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.
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