Chapter Fourteen

Gemma

The idea of a stranger touching my skin made my own crawl. And this wasn't just any stranger, and it certainly was nothing like when I fell into bed with a particular stranger three years ago. No, this stranger I was paying. For my spa treatment, of course.

As I sat at the spa with Soph and Coco, I was starting to think I detested the whole notion of visiting a spa.

I mean, what was that slimy stuff they plastered on your body?

And did anyone care to ask why they stuck your face in a hole with paper that got stuck to it when you got up, all so that they can massage you? My handheld back massager did the job just fine, thank you very much.

Yeah, detested sounded about right, but this was my sister's party and I wasn't going to ruin all the fun. Otherwise, I might be accused of being a party pooper again and I most definitely did not want that.

Eyes fully on me, Soph could read me like a book. I knew she knew this was not something I was enjoying. We all knew, for crying out loud. But I liked to think I did an admirable job of hiding it.

Yeah, right.

Finally, she threw her head back and groaned. "I warned you not to be a party pooper and you promised me you wouldn't be one," she whined, ever the baby sister.

I wagged my finger in the air to further drive home the point that I did not accept that. "I have done everything you wanted. I'm here. What more could you ask for?" I asked, but didn't let her answer. "And you even said you were proud of me for getting out of my comfort zone with Lance and taking a surf lesson. Plus, look at all the stuff I've done here already with you girls." Yeah, I was definitely working my way up to bailing on this next session.

Now she pointed at me and I felt my back go stiff even in the soft robe I had on as we waited to move from facials to the worst appointment of all, the dreaded session. "So why stop there?" she shrieked.

"Because I draw the line at mud baths," I finally confessed. It was one of the last stops in our spa fest and I was praying that they changed their mind or, better, there was a fire drill and we had to run out of the place before we got there. But, I decided, if she was going to get on my case, then she might as well hear what was on my mind.

"What do you have against mud baths?" Coco asked, chewing her gum too loudly for my liking. The sound was making my stomach churn almost as much as the mere mention of a mud bath.

"Do you not even hear yourself?" I asked. I moved my hands about as I spoke to show them just how serious I was about this. "Over here," I said, motioning my hand to the left, "we have mud. Literally the definition of dirt. Something that makes you want to take a shower." Then I motioned my hand to the right, saying, "Over here we have baths. Something that makes you feel clean and often is filled with bubbles and deliciously scented soap."

Coco rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, jutting her hip out, too. Clearly, she was daring me to see things her way. I was not going to be doing that. I was perfectly content with leaving the spa early. I'd had my fun, if you could call it that, and I was done. "You'd feel differently if you got one," Coco retorted.

"Yeah, come on," Sophie insisted, full-on whining at this point. "Get your butt up when the time comes and go with us into the mud bath."

Sadly that time was coming quickly—too quickly.

Sophie finally caved. "Fine, be that way. But just know you're missing out on a memory with your sister to do, what, exactly?" She arched a brow and waited for my answer.

I crossed my arms, acting indignant now, too. "I don't know," I admitted. Then I remembered I could do anything I wanted, even if that meant just reading a book or taking a nap in the time it took them to stew in mud. "Maybe I'll take a real bath, you know, one with soap. Maybe I won't, but don't you worry about me, I plan on having fun," I said. "By myself," I added for good measure. I'd finish relaxing on my own, my own way, I decided. I even had a playlist on Spotify for chill music. Hello, it was right there in the title—chill.

"Clearly, we're not going to convince you," Coco said.

I shook my head, knowing if I was leaving, I had to make my escape now before they came to get us to move us. "Since you brought it up, I guess I can't hide it anymore so why bother? I'm definitely not interested and will be bailing, but you guys go, have fun. "

Sophie grabbed her robe and pulled at the ties around her waist, flinging them around. "Be warned, you just used your one bail card. Next thing we do, you're in. No ifs, ands, or buts about it."

I held up my hand and solemnly swore. "I promise to leave my butt out of it," I said, giggling over my own bad joke.

As the attendant walked in to get them, ushering them to the next stop, I stayed behind, making my excuses. It was to the locker room for me, so I could get dressed and get out of this place.

The whole way back to the rooms, I couldn't help but think how Daphne kept getting out of things. It was because she found a man and was having fun of her own, I decided. That, they could excuse, but me having my own opinions, that was a crime?

I slipped into my room and the door closed behind me. I exhaled and looked around. I was fun, right, like Daphne? Maybe not in the same way, but in my own way. After all, I just took surfing lessons with a man who once saw me naked. And the fling was practically a secret, until this week. I mean, I had never told anyone about it, and I wasn't sure he did, either. That made it pretty much the definition of fun—nefarious acts no one knew about—right?

