Chapter 203

“We’re here, miele.” Jake lifts me from the car when I blink my eyes open. I’m sure it’s only been seconds since I closed them. I’m in his arms being lifted out of the car and the garage around us looks exactly like underground parking at his apartment, and I’m completely thrown.

“We’re home already?” I blink a few times snuggling closer into his strength still trying to get a grip on reality, confusion all over my face, severely disorientated.

“You fell asleep pretty quickly, bambino, you don’t look so white anymore, so I think it did you some good.” Jake brushes his mouth against my forehead with a soft smile.

What the hell is with the sleeping lately?

I close my eyes and let Jake carry me into the elevator and home. He’s right, I do feel better for having taken a nap. The nausea has subsided almost completely and now I just feel hungry. I know I should be fighting him to let me walk but my body and mind are in unanimous decision to let him do this.

I open my eyes when he lays me on the bed in his room. Nora has been in and cleaned up in that precise hotel-esque method of hers. The room is surprisingly comforting, and I take a breath feeling like I’ve returned home. I’m more than aware of the surge of happy elation it gives me and frown at myself.

“I don’t need to go to bed. I feel better and I’m hungry.” I smile as he slides down beside me on the neat sheets. I sit myself up a little, wary he might start wrapping himself around me, and cross my arms over my chest defensively.

“You’re staying here regardless. I’ll get you some food if you’re sure that’s what you want.” He frowns at me with a comical look on his face, his eyes take in my posture, and he moves away a little. Not that I blame him. Vomiting then asking for food isn’t exactly normal.

He lifts his fingers to my cheek, and I let them

linger there. “You still feel hot but you’re not so pale anymore.” The way his touch feels is more than enough proof that I should make it clear that I’m not ready for it.

“I guess the car just made me feel worse.” I shrug with one shoulder, nestling onto the bed a little more comfortably. I watch the way the sunshine comes into the room, lightening the color in his beautiful eyes to an almost transparent, gem-stone green. One thing Jake will always be to me is gorgeous, despite how much he has hurt me.

“Maybe.” Jake gets up and leaves the room,

telling Nora to make me something light. Nora replies saying something about home-made chicken soup, and I roll my eyes.

The two of them are acting like I have a terminal illness.

I swing my legs off the bed, standing quickly, to tell him how ridiculous he’s being and instantly crumble. My vision blacking out and my body losing all control, Jell-O legs and complete disorientation as I stand far too quickly.

“Shit.” I groan, feeling the cold wood floor connecting harshly with my limbs. I realize that I knocked my elbow, sharply, on the way down to my current crouching position.

“Emma? Emma … Fuck!” Jake’s panicked voice is followed by heavy boots running toward me and I’m being dragged up from the floor into his strong embrace.

“Did you fall? Why were you up? Are you okay?” He’s lifting me up onto the bed with him so I’m sitting in his lap, wrapped in him, aware my whole body has started to tremble and heat flushes across my face in a devastatingly horrible way; the rise of nausea strong again as dizziness gives way to coldness.

“I think it was a fainting spell,” I mumble weakly. “I don’t think I fainted, but I don’t feel so good.” I slump against his chest, knowing what’s coming next and I don’t have the energy or inclination to argue. I’m completely out of whack and ready to lie down and stay in bed just like he ordered.

“That’s it, this happened in the Hamptons and now this, Emma … I’m calling my doctor. Get into bed and do not move … I swear if you so much as lift your head there will be hell to pay.” He’s in snappy, bossy Carrero mode. He sweeps back the covers and lays me down in the open space, pulling my boots and sweater off, before covering me up gingerly. He looks stressed and wired and all I can do is smile weakly in return.

There he is … That’s my Carrero; a vision of domineering aggression in all his concerned beauty.

God I’ve missed you.

