Chapter 16
16
JASMINE
It was now evening and I was on my way to the kitchen. Alejandro had texted to ask if I could come and try some of the dishes he’d been working on.
When I’d received his message, my immediate thought was to decline. Not because I didn’t want to help him, but because I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about our dance lesson this afternoon and what he’d said:
I did not intend to get hard. I have been trying to ignore my feelings, but the truth is, having you pressed against me felt fucking amazing.
Those words kept swirling around my brain and every time I thought about how good it was to feel Alejandro’s boner, a fresh wave of tingles erupted between my legs.
He’d confessed to liking me and the more time I spent with him, the more mutual those feelings became.
That’s why I didn’t want to sit alone with him in the kitchen sampling food that I knew would be delicious and make me like him even more.
I mean, let’s get real. The man looked like a god. He oozed confidence. He was kind and thoughtful and caring. Those qualities alone made him a catch. But when you threw the fact that he was an amazing chef into the mix, it was a lethal combination. Especially considering the fact we’d been thrown together and forced to spend two weeks in paradise.
I was starting to think that I didn’t stand a chance. Maybe I was fighting a losing battle and should just give in to my urges.
But then I remembered: I was his boss. We were here to work. I was this close to securing the promotion I’d worked so hard for. I couldn’t throw my dream away over some man’s cock. Although I was sure it’d be a very, very exquisite cock.
A fresh wave of need raced through me.
This was getting ridiculous.
If I had more time, I would’ve taken another shower. I’d had one as soon as we’d got back from the dance lesson, but it was a hot one. Right now, I needed to immerse myself in cold water to extinguish the dangerous flames that were burning inside me.
It’d been ages since I’d had any real sexual desire. Going through a messy divorce saw to that. Since I’d found out that my ex had been sleeping with his secretary for months behind my back three years ago, I’d had zero interest in dating another man. I just wanted to focus on me and building a career that no man could take away from me like Kane did.
But then in walked Alejandro and my body lit up like a Christmas display. When we were working in Spain, it was easier to keep those feelings under control. If ever I felt the attraction building, I’d just remove myself from the situation. But here, it was much harder to hide.
As much as I wanted to lock myself away in my room, I had to go and help him out. After all, he’d helped with my research, so it was only fair that I did the same. That was what I was here for. We both had to do whatever it took to plan the best possible experience for our guests, so I couldn’t let a stupid crush get in the way of me doing my job.
I can do this.
After taking a deep breath and straightening my shoulders, I slid on my sandals then left my room.
When I walked into the kitchen, Alejandro was standing over a pot on the stove. A mid-tempo reggae song was playing from his phone on the counter and he was bopping his head happily.
‘Hi,’ I said softly, trying to ignore how good he looked in his chef’s jacket. His hair was ruffled and his waves looked so adorable, I was suddenly overcome with the need to run my hands through them. I quickly clasped my palms together before I embarrassed myself.
‘Hey.’ He looked up and when he saw me, a wide smile spread across his face.
‘Enjoying the music?’
‘ Sí! I need your love!’
‘What?’ I frowned. I knew he said he liked to be honest, but that was a bit strong.
‘No!’ He laughed. ‘That is the song; it is called “I Need Your Love”, by a man called Beres Hammond. He is one of the artists Bob recommended.’
‘Oh, right!’ I said, feeling like an idiot. Of course he wasn’t asking for my love.
‘Dinner is almost ready. Please.’ He gestured to a stool beside him. ‘Take a seat. I poured you a glass of some rum punch I made too.’
I did as he asked.
After lifting up the colourful glass, I took a sip of the punch.
‘Oh my God, this is delicious!’ I licked my lips, then took another glug. ‘Not too sweet and it’s strong, but not as potent as the one at the restaurant.’
‘I am glad you like it.’ He smiled.
A sweet scent filled the air, but it was mixed with something spicy too.
‘What are you making?’ I said, attempting to take my mind off the fact that there were now just a few steps between us.
At least I should be grateful that things weren’t awkward. Alejandro was acting normally. I was glad the whole inconvenient boner subject hadn’t reared its head again. Pun not intended.
