speak to him and doesn’t make any effort to try and interrupt.

‘This right here.’ Leroy stops suddenly and points at a yellow bundle of vines. They’re so thin they almost look like thread. ‘This is called dodder vine . Any idea what it’s used for?’

I shake my head. It doesn’t look like anything special.

‘It supposedly has some medicinal qualities,’ Leroy explains.

‘If you boil it with ginger, it can help to fight a chest infection. But that’s not why it’s so popular.

It’s got another name. Some people call it the love bush .

’ He grins, clearly impressed with himself for sharing the fact.

If Cash and I were actually a couple, it might’ve been cute.

I give Leroy a polite smile and signal for him to continue.

‘You take a bit of the vine and throw it on a different and fresh plant. If the vine continues to grow, then it means that love is on the horizon for you, but if not… well, maybe it’s time to start looking elsewhere, hm?’ He chuckles to himself and then continues on down the pathway.

As I pass the mangle of vines, I reach out and grab a handful. It comes apart from the rest of the bush with surprising ease. I place it on top of a nearby plant and imagine that it suddenly springs to life, signalling love on the horizon for me.

Cash steps beside me, casting a dark shadow over the bush. ‘You believe that superstition?’

I jump, dropping the vines. I’d momentarily forgotten that he was still there. ‘No. I just wanted to feel.’

Cash nods. His gaze flickers down the pathway. Leroy has turned a corner, and there’s no sight of him now. ‘Listen, Bailey. Can we talk?’

‘There’s nothing to talk about,’ I say. I move to turn away, but Cash reaches out and grabs my hand. ‘Let me go.’

‘Can you just listen?’ Cash asks, his voice pleading.

I wrench my hand out of his grip and stare up at him. ‘What?’

‘I just wanted—’ He groans and runs a hand down his face. When he looks at me again, his eyes are wide and apologetic. ‘I got carried away last night. We both did. I’m sorry.’

Irritation courses through me. Why is he rubbing this in? ‘We’ve already covered this. And you don’t have to be sorry . What’s there to be sorry for? I liked it. And I thought you did too.’

‘I did – I – Bailey ,’ he groans again and then shakes his head. ‘You’re my best friend’s little sister.’

I roll my eyes. ‘What does that have to do with anything?’

‘There are some lines you just don’t cross.’

‘And fingering me in front of people isn’t crossing that line?’

I think my bluntness disarms him because he drops his gaze. ‘It is. And I’m sorry.’

I shake my head and turn away from him. ‘I don’t understand you, Cash. One minute you hate me. The next, you’re touching me like we’ve been together for years. I don’t know what game you’re playing—’

‘I’m not playing any games.’

‘But it needs to stop . Figure out what you want from me, but don’t mess me around.’

Before he can say anything, I storm down the pathway and hurry to catch up with Leroy and the others.

The waterfall and pool are two of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my life.

Leroy calls it ‘The Hole’, and it’s easy to understand why.

The cliff and waterfall open up into a stunning, turquoise-blue natural pool.

There are vines hanging over the pool, and as I approach, Danny is already swinging from them and catapulting into the clear blue water below.

Lacey has shed her shorts and vest top and is wearing a cute pink bikini.

I know she’s been gifted it by a fashion company, and photos of her lounging in it will litter her feed as soon as we’re back at the resort.

Envy sprouts up inside me. I wish I still had that kind of confidence when it comes to posting.

Lacey waves at me before diving into the pool to meet Danny.

‘Leroy!’ she yells once she resurfaces. ‘Will you take some photos, please?’

Leroy obliges and hurries around the edge of the pool to grab Lacey’s camera. I watch as Danny swims over to her and, in one smooth movement, scoops her up in his arms. She shrieks, but her smile is wide as she wraps her arms around his neck and peppers his face with kisses.

I may not be Lacey’s biggest fan right now, but they do make a cute couple.

Speaking of couples.

Cash appears next to me and nods his head appreciatively. ‘It’s beautiful.’

At least we can agree on that.

‘You getting in?’ he asks.

‘No, I can’t swim,’ I remind him. ‘I’ll just swing my feet over the edge. But you go.’ And then I add, because I’m worried that the others can hear us and might wonder why I sound like an HR professional while talking to my supposed boyfriend, ‘Have fun.’

Cash hesitates, and for a moment, I think he’s going to try and persuade me to jump in the pool with him or at least offer to sit with me, but he seems to decide against it. He shrugs and then sheds his shirt and shoes until he’s only standing in a pair of shorts.

I pretend like I don’t notice the way his shorts cling to him like a second skin and instead focus on glaring at a random spot on the ground.

As he scales the winding pathway to get to a higher point to jump into the pool, I make myself at home around the edge.

The water is the perfect temperature, and I let out a genuine sigh of relief as I dangle my legs into it.

I grab my phone and take some videos of stunning surroundings and a few photos of me smiling up at the camera.

