Page 16 of One Week in Paradise

When I wake up, Cash is still there. He’s all the way over on his side of the bed, but a feeling of relief washes over me as I watch the slow rise and fall of his chest.

I’m glad we’re in a better place together. The tension between us is still there, but it’s becoming easier to push aside. I’m enjoying getting to know Cash, and I’m excited to see what I’ll learn today.

He stirs and yawns, turning onto his side so he’s facing me. He looks at me, eyes warm, mouth splitting into an easy, lazy smile. For a moment, it feels like I’m his whole world. And then he blinks and seems to remember where he is. He shoots upright and runs a hand through his messy locks.

‘What time is it?’ Cash’s morning voice is low and husky, and it sends a jolt of warmth running through me, pooling in the pit of my stomach.

‘Just gone eight,’ I murmur.

He rubs the sleep out of his eyes. ‘What’re we doing today?’

I scroll through my phone quickly to find the itinerary Penelope sent over. ‘A couples massage.’

He nods and moves to stand up but then quickly flops back into bed. Except he doesn’t stick to his side. He rolls closer to where I am, tentatively stopping in the middle of the bed. ‘Gimme five more minutes.’

‘The massage isn’t until twelve,’ I tell him.

There’s still a decent distance between us, but if I wanted to, I could reach out and press my hand flat against his bare chest. The thought makes my throat constrict, and I swallow thickly.

‘You can go back to bed. I’m gonna go and meet the others for breakfast.’ I swing my legs out of bed and pad quickly to the bathroom.

‘Are you sure?’

I manage to squeak out a yes , and hope that he doesn’t notice how high my voice is. Those annoying sensual thoughts are back, and I need to push them away before I ruin everything.

Penelope is looking at me like she’s about to tell me she was the one who ran over my childhood cat Hercules and left him to die in the street.

It’s just before noon, and Cash and I are waiting outside the spa, ready to get our massages.

‘Guys, I am so sorry,’ she says, looking genuinely like she’s about two seconds away from bursting into tears.

‘The spa is closed today. Our masseuses had a family emergency, and they won’t be in today.

I can’t tell you how sorry I am. And I know you were looking to film some content about the massage specifically. ’

‘It’s fine,’ I tell her. ‘I hope the masseuses are okay?’

‘Yes, they’re fine. Just need to deal with some family arrangements. They’ll be back tomorrow if you’ve got time then?’ She groans and whacks her hand against her forehead. ‘But no. You’re booked for the tandem jet-skiing, aren’t you?’

‘Don’t worry about it, Penelope,’ I try to reassure her, this time a little more firmly. I can see that she’s spiralling and worried I’ll leave a bad review or put the resort on blast. ‘We’re having a great time. It’s a shame about the massage, but it can’t be helped. There’s no need to worry.’

She still looks a little worried, but I think I’ve assuaged her fears for the most part. She spends another minute or two apologising and then hurries off to find Bea and Marcus, who are apparently going on a herb farm tour this afternoon.

‘That’s a shame,’ I mumble once Penelope is out of earshot. ‘I was really looking forward to that.’

The plan was to spend the afternoon getting the massages, then I was going to hang by the pool and read for the rest of the day.

Since the other couples weren’t going to be around, I told Cash he was free to disappear and do what he liked for the rest of the day, but he said he was happy to stick with me and have a pool day.

‘You can still have a massage,’ Cash says as we stroll back to our suite. ‘You may don’t know this about me, but I’ve been told I have magic hands.’

A nervous laugh escapes me. It’s not that I haven’t thought about his hands running over my body, but I’m desperately trying to keep those thoughts at bay, and Cash isn’t helping. ‘Who told you that?’

‘Just people,’ Cash says innocently. Girls, probably. Lots and lots of girls. ‘Seriously, I give a pretty good massage.’

I glance at his hands and remember how they’d felt inching up my thighs that night at the cabana bar. ‘I don’t doubt it.’

I gasp and cover my mouth. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but it’s too late. Cash is grinning down at me, and I can see from the look in his eyes that this isn’t a battle I’m going to win.

‘Fine,’ I say, trying my best to act like I’m doing him a favour. ‘Let’s see what you’ve got.’

Once we’re back in the suite, Cash instructs me to take off my vest and lie face down on the bed. I do as he says and try to ignore the feeling of warmth that pools low in my belly when he tells me what to do. That’s something for me to unpack later. Much later.

