What Happens in Paradise (The Love Hotel #2)

Chapter 24

24

JASMINE

We’d arrived at Rick’s Café. The red, gold and green circular plaque on the wall glowed in the sunshine.

After waving Bob off, we walked through towards the cliffside. I’d expected it to be popular and it really was.

In addition to the people standing by the edge in their swimsuits and trunks getting ready to jump, there were adults of all ages spread across every part of the grounds: by the pool that was located next to the bar, on both levels of the main building and in front of the stage which was presumably used for concerts.

‘Wow. There are a lot of people!’ Alejandro said, reading my mind. ‘I am not surprised. They have won many accolades.’

‘Really?’ I asked. I’d planned to research the place this morning, but I got distracted thinking about a certain Spanish man’s delicious lips…

‘ Sí .’ he nodded. ‘When I checked their website, it said that they were voted one of the top one thousand places to see before you die and one of the best bars in the world. I think they were also voted one of the sexiest bars in the Caribbean too.’ His eyes darkened.

‘Oh, right, yes.’ I bit my lip. ‘I can see that. Maybe it’s a combination of the sun and the music.’ I tilted my head to the dance floor area in front of the stage where there were a couple grinding to a reggae song which was playing loudly.

‘I am going to get changed,’ Alejandro announced.

‘You’re going to jump ?’ My eyes widened.

‘ Sí! I could not come here and not try. You do not want to?’

‘I’ll sit this out. I’m not great with heights at the best of times. I pushed myself to do Dunn’s River Falls and the Caminito del Rey in Spain for our guests, but there were barriers there. Jumping voluntarily from a cliff’s edge is a completely different story. I’m just here to observe.’

Just as the words left my mouth, I heard collective gasps from the crowd around us and saw people pointing towards the sky.

When I followed their gaze, I saw a man scaling a thin, willowy tree and standing on a platform at the top of a tree.

‘ Genial! ’ Alejandro cheered.

‘I can’t believe you’re excited about the fact that a man is about to plunge from a very, very, high tree!’ My eyes popped.

‘Do not worry. He is sure to be one of the professionals. I read that they dive from around eighty-five feet into the water.’

‘Bloody hell.’ I gulped. Just thinking about it made my stomach bottom out.

Seconds later, the diver plunged into the water. I joined the crowds at the cliffside, my heart racing, hoping he’d be okay. Thankfully, soon afterwards, he emerged triumphantly from the water and everyone cheered.

‘See! It is fine,’ Alejandro said. ‘Of course, normal people do not dive from the tree. They can jump from the side of the bar. There are three different heights: ten feet, twenty-five feet and thirty-five feet, so you do not have to do anything too scary. You are sure you do not want to try?’

‘Positive,’ I said without hesitation.

‘ No pasa nada . Perhaps you can take photos or a video for me?’

‘Of course,’ I agreed.

‘ Gracias . I will go to change now.’

After I’d gone to the bar to get some water, I spotted Alejandro by the cliffside and swallowed hard. His muscular chest and arms were even more chiselled than I’d remembered and the closer I got to him, the stronger the urge to run my hands all over his body became. Shit .

‘Hey,’ he said breezily. ‘I will not be long. Can you look after my bag?’

‘Okay.’ I slid his rucksack on my back.

‘ Gracias . And remember to watch me and take pictures. I want to send them to my sisters.’

Watch him? That wouldn’t be difficult. Whenever he was around, I could barely take my eyes off him.

‘Will do,’ I said casually.

I found a space that gave me a view of the various jumping levels and the sea below, then pulled out my phone. Alejandro hadn’t given me his mobile to take photos, so I’d just have to take them on mine.

Based on how busy it was, I thought it’d take a while for Alejandro to get to jump, but soon afterwards, he’d moved to the front of the middle level. He looked up, his head swivelling from left to right as he tried to find me.

‘I’m here!’ I shouted. When he spotted me, his face broke into a smile, causing a basket of butterflies to erupt in my stomach. He waved and I did the same.

I quickly snapped some photos and he gave me a thumbs up before stepping forward to the edge, then jumping without an ounce of hesitation into the crystal-blue water.

My heart leapt into my throat, but my nerves subsided when I saw Alejandro rise to the surface of the water then lift his arm out to punch the air in triumph.

‘You did it!’ I cheered as I angled the phone to capture him swimming over to the ladder and climbing up it.

Seeing the way his wet trunks clung to his arse and capturing his muscular back sent my pulse racing. I wondered if he had any idea just how sexy he was.

I ended the recording quickly, scared that I’d accidentally let out a groan of pleasure, then slid my phone back into my bag.

Minutes later, Alejandro appeared beside me.

‘That was incredible!’ He beamed. He was glowing even more than usual. His brown eyes sparkled and his smile was wide. ‘Seriously, you should try it!’

‘I don’t think I’m brave enough.’

‘Do you have your bikini?’

‘I have my swimming costume, but I bought it in case I wanted to go in the pool, not to jump .’

‘It is up to you, but we are here, now. What if our bosses choose to add this to the itinerary and they ask you to work at the new hotel in Jamaica and you have to bring guests here? You will feel better knowing that you have tried it, no?’

