After we finish the meditation session, my body feels relaxed even as my mind whirls. I’ve spent the last thirty minutes trying to clear my thoughts, to let it happen, like Wesley said. Instead, the whole time, my thoughts keep going to Hannah. Feeling her presence next to me, I had to stop myself from reaching out to take her hand. So while my body is ready for whatever we’re going to do next, my mind is a jumble of thoughts, most of them about how much I want Hannah. I kept feeling the pulse of our hearts as we were in the lagoon, how she looked in the sunlight both before we went in the cave and after. Most of all, I remember how she felt, how soft her skin was, how her eyes widened the first time I slipped my fingers inside her. I remember what my orgasm felt like, and how I wished there wasn’t a condom to get in the damn way. I’m surprised I’m not tenting my shorts like a teenage Boy Scout at this point.

“Meet outside after dinner,” Wesley says, getting to his feet. “I’m going to be introducing you to the clearing house before bed.”

“The clearing house?” Hannah asks, getting her shoes on. She glances at me, and I can see the way her t-shirt molds perfectly to her body, my mouth going dry again in an instant. “What are we clearing?”

“You’ll be clearing yourselves,” Wesley replies. “It’s special to me. It’s a place meant for the cleansing of both mind and body.”

“Wash your ass!” Mo Mo screeches, although for a moment there, I thought the bird said watch your ass. Good advice either way.

Wesley leaves with a smile, ignoring Caleb, who keeps trying to stammer another question. Cassie follows him out, saying something about how she’s glad she doesn’t have to listen to Cookie Monster anymore.

Hannah shakes her head, and after a glance my way, she leaves the room.

I want to follow her, but I control the urge.

“Any idea what the fuck he’s talking about?” Caleb asks as we leave and go back to our room. “Any company I’ve ever worked for, he’d be out on his ass after failing a piss test, I’m sure of it. And the bird thing is just . . . shiver me timbers,” Caleb jokes as he covers an eye with his hand as a makeshift patch.

I laugh at him. “Actually, in some ways, I like the bird. It gives him character.”

“I don’t know,” Caleb counters. “Cindy Crawford having a mole gives her character. The Rock having a bionic eyebrow gives him character. Wesley Mobber having a foul-mouthed parrot that uses his shoulder as a perch for most of the day just means he’s probably got a lot of parrot shit in that hair of his.”

We both laugh. “I know you think he’s—”

The ringing of my phone interrupts my thought, but seeing that it’s Oliver, I answer. In the background, I can hear babies crying and Mindy singing to them, trying to calm them down. While she’s not bad, Roxy definitely inherited the singing genes in the family. “Hey, what’s the progress?”

“Consider it handled,” I say simply. Oliver doesn’t need to know about what Hannah and I got up to. I had enough problems dealing with Caleb’s looks during our break. “We’re winning his games, but he hasn’t said how many there are.”

“That’s good fucking news!” he exults. I can hear Mindy saying something to him, and he chuckles. “Sorry, honey, you’re right.”

“What is she saying?” I ask, smirking.

“She’s not happy,” he says. “With both my language, and also . . . she’s been talking to Roxy about all of this. She thinks someone’s going to get hurt with Hannah being practically family and friend.”

“Then what do you want to do?”

“Just do your best, but be fair. We’ll figure something out to make it right if you win,” Oliver says. “Call me if anything changes. I’ve got to go give Mindy a hand.”

Oliver says farewell, and after he hangs up, I let out a sigh. Mindy’s right—someone could get hurt.

“What was that for?” Caleb asks. “Never, in all my life, have I seen someone so sad to be winning. I would’ve thought you’d be ecstatic.”

If it were anyone besides Hannah, I would be happy. But the thrill of winning and competition is starting to fade away, replaced by a need to see Hannah smile, to hear her softly call my name as I kiss every inch of her body. It’s being replaced with a need to have her with me, to make her mine.

I can’t tell Caleb that, though. He wouldn’t understand. “I just want this to be over. Hopefully, this cleansing or whatever we’re doing works. I need a total mind wipe and the meditation wasn’t working one bit. I kept focusing on how my little toe was falling asleep.”

Caleb chuckles. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Me, I’m hoping it’s like those bathhouses, some nice girls who know how to give a great lomilomi massage and a very happy ending.”

I can’t help it, I laugh. “You’re a pervert, you know that?”

“I’m just kidding, man. You know I’m not like that.”

Dinner is, for the first time since we got here, very quiet. I try to keep my eyes off Hannah while we eat, but it’s impossible, especially as she starts giving me glances too. My body is tingling, my cock growing in my shorts and a burning ball of something I’m not ready to acknowledge in my gut.

