Page 102 of What Happens in Paradise

‘I’m glad you caught us before we left too!’ I raced over to him. ‘Thanks for everything.’

‘Yuh welcome! Walk good and memba fi call mi wen yuh reach.’He patted a frowning Alejandro on the shoulder.

‘Bob said we need to remember to call him when we arrive home.’

‘Ah, sí. Vale!’

We gave Bob a hug, waved to Nadine then set off to the airport.

‘That was nice of Bob to come and see us off,’ I said as the hotel grounds faded into the background.

‘It was. He is a good man. They should give him a permanent job at the hotel.’

‘I agree,’ I said, hoping we hadn’t offended the current driver. It was true, though. I reckoned he’d be a big hit with the guests.

Alejandro and I stared at each other in silence. My gaze dropped to his mouth. I wanted to kiss him so much. Perhaps we would’ve got away with it if Bob was taking us to the airport, but we couldn’t risk it with this new driver. Anyway, it was over now. The waterfall was our goodbye.

‘So,’ I broke the silence. ‘How have you been?’

We spent most of the journey exchanging stories about how full on it’d been. Like me, Alejandro had spent a lot of his time training. Walking the kitchen staff through the working methods that were unique to the Love Hotel and finalising the menu with the Cuisine King who, in the end, became more open to Alejandro’s ideas.

Sounded like he’d accomplished what he’d set out to do in Jamaica too, so the trip could be declared a success. Now all that we both needed was to secure the promotions we so desperately wanted.

* * *

The flight to Miami was short, so it wasn’t long before we were in a taxi and checking into our hotel for the night.

‘This is my room.’ Alejandro stopped outside a door in the hallway.

‘I think I’m further down.’ I pointed.

‘Would you like me to walk you there?’ he asked.

‘I’m f…’ I was about to say I was fine. It couldn’t be more than fifty metres away. But travelling for hours together without being able to kiss him had been torture and my resolve had weakened.Again.

He might just literally mean that he was going to walk me to my room. But there was a chance he was asking for more.

‘That would be… yes, please.’

When I got to my door, I tapped the keycard on the reader and stepped inside. ‘Would you… like to come in. For a… drink?’

Clearly, I’d left my willpower and common sense in Jamaica because I had promised myself approximately ten million times that we were over and yet here I was inviting Alejandro into my room fora drink, knowing full well that it wasn’t a glass I wanted to feel against my lips; it was him.

‘Sure,’ he said.

Alejandro closed the door and we just stood there in front of each other, staring. I bit my lip, then leant in towards him. He dipped his head and held my gaze.

I could’ve tried playing it cool, but I wanted him too much. I quickly closed the gap between us, pressing my mouth onto his.

Instead of being crazed and feral like our first kisses, this time, it was slow and gentle. Alejandro scooped me up and carried me over to the bed.

He undressed me slowly in silence before making love to me. And this time, there could be no mistake. It wasn’t hard, fast fucking. It was slow, sensual lovemaking.

Afterwards, I lay on his chest and we fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

And it was, without doubt, the best sleep I’d had all week.

How well I’d sleep once I was back in Spain and things were really over between us was a different story.

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