Chapter 203
“We’re here, miele.” Jake lifts me from the car when I blink my eyes open. I’m sure it’s only been
seconds since I closed them. I’m in his arms being lifted out of the car and the garage around us looks
exactly like underground parking at his apartment, and I’mpletely thrown.
“We’re home already?” I blink a few times snuggling closer into his strength still trying to get a grip on
reality, confusion all over my face, severely disorientated.
“You fell asleep pretty quickly, bambino, you don’t look so white anymore, so I think it did you some
good.” Jake brushes his mouth against my forehead with a soft smile.
What the hell is with the sleepingtely?
I close my eyes and let Jake carry me into the elevator and home. He’s right, I do feel better for having
taken a nap. The nausea has subsided almostpletely and now I just feel hungry. I know I should
be fighting him to let me walk but my body and mind are in unanimous decision to let him do this.
I open my eyes when heys me on the bed in his room. Nora has been in and cleaned up in that
precise hotel-esque method of hers. The room is surprisinglyforting, and I take a breath feeling like
I’ve returned home. I’m more than aware of the surge of happy tion it gives me and frown at myself.
“I don’t need to go to bed. I feel better and I’m hungry.” I smile as he slides down beside me on the neat
sheets. I sit myself up a little, wary he might start wrapping himself around me, and cross my arms over
my chest defensively.
“You’re staying here regardless. I’ll get you some food if you’re sure that’s what you want.” He frowns at
me with aical look on his face, his eyes take in my posture, and he moves away a little. Not that I
me him. Vomiting then asking for food isn’t exactly normal.
He lifts his fingers to my cheek, and I let them
linger there. “You still feel hot but you’re not so pale anymore.” The way his touch feels is more than
enough proof that I should make it clear that I’m not ready for it.
“I guess the car just made me feel worse.” I shrug with one shoulder, nestling onto the bed a little more
comfortably. I watch the way the sunshinees into the room, lightening the color in his beautiful
eyes to an almost transparent, gem-stone green. One thing Jake will always be to me is gorgeous,
despite how much he has hurt me.
“Maybe.” Jake gets up and leaves the room,
telling Nora to make me something light. Nora replies saying something about home-made chicken
soup, and I roll my eyes.
The two of them are acting like I have a terminal illness.
I swing my legs off the bed, standing quickly, to tell him how ridiculous he’s being and instantly crumble.
My vision cking out and my body losing all control, Jell-O legs andplete disorientation as I stand
far too quickly.
“Shit.” I groan, feeling the cold wood floor connecting harshly with my limbs. I realize that I knocked my
elbow, sharply, on the way down to my current crouching position.
“Emma? Emma … Fuck!” Jake’s panicked voice is followed by heavy boots running toward me and I’m
being dragged up from the floor into his strong embrace.
“Did you fall? Why were you up? Are you okay?” He’s lifting me up onto the bed with him so I’m sitting
in hisp, wrapped in him, aware my whole body has started to tremble and heat flushes across my
face in a devastatingly horrible way; the rise of nausea strong again as dizziness gives way to
coldness.
“I think it was a fainting spell,” I mumble weakly. “I don’t think I fainted, but I don’t feel so good.” I slump
against his chest, knowing what’sing next and I don’t have the energy or inclination to argue. I’m
completely out of whack and ready to lie down and stay in bed just like he ordered.
Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.
“That’s it, this happened in the Hamptons and now this, Emma … I’m calling my doctor. Get into bed
and do not move … I swear if you so much as lift your head there will be hell to pay.” He’s in snappy,
bossy Carrero mode. He sweeps back the covers andys me down in the open space, pulling my
boots and sweater off, before covering me up gingerly. He looks stressed and wired and all I can do is
smile weakly in return.
There he is … That’s my Carrero; a vision of domineering aggression in all his concerned beauty.
God I’ve missed you.
