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Jake climbs into bed minutes after I do. I’m lying awake staring at the semi-dark ceiling lost in thought when he comes in. He strips off, without looking over, and climbs into bed sliding up against me, pulling me into his arm. I can’t help but smile that he did come swiftly along when Arrick intervened on the drama with his father.
“I’m awake,” I utter quietly, turning toward him so I can face him, melting into his body heat and feeling glorious against him. Its dull in here but not pitch dark so I can see him.
“You okay?” He leans in and kisses me soundly, mouth molding to mine, hand running up my spine delicately. I can’t help the tingles he ignites or the way my inner thighs tense deliciously at his touch.
“Surprisingly fine,” I say when we finally break apart. My desire aching to strip off the rest of his clothes and start licking every inch of that taut smooth tattooed skin. I’m starting to
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The Carrero Effect 219
We’re walking hand in hand, fingers entangled, along the sunny pavement in the crisp morning air toward the house Jake wants to buy. It’s almost a replica of the Carrero family home, yet instead of warm sandy brown roughing on the outside it’s brilliant white with palm trees gracing the front of the manicured lawn in an arc, it’s beyond gorgeous and postcard picture perfect.Two storeys high with modern clean lines and large windows under a sloped tiled roof. It looks so much bigger than the Carrero family home because of the bright colors and straight manicured lines of the surrounding lawns. It’s neat and modern looking in contrast to the flower beds and bushes of Sylvana’s gardens.It reminds me of Jake’s apartment in small ways. His neat masculine style and bold edgy taste but somehow this has a much homelier quality and a long sweeping drive up to a very beautif
The Carrero Effect 220
“So, when do you move in?” Leila lounges across the bed in Jake’s old bedroom and takes a grape from the platter of food between us; snacks and sandwiches including lots of fruit, courtesy of Mamma Carrero and her constant care.Sylvana is the perfect host and she’s been doting over me when the house is empty during the week, when the men are at work or doing whatever the Carrero men do when not glued to their women folk. She enjoys my company and Leila has flown to see me when I finally drummed up the courage to tell her about the baby.To say she was ecstatic is an understatement and the five-foot teddy bear suspended on helium balloons, in the middle of the bedroom floor over the massive hamper of baby products, was her arriving gift, humped in by two very good-looking men.It’s been four days since the house viewing and Jake had to go into the city to oversee some business details and deal with the house sale. He’s been go
The Carrero Effect 221
“Enough about that asshole … Have you heard anything more about that god-awful psycho slut?” Leila blinks at me and I know immediately that she means Marissa. The images that brassy whore conjures up in my head from the dining room experience make me bristle in hate.“Surprisingly not. She’s been lying low and hiding out since that little scene. Jake keeps expecting some sort of back lash like a refusal to let him see the kid after it’s born or something equally vindictive. He says silence is never good with her and I get the sense he’s on tenterhooks about it.” I try for nonchalant and just sound snooty. Leila grins at me, seeing through my attempts at mature and disconnected.“Yeah, she’s always been a devious whore with a calculated mind … Watch that one, Emma. She’s got absolutely no scruples; money, looks and entitlement have made for a very deathly spoiled bitch. Barbie with a shotgun and a
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“Please don’t. I can’t bear to think of Jake that way, knowing we were both hurting and both too stupid to just be honest with each other. If we’d been honest after we did get together then the mess with Marissa would’ve never happened.” I sigh, laying my cup down on the low table in front of us.“Honesty is very important … as is communication, and still cherishing one another even after the first throws of passion and excitement have died.” Sylvana focuses on me very seriously. “I know from first-hand experience that marriages can stray if you don’t keep a focus on what you mean to one another and if you stop telling each other how you really feel.” She pats me again and I get the impression she’s talking about Giovanni’s affair.I have no idea what to say, or ask, or even let on that I know what she’s talking about. I
The Carrero Effect 223
I know Leila came through the same channels as Sophie did as a child. Sylvana’s charity is completely embroiled in taking children in from abusive pasts and I realize, in this kitchen I am among kindred spirits and I never really thought about it before. I’m not the only one with scars and memories that haunt my dreams sometimes. I’m in the fold of two other beautiful young women who have their own demons and came out the other side happier and hopeful because they let people in again and learned to trust. They both sit here now, mere reflections of who they once were, smiles and genuine laughter in the knowledge they found a better, safer loving place. I’m the outcast I used to be, I’m one of them.The warmth of the kitchen and the peaceful serene atmosphere. This is what I need. This is what I’ve missed out on my entire life; a mother, a real loving maternal mother who cared enough to show her child
The Carrero Effect 224
Maybe Jake’s come to the realization too, that going back to how it was just isn’t going to be an option for me, for us. His taking over work and leaving me alone is almost a sign that really, deep down, he doesn’t want me to go back down that path either. Jake is a lot happier not bringing work between us, knowing the stress and arguments it could cause again.He’s taken a back seat compared to how he used to work, allowing Margo and her team do both our jobs. I know she now hassix people under her control, all taking various positions and responsibilities, allowing Jake to be able to wander in and out freely and deal with only the most important things. Jake’s head is no longer embroiled in the Carrero Corporation. It’s here with me, most of the time, and our future family. He engineered his work routine to dissipate as it gets closer to the baby coming and I know he fully intends staying put and going nowhere in the last month of m
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I catch sight of Daniel moving in from the side under cover of shadow and he slides into a seat beside Margo, throwing her a smile, and I suddenly feel sick and breathless. Daniel most definitely doesn’t show face at corporate things. He never has. He always says it’s not his thing and bores him to tears.Warning bells are going off inside my head and that flight or fight impulse has my feet itching to head for the nearest exit. I tighten my grip on Jake’s arm for security and a sense of calm. My heart is pounding erratically through my chest, palms clammy, my body turning cold with fear. He covers my hand with his, a grounding sensation that I’m aching for, but I’m still in panic mode and can almost feel the tension radiating from him. That’s why his touch isn’t working right now because Jake’s more scared than I am and he’s transferring it rather than taking mine away. My strong ca
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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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