Part Four: Honeymoon Heat

The first thing he notices when he wakes the next morning is the sweet smell of her shampoo. What the hell?

He can feel the weight of her head resting on his chest, the warmth of her small frame wrapped in his arms. She's sound asleep — one of her arms slung across his torso and one of her legs thrown across his hips — her thigh strategically placed right over his morning wood. God, she feels good.

Mindlessly he lets his opposite hand wander down her side, over the curve of her hip, and then slowly, appreciatively down the smooth length of her thigh. She cuddles in closer to him as he trails his hand back up from her knee, allowing it to settle just underneath the curve of her ass.

She had already been in bed by the time he had made it back into the bungalow last night. And, for that, he had been grateful; it certainly made things less awkward.

Because god knows he had wanted to kiss her. Had wanted to do a whole lot more than kiss her after that dinner conversation and the way she had held onto him during their walk back. The way she had been running the tips of her fingers over the inside of his arm had driven him absolutely wild — had gotten him imagining what her touch would feel like on other parts of his body.

The signals were clear and the conversation at dinner had paved a path for them to explore their physical attraction.

But something in him just hadn't felt right about it — had still felt compelled to pull away and keep things from escalating the way he knew they would as soon as his lips found hers.

This whole thing — everything about this entire situation feels too damn complicated. In the real world, flirting with Lucy could just be flirting. Kissing Lucy could just be kissing. And sex with Lucy could just be sex.

But this isn't the real world, and no matter what may have been implied over dinner, he can't stop seeing her sweet brown eyes gazing up at him with so much hopefulness on their wedding day.

But now with her in his space — the feel of her warm, perfect curves pressed against his body — the urge he had to pull away and create more distance between them, well, it's not nearly so strong.

Hell, the magnetism between them had apparently kicked in when they were only semi-conscious, considering their current position.

Unsurprisingly, crawling into bed next to a woman that he wanted to physically explore in every possible way while not actually being able to act on any of those impulses hadn't been optimal for a night of restful sleep. So he had slept fitfully — so fitfully that he'd woken Lucy in the middle of the night.

She had softly whispered his name as her cool fingers had closed around his bicep, "Tim? Are you okay?"

Thinking back on it, he's a bit surprised he hadn't jerked awake and knocked her off of him — years of military and law enforcement training meant he never let his guard down, not even when he was sleeping. He must be getting used to her presence by his side because, instead, he had sleepily rolled over to face her and closed his grip around her wrist as she attempted to pull back.

"Uh — sorry. I didn't mean to — you were just tossing and turning so much that I couldn't…" she had tried to explain.

He had shaken his head tiredly and automatically flipped his hold on her wrist so that he could draw her into him.

"Come here," he had instructed, his voice gravelly from sleep. And she hadn't resisted, easily allowing him to pull her toward him until she was settled on his chest.

The feel of her body anchoring his to the bed was exactly what he needed to get some actual sleep. She had gradually relaxed into his arms until the last thing Tim heard before he drifted off again was a tiny sigh of contentment as she melted completely into him.

Now, she shifts sleepily in his arms. He moves his hand back to her hip, his thumb playing over the strip of exposed skin between the hem of her T-shirt and the waistband of her sleep shorts.

She mumbles something incoherent and turns to nuzzle her face into his chest. For a moment, Tim thinks that he could get very, very used to this.

And then she's awake, slowly pulling back from him in a daze and tilting her head back so she can see him.

"Hi?" she asks groggily, confusion mixing with her sleepy expression in the cutest possible way.

He laughs, giving her hip a final squeeze as he moves to get out of the bed. "Morning, Lucy," he tosses over his shoulder before disappearing into the bathroom.


They both take advantage of the later start they have for filming that day. Tim, of course, decides to go for a run, while Lucy declares it's the perfect morning for a swim. They have their very own pool, after all. Why not take advantage of it?

He ends up cutting his run a tiny bit (okay, a lot) short, but certainly not because the vision of his gorgeous bride breaking in their private pool is playing on a continuous loop in his head.

When he returns, as tempted as he is to swing by the pool, he knows it's a bad idea to continue playing with fire. Just being around her is hard enough on its own; he doesn't need to tempt fate. So he walks around to enter through the front instead of crossing through their deck.

He pulls his shirt over his head, intending to head directly into the shower, but his gaze keeps traveling to the door leading out to the deck. Maybe he should just let her know he's back… he wouldn't want her to freak out thinking someone had broken in [to use their shower, obviously]. Yeah. That seems like a logical reason…

He makes his way outside to find her and … well, he finds her all right. But not in the pool.