I didn't need to slide into a mud bath to have fun, or even to relax for that matter. I lasted all day, for crying out loud, so why did one little session make a difference? Besides, it suddenly dawned on me, I was alone in this great big—okay, medium-sized—room. I could do anything I wanted and that was pretty fun to me.

But what would I do, I wondered, sinking down on the soft bed. I had at least an hour, if not more time to spare. Daphne certainly wasn't coming around anytime soon, so what to do, I pondered.

I needed to do something fun, no doubt about it—that'd show them.

Sex with another stranger? No, I shook my head, been there, done that. Besides, Daphne seemed to be having enough sex this trip for all of us.

But it worked out so well last time.

No, absolutely not. I shook my head, pushing aside all thoughts of the last time I had mind-blowing sex with Lance.

I reached for my phone beside me, turned up the volume and clicked into my "Feel Good Summer Songs" playlist to drown out my memories. Even the title promised I'd feel good. It was fun and gave the perfect vibes.

See, I was fun.

I hit shuffle and brought the phone to the bathroom counter with the music playing as I rifled through Soph's overnight bag. There had to be stuff in here I could play with, continuing my own version of a spa day, sans mud.

Then I found it.

Leaving my shorts and shirt on, I sat on the top of the toilet and put my foot out in front of me with the overnight bag open on the floor in front of the shower. I pulled out the small box of wax strips and decided I'd go for it. I was never one for waxing my legs, much rather preferred shaving them, but Sophie insisted that it got to the root of the hairs and was necessary for bikini legs—whatever the heck those were.

I moved to the beat of "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer & Kygo as I started taking the strips out one by one. I hadn't waxed my legs since I was in high school, but how bad could it be? It wasn't like there was a forest down there, either. I had shaved recently. This would just give me super smooth legs, right?

But before I could get one on, I heard a knock on the door. No, I shook my head. I must've heard wrong. Everyone who was out had a key.

The song switched to "Be My Lover" by La Bouche and I immediately screeched. I loved this song! "Take a chance, my love is like no other," I started singing along, practically shouting the lyrics. But when I took a break at a part I couldn't quite remember, there was that knocking sound again .

Figured, even when I tried to have a good time, someone had to go and ruin it.

I groaned and got up, pushing the strips and bag aside. It was much too late for housekeeping. "It must be Daphne. She must've forgotten her key," I predicted aloud. "Coming!" I shouted when she didn't relent.

Geez, what was wrong with her? I'd never seen her have a fire up her butt before, so what was the difference now?

I didn't even have time to shut the music off, just went to the door and opened it. Immediately turning around to let her in, I walked back into the room with the door open. "What? What's going on?" I asked, feeling my own sense of impatience after she interrupted me.

"Well, hello to you, too," I heard come from the most enticing male voice ever. Lance.

I spun back around, my hair flying over my shoulder. What was he doing here? He was wearing nothing more than his board shorts, his hair was wet and mussed, and he obviously just came from a surf lesson with a client. But again, what was he doing here? At my room?

I opened my mouth to say something, but was immediately caught off guard when Lance's hands cupped my face, his lips coming right toward mine before claiming them with his own. He smelt like salt and beach, and tasted like the ocean and bad decisions. But none of that seemed to matter. All knowledge of right and wrong seemed to go out the window and I was suddenly standing on my tip-toes, trying to deepen the kiss, as I parted my lips and allowed him full access to do what he did best—make the moment feel like fireworks were going off. Every kiss with him was like magic and I didn't think I could ever stop kissing him. I didn't want to. And if that meant less oxygen went to my brain and I died, at least I'd die happy. Satisfied. Kissing the one man I couldn't seem to get out of my head even after all these years.

I snaked my arms around his neck and then curled my fingers in the hair at the back of his neck. His hands slid down my back and I immediately arched into him, my breasts brushing up against his bare chest.

When we finally broke apart, he smiled. "I'd been thinking about doing that since last night when I walked you back here."

A hand flew to my lips and I outlined where his lips just were moments before. It was like magic.

Coming down from my high, I searched his eyes. It would be so easy to fall back into his arms, but nothing about us was easy. Not really. "What was that?" I asked.

He smirked. "A kiss, beautiful. I thought that was obvious." Then he winked .

I knew that wink. All too well. It got me into trouble three years ago. And when he touched me, I seemed to only further lose my mind.

I shook my head and backed up. "You can't just come here and kiss me. Out of the clear blue sky." I walked back into the room and began pacing now. "This," I said, gesturing between us. "Can't happen. Ever."

