Chapter 26
26
STELLA
As Jasmine continued chatting to the other guests around the pool, I slid my phone in my pocket.
I’d just sent Max a text because he hadn’t come for breakfast or the briefing. I hoped he was okay.
I got up from the sun lounger and was about to return to my room when I spotted Jasmine walking towards me.
‘Hey,’ she smiled. ‘How’s your head?’
‘I’ve got the headache from hell, but I’ll survive.’
‘It was so sweet of Max to carry you to your room like that.’
‘He carried me?’ My brows knitted together. ‘How drunk was I?’
‘Um… you were very happy and, er, talkative …’
‘Oh, God! I didn’t say anything embarrassing, did I?’ I winced.
‘Everyone says silly things when they’re drunk, so you’re fine !’
Jasmine waved her hand in the air as if it was no big deal. But the look on her face and the way her voice went all high-pitched when she said fine told me otherwise.
‘What silly things did I say?’ My heart raced. ‘Please. Tell me. ’
‘You sure you really want to know?’ She avoided my gaze.
‘Yes!’
‘Okay, well…’ She took a deep breath. ‘You kind of said that you and Max were going back to your room to… finally fuck .’
‘ No !’ I gasped. ‘ Seriously ?’
‘Yes.’ Jasmine nodded.
‘Please tell me that’s all I said?’
That was bad enough, but I had to be sure.
‘Well, after that, you said… listen, it doesn’t matter.’
‘Jasmine, please !’
‘You said that Max was going to give you his big cock and lots of orgasms and you wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow.’
My stomach plummeted about a zillion miles below the earth and my jaw crashed to the floor so hard, I was surprised it didn’t shatter the concrete path.
‘Oh, God!’ I covered my face with my hands. ‘I’m so embarrassed!’
‘Please, don’t be. I’m sure I’ve said much worse after I’ve had a few.’
Jasmine was trying to make me feel better, but that was impossible.
‘What did Max say?’
‘He just said you’d had a lot to drink and he was taking you to your room to sleep it off.’
‘Shit.’
Poor guy must’ve been horrified. Having a drunk woman falling all over him wasn’t exactly attractive. He didn’t fancy me before, so he definitely wouldn’t like me now.
‘I can’t go on the boat trip.’ I shook my head. I had no idea how I was going to look Max in the eye now knowing what I’d said.
‘Why not? ’
‘Too embarrassing.’
‘The thing is,’ Jasmine gestured to a table and chairs for us to sit at, ‘when we’re drunk, we lose our inhibitions and that’s often when the truth comes out. I know you and Max have had your differences, but although the delivery and wording wasn’t exactly what you might’ve chosen if you were sober, do you think there might be some truth to what you said?’
I didn’t even need to think about it. The answer was yes . But I couldn’t let Jasmine or Max know that.
‘It’s complicated.’
‘I hear you. Have you and Max spoken about what happened in the past yet?’
‘We spoke this morning.’ I winced again, as I wondered what he must have been thinking about my behaviour last night.
‘And?’
‘Now I understand why he acted the way he did.’
‘Do you think you can get past it?’
‘The logical part of me says yes. But my heart’s a different story.’
‘I understand,’ Jasmine nodded. ‘It’s up to you, but as an outsider with a lot of experience with observing couples who come here, you two are a great match. You might not see it yet, but trust me. Max is one of the good ones. If there’s a chance, even if it’s 1 per cent, that you two could make it work, it’s worth a try.’ She stood up.
‘Maybe,’ I mumbled.
‘And life’s for living, right? So at the very least maybe you could you know… enjoy each other’s company …’ She grinned suggestively. ‘Good orgasms are hard to come by, so if Max is willing to give you some, it might be worth considering… See you at six for the boat trip.’
As Jasmine walked away, her words replayed in my mind .
She was right. Sammie had said the same thing.
I shouldn’t be overthinking this or worrying about what would happen afterwards. I should just relax and live for the moment.
I’d come here to enjoy myself.
I’d come here to find a man that I liked. And despite our challenges and complicated, messy past, however much I’d tried to fight it, I liked Max.
A lot.
And I wanted him.
The question now, though, was whether he felt the same.