Chapter 258

I groan as he pulls back, sucking my bottom lip, moving in to kissing me passionately, his hand smoothing down my naked abdomen, meeting the apex of my thighs with a welcome moan.

His phone vibrates across the countertop beside me, making me jump and giggle as he pulls back slightly with a lusty expression to retrieve it. He curses under his breath and throws me a naughty half-smile.

“Saved by the bell.” He growls, his voice low and sexy. He still has his hand between my legs cupping my warmth gently while he retrieves his phone and sticks it to his ear.

“Jake Carrero, speaking.” He leans in and kisses me again slowly, that tongue dipping into mine mercilessly despite the phone almost poking me in the face.

“Uhuh.” He props up his phone with one shoulder and returns to running his other hand over my exposed breast, leaning in to trace his tongue up my neck and send a thousand tingles through me. He obviously doesn’t care that he’s mid-conversation with someone.

“Thursday?” He sighs, looking at me with a flicker of annoyance crossing his face, his hand between my thighs is extracted as he takes his phone and swaps ears, a look of agitation on his boyish face. ‘Business Carrero’ moving in to kill his libido, something must be wrong at work disappointment washes over me.

“Fuck’s sake, Margo! Can’t they do a fricken thing without me standing over the top of them shouting fucking orders.” He lets me go fully, stalking toward the huge wall of french doors and glares outside. His body rigid but divine as hell and tense as he pushes a hand to his waist, fisting it there in agitation; looking completely intimidating, like a gladiator about to embark on a war. I guess things with work aren’t rosy today, he has a few large developments he’s overseeing so his stress levels have been up and down.

“One night … We kept the apartment … Yeah arrange to have my flight there Thursday and home Friday morning first thing. Jefferson is still in Manhattan, so he can pick me up at the airfield.” He almost barks the orders at her and for a moment I’m relieved that this is no longer our relationship. As much as I loved working with him and love him in general, I don’t think I could tolerate the bossy ass he can be where work is related ever again.

“Sure, I’ll see you then … I will, Margo, thanks.” Jake hangs up and sighs in irritation, sliding his phone onto the counter beside me where I’m still perched with legs dangling freely, my robe pulled back together.

“Problems?” I enquire gently, sliding my robe sash across and tying it in a knot. He frowns and walks over tugging it out of my hands so the robe gapes open, pulling the sash completely free, tossing it over his shoulder onto the floor with a childish look on his face.

Oh boy.

“Same shitty headaches; a contracts oversight needs signing off and delays on the building we purchased for another sports complex. I need to fly out for a night baby. I’m sorry to leave you here, but you still can’t fly, and this needs to be sorted quickly.” He leans in kissing me on the cheek tenderly, bringing his body firmly between my legs and that undeniable warmth of his. It feels like home.

“It’s okay, I’ll be fine, your mother is next door and Mathews is here on guard duty. I can wander around daydreaming about color charts and throw cushions.” I wrinkle my nose at him, receiving his sexy smile as a reward, making my smile wider.

“Get used to domestic bliss, bambino, there’s going to be a lot of that as soon as we get this place Emma worthy.” He kisses me softly on the forehead.

“Emma worthy?” I giggle at him and run a hand across his gorgeously rough jawline. “Don’t you care how our house turns out?”

“If you two are in it then nope; happiest guy alive and easy to keep content.” His hands find my abdomen, his fingers running gently across my sensitive skin and round my hips slowly.

“You’re impossible.” My skin tingles under his expert touch.

“Sexy too.” He winks at me.

“Hmmm, big headed with too much of an ego, more like.” I retort with a playful push on the hard expanse of taut chest before me.

“I earned the ego because I know I’m sexy as hell baby and your sweet ass knows it.” He links his arms around my waist underneath the robe, tugging me forward, so we’re almost connected at the groin.

Ah, so he’s back in Casanova mode and being his delightful cocky self again.

“What will I ever do with you.” I gaze adoringly at his face, my arms sliding about his neck that feels so strong and very edible.

“Go with it … Margo says hi by the way.” He mumbles as he finds his way back to my throat by tracing his tongue across my collar bone. It takes all my willpower not to let my head drop back and sag beneath Jake’s roaming hands, instant submission to his touch, like always.

“Mm.” I close to my eyes to the sensation and it’s all I can say to respond, my inner self getting hot at his attention and tingles erupt within my entire body.

His phone vibrates harshly, for the second time across the countertop, and I groan this time in irritation.

“For the love of fucking God.” He lifts an irate face and grabs the phone looking at the screen before putting it to his ear; scowling at me as though somehow, it’s my fault. I mock scowl back and giggle when he tweaks my nose.

