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If you’re not wearing lipstick and earrings, you might as well be naked, Esperanza used to say. It wasn’t until Jasmine was older that the true meaning sank in. Those things were armor against a world that had wanted to treat her grandmother as someone smaller and duller than the brilliant and beautiful woman she was. Looking after her appearance forced people to take her seriously.
Leading Ladies are badass queens making jefa moves.
While Spanish had been Jasmine’s father’s first language, her mother, who was Puerto Rican and Filipina, knew very little Spanish or Tagalog, so English had been the main language in their home.
Bochinche Brujas,”
It was Jasmine Lin, his new costar. She was gorgeous—her
“Um, hola.” Trying for a joke, he gestured at the half-empty cup in her hand. “Supongo que no te ibas a beber eso.”
Ashton. She drank him in as if he were a steaming cappuccino on a cold day,
After Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on the island, the federal government’s absolute failure to provide resources and aid and unwillingness to treat the people of Puerto Rico as the American citizens they were by right of birth had prompted Ashton to move his family to Miami for a time.
Then Jasmine’s gaze flicked to his. She caught him staring at her, but that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part? There was heat in her eyes. He felt it in the split second
“Oh, now it’s a crush? Are you at the second point on the scale?” “No.” Not yet.
“No coffee yet. I didn’t want to—you know, drink coffee and then kiss. It’s kinda gross.” He couldn’t help but smile, since he’d considered the same thing this morning—brushing, flossing, and rinsing his mouth three times after drinking his own coffee.
He certainly didn’t mind the thought of Jasmine touching him,
God, she was gorgeous.
On the way to the dairy section, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” came on over the grocery store’s speakers. “Hold up. I love this song.” Jasmine stopped in the middle of the aisle and did a few dance moves as she sang along softly with Whitney Houston. Ashton raised his eyebrows and repeated the words in Spanish, but he turned it into a question. “¿Quieres bailar con alguien?” She sent him a cheeky grin and said, “Sí,” as if he’d actually meant to ask her to dance with him. To her surprise, he inclined his head and said, “Bueno.” Before she knew what was happening, he took her hand, spinning her
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She wanted to keep dancing. Or undress him with her teeth. Either one would be fine.
Ashton had left her breathless. And he was still holding her hand. He gave her fingers the slightest squeeze, then released her. And Jasmine’s treasonous heart soaked it up like it was a declaration of love.
he passed her a small gift bag. “What’s this?” She peeked inside, then let out a surprised laugh. “Are you kidding me?” He grinned as she withdrew a Café Bustelo coffee pod from the bag.
“To make up for the coffee I spilled,” he said. “I figured it was about time.”
Damn, he loved making her laugh. The joyful sound, the way her cheeks scrunched up, the way her warm body shook against him. He wanted to put his arm around her, to hold her close. To look deeply in her eyes and then—
Ashton felt like he did when they were on set together, when Carmen and Victor spoke without speaking, conveying so much connection in a single look or touch. Right then, he felt it. Like he knew her deeply, as if all their time on set pretending to be other people had also brought them closer together.
Through it all, he kept finding Jasmine’s eyes shining at him from across the room. It was all for her. He wanted Jasmine to see him, the real him. Ángel Luis, the boy who’d grown up dreaming of being a big movie star. And Ashton, the man who ran around with his son playing superheroes.
Ashton couldn’t take his eyes off her. She shone like the brightest star in the sky, commanding the heart and imagination. Everything else paled in comparison to her radiance.
The second the door clicked shut behind them, he pressed her up against the wall and brought his mouth down on hers.
She knew his touch, his scent, the feel of his lips against hers. But this was different. This time was for real. When his tongue slid against her lips, she opened for him with a moan. Finally they would do this right.
Ashton peeled her jeans and simple black panties down her legs, then he stood and just gazed at her. His expression showed hunger, yes, and appreciation, but also something like affection. Right then, Jasmine felt like the most beautiful, most loved, most desired woman in the world.
It had been so long since he’d fallen asleep with a woman curled beside him like this. A warm, relaxed feeling spread over him, seeping into his bones. He pulled her closer, then drifted off into an easy, dreamless slumber.
“You taste like pizza,” she murmured against his lips. “So do you.”
“Hop down,” he said, helping her off the dresser. Then he turned her around to face the rectangular mirror hanging over it. Their eyes met in the reflection, and a slow, sensual smile spread over her lips. Apparently she was on board with his idea, too, because she spread her feet and braced her hands on the edge of the dresser. Her willingness and enthusiasm were arousing all on their own, but damn, she was stunning too.
“Cójelo,” he growled in her ear, and she just sobbed “yes” over and over in response.
“Mírame.” Look at me. Ashton’s gaze was blazing hot, demanding that she feel everything he had to give and more. So she did.
For the next week, Ashton spent every nonworking minute he could with Jasmine.
It wasn’t his thing at all, but supporting Jasmine had quickly become his thing.
He didn’t say anything, but he hoped he got to meet her parents someday, so he could tell them how amazing their daughter was. They were missing out on knowing her.
“Fair warning, Yadiel wants to go to a baseball game in New York.” Ashton gave a brief smile. “I’ll break out the hat and sunglasses.” “You sure you don’t want a trench coat and a newspaper with two holes cut out, Señor James Bond?” Ashton smothered a laugh so he didn’t wake the others. “From your lips to God’s ears.”
Distance was good. Maybe it would give her some much-needed perspective and answers. Like how to stop being in love with him.
he just wanted to see her.
He wanted to kiss her again, but it wasn’t in the script.
In a smooth move, she took him in her mouth. Her hot, wet mouth. This is it, he thought. This is how I die. It was too good. Too absolute. No one could feel this good and survive, could they? Maybe not, but he was willing to test it.
she pulled back enough to whisper against his mouth, “Dime qué quieres.” The words sent shivers through his body. Her utter confidence, the latent sensuality, the fact that she now felt comfortable enough with him to try dirty talk en español. This woman was already everything he could ever want. How was he supposed to put it into words?
God, he was falling for this woman so hard, and he couldn’t even lie to himself about it.
he knew, finally, what he wanted. This. He wanted this. To come home to this woman, to be with her, to love her, and to let her love him back.
“None of this would have been possible without the amazing Carmen Serrano.” He paused, then added in a soft voice, “My wife.” And then he kissed her full on the lips, right in front of everyone.