She's standing with her back to him under the spray of their private outdoor shower (aptly called Aguas de Amor) wearing nothing but a bikini — Tim's throat goes dry as he spots the strings of her colorful top dangling from the shower handle. Okay. Correction — apparently wearing nothing but her bikini bottoms.

He's frozen for a moment, jaw agape and wholly unprepared for what one missing article of clothing is doing to his ability to function.

And then even as he is realizing the only right choice for him here is to get his ass back inside, Lucy begins to turn toward him. Tim lets out a mangled sound that's a cross between loudly clearing his throat and a yelp for her to stop.

Lucy shrieks in surprise, whirling to face him with her hands cupping her breasts, and good god, Tim has to force his eyes up to hers even as all he can see are images of his hands replacing hers.

"Oh my god… I —" She awkwardly shifts one of her forearms in an attempt to keep herself covered while she uses her other hand to reach back and turn off the spray, and lord, she is not making this easy on him. His throat goes completely dry as watches droplets of water trickle down every ridiculous curve of her body.

"I — uh — obviously, I didn't know you were here," she finally finishes.

Tim clears his throat, "And I — uh — obviously, I didn't know what you were doing out here. I just wanted to let you know I was back…" he finishes lamely, knowing that it in no way explains why he'd stayed to ogle her instead of immediately heading back inside.

"I'm just — uh — I'm going to grab a shower." He presses his eyes closed for a moment, "Erm — the shower in there — the indoor one, I mean. Not out here." What the actual hell is happening to him?

Her eyes are sparkling with her laughter by the time he finally shuts up and finds the courage to make eye contact again, and Tim can tell she is absolutely eating up how flustered he is.

She tilts her head flirtatiously and uses her free arm to make a sweeping gesture around the shower. "Are you sure? There's plenty of room for one more in here…"

Okay, now she's just doing it on purpose — basking in his embarrassment. He narrows his eyes. That little…

He closes the distance between them in less than three steps. Her eyes go wide and a surprised yelp escapes her as he slings an arm around her waist and pulls her firmly against his chest.

And for a moment she just looks up at him in stunned silence. He smirks. Well, that sure shut her up.

But then she gets that gleam in her eyes that he is very quickly beginning to recognize means she is not going down without a fight.

She works her arm out from where it is awkwardly sandwiched between them and then slides her hand slowly up along his bicep and shoulder until she allows it to settle around his neck.

And it takes Tim every bit of his self-control to keep his gaze focused on hers. She arches her back even as she is pulling herself more tightly against him and… fuck. He is not at all prepared for the feel of her soft, full breasts pressed against his bare chest. Not at all prepared to be in this kind of proximity to his nearly nude wife. He is well past half hard.

His breathing quickens and so does hers, their eyes locked in an unblinking battle of wills.

He settles his hand at her lower back and lets his thumb follow the curve as it wanders over her bare, wet skin, even as the only thought he can comprehend is how hard her nipples feel against his chest.

His voice is gruff when he finally speaks, "If you're going to extend an invitation like that, Lucy, you better make sure you mean it." He lowers his mouth to her ear, "Next time, I might actually take you up on it." He doesn't miss the shiver that courses through her.

He releases her and she scrambles to cover herself, but he's already striding back into the bungalow for a much-needed and very cold shower.


Holy shit. She certainly had not been expecting that. She's not even sure what made her flirt so boldly with him to begin with; last time she checked he was still a dickhead that she didn't particularly like. Though, yes, she hadn't necessarily minded the unexpected cuddling last night. And, well, okay, parts of her seem to like him just fine, but that's another issue altogether.

But it had still been fun to see her broody, arrogant asshole of a husband so flustered and off kilter. And okay — maybe it got her a little hot to think that she was the reason he was so flustered and off kilter.

But he had certainly shown her.

And if the feel of his sweaty body still radiating heat from his run against her wasn't enough to have her throbbing with want — the way he had looked at her… it's not like she hasn't come to expect intensity from him, but this had been a whole different kind of intensity — hungry and primitive. A look that had her wishing he had pushed her back against the shower wall and fucked her right here.

What the actual hell is happening to her?


Needless to say, things are a bit awkward over brunch. They both focus on their food, apparently having reached a silent, but mutual, agreement that whatever it is that happened in that shower [and on their deck and in their bed] absolutely did not happen. And they are both relieved for the distraction when it is time to head out for their afternoon activities.

And this time neither has any complaints about the packed agenda for the rest of their day. They arrive at their first excursion — an ATV ride through the jungle. Tim fully expects Lucy will hop on the back of his ATV after their guide, Luis, explains that it can be difficult for smaller solo riders to avoid flipping their ATVs. He's definitely not picturing her clutching him tightly from behind as they speed through the jungle when Lucy walks past him without a second look to claim her own ATV. Well, then.

