“Seeing that you’re doing thatcreepy starething…again,” she said, meeting his gaze in the mirror. “Can I ask you a question?”
He didn’t answer and she took that as a yes.
“Do these jeans make my butt look big?”
“Yep,” he replied with a slow nod. “It makes your butt lookreallybig.”
“Great.” She let out a deflated sigh. “See, this is why I love sweatpants. This problem doesn’t exist in sweatpants. Now I gotta find something else to wear.”
“I’m pretty sure nothing will help, but you should love that ass, Jazz. God knows, there’s so much ass to love.”
Turning around, she placed her hands on her hips and huffed. “Jeez, I get it. I’ll change into something that covers it up, then maybe you won’t—”
“It was a compliment,” he said, cutting her off before her insecurities started running rampant.
“It didn’t sound like one, but…I’ll just take your word for it.”
Although not fully convinced, she seemed more settled. Her phone beeped and he assumed it was a text from Connie to say they were outside, because she grabbed her handbag and his jacket from the other bed. “I’ll see you later, Kevin.”
“Have fun.”
He kept his eyes on her and as he watched her saunter that sexy ass out of the motel room only three words came to mind.Wiggle. Wiggle. Wiggle.
He groaned and threw his head back against the pillows. “Fuck you, Alfred!”
When he finally stopped thinking with his dick and normal brain functioning resumed, he remembered the reason why he wanted to spend the afternoon alone. There were some questions hewanted answered. He picked up his phone again and even though he didn’t want to admit it, his hands trembled a bit as he typed her name into the search bar. He wasn’t sure what to expect, yet even with an open mind, he still wasn’t expecting the results that came up.
Article after article about Jasmintha Daas, all of them telling him things that he’d seen from the beginning and never questioned. All of that word vomit and she never told him any of this. He even saw a snippet of her on that talk show and listening to her brought back all their prior conversations. Chemical reactions causing emotions and the mating habits of the giant crab spider. She recalled every detail like a walking encyclopedia. So many signs and he hadn’t been able to piece it together.
As he scrolled lower down the screen, more truths were uncovered. This one was less of a surprise, but still tough to swallow. Her father, Rajan Daas, owned South Star. Her father was a billionaire. He’d been merrily driving along with the daughter of abillionaire. Not rich. Not wealthy. A fucking billionaire. She’d told him that she had won a prize, vouchers that could be redeemed at any South Star Hotel when all the while Daddy dearest was the owner.
She was so honest that he blindly believed everything that came out of her mouth. Technically that was the only real lie. Everything else was just a convenient omission of the full story. As the initial shock wore off, it was replaced with slow, simmering anger. There was no reason for her to keep these things from him, so why did she? Another confrontation was brewing and he decided to go for a walk to clear his head.
Holbrook was a small town, though there was a distinct charm about it. The buildings were old, but not dilapidated. Nothing big and fancy and the contrast to Vegas was astonishing. He had to remind himself that it was only five days ago thatthey’d been caught up in lights and glamor. It felt like time was starting to slow down.
Actually, time seemed to stand still as he waited for Jasmin to return. He got back to the motel before she did and he could feel himself becoming more and more aggravated.
She was in an exceptionally good mood when she came through the door an hour later. He didn’t want to ruin it, but at the same time, he wanted answers.
“Oh, my God,” she shrieked. “I love this town. Everyone here is so friendly.”
He sat patiently on the bed, listening as she spoke about the people she’d met. Lenny and Ester, Connie’s parents, who invited her so openly into their abode and gave her a decent home-cooked meal. Then there was Sarah, who owned the local supermarket, but she was apparently very down to earth despite being one of the richest people in Holbrook.
Kevin listened intently, waiting for the right moment to ask his question. She gushed about what an amazing mother Connie was, and the longing in her voice made him consider putting his interrogation aside until the next day. But he needed to know.
She tugged off his jacket and sat down on the other bed. “So she actually works two jobs and pulls double shifts just so she can save enough money for Beth to go to college next year and—”
That was his opening and he didn’t hesitate for a second. “Speaking of college…how come you’re not in college?”
If he didn’t know the truth, the shrug of indifference she gave would have been believable. “I don’t really…see the need.”
“Oh, you don’t see theneed? It’s strange how without any tertiary education, you still managed to get a job. And you’re a foreigner. Is it a good job?”
Wariness showed plainly on her face. “Yeah…I guess.”
That was all the information she offered and he wasn’t letting her off the hook so easily. “How come your dad pulled you out of normal school?”
“Why the sudden interest in my personal life, Kevin?”
