Chapter 140

He opens it once he pulls the pants on and stops to talk to whoever is on the outside, keeping it closed enough to conceal the bedroom, conceal me in stages of undress. I can only hear mumbles. I wait with my towel around me, unsure if I should dress, unsure if he’ll come back to what we were doing. My body feels like liquid, I’m sure if I look in the mirror I’ll be glowing and flushed and showing signs of having been ravaged. I’m breathless as hell and overheated.

He laughs, and it catches my attention. I love his laugh, it’s so deep and carefree and male, yet there’s a hint of boyishness to his normally husky tone when he laughs. I could close my eyes and listen to it forever.

He shuts the door and turns around to see where I’ve gone, his gaze returning to lust when he catches me still draped in my skimpy covering. I’m surveying my clothes in the open cupboard in a bid to decide if I’m to get dressed or get back on the bed. He inhales deeply as though trying to calm his inner libido with a hint of disappointment on his face.

“We need to continue this later … I forgot Daniel was here.” He grins, and I flush with embarrassment.

Oh, my god, how loud was I? Did he hear that?

I’m beyond mortified.

“He’s coming to LA with me, bella … Seeing as you won’t.” He throws me a wary look but I only nod. Trying to ignore that remark. I don’t like Daniel much right now, I don’t like his influence over Jake, well the influence he had in the past, before us, and I don’t like the fact he’s just royally hurt my friend. We still have to talk about that.

I need to show Jake that I’m capable of trusting him; up until now it’s been easy, we’ve been together every second, there hasn’t been a need to test the limits of my trust. Going to LA with Daniel is going to be a test and it terrifies me. I don’t want my inner doubts and anxiety to affect my relationship with him, my mind acting as my own worst enemy and obsessing over the man-whore he used to be, especially when he’s going to see her.

“When will you get back?” I ask, trying to steer the conversation to neutral territory, to avoid any subject that may let jealous Emma rear her head and show her full ugliness.

“I’m leaving around four, it’s about a six-hour flight, so if I leave LA same time tomorrow, I should get home between eleven and midnight.” He walks over to me pulling out a red dress from my wardrobe, one he chose for me to wear the first time we ever went to his father’s boat as friends. “Here … I like this on you.” He hands it to me and kisses me on the cheek with a look that says ‘please’. He knows better than to make demands on my choices, but I don’t mind a gentle nudge if it makes him happy. It’s a knee length summer dress with a floaty over skirt, a bit formal for lounging around the apartment. He chose this long before I was even more than just his PA and I glance at him quizzically.

“We’re all going out for breakfast,” he answers. “Seems this apartment echoes a little too much, amante, and Daniel is threatening to come in and hose us down if we keep at it. What can I say? He’s a little jealous that you get to have all of this.” He gestures down his naked torso with a wink and I just roll my eyes in response. He bends down, fishing out the silver sandal wedges I wore with this dress on the boat, I’m awed at his memory and smile as he hands them to me. The fact he remembered makes me all warm and gooey inside.

He really was enamored back then to remember every detail of my outfit.

I reach in and pull out a soft gray cardigan for over the top of the dress, it’s short and fitted and feels like cashmere; another Donna Moore purchase on Jake’s expense account, his personal shopper for all things Emma-related, it seems. It’ll take some of the formal out of the look and ward against the slight chill in the air.

He walks off to the other wardrobe door and yanks out his trademark black shirt and jeans, a leather jacket I haven’t seen before, with racing logo badges on one sleeve and a pair of black laced boots. I love him as sexy casual Carrero more than I like him in suits, it goes more with his bad boy look and youth, makes him less intimidating and more approachable. He walks off with his clothes into the bathroom leaving the door open and the buzz of his shaver goes on. He never fully shaves, just keeps his stubble trimmed for that sexy, designer look. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him without a five o’clock shadow since the day I met him. Margo, my old mentor and now his PA once more, told me that he feels like he looks like a kid when he shaves it all off, that clean-shaven baby-faced look is just so not him anyway. It also doesn’t last as his dark hair and Italian roots means it grows in fast through the day and never fully looks gone, even if he were to have a wet shave.

