Emerging twenty minutes later, the stains replaced with a sheer gloss instead, I make my way to the huge, opulent dining room and slide in beside him at the table amid the arrival of some of the others. He’s using his phone and completely ignores me. I bristle, knowing this isn’t a normal Jake move but I’m not going to let it get to me, I’m going to act like I don’t care at all and just sit down. I stop myself from looking at him, even though it’s almost impulsive to eye up how gorgeous he always looks.As soon as everyone is seated, he puts his phone away, leans back on his chair and places an arm across the back of mine while throwing me a triumphant look. I note that his father watches us from a distance at the head of the huge dark wood table and physically still. I have managed to avoid him until now, but dinner will be interesting. I get the distinct impression Giovanni is not all that enamored with his son hooking up with an employee

I lay awake in the night with his body coiled around me possessively, his face buried in the back of my hair breathing soundly. My arm free of the restraint and only the sheets of the bed keeping me captive as he’s still not got under the comforter with me. I must have dosed off at some point and he’d taken it off, but I can only remember turning and tossing until he switched off that damn movie.His arms are wrapped around my upper body and fingers entwined with mine, I sigh and relax into his hold, needing this to balm over the events of yesterday. I’m too weak for this game, already that ache of insecurity threatening to engulf me at the lack of his body joined with mine. He’s right. I don’t just need the sex though; I need the small things. The gestures and touches, the attentiveness and kindness too. All the things he deprives me of when he wants to win a stupid game. This helps though, that even in sleep he needs to cling to me and revives

“Likewise.” She giggles and hugs me again for added measure, her energy infectious and soon we’re walking along, hand in hand, catching up with anything we forgot to add in our emails to each other. Sophie is infectious, her happiness brimming over into every word and mannerism and I can see Leila’s influence in the quirky Converse with animal print laces and the sparkling diamantes on her jeans. Leila always liked a little bit of showiness.We make our way back to the main house, lost in easy conversation.“There she is!” Jake’s deep tone catches us both and she beams at him, she doesn’t, however, close the gap between them, the way she did with me and it’s the first time I see she has that same distance with males that afflicts me. It causes me a moment of pain. A flicker of heartache for her.Jake strides forward, giving her a light hug quickly before releasing her and scooping forward to plant a kiss on m

“Hmmm. I don’t know, Emma, am I? The woman I want a life with tells me she doesn’t actually fucking want it with me.” His anger rises at the closure of his sentence, his husky voice turning more to a growl. Deathly venom lacing his tone. That stubborn, impulsive, logic clouding his normally quick brain.“I never said that … I said not yet, there’s an enormous difference.” My resolve is crumbling and some sort of weary feebleness creeping over me. I was used to Jake’s crazy violent temper when I was his PA, but I’ve never seen it as his lover. Right now, I don’t know how to react or calm him.“Why not yet? I know how I feel already. If you don’t feel the same way after everything, then I doubt you ever will.” He slams his case shut and yanks it toward him to zip it up. The strength in the way he savages it is almost enough to snap it off.He’s being impossible,

“Joey’s … An old friend from Queens.” I know how stupid his reaction to the bear was the first time he ‘met’ him, whether it was in jest or not, it highlighted Jake has a severe jealous side and would probably miss the name of the bear. I hope it makes him suffer in the way he’s making me suffer right now. I hang up just as he explodes. Silencing the onslaught of Carrero abuse and craziness. I stand trying to calm the panic surging through me, my body shaking violently and my nerves trembling. Weak and hysterical, my heart pounding through my chest. I know everything is falling apart around me. My world is crumbling.I jump as my phone rings and his number flashes across my screen, but I red button him in defiance. He wanted to be an asshole and now he suddenly wants to talk. I reject button him a second time when it rings again.ANSWER THE FUCKING PHONE!!!!  The text beeps on almost as soon as I lay it face down