“Mr. Carrero? Mr. Hunter is asking for you.” A young female voice drew his attention, looking up at a
young nurse in blue scrubs beckoning him to follow, so he did without hesitation. She smiled his way
warmly.
“He’s okay? He’s going to be okay, I mean?” He tripped over his words, half relief and half exhaustion.
Walking behind her and trying to drag his heavy weight with him. He felt about a hundred years older
suddenly.
“Yes, he will be kept in for observation of course but he’s fine. His father has been notified and on his
way.”
Jake sighed, relief washing over him and a sudden ache to wrap arms around Emma shocked him. He
didn’t have his cell with him to call her. He’d gotten here in soaked clothes, a shirt, and chinos, not even
wearing shoes.
Jake was ushered into a side room that resembled every hospital he had ever been in, a lot like that
time he had gone with Emma to Chicago. A single bed that was tilted into a comfier position,
surrounded by white curtains and a bunch of machines and Hunter sitting grinning at him from the
middle of it all like a fucking asshole. Dressed in a hospital gown and tucked in like a goddamn child
under blue sheets and a blanket.
“Dickhead,” Jake grunted at him but still moved in for a shoulder to shoulder man-hug and patted his
best friend on the back with sheer relief.
“You’re my hero, baby, hear you swam your little lungs out like Aqua Man trying to find me.” Daniel
winked at him, but he had the urge to just punch him in the face for being so fucking normal.
“Fuck head. At least pretend to be remorseful or at least injured, right now you’re making me want to
hurt you and I wouldn’t feel any guilt at all.” Jake flicked Hunter in the forehead in agitation then hauled
a seat over and slumped down ungraciously.
“Charming! You look like crap … Tired and definitely not like a guy who got laid.” Hunter eyed him up
warily and Jake only stuck the V up at him.
“Yeah, well, whose fault is that?” he growled at him grumpily, rubbing his face and feeling several layers
of fatigue hitting him all at once. Relief was a funny thing, it let loose everything he had been holding
back for hours and all of a sudden, he was drained in the worst kind of ways.
Goddammit, he was beyond tired and no longer anywhere near drunk at all.
“Sorry, bud … So, how far did you get with little miss icy pants?” Hunter grinned but Jake only glared at
him coldly.
“Don’t call her that. Danny? How the fuck did you fall off the boat? There are safety rails for that
specific reason and even a drunk asshole like you couldn’t just tumble over them.” Jake shifted in his
chair trying to find a comfier spot but couldn’t. His body aching and desperately in need of sleep.
“Misdirection! Interesting … So maybe started something but didn’t finish it huh?” Daniel smirked his
way and got another finger aimed his way.
“How?” Jake repeated.
“Okay, I’ll go first if you go second … no bullshit from either of us … deal?” Hunter looked sheepish and
peaked Jake’s attention. He obviously had something juicy he was hiding. He sighed and then nodded
knowing Hunter wouldn’t give this topic up.
“I saw Richie trying to coerce Leila into my wild little party, pulling at her dress and trying to haul her
back … She was saying no, and I just saw red. I flew for him but being drunk as fuck I misaimed and
went straight over the rails. I don’t think they were even looking my way so everyone thought I’d just
jumped up and Superman dove into the ocean.” Hunter shrugged, a little color rising up his cheeks with
embarrassment and Jake couldn’t do anything but burst out laughing. He leaned into his knees and just
gave in to the worst kind of hysterics.
Relief, pent-up emotional trauma. Who knew? But he laughed so much his sides started to ache, and
tears poured down his face, when he stopped he realized Hunter was laughing too. Just how
ridiculously close he had been to death in trying to save Leila from an orgy he had started. The whole
thing was completely crazy.
“Jesus, Danny … for the love of God please tell the fucking girl you love her for fuck’s sake!” Jake
hauled his arms around his ribs to stop the ache, but Hunter just raised a knowing eyebrow at him.
They knew it wasn’t that simple.
“Touche!” He winked at Jake but was met with another heavy sigh.
“Yeah, whatever.” Jake shrugged and once again pushed thoughts of Emma away, he didn’t really want
to think about this right now.
“So?” Hunter pushed at him with a finger and Jake glared back. Telling him was inevitable and a part of
him wanted to talk about it. Let it out of his head.
“We kissed … for a while … would have been more if some idiot hadn’t nosedived off the fucking boat.”
Jake shrugged and tried to relax but talking about this had him tense and edgy. He couldn’t pinpoint
why. It had been everything he had thought it could be, more, but now in harsh daylight and sober as
hell he was worried as to what would happen now. How Emma would feel. Maybe not getting to sex
had been a saving grace instead of a calamity.
“You don’t think she wants more do you?” Hunter was eyeing him up intensely, reading his best mate
effortlessly as he always did.
“No.” Jake hated to admit it, saying it out loud hurt like hell but something deep down was telling him he
was crazy to think someone like her would even want more with someone like him. His past, his
lifestyle, and all the shit he had done even while she was his PA. He had fucked it all up by not realizing
from day one he should have been showing her he could be a guy worth more. Not a playboy asshole
with a string of fuck buddies and a long history of wild parties and reckless acts. It was no wonder
Emma never looked beyond friendship, the chemistry was there for both of them, but he was an
asshole to let her see into all that he had been so easily. Last night had been drunken fun for her, he
was stupid not to realize that.
How could he win over a girl like her, a pure and sweet angelic girl when he had done nothing to
deserve her?
“Look, man, you know how I feel about this … If you think there’s no future in it you need to be the one
to cut ties.” Hunter was frowning at him and he knew what he meant. Firing Emma so they didn’t work
together anymore was the last thing he would ever do. He couldn’t imagine not having her in his life.
“I can’t … I won’t,” he said firmly, his no-nonsense tone that even Hunter knew not to argue with.
“Then you need to cut ties emotionally. If she wants to be just friends and co-workers, then you need to
get up and go back to who you were until she doesn’t mean anything anymore.” Hunter was watching
him, laying back on the cushions a little helplessly.
“Has that worked for you?” He regarded him thoughtfully.
“It helps. Over time, I hope I feel nothing for her, but over the last couple years I find it easier to put her
out of my head.” Hunter shrugged again, and they both looked up at the ceiling to contemplate the
craziness that was Hunter’s love for Leila. Jake tried to imagine doing the same thing and couldn’t. He
was far worse than Hunter in terms of how he felt and his relationship with Emma wasn’t exactly
something he could just drop and run off to the other side of the world from. He was her boss and love
aside, he did actually need her at work. She was amazing at what she did, and he didn’t have the heart
to look for another PA. He didn’t want another PA.
Jake got back to the boat in the early morning, a long drive from a passing farmer he managed to flag
down and then having to persuade a boat trip out to the moored yacht from a local when he got to port.
Not having his phone or any form of money on him had been brutal, but he was glad to be finally
climbing the silver ladder onto the back deck of the boat. Hunter was being kept in for forty-eight hours
to make sure he would have no lasting effects and some minor antibiotics to make sure he didn’t catch
any bugs. He would come back to the boat in due time, so Jake was happy to leave him. Seeing one of
the crew approaching at his arrival he beckoned him over.
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