Part 2 – Chapter 13, Book 1 – Jakes View.

Lovers of my book The Carrero Effect book 1 will love this brand new alternate chapter.

This is chapter 13, part 2 (more to follow) re-written from Jake Carrero’s perspective as per requested by you, the lovely fans.

Please note there is swearing and sexual references and this is not suitable for those under 18 years of age.

Read at your own risk!!

The holiday- Part 2 ( Chapter 13, book 1)

They wandered around on the beach for a while, the hot sand felt amazing and Jake coudn’t help but watch her and those legs strolling around as she picked up shells. So lost in her own head about something and completely oblivious to him watching her intensely. She was breathtaking in every way, now that her nervousness about being in that pretty mind blowing bikini seemed to be calming down he just wanted to stand this way all day and see that little content look on her face. She made him feel all kinds of things right in that moment, protectiveness, warm and happy, maybe even a little tug in his heart if he was being honest. He definitely felt horny but not in the overwhelming way like in the water, a more laid back gentle attraction. He could handle it this way if only it would stay this constant.

She stopped and glanced his way, he could feel her eyes before he really saw them, he had taken a moment to wander the shore and breath in some of the surroundings to get his head straight. This was one of his favourite places to kick back after all. Jake loved anything to do with the ocean and being in the great outdoors.

He caught sight of her making her way towards him and turned to watch her walk, the way she moved had always captivated him, graceful, even, and swanlike. At first she had seemed more stiffly in control over her motions, months ago, but over time she had relaxed. Especially with the ice queen postures and now she was just elegant. Her little nervous habits bugged him though, he hated thinking she ever felt that uneasy around him and whenever he saw her twirling her hair he wanted to cut her hands off. As soon as he saw those fidgeting fingers he could never stop the impulsive need to still them.

As soon as she was close enough he laced her tiny hand in his and tugged her with him, so many times he had told himself to stop with all the touching and hand holding he had started so long ago but he couldn’t. It was essential, like breathing and came so naturally to him with her now that it would be futile. He had started it to get her used to him, long ago when he had first taken her to meet Hunter, he hadn’t liked the flinch at his touch, or the fear in those big baby blues. He had made a conscious decision to get her used to his touch if only to relax her and somehow it just grew to this. Holding hands was something he did constantly, pulling her along, hell even taking her to business meetings. So many times had he caught strange looks from other receptionists that he was pulling his PA along by the hand and he would glare back at them. He knew it wasn’t normal but Emma just assumed he was this way with everyone. Margo maybe, not so much hands on but definitely not everyone. Just people he cared about and always her. Holding her hand now just felt right, a perfect small fit in the palm of his hand, that familiar soft touch that just made him want more from her.

‘Here, Emma.’ He could see her shielding her eyes as the noon sun lifted higher in the sky so he handed his shades back to her, with her eye colour she needed them more than him. He practically spent half his life in the sun and had never really felt any effects from sun glare. Letting her go he moved along to pick up some pebbles, the sun warming his already brown skin.

‘Thanks.’ She smiled his way as he bent down and expertly skimmed his pebbles across the soft lapping waves. Looking her way for a moment to really gaze on how much more relaxed she seemed away from the others on the boat. Once again he wished they had just come here alone. He wanted nothing more right now.

‘What is it?’ She tilted her head questioningly at him.

‘You seem a bit more relaxed now we’re over here.’ He could definitely see it.

‘I feel more relaxed.’ She sighed and began looking around her feet, pushing the sand with her tiny toes and looking a bit too adorable in that moment. He took a slow breath and continued skimming stones to distract himself.

‘You look it.’ He skimmed another stone like an expert unable to stop the goofy smile hitting his face at watching her.

‘I’m glad you made me come.’ She was watching him more closely now, giving nothing away in that face. Like always.

‘I’m glad I didn’t have to force you.’ He grinned this time, knowing that forcing Emma was never that easy, she had a stubborn streak and was one of the few women he had ever met who stood up to him defiantly. Even when he was being an arsey dickhead. He loved that about her.