‘A mango sauce. I want to try this with the jerk chicken I have made. I still need to make dessert, but it should not take long. Would you like to help?’
‘Oh no.’ I shook my head. ‘You really don’t want me to go anywhere near anything you’d like to eat. Unless you want to be sick tomorrow! I told you before, I’m not a good cook.’
‘That I find hard to believe.’
‘It’s true !’
My ex-husband loved to remind me about my culinary shortcomings. ‘Do me a favour,’ he used to say. ‘For all our sakes, don’t cook. You’re a disaster in the kitchen. Just stick to what you’re good at: warming up the food my mum makes.’
That was another sticking point. He insisted that no one cooked like his mother, so every week, she’d deliver a batch of dishes she’d made.
It was kind of her and at least it meant I never had to cook, but at the same time, I thought it was a little OTT.
A man who was in his forties shouldn’t have his mum cook all his meals, surely? Her doing that made me feel a bit shit. As outdated as the concept of the wife cooking all the meals for her husband was, I felt like I should at least be able to do it if I wanted to. But knowing how much he hated everything I ever attempted to make made me feel like I was less .
‘Come.’ He gestured for me to get up. ‘You are going to help me make the dessert.’
‘If dessert is pouring milk in a glass or scooping ice cream into a bowl, I can definitely do that !’ I laughed.
‘You remember the orange cake that is on the menu at our hotel?’
‘Oh my God! I love that cake!’ My mouth watered just thinking about it. It was the softest cake I’d ever tasted.
‘I am going to make a version of that, but using pineapple, coconut and a little rum instead.’
‘Sounds delicious! Like a Malibu cake.’
‘Could be. All of the ingredients are measured, I would like you to put them in a bowl and mix them.’
I opened my mouth to protest and then saw Alejandro raise his eyebrow, signalling that resistance would be futile.
After I’d taken another sip of my punch, I washed my hands, grabbed an apron and went over to where the bowl and ingredients were laid out.
‘Does it matter what order I put them in?’
‘No. But perhaps start with the dry ingredients first.’
I emptied the flour, sugar and baking powder in the bowl, then looked at the wet ingredients.
‘Yogurt?’ I frowned. ‘And oil? Where’s the butter? I thought all cakes used butter? Not that I’m an expert or anything. Just curious.’
‘I prefer yogurt and olive oil. It makes the sponge lighter.’
‘Oh! I didn’t know that!’
I mixed them in along with the eggs, freshly grated coconut, chopped pineapple, spices and a dash of rum.
‘How’s that?’ I tipped the bowl so he could see.
‘You need to mix it a little more.’ He came over.
‘Like this?’ I picked up the spoon and moved it around the bowl.
‘No.’ Alejandro stood behind me, put his hand on mine and began to stir the mixture in large, fast, circular movements.
At least I thought that was what he was doing but I couldn’t be sure because my brain had just short-circuited.
As soon as his big, manly hand connected with mine, my pulse rocketed. Just like it did that time in the kitchen when he handed me my phone after we’d crashed into each other and it’d dropped.
Just like it had when he held my hand at Dunn’s River Falls.
Just like it had when he gave me the foot massage.
And again when his hard-on pressed against me during our dance class earlier.
Fuck.
I willed myself to calm down and knew the only way to do that was to create some distance. Fast .
‘I… I think I’ve got the hang of it now,’ I stuttered.
‘Sure?’ he asked.
‘Positive.’
Alejandro stepped back, returned to the stove and started doing something with the sauce whilst I tried to get my heart rate to stabilise.
The worrying thing was that, although I should be grateful that he was now a few feet away from me, I missed the feeling of his hand on mine.
I also missed the heat from his body when he stood behind me and the way his warm breath tickled the back of my neck when he’d spoken.
Telling myself that I was crazy, I returned to stirring the mixture.
‘I think it’s done now.’
Alejandro walked back over to inspect the contents and my heart raced again.
‘That looks perfect,’ he smiled. ‘I told you. You are a natural!’
My heart fluttered and I almost asked if he was joking before reminding myself that I was supposed to be strong and confident and that when someone complimented you, you shouldn’t question it.
