I stare at his hand as he drops it back to his side. “It’s alright, because I’m free tonight.” I tell him, as if that makes perfect sense. I take a drink from the flask while I watch this newcomer, wondering why he looks familiar.
He stares at me. Well, not at me, but at my soaking wet shirt. I’m grateful it’s dark, ‘cause otherwise, my shirt would be completely see through, nips out and all.
“Yes. You. Are. You want to party tonight?” He asks.
I look him up and down. He’s not who I want, so I say, “No. I have my own party.” I hold out the almost empty flask and shake it around, sloshing some of the liquid out.
“Are you sure?” He steps into me, attempting to wrap his arms around my waist.
I have had it with guys trying to get their dirty hands on me tonight. “I’m sure, so get your hands off of me.” I try to sidestep him, but he blocks my path.
His face changes from polite to irritated. “A fine ass Mamacita like you should be taken care of.” He acts as if those sincere words should seal the deal for him.
I look at him as if he’s stupid, which only pisses him off more. I don’t know when to quit, so I tell him, “Chingar tu Madre.” Go fuck your mother. Yes, I know some pretty raunchy stuff in Spanish, just not enough to hold a civilized conversation; thank you Alex for that one.
He’s extremely pissed off by my words… I think I see steam coming out of his ears. I laugh at the expression on his face, which resembles someone eating volcanic peppers. “That was the wrong thing to say, puta.” He steps up to me like I’m a man and he’s about to knock the living daylights out of me.
“Whatever.” I fling my hand up, flicking him in the face with my fingers as I walk past, closer to the rest of his group. Tonight I’m not afraid of anything; Liquid courage, I think they call it.
“Get back here.” He grabs my arm and jerks me so hard, I feel it all the way through my torso, and I cry out in pain. “You think that hurts? You wait…” He’s in the process of pulling me closer to him, when out of nowhere, someone flies in front of me and knocks him to the ground, fists flying.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Alex
My attention shifts from Angeline, who is still debating on staying or leaving, to the open ocean. I swear I heard Jasmines voice, calling and playing tag with Jace. He used to tell me about their games of tag, my sister and me even participating in a few of them. Those two took the childhood game to a whole new level. A smile stretches across my lips thinking about her and the fun we all used to have.
“What are you smiling about? You think this is funny?” Angeline’s voice is thick with jealousy.
“I told you what this was, and what it wasn’t; don’t get mad at me because you want to change the rules of the game.” I look her straight in the eye.
I can see the storm of emotions building in them. I am so not in the mood to deal with this mierda. “Why are you…” That’s where I stop listening.
Instead, I watch as a small form begins to emerge from the darkness along the shoreline. From where I’m sitting, I can’t make out who it is, just that the figure has a females curves. Mario heads in her direction, fading out to just an outline of a shadow when he reaches her.
She walks a few more steps before Mario blocks her way. He’s one of the pendejos I hate drinking with because he’s always getting out of hand, especially with the ladies. Angeline’s voice is a distant rambling in the background of my thoughts. Mario is still blocking the female’s way, stepping into her. I can tell she’s rejecting his advances, trying to walk around him, but only gaining a few feet each time she attempts to move. She’s tipping her head back, drinking something… a cerveza, maybe?
I watch as she flicks Mario in the face as she walks past him, trying to continue to wherever it is she’s heading. Standing, I push past Angeline, and I hear her say “Where do you think you’re going? I’m talking to you.”
I just ignore her and move forward. I’m not sure what the sudden urge is to get to this girl, but she’s pulling me to her like a magnet. It’s probably because Mario is getting out of hand, and after she flicked him in the face, I’m afraid of what he might do.
I’m almost close enough to make her out; the shape of her body is familiar. My imagination is daring to play an evil trick on me. I’m not about to get my hopes up, thinking it’s who I want it to be. Why would she be out here?
When she’s close enough and the fire light illuminates her face, I see my angel. My breath leaves my body at the sight of her. I catch only a brief glimpse of her face before Mario grabs her arm and yanks her toward him, causing her to yelp out in pain.
