Chapter 257

The view up here of the sea, beyond the large wide windows facing us, is perfection.

“It’s gorgeous.” I breathe, letting go of his hand to walk forward and trail my fingers over a furry throw
on the back of a beautiful armchair in the softest camel colored fabric. Immersing myself in the peaceful
serenity of this room and catch my breath as I spot a large, traditional, dark wood crib nestled in a nook
by the en suite door near the bed. Jake has obviously chosen this. It looks like it belongs there,
perfectly suited to the old meets new style and cozy features of the room; the wood matches our
bedframe. I turn and smile at him with damp eyes and a lump in my heart. His returning smile telling me
he knows what I’ve spotted; a special moment passing between us that Miss. Briggs. is completely
oblivious to.

“What do you think, Mr. Carrero?” Monica is almost kissing at him with her pouty voice, but I’m too
absorbed in the vision around us and the emotion of that little addition.

“If Emma loves it then that’s all that matters. I love anything she’s picked out.” I smile without looking
around, knowing he’s trying to shut down Miss. Briggs in all her flirting fury. He’s equally irritated by her
amorous attention. A while ago he admitted to me that the female adoration, he receives is tiresome
and annoying; even more so since meeting me.

“Oh … you have no opinion?” She sounds disappointed at his lack of interest in her pet project, she
probably thought that with this being his room the work she’s done

would somehow mean more to him. She’s obviously forgotten that as a man, Jake has an extreme lack
of interest in soft furnishings, especially when there is an equal lack of high-tech gadgetry in the room.
She seems to be blanking my existence.

Stupid hoe.



“Well … Honestly? There’s a bed and a lot of places to prop up my sexy as sin fiancée so yeah, I love
it.” I snigger at the smirk in his voice from behind me and can visualize the one shoulder shrug he’s
probably giving her.

I snort and cover my mouth to hold back the giggle trying to escape, warmed by his hand running up
my back softly as he comes to me, brushing around the back of my neck lightly, placing a kiss on the
back of my head.

Monica seems to be at a loss for words and I can’t help but side eye him with an indulgent grin;
complete adoration and tingles for my ‘reason to live’ standing beside me, but I shake my head at him
sighing.

Mr. Carrero, when will you ever behave? But I love you for it.

“If you’d like to see the alterations to the games room and the home cinema you asked for?” She cuts
in, a tad frostily. I roll my eyes, some things will never change with Jake, including his love of all things
manly and of course his Xbox room for when Daniel comes to play.

Do men ever really grow up?

“We can look around later when you all leave for the day, we’re going to unpack and get acquainted
with this room first.” Jake turns and throws her his best panty-dropping heartthrob smile. I know without
looking she’s probably swooning and close to fanning herself. I jump when he grabs my ass,
possessively and dramatically, in full view of her line of vision. “Need to christen the bed after all.” He
adds cheekily with a wink. I guarantee her face has turned fuchsia.

I sigh and continue staring out of the window, knowing full well he’s having more fun shocking the poor
woman, than is necessary, purely making a point at her expense. When she retreats amid a fumbling
flurry of words and shuts the door all too quickly, he turns back to me to catch my impatiently arched
brow.



“Remind me again why we hired her?” I stare at him pointedly. I am sure there are probably a million
other men who could’ve easily done the job with less of the eye raping of my fiancée.

“Because she was available for an immediate start and she has a great reputation.” He slides his arms
around my shoulders and props his chin on my head, joining me in looking out of the window.

“So, Friday you say?” I sigh, the noise of loud hammering and screeching cutting through the tranquility
of the room, irritating me immensely. This is hardly the homecoming to a new life I’d imagined when
driving here.

“Well … she promised on the phone. No more construction after Friday just a lot of decorating and
moving men to deal with instead.” He kisses me in the nape of my neck and runs his fingertips across
my collarbone sending tingles in every direction.

“Great, just what we need.” I sigh heavily, trying to push out the overwhelming urge to turn and molest
him, currently running through my bones.

“The old PA Emma is going to love bossing around all those sweaty men and Miss. Briggs. and you
know it. You were always an intimidating force in full PA mode.” His mouth has decided to linger on my
throat and the warm waves of longing are becoming distracting.

I suppose I can’t argue with that, overseeing, organizing, and making things perfect is what I excelled
at when working at Carrero Corp. I’m sure this is going be far more enjoyable than anything I organized
when I worked there.

“I suppose. If I can’t stand it, we could always stay next door.” I beam at him when I say it; having the
Carrero home less than 200 meters away is making me stupidly happy, and the only thing taking over
my rising hormone levels.



“We could, bambino.” He smiles as he lets me go and wanders toward the inner door of the room, near
to where we’re standing and opens it. He reaches inside and flicks on a bright light in the en suite. His
eyes scanning the inner room with a look of delight.

“Oooh,” I say out loud when I spot the shining coffee-colored sparkling floor from the doorway and
venture closer. The bathroom is in matching neutrals with the biggest jacuzzi I have ever seen and so
many shiny, chrome taps and knobs that I am completely clueless as to what they are for.

