Page 70 of Dissolving Prejudice

“There you go.”

Jordan’s deep voice intruded my fresh memory, and I blinked my eyes open.

“What’s that?” Adjusting my sunglasses to sit better on my nose, I eyed the paper plate he was offering me and the sticky-looking food on top of it.

“Banana roti. I got it from there.” He pointed over his back at one of the food stands.

Jordan wanted a change of scenery from resting all day by the pool, so after he finished working out this morning, we went for a day trip outside the resort to some local markets. It could have been nice if not for the heat, moisture, and all the people.

“It looked good, so I bought some.” He picked one sticky fried square from the plate and took a bite. “Fuck, it’s so good, baby.” He groaned before offering me the other half. “Try it.”

Not in the mood to eat, I grimaced and pushed it away. “Nah. I’m not hungry.”

Shrugging, he finished the bite before looking around. “Where you wanna go next? I read online that some of the best pad thai in the world is in a nearby market.”

“I want to go back to the room,” I said with a yawn, not giving a shit about some noodles. “I’m tired.”

“Really?” He frowned, and I nodded.

“Yeah. I slept like shit.” I wonder why.

Taking another square and finishing it in two big bites, he shrugged. “Well, I slept so well I can’t even recall how I got to our room.” A short laugh erupted from him. “Those cocktails really got me.”

If only he knew.

“I told you not to drink so much.” I really am a shameless liar. “Anyway, I think I’m going back to the hotel.”

Jordan’s brows drew inward before he gave me a disappointed look. “But there’s still so much for us to see.” Reaching for my hand, his fingers softly caressed me. “You just need to get something into your system,” he said, letting go of my hand only to take another piece of that pastry. “Just take a bite, and you’ll see how much energy all this sugar will give you,” he joked and tried bringing the stupid food to my mouth. Unwillingly, I parted my lips and took a bite. Just as I expected, it was too damn sweet, and I immediately spat it out on the ground.

“Overreacting much?” Jordan glared while I coughed to clear my throat.

“I hate bananas.”

“You’re so grumpy today,” he joked before he eyed me with a warm smile. “You have some cream left here.”

Without any warning or consent, he brushed his finger over the corner of my lip to wipe the sauce away. While it was a normal gesture between a couple, my skin froze at his touch, and I immediately thought of last night when Camilo brought his cum-soaked fingers to my mouth. My heart rate increased, and before I realized what I was doing, I snapped.

“Don’t touch me!” I yelled, pushing Jordan’s hand away and causing him to drop the plate. I didn’t mean to react like that, but I panicked.

Even now, my heart was racing, my skin hot.

“What’s wrong with you?” He frowned, and his accusing tone rubbed me the wrong way.

“I told you I’m tired like a thousand times already, and you keep ignoring me,” I huffed.

Jordan’s jaw dropped before his brows knitted close. “You’re acting weird.” He bent down to pick up the food I made him drop, and I noticed the veins bulging on his hands.

“So I’m weird now?” I snarled.

“I said you’re acting weird, Shay-Lee.” He rose back up, the plate in his hands.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“That you’ve been cold the whole morning, and now, you’re acting like a crazy person because I offered you banana roti.” He tossed the plate into a nearby garbage can and then wiped his hands over his pants. And while he did, in fact, have a point about me acting cold the whole day and that now I was making a scene out of nothing, I couldn’t stop the anger that erupted out of me the next second.

“Crazy? Did you actually just call me crazy?” I shouted, using this excuse to get angry at him while I was angry with myself.

“Shay-Lee—”