They go through a safety orientation and then a few guided laps before they are set free to explore on their own.

"I bet I can beat you to the finish," Lucy taunts as they gear up for their final round. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are bright, and Tim can't help but feel drawn to this fearless, adventurous side of her. Not exactly what he had expected after learning she had ranked goat yoga at the top of her list, but he's hardly complaining.

Tim scoffs, "Yeah, right. You're better than I thought you'd be — I'll give you that. But you're not that good."

Lucy rolls her eyes, "Put up or shut up, Bradford."

Tim arches an eyebrow; this girl may actually be even more competitive than he is. "What are the stakes?"

She tilts her head thoughtfully, "Hmmm… okay, let's make it easy. If I win, you have to do something I want you to do. And if you win, I have to do something you want me to do." She bites her lip as she waits for his reaction.

Tim narrows his eyes. There's something about the way she's looking at him when she says it that has his pulse speeding up. "What kind of thing?"

She glances up at him through her lashes and shrugs, "That's up to you."

And if he's immediately picturing her down on her knees licking her perfect full lips before she gets ready to blow him on their private deck later — well, it's hardly his fault. She's the one saying it all suggestively and looking up at him like she can't understand how he hasn't banged her already. All right, maybe that's not exactly how she's looking at him, but close enough.

He clears his throat, "Deal."

And he has to admit he has so much fun racing her that he's not even salty when she leaves him in the dust.

Yeah, no. That's a lie. He's really fucking salty. He's definitely going to demand a rematch.


Next up on their afternoon adventure is a zipline tour over the jungle. Lucy steps up enthusiastically to volunteer as tribute even as Tim trepidatiously eyes the harness and pulley contraption that is all that will be standing between them and certain death. He shakes his head. Who is this chick?

The adrenaline from flying full speed across the sky is still running high when they begin the next leg of their journey — a hiking and climbing tour through the challenging jungle terrain.

By now, Tim has zero reservations about Lucy's willingness or ability to keep up. He's still a gentleman (on occasion), though, and automatically reaches back to help her through the more treacherous parts of their trek. The sweet smiles she sends his way each time his hand tightens around hers are enough for him to know she isn't bothered by his chivalry, unnecessary as it may be.

Halfway through their hike, Luis offers them an option to take things up to the next level of difficulty. "If you're up for a challenge, we can scale the wall behind the waterfall instead of hiking around it."

Lucy and Tim barely have to glance at each other before they both reply with a very enthusiastic, "Hell yeah!"

Their guide helps them gear up and provides a quick climbing safety orientation and refresher on belaying since both have climbed before, but not together and never the wall behind a waterfall.

Tim belays for Luis as he lead climbs up to set up their anchor, and it's reassuring to see that the wall is actually pretty well suited for beginner to intermediate climbers, setting aside the slickness resulting from the spray of the waterfall.

Once the top rope is secure and Luis has lowered it back down, Lucy is up. They start with a few practice rounds, so they can get used to communicating and working together. It's not until Lucy is several feet up the wall in position for her first practice fall that Tim notices she seems unsure for the first time that day. It doesn't take a genius to realize she isn't super keen on putting her life into his hands, and he can't exactly blame her. He hasn't done much to earn her trust.

He's patient, though, and they work well together. "I've got you," he reassures as she hesitates.

She sucks in a breath and then slowly exhales it before nodding and releasing the wall. "Falling!"

Tim reacts quickly, using his body and the brake rope to easily halt her descent without the catch being too hard.

Lucy gets more comfortable the more they practice and the more confident she gets that Tim is completely in sync with her movements and how much slack to give her as she climbs, and so they dive into the real thing.

She climbs the wall with agility that makes Tim glad they didn't make a bet this round. She's almost to the top when her foot slides on an algae-covered rock. "Falling!" she cries out to warn Tim as she slips.

Tim's heart jumps into his throat even as he is taking all the right steps to catch her. Though the method of climbing they are using is relatively safe, he knows how easy it can be to panic when falling from that height and how quickly panic can lead to serious injury.

But as she has done throughout the day, Lucy impresses him by staying calm and keeping good form until she is able to stabilize herself on the wall again.

"You okay?" Tim calls up to her.

"Yup," Lucy reassures and they exchange commands to confirm they both are ready for Lucy to continue her ascent.

Luis belays Tim from above, and, like Lucy, his only hiccup is losing a few feet of progress due to a slick rock.

Once they've all reached the top, Tim and Lucy gawk at the view of the surrounding jungle and waterfalls. Luis films their reactions on the couple's cam as they take it all in and enthusiastically relive the climb.