‘Technically, you gave me no choice.’ She pouted sassily at him, that tiny little spark that was always beneath the surface. He would love to see her fully let go of it and just turn into a tornado like Leila could. He got the sense she was more than capable but her reserved nature kept it locked down. He wanted to see her release that passion a little. Okay, maybe not to Leilas extent but some of it anyway. He often wondered if she did it deliberately, kept herself calm and even so she would never lose control.

‘You always have a choice with me, Emma, you know that.’ He looked her way once more, feeling relaxed too, wanting to just memorize her standing that way, hands on hips and a body to die for. He shook that mental thought away knowing that if he stuck with it his mind would find the shortest route to the gutter once more. Being around her minus a whole lot of clothing was trying to say the least and his libido was starting to fight back.

‘We should be getting back, the others will think we don’t like them.’ He tensed and flexed his body, catching a quick glance of her eyes as he did so and it immediately caught his attention. Definitely no fear that time or any sense of discomfort. That had most definitely been an eye wander of the appreciative female variety, maybe she wasn’t as immune as he thought and would definitely love to explore that possibility. About time his assets were winning her over, he knew he was built and had enough sex appeal. Hell, he knew he was a good looking bastard, women had made that obvious his whole life.

‘Sure, I’m kinda hungry too.’ She pulled off the shades seemingly shaking it off and handed them back to him, he tried to do the same but that tiny flicker of hope in his chest wouldn’t recede back to where it came from. He felt like a girl with all the mushy crap going on inside of him right then and had to mentally chastise himself.

He led the way back into the sea, staying close and making sure the swim back wasn’t an ordeal for her. He would have carried her the full way had she seemed tired but she handled it well. No hint of fatigue just long graceful strokes that matched his and he felt proud of her. She never ceased to impress him.

* * *

They spent lunch on deck with the rest of the party, eating chicken Caesar salad and drinking wine, lounging on the padded double loungers on the main deck. Jake was making sure he stayed by her side and warned his friends off visually. He wouldn’t put it past any one of them to make a play for her if he left her alone. Such was the nature of their trips. Each guy always brought dates and some unspoken agreement that all was fair game and no one would get prissy about it after. The girls they normally brought were bed hoppers, no loyalty and definitely never anyone serious. Leila was the exception normally, she wasn’t much for it and even though he could see she wasn’t really that into her date, he knew she wouldn’t sleep with any of the others. Emma was completely off limits to any of them and he would damn well break the neck of any who tried.

Jake was leaning towards Daniels bed, Emma at his back and caught in conversation with Leila. Daniel was arguing about sports, one of his passions and Jake just loved to goad him on the matter anytime it came up. He was more into manual stuff, extreme sports he could do himself but he wasn’t against watching the odd football or baseball game. Daniel was just too easy to wind up. He was only half listening though as he could most definitely hear the words ‘hair’ ‘cut’ and ‘short’ going on behind him and he didn’t like it one bit.

Looking back at Emma he caught Leila picking up a strand of that soft honey blonde hair with the look of someone contemplating cutting it all off. He could feel the frown taking over his face and minor irritation as Leila said ‘pixie cut’ and he could only assume that was something very short like hers. Emma wouldn’t suit Leilas hair, she needed soft and sweet around her face, not edgy and choppy like hers.

‘I think you would suit maybe shoulder length.’ Leila’s sweet little voice is all too sultry and he can tell she’s trying to talk Emma into doing it. That persuasive eye fluttering she had suckered him with many a time in the past twenty years.

‘Maybe.’ She picked up a strand too and wound it around her finger and Jake was no longer listening to Daniel at all, he was fully integrated into defending Emma’s hair.

‘What’s wrong with how it is?’ He frowned, keeping his hands down and quelling the urge to run his fingers over the strand she was holding. She suited her wavy halo of soft hair, It was feminine and her. He didn’t like the idea of no longer having it hanging down her back and blowing gently in the breeze.

‘Jake?…. Men have no clue. Woman like a drastic change every so often.’ Leila quipped at him with that sassy raised brow and he just wanted to sit on her right about now.

‘If it’s not broke then don’t fix it.’ He bit back, he was used to these little head to heads with this short fiery devil. He would be damned if she was going to push his Emma around.

