Page 38 of Craving Paradise

She shakes her head and ducks underwater, and a couple of strokes later, she’s emerging at the other end of the pool looking like a Bond girl strolling out of the ocean in her barely-there, completely see-through lingerie set.Next week, make a booking with her. Otherwise, you’re going to implode.

Lauren grabs a towel from the cabinet and dries herself off before wrapping it around her.

We walk back through the house toward the front door.

“Do you mind messaging me in the morning, letting me know how Freya is?” I ask as I pull out my business card and hand it to her.

“I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Shit, you’re right. Can you get Autumn or Freya to text me?”

Lauren nods and stops as she reaches the front door.

“Thanks for looking after my cousin. She’s a good person but a lightweight.”

“Freya is awesome. I love her.”

“Guess I’ll see you next week at the club?” I ask, hopefully.

“You will. Looking forward to it. I’ll be able to do all the things I wanted to do to you tonight then,” Lauren adds flirtatiously as she bites her bottom lip and looks over at me hungrily.

Is she trying to kill me?

Next thing I know, I’ve wrapped my hand around Lauren’s throat as I push her up against the door.

The towel falls into a wet pile between us.

“You can’t say those things to me. Not when my dick is this hard, and I can’t do anything about it. Do you have any idea how much I want you right now?”

Lauren’s hand slides over my denim-clad dick and squeezes it.

“Fuck.”

“Looks like you want me as much as I want you,” she says, teasing me within an inch of my life.

“Say the word, and I’ll sink my dick into you right here, right now. I don’t care if my driver watches. You’re driving me fucking crazy, woman.” I curse as I run my nose along her throat. It feels like an eternity as time stops and Lauren contemplates crossing that line.

“No.” I growl, slamming my hand against the door as my hand falls from her neck. I take a couple of steps back and try to regain my thoughts. I won’t mess up her career because I couldn’t control myself.

“Thank you,” she whispers, catching me off guard.

That’s not at all what I thought she was going to say.

“I’m going to make you pay next week,” I promise her.

“Look forward to it.” She smirks.

I wave at her and head back to my car. It will be a long and uncomfortable drive back to town after that.

12

LAUREN

“You’re fidgeting. Are you okay?” Elle asks me as we get changed in the staff room.

“Shouldn’t have had that extra coffee this afternoon,” I lie to my best friend. I wanted to tell her about what happened between Mr. Fox and me in Ibiza, but if anyone at work found out about it and knew she knew—well, I didn’t want her to lose her job. She has dreams, and she deserves to achieve them.

“Luckily, you have that private request. He won’t know what hit him with the amount of energy you have whizzing around your body.” Elle laughs.