The Carrero Effect - Falling for the Boss (Billionaire CEO) novel Chapter 160

I follow the direction of his hateful gaze and see Jake standing about twenty feet from him. He has another few men in front of him, talking to him. He looks completely unscathed, less agitated than Ben and requiring a lot less force to keep him still, not a hint of anything wrong with his attire at all. I let go of Leila and run for him, pushing in between him and the man shielding him back with a hand and throw myself around him. The tears coming from nowhere. He seems to jolt back to reality at my touch, and instantly relaxes, tension I hadn’t seen in his face seeping from his rigid body. His hands come to my face and pulls my chin up to bring our eyes to one another.

“Hey … Don’t cry.” He soothes, the furrow on his brow deepening and showing remorse instead of anger. “Bambino, hey … Stop now.” His arms come around me completely, his face and mouth come into my neck, surrounding me wholly. He squeezes the life out of me, lifting me from my feet in a bear hug that almost winds me.

The rage inside of me rises surely and so suddenly now that I know he’s okay, the fact that Jake physically pushed me out of his way in a nightclub to fight with some idiot over her. It sparks to the surface without warning, igniting crazily, I shove him off hard and square up to him as best I can, being so much shorter.

“Don’t ever do that to me again,” I yell at him, tears replaced with anger, his face a picture of disbelief. He goes to grab me, but I hit him away angrily, the fire inside me fully blazing. Jealousy eating my soul.

How could he behave like that in a nightclub? He pushed me aside and physically attacked someone? No. He attacked the person who stole Marissa from him, the girl he doesn’t care for anymore—apparently!

That, more than anything, is at the root of my drunken fury. My insecurity piqued and sensitized and irrational Emma on a full-blown tirade in her woozy state.

“I’m going home!” I snap, giving him no chance to answer. I turn away, looking around for Leila, for anyone to get me away from him and the utter rage I am in right now.

“Emma?” Jake comes at me again, apprehension all over his face. I’m beyond livid, I need him not to touch me. I spin away and march back in the direction of Arrick, who’s standing nearby, looking toward Leila with Ben. She’s got her arms around her brother’s waist and is talking to him, crying her eyes out, pleading with him, all the while he’s glaring over her head at Jake with unveiled venom.

He locks on me storming past, pushes Leila aside and marches forward grabbing me by the wrist and tries at a revengeful kiss on my mouth. He wants Jake to go for him again and he’s using me as a weapon. I slap him hard across the face as I see it coming, instant defensive Emma, so honed and acting impulsively. Incensed with anger. I don’t even geta chance to feel the burn wave through my hand. I’m thrust forward into Arrick Carrero with a hard shove from behind, that makes me fly forward straight into his arms as though he’s expecting it. Flying like a rag doll and enveloped in his surprisingly firm hold.

Shocked and winded and trying not to fight, I turn in the younger man’s arms—he’s strong for someone so lean—and I see Jake and Ben rolling around on the ground, going at it on the hard, concrete street. Jake is most definitely getting the upper hand and the look of sheer hatred emanating from his face sends chills down my body. I try to lurch forward but Arrick keeps a tight hold, picking me up off my feet and marches me away from the craziness. I squeal and struggle in protest but it’s futile, he has Jake’s strength and iron will and in no way am I a match.

I’m deposited into a waiting car, Arrick slides in holding my arm tightly with a vice grip and looks toward the scene from the window.

“Take us to Jake’s apartment,” Arrick commands the driver while I wriggle, trying to get my hand free and protest.

“Hell, no! … Your brother is back there fighting … I’m not leaving him.” I yell aggressively and try another twist at my arm to get free. His grip only tightens, and it begins to hurt a little.

“Jake’s a big boy … I know him well enough to know this is the only way to get him home and away from Ben Huntsberger in a hurry … Jake used to spend a lot of his younger life beating the crap out of people, Emma, I’m seriously not worried. Ben should be though … My brother is an accomplished fighter and Ben just touched the one thing in the world that flipped Jake’s psycho switch.” He seems almost proud and is smirking as the car pulls off. Like this he doesn’t look quite so young or immature as the boy I remember in Jake’s office. He looks eerily like him.

For the first time ever, I note a slight resemblance to Jake in his face, it’s in the smirk, the slight curve of his mouth, the straight brows and intense glare and it quietens me momentarily.