“I know what we’re doing for the next hour.” Jake winks and yanks me into the bathroom with him, a
mischievous twinkle in his eye finding no protests from me.

Wandering around, getting my bearings long after the men have packed up and gone for the day helps
this feel less like a dream. The tools are tidied away in piles against the hall walls, the masses of dust
brushed to one side and all that remains is the plastic protecting the floor and the canvas sheets
covering delicate pieces of furniture from Jake’s apartment. The aura of moving in settling around me,
making me grin in excitement.

Jake is busy exploring the rooms and checking for things he wants altered, being his usual
commanding self while I wander this beautiful house, absorbing the feel of it, realizing that this is going
to be our home from now on. It’s helping me; making me feel less like a guest in an expensive show
house. It’s big enough that if Jake and I should ever need space we could wander in two different
directions with no hope of seeing one another.

The house is eerily empty and silent, the staff are still away until all construction work is completed. For
now, Mathews is living in the pool house while his self-contained annex is decorated, ready for the
arrival of his wife. Jefferson is being allocated to the city for when Jake flies back for business and his
cars moved here so he doesn’t require a driver. However, Mathews will happily still chauffeur Jake
around when I don’t need him.



The plan is to sleep here, in our new room, and oversee the decorating, picking out furnishings and
furniture with Monica. We can eat and escape to Sylvana’s when we need to, but we need our own
space to start this new chapter of our lives. The freedom to relax and have intimacy when we feel like
it, without prying eyes.

“Emma?” Jake’s voice echoes down to me from the top of the stairs, making me smile. There’s
something extremely homely and domestic about his voice calling through this house looking for me,
sexy and husky as always.

“Down here.” I call back, padding into the kitchen to admire my shiny new appliances. I’m surprised to
find a full ready to use kitchen, stocked cupboards, and bursting refrigerator. Sylvana’s trademark
Tupperware in the huge double steel doors and shelves; all labeled with heating instructions, she has
thought of everything.

Jake strolls in, looking seductive in sweats and a T-shirt and I’m still in an over fluffy bathrobe from
swimming around that huge tub with him. He immediately heads to the coffee machine that looks like
the one from his apartment; but this one is chrome instead of black. This added touch to the kitchen
must be one of his choices; the coffee maker clearly having a small place in his heart.

“Mamma says she has a bunch of info sheets for you from her counselor friend and some insight on
how to become one.” He smiles over at me while preparing the machine, all sexy shoulders and
tensing biceps, completely distracting.

“We should go over in the morning.” I yawn, trying to drag my gaze off his beautiful body. We arrived
late in the afternoon and the ‘unclean’ soap fun took considerably longer than an hour. Tadpole and I
need food and sleep, in that order. This baby is ruining me, I am such a tired lightweight these days.

“Yeah, I told her it would be tomorrow.” He glances at me and I nod gratefully, the soft look he’s giving
me is making me feel content; he knows I need some rest, just from looking at me.



Jake is running things with Carrero Corp. in his own way; a trip once a week back to the city until he’s
happy Margo and her new staff are competent enough to take over, then he’s planning on fortnightly
trips to check up on things until after the baby is here. The idea of having weeks of blissful home
making with Jake while waiting on our little tadpole is my idea of heaven. I thought we’d never get to
this point. The baby’s nursery is one of our first projects to tackle together, now we’re here.

“I just want to get things sorted and settle in properly,” I beam. “It feels like this is the last hurdle before
life can actually start.” I run a hand over my stomach affectionately; a small bump starting to firm up
and extend slightly, another sign bringing the reality of this back to me.

“It will be, soon enough, bambino, if I have to pay them triple time to haul ass, I will. I want nothing
more than to start feeling at home here with you.” Jake slides a mug under the machine, catching the
hot liquid as it pours out.

“Home.” I sigh, gazing around the wide modern kitchen with a touch of emotion, that’s what this place
is; a home to start a family in. To fill with memories; where I belong with him, a new chapter, and a fresh
start to forget everything from before.

“Home is anywhere you are.” He suddenly nuzzles into me from behind and nudges his groin over my
backside suggestively.

“You’re still as insatiable as ever.” I giggle, his hands coming around to slide inside my robe, in true
smooth Casanova fashion, his mug discarded at the machine.

“Do you blame me? You’re still as fuckable as ever.” His hand is heading south on a mission, thanking
my inner stars for my lack of underwear, as he kisses my neck and moves in for the kill. His hands
skimming my nakedness and yanking the robe open, so he can access me undeterred.

Moving around to my front and into me, he slides his arms around my waist underneath the fabric of
the robe, delicious skin on skin movement, lifting me up onto the kitchen counter in an easy maneuver.



His mouth coming to mine, teasing me into erotica as his hands skim my naked upper body. Jake
moves his groin firmly between my legs, his tongue sliding into my mouth, catching the back of my
head in his palm so he can pull me into his kiss. I have zero capability to stop things heating up while in
this very compromising position.


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