The Carrero Solution (Carrero Book 3)

Daniel stands up straight, walking around her, so they’re face-to-face. He tilts her chin up on gentle fingertips, softly. Leila stiffens and presses her lips together hard. She’s trying to stop herself from crying and prevent herself from submitting, but Daniel is doing an amazing job with whatever words are flying from his mouth. He has an expression of sheer adoration on his face as he moves in, slowly lowering himself to her height. He looks nothing like the boy I met so long ago, smug and cocky, checking me out. Instead, there’s the softness of a heart on show, desperation to win back the woman who makes him whole. It pulls a little tug of emotion from my chest.

It’s obvious to the entire room that Daniel Hunter is well and truly deeply in love with Leila.

He delicately cups her jaw with one hand, brushing stray hairs from her face with the other. He’s still saying something to her. The whole time they’ve been standing there, he hasn’t stopped talking to her while she’s been in defiant silence. Her body is slowly loosening its stiff resolve.

A tear rolls down her cheek, and he gently wipes it away with his thumb, kissing her where it was. There’s a body flicker a little at the contact. He leans in lower, bringing his mouth achingly close. With bated breath, Sarah and I are locked on, watching and waiting. Captivated by every beautiful moment unfurling across the room, mentally pleading with Leila to let him in.

Jake’s drinking his beer, casually stroking my shoulder, not as fascinated by this emotional scene as we women are. I nudge his thigh and point, urging him to look and take some interest in what’s happening here.

Daniel and Leila are connecting.

I glare at him as he smirks and shakes his head at me. He’s a typical man who has no clue or care right now and looks moderately bored. Watching him means I’m missing them, so I flip my gaze back to the pair, feeling Jake’s hand run across my head, petting me because I’m so devastatingly adorable to him. I sigh, eye-rolling at his typical guyness, and wait with bated breath.

Daniel is so close to her that their mouths are almost touching. He’s still talking, still moving painfully closer. Edging in softly, keeping her eyes locked on his.

I wonder what the hell he’s been saying all this time.

He’s cradling her face, and slowly, the tension in her body disappears. He’s breaking down the Leila defense system, and the walls are slowly lowering. Finally, agonizingly, he bridges the gap and kisses her painfully slowly, eyes fully locked. Their gaze, one of the gentlest and tender I have ever witnessed in my life, tugs right into my stomach, causing a huge pit of female emotion.

Sarah and I both clasp hands and gasp, “Aww …” at that same moment, I catch Jake’s eye-rolling dramatically, which earns him a smack on his thigh.

Unfeeling bastard.

As soon as Leila relaxes into Daniel’s kiss, their eyes close, and he slides his arms around her waist and lifts her to his height. Her arms slide around his neck and press into him, so they mold together perfectly. They make a gorgeous blonde couple with cute little compact curves against tall hard, and athletic muscle.

Leila’s heels pick up, and she bends her knees so any passing victim could be impaled on those shoes, but neither of them seems to care. They are oblivious to everything around them as they move into a deep passionate kiss with a lot of tongue, getting as close to one another as is humanly possible.

I know how that feels.

I shy away with an uncomfortable frown as their passion turns up a gear.

Okay, so cute when it’s romantic. But now it’s just a little pervy to watch them hit full-blown erotica.

Jake leans into me and kisses me on the cheek. I guess that’s his little ‘Oh, I’m happy for my mates’ gesture, and now he can get back to convincing me that I want to go home. He seems unaffected by this scene, and I wonder what he’s done with my normally so-loving Adonis. I guess that side of him only comes into play when it’s about us.

* * *

We’ve been here for hours, and everyone, except me, is moderately drunk. Leila is wrapped around Hunter on his lap, and the pair haven’t stopped ogling and kissing one another since they sat down. We gave up trying to keep them in conversation ages ago. They only have eyes for each other tonight. The crazy aggressive nature of their relationship is completely missing, all gentle looks and caresses, and they seem so ridiculously in love. I guess there will be no bloody noses and bruised jaws when they finally get to a bed.

Jake has pulled me against him in a very possessive manner, arm looped casually around my neck, hand hanging loose in front of me. He’s been this way since he got here, constantly close.

A few more of Jake’s friends have joined us at the table, familiar faces from Arrick’s birthday. Sarah’s lost in conversation with two brunettes who keep ogling over Jake and Hunter, despite the men being very obviously attached to Leila and me.

Jake has spent the entire time looking at some guy to his right and Daniel is too wrapped up in Leila to even notice. Luckily, or both those bitches would have very sore faces. They’re lucky I’m too tired to care.

I yawn, snuggling against Jake, bored with drunken chat and aching to sleep. Jake is merry and not as sober as he seems, which is why he’s relaxed enough to let us stay. Jake wasn’t interested in staying after his bro,’ and Leila hooked up. I wanted to stay, and with some perfectly placed doe eyes and pouty lips aimed his way, I realized just how much I can wrap him around my little finger. Outright defiance bristles his domineering side, but sweet soft looks seem to melt all his resistance.

So much for marching me home before ten!

I won this little battle, not that there won’t be many more in our future, knowing him. I think Jake is enjoying kicking back again. Drinking and being in a club is something he’s avoided since the night with that bitch. I sigh adoringly at him, with no tug of pain from thinking about her.

