Page 103 of Dissolving Prejudice

“What do you mean you were scared?” he asked in a low voice that carried a clear warning.

Nibbling on my bottom lip, I tried to avoid his piercing stare. Camilo wasn’t about to let it slide and instead cupped my cheeks and made me look at him.

“Speak. Up.”

“He yelled, and that scared me a little bit, but that’s it.” I laughed nervously. “It was so fucking silly, Camilo, I swear. We both know I get scared over nothing. It’s also why I didn’t want to tell you—”

“This isn’t nothing, Shay-Lee,” he hissed, his jaw tensed. “Did that asshole hit you or something?”

“What?” I gasped. “Are you crazy? It’s Jordan. He’s, like, the biggest pushover ever.” Saying it made me sound like an asshole, but it was the truth nonetheless. Sure, he practiced boxing almost every day of the fucking week, but it wasn’t like he was actually capable of hurting someone for real, never mind me. This was the guy who’d cried throughout my rehab, like, actually sobbed when I struggled to walk. He was that sensitive.

“I don’t want you anywhere near that guy.”

“We’re living together, you know?” I tried to laugh but quieted down once the muscle in Camilo’s jaw twitched. Fuck.

I placed my hands on his shoulders and massaged him with my thumbs. “He and I are practically over, Camilo, so you’ve got nothing to worry about. Besides—” I leaned close until our faces were an inch apart. “—he’s gone for the whole week, meaning I’m yours without any interruptions.”

“You’re gonna end it once he’s back?” Camilo held my stare, his dark eyes boring into my soul.

I leaned in until our lips met in a short kiss. “Yes,” I whispered over his mouth.

He kissed me back, only this time, it wasn’t rushed and impulsive but slow and caring. Gradually moving his lips along mine, like he cherished every crease and inch of me, Camilo took his sweet time.

“Te amo,” he whispered ever so softly, and my heart just went crazy.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I leaped on him, my arms practically hugging him as hard as I could.

“How about I sleep at your place tonight?” I asked while burying my face in his neck. His scent, warmth, voice—every part of him made me lose my mind.

Hugging me back, he leaned his head against me. “Only if you’ll sleep in the nude.”

I chuckled. “Will do.”

We would have stayed pressed together if not for my stomach erupting in a loud growl that totally ruined the moment.

“Seems like somebody’s hungry.” He grabbed my hips and helped me off the desk. “Let’s go find that sushi you were craving.”

“I think there was steak tartare there, too,” I said as we walked toward the door.

“Fuck off.” He slapped my ass before opening the door for me.

Leaving Soren’s office, we began walking back to the party while I continued teasing him about raw meat. It was funny, or so I thought, until Camilo’s expression turned sour, and he looked like he was ready to kill with how hard he clenched his jaw. But it wasn’t my poor sense of humor that made him this angry but my fiancé, who, for some reason, just walked into the party.

Diesel

Two hours had passed since that hijueputa showed up out of nowhere and stanched the damn party. Two hours in which I had to bite my tongue and grind my teeth so I wouldn’t punch fucking Jordan in the face. And fuck me if I didn’t want to do just that. He’d been glued to Shay-Lee from the moment he’d arrived unannounced and acted like everything was cool between them, which put me off, considering what Shay-Lee had told me earlier.

It wasn’t jealousy that challenged my patience but unsettledness, even more so after the conversation I’d had with Soren. But there would be time to dig into that later because currently, I was too bothered with Jordan, who was constantly forcing his proximity on my Llorón. Right now, they were talking to some guy, who I think was Soren’s older brother, when Jordan wrapped an arm around Shay-Lee. The way Shay-Lee shifted his weight from one leg to the other told me he was uncomfortable, and it pissed me the fuck off. Especially because it had been like that since Jordan arrived. I knew they were allegedly still together, but it didn’t give Jordan the right to touch Shay-Lee as he fucking pleased.

What a bastard.

I was ready to go there and rip Jordan’s arm off when Shay-Lee excused himself from the conversation by saying he wanted to grab another drink before walking inside the house. Surprisingly, Jordan didn’t follow him in, which meant I finally had the opportunity to catch Shay-Lee alone.

Ready to follow him in, I was stopped by Jessie, who walked toward me with a stupid smile on his face.

“What is it, Jessie?” I asked, my eyes locked on the house, where Shay-Lee had disappeared into.

“I was wondering if you can—”