Page 62 of Hook, Line and Single

‘Oh, no,’ I say, giggling. ‘Is little Cameron a bit singed round the edges?’

‘Stop it,’ he says, but he’s smiling.

‘Just know that I’m not rubbing cream into him. You’re strictly on your own there.’

‘Did I ask?’

‘No. Just setting the boundaries, that’s all.’

‘You’re a bit pink yourself,’ he observes. ‘I think the sun was a little stronger than we realised.’

The room, when we reach it, is large and dominated by the enormous bed. Cameron sprawls on it as I unpack my shopping and head for the bathroom, where I discover a walk-in shower big enough for both of us, not that we’ll be testing that out. I will admit to having enjoyed looking at Cameron naked, but that’s as far as it’s going to go. I step under the rainfall head, surprised by how much my skin stings under the warm water. Having washed my hair and rinsed away every remnant of sweat and salt, I wrap myself in one of the huge white towels the hotel has provided. It’s only when I wipe away the steam from one of the mirrors and see myself that I gasp in horror. My face and shoulders are bright pink. I carefully peel away the towel to reveal a similar story for the rest of me. Shit. Never mind all-over tan, I have all-over sunburn. Thankfully, we did buy a bottle of aftersun lotion at Claudine’s suggestion, but it’s in the other room.

‘Bloody hell,’ Cameron observes when I come out of the bathroom. ‘Is that…?’

‘Yup. The same all over. And no, I don’t need your help rubbing cream into it.’

He laughs. ‘I wasn’t offering. Although you might need me to do your back.’

‘OK. I’ll take you up on that. You’d better get in the shower yourself and then we’ll know what we’re dealing with.’

When he emerges a while later, also wrapped in a towel, it’s clear that his extra time in the sea has come at a price, as he’s even redder than me.

‘Right. Take the towel off and come and lie down on your front,’ I command him, reaching for the bottle of aftersun lotion. When he drops the towel, my eyes fall to his manhood and I can’t help laughing.

‘What on earth have you done to poor little Cameron?’ I ask. ‘He looks like a frankfurter.’

‘Perhaps I should have spent less time floating on my back,’ he admits.

‘I did tell you.’

‘That wasn’t about sunburn. You said he was distracting you.’

‘Yeah, well you’d better keep him covered up once you’ve treated him. You could use him as a beacon to guide shipping looking like that. Come on. Lie down.’ I pat the bed next to me and he carefully lowers himself onto it.

‘This will feel cold,’ I tell him as I squeeze some lotion onto his back and he flinches. I carefully move round so I’m straddling his naked buttocks and begin to massage it into his skin. I can feel the heat coming off him through my thighs.

‘You are seriously hot,’ I tell him.

‘Why, thank you,’ he says, laughing.

‘I meant hot temperature hot,’ I clarify as I squeeze a little more lotion out of the bottle and start to work it into his skin. His muscles are firm underneath my hands, and I’m totally unprepared for the effect massaging him is having on me. As I work down his back towards his buttocks, I’m starting to feel distinctly flustered. It’s a long time since I’ve touched a man like this, and it’s doing things to me.

‘I’m going to do your bum and the backs of your legs, OK?’ I tell him as I shuffle down, being careful to tuck a fold of towel between my legs to prevent me coming into direct contact with him. I don’t think I’d be able to cope with the sensation of that at the moment.

‘Yes, fine.’

If massaging Cameron’s back affected me, rubbing the lotion into his buttocks is far worse. As I run my hands over them, I have to reluctantly admit to myself that I’m actually quite turned on. I shake my head, trying to dispel the feeling and regain some control before hastily moving on to the backs of his thighs and calves.

‘You’re done,’ I tell him hurriedly, clambering off before I do or say something I’ll regret. I wonder if he felt it too. He certainly seems in no hurry to roll over. Is it wrong that part of me hopes little Cameron is giving him trouble?

‘Thank you. That feels miles better already,’ he murmurs, and I listen carefully to his tone of voice to try to detect if he feels anywhere near as hot and bothered as I do.

‘Are you OK there?’ I ask him after a minute or so.

‘Yes, absolutely. Right. Towel off and lie on your front. It’s my turn.’

Oh, shit.

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