Instantly, I snap. Blood rushes through my body as anger fuels my veins. I take off toward them at full speed, not even slowing when I collide with Mario and begin to slam my fist into him repeatedly. Jasmine is motionless, stunned by what’s happening. I continue to slam my fist into any part of Mario’s face and body that I can get a good hit on. I’m cursing at him in Spanish, telling him that I warned them all once before, not to mess with her. This time, they’d see the consequences and repercussions of ignoring me.
By the time Carlos yells my name and pulls me off, Mario is a bloody pulp, but he’s still moving. I don’t like that he’s moving. How dare he touch my girl like that.
I’m still angry, so I turn on her, staring her down. “What the hell are you doing out here by yourself, Jasmine?”
“I wanted to be free.” She squeaks out, her words slurring. I can tell she’s had too much to drink. “Jace told me to.” She unconsciously rubs her pendant while blaming her brother; causing me to wonder if the voice playing tag in the wind was just my imagination.
My attention returns to Mario. We are far from finished. “Levántate!” I order him to stand up. Standing will hurt like hell, but he has no choice. The puto deserves it, not just because of Jasmine, but because he should never touch a female in that manner.
He refuses to look me in the eyes, scared as hell. “Jefe.” He concedes when he tries to stand fully erect; fresh blood still dripping from his beaten face.
“What did I tell you, and everyone else, about fucking with her?”
“I didn’t know it was your novia, jefe.” His excuse is weak and he knows it.
“Does it matter?” I ignore the fact that he calls her my girlfriend, even if I like the sound of it. “You never treat a mujer like that; you never put your hands on them.” I’m standing over him, staring him down. He’s watching his feet, shoulders hunched. “Get him cleaned up.” I tell the others. “Carlos, make sure shit stays straight while I talk to Jasmine.”
“Got it, Alex.” He says as he organizes a group to get Mario back to the hotel. He’s definitely going be hurting for a while.
Turning back to Jasmine, I find she’s moved next to the fire. The clothes she’s wearing are not her usual style. She normally dresses in clothes that cover all of her perky parts, leaving her body an enigma. Tonight though… tonight, she’s wearing shorts that are way above the schools dress code, a tight shirt that at least covers her decently, and no shoes. However, her shirt is soaking wet, and see through. If you stare hard enough, you can make out the shape of her breasts… not that I’m looking or anything. The words, ‘Aloha, Bitches!’ are written in colorful letters across her chest; the only reason the bare image underneath stays concealed.
I’m about to reach out and touch Jasmine when Angeline steps in front of me. I’d forgotten she was even here, and by the look on her face, she knows exactly that.
“Are you going to finish talking to me?” She asks, as if I owe it to her.
“No.” I tell her simply. I’m done with her drama. I want to be with Jasmine, and make sure she’s alright.
“No? NO!” She yells. Man, I’m glad this chick is not my girl. She would drive me crazy.
“That’s what he said.” Jasmine turns around and starts defending me. Her tough bravado makes me smile. She’s cute, completely plastered, and probably c
ouldn’t beat up a fly, let alone another person.
“Who the fuck are you?” Angeline gets the ghetto stances and gestures going for the makings of a chick fight.
“Come on, now.” I try to step between them, but Jasmine pushes me off to the side with surprising force. I stumble out of the way, caught off balance.
“I’ll take care of this, Alex.” Jasmine steps up to Angeline like a chula in a gang. “I’m Jasmine. And you are…?” She leaves the sentence hanging.
Angeline’s expression is shocked when she hears Jasmines name… the name I called her only shortly before when we were getting hot and heavy.
She turns to me. “This is who you called me?” She laughs, pissing me off all over again. She doesn’t see it, but she is nothing compared to Jasmine. She turns back to Jasmine. “I’m Angeline. The girl your novio has been hooking up with the last couple of days.”