After a quick washing up, we meet outside. The sun is setting, and I’m reminded just how late sunsets are in summer. The girls changed during their prep time, both of them wearing bikini tops and light skirts, while Caleb and I are wearing tropical weight shirts and cargo shorts. Just the sight of Hannah has my blood boiling and my mouth watering. She snaps a few photos of Cassie striking a pose in the sunset, but the one being photographed should be her.

“Follow me,” Wesley says, heading off in the twilight. The girls stay in front this time, close to Wesley while Caleb and I hang in the back. Caleb is enjoying the evening breeze while I’m trying not to spend the whole walk staring at Hannah’s ass. We turn at the road, wrapping around past the village and up the side of what I think is the same mountain we climbed this morning, just the other side. As we get closer, I see what looks like a Japanese style bath house, except that the roof is thatched. “Welcome to the clearing house.”

Wesley leads us up a stone path, and as we get closer, I can smell the unmistakable scent of volcanic waters. It’s not the stench of Sulphur, but the rich mineral scent of something else. “Hot springs?”

“Very good,” Wesley says with a small smile. We reach the front door, which slides open to reveal a beautifully organic wood-paneled room, and the scent coming from them is rich and heady. It’s like a small, beautifully decorated spa, with flowers growing in pots and bonsai trees in alcoves along the walls. There are two curtains, and down the halls for each, I see what looks like rooms for massage tables and more. Sadly for Caleb, I don’t see any cute spa attendants.

“Alani named this place for me when it was built,” Wesley says, turning to us with a smile. “To her, it became a place of purification, of cleansing and cleaning. So she named it after the ancient temple near Holualoa. So, welcome to Puʻuhonua. this will give you a chance to clear your body of toxins and a chance to cleanse your spirit as well. Enjoy the cleansing offered freely by the baths, let it wash away your worries and open your mind and heart to a path pure in its creation from the very waters that spring from deep within the island. Through the curtains, you’ll find changing areas, towels, and showers. It’s tradition that you shower first, then go to the steam rooms naked.”

“Naked?” Hannah gulps, and Wesley nods. She gives me a look, then nods.

“What about lomilomi?” Caleb asks, and Wesley chuckles. “What? I could use a rubdown after hauling Cassie’s butt down the hill. She weighs a ton!” he exaggerates.

“That can be arranged. I know Alani’s sister is quite skilled,” Wesley says. “But I hear she’s a little . . . forceful.”

Now it’s Caleb’s turn to gulp, and I have to snicker. Wesley chuckles, too, and points. “Now, ladies to this hallway, and men to this one.”

I give Hannah a look. She bites her lip as she looks at me. We both know what we want, but with everyone else here, there’s nothing that we can do about it. Instead, I follow Caleb through the blue curtain and into the changing area, which is already warm as I strip down.

The two of us walk through the connecting door to the shower room, which is a lot hotter than the changing room. “Fuck, it’s hot,” Caleb says, already red-faced and sweating. “If the shower room’s like this, what the fuck is the steam room supposed to be like?”

“We’re about to find out,” I say as we finish a quick rinse and head to the steam room, which isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s nowhere near as humid. We settle in on the fragrant wooden lounge chairs that are there for us, and I sigh, feeling my muscles start to unknot, and for a few long minutes, we’re silent. It smells like apples, of all things. Finally, Caleb breaks the silence. “So what are you thinking about all this? What did Oli say this morning?

“He’s as surprised as we are about the whole thing. He’s a pro though, said to do my best, be honest and fair, and of course, he’s expecting me to win Wes over. It’s just…” I let out a big sigh.

Caleb gives me a side-eye. “You’re a good guy, Tony. You’ve had a couple of bad deals lately, but you always do your best. When he brought me on for this, he told me that he’s proud of you, how far you’ve come and how fast you’re learning. I think you might be a little distracted right now though. Not that I blame you.”

I sputter, “I’m not…I’m not distracted.” as I push a hand through my hair, knowing that I’m lying to myself as much as I am to Caleb.

“Really? So I’ve been meaning to ask, what went down up there on the hike after we left?”

“A better question would be to ask if you enjoyed carrying Cassie back?” I ask, evading the question.

Caleb grunts and shifts around a little. “That girl is lucky I didn’t drop her and keep on my merry way. Dude, she’s got a mouth on her.”

I laugh, enjoying the feeling. I haven’t been laughing enough recently. “Are you saying you’re not attracted to her?”