That was true. I always liked to try activities so that I could share my own personal experience with our guests.

‘I don’t know…’ I paused. ‘I’m nervous.’

‘If it helps, I will jump with you. I can hold your hand. Keep you safe.’

My heart fluttered. I didn’t know why him saying that he’d keep me safe made me melt, when I was capable of looking after myself, but it did.

‘And we can do it from the lowest level?’

‘ Por supuesto ,’ he nodded, confirming that’d be fine.

‘Okay.’

After I’d got changed, I put our phones and credit cards in a waterproof bag, slid it over my neck then followed Alejandro to the first level.

My heart thumped loudly in my chest. I couldn’t believe I was really going through with this.

Part of me hoped there’d be a queue to psyche myself up, but when we were able to walk straight to the edge, I reasoned it was probably better to just get it over and done with before I chickened out.

‘Ready?’ Alejandro asked, holding out his palm.

‘Not really, but I’ll give it a go!’

I slid my hand in his and fireworks exploded within me. There was something about being close to Alejandro that made me feel fearless. It was like he had some kind of superpower that instantly made me feel calm and completely safe.

The feminist in me wanted to cringe for thinking this, but somehow, when I was holding his hand, it was like I was capable of doing anything.

‘After three: one, two, three, let’s go!’ he shouted and we both leapt off the cliff.

I’d love to say I played it cool, but I didn’t. I screamed my head off like I was running from an axe murderer.

Yet, as we floated through the air before our bodies plunged into the water, adrenaline rocketed through my veins. It was then I realised that as well as being one of the most terrifying things I’d ever done, it was also one of the most exhilarating.

‘You okay?’ Alejandro asked as we surfaced from the water, still holding my hand.

‘That was amazing!’ I wiped the water from my eyes. ‘Let’s do it again!’

No one was more surprised than me to hear those words fly from my lips.

Miraculously, I voluntarily jumped into the water two more times. Each jump was just as exhilarating as the first. Who knew I was an adrenaline junkie?

Alejandro had asked if I felt brave enough to try the next level up, but I decided it was best to quit whilst I was ahead.

‘I’m so thirsty!’ I said as we returned to main area. ‘Let’s get some drinks and sit by the pool. What would you like?’

‘Jamaican Viagra,’ Alejandro said casually.

‘Sorry, what?’ My eyes flew from their sockets.

He was so matter-of-fact about it. I mean, I knew we’d had a connection and I definitely felt even closer to him after he helped me do that jump, but asking for Viagra was a bit presumptuous.

Firstly, I was surprised he thought I’d be able to just walk up to a bar and ask for it and secondly, judging by what I’d felt during our dance lesson, I wouldn’t have thought that he needed it.

‘I said I would like the Jamaican Viagra,’ Alejandro repeated. ‘It is a cocktail they have here.’

‘Ohhhhh!’ I blew out a breath.

‘You thought I was asking you to go to a bar and ask for the real Viagra?’ He laughed.

‘Well, yeah…’

‘No!’ He smirked. ‘I do not need any help getting hard.’ Alejandro licked his lips and my pulse raced.

‘Yes.’ My eyes met his. ‘I thought so.’ Alejandro held my gaze. ‘I better get the drinks. Looks like there’s a queue,’ I added quickly, desperate to break the spell and shut down the electricity that was pulsing between us.

‘ Vale ,’ he said. ‘I will find us some seats.’

When I got to the bar and scanned the menu, I saw that Alejandro was right. There was indeed a cocktail called ‘Front End Lifter AKA Jamaican Viagra’ which was beer blended with white rum, rum cream, clear syrup and oatmeal topped with chocolate syrup.

There was also a drink called ‘Sex With Rick’. Shame they didn’t do a ‘Sex With Alejandro’ version, because I’d order that in a heartbeat.

God . I groaned internally. Trying to keep my thoughts PG was so hard. See what I mean? Hard .

The more time I spent with Alejandro, the more I wanted him.

In the end, I opted for the ‘Jamaican Me Crazy’ cocktail as it accurately described how I was feeling about my co-worker right now.

I sipped my drink and groaned with delight. It had three types of rum, banana liqueur and pineapple juice and slipped down very easily.

I spotted Alejandro by the pool area which was surrounded by different seating including dark wooden slated sun loungers and comfy-looking daybeds. There was a large Rick’s Café 1974 sign over a sheltered area. It was impressive that it had been around for over fifty years.

‘Hey,’ he said as I rested the drinks on a table between the two sun loungers he’d found. ‘Which cocktail did you get?’

‘Jamaican Me Crazy,’ I said.

‘That is funny!’ Alejandro smiled and my stomach flipped. If only he knew how true it was.

An hour later, we were on our third cocktail and had moved to the stage area to watch a live reggae performance.

As the heavy baseline boomed around us and the alcohol zipped through my bloodstream, I felt the urge to dance. The vibe here was infectious. The atmosphere was buzzing with energy, laughter and happiness. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so free and so… alive.

