The Carrero Effect - Falling for the Boss (Billionaire CEO)

“Hey.” He sounded husky as she began to rouse with the sun fully hitting her face, adorably sleepy and those perfect soft blues that he loved so much flickering open to melt his heart some more.

I love you, bambino.

“Hey.” She half smiled, half blinked up at him sleepily, his heart aching a little too much.

“You shouldn’t sleep in the sun,” he scolded gently, watching her trying to focus on him. Even though he’d put himself in between the sun and her to shield her, she seemed to be having a hard time looking at him properly, squinting at the brightness.

“I didn’t intend to.” She blinked some more as Jake slid his sunglasses onto her face, smiling back when she smiled at him in that endearing way she had. He knew they had to talk about last night and set things straight, not just brush it aside as she seemed to want to do. He didn’t want to do it here either.

“Want to go somewhere?” Jake looked off to the ocean, away from her face. A deep sense of trepidation that this was not going to go how he wanted it to but that doing it was unavoidable.

“Such as?” She sounded inquisitive, mellower than before he had gone to bed and less PA toned.

He shrugged in reply, he just wanted them away from here, away from the others who would start questioning him about Hunter, tilting his head up to watch the sea crashing on the distant shore to give him some sense of calm.

“Anywhere but here.” He sighed dejectedly. He had told Hunter that deep down he knew Emma didn’t want a relationship with him, but he had always held a tiny spark of hope that he was wrong. Being here now with her after last night and how normal she seemed had killed all his chances. He knew undeniably that Emma was never going to see him as anything other than a boss and a friend.

“How’s Hunter?” she asked gently, watching his face a little too closely.

much as he did.” He answered on autopilot, his head too wrapped

she asked looking at him

long after you come out of the water. It’s in your lungs still.” He tensed, remembering Blake Carlisle, his childhood friend who’d drowned after a stupid drunken boat party. It

asked a little more brightly, a smile plastered on her face, but it did nothing for his mood. She was so far removed from the Emma of last night it was

back to watching the horizon instead of that beautiful face of hers, tense, distracted. He just needed to get things moving and get this over and done with.

little warily, unsure of his

floaty dress and sandals, she was always gorgeous no matter what she chose to

her walk away elegantly and felt his stomach drop heavily. He had got enough from these few minutes to know he might be putting his plan into action later today. Emma wasn’t the

looking every bit the angel who held all the keys to his heart and every bit the destroyer of it. He smiled, despite feeling like absolute hell, and

* * *

car wasn’t helping Jake’s mood much, despite the companionable silence between them, he was tense as hell. He caught her looking his way a few times, but he ignored it, keeping his eyes on the winding road, and handling the powerful car expertly. He had been using the quiet time to think things through, look for ways to fix this, other outcomes and yet always came back to the same problem. Emma just didn’t feel the same way about him, and he had to accept it. Sighing to

what she had felt like in his arms. That soft mouth and smooth skin, that tongue of hers meeting with his, that body molded

just driving then?” she asked brightly, breaking the silence between them and

gaze fixed on the crazy road to maneuver another dangerous

look his way, a small hint

much feel like talking just yet, he had

like it?” She bit a little more aggressively, temper rising quickly in her. Emma was obviously