Jasmine maintains her cool, but I can see the words hurt her. Not hesitating to correct her, she says, “He’s not my boyfriend. He can do as he pleases.” The expression on her face informs me she wishes the words weren’t true. The thought of me with other girls is messing with her, and I see it written all over her face.
Angeline steps into Jasmine, so I try one more time to break them up. Jasmine’s not listening, and Angeline tells me to butt out. Before I can come up with a plan to separate the two, Jasmine shocks me, and everyone else by her next move.
She asks, “Hey, Angeline. What did the five fingers say to the face?” I can see Angeline puzzling it out, caught off guard by such a question. Jasmine gives her only a second before she answers for her, “SLAP!” She yells out as she slaps the bejesus out of Angeline, hard enough to snap her head sideways.
I cover the laugh that’s attempting to burst through my lips, ready to step in between Jasmine and Angeline, just in time to prevent Jasmine from having her eyes gouged out by Angeline’s cougar claws. Carlos is laughing hysterically as he pulls Angeline away from us. Some of her girlfriends, including the one Carlos was getting with earlier, are yelling at him to let her go.
“Get out of here.” He tells them when he lets her go.
“Kiss my ass, Carlos. You too, Alex.” Angeline says, getting her friends together. Before she leaves, she turns to Jasmine. “You better hope we don’t see you out by yourself somewhere.”
“Whatever.” Jasmine says and turns back to the fire, as if she could care less that Angeline could attack her while her back is turned.
Carlos and two others are the only ones remaining after the girls, and half the gang, leave. They’re sitting around the fire laughing and congratulating Jasmine on the nice slap. The smile on her face tells me she’s proud of herself.
“Thanks.” She says to Carlos after he compliments her. “I stole the joke from Rick James. He said it on a TV show I watched.”
She turns as I walk up next to her, and her face drops, as if she’s just remembered I was here. She looks like she’s excited to see me, but shouldn’t be. I know the look well, because it’s currently mirrored on my face.
“Hey.” I sit on a stump close to her, our arms brushing, but she remains where she sits; welcoming the proximity.
“Hi.” She says shyly, as if we haven’t known each other for most of our lives.
Everyone is bullshitting about what a blast Hawaii’s been so far, and what we should go check out next, when Carlos hands Jasmine the blunt that’s being passed around.
I grab it before she can. “I don’t think this is such a good idea for you.” I tell her.
Her eyes grow dark, like a stormy sea. “You’re not my father. You’re not allowed tell me what to do.” She is one determined mamacita tonight.
She takes the blunt from me and takes a few long, even drags, blowing smoke out of her nose like a professional, then chasing it with whatever she’s drinking out of her flask.
A few minutes later, she stands up, but says nothing. The conversation drops to see what she’s doing. She’s looking toward the water. She couldn’t possibly see it, the night camouflaging its waves, but she’s watching it with such intensity that I think I’m missing something.
“I’m going down to the water.” She announces, and walks away from the fire.
The rest of us sit on our stumps watching her walk away. Carlos’s voice makes me jump when he speaks. “You going to go with her, Alex?” He wiggles his eyebrows.
“She’s wasted Carlos. I’m not into doing wasted chicks.” He shrugs and smiles as I get up to follow her. She’s a few feet ahead of me, so I call out to her. “Jasmine, wait up.”
She pauses, waiting for me. When I catch up to her, she falls back into step. She holds the flask up to me and asks, “Want some?”
I take it from her. “What is it?” I sniff the spout.
She shrugs. “Don’t know, its Andrew’s.” She smiles, as if she’s holding a secret.
“Does Andrew know you have this?”
“Yeah, he gave it to me after I kicked his ass.” She begins to giggle hysterically. “I think I’m going to pee my pants.” She manages to say between fits.
I smile at her. Why would Jasmine kick Andrew’s ass, or think that she kicked his ass. The question refuses to remain quiet.
“How was your date with the great and wonderful Andrew?” I hate myself for asking the question. Hopefully, Jasmine will not remember any of this tomorrow.
She makes a face, “He was too handsy for my taste, so I taught him a lesson.”
