Page 40 of One Week in Paradise
I look over his shoulder. Marcus, Danny and Sara are diving into the pool while Bea, Lacey and Meera relax on sun loungers.
I end the call with Amber, promising to keep her updated on any developments between Cash and me (as unlikely as that may be, but it gets her off my back), and change into a bikini.
When I get outside, Cash, Marcus and Danny are in the middle of a ‘hold your breath underwater’ competition. As I approach the sun loungers, Lacey tilts her head down and peers at me over the top of her large, cat-eye sunglasses. I offer her a wave, but it’s not returned.
I shrug off the odd energy emanating from Lacey and slide into an empty sun lounger between Meera and Bea.
‘You not getting in?’ I ask.
‘No way,’ says Bea. ‘I’m more of a “lounge by the pool and look cute” kind of girl.’
‘Agreed,’ says Meera.
I laugh. They’re both certainly succeeding.
We watch as the guys start a race in the pool, seeing who can do ten laps the fastest. Cash easily cuts through the water, and the sight of him, wet and glowing in the sunlight, nearly makes me malfunction.
I’ve got to get myself under control.
‘What’ve you all been up to today?’ I ask. ‘We were supposed to have the couples massage, but it got cancelled.’
‘Same,’ says Sara. ‘I was really looking forward to it.’
‘We did the massages yesterday,’ says Bea. ‘It wasamazing. Very romantic.’ She peeks over the ridge of her knees to see where the guys are. Satisfied that they’re not within earshot, she drops her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘Marcus hasn’t been able to keep his hands off me. I don’t know what they put in that oil, but it did the damn job.’
‘Massages can beverysensual when done properly,’ Meera says. ‘It’s such a shame they had to cancel. What have you and Cash been up to instead, Bailey?’
My mind flashes back to earlier this afternoon. Cash crouching over me, his hands deftly making their way down my back.
I clear my throat and hope I can blame the sun for myrapidly reddening cheeks. ‘Not much. Just relaxing in our suite.’
Sara wiggles her brows. ‘Is that a euphemismor…’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You know,’ Sara says with a sly shrug. ‘You and Cash… getting to know each other.’
‘Yeah,’ says Meera. ‘How are things going? Are the sparks flying?’
Bea lets out a cackle. ‘I think things are going pretty well for the new couple.’
My cheeks are on fire. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
Bea lolls her head in my direction and gives me a knowing look. ‘Come on, girl. We all saw you last night at the dance lesson.’
‘You couldn’t keep your hands off each other,’ says Meera.
‘It was a dance lesson,’ I protest. ‘Where were our hands supposed to be?’
Bea hums, and the three of them share a glance. ‘I’m just saying. He can’t keep his eyes off you.’
‘We’re not trying to embarrass you,’ says Meera. She reaches over and gives me a gentle nudge. ‘I just… We know it’s not been easy for you recently after everything that happened. We just want to make sure you know you’ve got a good thing in front of you. Sometimes it can be hard to see.’
A lump forms in my throat. It seems like Cash and I havebeen playing the perfect couple, much better than I’d expected.
‘They’re right.’
I jump at the sound of Lacey’s voice. She’s been so quiet the entire time I’ve forgotten that she’s here.
