Page 65 of Dissolving Prejudice

Ten points for the dive.

Taking two steps toward the rail, I looked down at the water. White foam had formed in the place he’d jumped, and tapping the rail of the boat, I waited for him to pop his head out. He did, and I watched him wiping the water off his face.

“Are you happy now?” he asked, sounding awfully cocky.

Pursing my lips, I gave him a pitiful look. “Not quite.” Letting go of the rail, I moved to the skipper seat and sat down. Without thinking twice, I turned on the engine and grabbed the steering wheel, completely ignoring Camilo’s shouting.

“Shay-Lee!” he shouted again over the engine roaring.

“What’s the matter, big boy? I thought you weren’t afraid of getting your ass wet.” I smirked, glancing at him as he tried to swim back to the boat. Not allowing it, I pushed the throttle handle, and the old junk jerked forward.

“I’m serious, Shay-Lee. Let me get back on the damn boat.”

I laughed, pushing the throttle again to get farther away from him. Watching him trying to swim back was quite the act, and I played with him for a good minute. After having enough fun, I U-turned the boat, creating a wave and splashing him with water before stopping beside his grumpy ass. Camilo looked pissed, given the vein that popped on his rigid neck, and I couldn’t be happier.

“Maybe now you’ll know how I felt when you left me alone to drown,” I snarled. “But unlike you, I’m not a coldhearted bastard.” A bit of hope gleamed in his eyes but was quickly washed away once the life vest I tossed at him hit his face.

“If I were you, I’d start swimming.” With that, I pushed the throttle all the way down, adjusted the wheel, and got the fuck out of there, leaving that bastard to float his way back to the shore.

Diesel

Every night, the resort we stayed in held a beach party. Tonight was no different, and currently, I was pushing my way through the crowd in search of the little skank. Still furious after the way he’d left me in the middle of the fucking ocean, I scanned the scene. Rage burned through me, pounding in my ears so loud I could hardly hear the music beating in the background. Luckily, after five more minutes of looking around, I spotted him.

Dressed all in white, one could almost mistake the brat for an angel, only he couldn’t be further from that. Gone were the days I let his tantrums slide. Tonight, he was about to learn not to mess with me.

“Hey, Diesel—”

I didn’t wait for Jessie to even finish talking before I pushed him out of my way and walked straight toward Shay-Lee.

“Will you look at that?” His lips curled up. “You swam back in one piece,” he sneered right before I grabbed his arm, yanked him aside, and pushed him against a wooden wall that kept us hidden from the party.

“Are you crazy?” I hissed.

“We both know the answer to that—ouch,” he whined when I tightened my grip on his arm.

“You left me in the fucking water.”

His brows pulled close as his lips quirked up into a mean little smile. “Don’t make such a big deal out of it, baby.” The way his lips curled around that one word made my jaw twitch. “It wasn’t like I left you in the middle of the ocean. The shore wasn’t far away.” He pretended to yawn. “And besides, I gave you that life vest.”

“You shitting me?” I shoved him harder against the bamboo wall until it shook. “I swam over a mile and a half before some German tourist boat saw me and gave me a lift.”

Picking underneath his nails, he huffed. “See? I told you it wasn’t that dangerous.”

“You went too far today,” I warned, and he responded with a grin.

“Well, it’s not like you haven’t done the same a hundred times over.”

Brat.

“I’ve had enough of this little game of yours,” I rasped, my rage reaching new heights. I doubted I’d ever been this angry with him, not even when I first found out he was my Llorón. “This was fucking dangerous, Shay-Lee. I could have died.”

Something crossed his eyes before his cockiness was replaced with—

Fury.

Biting his lips, he pushed at my chest. “I could have died, too, Camilo. In fact, there were numerous times I thought of killing myself after you left me, but you don’t see me bitching about it.” He jabbed his finger at my chest. “You’re a fucking narcissist. You know that. Right?”

I gaped at his incredibly angry face. “I’m the narcissist?” I had to drop my hands from his body out of fear I’d snap him in half. “You’re the one with a stick up his ass.” A broken laugh escaped me, and I pushed my hand against the wall and loomed over him. “Sorry, I forgot it’s not a stick but a different man’s cock.”