Chapter 136

We’re sitting with feet entwined on the huge king size bed in Jake’s bedroom, backs against the padded headboard and a mountain of cushions with some action movie playing on his oversized flat screen TV hanging from the ceiling. There are Chinese food tubs standing all over the bed around us, open and easy to reach for dipping into.

I’m wearing one of his T-shirts after our not so clean bubble bath and he’s in a pair of dark gray sweatpants and a naked torso, showcasing his chiseled body and tribal ink perfectly. I have a serious case of ‘my boyfriend’s so hot’ swoons as I watch his muscular arms and shoulders flex and tense as he shovels food into his mouth with the expertise of an avid Chinese food eater. He leans forward with chop sticks full of noodles and pops it in my mouth without waiting to ask if I even want any, his eyes glued to what he’s watching. I’m being obedient and letting him stuff me full of food despite having the ability to feed myself. Amused by the way Jake has this constant need to tend to my every need like a mother hen.

Somehow, I like it like this, that he looks after me in small ways I would never have guessed him capable of. Force feeding me his food seems to be a recurring thing. He never seems to feel I’ve eaten enough and is always trying to ram food in my mouth.

There’s a knock on the bedroom door, which is standing open and one of his security staff appear, dressed all in black. Another faceless person I’ve yet to find out the name of.

“Mr. Carrero … Daniel Hunter is here to see you,” he states apologetically, averting his eyes as he sees my long, naked legs on top of the sheets and his extremely scarce shirt covering over my body. I’m glad I put some underwear on after our bath.

“Send him in,” Jake replies with a mouthful, still not taking eyes off his movie, he leans to the end of the bed yanking up the throw which normally gets laid neatly there by the housekeeper and pulls it over my lower half. It makes me smile; he obviously didn’t like the fact his security just checked me out. He covers me up while still chewing and watching his godawful film. Jake is a contradiction in so many ways, laid-back and confident yet also a little, green-eyed jealous child who doesn’t like other men looking at me.

The green eyes suit him.

The man walks away while I make a mental note to learn the names and make friends with this almost invisible staff I occasionally see now that I live here, especially the house keeper, Nora, who is the master of discretion. I feel ignorant and awkward when I see them in passing. It never bothered me when I was just his PA because they were his staff, and I was staff. But this was my home now and I don’t want to be rude.

“All right, bud.” Daniel comes bounding in, stopping a moment when he sees me but continues almost flawlessly. “Was going to ask if you fancied a night on the tiles but I can see you’re busy with the little woman.” He looks me up and down oddly, I guess he’s trying to figure out why I’m still on the scene, it’s been over a month since the yacht trip he was on with us and he knows Jake’s attention span for women peaks at four weeks, max. I guess he figured Jake would have got bored with my company long ago.

“I’m off the booze lately.” Jake shrugs and this surprises me. I noticed his lack of alcohol on our trip, but he’s never mentioned it was intentional “She’s not my little woman, she’s my better half.” He throws Daniel a look that’s hard to translate, they have their own language these two. Goes hand in hand with the special bromance of Carrero and Hunter.

“Hey, better half.” Daniel salutes me with a smile and I smile back, he’s an odd one and our relationship is still in the teething stage.

“Hey.” I smile back genuinely, for Jake’s sake I really want to try to like Hunter, maybe form a mutual friendship now I’m no longer staff. I never felt at ease with him as Jake’s PA, maybe I will now that the dynamic has shifted.

Daniel comes to the bed, climbs on the end and gets comfy before picking up a box, Jake throws him some unopened chop sticks as though granting permission to dig in and both men sit glued to the movie in silence for a few moments. It’s some loud, all shooting, all exploding, macho male thing with a guy who looks a lot like someone who once felt me up in a nightclub in Vegas. Daniel starts eating, before pointing at something on screen with a mouth full.

“That asshole still owes me $1500 for that bet in London,” he mumbles.

“Jesus, Danny, tell me you didn’t actually bed that weird chick with the wonky teeth.” Jake drops his chop sticks into the tub of food he’s eating and grimaces, looking at Daniel as though he’s something disgusting. Something that puts Jake off his food is clearly Daniel’s sex life.

“A bet’s a bet, Jakey boy. I just got really pissed and then she looked doable.” He shrugs and continues eating.

“I thought you had some standards, maybe even really low ones. But that chick looked like a man in drag with a really shitty wig.” Jake turns to me with a look that says, ‘you had to see her.’ He throws a chopstick at Daniel’s head but Daniel ducks too late and it bounces off the top of his perfect fair skull. Daniel may have a fetish for one-night stands and slutty girls, but he has the looks of a guy who should get any woman he wants. He’s all blonde and blue eyed to Jake’s dark hair and green eyes. As a duo, I’m sure the two of them must have pulled any women for miles.

“I thought Daniel’s standard was porn star, isn’t that like the lowest you can go. A girl who’s paid to let everyone sleep with her?” I smirk at Jake with a wicked gleam in my eye, Daniel frowns up at me.

“Hey! Some of those ladies are the highest paid in the profession, they’re not prostitutes. I happen to like a girl who can get down and dirty and knows what she’s doing.” He throws the chopstick back at Jake who bats it away expertly.

“They’re kinda like prostitute’s, mate.” Jake smirks.

“Shut up! Totally different. Besides, not so long ago you weren’t so high and mighty with the standards. Just cos you’re all loved up doesn’t mean you haven’t ground on a few—”

“I swear if you finish that sentence, you’ll regret it.” Jake warns, an instant frost to the atmosphere between them. For a moment, there’s a cold standoff of glares and eyeball communication. Seems Hunter is just as stubborn as Jake.

“I’d say keep your shirt on but it’s already AWOL.” Daniel breaks the tension with a smirk and Jake just throws another chopstick at his head. I wonder if this is how all men behave in the company of their so-called best friends.

“You’re just jealous that my shirt’s off for Emma and not you.” He winks back. Lifting an arm and tensing a bicep with a sexy wiggle toward Daniel. I can’t help but admire the bulge, I’ve never actually seen him tense a bicep on purpose and I almost faint with just how toned and muscular he is when he does it.

Is it okay to swoon over your own boyfriend? I think it is, right?

“Put it away, Carrero, I’ve told you a million times, I’m just not into you.” Daniel seems to be fed up with his choice of food and looks through the extra boxes on the bed for something else.

“Says the guy who crashed my Chinese food party to come stare at a TV with me. Are you worried I won’t love you anymore now I have Ems?” Jake discards his food and stretches out, leaning back into the sea of cushions behind us. Noticing I have long since discarded mine, he hauls me over to nestle in his arm and lay my head on his shoulder. I stretch out alongside him and snuggle in against his body.

“Totally heartbroken over here,” Daniel replies flatly without looking up, finds something he wants and settles back down to dig in and watch a particularly bloody scene on the screen.

Both men seem zoned in on the mass shooting and blood thirsty hero, hacking bad guys to bits with a large sword. I never understood action movies and all that bloodlust.

“Don’t worry, Danny, I’ll still keep you as my side chick, snuggle when Emma’s not looking.” He squeezes me, and I quell the urge to laugh at them.