Suddenly she felt sorry for her sharp retort. “No, I’m sorry I snapped at you.”
“I’m going to say one more thing, and then I’m going back upstairs. I know I sound biased, but aside from my husband, Cameron is the best of this bunch because he’s a true Southern gentleman. It’s been a few years since he’s brought a woman with him, so you must be very special. And if I were you I’d hang on tight to him.”
“Thanks for the advice,” Jasmine said, as she walked into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. She didn’t need anyone to tell her that Cameron was the quintessential Southern gentleman. He reminded her of her father and how he related to her mother. Even after so many years Richard Washington continued to help his wife sit or stand. There was never a time when he didn’t help Marta into or out of a car. It was what her grandmother called good home training, and Cameron had shown he had the best manners possible.
She took special care to hike up the skirt of the lined lace gown to avoid tearing the fragile fabric. Jasmine had made certain not to wear a ring or bracelet which could possibly snag the material. Three minutes later she stared at her reflection in the mirror as she washed her hands, recalling her conversation with Cameron when he admitted he was quite comfortable attending an affair unescorted. Reaching for a hand towel on a stack, she noticed several small hand-painted glazed pots filled with feminine products and another with condoms.
A knowing smile parted her lips when she remembered Nydia declaration:The man’s going to put something on you that will rock your world.Reaching into the pot with the condoms, Jasmine slipped two into her evening purse. “No,mija,I’m going to rock his world,” she whispered under her breath although there was no one to overhear her.
It had been almost three years since she’d slept with a man, and she knew if or when she shared her bed with Cameron that only then would she be able to put her past behind her. Her footsteps were light as she climbed the staircase to the first deck. The crew was clearing away the remains of dinner as everyone went upstairs to the upper deck to listen to music and dance under the stars.
She found Cameron waiting for her, his eyes appearing even lighter blue in his deeply tanned face. Reaching into his pocket, he handed her a pair of black ankle socks with red gripper soles and stamped with the fraternity’s Greek letters.
“They give these to all the ladies who eventually will shed their shoes once the dancing begins.”
“These are adorable.”
Cameron grasped her hand. “It boggles my mind that you women can stand for hours in heels that resemble stilts.”
“It’s takes practice, darling.” Jasmine made her way up the staircase, Cameron following. She stood on the top deck, staring up at the sky. The ship had left New York City behind and without the city lights the stars seemed brighter and more numerous.
Several couples were dancing, while others had claimed deck chairs. At the far end of the deck, band members were sitting together before taking the stage. Meanwhile a deejay was spinning tunes as a bartender was taking drink orders behind a portable bar. After a glass of champagne and two glasses of wine Jasmine knew she’d reached her quota for alcoholic drinks.
“Do you want something else to drink?” Cameron asked.
She shook her head. “You must have been reading my mind because I just told myself I’m done imbibing for the night.”
“It’s not even midnight, so the night’s not over.”
“Maybe I’ll wait and have a mimosa for breakfast.”
Whenever Jasmine thought of mimosas she recalled the day she, Nydia, and Tonya went to Hannah’s Manhattan apartment for the first time. The day had become momentous when four women from very different backgrounds became friends as they talked about new beginnings. Hannah had started over and so had Tonya, yet Jasmine was still second-guessing herself as to her future. She had promised Cameron she would decorate his new home, but she wasn’t certain what she would do beyond that. He still hadn’t closed on the property, which meant it probably would be months before renovations were completed.
Jasmine knew her original plan to not work the summer months and begin job-hunting after Labor Day would have to be put on hold until after the first of the year. It would become a win-win for her when over the next six months she would divide her time between the Big Apple and the Big Easy.
She recognized Cameron’s cologne when he stood behind her. “I’d be honored if you would dance with me.”
A shiver of awareness raced through her body when she felt his groin pressed against her hips. It was the same thing he’d said to her at Hannah and St. John’s reception. Intrigued, she’d turned to see who belonged to the drawling male voice, and when she looked into the eyes of the tall tanned man she’d wanted to run in the opposite direction, because the intensity in his steel-blue orbs excited and frightened her at the same time. It was only when he smiled that she was able to take a normal breath.
Jasmine turned around and looped her arms around his neck. “Of course I’ll dance with you.” She closed her eyes and melted against his lean hard body. It took only seconds for her to identify Alicia Keys singing, “Like You’ll Never See Me Again,” and she couldn’t stop the well of emotion threatening to bring her to tears. Cameron had asked her to dance to a song where lovers weren’t certain whether they would see each other again.
Cameron caught her chin, raising her face at the same time his head came down. His mouth took hers in a marauding kiss that stole the breath from her lungs. He increased the pressure and her lips parted under the onslaught. Men had kissed her, but never like this. It was if Cameron wanted to brand her his possession and if they hadn’t been on a yacht in the middle of a river with others in attendance, Jasmine would have begged him to strip her naked and make love to her. The kiss ended and she buried her face against his throat. He was breathing as heavily as she was.
One of his hands slid down the length of her back and came to rest on her hip. “What are you doing to me?” he rasped in her ear.
Jasmine swallowed in an attempt to relieve the dryness in her throat when she felt his erection pulsing against her middle. “No more than what you’re doing to me,” she said breathlessly.
Her breasts felt heavy, the nipples were hard as pebbles. She was as aroused as Cameron. The song ended and they left the dance floor to claim deck chairs. They lay next to each other, both lost in their private thoughts. Jasmine closed her eyes as a breeze whispered over her exposed skin.
When she told Cameron she believed in destiny she wondered if fate had conspired for her to be downsized so she would travel to New Orleans to meet the man who shattered her vow not to become involved again.
Chapter 9
Jasmine lay sprawled over Cameron’s body on the rear seat of the town car. “I doubt whether I’ll be able to walk upstairs,” she slurred.
Cameron grunted softly, not bothering to open his eyes. “Don’t worry, babe. I’ll carry you.”
“It’s going to take me a week to recuperate from one night of partying. There was a time when my weekends began on Thursday night and didn’t end until Sunday morning. But that was then and this is now.”
