The Carrero Series Bonus Book: Jake's View

They spent lunch on the deck with the rest of the party, eating chicken Caesar salad and drinking wine, lounging on the padded double loungers on the main deck. Jake ensured he stayed by her side and warned his friends off visually. He wouldn’t put it past any of them to make a play for her if he left her alone. Such was the nature of their trips. Each guy always brought dates and some unspoken agreement that all was fair game and that no one would get prissy about it afterward.

The girls they normally brought were bed hoppers, had no loyalty, and were never anyone serious. Leila was the exception normally; she wasn’t much for it, and even though he could see she wasn’t that into her date, he knew she wouldn’t sleep with any of the others. Emma was completely off-limits to any of them, and he would damn well break the neck of any who tried.

Jake was leaning toward Daniel’s bed, Emma at his back and in conversation with Leila. Daniel was arguing about sports, one of his passions, and Jake just loved to goad him on the matter anytime it came up. He was more into manual stuff and extreme sports he could do himself, but he wasn’t against watching the odd football or baseball game. Daniel was just too easy to wind up.

He was only half listening, though, as he could most definitely hear the words “hair,” “cut,” and “short” going on behind him, and he didn’t like it one bit. Looking back at Emma, he caught Leila picking up a strand of that soft honey-blonde hair with the look of someone contemplating cutting it all off. He could feel the frown taking over his face and minor irritation as Leila said, “pixie cut,” and he could only assume that was something very short like hers.

Emma wouldn’t suit Leila’s hair. She needed soft and sweet around her face, not edgy and choppy like hers. “I think you would suit maybe shoulder length.” Leila’s sweet, little voice was all too sultry, and he could tell she was trying to talk Emma into doing it. That persuasive eye fluttering she had suckered him with many times in the past twenty years. “Maybe.”

Emma picked up a strand too and wound it around her finger. Jake was no longer listening to Daniel at all; he was fully integrated into defending Emma’s hair. “What’s wrong with how it is?” He frowned, keeping his hands down and quelling the urge to run his fingers over the strand she was holding. She suited her wavy halo of soft hair; it was feminine and her. He didn’t like the idea of no longer having it hanging down her back and blowing gently in the breeze.

“Women like a drastic change every so often.” Leila quipped at him with that sassy raised brow, and he just wanted to sit on her right about now. “If it’s not broke, then don’t fix it,” he bit back. He was used to these little head-to-heads with this short fiery devil. He would be damned if she was going to push his Emma around.

“Try on a new look.” Leila was putting on her sarcastic tone, raising that brow and challenging him again. This girl never stopped pushing his buttons, and sometimes he wondered why he hadn’t just drowned her in the past.

“It’s my hair!” Emma cut in, raising her hands between the two to distract them, but she wasn’t swaying these two. This was a common thing—Leila and Jake head-on in subtle ways, always finding something to challenge one another over. It was just how they were.

“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 on 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 and 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 to stop bickering, frowning, and glaring. As soon as he got her alone, he would 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.~ ~The last thing he wanted was Emma changing.~ ~She was perfect the goddamn way she already was!~

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