“Yes, sir.” I throw a mocked salute at him, still shaken, but lying down in the cool sheets helps. The
overwhelming trembling is subsiding, and the nausea is calming down. He picks up the TV remote and
presses it, the TVing down from the concealed space in the ceiling, choosing a romantic chick flick
for me from the menu. His body stiff as he scrolls but I can’t help smiling at his choice.
“Here.” He hands me the remote with a warning glint in his eye. “Stay put, Nora is making you food, I’m
going to call the doctor. I’ll be back soon, and I better not find you’ve moved out of this bed; even once,”
hemands. His eyes fiery and his facepletely serious. It makes my inner nerves jump a little in
a tug of heartfelt emotion. He bends kissing me lightly on the forehead, then walks off lifting his phone
to his ear, heading to his office.
I can tell he’s trying to act like he’s in control but that flicker of worry and the fact he’s left the room to
call his doctor makes my heart swell a little. Through all my crazy internal emotional mess it’s this part
of him that always wins me over.
Jake is really worried about me. It’s so sweet it’s almost funny as is his choice of movie for me.
Ten Things I Hate About You.
I guess he knows I’m emotionally all over the ce with how I feel about him, and he’s using movies
the way he uses iTunes; except this film is for me to him. He knows I’m struggling to get past the things
he’s done to make me hate him. I can’t help but sigh feeling more than a little bit torn.
I don’t hate you, Jake. I’m hurt, and I hate her. I’m just confused.
I know I’m fine, physically, maybe in need of some bed rest and sleep. I’ve caught a little bug but I’m
positive there’s nothing for him to worry about … nothing physically anyway, my mind on the other
hand, apletely different ballpark.
I wake up to Nora cing a tray of home-made soup on a table beside the bed and realize I fell asleep
again, another sign that I have a virus. I move to sit up as Jake’s handse from beside me, lifting
the cushions, helping me to sit. He’s on the bed next to me on top of the covers in sweats and a T-shirt
with a mountain of files scattered beside him. I guess while I slept, he’s been keeping mepany and
working. Jake doing what he does while he lets me rx and just enjoy the peace, it almost feels
normal, like before any of this mess came between us. The movie is still ying so I mustn’t have been
out for too long.
“Thank you, Nora.” I smile, looking down at the bowl of soup and te of crusty bread served with a
ss of fresh orange juice. She knows how to melt her way into my heart, the woman is a saint.
“How’re you feeling?” Jake smooths back my hair as
I pull the tray toward me. His fingers grazing my cheek
as though checking my temperature and I can feel his eyes on me.
“Too fuzzy from sleeping to know.” I smile at him over my shoulder quickly, halted by how gorgeous he
looks. It makes my insides clench, part of me longing for a time before any of this happened, a time
when I could turn and curl into him without any of this emotional turmoil inside.
“How long was I out?” I turn my attention back to the bowl, leaning out of bed, and taking a spoonful.
The soup tastes amazing, like I’ve been starved for a week.
“About an hour and a half.” He picks up the files on hisp and shuffles them around. “The doctor said
she’d be here about two hours after my call. So, eat up. She should be here soon.”
He shifts and chucks a bunch of files onto to the floor from his side of the bed. I hear them scatter as
some slide across the floor. I have zero inclination to ask about
work right now. If anything, this separation has highlighted how detached and non-interested in the
Carrero Corporation I’ve be, and I know deep down I’ll never go back to that job.
“I don’t think I need to see a doctor you know.” I try to start reasoning with him but the dark look on his
face quietens me. He has that no-nonsense verging on yelling kind of scary look that I have no energy
to handle right now.
Oh, hello, Boss Carrero; nice to see you still exist.
“Emma, whether you want to see her or not she’sing.” He watches me eat with his prating
gaze, causing me to lose my confidence. “You’re looking pale again.” He leans over to feel my cheek
and frowns. I don’t feel hot just tired, and hungry, in fact more than hungry. This soup is the best I’ve
eaten in my life. Jake sighs and he leans back pulling his warm hands away; a mixed tingling of relief
and disappointment runs through me.