I dress quickly, brushing out my damp hair and blow drying it fast, the one good thing about my shorter wavy hair is it requires no maintenance, it styles itself. I throw on the most basic of make-up and a spritz of perfume and am ready by the time he walks out of the bathroom, fully clothed and smelling divine. He looks me up and down appreciatively.

“Beautiful, as always, mia cara.” He takes my hand and brings it to his mouth, gently kissing my knuckles in a very gentlemanly fashion. “Have you got everything?” His eyes focus on mine, today they look hazy, softer green with hints of silver flecks, relaxed and happy. I nod, lifting my handbag from the floor with my free hand and follow him out of the room into the sitting room.

Daniel is lounging on one of the long, low couches using his phone, dressed in practically identical attire to Jake. Either it’s this season’s hot look or we have a little bit of imitation going on and I can hazard a guess that it’s on Daniel’s part. He has both feet up on the leather even though he’s wearing shoes.

Jake yanks at a leg and causes both feet to slide off, throwing him a frown of disdain. I try to shield my smirk; Jake has a lot of pride in his apartment, unlike most rich New York penthousers, he chose and designed everything in here. From paint colors to furniture and he keeps the place pretty neat, despite having a housekeeper that I rarely see. It annoys him that when Daniel comes over, he treats it like a hotel, leaving stuff around, putting his shoes on the white, Italian leather. Even as PA Emma, I used to deal with Jake’s bitching fits whenever Daniel stayed with him. I think Daniel enjoys the reaction it causes; they have many a heated row with Jake never shy to voice his complaints.

“Ready?” He flicks Daniel’s head as he passes him, and Hunter causally slides up, extending his middle finger toward him. The nature of their friendship has always amused me. Jake still has my hand, pulling me with him as he leads the way to the door; I catch Daniel looking me up and down and recoil at that slide of eyes down my legs and over my cleavage. My repulsion of the male sex still intact despite the ability to let Jake devour me.

I can’t help it, even though I’ve let Jake do things to me, be with me in so many ways. I’ve learned that he’s the exception. Men still make me cringe; I recoil at the touch of a strange man and my skin crawls when they look me over. I don’t think I’ll ever get over that.

We pass two black clad security men in the outer hall and smile our goodbyes when I catch a glimpse of Nora teetering into another room further down, she has a hoover in hand, off to tend to this apartment and go about her day. I sometimes forget how big this place actually is.

Jake bristles as Daniel gets extremely close to my rear nearing the door, so close he’s almost spooning me from behind. His phone in hand, he’s focused on the screen and walking faster than I am so isn’t really paying attention to his proximity. I sense his body heat get close and instantly feel uncomfortable.

“Hey, never heard of personal space?” Jake pushes him in the shoulder playfully, knocking him backward and pulls me to his other side, a protective arm around my shoulders and a glare thrown at Daniel that looks less than amused.

“I’m sure if I wanted to butt hump your woman, I wouldn’t let you watch.” Daniel throws him a cheeky smile and ducks as Jake swings a hand at his head.

“You even try getting within a foot of her butt and you’ll suffer like no man ever has.” Jake lets go of me and grabs Daniel in a head lock, the two carrying on like teens in a playground. Batting at each other, Jake squeezes a little harder and Daniel turns puce.

“For goodness sakes, boys … Children!” I snap as they separate to stand apart, sly jabs at each other and stupid pulled faces. Acting as though they just got busted by their mommy.

“Asshole,” Jake mutters at him under his breath as he leans in, giving me a chaste kiss on the corner of my mouth.

“Dickhead.” Daniel prods Jake in the back and swans past us to lead the way out of the apartment.

They exchange haughty glares, but I know it’s only in jest.

I hope it’s only in jest anyway.

I get the distinct impression that Jake would never leave me alone with his so-called best friend, there seems to be a distinct lack of trust and I hope it’s for Daniel and not me. My mind casts back, trying to decipher if he’s ever given me a hint that he didn’t trust him, and I falter.

His childhood best friend and ex-girlfriend Marissa betrayed him, I guess not trusting friends and lovers is ingrained now. I know it wasn’t Daniel. He told me he no longer has ties to the man in question, but I guess it’s a deep insecurity inside of Jake, without knowing it, that he can never really trust best friends. I hope he realizes that not all women are like her. I’ve seen hints of jealous Jake but nothing concerning, nothing to make me think that he wouldn’t trust me, and I will never betray him.