Caleb shakes his head, chuckling. “She’s cute. But our banter just feels like it comes from a different place than that, like there’s no real sexual tension attached. She thinks she can get away with shit just because she’s got that young and innocent look about her. If I were really into her, I’d bend her over my knee and spank her.”

Caleb goes quiet for a moment when I don’t respond, then sighs. “Fuck, it’s so hot in here. I can’t handle this sauna shit. I’m gonna find out what these recovery gardens are. You gonna hang out in here a while longer?”

He stares at me as I climb to my feet and head back toward the shower area. “Where are you going? The recovery gardens or whatever he called them are the other way.”

I shake my head, opening the sliding door. “I have to go take care of something first. I’ll be there soon.”

I step through, closing the door. I hear him mutter something but the closing door obscures it. Wrapping a towel around my waist, I head to the other hallway. I find the girl’s sauna room. Their space is laid out a little different from ours. I knock on the wood door. There’s a sharp cry of surprise, and Cassie, her face covered in some sort of green goop, sticks her head out. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“There’s someone who is expecting you in the recovery gardens,” I lie, jerking my thumb over my shoulder. “Something about his back needing a massage for carrying you.”

Cassie stares at me, ignoring the fact that I’m in just a towel. “Seriously? I wouldn’t touch him if he was the last dick on earth.”

I snort, giving her a smile. “Yeah, well, it’s not the last one on earth, but I’m sure he’s willing to give you a nice massage in return as a thank you.”

Her eyes flash. Caleb’s going to kill me, but this is more than worth it. “Well, since you put it that way, I guess I can go keep him company. As long as I get mine first.”

Cassie’s head disappears back into the room, and I hear her talking. “I’m going to go rock someone’s world to the point he’ll want to be my love slave. Oh, and you’ve got a visitor.”

Cassie comes out a moment later, her face freshly scrubbed and a towel wrapped firmly around her upper body, and walks off.

I chuckle, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves before I open the door. As I reach for the handle, I hear Cassie on the other side talking loudly to Caleb. “Yeah, I’m back. I hear you’re ready to give me a massage, but no funny business . . .”

I shake my head—she is a trip—then I walk in. My breath stops in my throat as I see Hannah, sitting on one of the wooden lounge chairs, no spa mask but her body also wrapped in a towel. I guess they both decided to ignore Wesley’s rules. Hannah’s legs look long and beautiful as she sits up, my cock hardening underneath my own towel as I imagine what treasures lie underneath. Her skin’s flushed, and her eyes are wide as she sees me. “What are you doing here?”

“Tell Cassie sorry, but I had to lie to get her out of here. I came to serve you.”

“Serve me?” she says suspiciously. “And just what does that mean?”

I look around, seeing a bottle of coconut oil lotion, and pick it up. It’s more than just coconut, but all I can say is that it smells heavenly, and I can only imagine Hannah smelling the same way. “Yeah. I thought you could use a little spa treatment.”

Hannah bites her lip, looking at me uncertainly. “But—”

“Just relax,” I reply. “I promise, it’s just what you need.”

She hesitates a moment but gets up, going to the connecting door to the relaxation garden, where I see a body-length woven mat on the ground and high walls that separate us from the rest of the world. She lies down on her stomach, and I kneel down next to her, undoing the towel. The soft lantern light of the garden makes her skin glow as I really get my first look at her naked body. The earlier encounter was so shadowed.

I open my mouth in amazement but shut it as I get some lotion on my hands and start rubbing down her back. With each sweep of my fingers and thumbs, it feels like I’m sewing. Instead of cloth, I’m stitching myself to Hannah, not to her body but something deeper, something scary it’s so intense.

She moans softly as my hands reach the amazingly soft skin on the back of her thighs, her ass quivering and her knees parting a little. My eyes catch just a glimmer between her thighs, and I want to rush, but I hold back. “So, where’d you learn to use a bow?”

“What?” Hannah asks, her voice thick as I rub her inner thighs. “Oh, you mean the bowfishing? I learned a little at Girl Scout camp, but that was when I was twelve.”

She sighs softly as I edge closer, moaning as I pull back to start massaging her ass. The scent of her arousal fills the air as I knead and squeeze her ass, my thumb working toward the middle, and she wiggles her hips lightly, another deep moan coming from her. My cock throbs. It’s raging hard as I think of what I want to do to her. Suddenly, she slides over and pops up on her knees, totally naked. “My turn.”

I gulp, taking in the glorious sight of her glistening body, my cock oozing precum as I look at her. “I didn’t get your front yet.”

“I insist,” she says, her voice full of desire. “Lie down and let me return the favor. I’ll get your front.”

I chuckle. “Fine, have it your way. But you know what you’re going to find.”

