Chapter 280

“I like it how it is. If you want to change it then fine, it can always grow back.” Jake felt stupid as his
tone came out, he sounded more like Emma’s boyfriend than her boss about now and Leila was
smirking. The urge to push her face into the lounger was strong; if she still had pigtails he was sure he
would tie them over her mouth right now.

“Worried your girlfriend won’t get you all hot and bothered with short hair, Jacob?” Leila leaned over
Emma and prodded him in the shoulder. He just scowled back at her, she was pushing her luck today.
He could easily pick her up and throw her overboard.

“Shut up, wench. Emma has more sense than to let me be her boyfriend.”

And didn’t he know it?

“Oh right, I forgot. You’re just friends.” The honey-like way she said it made him grimace a smile her
way, clenched teeth and warning her off with his eyes. He could see that glint of cheeky amusement
and really did wonder why Mrs. Huntsberger didn’t smack Leila more as a child. “I can see that,” she
added sarcastically, and he wondered if spanking her now would make any difference.

“Really, we are.” Emma sounded quiet, flustered, and he tried to ignore the crazy going off inside of
him, trying not to react badly to something he already knew. He should have been used to her subtle
rejections by now.

“Well then, you won’t care if I take her to get it all shorn off then, will you?” Leila threw a defiant look his
way and he bit his tongue in a bid to stop bickering, frowning, and glaring. As soon as he got her alone
he was going to chew her head off.

Devilish little minx, she knew exactly what she was doing.



“Emma can do whatever she wants with her hair. She’ll always look beautiful.” He got up, walking away
before he made good and sat on Leila and tried to pull her ears off or something equally immature.

Brat.

“Someone is not a happy little playboy today!” He heard her say, even though he was moving away to
the buffet table and ignored her.

Witch!

No, he’s fucking not. Last thing he wants is Emma changing, she was perfect the goddamn way she
already was!

* * *

After lunch, Jake took Leila and Emma ashore on the speedboat kept moored to the cruiser, any
excuse to get that thing out on open waters and let rip. He hoped she wasn’t going to come back with
some crazy short hair but what could he do? He had no right to say anything. He wasn’t her boyfriend,
just her boss and as much as he invaded her life at times, he knew where the boundaries lay.

They met the car and driver he had waiting at the port and handed Emma his credit card. That
immediate frown on her face and her mouth pouting to verbalize a refusal was shot down with his no-
nonsense glare. She knew his looks all too well and seemed to think better than pushing her luck on
this front. He had warned her enough times at work that this trip was being financed by him and if she
argued about it, then there would be hell to pay. He had been raised that way, and it wasn’t just about
taking care of her, it was about his ego too. Emma slid it into her bag gracefully, she had used this card
for ordering things for him at work, so she was more than capable of using it now.

He pushed away the urge to kiss her on the cheek, with Leila hovering he knew that it would just raise
more knowing eyebrows and he knew for a fact Leila was the type to point out to Emma that he had the



major hots for her. He had kept his cool this far and thrown everyone off the scent, and he was sure as
hell not letting Leila get her teeth into that little-known fact. Emma would run for the hills if she knew
how he really felt about her.

He watched them go before putting the boat into reverse and backing away from the pier. She was in
the red dress today and much as he tried not to look at her this way, he couldn’t help it. She was
irresistible in every way and only so much more in floaty, girly clothes that had made an appearance on
this trip. God, he would keep her this way all the time if he could. As much as he loved her office outfits,
and he surely did, this much sexy was hotter than hell, he liked this far more. She looked like the kind
of girl you married like this, perfect, angelic, soft, and he wanted nothing more than to walk around
showing her off.

Back at the boat Jake headed to his room and pulled off his T-shirt. While Emma was on shore he was
going to kick back, swim some, and spend some time with Danny and the twins, having a beer and
catching up. He knew that Marissa and Miracle were afternoon nappers, unlike Emma and Leila, and
wouldn’t show face for a while at this time of the day. He hated lazy women who partied late and then
lounged all day with nothing else in their lives. Emma had more get up and go than that, even hungover
she still dragged her ass to work and rarely complained. He could never imagine someone like her ever
being happy with the lifestyle Marissa was effortless at. Spoiled rich bitch with nothing to do all day
except work on a tan.

He made his way to the deck and found Daniel already on a lounger, topless with a beer in hand and
the twins splashing around in the ocean trying to drown one another. Jake moved to the next lounger
and sat down heavily, Hunter automatically grabbing a beer from the cooler beside him and tossing it to
Jake. He opened it and downed half. Drinking in the sun was pretty dumb, but he had done it for years
and it never affected him like it used to.

“So, the little women off to abuse your accounts?” Daniel smirked his way, and Jake just nodded his
head at him.



“Probably.” He shrugged and sat back, easing his body onto the padded bed fully and lifting his legs,
kicking his trainers off the side. Leila would definitely encourage Emma to abuse his credit card and he
hoped she would.

“What’s the deal with you and her? Don’t give me that friends bullshit line again man … It’s pretty
obvious she’s under your skin.” Daniel lifted his shades and looked at Jake pointedly, scrutinizing his
face with that intense Hunter glare.

“I’ll be fucked if I know. As much as I tell myself I have a handle on this … I don’t.” He sighed. He had
never lied to Danny, in all the years they had been friends, brutal honesty was always their thing, and
he knew he could trust him to never breathe a word to anyone else. Hunter was a lot of things, but a
loyal tried and tested best mate above all. Surprisingly wise when he saw fit and not against love
despite his own aversion to it.

“Being honest here, mate … I’ve never seen you this way over any chick, what’s so goddamn special
about this one?” Daniel frowned his way, genuine curiosity across his face.

“Everything … Nothing … Fuck knows. She’s her. I can’t pinpoint it—just from the minute she walked
into my office I wasn’t me … No control, zero ability to function properly, and the longer I know her the
worse it is.” Jake was stressed talking about this, he had never analyzed it, he tried not to.

“There must be something specific?” Daniel was maneuvering his position to stare at Jake more fully,
going in for the shrink’s approach it appeared. He did seem genuinely curious.

“Which specific thing do I pick … How she looks? How she is? How she makes me feel? … She’s
Emma, she’s not got anything about her that’s not great. Except maybe the not wanting me part.” Jake
hunched his shoulders and scrubbed a hand down his face.



“Maybe that’s it … Maybe because she’s probably the first woman in the history of Carrero to actually
not want to jump your bones?” Daniel said smugly, and Jake considered it for a moment.

“I genuinely used to tell myself that exact thing.” He sighed.

“You’re suffering from some sort of bruised ego, man, chick turned you down flat and doesn’t want the
great Carrero boner. It’s reverse psychology or some shit. If she was all over you, then maybe you
wouldn’t be interested.” Daniel grinned but Jake knew this was wrong, as much as he wanted to tell
himself Daniel could have a point. Maybe in the beginning but not now. He knew that having her once
wouldn’t take away this need. If he was right, he would want a one-night stand, and he didn’t. He
wanted something meaningful with her.


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