The Carrero Effect - Falling for the Boss (Billionaire CEO) novel Chapter 306

“Jake, it shouldn’t have happened, we crossed a line.” She glanced his way, softening her tone the way she did at work when she was trying to soothe a bad mood over some shitty business meeting. She was pandering to him, and he couldn’t fucking stand it over this. He lost the last ounces of control on his temper.

“And there she is! Right back to square one.” The sarcasm was thick in his tone. His body stiffening in his seat with sheer anger and heartbreak fighting each another for control.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She turned at him angrily.

“Anytime you get close, Emma, even a hint of letting go, you snap right back in and shut the door. No conversation, no acknowledgment of it, just wham. Over!” He barked at her, letting his anger loose, unable to stop the infernal ache in his gut from leaking out.

“What?” She hissed with a sardonic laugh. “Because I won’t sleep with my boss? I’m not letting myself go? That’s being closed off?” She turned away anger flaming her face, body seething rage, and he wanted to punch the goddamn windscreen so badly.

“I don’t think there was any doubt about it last night. It’s not the issue … it’s the afterwards, Emma.” His voice was laced with venom, anger seething from every pore, his body tense. He had never been on this side of it before, women had always wanted more from him, and he hadn’t felt anything. Knowing that was now Emma’s stance got to him more than anything ever had in his life, knowing what she was probably thinking right now because he had been that same cold bastard so many times.

“I was drunk … being stupid, anyone can make a mistake!” She huffed and stayed looking away from him. Shifting herself away so she could turn her body from him toward the door. Jake felt that surge of complete ache hit him hard, rage kicking in and he slammed the car to a halt with his foot hitting the floor on the brake pedal. Uncontainable pain oozing from every pore.

This wasn’t her … his Emma was not this cold-hearted, unfeeling bitch who just slammed sex like that; who dismissed last night as a drunken mistake not worth mentioning.

Everything loose in the car flew around them dramatically but he didn’t care, he needed to get out and away from her before he ripped the goddamn steering wheel off and used it to smash the windscreen out.

He felt her looking his way as he hauled off his belt and got out of the car. Stalking far away from it and leaving the door wide open, walking to the cliff edge to try to regain some control over the huge swarm of painful emotions consuming him right now. For a second, he had an urge to jump off the fucking cliff just so it would stop. He dragged in a few deep breaths to cool his jets, simmer his mood until he had control once more.

His pain dulled down as sheer anger overtook him, anger that she would be this way about last night. Anger that despite knowing it would turn out this way, he had still gone down this fucking route. Anger that he hadn’t just left it alone and enjoyed a day on the beach with her doing anything except this shit. He was a fucking moron.

Calmer, he turned back and slid into the car once more, swallowing it down, breathing hard.

He knew there was no way of coming out of this conversation now and he had to do this, for his own sanity if nothing more. Things between them couldn’t keep going on this way and last night had been a final line for him. He couldn’t stay loving a girl who only wanted friendship.

“It’s not about sex, Emma,” he said quietly putting his hands back on the steering wheel to give him a point of focus, but he didn’t start the car. “It’s about this eternal need in you to stay in full control. Never letting anyone in, never letting yourself enjoy anything and letting your guard down.” It was about her inability to love him the way he loved her and as much as he tried to skirt around the issue, there was no getting away from it anymore. It was make or break time.