"Guilty?" Cade offered.
Maritzia looked up sharply. Standing on the otherside of the bed, Cade had his own corner of the sheets scrunched up in hishands as he looked backed at her.
"Ritz, sweetheart, that's what thatson-of-a-bitch wanted," he explained. Ripping the rest of the sheets downwith one strong tug he let them fall into a pile on the floor at the base ofthe bed. "No one pulls a bitch-ass move like that not wanting the otherperson to feel guilty. Fucking asshole," he muttered
"Yeah, I know you're right," sheagreed, sounding a little defeated. "It just feels so real now. Eventhough I have been planning to break up with him for what feels like monthsnow, I just can’t believe it’s here and how it happened."
"I know. Trust me, I know," Cade gave aself-deprecating, dry laugh. Tossing the other end of the fresh, crisp sheet,it floated down slowly between them before she grabbed the other corner."It's odd," he continued, "how all you want is an escape andyour own life back, but when it actually happens you end up feeling guilty. Iswear to God, it's like some sort of Stockholm syndrome or some shit. The firstday after I broke up with Bethany, do you know I actually felt guilty and askedmyself was I making a mistake? Sweet Christ, Ritz, I was fucking miserable inthat relationship. Who the hell ask themselves if they're making a mistake whenleaving years of slow, grueling torture?!"
She shook her head in disbelief and sat down onthe now made bed and looked at him. "I would've knocked you out anddragged you away if you went back to her."
Sitting down heavily on the other end of the bed,he turned so that one knee was bent in front of him. "So just imagine allthe very illegal things I wanted to do to Victor while you were slowly makingup your mind," he informed her, his eyes flashing dangerously and she knewhe meant it.
"Well, it’s over now," she told him,actually feeling a little relieved by the statement.
"Thank God," he grumbled, standing up.Going to the nightstand with her phone he pressed the power button until herphone lit up. "Now come over here, and call your mom and dad while Ishower and change. And you may as well call Luis, too, because I damn near hadto fight him at the airport from getting on the plane with me."
Maritzia laughed at the image of Luis's sternface clashing with Cade's. "Okay, I will," she sighed and stood up."And tomorrow, I will get up and speak to management about maybe gettingthis trip canceled early and refunded to Victor."
Cade was turned with his back towards her as heunzipped his bag on top of the sleek wooden luggage rack. Cade pulled out a setof folded clothes from his bag, and she couldn't help but watch the muscles inhis back move under his taut golden skin with each action and realized this wasthe first time she had ever seen Cade with so little clothes on. Even when theywere younger, when he and her brothers went to the pool she had always stayedback at home, too self-conscious of her body in a swimsuit, Cade had worn ashirt and shorts with her brothers as they walked to the pool.
"Don't worry about it," Cade spoke,breaking her out of her reverie. "I already talked to the manager at thefront desk on my way in. I got the whole thing refunded to that asshole and putit on my card."
She froze and her stomach knotted. "Cade,you didn't?!" she cried, praying he was lying.
Facing her now, he stood there in his partiallydry boxers and gave her a challenging smile. "I did."
"You can’t!" she exclaimed, her mindreeling and trying to calculate the no doubt staggering cost of the fancyresort. Cade had already spent a fortune last month on her expensive birthdaygift; he couldn’t afford this too. They were just city employees, for God'ssake.
"I can," he drawled out the word as hewent into the bathroom, leaving the door opened behind him. "I mean, Iwill be eating ramen noodles for a while but I can-"
"Caden Moore, listen to me," shedemanded, taking a step forward towards him. "You will not. I can't letyou. Tomorrow, we will go down to the front desk and-"
Grabbing her by the shoulders, he spoke to hersoftly but firmly, "Tomorrow, all I plan on doing is lounging side by sidewith you on that deck." He pointed to the double glass doors. "Wewill snorkel, order room service all day, and maybe even hang out in thatterrifying hammock-looking thing. Because you and I need a break, sweetheart.Between your uncle working us like slaves and the horribly shittyrelationships, we have endured, we fucking need it. You want to pay me back,then start saving for Switzerland because I'm dead serious about going withyou, Sunshine."