‘Thank you. Here’s hoping it tastes as good as it looks!’ I joked.
Okay, so I still had some work to do on the whole accepting praise thing. I was usually fine when it came to accepting compliments about how good I was at my job, but baking? This was a new one for me.
‘It will. I believe in you.’
My eyes widened and my heart swelled. Two compliments within a couple of minutes was a lot to take in.
‘Oh! I just realised. Shouldn’t we put the pineapple juice in the mixture?’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘We will do that when we take it out of the oven.’
I frowned, then nodded. Alejandro knew what he was doing.
After I greased the baking dish and poured in the mixture like Alejandro instructed, I slid it inside the oven, then sat next to him as he plated up our dinner. I drained my glass of rum punch, then poured another from the jug in front of me.
‘It looks and smells delicious. I’d love to hear what you’ve done and how you made it.’ I leant in, genuinely interested to know more.
‘So with the jerk chicken, I thought that instead of serving it as a complete thigh, it would be good to slice it finely. When our guests are on a date, they will not want to worry about biting a big piece of chicken, or thinking about if it is okay to use their fingers or cutting the meat themselves. It will be a distraction. Instead, I want them to focus on staring into the eyes of their match.’
Alejandro’s gaze fixed on mine and I swallowed hard.
‘That’s a good idea,’ I said, dropping my eyes to the plate. ‘And this?’ I pointed to the mash.
‘That is a sweet potato mash and I have created a spicy mango salsa which is drizzled over the chicken.’
‘Can I try?’
‘Please,’ he said.
I stabbed a piece of chicken onto my fork, dipped it into the salsa, then added a bit of mash before sliding it into my mouth.
‘Wow.’ My eyes popped. ‘This is phenomenal!’ I quickly piled my fork with another mouthful. ‘You have a gift.’ I exclaimed. ‘This is incredible. Seriously. You’re a very talented man. You’re an amazing cook, great dancer, you speak English fluently, what else are you good at?’ I cocked my head to the side and licked my lips suggestively.
WTF?
It sounded like I was flirting with him.
I blamed the rum punch for loosening my tongue.
‘Professionally, or personally ?’ The corner of his mouth turned up.
‘Both,’ I said, knowing that I was entering dangerous territory, but not being able to help myself.
‘As you know, I love to cook, so that covers my professional talents. As for my personal ones, I am very good at exercise.’
‘What kind?’
‘I am a fast runner, a strong swimmer and very good at working out. I have a lot of energy and stamina. I do not tire easily. And even when I have a long session, I can recover very quickly and start again.’
‘What kind of working out are you referring to? The gym or something else?’
‘What would the something else mean?’ He raised his eyebrow.
‘Well, from the way you phrased it, it almost sounded like you were talking about your ability in the bedroom…’ My voice trailed off.
‘Is that what it sounded like or what you were imagining?’ His eyes darkened.
‘I don’t think you want to know the answer to that.’ I picked up my rum punch and took a large sip, suddenly getting cold feet. I shouldn’t have said that. ‘Should we check on the cake?’
I got up and put my hand on the oven door. Alejandro reached out and put his hand on top of mine to stop me.
‘The cake is fine. Do not think I did not notice how you just tried to change the subject.’
Busted .
My gaze flicked up and my eyes met his. Electricity crackled between us. My lips parted. Our faces were only inches apart. All it would take was for us both to lean forward and our mouths would be touching.
Which is why I quickly pulled my hand away and sat back on the stool.
‘I just wanted to check that the cake didn’t burn,’ I said, convincing no one.
‘Jasmine, I need to ask you a question.’
God, if only he knew what him saying my name did to me.
‘Go on…’ My stomach tensed as I sensed that I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
‘Earlier, at the end of the dance class, I told you that I enjoyed your body being pressed against mine. In case it was not clear, I am very attracted to you. Sometimes, you act as if you are not interested. But then other times, like just now, when you asked about my skills , you seem like you are. It is a little confusing, so I would like to know: do you feel the same? Are you attracted to me?’
‘Alejandro.’ I paused. ‘Look, I apologise. My comments or questions a moment ago were… inappropriate. I think it’s best if we change the subject and focus on your work-related talents, rather than whether or not we are attracted to each other.’