‘You ready?’ he asks.

I nod, not trusting my voice.

He crawls over me, knees on either side of my hips, and lowers himself down, so he’s resting lightly on my ass.

‘I’m not too heavy?’ he asks.

‘No,’ I manage to croak out. ‘You’re perfect.’

That gets a chuckle out of him. ‘I’ll start with your back.’

He places his hands gently on my back, and I’m pleasantly surprised to feel that they’re warm.

‘Take a few deep breaths with me,’ he says. ‘In and out until we’re in sync.’

I feel myself pulse down there as I blindly follow another one of his orders. Maybe I need to unpack this now. Why does him telling me to do something send a jolt of arousal shooting through me like this?

We take deep breaths together until we’re breathing as one.

‘Good girl,’ he mumbles, and that truly nearly sends me over the edge. I bury my face in a pillow to muffle my groan and hope that he doesn’t notice the way I’m squeezing my thighs together.

Once he’s happy with our breathing, he brings his hands to rest at the base of my neck, his thumbs pressing gently on my spine.

I inhale a sharp breath as he glides his hands all the way down my back, right down to the curve of my ass.

For a second, I think he’s about to squeeze my cheeks, but then his hands move out to my hips, and he presses his thumbs into the soft skin on my sides.

It feels sensational. Every ounce of stress and anxiety I’ve been clinging to for the last three months fades away with his touch, and I feel myself sinking into the mattress as my entire body turns to jelly.

His hands move up towards my shoulder blades, his palms making small circles along my back as he goes. ‘Does this feel good?’

‘ Yes .’ And I can’t help the loud groan that escapes from my lips as his hands slide back down my back again, gliding over the curve of my ass. Lower . I need him to go lower. I lift my hips slightly, my back arching into his touch and moan, ‘Yes, you feel so good.’

His hands freeze, and I hear his breath hitch. Then suddenly, the bed creaks and the weight of his body on top of mine is gone. I glance over my shoulder. Cash is standing away from the bed. His face is red, and he’s breathing heavily.

‘You okay?’ I ask.

‘Mhm,’ he hums. I don’t miss the way his voice cracks slightly.

‘Are you sure? You don’t look—’

‘I’m fine,’ he chokes out. He stumbles backwards until his back hits the bathroom door. ‘The massage is over, by the way. I think I’m going to have a shower.’

I blink at him, my mind still a little bit hazy. ‘ Now ?’

‘Yeah, it’s pretty hot, and I’m sweaty, and I feel gross and…’ He trails off as he opens the bathroom door and disappears inside.

I lay there on the bed and try not to think about how incredibly turned on I am right now.

I fail.

Miserably.

As soon as I hear that he’s got the shower running, I flip onto my back and immediately hike my skirt up. I dip my hand past the waistband of my panties and heave a sigh of relief as I press against my throbbing pussy. I don’t think I’ve ever been this wet before.

I close my eyes and try to pretend like it’s Cash’s hand down there.

Good girl.

I imagine he’s on top of me, whispering orders to me and heaping me with praise when I comply.

I take my free hand and stick two of my fingers in my mouth.

I run my tongue along them until they’re dripping and then bring the fingers down to my nipples, pretending like they’re Cash’s tongue lapping over my breasts.

I keep my thumb on my clit and slide two fingers inside myself, and imagine it’s Cash inside me, filling me up as the walls of my pussy squeeze around him.

‘Oh, Cash .’ His name spills from my lips as I come, long and hard, around my fingers.

I don’t know how long I lay there, panting and moaning as I ride out the blissful waves of my orgasm, but when I open my eyes, Cash is standing in front of me, mouth open, eyes hazy.

The imprint of his dick is clear against the towel he has wrapped around his waist.

He’s hard.

‘ Bailey ,’ he croaks. ‘Shit. I’m sorry. I should’ve told you I was coming back in.’

My cheeks flush. I still haven’t moved. I’m lying here, one hand on my naked breasts, the other stuffed into my panties. I squeeze my legs shut and roll into the blankets to cover myself.

‘I’m gonna—’ He swallows. ‘I’ll let you—’ And then Cash is gone, back into the bathroom.

I sink back into the blankets and groan. For some reason, I can’t help but feel like I’ve been rejected.