Chapter 143

“Over something like this, Emma, I’ll literally rip heads off.” He snaps at me, pure fury in those normally calm eyes and I lose my courage, his voice is venom. I flinch in fright as his hand grips my wrist harder. The inner fear of male aggression takes over, I reach up with my free hand and snatch back my underwear, hauling my hand free and shout at him impulsively.

“You’ve a goddamn nerve! With the amount of conquests, you’ve had? … It was you! Jackass!” I snap and turn on my heel to storm away, tears instantly pricking my eyes. From our happy morning to this, I don’t even know how we got here. I feel like bawling.

I should never play games with Jake; I learned a long time ago that it only ignites this side of him. Even before I was his, when I was just PA Emma, I saw this side of him when I tried to get a rise from him. Jake likes to be the one to initiate and control games on his terms, but when it swings back at him, he instantly goes into death mode.

So, stupid. People who love each other don’t do things like this.

He grabs my upper arm and tugs me back, turning me to face him and halting me once again in the street. People continue pushing past uninterested in the little domestic going on.

“Neonata, I’m sorry … Emma, baby, please don’t.” the tear trickles down my cheek as he pulls me into him his arms, coming around me securely. He cradles my face against him, his hand on the back of my head. “Perdonami, bambina, non è questo quello che volevo,” he rushes huskily, falling into that habit of fluent Italian as he’s overly emotional. It makes me stop and smile, I lift my chin up to him with a furrowed brow. It’s rare that he does this, but on the occasions he does it’s the most beautiful sound in the world. A sign he is overwhelmed.

“What?” I giggle through tears and his expression softens. He smiles and pushes our foreheads together, sighing in relief.

“Ignore me … Only you can make me forget the art of the English language.” He grins, his mouth finding mine, kissing me softly yet passionately, all the hurt falling around our feet. He finally releases me from his kiss and searches my eyes with his.

“The first night after I told you I loved you and the night I stupidly dropped you at your apartment like an asshole too?” he questions, I nod. He remembers after all.

“I’m an idiot, Emma … Everything you ever told me, I should have known it would only be with me. I just saw red, bella …I know I’ve no right to be this way, especially with my past, but I can’t help it. I know I wasn’t the jealous type, but with you it’s worse than bad. Do you think you can live with a boyfriend who gets so insanely green eyed that even his best friend was riding close to a broken nose this morning?” He looks away as though he’s embarrassed, but it only makes me elated, I push my mouth on his and kiss him thoroughly, panting when we finally break apart.

“I like it,” I utter shyly; no one had ever made me feel the way he does or reacted like he does over me. “I don’t recall any time that I have given you reason to be jealous where Daniel was concerned though.” I add thoughtfully regarding him quizzically. He raises an eyebrow with a dramatic sigh and shakes his head

“For his own safety he should just keep at least five feet between you at all times.” He grins, grabs my hands in his, taking my lace panties back from me and puts them in his inside jacket pocket with a smile. I just shake my head at him.

“I’m still keeping these though … Until I get home again.” He swoops down, silencing me with a kiss before I can protest, and I finally give up.

“So, in the meantime I’m to walk the streets without a stitch on under this skirt? What should I do if the wind exposes me and my overly jealous boyfriend catches another man ogling my assets?” I raise my eyebrows knowing this could very well happen. He frowns back at me only this time in thought and pulls his phone out, hitting the screen and putting it to his ear. He tells Jefferson where we are and to come immediately before hanging up.

“If I take you home and get you naked in my bed then we don’t have to worry about it.” He smiles and hauls me into the circle of his arms again, a hand moving down over my ass as though he’s going to make sure the wind takes my dress nowhere. I laugh at him and his severe inability to function normally.

“No shopping? I thought we so desperately needed things like shirts and underwear.” I tease.

“I don’t need any more clothes right now … You definitely don’t need any more lace panties.” He grins naughtily as we wait for our car to appear.