Chapter 49 Breakfast is ruined
The one who teased her, ran with her, watched movies with her, protected her when she felt small.
And yet… her body reacted before her mind could.
She didn’t pull away.
Instead, her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, gripping it as though she needed something solid to keep herself upright. Her lips moved against his in uncertain rhythm, slow and clumsy, tasting something unfamiliar and frighteningly comforting all at once.
Ray inhaled sharply when she responded.
That was all it took.
His hand slid from her jaw to the small of her back, pulling her closer. The distance between them disappeared entirely, her breasts under the thin layer of her tank top pressed to his chest, her breath mingling with his.
The kiss deepened.
Not rough. Not desperate.
But heated—charged with everything he had been holding back.
Jasmine’s mind blurred. Her thoughts scattered like startled birds.
This is wrong.
This feels… right.
What about Damien?
What about the contract?
What about me?
Ray’s thumb brushed over her jaw again, gentle but possessive. His other arm wrapped around her waist, anchoring her in place between him and the counter.
Her heart thundered in her ears.
The world narrowed to the warmth of his lips, the scent of coconut and vanilla clinging to her skin, the low hum of music in the background.
She kissed him back again—more firmly this time. She wanted to know what it would feel like to kiss someone else, would the tingles erupt, would her heart race like it was on fire? Like it did when Damien kissed her.
And then something inside her snapped awake.
Reality rushed in like cold water.
Her eyes flew open.
She saw Damien’s kitchen.
Against Damien’s counter, kissing Damien's best friend and worker.
Damien’s house.
She saw the contract papers in her mind.
The way Darcy smiled at her.
The way Damien looked at her when he thought she wasn’t paying attention, Darcy's words rang in her head like a chime summoning her back to her long discarded senses.
Jasmine gasped and shoved Ray’s chest.
Hard.
“Ray—stop.” she was breathless, her cheeks red.
He stumbled back a step, startled. “Jasmine—”
“No.” Her voice shook. “This—this shouldn’t be happening.”
Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her hands trembled at her sides.
Ray reached for her again, but she stepped back, putting space between them.
“Jasmine, I—”
“I don’t understand,” she whispered, running her hands through her hair in agitation. “Why would you do that?”
Ray looked at her like he’d been holding his breath for years. “Because I care about you.”
“That doesn’t mean you kiss me!”
“It does to me,” he said quietly.
She turned away from him, gripping the edge of the counter. “I’m married.”
“On paper.”
“That still counts!”
Ray exhaled slowly. “Is there something real between you and Damien?”
She hesitated.
That hesitation said everything.
Ray’s jaw tightened. “You don’t know.”
“I don’t know anything,” she admitted. “I don’t even know myself.”
Silence filled the kitchen.
The music kept playing.
Jasmine finally turned back to him. “Ray… you can’t just decide things for me.”
“I’m not deciding. I’m offering.”
She shook her head. “I don’t need an escape.”
“You said you felt trapped.”
“I said I felt safe.”
Ray’s voice softened. “You shouldn’t have to choose safety over love.”
Her breath caught.
Safety was what she needed and safety is what Damien was, secure, strong. But did that equal to love? Love had never been an option on the table.
“Love?” she echoed faintly.
Ray stepped closer again, but slower now, cautious. “I’ve watched you pretend you don’t feel things. I’ve watched you hold back. I don’t want to be another thing you deny yourself.”
Jasmine pressed a hand to her chest. “You don’t understand how complicated this is.”
“Then explain it to me.”
She struggled for words. “Damien… he helped me when I had nowhere else to go.”
“That doesn’t mean you owe him your heart.”
He stepped forward and gently took her hands again, this time not pulling her close, just holding them. “This is what I mean. You don’t have to be so careful all the time"
Jasmine looked down at their joined hands. “Ray… we crossed a line.”
“I don’t regret it.”
“I don’t know how to feel about it.” she whispered
“That’s okay,” he said. “Just don’t pretend it didn’t happen.”
She pulled her hands back slowly. “I need space.”
Ray nodded, his express faltered “I’ll give you space.”
He knew kissing her was taking a risk, especially since he knew Damien had started making his move, he had to act before Jasmine could fall for Damien. He couldn't let that happen. She was confused, but now he had made his intentions clear, let her know he was an option, a stable choice, an alternative.
He had been a good friend, now he could be a good partner, someone she could trust and rely on. He would tell her the truth, the truth about everything, how she was supposed to be just another girl to Damien, one that was trained to be an escort but to him, to Raymond she had always been different.
She looked up at him, eyes shining with confusion and something dangerously close to tears. “Please don’t make this harder than it already is.”
Everything was spiralling out of her hands. First it was the news, her face was everywhere, then it was the marriage contract, then it was the mixed feelings for Damien that were bubbling in her chest. Jasmine had not felt in control of anything lately. And now this?
What if she needed to leave soon?
“I’m not trying to.” he reasoned
“You are.”
He winced. “Then I’m sorry.”
She sighed and turned back to the stove, turning it off with shaking fingers. “Breakfast is ruined.”
Ray almost smiled sadly. “I didn’t care about breakfast.”
She managed a weak laugh. “Figures.”
They stood there awkwardly, the air thick with everything unsaid.
“Jasmine,” Ray said quietly. “I meant what I said. I’m here for you. Not as pressure. As a choice.”