Not knowing what to say she wrapped her armsaround his waist once more and buried her face into his warm chest with a smileand nodded.
~*~
The cool breeze softly brushing over her bareback was the first thing Maritzia sensed as she stirred awake with a groan.Frowning into the soft pillow she hugged the lush bedding closer around herface. Her mouth felt incredibly dry as memories of last night slowly trickledto the surface.
She and Cade had stayed up late drinking a tastylittle drink he concocted from their stocked kitchen. Mixing the rum and papayajuice over ice, he had handed her a tall glass of the stout drink. Laying outon the hammock above the dark lapping water, they had stared up at the starsand talked deep into the night. He told her stories from his time in the army,some she had heard before and he had elaborated on and some completely new.Despite growing tipsier and tipsier by the hour, Maritzia had listenedintently. Through his stories, she saw new facets of Cade's personality thatshe rarely experienced. Telling her of the time he had to chew out a corporalofficer under his command reminded her of him barking orders at her on thenight of her birthday party. His angry face from that night still burned in hermind. His wide-set jaw and his narrowed dark eyes radiated authority as he camerunning toward her, his large hand outstretched towards her ready to pull herto him. The memory made Maritzia feel hot all over. Embarrassed by the feeling,she had taken a healthy swallow of her drink—and it was the last clear memoryshe had.
Fragments of scenes whirled in her mind. Imagesof Cade's strong hands reaching for her as he knelt down with a smile on thedeck next to her. Flashes of his naked chest coming closer to her as she lay inthe bed mixed with images of the fan slowly rotating above her in the dark.That was all she could piece together, everything else was blank. There wasnothing about how they slept together in the same bed, a thought that hadweighed on her earlier that night while he showered. Maritzia had nearlydropped her phone when talking to her mother, busy assuring her that she wasfine and Cade was with her now when she realized what him staying for the restof the trip meant. Not once growing up had she ever slept in the same room asCade—well, not alone. She had fallen asleep on the couch in her living roomonce as they watched movies, but her mother was always nearby in the kitchensitting at the table talking on the phone while her brothers were in the nextroom. But her worries were whisked away by the lulling effects of the rum andnow she couldn’t recall a single detail of last night's sleep.
The sound of a door opening and muffled talkingdrew her from the soft confines of her pillow. Using all of her strength,Maritzia sat up onto her forearms with a groan. Looking past the empty spot inthe bed, she watched as the door that separated the kitchen area and thebedroom opened and Cade walked in carrying a dark wooden tray filled with foodand drinks.
Catching her eye, he gave her a wink. "Goodmorning, Sunshine."
"Good morning," she returned groggilyas she pushed herself onto her back.
She watched as Cade's dark eyes widened at herbefore shifting suddenly away. Confused, Maritzia looked down and started atthe sight of herself. Twisted around her torso, her lavender tank top she sleptin was pulled down beneath her bra, exposing an ample amount of her cleavage.Sitting up, she readjusted her shirt and immediately realized she needed topee. Looking over to Cade who was sitting the food down at the edge of the sun-soakedbed, he looked up and gave her an understanding smile.
"Go pee while I set up breakfast," heordered playfully.
Smiling back at him, Maritzia ran aself-conscious hand through her tangled curls. Cade's light brown curls weremussed from sleep and puffy without their product, but he looked good. Turningto stand in front of the double glass doors, he pushed the curtains out wider,the sound of metal-on-metal screeching softly in the quiet room as more of theCaribbean sun drenched their suite. Rays of sunlight outlined the lines of hismuscular back and powerful arms through his white t-shirt and matching whitelinen shorts as he stood with his arms outstretched by the window. He lookedamazing, while she knew for a fact without the need to look in the mirror thatshe looked like roadkill. Quickly going to the bathroom she grabbed herhairbrush and her toothbrush out of her toiletry bag and got to work.
With fresh breath, perfectly brushed hair, and ascrubbed face, she was presentable. Stepping back out into the bedroom with arobe tied around her waist, Maritzia crawled back into her spot on the bed,noticing that her and Cade's pillows were now propped up against the headboard,making it perfect to sit up and eat.