Their final stop is a private swim at a beautiful cenote. "A cenote is a deep water-filled sink hole that forms when the roof of an underground cavern collapses," Luis explains. Lucy gasps as she takes it in — the water is an almost unearthly turquoise and exquisite crystal stalactites hang from the portions of the cavern roof that are still intact.

Luis sets out an assortment of gear for swimming, diving, and snorkeling before he leaves them to explore on their own.

Lucy eyes Tim as he pulls off his shirt, thinking that the chaos in the shower that morning had not given her nearly the opportunity she deserved to appreciate his sculpted upper body.

He gives her a knowing smirk when their eyes meet, and Lucy's lips curve as she shrugs — it's not like he hasn't done his fair share of ogling.

Tim dives into the water and then turns to watch her as he treads.

Lucy stares at him. "I thought you hated the ocean."

Tim looks back at her with a look of superiority. "This is a cenote, Lucy, not the ocean. Did you listen to nothing Luis said?"

"I did, actually. And that's why I know this cenote is a mix of fresh and salt water. From the ocean."

Tim frowns as Lucy laughs at his disillusionment. He shakes his head. "Well, too late now. You coming in or what?"

"That depends. How cold is it?"

Tim snorts, "Oh come on — you've been a badass all day and now you're going to let a little cold water stop you in our last leg?"

Lucy arches her eyebrows and gives him a pleased little pout as she tilts her head. "You think I'm a badass?"

"Not if you don't get your ass in here," he clarifies.

She laughs, "Okay, okay."

Her cheeks flush as she undresses. Tim doesn't bother to hide his interest as she works her shorts down over her hips and then pulls her tank top over her head. But, god — the way he can get her so unbelievably hot and bothered with just a look. She's not sure she's ever had this strong of a physical connection with anyone.

She dives in, intentionally trying to make a big splash to douse Tim in his beloved ocean water. Tim grouses for a few moments, but then his eyes take on a competitive glean. "Bet I could get more air off of that rope swing than you," he challenges.

Lucy laughs, "I didn't realize you were such a fan of losing, Bradford."

They take turns on the rope swing laughing and shouting like overexcited children as they find ways to turn literally everything into a competition as they move on to cliff jumping and free diving and snorkeling.

They are still snorkeling when the film crew finally packs up, leaving them alone together for the first time all afternoon. Lucy lifts her face from the water and tugs at Tim's arm so that he'll surface, too.

He removes his mouthpiece and looks at her expectantly and Lucy has to wonder if she looks like as much of a dork as he does in those goggles.

"There are turtles down there!" Lucy informs him, her expression dead serious.

Tim just stares at her for a few moments before he cracks up. "Well, then I guess you owe me for making sure you didn't miss out on this 'once in a lifetime opportunity,' don't you?" he teases sarcastically.

"Whatever. Shut up and just admit they are amazing and you love them."

"They're all right, I guess," Tim acquiesces.

They both veer toward shallower water as they tire, and suddenly it's all too apparent that they are completely alone in what is basically a world of their own. Their eyes meet and then they both look away; Lucy feels a nervous flutter in her stomach.

Tim boosts himself up onto a stone ledge and then reaches down to help Lucy out of the water. She's a little too short to make the reach on her own, so he reaches down to grip her waist, quickly realizing his grip isn't secure against her slick skin and so improvises by securing one of his arms under her ass.

Tim pulls her up and into him, and Lucy laughs in surprise when they both topple back onto the ledge. He's flat on his back and she's sprawled on top of him. He hasn't bothered to remove his hand from her ass. And she doesn't exactly roll right off of him either.

She presses herself up from his chest and for a moment loses herself in the perfect blue of his eyes, possibly an even prettier shade than the water below them. He's let his stubble grow in since they arrived in Mexico and Lucy has to fight her urge to reach up and run her fingers over it.

"Did you choose this ledge just so you could cop a feel?" she accuses, intending it to sound teasingly indignant, but it comes out a bit tight under the weight of being this physically close to him.

He reaches the hand that isn't still plastered to her butt up to brush the wet strands of hair back from her face. "Would that be a problem?"

And the husk in his voice has Lucy's breath catching in her throat as she tries to read what he is thinking, feeling like she never has any idea what this guy is going to do.

His hand slips around to the back of her neck, and then he does the one thing that Lucy has been aching for him to do for far longer than she's willing to admit — since even before she had rejected his first attempt at the altar.

His lips are soft and warm and undemanding at first. He moves to pull back when Lucy doesn't immediately respond, but then she is dipping her head to chase his lips and it is like every bit of sexual tension they have been dancing around since the moment they met is crackling in the air around them.


Tim cushions her with his arm as he rolls them onto their sides and then shifts her onto her back so he can take control of their kiss, deepening his exploration of her mouth even as he lets his hands begin to wander over her skin.

