Page 100 of Unexpected Prejudice

“How’s your head?” he asked.

“Which one?” I joked.

Still half asleep, he opened one eye and gave me an annoyed look. “Too early for jokes.”

My smile faded as the red marks on his neck caught my attention again, and I moved my hand to trace them. “Who did this to you?”

“Too early for that, too.” He straightened in the small bed we shared and moved to get up when I stopped him.

“Tell me.”

“Jordy.”

“I need to know who did this, so I can kill them.”

He looked at me with shock before he laughed. “You? Kill someone? Please.”

When my expression only hardened, he dropped the smile and leaned closer, pressing his lips to mine and taking my breath away by deepening the kiss.

“Don’t talk about killing people, Jordan… I like you because you’re so good,” he whispered over my lips before kissing me again.

Once our lips parted, he caressed the white bandage on my temple which covered the stitches where my head had got bust open.

“I’m sorry about that,” he mumbled.

“You didn’t do this to me.”

“I might have.” His blue eyes shone with pain.

I shook my head. “It was Don who pounded my head on the floor, not you.”

“But he was there because I told him to.”

“Why did you?” I asked even though I knew the answer wouldn’t matter.

And then the most surprising thing happened. Shay-Lee answered my question.

“Because I lost control.” He looked down at his clenched fists before he continued. “I spent the morning with Miles and finally confessed to him. He rejected me, obviously, so I returned home… my dad was there.”

I didn’t know that much about Shay-Lee’s relationship with his father. I heard them speak over the phone once, which wasn’t pleasant. I also remembered he asked their housemaid, Rosa, not to tell his dad I came to their house. Other than that, Shay-Lee rarely mentioned him. It was normal for teens not to speak of their parents, but his dad wasn’t just a regular parent. He was Christian W. Rogers, one of the most famous people in the world. I always assumed his discretion had something to do with that fact.

“You and him… you’re not on good terms?” I asked with caution, knowing how dangerous the subject might be. When he shook his head, I knew I was right.

“No.” The admission left his mouth in a whisper before he turned to look me in the eyes. “We got into a fight… and afterward, I was mad. So, I got fucked up on coke and decided to release my anger on someone else. It was wrong on so many levels, but I did it anyway.”

He looked away. “I’m fucked up, Jordy. All I ever do is hurt people.”

I reached for his hand and grabbed it. “At least you know you did wrong… now you can start fixing it. The least you can do is try, right?”

He looked at our joined hands before he nodded.

“Maybe. I don’t know.” The way he avoided my gaze and the emptiness in his voice told me I’d lost him, at least for now. The good thing was that he’d opened up, which was a start.

“Any chance you could get us a cup of coffee?” I asked, trying to break the mood. It was still early, but not too early for coffee shops to be closed.

“Sure. How do you like yours?”

“Blond, blue eyes, killer body… a good dick is a plus.”