Reluctantly, I even take one of Cash, capturing the moment he cannonballs into the pool and resurfaces, grinning from ear to ear like a child on Christmas morning.

He glances in my direction, and I quickly drop my phone into my lap and pretend to be fascinated with the lush greenery around us.

The plants around the pool shoot up high into the sky, creating a sort of cocoon effect that protects us from the sun and heat. I close my eyes and let my head loll backwards.

All my stress and anxiety about Cash, and Ethan, and The Video… it’s all gone. I’m here, in the moment, and I’m enjoying it.

Until a wave of water suddenly sprays over me.

I snap my eyes open and find myself face-to-face with a grinning Cash.

‘What the hell was that for?’ I snap as he wades towards me.

‘I’ve been trying to get your attention,’ he says with a shrug. ‘That was the only thing that worked.’

He swims up to me and gently pushes my legs apart to come and rest between my thighs. I try to push him away, but he brings his arms up to rest on my thighs and locks me in place. His fingers press into the soft skin there, and images from last night flash through my mind. I swallow.

‘Bailey…’ His voice is a low whisper like he’s afraid the others will hear. ‘I just wanted to say—’

‘You’ve already said it,’ I say quickly. I shift and clamp my thighs together so his hands slip off them. ‘You don’t need to keep repeating yourself. I get it.’

‘No, you don’t.’ His hands come up to grip my thighs again like he’s desperate to keep a hold of me somehow.

I huff in frustration and run a hand through my hair. ‘I don’t understand why you’re fighting this.’

‘Fighting what?’

I gesture between us. How can he not see it? How can he not feel it? ‘This tension between us.’ I lean forward, my breasts bumping gently against his chest, and stop when there are only a few millimetres between our noses. If I wanted to, I could easily drag my tongue down his jawline.

I think I do want to.

And I think he wants me to do it too. He shudders beneath me but doesn’t move to push me away.

‘I know you can feel it,’ I murmur, my breath fanning across his face.

He still doesn’t move. ‘It doesn’t matter what I feel.’

A familiar sting of rejection hits me, and I pull away. ‘You want me.’

It’s not a question. It’s a fact, and he knows it. We both do. His body is betraying whatever crisis of respectability or morals he’s currently going through.

‘And I want you,’ I continue. ‘So let’s do it. We’re both consenting adults. Let’s get it out of our systems, and then we can go back to the way things were.’

Cash’s face twists into an expression I’ve not seen before. He looks almost pained.

‘I don’t want to get you out of my system, Bailey,’ he says through gritted teeth.

‘Then what do you want?’

‘ That’s the perfect shot !’

Lacey’s shriek of delight steals both of our attention.

She’s by the other end of the pool, but she’s pointing at us with a huge smile on her face.

‘The sun is hitting you two perfectly! You look like the hottest couple. Seriously, this could be a shot from a movie. Stay there. I’m going to get a shot for you guys.

And then you get one of me and Danny after. ’

‘Lacey, it’s fine,’ I start to say, but she’s already hopping out of the pool and grabbing her phone from Leroy.

‘Come on,’ Cash says quietly. He’s not looking at me anymore. ‘We still have to play the part, even if you’re mad at me.’

‘I’m not mad at you,’ I hiss through a fake smile because Lacey is pointing her phone at us now. And I’m not. But I’m not sure what it is exactly that I am feeling. Disappointment maybe?

‘Lean in a little closer,’ Lacey continues to bark out orders. ‘That’s it. Lean in some more. Give us a kiss!’

I stiffen slightly as Cash tilts his head upwards. There’s a spark in his eye, but he quickly blinks it away.

‘Cash—’ I begin.

‘Don’t worry,’ he murmurs. He’s stopped only an inch or two away from my lips, and his cool breath fans my cheeks as he speaks. ‘I’m not going to kiss you. It just looks like I am. For the photo.’

I swallow and resist the sudden urge to close the gap between us and steal the kiss I’ve been craving. ‘Got it.’

‘Bailey,’ he says, eyes serious. ‘I need you to know something.’

The minuscule space between us is thick with tension. It feels like we’re on the brink of something cataclysmic.

I lick my lips. His eyes follow my tongue as it darts out, and he inhales deeply.

‘And what’s that?’ I ask.

His lip twitches, and I swear he’s about to lean in and close the gap between us. But then, a strangled groan erupts from his mouth as Lacey’s next shriek makes us jump apart.

‘ Woohoo! Our turn now! Bailey, come here and get some pics of me and Danny. I want the lighting to look just like yours. I’ll send you your photos later. Cash, give me your Instagram, and I’ll send them to you too.’

The distraction she’s provided is a welcome one, and I leap away from Cash like I’ve been electrocuted.

I’m not sure I want to hear whatever it is he has to say. Because I know what it’s going to be. He’s even said it himself already today. I’m Dane’s sister, and that’s just not a line he’s willing to cross.