The concerns that had stopped him from kissing her the night prior have been dismissed and exiled to a far corner of his mind. Today has solidified for him that there is no possible way he can make it through the remainder of their eight weeks without getting to have her like this.

Yes, the situation is complicated, but they are two consenting adults, are they not? He hasn't made her any promises (at least not since that one large marital one), and he hasn't done anything to make her believe this is anything other than physical. And, setting aside a few hopeful looks, neither has she. So when it's more than clear that she wants it as bad as he does, who is he to decide for her? Why can't sex just be sex?

Tim groans into her mouth when she hooks one of her legs around his hips, allowing her a final hungry kiss before he shifts down to finally run his tongue along that tattoo of hers that's been taunting him for days. He can taste the salt on her skin.

She moans as he continues to kiss and suck and nibble his way down her neck, over her collarbone, and then down along the neck of her bikini top. He feels her clench her leg more tightly around him and hears her suck in a breath as his lips make contact with the exposed curve of her breast. She arches her back, and god it is getting close to impossible to stop — Tim has no doubt that he could lose himself completely in this woman.

He abruptly lifts his head and a small whine escapes her throat as her eyes fly open in protest.

His lips curve in a cocky half-smile. "If you wanted to go topless again right about now, I wouldn't mind," he offers chivalrously.

Lucy stares up at him, her chest still heaving as she works to get her breath under control. "I'm sure you wouldn't," she laughs as she distractingly runs her tongue over her lips. Her eyes darken as she pulls her lip between her teeth. "It's too bad you didn't win our little bet, or maybe… that's exactly what I'd be doing right now."

Tim swallows — the confirmation that the stakes of the bet were just as suggestive as he thought they might be leaving him a little speechless.

He drops his head to press a hot open-mouthed kiss to the spot just above where the front of her top connects between her breasts, and she giggles softly as his stubble tickles her skin. He lifts his head to meet her eyes. "So then you were bluffing with that little invitation of yours in the shower this morning?" he challenges.

She narrows her eyes at him, clearly not appreciating the call out. She pushes him back and then pushes herself up into a seated position. "Well… when you put it that way… can't have you thinking I don't mean what I say…"

She shifts so that she is kneeling in front of him and reaches back to tug on the strings of her top.

Tim's eyes go wide and his mouth drops open in a combination of surprise and eager anticipation.

Lucy laughs, "You wish, Bradford." And then promptly gives him a firm shove off of the edge of the shelf back into the water.


Tim teasingly suggests they put their outdoor shower to use when they make it back to the resort and have to get a move on to get ready for a night of dinner and dancing with the rest of the group.

Lucy rolls her eyes, "I'm pretty sure that would be the opposite of efficient, but you're welcome to it," she offers graciously as she pushes past him into the bathroom with a sweet, "Ladies, first," tossed over her shoulder.

"I don't know if I feel comfortable getting naked on the deck — you never know who might wander over," he mocks through the door.

He barely hears her answering, "You're such an idiot," over the sound of her turning on the water.

Lucy does her make-up and hair out in the room while Tim showers, and, after forcing herself to stop staring after he emerges in nothing but a towel, she changes places with him again so she can swap her robe for her dress.

When she emerges a few minutes later, Tim's jaw drops open as his eyes immediately zeroes in on her chest.

"What?" Lucy asks defensively.

"Uh — nothing. Are you — uh — are you sure you're all strapped in there?" he forces his eyes back up to hers.

Lucy glares, "What is that supposed to mean?" She glances down, and, well, yeah, the dress does have a pretty low cut — some might even say, plunging — neckline. She worries her bottom lip between her teeth; she'd fallen in love with the almost completely backless red floral print maxi dress online and bought it especially for the honeymoon trip, but she's realizing that perhaps the model online hadn't been quite as well endowed. Still — she turns to check herself out in the mirror — she looks pretty damn good.

She brushes her hair confidently back over her shoulder and turns back to stare at Tim, waiting for his response.

He shakes his head, "It means you look incredible. And also that you are very, very cruel."

She laughs, "Mission accomplished, then."


Lucy gets a chance to catch up with the other women over cocktails once they arrive at the lounge. They take turns sharing their updates.

"Lucy, I don't know how your panties aren't just spontaneously combusting around that man," Gianna gushes, eyes flitting toward where Tim is standing and laughing at the bar with the other men.

Lucy almost chokes on her drink. She follows Gianna's gaze and feels her lips curve into a soft smile once she's recovered, because — yes, he's gorgeous, to Gianna's point —but she also really loves seeing him laugh — the way his eyes crinkle up at the corners and he throws his head back like there's not a single thing weighing him down in the world. She hasn't seen nearly enough of that laugh.

