Chapter 44

“Will you two come up for air?” Daniel’s voice breaks in, accompanied by a sharp shove that transfers through Jake to me. “Seriously, man, I’ve been standing over there for like twenty minutes waiting for you to stop.”

“This jealousy thing, man, it’s killing me. I just don’t fancy you, Danny!” Jake smirks up at him, arms still draped around me, holding me close.

“Funny! Look, I need to talk to you…alone.” Daniel is serious, and some sort of secret look passes between them.

“Okay, keep your wig on.” Jake turns to me with a kiss and a smile, “I’ll not be long; I can see Leila coming anyway.” We both glance up and see her heading for us, her eyes deliberately zoned in on me and avoiding Hunter.

“Seriously, dude?” Daniel looks completely panicked and hurries Jake away with him just as she approaches. Neither acknowledges the other, and I catch Jake throwing him a glare as they both walk off.

“Asshole,” Leila mumbles under her breath as she moves back in beside me and grabs my hand. “Was powdering my nose and having some girly bathroom bonding. And now we’re dancing, sexy Ems. Come on.”

She hauls me up to where some other women from our party are already gyrating in time to music and pulls me to the inner circle. I get the distinct impression she doesn’t want to talk about this at all.

A couple of the girls pull me over in sheer delight, asking me loudly, over the thump-thump of music, how I bagged the Jake Carrero as an actual boyfriend, making me feel about twenty feet tall. Seems I’m the envy of most of the women in the group. I try to give the briefest and vaguest of replies, saying Jake couldn’t resist me, and I sense Leila start to relax back to that happy-go-lucky girl I’m used to.

By the fifth cocktail, I’m decidedly drunk, completely accepted into the group of giggling women, and stumbling on my shoes frequently. I’m glad when familiar strong arms come around my waist from behind, Jake’s husky voice in my hair as he searches out my neck with his mouth.

“I feel neglected over there, Bella.” He pulls me into his body, molding me against his. Catching the envious and swooning looks from the women I’ve been dancing with, I experience a warm inner glow that spreads through me. I like that Jake is as irresistible to other women as he is to me; it makes me feel smug and on top of the world.

“You should have come over to dance then.” I grin, sinking into the feel of him, stumbling on my shoes again as he braces me.

“I think I should have, instead of sending over more alcohol, bambina. I think I see the return of drunk Emma; I’ve never gotten down and dirty with her,” he breathes hoarsely into my ear, sounding so sexy I turn and plant a kiss on his lips impulsively, the touch instantly searing into a hot kiss. He cups my face and pulls me back to his mouth more firmly. The second kiss is more scorching than the first, and my legs turn to mush as he holds me up. I hear the giggling and coos of the women behind me and ignore them, although the warmth of knowing he’s all mine sears through me instantly, amplifying the heat and the urge to rip his clothes off. When he lets me go, I’m panting with the effects of that kiss.

“You might get lucky, then.” I try my seductive look as he smiles in response, a perfect slow, smooth “Hollywood’s best” smile.

“Maybe I should be looking for a cab about now.” He grins against my mouth as he moves in for a repeat. I don’t get a chance to respond before Leila cuts in.

“Stop pawing at her and go back to your menfolk,” Leila snorts, and we move apart slightly so we can both look at her. “Your obvious amore for your woman is making me green with envy, Jacob!” She pulls his arms off me and attempts to push him away, back to where he came from. I frown with disappointment. He grabs Leila in a headlock and plants a kiss on top of her head as she battles to get his muscular arm off her face.

“Laylay, if you’d stopped eating the men who tried to date you, then one would be around to romance you too.” She shoves him off, throwing her famous pout at him.

“Stop calling me that! We’re not eight years old anymore, Jacob,” she huffs, then breaks into a scowl when he pokes her in between the eyebrows.

I’ve always loved the almost sibling love between these two. I love Leila so much that she can be forgiven for teasing Jake as often as she does.

“And my name is Jake!” he points out haughtily. He hates his Christian name so badly; it’s adorable. I smile at the pair of them and shake my head.

“Children, please.”

They glare at one another before Jake reaches out and grabs me by the hand and, with a swift tug, has me back in his arms behind Leila. Raising his eyebrows at Leila in mock disdain, he kisses me slowly and deliberately. I catch her unamused snort and inwardly giggle; I can almost visualize her hand-on-hip posture and dramatic eye-rolling.

Leila suddenly yelps and Jake looks up and over my head, his body instantly tensing. The look in his eyes goes from lighthearted and relaxed to a sudden death glare. Dark and dangerous, his whole demeanor changes immediately to solid stone.

“What is it?” I ask, straining to look around, but he’s holding me against him so tightly I can’t move more than a couple of inches. His jaw moves, eyes darkening, teeth clenching—it can’t be good. I get a deep surge of anxiety and small ripples of apprehension in my stomach. I wonder what he sees that has fighter mode Carrero lifting his aggressive head from the fiery depths.

“Ummm, so, Emma…” Leila’s voice drifts over, sounding nervous. Jake doesn’t release his hold on me or even let me turn to see what she’s doing. “This is Ben, my older brother.”

“I know who he is.” Jake’s voice is venomous, his arms around me rigid. He won’t let me turn and be polite. He holds me like his prisoner; I can’t even turn to look at Leila. I look at him helplessly, my irritation rising at his behavior. I can only see Jake’s strong, steady glare on this Ben. He’s practically emanating hate in a way I’ve never seen from him.

“Nice to see you again, Jake,” a male voice replies smoothly. He sounds flippant, unscathed by Jake’s obvious hostility; in fact, he sounds pleased about it. “And you…Emma,” he adds.

Behind me, I sense Ben walking away, and Jake finally releases me enough to turn. I see Leila move toward a group with a tall, dark man, a similar height to Jake, but his back to us. His build and posture are remarkably Jake-like, though, and that dark hair is a perfect color match.

“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?” I ask pointedly. Jake scowls at the back of the man and completely releases me, ignoring my question. Instead, he turns, grabs my hand, pulls me to the bar, and orders shots. Until now, he’s been going easy on the alcohol, staying mostly sober compared to me, but I guess he’s changed his mind. Not that I care; I like Jake drunk or sober and never understood his recent sobriety.

He drinks three shots to my one for a couple of rounds until I protest. He’s being evasive, and as much as I try to bring up the mysterious Ben, he blanks me completely. I’m already drunk, and anymore I’ll be unable to walk at all. Jake switches to vodka on the rocks and hands me a fruity cocktail, which I leave on the bar for fear of passing out. He’s avoiding conversation, so I let the subject lie, but when Jake’s not looking at me, I try to get glimpses of Leila’s brother to figure out who the heck he is.

Daniel appears and swings an arm around Jake’s neck from behind, whispering something in his ear that makes Jake frown. He turns his back on me toward Daniel, and the two lower heads to one another, carrying on the conversation in hushed tones. They look strangely cute yet male in that hunched way, and even though he’s being uncharacteristically weird, I try to ignore them.

“Dance!” Leila demands, appearing with another girl in tow and grabbing my hand. Her eyes dart at the huddled pair, and I notice a flicker of pain for a moment. Then defiance brews up in its place, and the Leila smile is pasted back on.

~You go, girl!~

“Sure thing.” I beam. I tug the back of Jake’s shirt to alert him that I’m leaving. He turns and looks at me, and I point to the dance floor. He smiles, kisses me quickly on the cheek, and turns back to Daniel, who has doubles and shots lined up in front of them on the bar.

~Oh boy, from sober to plastered in the shortest time ever. Looks like that’s what he intends to do.~