She snorts. “You’re breathing, aren’t you? That’s usually when trouble starts. Patio. Now.”
I follow her through the house to the back, where French doors open onto a stone patio. The table is set for seven, with white linens and candles that aren’t lit yet. Beyond the patio, the bay stretches out, catching the last rays of sunlight. The July heat has finally broken into a perfect evening.
Connor stands at the grill, beer in hand. Jaxon sits at the table with Jessa tucked against his side. Kamal leans against the patio railing, and beside him, in a flowing summer dress is Jasmine.
She’s laughing at something Kamal said, and the sound pulls me back to the lounge outside the gallery where I’d told her about my senior prom disaster. How I’d been dancing with this girl when her best friend walked past, and my hand flung back at exactly the wrong moment, sending my finger straight up the friend’s nose.
Jasmine had thrown her head back and laughed, completely uninhibited in a way I’d never seen from her before. I’d wanted to kiss the curve of her throat right there, but I’d waited until we were alone.
Now, watching her laugh with Kamal, there’s something different. A softness I can’t quite place, but it makes the distance between us feel even wider.
Then she sees me and her laughter dies. Just like it has every time we’ve been in the same room these past months. My stomach drops the way it always does.
Before Vegas, I wouldn’t have cared. Would’ve probably ignored her snub, maybe even laughed it off. That’s who I was before Jasmine welcomed me into her velvety depths.
Now I can’t even kiss another woman without feeling like I’m cheating. Cheating on what? I don’t know. A one-night stand? A woman who won’t speak to me?
But my body doesn’t care about logic. It only wants her.
Four months. The longest I’ve gone without sex since I lost my virginity at fourteen. And all because some part of me has decided Jasmine belongs to me.
She gives me a tight smile. “Hi, Antonio.”
“Jasmine.” I set the salad bowl on the table. “How’s it going?”
“Good.” She turns her attention back to Kamal, who’s watching our exchange with entirely too much interest.
Since Vegas, we’ve seen each other several times at birthday parties, Meesha and Connor’s wedding, and Sunday dinners, but she has essentially treated me like I’m radioactive. The woman who screamed my name when she came, traced the tattoo on my ribs with her tongue, and fell asleep in my arms won’t look at me.
“Antonio!” Connor waves his spatula at me. “Just in time. Grab a beer from the cooler.”
“Finally, someone who appreciates my timing!” I clap Jaxon on the shoulder as I pass. “Meu irmão, are those shorts? Actual shorts? Did Jessa finally break you?”
“It’s summer.” Jaxon shifts. “I can wear shorts.”
“Can you, though? I’ve seen you wear a three-piece suit to a barbecue.” I grin. “Next thing you know, you’ll be wearing flip-flops. Jessa’s turning you into a real person.”
Kamal laughs from across the patio. “Remember when he wore a suit to paintball?”
“Shut up,” Jaxon responds.
I turn my attention to Kamal, who’s still standing too close to Jasmine for my liking. “I see you’re monopolizing the best view.” I gesture at the lake, but we both know I’m not talking about the water.
He raises an eyebrow. “Just enjoying the scenery.”
I grab two beers from the cooler and open both. “Here, meu amigo. You look thirsty.” I hand one to Kamal, forcing him to step away from Jasmine to take it.
“Thanks,” he says dryly, catching my maneuver.
Jaxon and Kamal had been a duo since elementary school. Then some teacher paired the three of us for a group project freshman year. Seventeen years later, we’re still stuck with each other. Sometimes I think that teacher deserves stock options from JAK Innovations.
I join Connor at the grill. “How’s business?” Connor asks, flipping a steak.
“You mean since last month when you asked the same question? Revolutionary. JAK Innovations is single-handedly transforming mobile gaming. Also, we’re now selling bridges.” I take a drink. “How was the honeymoon?”
Kamal has moved back toward Jasmine, saying something that makes her smile, and I fight the urge to walk over there and spill my beer on him.
Actually, scratch that. I want to punch him. Which is loco considering Kamal is my business partner and best friend. But he’s also touching her elbow, leaning in too close, and she’s letting him.