“Yes, sir.” I throw a mocked salute at him, still shaken, but lying down in the cool sheets helps. The overwhelming trembling is subsiding, and the nausea is calming down. He picks up the TV remote and presses it, the TV coming down from the concealed space in the ceiling, choosing a romantic chick flick for me from the menu. His body stiff as he scrolls but I can’t help smiling at his choice.

“Here.” He hands me the remote with a warning glint in his eye. “Stay put, Nora is making you food, I’m going to call the doctor. I’ll be back soon, and I better not find you’ve moved out of this bed; even once,” he commands. His eyes fiery and his face completely serious. It makes my inner nerves jump a little in a tug of heartfelt emotion. He bends kissing me lightly on the forehead, then walks off lifting his phone to his ear, heading to his office.

I can tell he’s trying to act like he’s in control but that flicker of worry and the fact he’s left the room to call his doctor makes my heart swell a little. Through all my crazy internal emotional mess it’s this part of him that always wins me over.

Jake is really worried about me. It’s so sweet it’s almost funny as is his choice of movie for me.

Ten Things I Hate About You.

I guess he knows I’m emotionally all over the place with how I feel about him, and he’s using movies the way he uses iTunes; except this film is for me to him. He knows I’m struggling to get past the things he’s done to make me hate him. I can’t help but sigh feeling more than a little bit torn.

I don’t hate you, Jake. I’m hurt, and I hate her. I’m just confused.

I know I’m fine, physically, maybe in need of some bed rest and sleep. I’ve caught a little bug but I’m positive there’s nothing for him to worry about … nothing physically anyway, my mind on the other hand, a completely different ballpark.

I wake up to Nora placing a tray of home-made soup on a table beside the bed and realize I fell asleep again, another sign that I have a virus. I move to sit up as Jake’s hands come from beside me, lifting the cushions, helping me to sit. He’s on the bed next to me on top of the covers in sweats and a T-shirt with a mountain of files scattered beside him. I guess while I slept, he’s been keeping me company and working. Jake doing what he does while he lets me relax and just enjoy the peace, it almost feels normal, like before any of this mess came between us. The movie is still playing so I mustn’t have been out for too long.

“Thank you, Nora.” I smile, looking down at the bowl of soup and plate of crusty bread served with a glass of fresh orange juice. She knows how to melt her way into my heart, the woman is a saint.

“How’re you feeling?” Jake smooths back my hair as

I pull the tray toward me. His fingers grazing my cheek

as though checking my temperature and I can feel his eyes on me.

“Too fuzzy from sleeping to know.” I smile at him over my shoulder quickly, halted by how gorgeous he looks. It makes my insides clench, part of me longing for a time before any of this happened, a time when I could turn and curl into him without any of this emotional turmoil inside.

“How long was I out?” I turn my attention back to the bowl, leaning out of bed, and taking a spoonful. The soup tastes amazing, like I’ve been starved for a week.

“About an hour and a half.” He picks up the files on his lap and shuffles them around. “The doctor said she’d be here about two hours after my call. So, eat up. She should be here soon.”

He shifts and chucks a bunch of files onto to the floor from his side of the bed. I hear them scatter as some slide across the floor. I have zero inclination to ask about

work right now. If anything, this separation has highlighted how detached and non-interested in the Carrero Corporation I’ve become, and I know deep down I’ll never go back to that job.

“I don’t think I need to see a doctor you know.” I try to start reasoning with him but the dark look on his face quietens me. He has that no-nonsense verging on yelling kind of scary look that I have no energy to handle right now.

Oh, hello, Boss Carrero; nice to see you still exist.

“Emma, whether you want to see her or not she’s coming.” He watches me eat with his penetrating gaze, causing me to lose my confidence. “You’re looking pale again.” He leans over to feel my cheek and frowns. I don’t feel hot just tired, and hungry, in fact more than hungry. This soup is the best I’ve eaten in my life. Jake sighs and he leans back pulling his warm hands away; a mixed tingling of relief and disappointment runs through me.