"Again," he said. "It can't happen ever again because, technically, it already happened."

"That was a long time ago," I remarked. I walked over to the bathroom and shut the music off, my good time over.

Actually, that wasn't true. With Lance I always had a good time, but I had to remember that this was just a vacation. Another blip in time. Stolen moments.

I felt his hand on my shoulder, trying to have me look at him. When I turned around, I closed my eyes. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea, Lance. But I can't do this again."

He placed a finger on the bottom of my chin and lifted it so I was looking into his eyes now. They were a beautiful shade of brown and I didn't think I'd ever forget the way he looked back at me in that moment for as long as I lived. There was so much affection and warmth there, as though trying to convey so many emotions, so many promises.

But he was wrong .

None of it was real.

Or was it?

I was so confused. I brought my hands to my hair and fussed with it. "You should go," I finally said, needing time to think.

He shook his head. "No, I'm not leaving. I think we should talk."

"We never did much talking, Lance," I countered and cringed at my own lie.

"Don't do that," he warned. "Don't diminish what we had. It wasn't just sex. It was so much more than that."

"See, right there," I said, pointing at him. "All past tense. You just said it. It's in the past and it should stay that way."

Adamant now, he shook his head. "No."

"Excuse me, no?" I asked, bracing myself for the argument I knew we were about to have.

He crossed his arms. "You're wrong, Gem. You might think you know best, beautiful, but you're wrong. So incredibly wrong about us."

I spun around, not able to look at him while he was saying all the right things. I had to be the rationale one here, I had to remember to do the right thing, for both of us. "Leaving the past in the past is the best thing we can do. "

"I don't agree." He walked around me and looked me right in the eyes, taking me by my arms. "I've missed you and being with you. In the three years, I've felt it almost every single day and in the short time we've been together this week, I know I'm not making things up. What we had was real. Why do you have to pretend otherwise and push me away?"

I crossed my arms, too, now, but mostly to shield myself from any hurt I'd cause myself from saying what I was about to say. "Because it was a fantasy," I spat out. "You and me. That bubble burst and I moved on with my life. I haven't thought about us in a long time." Another lie, but it had to be said.

"You're still single."

"That makes no difference." I didn't know what else to say, so I tried another tactic. "I'm too old for you."

He scoffed and turned on his heel before facing me again. "That response is bull and you know it. I have never cared about your age."

"But I do." I fake shuddered. "It's wrong."

He narrowed his eyes. "That's three," he said, popping three fingers up in the air.

"What?"

"Three lies. Are you going to go for four?"

I wrinkled my nose and then wished with everything in me that he didn't know me so well. I let my arms fall to my side and sat down on the bed finally, suddenly drained from our exchange. "What do you want from me, Lance?"

As I waited, I brushed my hands through my hair and prayed he didn't say what I thought he was going to say. I prayed for clarity, for peace with my decision. That this wouldn't be so hard. So many requests, it was almost impossible to keep them all straight.

Too bad being older than him didn't give me half the answers he seemed to have, so sure of himself, so confident in us.

He came and bent down in front of me. "Hey," he whispered, his hands in my hair, brushing it behind my ears. "I was wrong to barge in like that and kiss you the way I did. But I've given this a lot of thought and I've never met anyone like you."

"Quirky and weird?"

He shook his head and laughed, holding my face in his hands now. "Sure, those things, too, but I was thinking more along the lines of funny and sexy, witty and bright. You're not overly positive, but try to never be negative. You're a workaholic, but still seem to find time to be a people-pleaser and do everything for everyone else. You need to let someone take care of you for a change. Let me be that someone for you. Let me in, beautiful."

Tears sprung in my eyes because I had never seen much of what he saw in me in myself. Frankly, I wished I could see myself through his eyes. Because from where I was sitting, he saw me as like Wonder Woman or something. And I was no Wonder Woman, but it was nice that he thought all of those things about me. "You know, I never could resist you when you called me beautiful."

He laughed and brushed the pad of his thumb over my cheek. "I know."

Then he got up and looked at the clock on the nightstand. "My lunch break is over, so I got to go, but I'm leaving my address here." He picked up the pen on top of the notebook the suite had in it when we got here. He began jotting it down and left it on the nightstand when he was done. "The ball is in your court. Whatever you decide to do with that address is up to you. Mason is spending the night with one of his uncles, so I'll be alone."

"Lance," I started, but he placed a finger over my lips.

"Don't decide right now. Just say you'll think about it."

I sighed when his finger left my lips. "I'll think about it," I promised. It was true, so why pretend otherwise? How could I not think about it? About him? About us?

As he walked out, he said, "That's all I'm asking."