‘Maybe it’s not broken but can definitely be revamped. Women do like to shake it up every so often. Try on a new look.’ Leila was putting on her sarcastic tone, raising that brow and challenging him, yet again. This girl never ceased to push his buttons and sometimes he wondered why the hell he hadn’t just drowned her in the past.

‘It’s my hair!’ Emma cuts in raising hands between the two in a bid to distract them but she wasn’t swaying these two. This was a common thing, Leila and Jake head on in subtle ways, always finding something to challenge one another over. It was just how they were.

‘I like it how it is. If you want to change it then fine, it can always grow back.’ Jake felt stupid as his tone came out, he sounded more like Emma’s boyfriend than her boss about now and Leila was smirking. The urge to push her face into the lounger was strong, if she still had pigtails he was sure he would be tying them over her mouth right now.

‘Worried your girlfriend won’t get you all hot and bothered with short hair Jacob?’ Leila prodded him over Emma with her finger in Jakes shoulder. He just scowled back at her, she was pushing her luck today. He could easily pick her up and throw her overboard in one fell swoop.

‘Shut up wench. Emma has more sense than to let me be her boyfriend.’ 

And didn’t he know it.

‘Oh right, I forgot. You’re just friends.’ The honey like way she said it made him grimace a smile her way, clenched teeth and warning her off with his eyes. He could see that glint of cheeky amusement and really did wonder why Mrs Huntsberger didn’t smack Leila more as a child.. ‘I can see that.’ She added sarcastically and he wondered if spanking her now would make any difference.

‘Really, we are.’ Emma sounded quiet, flustered and he tried to ignore the crazy going off inside of him, trying not to react badly to something he already knew. He should have been used to her subtle rejections by now.

‘Well then, you won’t care if I take her to get it all shorn off then, will you?’ Leila throws a defiant look his way and he just bites his own tongue in a bid to stop bickering, frowning and glaring that as soon as he got her alone he was going to chew her head off. Devilish little minx, she knew exactly what she was doing.

‘Emma can do whatever she wants with her hair. She’ll always look beautiful.’ He got up, walking away before he made good and sat on Leila and tried to pull her ears off or something equally immature. Brat.

‘Someone is not a happy little playboy today!’ He heard her even though he was moving away to the buffet table and ignored her. Witch! 

No he’s fucking not. Last thing he wants is Emma changing, she was perfect this way.

* * *

After lunch, Jake took Leila and Emma ashore on the speedboat they always kept moored to the cruiser, any excuse to get that thing out on open waters and let rip. He hoped she wasn’t going to come back with some crazy short hair but what could he do? He had no right to say anything. He wasn’t her boyfriend just her boss and as much as he invaded her life at times he knew where the boundaries lay. 

They met the awaiting car and driver at the port he had waiting and handed Emma his credit card. That immediate frown on her face and her mouth pouting to verbalize a refusal was shot down with his no nonsense glare. She knew his looks all too well and seemed to think better than pushing her luck on this front. He had warned her enough times at work that this trip was being financed by him and if she argued about it then there would be hell to pay. He had been raised that way and it wasn’t just about taking care of her, it was about his ego too. Emma slid it into her bag gracefully, she had used this card for ordering things for him at work so she was more than capable of using it now.

He pushed the urge away to kiss her on the cheek, with Leila hovering he knew that it would just raise more knowing eyebrows and he knew for a fact Leila was the type to point out to Emma that he had the major hots for her. He had kept his cool this far and thrown anyone off the scent and he was sure as hell not letting Leila get her teeth into that little known fact. Emma would run for the hills if she knew how he really felt about her.

He watched them go before putting the boat into reverse and backing away from the pier, she was in the red dress today and much as he tried not to look at her this way he couldn’t help it. She was irresistible in every way and only so much more in floaty girly clothes that had made an appearance on this trip. God, he would keep her this way all the time if he could. As much as he loved her office outfits, and he surely did. That much sexy was hotter than hell, he liked this far more. She looked like the kind of girl you married like this, perfect angelic and soft and he wanted nothing more than to walk around showing her off.