Page 64 of Dissolving Prejudice

“Why’s that?” His strong hands massaged my quads, his fingers digging into my muscles in a way that made my dick take notice.

“Because I don’t want to forgive you.”

“There it is.”

“What is—” My breath caught once he slipped his hand to my inner thigh. A cocky smile spread on his face.

“The truth.”

Letting go, he rose to his feet, so now I was the one looking up at him.

“The truth doesn’t mean shit,” I hissed before I got up and stomped my foot.

“The truth’s the only thing that matters,” he argued, pressing his finger to my heart. “And the truth is that you still love me, Shay-Lee. Whether you like it or not.”

Holding my head high, I wasn’t about to back down. “Always so confident, aren’t you, Camilo?”

He cupped the back of my neck, forcefully bringing me closer. “You’re damn right I am. But my confidence means shit when you keep pushing me away.” The possessive grip on my nape turned into an adoring caress once he slipped his fingers through my hair and softly ran his fingers through it.

He always loved doing that.

With his breath ghosting my lips, I was tempted to dive forward and into his arms, but instead, I shook my head. “If you really want me to give you a chance, you need to answer my question.” I glanced between us and then back into his eyes. “Why did you leave me?”

Camilo closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine. “Because back then, I thought it was the right thing to do. Only I was wrong, and I regret my decision, Shay-Lee. I’ve regretted being away from you since the moment I left.”

A wave of emotions struck me, and my breath quivered with memories of nights I cried myself to sleep because he was gone. Weeks in which I questioned what I did wrong to push him away until I doubted what we had. That was the lowest point of all—the self-doubt. He was the first man I’d trusted. The first person I’d opened up to, only for him to take it all away without any explanation. And yet, here he was, back in my life, begging me to give him another chance. Hating him was getting really hard, but not nearly as hard as the last four years without him had been.

“Do you mean it?”

Pulling back, he nodded. “I do.”

“Then jump off the boat.”

“What?” His brows squished together, a crease forming between them.

Smiling, I stepped back and away from him. “If you mean your words, jump into the water. I want you to humiliate yourself a bit more before I consider forgiving you.”

“You’re serious?” he asked with a booming laugh. “You think I’m scared of getting my ass wet?”

With my arms crossed, I kept quiet, allowing him to go on.

Always so cocky, Camilo looked at the water, then back at me. “Fine.” He took off his shirt and moved to jump.

“Nuh-uh,” I stopped him. He turned to look at me, and my eyes moved down his body. “Take off your shorts, too.”

He grinned. “Anything else, Su Alteza?”

Your Highness.

Amused, I shook my head. “Nah, that will be all.”

Camilo took off his shorts until he was left in nothing but a pair of sexy white boxer briefs. Biting my lip, I took my sweet time studying every curve and bulge in his rigid body.

“Can I jump now? Or do you want a few more minutes to eye-fuck me?”

“No. I’m good. You can go ahead.”

Shaking his head, he turned around and, in a quick move, dove into the water head-first.