Tim catches her looking over at him and he holds her gaze in a way that somehow has her feeling warm and fuzzy at the same time as she feels a jolt of heat spreading low in her belly. Spontaneously combusting panties, indeed.

She turns her attention back to the conversation. "Uh. Yeah. He is ridiculously hot. No argument here."

"And?" Sonia prompts curiously.

"And… I don't know. Sometimes I really like him, and sometimes I feel like dropping him into the ocean in a defective shark cage." Lucy shrugs. "He's so guarded and hard to read; I never really know where I stand. I feel like he's the complete opposite of me in that sense — I wear all my emotions on my sleeve and I think that kind of annoys him or something.

"But I don't know … today was really, really good. Maybe he's just one of those people that needs time to warm up? It's hard to believe this is only day four."

The ladies nod their agreement.

"Well, I, for one, am kind of jealous of all of the mystery," Sonia chimes in. "Don't get me wrong," she rushes to clarify, "Arjun is great. There's no doubt he's a good guy. It's just… when I signed up for this, I didn't really picture ending up with the boy who basically really does live next door. We have so many of the same friends and we're obviously from the same cultural background and religious community — it's like we may as well have already been married for thirty years. I think I was just hoping for more of an adventure or something…"

"Ugh — I would kill for a nice guy, Sonia. Count your blessings you didn't end up with a Chad, okay?" Elyse suggests.

Sonia laughs sympathetically, "Good point, I'll be shutting up now."

"I just cannot believe I ended up with such a jerk. Like I get that you're not into me, dude. I don't need you to remind me every five seconds. It's like he assumes if I make even the slightest bit of effort to get to know him or get anything out of this experience, that I must just be obsessed with him, and he doubles down on being as cruel as possible to push me away." Elyse's eyes fill and Lucy places her hand over hers, heart aching for the woman.

Tim is far from Prince Charming and has already shown he has the capacity to be a jerk, if not outright cruel, but she could not be more grateful that she ended up with him instead of someone like Chad. At least with Tim, she's pretty sure that deep down — sometimes way deep down — his heart is in the right place. She's not sure she can say the same for Chad.

"Well — I mean, I know he's been a jerk and there are better ways to go about it, but maybe he also just doesn't want to give you the wrong idea?" Gianna interjects. "Michael's a good guy; I know that. It's not his fault the physical attraction just isn't there for me. But I really do feel like every time I give an inch, he tries to take a mile. Like I asked about his family just to be nice over dinner yesterday, and he somehow took that as an invitation to start discussing our hypothetical future family and how many kids we should have and where we should raise them. And that makes me feel like I can't be nice if I don't want him to misunderstand my intentions, you know?"

"Speaking of kids…" Camila cuts in, "Malcolm and I were so into each other right out of the gate — I mean, god, we literally had sex in every possible location in our bungalow the day we got here. But now that we're getting to know each other, I'm starting to think maybe we're not that compatible. I told the matchmakers I wasn't sure if I wanted kids; I thought they'd match me with someone that would be open to that. But Malcolm is dead set on having children — to the point that he isn't even willing to discuss it. I thought we had a shot and such a great connection, but I don't think I can be with someone who's so rigid and set on what they want on that front."

Lucy shoots Camila a sympathetic smile before turning to look at Megan. "You've been quiet. How are things with you and Alejandro?"

Megan looks chagrined. "Ugh I feel bad — I don't want to be the one that's like 'this is amazing!' when everyone else is having such a hard time, but yeah. It's going really well. I'm so happy — like I know there's going to be bumps in the road and that this is crazy and we have so much to work through, but the way that he communicates and the way that he treats me — I couldn't have dreamt up a better husband."

Lucy smiles, genuinely happy for Megan, even as she feels slightly unsettled about where things stand with Tim. He may be ridiculously hot and they may have fun together, but does he communicate or treat her the way she'd want or expect from her husband? She shoves the question to the back of her mind as she signals the waitress for another drink.


A little while later, Lucy decides it's time to collect on their bet. The lounge is quickly transitioning into a night club and the dance floor is rapidly filling up.

She makes her way over to where Tim is standing at the bar, waiting until he downs a shot with Alejandro before stepping up behind him and slipping her hand into his. He turns to look down at her, lifting her hand to his lips before releasing it so he can slide his arm around her waist and pull her around until she is standing in front of him with her back to the bar. "There you are," he says.

Lucy smiles up at him, her heart doing a little somersault at how happy he looks to see her. She loops her arms around his neck and arches up so that she can reach his ear. "I'm here to collect on our bet."