‘Should we dance?’ Alejandro said. ‘The music and the vibes are too good to waste by just sitting down.’

‘I don’t know if that’s a good idea…’ I took a long sip of my cocktail.

‘Why?’ Alejandro’s eyebrows knitted together.

‘Because last time, you got, y’know…’

‘Hard?’

‘Yes.’ I tried to suppress a grin as I relived the moment.

‘That is true. And if we dance together now, I cannot promise that it will not happen again. You are a beautiful woman and I am only human.’ He smiled. ‘But I understand if you would prefer not to take that risk.’

My whole body sparked.

I didn’t know if it was the fact that he’d called me beautiful or because he’d mentioned the word risk which made it sound more exciting, but I felt so drawn to Alejandro.

I should absolutely not dance with him.

I should absolutely not want to feel his erection pressed against me.

And yet… it was all I could think about.

‘Well, Nadine did say we should practise…’

‘Exactly,’ he said. ‘And you know that she will ask us if we have.’

‘Definitely. Plus it’d be a good way to test how good her lessons actually work in the real world. Without her supervision.’

‘Very true.’ Alejandro stood up and held out his hand.

Without hesitation, I took his hand as he led me out to the dance floor.

Alejandro stood behind me and gripped my hips and within seconds, I had my arse rubbing up against him.

We quickly found our rhythm and as I grinded into him, Alejandro pulled me in closer, his solid body pressed firmly against mine.

It wasn’t long before I felt his hardness and this time, when I did, I groaned with pleasure, pushing my head back.

‘Fuck, Jasmine,’ Alejandro said into my ear. ‘I know we agreed before to keep things professional, but I want you.’

Jesus. Christ.

The combination of the provocative dancing, feeling his boner, and the sensation of his warm breath tickling my neck as he told me that he wanted me sent my mind and body into a meltdown. I pushed my arse into him again, then wound my body down, then back up again, revelling in the feel of him.

Just as I was about to do it again, Alejandro spun me around to face him.

‘Did you hear what I said?’ he growled, his eyes the colour of charcoal. ‘I want you. I need to know what you’re thinking. Should I walk away and call Bob to take us back, or are you going to let me kiss you?’

Oh Lord.

Now there was no way I could resist, even if I wanted to. Which for the record, I didn’t.

He’d just asked if I was going to let him kiss me. That was like asking a kid if they wanted to open their Christmas presents a day early.

Ever since that first kiss, there wasn’t a second that passed that I hadn’t wanted to do it again.

‘We can’t leave yet,’ I said. ‘The sun will start setting soon. We have to stay and see it.’

‘You still have not answered my question.’ He pulled me closer and lifted my chin.

‘Yes,’ I said, my heart thundering louder than the reggae beat.

‘Yes, what?’

‘Kiss me.’ I didn’t know who the hell I was and what had come over me, but I wanted him. I was overcome with desire and was powerless to stop it.

I didn’t get a chance to give it any more thought though because in one swift movement, Alejandro dipped his head and crushed his lips onto mine.

A loud groan of pleasure shot from my mouth and sheer relief washed over me.

Finally .

It felt like forever since our last kiss, but I was glad our lips had been reunited. As his mouth moved hungrily over mine, everything felt so right. Like this was what we were supposed to be doing. Like his lips were made for mine. Like kissing was their only purpose.

As the kiss deepened, I ran my hands through his hair, then down his back, pushing him into me.

God . He said he wanted me. But I wanted him. And I didn’t want to just stop at kissing. I wanted to feel all of him.

Our tongues tangled together, flicking, teasing and dancing with each other, sending my heart rate through the roof.

My nipples were rock hard, the crotch of the swimming costume I was still wearing under my dress that had dried out ages ago from the sun was now sodden. Every nerve ending was heightened with pleasure.

‘Fuck.’ Alejandro pulled away slowly. As I opened my eyes, I saw him wince. ‘You have no idea how much I want to bend you over and fuck you right here, right now. But there are too many people.’

‘So if there were less people, you’d still fuck me on this dance floor?’ I teased, thinking how crazy it was that I probably wouldn’t object.

‘No!’ He laughed. ‘I just mean… come.’ He ushered me to an area further away from the stage that was quieter. We sat at a table. ‘I have dreamt about fucking you for months and if we do this, I do not want an audience or to be arrested, which is exactly what would have happened if we had continued. Because believe me when I tell you Jasmine, the things I would like to do to you would not be suitable for other people’s eyes.’

Pleasure zipped down my spine.

‘Really?’ I cocked my head to the side. ‘What would you like to do?’

‘First, I would?—’

‘Look!’ A smiley woman with short, dark hair joined our table and pointed. ‘The sun’s setting!’

My head snapped towards the sea and I saw she was right.

The view was gorgeous and I knew I didn’t want to miss it.

But part of me wished she hadn’t interrupted us at that moment.

Because every part of my body was yearning to know exactly what Alejandro was about to say.

I wanted to know exactly what he wanted to do to me.

And truthfully, I didn’t just want him to tell me what he’d dreamt of doing.

I wanted him to show me.