It was wrong of me to flirt with him, but it wasn’t too late to shut this conversation down.
‘ Por qué? We are adults. It is better to talk about these things openly, so there is no awkwardness and we both know where we stand.’
No awkwardness? That was a joke. Forget what I said earlier. Right now, I was feeling more awkward than someone who’d just wandered onto a nudist beach by mistake.
‘I appreciate you expressing your feelings and I’m flattered. I really am, but I think it’s better if we forget about what happened at the dance class, what you said and my comments just now. I shouldn’t have drunk that punch. It clouded my judgement. I wasn’t thinking clearly, but now that I am, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to answer your question.’
‘I did not ask whether it would be appropriate . I asked if you are attracted to me or not. It is a simple sí or no .’
I sat there in silence, not knowing what to say. Of course I was bloody attracted to him. Given the chance, I’d jump him right now, but what I said was true. It wasn’t appropriate. I wasn’t supposed to be attracted to him. I was in a more senior position and we worked together. End of.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m not going to answer that.’
Alejandro blew out a frustrated breath, then shook his head.
‘Do you know what I think?’
‘What?’ I replied.
‘I think that you are attracted to me, but you are scared. Scared because you have been hurt before. Scared because you are worried what people will think. But I know that you can feel the electricity between us. When our hands touch. When we look at each other. This kind of mutual attraction does not happen every day. So you can continue to deny it, but it will not work. This,’ he gestured between us, ‘is powerful, so it is inevitable that something will happen between us.’
‘Wow. Inevitable . Really?’ I rolled my eyes. ‘What are you now, a clairvoyant? If you can see the future so clearly, maybe you should tell me this week’s lottery numbers. Then when we win the jackpot, we won’t have to work any more!’ I laughed, hoping to deflect the truth.
‘Working is in our blood. Even if we had money, we would still do our jobs because we are both passionate about our careers. Passion in all of its forms cannot be denied.’ His eyes darkened. ‘So it would much easier if you just told me how you felt. If you are not attracted to me, tell me now, then we can move on. No problem. But if you are, if you do have feelings for me like I believe you do, let us explore them. Life is short and it is important to enjoy it. I understand that you take your job seriously and I respect that. But we are away from management, so as long as we are careful, we can take the risk. We can be more relaxed. Here, we are more free.’
‘We’re not free !’ I scoffed. ‘We may be in Jamaica, but people are still watching us. We work together, Alejandro, and I’m in a more senior position. Getting involved with you would be an abuse of power.’
‘ That is why you are concerned?’ He laughed. ‘I am not a boy. I am a man. I am capable of making my own decisions. I am the one expressing my feelings to you. You are not making me do anything.’
‘I don’t think Hazel would quite see it that way. Anyway, I’m not that kind of woman. I don’t have one-night stands. And if I did, I wouldn’t do that with someone at work. It’d make things very awkward.’
Things were already super awkward between us, but could you imagine how much worse they’d be if we had sex? The thought of us making small talk, or seeing him hooking up with other women afterwards made my stomach clench.
‘A one-night stand?’ He laughed. ‘You think that I just want to fuck you once and then leave ?’
‘What else could you possibly want?’ My face creased. ‘You’re young. I’m sure you’re only interested in having fun.’
‘You do not know me at all.’ He shook his head. ‘I have never been that guy. Jasmine, you are a queen. If you gave yourself to me, I would worship you. I would treat you the way that you deserve. I would give you the world. One night would never be enough.’
I swallowed hard.
‘I’ve— I have to go. It’s late.’ I jumped up from my seat and headed towards the door.
‘But you have not finished your dinner. And the cake is not ready yet!’
‘It’s been a long day. I need to get some sleep.’
I literally sprinted out of the kitchen and out into the cool air, walking back to my room in a daze.
Alejandro had said that if I was with him, he’d worship me and give me the world.
His facial expression was serious. He looked like he meant every word and if I was being honest, I believed him.
Which only made me like him more.
I was in big trouble.
And I didn’t know how the hell I was going to get myself out of it.