254

“You look sexy as hell. I’m not sure about leaving you in that bar for an hour. This was dumb.” He rakes a hand through my hair, catching it in his fist and giving it a little pull to bring my mouth to him for a gentle kiss.
“Leila will smell a rat if you’re all there when we walk in. I want her to loosen up a little so give us time to talk before you two come crashing in.” I’m trying to be patient with him tonight, his jealous and protective side wants to dominate, but his loving side is trying to give me a little space. He is visually struggling with himself.
“Then you should’ve let me arrange a quiet club. Fewer people, less chance of someone knocking into you and—”
“Stop.” I lean up and kiss him. Jake’s heart is thudding, and the way he keeps rubbing his hands on his jeans tells me he’s on the verge of a panic attack. He’s completely contradicted who he normally is over this, like our proposal night all over again, and it melts me. He’s been sweating rivers since we arranged this little operation at the thought of me being out in the big old world without his constant protection, and I giggle at the thought.
“I’ll be fine. We’ll get a corner seat, ply her with cocktails, and just talk. It’s a weekday. The place will be quiet, with no real party animals on a Tuesday night, Jake. Just people meeting for drinks.” I’m trying to soothe the face that has come over him, a furrowed brow, the infamous Carrero glare, and a touch of childish pouting. My heart softens to goo.
“An hour, though? I’ll go out of my mind. Maybe if Mathews sat …” He’s close to pacing again, like he was before, a frantic wild-eyed look draining over his face.
“No. Stop. Seriously.” I take both of his hands and pull them to my waist. He follows obediently.
“Trust me to take care of myself. I was doing it long before I had you. You, on the other hand … I’m not sure you can be trusted out with Daniel Hunter. There’s a lot of things you two could get up to in an hour.” I point out, and his face crumbles.
“You know I never would again, Emma … You know...” Again, with the panic-stricken expression. I silence him with a kiss.
“Trust,” I say slowly and deliberately with two raised eyebrows, and he sags with defeat. That green-eyed glare is turbulent, but he’s resigned to the fact that this is happening. He realizes that trust is a two-way thing and wants me to trust him more than anything in the world.
“Keep your cell out. We’re going to a bar that’s close, really close, so if you need me sooner, I’ll be there.” He raises an eyebrow at me in finality.
I sigh at him and then kiss his cheek indulgently before moving off to finish getting ready. He sighs heavily as he goes to the wardrobe to fish out his usual black shirt and jeans for a night out. I know this isn’t easy for him, the thought of not being there to look after me, but he needs to let this go. He trusts Nora and Mathews to take care of me here in the city, and he trusts Sylvana and her staff to tend to my every need when in the Hamptons, so now he needs to trust that I can take care of myself when out with my girls … when out anywhere in general. He needs to learn this, or my life will be almost impossible with him in the future.
“Don’t come until I text you. That’s the deal. If Leila is still too hostile, it won’t go well, so let us talk her around first. Promise me, Jake.” I turn toward him with my most efficient PA, Emma tone, which used to get him to behave. He tenses his jaw as he stares into his wardrobe, mulling over his response.
“You have an hour, max. If there is no text after an hour, then we’re coming.” He grits his teeth, and I find myself eye-rolling. I’m not in the mood to keep this going. I’ll have to play it by ear and hope I can deter the force that is Carrero from turning into a cyclone in that bar if he tries to enter before I need him.
“Stop glaring at your clothes and come over here and help me with my necklace.” I smile at him, a tad happier, as I catch that naughty look wash over his face. I’m in for some serious groping before Jefferson takes me to meet the girls, no doubt of that.