Am I finally ready to accept what happened? All of it? Baby included?

Jake spots me yawning for the second time and slides his beer on the table. An instant expression change as full-on caregiver mode moves in.

“Come on, baby, let’s get you home.” He kisses me gently on the temple, and I’m not arguing for once. I’m exhausted and happy to go home to curl up with him. I can’t imagine anything more tempting in the world.

He pulls me up with him and starts looking around for something.

“I didn’t bring a coat if that’s what you’re looking for.” I yawn again, ignoring the look of irritation passing over his brow. He picks up his leather jacket and puts it on me instead. I smile, especially when he tugs me forward to zip me up like a child. I get a tiny vision in my head of Jake doing this for his child. He’s an absolute natural, and I can’t help but notice the sheer envy on the two brunette’s faces at the way he’s tending to me.

“Danny? I’m taking Emma home.” Daniel lifts his bottle in acknowledgment over Leila’s head, then goes back to saying something close to her mouth that makes her smile, and she kisses him gently. Completely enamored, all signs of feisty Leila dissipated, this tame, snugly version far more her somehow. Hunter has one hand on her ass and the other on his bottle, but his eyes are all for her.

Maybe they have a chance this time.

“Sarah, you can come now or let Jefferson come for you when you want to go? Danny has his number.” Jake nods toward her, and she grins back at him, shamelessly drunk.

So much for going easy on the booze.

“This here is Delilah; she’s taking me home as we’re both from Queens.” She beams a little too drunkenly, and Jake doesn’t smile back. He takes his caretaking role very seriously.

“Then you won’t mind if Jefferson takes both of you. It’s non-negotiable.” He’s obviously in no-nonsense mode, thinking practically, looking after my friend, and dismissing her wishes.

I love him!

“Okay, okay, keep your hair on.” Sarah laughs good-humoredly, and Jake relaxes. “I don’t know how you put up with him being so bossy,” Sarah smirks at me, but I curl myself around him and snuggle in.

“Because I like it for the most part,” I mumble as his arm tightens around me appreciatively, and he lovingly kisses the top of my head.

Jake leads me out through the milling people, and we head toward the bar’s main entrance. His hand is entangled with mine and his jacket warm around me smells of him in a very sexy manner that has my tiredness giving way to something naughtier.

Thoughts of Jake in the back of the car are sweeping through my head at a hundred miles an hour, and I’m suddenly so eager to get him alone. Drunk Jake is usually a lot of kinky fun and far less cautious of being gentle.

“Jake?” A male voice cuts into my thoughts, and the instant aggressive stiffening of Jake’s entire body alerts me to him as we stop in the foyer. He turns and looks over his shoulder in the direction of the voice and scowls with a deathly glare I’ve only seen on him once before. I gulp and turn as I know who invokes that reaction. My stomach hits the floor, and instant apprehension prickles my skin.

Ben Huntsberger. Oh shit.

He’s making his way toward us from across the room, looking anything but friendly. Jake tugs me behind him in a heartbeat and seems to grow about two feet as he rounds in front of me, putting himself between Ben and me like he’s posturing for a fight, and the waves of sheer terror move in.

“What the fuck do you want?” Jake growls and snarls; it’s the most unnerving sound in the world. His body bristles with sheer aggressive tension, and I start to feel afraid. The last time Ben appeared, Jake shoved me out of the way, not once but twice.

Am I in danger of being roughly handled again?

The coldness sweeps through me at the thought of what harm an innocent push could do to the child inside of me. My hand instantly comes up to cover my stomach protectively. I start to try to free my hand from his grip in panic, wriggling my fingers to be released and pulling back.

Feeling my attempts to disentangle, Jake seems to sense my unease and looks back at me with a slight softening to the look he’s throwing Ben’s way. His eyes go to the hand on my belly and back to my face with an intense gaze.

“Emma, no! You know … I’d never …” He utters softly to me, a moment of tenderness in his eyes, reassurance during the cyclone rearing its ugly head.

Still, I’m scared.

“I need to talk to you.” Ben finally comes level, seemingly more agitated than aggressive, despite Jake’s posturing and bristling like an alpha male. He has none of the smug scowling behavior of the last time we saw him and looks directly into Jake’s eyes confidently. They are matched in height, and being stuck in a corridor behind them is not exactly my idea of a good night.

“What the fuck would I have to say to you?” Jake’s being charmingly Carrero. No fake politeness or friendliness, just direct and to the point.

“Look, I know we have a history, but I need you to put that aside because we have one big fucking thing in common, and I need to talk to you.” Ben raises defensive palms raking his hand through overly neat hair, weirdly Jake-like. It’s crazy how much more they resemble one another, especially now that Ben’s hair is a little messier. I wonder how the hell that happens with two completely unrelated men.

Jake’s grip on me loosens a little, and I sigh in relief when his body seems to return to its natural stance, losing that terrifying fighter’s attitude.

“And what would that be?” He still sounds defiant and most definitely aggressive. No love lost and all that.

“We both fucked Marissa in the week she fell pregnant. Me more so than you.” Ben states, as a matter of fact, with a raised eyebrow and a look that says, ‘Yeah, exactly’ …

Fuck.

Wait … What?