The Carrero Effect - Falling for the Boss (Billionaire CEO) novel Chapter 25

“You want to continue our conversation?” He pushes on, regardless of my “go away” posture. Lays his hand casually on my bent knee, propping it up at the wrist and rests quite happily there.

“What conversation?” I ask, genuinely confused but stay concealed under my arm, my gut churning like I may not like this.

“You don’t remember?” The surprise in his voice makes me a little wary. I shake my head and the color rises in my cheeks; Jake never presses for no reason.

What the hell did I say to him last night?

“I put you to bed.”

Well, that explains why my cell was off.

He turns his off every night, whereas I normally don’t. Just in case I’m needed.

“Thanks.” I mumble. I want to ask him what I said, but I don’t, because I’m scared. I’m scared I might actually have told him something I didn’t want him to know.

“You talked about your father.” He says matter of factly.

Crap. Like that.

The anger rises in me unexpectedly and it’s too quick to grind back down.

“He’s not my father! … He’s just a donor to my existence, and nothing more.” I snap, jumping to my feet, his hand falling to the couch, surprising him. The heat rises in my chest; teen Emma’s anger renewed with a fury and I’m pissed at myself for her appearance once again. I angrily storm to the kitchenette, I need water and a second to calm down.

And a boss who stops bloody well digging into stuff that has nothing to do with him.

“And Ray?” The question is so precise and unimposing yet has a devastating effect on me. Stomach lurching to my throat, I falter and drop my water bottle hard on my foot, giving out a shocked yell and jump back as pain sears through my toes.

“Are you okay?” He leans around, looking at me. His eyes steady on me as I scramble back but my head reels as I bend down to retrieve the Evian bottle and try to take a deep breath through instant dizziness.

Control Emma … Control.

I stand back up slowly, and more deliberately, letting it pass.

How does he know about Ray?

“Fine.” I answer stiffly.

“Come here, we need to talk about this.” He watches me intensely, a no-nonsense expression on his face.

“No.” I close him down and take a gulp of my water, it almost chokes me going down. I want to know what I told him about Ray, about my father but I also don’t want to know, don’t want to talk about this. I feel sick, maybe I should tell him I need to throw up and lock myself in my room for an hour, make him leave me alone. I need to think.

“Don’t you trust me, Emma?” he sounds so hurt, it hurts me too and knocks me sideways in surprise.

“Of course, I trust you.” I turn to him, flashing anger. Incensed at the question.

How could he ask me that?

We’re together almost constantly, I have to trust him, I do trust him. I have never told him otherwise!

I realize it’s the first time I’ve admitted to myself that I actually do, and it startles me a little to really let it sink in.

I trust Jake! I trust a man! When did that happen? How did that happen?

What’s more amazing is that I trust playboy Casanova Jake Carrero … my heart-throb boss with his string of women and his hands-on personality.

“Then talk to me, Emma,” he presses further, refusing to give up; his eyes still steady on me. I shake my head and turn away because I can’t look at him while feeling so shellshocked.

Why can’t he understand that certain things don’t need to be brought up … Talked about?