I lie down, undoing the towel around my waist, and Hannah’s eyes go wide as she takes me in. Still, even as her breasts heave up and down from breathing harder, she kneels down and pours some lotion into her hands.

She starts on my shoulders, rubbing them with sensual strokes as her breasts dangle just out of reach above my lips as she works the knots out of my muscles. It’s erotic torture as she finds tight spots in my muscles I didn’t even know I had. “Don’t tell me you learned this in Girl Scouts.”

“No,” Hannah teases as she runs her hands up and down my body. I suck in a breath. Her soft touch feels amazing. She reaches out, wrapping a hand around my hard cock before smiling and bending down. “And I definitely didn’t learn this at Girl Scouts.”

Her tongue strokes me from tip to base. I’ve never felt anything like it before as the soft massaging texture of her tongue sends shockwaves up my body. She teases me, giving my cock little butterfly kisses before licking the head like an ice cream cone, and I growl. “You’re such a tease.”

“You didn’t say the magic word yet,” Hannah teases me, licking my cock again. It’s too much, and I reach out, grabbing her calf and pulling her toward me. Hannah fights me for a moment before I pull her hips over my chest. It’s not perfect, but I’m able to bend my head enough to stick out my tongue, running the tip along the wet lips of her pussy, and she freezes. “Oh, fuck.”

She pushes herself back toward my eager lips and tongue so I can reach her better, and I suck on her pussy before my tongue slides inside her. Hannah cries out, then buries my cock deep into her mouth.

Every stroke of my tongue is mirrored by hers and every stroke of my hands on her hips and ass makes her bob up and down on my cock, her fingernails scratching at my thighs as we go faster and faster.

I reach around, grabbing her ass to pull her tighter against me, and as I do, my fingers slide deeper, the tip of my right middle finger stopping as it presses against her asshole. Hannah freezes, pulling her lips from my cock. “Tony . . . please . . .”

I notice she must like it, and I start to massage her ass with my finger as my tongue circles her clit. Hannah’s moans are of pure, unbridled lust, and she grinds her hips on my mouth, riding my face as I take her. When I feel she’s ready, I slide my middle finger into her while sucking her clit, nibbling on it. I can hear her screams muffled as she gobbles my cock, sucking me like her life depends on it.

Her mouth is voracious, sucking me hard, her tongue a whirlwind around my shaft. I flick my tongue faster in reply, and I can feel her pressing herself down harder on my face. From deep in her throat, she starts humming, the vibrations driving me wild, and her ass clenches tighter.

My balls ache, growing tight as she takes me all the way down, sending me rocketing toward my orgasm. I suck harder on her clit, stifled moans coming out as I do. My cock is throbbing so hard it hurts, and I can’t hold back any longer. I only last a second later, thick squirts of my seed shooting into Hannah’s mouth. She moans and sucks hungrily, her pussy soaking my face as she comes right along with me. It feels like she’s sucking my soul out of my cock, and I moan in pleasure as it keeps going, almost feeling like it’ll never end.

When it’s finally over, we lie there, Hannah’s pussy just an inch from my face as I gasp, trying to slow my heartbeat. Slowly, I withdraw my finger and Hannah turns around, snuggling against me and resting her head on my chest. She licks her lips then kisses me tenderly. “I thought you had a talented cock, but your tongue and mouth . . . you’re a god.”

“You’re not too bad yourself,” I say, kissing her back. “And tasty.”

“You’re the tastiest muffin I’ve ever had,” Hannah jokes, and when I give her a raised eyebrow, she shakes her head. “Never mind, just a joke. So . . .”

“Hannah, I know we’re supposed to be fighting for the property, but that doesn’t mean we have to be enemies, does it?” I ask, and Hannah shakes her head.

“I guess not,” she says guardedly. “Then again, you’re in the lead.”

“Hannah, I—” I start to say, but suddenly, there’s a yell and a laugh from the other side of the massage house. I can hear Caleb yelling.

“Get the fuck back here, that was so wrong!”

There’s a laugh and the sound of Cassie running. “Gotta catch me first!”

I look at Hannah, and we both laugh nervously. If we can hear them, they may have heard us. We get up and shower quickly before I retreat to the men’s side to get dressed.

Caleb’s soaking wet when I get in. Apparently, Cassie thought a bucketful of cold water was a funny prank. But he says nothing as he gets dressed.

Before we were interrupted, I wanted to tell Hannah that to me, none of this is important anymore. That more than ‘winning’ this contract, I want her. I want to tell her that I’m scared that I’m going to win one and lose the other.

And no matter what, I don’t want to lose her.