Chapter 6
Ciara bit back a groanas her masseuse hit a tight pocket of muscles. While she was way more relaxed than when she’d arrived, this massage had been a great idea. She’d booked two when she’d made her reservations.
This one to help her relax from all the tension of the real world. Then one the morning day before, she was scheduled to head home. Although the tightness that the talented masseuse worked through right now had nothing to do with pre-vacation stress. It was all about the confusion Maddox had started with his confession.
He’d rocked her world more times than she could count last night with his magical touch. They’d nibbled on the surprise food platter he’d ordered between rounds. A simple affair of bite-sized sandwiches, fruit, and cheese. But it was more about the gesture itself.
Maddox always had a way of taking care of her. He always had during their week together, but she hadn’t put much thought into it until his big bombshell yesterday. Even though she didn’t want to, she wasn’t going to be able to take her mind off what he desired for the rest of the week, if ever.
If she were honest, a few of those thoughts had crept into her mind, but she’d quickly shut them down with a hefty dose of reality. One that Maddox didn’t know existed for her, or he never would let his own thoughts travel down that road.
A part of her wanted to rip the blinders off his eyes. Expose him to the reality of what her life was like at home. Yet, a larger piece of her didn’t. This week with Maddox was the one thing in her life that truly belonged to her. She didn’t want to lose it. Deep down, it felt irreplaceable. Just not for the reasons Maddox seemed to think it was.
She did know that if Maddox found out the truth, he’d run in the opposite direction so fast that she’d be left to wonder if it had all been a figment of her imagination.
Perhaps there was a middle ground?
It was a way to ensure that they both had a little of what they wanted without completely ruining everything.
She closed her eyes on a grunt when the masseuse found another knot between her shoulder blades. Ciara gritted her teeth as the woman committed to getting rid of it. However, she couldn’t complain. That’s what she’d paid for.
She tried to focus on the soothing sounds of water and the subtle jasmine and lavender fragrance. For a few seconds, she was able to. Then her thoughts slowly drifted back to Maddox. It would be so easy to discount what he’d said if he weren’t such an honest guy. He had been from the moment they’d met. That had been one of the things that had drawn her to him.
Well, that and his killer abs.
Still, this had been the last thing she’d expected from him. She’d chosen him because he was safe. Now that appeared not to be the case.
No, she wasn’t saying that he’d become dangerous. Maddox would never hurt her intentionally, but he was her one guilty pleasure in life that she didn’t have to share with anyone else for seven splendid days and six steamy nights. Call her selfish, but she didn’t want that to change.
It couldn’t.
There was no way it would work.
Exhaling heavily, she tried again to clear her mind and give in to the relaxing feeling of the hands, working diligently to remove the tightness in her muscles.
Thankfully, her brain finally received the memo, and her raging thoughts of Maddox and his confession faded into the background. So much so that she drifted off without even realizing it.
An undeterminable time later, she awoke at the sound of her name. As she came to, she realized it was the masseuse. She lifted her head, grateful at how relaxed her muscles felt.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
The young lady offered a slight bow of her head. “My pleasure. It took me a while to get you to relax, but I was finally able to.”
“My apologies. I’ve been a little stressed as of late.”
“Well, hopefully, the rest of your stay is enjoyable and relaxing.”
Ciara smiled as her masseuse left the room before sitting up, wrapping the sheet around her. Several minutes later, she’d redressed and exited the spa.
She didn’t plan to meet up with Maddox until lunchtime, which gave her a few hours to kill. Decision made, she walked toward her room. After putting her stuff away, she grabbed a water bottle and headed out onto her private patio.
There was plenty of shade and a great view. She couldn’t think of a better place to finish her nap. Maddox had worn her out last night with his lusty demands, so she hadn’t slept much. Knowing it would probably be that way for the rest of the trip, she learned to grab her rest when she could.
She set the alarm on her phone in case she crashed hard so that she wouldn’t oversleep. Then she slipped her shades on.
The corners of her mouth curved upward as she watched the waves crash onto the shore. She was definitely going to get into the water later. She hadn’t gone in other than wadding ankle deep while out for a stroll. As much as she loved the water, that was out of her norm.
She exhaled heavily before closing her eyes. If only life were more simple, but it wasn’t. Yet, she wouldn’t change a thing about it.
If someone had told her that this was what her life would become five years ago, she would have scoffed as she walked away laughing. But now that it had, she’d made the best of it. After all, that was all she could do.
She and Maddox definitely had to have a serious talk sometime today. His confession had really done a number on her. It was all she could think about. Like any challenge she’d encountered in life, she knew she needed to face this head-on. Otherwise, she was going to go insane before this trip was over.
But even as she drifted off, she let her mind journey down the lane of what if...