Page 110 of Dissolving Prejudice

“Yeah, sure.” I snorted, then reversed out of there because if there was one thing I knew, it was that if he raised his hand to you once, it wouldn’t be the last time. The first time my father slapped me when I was a kid, he promised not to do it again. Not only did he lie, but each time he hit me afterward was a dozen times more painful. And why? Because each time, a small part of me dared to believe it would be the last. Until now, I might have given Jordan the benefit of the doubt, but not anymore. I wasn’t saying he was as bad as my dad, but over my dead body was I willing to stay long enough to find out.

Diesel

I was lying on my couch with a frozen bag of peas on my face when I heard a knock. Half lifting the bag, I peeked at the door, wondering if I’d heard correctly or if it was all in my head, when another knock came.

Shit. After spending two hours at the ER to take care of my broken nose, I wasn’t in the mood for guests.

Putting the frozen peas aside, I scooched Toro off my chest and got up with a grunt. My whole face throbbed because of that motherfucker, and I half hated myself for not punching him back.

“I’m coming,” I called when they knocked again. A bit worried it would be Oro, because Shay-Lee hadn’t answered any of my calls yet, I opened the door, ready for disappointment. It turned out I really shouldn’t jump to conclusions because, to my pleasant surprise, there before me stood the love of my fucking life.

“Ugh, you look like shit,” he chuckled while eyeing my face, which I knew wouldn’t win me a beauty pageant in its current state. Shay-Lee then lifted a brown paper bag in front of him. “I brought you your treat.” He shoved it into my hands and walked past me on his way in.

“And here I thought I’d get to eat your ass as a treat,” I said while checking inside the bag. “But I guess we’ll settle for Mexican?”

Stopping in the center of the room, Shay-Lee gave me a sassy look over his bratty shoulder. “With a nose like that, I doubt we’ll see any ass eating anytime soon.”

Closing the door, I let out a fake sigh. “A man can dream.”

“On second thought, I can always eat your ass if you want,” he so kindly offered as I placed one hand on his hip and pulled him close.

Hooking my finger under his chin, I nudged his head up. “How about we focus on Mexican for tonight?” I whispered over his tempting lips.

Like the spoiled puss that he was, Llorón leaned forward and crushed his lips to mine before attempting to deepen the kiss. What a shame my broken nose was in the way.

“Oh shit, did that hurt?” he asked after I had to pull back with a low grunt.

“Just a bit.” I lifted my head up so blood wouldn’t start streaming down my nose as it did earlier. “But nothing I can’t handle.”

With a low chuckle, Shay-Lee grabbed the takeout bag from my hand and went over to the kitchen, where he was joined by Toro. Ha, what a lovely sight. But as lovely as it was seeing my two kittens getting along, there were more important things to attend to.

“Are you going to tell me what happened with Jordan?”

Shay-Lee lingered for a moment with the food before he raised his head to look at me. “How about we eat first, and I’ll tell you afterward?”

Since I knew better than to argue with him, I nodded like a good boyfriend and walked over there to help him with the plates.

And so, thirty-five minutes and a few tacos later, we moved to the couch, where he was cuddled at my side.

“How long are you going to have this cute thing on?” He softly caressed the bandage I had on my nose while snuggling a bit closer so he was almost in my lap.

I stretched my arm around him. “It’s a small fracture, so not for too long. The hot nurse said it would heal in two weeks or so.”

“Hot nurse?” He smacked my chest, and I laughed.

“It was a joke.” I rubbed the spot he hit before planting a small kiss on his forehead. “Just wanted to grab your attention.”

“Well, you have it.” He rubbed his cheek against my chest.

While hugging him closely, I noticed his left hand and the ring that was missing. “You aren’t wearing your ring,” I mentioned when he let out a deep sigh.

“About that… we officially broke up.”

“No shit.”

He perked up to give me the death glare. “No shit?” he hissed. “Stop acting like you weren’t dying for this to happen.”

“Well, between us fucking in my car and your office conference room, I guess you breaking up with your fiancé was due to happen.”