‘Both!’ I squealed.
* * *
Three hours later, we were curled up on the daybed.
Apparently, whilst we’d been enjoying the delicious food that Alejandro had whipped up for dinner, on the other side of the screen a team had replaced the sofa with the daybed, which had been draped with pretty fairylights to illuminate our surroundings and set up a romantic film for us to watch together to round off the evening.
I was going to press play to find out what it was, but Jake said Sammie was on her way to give us something.
‘Sorry!’ She rushed over to us.‘I got held up with one of the other couples.Did you enjoy your evening?’ Sammie faced me.
‘It’s been amazing!’
‘Awww, so glad to hear that.So I wanted to give you this.’ She handed me a big red book.‘It’s your memory book.I know you’ve already seen the photos on Jake’s film earlier, but I thought you’d like a hard copy now, to look at it together.I’ve got another one in my office for you too, Jake.’
‘Thanks so much!’ I said.
‘So, we’re all clocking off for the night now.This part of the beach has been sectioned off, so you’ll be all alone…’ She gave me a wink.‘Enjoy your time together!’ Sammie raced off.
‘This is cool,’ Jake said as he sat up straighter.‘Shall we look at the memory book now?’
‘Definitely,’ I said.
As we turned the pages and saw the images of our time together, a mixture of joy and sadness filled my chest.
‘These are beautiful.’ Jake ran his finger over the photos, before turning to face me and stroke my cheek.‘I really wish things were different.I wish that we could be together,’ he said, looking into my eyes.
‘I know,’ I said, a lump forming in my throat.‘Me too.’
As Jake kissed, then made love to me on the daybed, under the stars, I savoured every moment, praying that this wouldn’t be the last time that I’d feel his heartbeat against mine.I hoped that it wouldn’t be the final time that I’d feel him inside me or experience the intense connection we had.
Our bodies moved together perfectly and I knew this was intense, profound, and real.
This was more than just a crush, a fling or a holiday romance.This wasn’t just sex.This was making love.
This felt like forever.
I didn’t want this to end.
It couldn’t.
As my orgasm ripped through me, an idea lit up like a light bulb in my brain.
That was it.
Yes.
That would solve everything.
I’d message Sammie first thing in the morning to see if she could help me set everything up in time.
Jake had been so kind to me.Not only had he made this whole trip unforgettable for all the right reasons, he’d made this evening magical too.
Now I wanted to show him how much he meant to me.
Jake said he wished there was a way we could be together and I was sure that I’d just found it…
44