“Hunter this better be fucking good I was in the middle of something.” He snaps down the phone, a devilish look and wolfish smile appear on his face as Hunter correctly pinpoints what kind of busy.

“Yeah I was … Why aren’t you doing the same thing and leaving me alone?” Jake isn’t snapping anymore he just sounds boorish and tantrummy; both normal Carrero traits so I relax, knowing this is probably a social call.

“Okay, mate, calm down and breathe.” Jake’s eyes soften and once again he lets me go. This time I’m quick to slide down for my sash and tie up my robe, I love being accessible but being nakedly on show while he walks around the kitchen talking to Daniel isn’t really my idea of comfortable. The expression on his face is making me more concerned than horny right now, he no longer looks chilled; Jake sighs and eye rolls at me, making me break into a smile.

Whatever it is can’t be that bad if Jake is implying that Daniel is a drama queen.

“Look if you’re reacting like this then maybe you should hold off for now. Get your head around it first?” Jake pauses to listen then moves the phone away for a second.

“Daniel wants to ask Leila to move in with him when they get home but he’s having a panic attack in the bathroom of their hotel over it.” He lifts his eyebrows in complete deadpan seriousness, not even bothering to cover the mouthpiece when passing on the details.

“Poor, Daniel.” I sympathize and watch Jake’s face intently.

“It’s not a heart attack, it’s a panic attack, stop being a fucking girl.” Jake has his bossy unamused face on and his male ‘no sympathy no-nonsense tone’ laced in his voice. I shake my head at him and walk forward, stealing the phone from his ear gently, sometimes bull in a china shop comes to mind with Jake and his sensitivity toward Hunter’s romantic problems.

“You’re unbelievably hostile for a guy who is usually all love hearts and roses with me.” I slide the phone to my ear with a raised brow and school mistress look.

“Daniel, it’s Emma.” I at least sound friendly and I hope a lot more sympathetic to the poor guy’s current situation. Jake grabs my ass hard and breathes into my neck as he steals a kiss. I quell the urge to yelp.

“Men don’t do ‘roses and hearts’ chats with each other, baby.” He moves off smoothly and I throw another indulgent look his way. He finally walks to the coffee machine and takes a sip of the coffee he left there.

“Emma. I … can’t … fucking … breathe.” Daniel is panting and gasping. He sounds like he’s in serious distress. My heart immediately goes out to him. He sounds nothing like the playboy master of control he normally is.

“You don’t need to do this right now you know? It’s early days and she won’t be expecting it, so stop pressuring yourself.” I suggest, hoping to at least get his breathing back to normal.

“I … love … her.” He pants, and I cringe at his efforts to gain control of his breathless fear. I know what that crushing panic feels like. I’ve had many panic attacks in my past.

“She loves you too, but it doesn’t mean you need to follow Jake’s example and push her at a hundred and fifty miles per hour.” I raise an eyebrow at Jake, and he narrows his eyes right back with a scowl. When I jokingly remark about the speed in which he maneuvered our relationship it always ignites a bristling face from him; he hates being criticized, but it makes me giggle at him.

“Hey!” He pouts at me and I blow him a kiss.

“I … I … can’t … lose … her.” Daniel seems to get a little hold on himself for a moment. “I .. need .. her. She ... needs . me to show her … I’m serious about us. I can’t think of how… else to do it …” As though a little self-clarity has distracted him from his crippling tight chest as he seems to regain some verbal control.

“You can only do what feels right.” I soothe, wandering away from Jake toward the fridge, turning my back on him; my eternal hunger pushing my feet to scope out the munchies.

“What if she says no?” He gasps, his breathing still shallow and his voice hoarse but he seems to be normalizing. He’s talking more freely now.

“Then it means neither of you are ready and that’s all; it doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you to death or doesn’t want a future with you.” I can’t help but turn and look at Jake over my shoulder with a sarcastic smile, but he just frowns back at me, knowingly.

“Yeah, yeah. Point made.” Jake shakes his head at me and jumps off the counter, back to the coffee machine

to fiddle with the knobs, obviously unimpressed with the coffee it produced first time. I shake my head at him and sigh at his beautiful body.

“Are you mooning over Jake right now?” Daniel asks rather pointedly, with a haughty tone, despite distracting Hunter to an almost even breath and I reply, guiltily.

“No … Well, maybe.” I blush at being caught and Daniel lets out a long slow exhale.

“I want this, I’m just terrified.” He sounds so young and vulnerable. It reminds me of the lost looking boy who sat on our couch when Leila broke up with him; the boy who is slowly becoming a friend to me … of some sorts.

Who ever thought that would happen?