Lucy shivers when he pulls back, his eyes darkening as he rubs his thumb over the exposed skin of her back. "Is that so?" Lucy sucks in a breath as he slides his hand lower, fingers slipping into the low waist of the dress at her lower back. "What can I do for you, Lucy?" he asks huskily.

And the way he's looking at her, Lucy has to wonder just exactly what he thinks she might ask him to do. She tugs on the front of his Henley, tipping her head back sweetly. "You can dance with me."

And just like that, the fire is gone as he groans, stepping back from her. "Seriously? Come on… "

She doesn't release her hold on his shirt and pouts. "A bet's a bet, Tim," she complains.

He glances over at the dance floor far too full of sweaty bumping and grinding humans. "I'm too old for this, Lucy," he groans. "Choose something else."

She deflates and releases his shirt, trying to reel in her disappointment, knowing that it will only annoy him.

Chad leans into the gap Tim has created between them, his eyes barely flicking toward hers before settling further south. "I'll dance with you, Lucy," he offers helpfully, if not a little skeevily.

Lucy crosses her arms over her chest and opens her mouth to let him know that won't be necessary, but Tim beats her to it. He grabs her hand and tugs her to his side away from Chad as he glares at the younger man. "Thanks, Chad," he says in a tone that is anything but grateful, "But I think I've got it covered." And then he is pulling her toward the dance floor.


They make it through about half a dance of their bodies pressed together on the dance floor moving to the rhythmic beat of the music before Tim decides he can't take another minute of her rubbing against him in a way that has him uncomfortably hard in embarrassingly little time.

"Can I please get you out of here?" he growls in her ear.

Lucy nods and agrees after giving him a hard time about not fulfilling his end of the bet, but a bet is about the last thing on his mind as she toys with his fingers on the shuttle ride back to their bungalow.

Once back in their room, they both pause to stare at each other uncertainly from their positions standing a few feet apart.

Tim breaks first, eyes full of lust when he hurriedly asks, "Are you on —?"

"Yes!" Lucy responds immediately. They'd been tested before coming on the show, but he's hardly looking to conceive a honeymoon baby.

And then it's not entirely clear who moves first but they are crashing into each other. Tim's mouth moves eagerly against hers as they stumble backward further into the room.

And they kiss like that — practically devouring each other — hands in hair and arms tugging each other closer and tongues unabashedly exploring for a surprisingly long time. When they finally break apart, it's only because they are running out of oxygen.

They are both still gasping for breath when Tim allows his gaze to flick down to her chest and he freezes. The wardrobe malfunction that has been begging to happen all night has made its official appearance.

Lucy glances down in response to his gaze and flushes when she notices that her right breast has all but popped out thanks to their heavy petting knocking the fabric askew.

She bites her lip as she raises her gaze back to his. "Oops," she says softly, making no move to fix her dress. She shrugs, which only causes her strap to fall further down her shoulder and Tim groans out loud. "I've never worn this dress before," she says coyly.

And how he had ever thought anything about her wasn't the sexiest fucking thing on earth is completely beyond him.

He yanks her back to him for a rough kiss, before turning his focus to the left strap of her dress. His fingers graze her shoulder as he guides it down. And she is so fucking perfect.

He shakes his head as he just gazes at her.

She laughs, fisting her hand in his shirt to pull him back toward her and then reaches up to pull him down for another kiss. She keeps her hold on him as he begins to pull back, eager to continue enjoying the view.

She twines the fingers of her free hand through his, "You can touch them, you know."

She releases his hand and reaches up to drag her finger slowly down over his lips, pausing with the tip of her finger pressed against his bottom lip, "Or other things…"

He captures her fingertip in his mouth sucking gently before nipping at it as Lucy nods approvingly.

Finally, she pulls her finger from his mouth and slides her hand all the way down his chest and abdomen before landing on the buckle of his belt, "Or other, other things…"

And he is going to lose it; already so hard he is painfully straining against jeans. He crushes her into him and she squeals as he lifts her, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist as he carries her over to the desk, skillfully rucking up the skirt of her dress even as he is setting her down on the surface

Her eyes are wide with a combination of heat and surprise, as he runs his hands down the length of her thighs until they are settled on her knees.

He pushes them apart even as he is dropping down into the desk chair and Lucy is beginning to pant with anticipation. Good god, this is so fucking hot.

He slides his hands back up, hooking his fingers into the waistband of her panties, and then abruptly stops short.


"What the hell?" Tim asks, staring at her in confusion as he gets to his feet.

Lucy flushes, glancing down only to realize exactly what panties she had pulled out of her suitcase that evening. A pair that had come out of a set of gag gifts she had received for her bachelorette party. They say 'happy meal' with a smile reflective of the McDonald's brand aesthetic.

