She seemed to get on with Leila effortlessly, and he was glad that out of all the girls here she had
chosen her. They gelled, and it was nice to see because he knew Leila was one of the few decent girls
who was genuine in this lifestyle. She would stick up for her and defend her with honesty if the catty
other two started that shit again.
Jake hauled her up to dance when the band came out and it was pretty obvious Emma had gone
beyond tipsy. He had danced with her a million times at events and never had she been this useless.
He couldn’t stop laughing and having to grab onto her to support her every two seconds as she kept
falling off her shoes. She was all over the place and even when he pulled her against him suggestively
she somehow ended up teetering all over the place unable to stop swaying. The temptation to wrap his
arms around her fully and put her on top of his shoes so she could stay at peace was killing him. She
was so much sexier like this, fully trusting in him to put hands on her wherever he saw fit, but he was
trying to be a gentleman. So hard to do when the girl was grabbing his hands and pulling them to her
body in a way too sexy dance, the drunker she got. Emma was outright flirting with him now she was
drunk, and he wanted nothing more than to just stop caring and go with it.
“Your moves are terrible when you’re plastered, shorty.” He spun her around, catching her from the
back and pulling her against him. Hips swaying in time and his arms firmly around her, he knew he had
to get them off this dance floor before the gentleman in him fucked off completely.
“Shhhh. I’m doing just fine.” She slurred playfully. Giggling at him and just making him smile all the
more.
God, he loved her.
“Sure, you are. The second I let go, you’ll facepalm the deck. I’m all that’s keeping you upright.” He
joked with her, her hair was just under his chin and smelled like tropical fruit and her and just made him
want to taste her all the more.
“I’m sure I wouldn’t … You’re exaggerating my drunkenness.” She purred demurely, turning in his arms
and giving him a gentle chest shove. “Let me go and see.” She challenged him and that inner boy of his
lifted his hands with a shrug and a smile and stepped back to leave her to it and prove a point. She
attempted a step away sassily and stumbled over her own heels immediately, Jake’s quick reflexes
catching her and pulling that delicate curvy body into his with a tug to save her. He had to steel the
surge of lust at pulling every one of them damn curves against him so fully.
“You were saying?” He smiled at her and let her loose a little.
“Shut up.” Emma toppled, sliding in his embrace, swaying a finger under his nose in the most adorable
fashion and looking every bit the cute drunk student with her short wispy hair. “Not another word,
Carrero.” Finding her amusing, he motioned the locking of a key over his lips and pretended to throw it
away before casting her a wink and pulling her back in for another slow groove. Another bout of
Emma’s terrible balancing act but he didn’t care, it was an excuse to hold her a little closer and enjoy
how she felt being against him. An excuse to wrap his arms a little tighter and pull her a little more
closely than he ever dared when it was just work.
He finally gave up when it became obvious the only way she was going to manage dancing anymore
was in his arms this way and he grinned her way. He could take advantage of it or he could do the
decent thing and put her down. Grudgingly he chose the decent thing as she always made him feel like
he wanted to be better.
Too freaking cute for words. Too goddamn intoxicating.
He tugged her by the hand, watching her unsteady wobble and the way her big eyes watched him
adoringly, he had to give her that much. She knew exactly how to wind him around her little finger with
just a look whether she meant it or not and he had no will to ever refuse that face. He slid an arm
around her shoulders, pulling her close to support her and possibly take advantage of holding her once
more. He couldn’t help but listen to her drunken rambling with a smile, she was making very little
sense, but he just liked the sound of her voice. It was something he never tired of hearing.
She wasn’t one of those girls who talked incessantly, in fact, she didn’t talk enough if he was being
honest. Emma was reserved most of the time, even in conversation and he liked the version that
appeared when drunk. That version of her let any damn thing out of her head as soon as it hit her brain
and that was a girl he was crazy for, incredibly sweet, a little too adorable and a lot of sexy.
Back at the table, Jake had practically carried Emma with an arm around her waist to the others who
were mid-story about a trip they had taken last summer. Jake could hear Hunter reminiscing over the
Ibiza party they had thrown for his birthday, that one time they had ended up drunkenly stealing Jet skis
and going on a middle of the night adventure while too drunk to be doing anything of the sort.
Jake guided Emma to the group of standing men this time, instead of the seats where Marissa had
switched to one directly beside where he had been, sliding a casual arm around her shoulders and
pulling her close so she would stay away from that vicious look Marissa had all over her face. Emma
didn’t seem to notice his over-familiar handling of her, so he took that as encouragement that she was
fine with being a little manhandled. He handed her a drink and leaned in to catch up with what his
friends were talking about. Leila was on her feet too, standing between the twins, and he couldn’t help
noticing that Daniel was avoiding looking her way. The boy was completely hopeless when it came to
Leila, and he wished he would just sort his act out and tell the girl how he really felt about her.
“Yeah, so Jake’s like, I’m sure we can make it … and he goes speeding off on his fucking jet ski, right in
… doesn’t give a fuck.” They all burst into laughter and looked toward Jake as Daniel patted his back.
Jake was trying to remember the point in the story and mildly aware Marissa was trying to catch his eye
again, he ignored her best he could but she was making him uncomfortable with the efforts she was
applying and he cast his mind back to that midnight romp in which they managed to get stuck out at
sea with a storm brewing and had ended up using a cave for shelter.
“What choice did I have?” Jake cut in, finishing Daniel’s memory. “Daniel would have had us sleep out
there at that rate, not that he would have minded. Daniel’s always trying to get in the sack with me, the
boy’s still trying to deny his feelings.” He joked, taking a swig of his beer and relaxing as he felt Emma’s
eyes on his profile, looking adoring and kissable as ever. God the urge to just lay claim to her in front of
everyone right now was killing him. He wanted her badly and cuddling up together was making things
so much worse.
“It’s kind of heart-breaking to watch him suffer … Unrequited love.” Richard broke in, stifling a grimace
as Daniel slapped his back a tad too aggressively.
“Fuck you. Both of you,” Daniel spat a little harshly.
“You know when you know … Right?” Vincent threw a wink at Daniel and three of the four men burst
out laughing, Daniel rolled his eyes and gave them the finger.
“Tried so damn hard to let him down gently, he’s just too sensitive.” Jake ruffled Daniel’s hair.
“I’ve caught him sobbing into his Haagen-Dazs a few times, when you stood him up, Jakey.” Richard
shoved Daniel in the ribs playfully and winked Jake’s way.
“He stole my Endless Love CD when you missed his birthday bash last year. Perfect crying anthems on
there for dumped lovers.” Leila quipped in throwing a huge smile at Jake and he smiled back, Leila had
been trying for months to be okay around Hunter and this trip was the first time in so long they had not
tried to kill each another on sight. They had some serious history between them.
“I swear to God, you guys better stop with this shit. Even if I was that way inclined, I wouldn’t jump
Carrero’s bones. I know where he’s been, I have standards.” All three men looked at Jake with
eyebrow wiggles and he only sneered at them. By their standards, his whites were a hell of a lot
cleaner, he had at least some morals when it came to the women he pursued in the past.
“Umm, I think I’ve way higher standards than any of you three.” He defended himself with a frown.
Suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the topic while Emma was standing so close and almost
scrutinizing his profile, he couldn’t look her way when talking about past conquests.
God, she had no clue he wasn’t even doing that anymore.
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