* * *

“Whatever you have that’s going to get me smashed in the shortest amount of time.” Leila eyes the bartender, wildly tossing that choppy blonde hair back off her face. She’s dressed to kill, wearing a strapless, short, tight, electric blue dress with killer spiked heels that look rather dangerous. Steel spikes sticking out the rears with a defiant look welded to her face. She’s been this way since we picked her up at her apartment, and she’s not our usual, bubbly, happy Leila.
“I’m not getting smashed tonight.” Sarah cuts in. “I have work tomorrow and last time was brutal; we cooked seafood all day. Do you know how bad raw seafood is when you’re hungover?” She grimaces at the memory.
“I obviously can’t drink.” I point down. “So, I suppose I’m on orange squash or something fruity and non-alcoholic.” Both girls throw me a pitying look but then smile and rub my belly, almost in sync. They’ve already declared themselves aunties and argued over the godmother rights of my future Carrero offspring.
Back at our seats in the corner, I relax a little as I look around. The place is busy and full on a weekday, but there’s a mellow atmosphere, and people are milling around chatting rather than hardcore partying. The DJ box in the corner is on low, playing chilled music, only adding to the calm atmosphere. I find myself aching for him to be here, despite myself, and push it aside.
“Get that dreamy look off your face already, and tell me when they’re coming.” Leila breaks in with a look that says busted. She doesn’t sound happy but not angry either, just resigned, knowing this would happen at some point.
“What?” I blink at her rapidly, guilt coursing through me, and I wonder how the hell she worked it out from just one expression on my face.
“Oh, come on. I’ve known Jake practically my whole life, and I happen to know what he’s like over you. This little phony freedom right here …” she says pointedly, drawing a circle around me in the air, “…without armed security and a huge plastic bubble keeping you and his heir safe from people breathing on you … God forbid … I knew instantly you two had set me up.” She looks rather pointedly at me and then at Sarah accusingly. I blush, and Sarah giggles.
“Gee, this one’s sharp. Is that common with all of Jake’s friends? Far too quick on the uptake!” Sarah takes a sip of her drink and watches us both with amusement. I should’ve known she would figure this out. She’s completely right. My being out of Jake’s sight for any length of time these days screams of huge red warning flags.
Dammit.
“Okay fine. But we did it out of love, and Daniel wants to see you, Leila. You dumping him is just plain absurd.” I wave my hands guiltily. She throws back her drink and starts waving manically toward the bar with her glass in the air. The tender throws her an obvious What? shrug, informing her this is not a table serving service, but starts making her a new drink regardless.
Leila and her power of persuasion.
“I can’t do it.” Leila looks down at the table and sighs, the feisty girl I adore taking a moment to lower her angry guard. “He’s going to crush me; the longer I see him, the more I fall for him, and he’s going to fuck it all up.” She flails at me in complete raw despair while Sarah reaches out a careful hand. Leila looks so broken somehow.
Sarah’s always been good at giving touching, empathetic love.
“Leila, it’s fear. You’re not giving him a chance,” she croons at her with her wide doe eyes in sympathy.
“You never saw him, some girl all over him trying to get in there, and he was just so … blank.” A single tear fills her eye, and she wipes it away angrily with the back of her hand. Her little face is crumbling, and her lip wobbling adorably.
“I’m lost. I don’t get you?” I sit back, trying to analyze her face. Trying to put myself inside Leila’s head and failing. The girl has as many complicated walls and levels as I used to have.
“He didn’t exactly push her off the way Jake would for you. No, beat it or fuck off. He just stood there watching her gyrating at him with her hands on his chest. Then it hit me. He would’ve totally fucked her if I weren't there.” She brings a red-rimmed set of heartbroken eyes to me, and I sigh. I know how soul-destroying that kind of insecurity can be. Hunter probably wasn’t even aware of the effect his indifference to the girl had on Leila.
“I know he wouldn’t have. You’re not giving him a chance, Leila. You’re so sure he will disappoint you and hurt you that you’re looking for fault. Looking to push him away.” I take her hand in mine, trying for maturity and directness. Sarah can be the soft one. I need Leila to see sense.
“Did you confront him?” Sarah is watching her with the same expression as me, and maybe she’s decided logical is the best route too.
“Of course, in grand, crazy bitch fashion, the stupid me who has been giving him hell for weeks.” she sighs and sinks even lower in her seat. “I told him to fuck off. We were done, and I threw my drink at him. Told him to take the whore if that’s what he wanted.” A blush of red surges over her delicate features as she cringes at the memory; at least she has the sense to realize she acted like an insane woman.
“Jealousy is a killer.” I point out, knowing fine well I probably would’ve kicked Jake’s ass if it’d been me. Jealousy makes us irrational, seeing red no matter how innocent the situation is.
“Well, aren’t we little angelic bundles of insecurity?” Sarah chirps in with a smile, patting Leila’s hand. “I once threw an entire plate of pasta at Marcus in a restaurant because some ex-girlfriend kissed him on the cheek when she came by to say hi.” She shrugs as a matter of fact.
“I tried to convince Jake I was climbing into another guy’s bed because I heard a girl in the background when he was on the phone to me.” I also shrug. The three of us regard each other for a moment, then burst out laughing. Even Leila laughs and wipes her smudgy eyes.
“None of that is healthy at all.” Leila looks deflated. “But it makes me feel less insane. I know I flew off the handle, but honestly, this is so hard. Daniel has made an art out of fucking my head up for the last ten years, and now he’s doing it again. I’m so scared that one of these days, he will turn around and be like … “This ain’t for me, kitten.” She does a very good Hunter impression, alarmingly so, even the way she tilts her head and raises a palm.
“Have you ever thought about not being so hostile and giving him a genuine chance? Letting him in a little so that maybe he won’t want to turn and run?” Now it’s my turn to pat Leila’s hand, and she sighs as the bartender nudges in with a round of drinks, leaving his card in full view in front of Leila, cockily and a little too smoothly. A move Jake would’ve pulled off a hundred times more seductively.
“Call me.” He winks at her before wandering back off back to the bar with a smile. All three of us watch him go with equally unamused expressions. He’s tall like Hunter, overly muscular and blonde, but way less appealing. He has an I’m in love with myself, so I bet you are too aura about him, making him unattractive instantly.
“Asshole,” Leila retorts, dumping the card over her shoulder toward the floor, not caring that he can still see her.
“So, if sexy barmen dropping their card on your lap are not going to cut it, then what next?” Sarah is now trying to decipher Leila’s thoughts, appraising her intensely.
“Guess you better tell the assholes they can come in then and at least try to pretend to look surprised at seeing us here.” She mumbles, sitting up straight, and taking a steadying breath. Fingers in her hair, tidying it up self-consciously.

* * *