Chapter 24
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Jasmine
I forgot to breathe as the pilot lowered us to the helipad near the stern of the yacht. Once the landing skids touched down, I took a deep breath.
“We’re safe,” Rei said.
He sounded a bit annoyed with my fear. That was fine. It was my first helicopter ride over miles of open sea. I had the right to be frightened.
The pilot spoke through the headphones. As before, I couldn’t understand. I turned to my husband for a translation.
“He’s stopping the rotors. We need to wait until they come to a complete stop. As they slow, they lower. No decapitations on our wedding day”
My eyes opened wide. “Good advice.”
As we waited for them to stop, five people in white uniforms appeared, all standing like soldiers with their hands clasped behind their backs. I looked at my watch to see that it was nearly four in the morning—six back in Kansas City. “This is crazy that the whole staff is meeting us in the middle of the night.”
“That’s not the whole staff.”
Well, shit. My life was on a roller coaster, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to find the exit.
Lingering whirling from the propellers echoed in my ears as one of the men in white came forward and opened the door. As he offered his hand, I glanced at Rei, who nodded. Hesitantly, I took the man’s hand and stepped down. My blouse and hair fluttered in the ocean wind.
From our vantage point, I saw into a beautifully illuminated white living room and dining area. Up above, millions of stars shone in the velvet black sky.
This boat was insane, reminding me of news articles I’d read about oligarchs’ superyachts. My inadequate acting skills were unable to hide my astonishment. In no way had Rei prepared me for this.
By the time Rei and our luggage were out of the helicopter, another man had joined the greeting committee, causing my nerves to set in. I recognized him from the few times I’d seen him. This was the renowned drug lord himself, Jorge Roríguez.
Rei guided me toward his father.
El Patr?n’s smile grew as he spread his arms. “Jasmine.” His pronunciation was similar to Rei’s. “Welcome to Bella.”
Wearily, I stepped into his embrace. Spice and cigars infiltrated my senses as his arms surrounded me. Releasing me from his hug, he said, “Congratulations, Senora Roríguez,” and patted Rei on the shoulder. “You’ve made my son a happy man. And that makes Josefina and me happy too.”
His accent was thicker than Rei’s, but I could still understand his English.
My father-in-law was more gregarious than I anticipated. I hadn’t known what to expect. “Thank you for welcoming me.” I looked around. “This is truly amazing.”
“Tomorrow when you two wake, Rei can give you a tour. There’s food waiting for you in your cabin. No rush. You need to rest after your busy day.” Jorge then said something to Rei I couldn’t understand.
Rei responded with a nod. He returned his hand to the small of my back. “Let me show you to our stateroom.”
Our.
My nights of sleeping alone were over.
“What about our luggage?” I asked, looking back toward the helicopter.
“They’re probably already in our room.”
“You really understated this big boat ,” I emphasized his previous description.
Despite the late or maybe early hour, the common areas of the yacht glowed with golden lighting. I tried to look in every direction at once, but there wasn’t time as Rei led me to a staircase. The ocean breeze disappeared as we went down the stairs to a lower deck with multiple doors. “Will I be able to find my way out of here? ”
Rei’s eyebrows danced. “I don’t plan on letting you out of here.”
He opened one of the doors, and I couldn’t help but open my mouth in awe. Our suitcases were sitting near the bed—a king-sized bed that was already turned down. The sound of the locking mechanism in the door echoed throughout the cabin.
I shuddered as a chill scurried over my flesh. Curiously, I wandered to the far wall. “Are these windows?” I cupped my eyes to see through the opaque pane.
Rei came up beside me, pressed a button, and the glass cleared, revealing a balcony. There was a table with two chairs and two lounge chairs outside.
“That’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s magic.” He scoffed. “Jano and I used to say it was magic when we were young. The sun can be intense out on the ocean. That keeps the sunshine out so we can sleep until noon.” He pointed to an armoire. “There’s a refrigerator in there with water and juice.” He opened the cabinet and removed a crystal decanter with clear liquid. “Tequila?”
I shook my head. “After those margaritas, I may never drink again.” Turning a complete circle, I took in the scope of the room, including the mini living room with chairs and a sofa. A basket with fresh fruit was on the coffee table. “This could be our honeymoon.”
Rei poured himself some tequila, swirled the liquid, and drank it without so much as a wince. “We’re here at mí padre’s command. With what happened in Culiacán, this is about keeping his family safe.”
I sat on the edge of the bed. “Does that include me? ”
Rei placed the tumbler on the table, came to me, and crouched near my feet. “ Sí , Senora Roríguez, that includes you.” He slowly and deliberately removed my shoes and socks. “We’ve had a long day.”
My lip was again between my teeth.
Rei stood, taking my hand and encouraging me to follow. Without shoes, my eyes came to the middle of his wide chest, making him seem larger than life or perhaps me, smaller.
His voice lowered an octave. “You want me to go slow?”
I swallowed. “I don’t know what I want.”
He teased rogue strands of hair away from my face. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Jasmine.” His intense dark gaze was fixated on me, not allowing me to blink or look away. “When I saw you on the staircase in that gown, I knew that I was about to marry the most stunningly gorgeous woman I’d ever met.”
His sandalwood-and-leather scent surrounded us, combined with the aroma of tequila.
Slowly, I lifted my hands to his chest. “I want to get to know you.”
It was what he’d said at the lounge.
His lips crashed with mine as he entwined his fingers in my long hair. Our kiss sizzled and sparked, bruising my already-tender lips and stealing my air. As I gasped for breath, his lips moved back to my neck, meticulously kissing from behind my ear to my collarbone and leaving goose bumps in their wake. Closing my eyes, I willed myself to feel the way my body tingled, to get lost in the sensations and the way Rei made my body respond. My head lobbed back, granting him access. His kisses continued to the V of my neckline. I was too lost to realize he was unbuttoning my blouse and kissing lower.
My nipples hardened as he eased my blouse away from my arms.
The heat within me built degree by degree, much as a spark growing to a flame.
Rei fell to his knees and reached for the front of my slacks, unbuttoning and unzipping. The chill of the air conditioning covered my legs with goosebumps as my slacks hit the floor.
Splaying the fingers of his large hand on my lower back with heat radiating from his touch, he steadied me as his mouth lowered. His warm breath hovered over my lace-covered core. As a long, deep hiss filled the air, every nerve in my body was on fire. Like adding fuel to a flame, from the top of my scalp to the tips of my toes, I was ablaze.