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Sylvana snaps around at his approach, guiltily, and immediately jumps up to meet him. She’s saying something under her breath, fixing his bow tie and jacket hurriedly. His hands go to his hair to calm it down, suggesting she’s pointed out that he looks a little less groomed than before, and I can’t help but watch the expression on his face, as he does what he’s told to, with zero argument. He’s completely out of his depth and nothing at all like the Jake Carrero I know and love. His eyes are raking in the faces of the people around the room, as though taking some sort of mental checklist.
My stomach tightens and my hands get clammy again. His behavior is all I need to see to know I’m right about what he has planned. Only one thing could make Jake this scared out of his mind that even his appearance is something he’s oblivious of.
Fuck. He’s really going to do this, isn’t he? He’s going to do this, and they
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The Carrero Effect 227
The song choice from me to Jake is playing across the floor surrounding us as we sway. We’re still wrapped up in each other our eyes focused intently. The swell of happiness between us is infectious and I don’t think either of us has stopped smiling since his dance-floor proposal an hour ago. I truly know happiness beyond all bounds. I wanted to reply to his song, after all it was our tradition, and in a grand fashion to match his, the DJ was more than happy to oblige when the orchestra finally took their leave.Ella Henderson “Yours” plays beautifully across the room, telling him everything I want to say right now.He sways me around the dance floor for the hundredth time, wrapped in his arms and smiling like crazy. Feeling like I could die from contentment. People were congratulating us the whole way through the meal and neither of us has managed to stop touching the other; smiling
The Carrero Effect 228
“I’m not there yet, Leila. Okay? I’ve only just started getting my fucking head together but I’m doing this for you. Can’t you see that? I’m trying to sort my shit out, so I can be that guy who gives you love and commitment. I asked you to give me time and I fucking meant it. I wanted you to just give me a chance and wait for me. I fucking love you!” Daniel sounds ravaged and Leila’s stance crumbles a little. I open my mouth in shock at what he’s just said but Leila turns on him, accusingly, sheer anger in her little body as she tries to bring her height up to his by stretching.“So, I’m supposed to just hold my fucking breath and wait? For how long? Put my life on hold while you figure out if you really can give a shit about one woman? In the meantime, we do what, exactly? You still fucking around and me twiddling my thumbs?” She starts to cry as her words tumble o
The Carrero Effect 229
I stare at the cell in my hands for the hundredth time and sigh. My mother’s name is on the screen staring at me and I’ve contemplated pressing dial a million times. I should tell her about the baby and our engagement. She’s my mother and yet something inside of me is holding back. It’s been days since the restaurant and here I am sitting in the huge, empty garden of Sylvana’s home agonizing over what to do.Jake comes strolling out to me, carrying a blanket and a hot drink, coming level to my face with a look of adoration in his eyes. He drapes the blanket around my shoulders carefully and slides the mug in front of me kissing me on the temple.“Still undecided?” he asks gently, slipping onto the bench beside me and sits with it between his legs so he can face me and pull me close in between them, nuzzling me against him, cradling my head with his palm. His fingers thread themselves into my hair in the way he always does. I cl
The Carrero Effect 230
Jake holds the keys out in front of me, swinging his hand just out of reach like a torturous plaything and I lean up to swipe them. He lifts them higher and hits my mouth with a kiss when I try for a second time. He has a happy playful smirk on his face and his sexy stubbly jaw looks very delicious this morning to match his very good mood.“Stop tormenting me and open the damn door.” I giggle, and step back, folding my arms across my chest in a no-nonsense Carrero pose. I try to appear authoritative, but he just frowns and tweaks my nose in the most annoying way.“Ask me nicely.” He grins and lifts them higher above his head with a wicked look in his eye. He’s been like this since he got up and I’m enjoying the return of playful Jake. It’s been almost non-existent lately and I can only sigh at him.“Please, Jake … loving, gorge
The Carrero Effect 231
Jake groans against my neck as my hand closes around him inside his boxers. I almost jerk out of his hands with pleasure as his fingers find what I’ve wanted from him for weeks. Lack of touch down there has me at my most sensitive and I can tell already that I’ll cum the second he really is inside of me and not just those wickedly good fingers. Jake’s mouth captures mine again as he slides his hand in a rhythmic motion and I start the familiar internal building of hot waves and clenching pleasure. It’s happening too fast, weeks of not being touched is making my body long to climax. I’m over-sensitive and at this rate it’s going to be over before it’s started. I don’t want it that way. I want to savor this and enjoy it. I have him back, in his entirety, and I want it to be everything I’ve been dreaming of.“Jake wait.” I pant, as my legs start trembling. I don’t want it this way, I want us to get past this
The Carrero Effect 232
“I told you I needed to learn to forgive myself too and that’s what’s stopping me. I haven’t forgiven myself for hurting you. It doesn’t matter that you seem to be able to forgive me and love me. I still feel like a complete shitty asshole for what I did to you. I don’t deserve every part of you back, Emma. When I look at you it kills me that I hurt you, this perfect, angelic, trusting face, that looks at me like I’m her everything. Don’t you see how much it hurts to know the sadness you carried in these beautiful eyes for the past few months is because of me? Not some bastard from your past but me … That I hurt you, baby. I never wanted to be that guy to you. When you told me what happened to you, I swore to myself, right there and then, that I’d never do that to you. That I’d never do anything to put that look of devastation there again, but I did, and I saw it, and no matter how hard I’ve
The Carrero Effect 233
He gazes at me with the slow change of his eyes, from darkest green to pale as every doubt and thought starts consuming him. I push my head up and kiss him slowly and gently to stop the onslaught. He opens his mouth enough so I can slide my tongue in, and he follows me back down to the floor, so I can lie my head back. His touch raises the heat inside me once more to a soaring temperature, effortlessly and I start to let my hands roam him sexily. My kiss devouring him in the way he always consumes me, and he starts to respond. His body hardening against mine as his hands move down over my exposed breasts.I slide a hand between us and find him, urging him with strokes and caresses as he groans into my mouth, and I know I’m winning. I’m pushing away his doubts and indecisiveness, bringing him back to me again. I slide my legs apart, so he comes to nestle between them and wrap my thighs around his hips suggestively, securely,
The Carrero Effect 234
Jake is nibbling my neck and his hands are all over my breasts as we walk back to the Carrero family home. He’s walking behind me, making it impossible to get on at a decent pace while he’s groping the life out of me. I can’t stop giggling with every suck and nibble, and when his mouth finds my ear lobe, I sink back against him halting us in the street again. The pleasure overtaking me at being back in a world where Jake can’t keep his hands off me.We spent an alarmingly long time making up for wasted hormones by christening every room and almost every cupboard in our new home and now I’m tingling from every pore with the biggest radiant grin on my face. Jake has well and truly found his long-lost libido and by the last two rooms he was over his previous concerns about hurting babies or feeling guilty. The sex in those two rooms was hard and hot and taken from behind. I’m sure my skin is marked fro
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