In her defense, the gag underwear had also turned out to be possibly the most breathable and comfortable underwear she'd ever worn. It's hot in Mexico, okay?

"Oh come on, Tim. It's not like I knew we were going to be doing… this tonight."

"Oh, Lucy," he says softly, shaking his head like he's disappointed. He leans all the way into her, his lips finding her ear. "Did you really think I wasn't going to try and fuck you the minute I saw you come out of the bathroom in that dress tonight?"

Holy shit. His words send an immediate jolt of arousal through her until it settles achingly between her legs

He brushes his thumb over her lips, before continuing, "Did you really think getting you naked isn't the only thing I've been thinking about all day since your little tease in the shower this morning?"

She moans softly, his words making her impossibly wetter.

"Did you really think that I haven't been thinking about how much I want to be inside you since the moment I met you?"

She is panting with her want; couldn't respond to his words even if she wanted to. She looks up at him pleading, begging for him to —

"Fuck, Lucy. You can't look at me like that."

And then he is practically ripping the ridiculous panties off of her. He grips her by the hips and drags her to the edge of the desk as he drops back into the chair.

He dips his head and, "Oh. My. God." She is seeing fireworks. This is not a slow, sensual, exploratory touch. This is a man on a mission.

"Ahhh," Lucy gasps as he builds her faster than she thought was humanly possible, throwing one hand back to brace herself as she arches back toward the wall.

Holyyy shit. Her whole body rocks with her release and she is gasping for air, unable to see straight. "What. The. Fuck."

Tim laughs as he pulls back to look up at her, licking his lips and wiping his hand over the lower half of his face — the look on his face so fucking smug that Lucy might be tempted to deflate his ego if she wasn't still reeling from her pleasure.

"I told you not to look at me like that," he says simply.

"Oh. My. God." she repeats.

She watches him in a daze as he moves back toward the bed, kicking off his shoes before undoing his belt and his jeans. He slides his pants and boxer briefs down until they drop and he can step out of them. He takes himself into his hand and begins stroking up and down, eyes still glued on her perfect body as he settles himself on the edge of the bed.

And that's all it takes to spur Lucy into motion. She kicks off her own shoes and then pulls the dress that has effectively been turned into a belt over her head and tosses it to the floor before she pushes herself off the desk and closes the distance between them.

There's not an ounce of hesitation as she climbs over him, straddling him with her knees on either side of his thighs, her hand replacing his on his cock as she lifts herself and aligns his tip to her entrance. They both groan with pleasure as she eases herself down until she's taken all of him.

And fuck, the same exact traits he had mentally derided her for just a few days prior are now so unbelievably sexy to him he can barely see straight. She's so open, so willing, so responsive — it's enough to drive him absolutely wild.

"Well?" she asks.

Tim's eyes are barely able to focus on her, she feels so fucking good all around him. "Huh?" he finally manages, words suddenly not forming cohesive sentences in his head.

Lucy smiles sweetly as she begins to slide back up and Tim has to resist the urge not to take hold of her hips and take control, to thrust up into her at a more rapid pace.

"Is it as good as you imagined?"

He gazes up at her cluelessly, and she laughs out loud.

Tim presses his eyes closed when she slips back down, faster this time — the bottoms of her thighs slapping the tops of his before she is in motion again.

"Is it as good as you thought it would be being inside of me?" she expands.

He lets her do the work, lets her control the pace and the angle in the ways that work best for her, simply relishing in the pleasure of every aspect of her body taking over every single one of his senses. Every single thing about her turns him on impossibly more — the rate of her breath, the tiny little grunts of exertion that escape her with each movement, the feel of her fingers working rapidly near where their bodies are joined, the sheen of sweat that begins to form on her skin.

He lets her keep going even as her thighs begin to tremble, his hands shifting to her hips to support her movement.

She drops her head to his shoulder, and he can feel the deliciousness of her body tightening. He thrusts upward until she is gasping and contracting around him.

He pulls her securely against him as she falls apart and flips them so she is on her back and he can begin to chase his own climax, piling into her as she wraps her arms and legs around him.

He collapses on top of her when he finishes and stays there until he can muster the strength to roll off of her.

He shifts further up the bed and then pulls her up and into his arms. Neither speaks as they work to catch their breath, until Lucy finally complains, "You never answered my question."

Tim laughs, running his hand down her back until he lets it settle on her ass. "Yeah — it's hard to say. I think I'll need a few more trial runs before I can definitively answer that."

Lucy shoves at him, "You're such a dick."

He squeezes her ass and then tightens his hold on her before rolling them so that she's on her back and he's on his side looking down at her. He bends to kiss the pout off of her face, not stopping until she is moaning against his mouth and absolutely on board with the necessity of a few more trial runs.