Page 35 of Dissolving Prejudice

“Point is, you’re never a burden, Shay-Lee.” He kissed the top of my head. “If anything, being with you is a privilege I still can’t believe a sucker like me deserves.”

My heart fluttered, and I closed my eyes, allowing myself to enjoy his comfort for just a little longer. His hugs always felt like a dream, and I cherished them, treasured every second until I had to wake up—

“Oh, you’re here,” Jordan said, his voice snapping me back into the present.

A wave of disappointment washed through me once I blinked my eyes, and it was no longer the ghost of Camilo standing before me but Jordan. He smiled at me, and the kindness in his eyes burdened me with guilt.

“I am,” I said, then forced myself to smile over my shameful thoughts.

“How long have you been standing here?” He moved closer and placed his hands on my waist.

“For a while.” I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “I wanted to hear you hit that verse perfectly.” Smiling, I leaned in to kiss him.

Jordan’s fingers slipped underneath my shirt before he pulled me closer at the same time he deepened the kiss. His lips were soft and warm, his tongue greedy as he licked into my mouth. He was a good kisser, although not as rough as I wished he were.

“What are you cooking?” I asked with my lips still hovering over his.

“I made you eggplant parmesan. It’s my mom’s recipe.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet. How’s Serena doing, by the way?”

Jordan let go of me before he went back to the stove. “She’s doing great. I talked to her earlier. She’s excited we’ll come visit on her birthday.”

Jordan’s mom recently got married to a cardiologist named Charles, whom she met in New York. Jordan had always been close to his mom, so while he was happy she found love, he missed her terribly. It was kinda cute seeing how much he loved her.

I loved my mom, too. A lot. Yet, I was the one who killed her.

Coming to peek at what he was stirring, I hugged him from behind. “I’m starving,” I hummed, licking my lips at the sight of the rich sauce cooking in the pot. It smelled delicious.

He glanced at me, his lips stretching up. “So go wash up. It should be ready by the time you’re done.”

“Okay.” I kissed his cheek and turned to go when he spoke.

“By the way, the designers sent us the plans for the open kitchen you wanted. I placed the papers on the bed along with the other package you received.”

I frowned. “What package?”

Jordan shrugged. “Don’t know, didn’t open it.”

Maybe it was the fabric samples Vito had promised to send me from Milan? Now eager to find out, I practically ran to our bedroom. Never one to be patient, I moved our house plans aside and went straight for a medium-sized black box that awaited me on the bed. I eyed the silver ribbon that wrapped it with suspicion. This was too fancy to be mere fabric samples, wasn’t it? Grabbing it with two hands, I shook it. It was a silly habit of mine that I’d never gotten rid of. Placing the box back down, I began unwrapping it. Annoyance trickled at me the entire time, and once I took off the lid and was met with thin silk paper, my breath caught in my chest. Biting my lip, I traced my fingers over the silky paper, my heart rate increasing until it was the only thing I could hear. Then, without lingering anymore, I moved it aside to reveal a set of lingerie, almost identical to the set he once bought me. Only this time, it was in black, not white. My cheeks flamed hot as my entire body tingled with forgotten desires. I reached my hand forward yet hesitated before taking the lingerie out.

With shaking fingers, I pulled out the garter belt and quickly pressed it to my chest. With my eyes closed, I could almost sense Camilo’s presence behind me as he eagerly waited for me to try it on for him. His hands stroked me up and down, his breath at the back of my neck, and his dark eyes drank me in, head to toe, as if I was the single most valuable thing he’d ever seen. All of these feelings and more—just from a set of lingerie. But it wasn’t just my heart that responded unconditionally but my dick, which hardened in my pants and grew stiffer by the second.

I opened my eyes and looked back inside the box. Among the other pieces of lace was also a note. Putting the garter belt aside, I picked it up.

Another slutty little thing to hang in your closet.

Nero.

My heart stopped, and I reread the words written in his handwriting again and again until I could almost hear him whispering them in my ear. Somehow, his voice was still so vivid in my memory. The way he sounded when he woke up, rough and raspy. The low pitch of his gravelly drawl while soaked in deep pleasure and the softness of his voice as he whispered words of love to me. A shiver ran down my spine, and by now, my cock was so hard that precum soaked through the fabric of my boxer briefs. And yet, at the same time this gift struck my body with undeniable passion, it also reminded me of my hate that burned deeper than my lust.

I shouldn’t fall into Camilo’s trap this easily. After all, he was trying to win me over, and fuck me if I’d let it happen. Ripping his note in two, I threw it aside before I tossed the garter belt back inside the box and was ready to wrap it back up when an idea occurred to me. I paused momentarily to consider if I should go this far when I realized I’d crossed far worse lines before. With a smirk, I stripped out of my clothes, not bothering to toss them into the laundry, before I began putting on this sexy little outfit Camilo had so thoughtfully bought me.

You wanted to play games. I’ll show you games.

Diesel

I dragged my eyes away from the loser I’d been following for the last five hours and looked down at my motorcycle. My ass hurt from sitting on it for so long, but it was easier to follow people this way. Ever since Dion burdened me with finding the mole inside our organization, I’d spent the time I wasn’t stalking Shay-Lee trying to hunt that traitor down. So far, I’d wasted hours tailing losers like this accountant who, other than being a total pervert who loved wearing diapers and being peed on, had no secrets to his name.