The Carrero Effect - Falling for the Boss (Billionaire CEO) novel Chapter 64

I don’t expect to see any of the others up at this hour, most of them stayed up long after the chopper left and I’m not sure when they finally went to bed. It had been a traumatic night for all of us and Leila was particularly hysterical.

I manage a few pages of my book before my eyes get heavy and lay it across my face to shield myself from the sun; a nap would be good. Five minutes of shut eye. Exhaustion finally catching up with me and I don’t need to try and force it as I start to slide away.

* * *

I’m vaguely conscious of the fact that the shadowing cover on my face has been slid away, but I’m still sleepy and don’t want to open my eyes to be assaulted by the glaring brightness. A warm sensation runs across my cheek, igniting goosebumps and removes the tickling hair which has been bothering me in the mild breeze. Now my sunscreen has been taken from me, I’m starting to waken fully and register that my book has been removed. I blink my eyes open groggily, faced with a dark figure leaning over me, the sun behind its head. I know without focusing it’s Jake. I can just tell.

“Hey,” he sounds husky, like he’s not long woken up.

“Hey.” So do I, except, I really have just woken up.

“You shouldn’t sleep in the sun,” he scolds gently, and I blink up at him, trying to make out his face, but I can’t.

“I didn’t intend to.” I know that’s not entirely true; truth be told, I didn’t think about it. It annoys me that I can’t make out his face, as it’s so cast in darkness in contrast to the blazing circle of light behind him. I squint and pause at the smooth movement as he slides his sunglasses on for me.

I smile involuntarily, like I always do when he does this.

Oh, Jake.

“Want to go somewhere?” His voice is uncharacteristically quiet, and he seems to be looking off to the side at something, distracted. It makes my heart expand with a pang; I hate seeing him so deflated and the urge to fix him unravels inside of me.

“Such as?” I push softly.

He shrugs and tilts his head up, looking away from the direction which first caught his attention, to across the water. He’s sitting on the lounger, that’s why he’s towering over me, one arm across my body holding his weight, so he can look down at me directly. Present yet he seems so far away.

“Anywhere but here.” His voice is detached.

I bite my lip. He sounds uptight; maybe I was wrong about Daniel. Maybe he’s not okay and Jake’s mulling it over.

“How’s Hunter?” I ask gently. I don’t like Jake this way and he’s making me edgy. He turns back to me and visibly relaxes a little.

“He’s fine … He will be. They just need to monitor him … Secondary drowning is a risk when you swallow as much as he did.” He says it lightly, no untruth in his face as though he really isn’t worried about Hunter’s recovery, yet his mood is unexplainable. Maybe he’s just tired still.

“Secondary drowning?” I query. I have never heard of it.

“You can drown long after you come out of the water … It’s in your lungs still.” He tenses, and I know he doesn’t want to talk. I vaguely remember a conversation where he told me one of his friends, in their teens, drowned after a boat party. I wonder if it still hurts him. The thought makes me long to wrap my arms around him and squeeze it away. Take away this somber mood he seems to be in.

“So, where will we go?” I change the subject instead.

“We could drive somewhere.” He’s back to watching the horizon, distant and distracted. I don’t think there’s any chance that he’s going to bring up last night, he seems preoccupied and down.

“Okay.” I just want to get him out of this funk, and maybe going out will do that. I move to sit up and he gets out of my way steadily.

“Shall I get changed?” I motion at my clothes.