Her feet hit the ocean and the water sprays up her shins. The smile playing on her lips stretches wider as she tilts her head back and closes her eyes.
My focus is no longer on the water. “What do you mean he was too handsy for you? Did he make you do something you didn’t want to?” Panic floods my body. Is that why she’s so drunk? Has he done something to her?
‘I’ll kill him if he touched her.’
“No, not really.” She’s digging her toes in the sand, looking up at the stars in the sky. I can tell by the tone of her voice that she’s not being completely honest.
The not knowing is driving me crazy… I need to protect her, or it might already be too late. I step in her line of sight, blocking out the sky. I put my hands on her shoulders and ask softly, “Jasmine, tell me what happened.”
Her stare holds mine for a long time before she speaks. The color of her eyes are so close to the color of the ocean. When she finally speaks, her voice is small, scared, and with a hint of desperation.
She recounts for me the night’s events with Andrew, the liquor, and as much as I can’t stand to hear about her with another guy, I listen. The more I listen, the more I feel like I am capable of murder. I want to find Andrew right now and strangle him with my bare hands.
When she finishes recapping the night, my hands are in fists at my sides, my knuckles no doubt turning white. I’m barely able to stay where I am and not hunt him down to rip his balls out through his throat.
“Are you alright?” I ask her.
She fixes her eyes on me again and smiles, as if she had retold a fairytale, instead of all the awful things her night entailed. “I am now.”
She steps into me, and her smell invades my sinuses; lavender mixed with the salt from the ocean, making me forget everything around me.
“I worry about you, Jas.” I whisper to her when she’s only an inch from my lips.
“I like it when you worry about me.” Her voice is teasing, which turns me on.
“Is that right, muñeca?” I’m trying to use my charm, but I’m not sure who’s winning. Her allure is working on me just as well.
“Yeah.”
Her lips are so close to mine, but she refuses to make the first move.
‘What am I thinking?’
I can’t ignore what I want, so I close the remaining distance to her waiting lips.
When they touch, everything in the world melts away; the only person existing is her. I press my lips to hers a few times slowly, erotically. I know sh
e’s into it when a small whimper escapes her. I let my tongue slide softly against her lower lip, letting her know I want to move things to the next level, waiting for her permission. She gives me the go ahead when she opens her mouth and finds my tongue with hers.
My entire body is overwhelmed; I’m shaking, holding her in my arms. I’m scared, at peace, elated, and horny as hell. She’s turning me on in ways I’ve never imagined, and all she’s doing is kissing me. After a minute or two, hell, it could have been hours, she pulls back enough to see my face.
“You’re shaking.” she points out.
I smile. This feels so right. I’m more comfortable with Jasmine than I am with myself. “Don’t worry, cariño… I’m perfect.” I try to pull her back to me, but something flashes in her eyes. I see her rethinking this situation.
Instead of letting me kiss her again, she pulls away. I think this is where she’s going to tell me this has all been a huge mistake, and that she can never see me again, but she only turns back to the water and steps in deeper.
“Jasmine, you’ve had too much to drink to be swimming in the ocean.”
She jumps into the next wave and yells, “You better come and save me then, Alex.” She pulls off her shirt before she disappears into another wave. One look is enough to send me in after her.
I jump in, pants included. “Jasmine, I’m serious.” I tell her sternly when I catch up to her.
When I finally make it to her, we are chest high in waves. Lucky for us, they’re mellow, only bobbing us up and down instead of splashing over our heads. She jumps through the water to me and finds my outstretched hand. I close my fingers around hers and hold on tight; no way am I losing her in this water. Her smile widens the closer I pull her to me. When her bare chest touches my bare chest, a firework explodes inside me. My breathing instantly speeds up, my heart bucks in my chest and then races into overdrive. I wrap my arms around her and hug her tighter, as if the tide will strip her away from me. Her breasts are pressed tight against my chest, and I trace my fingers up and down her back as she leans her head on my shoulder. I’m content enough to stand here with her in my arms all night.
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