~From The Carrero Effect~
Jake was searching under the water, too dark to see anything, and scrambling with his hands at anything that felt like it could be Daniel. Panic gripped his stomach as he frantically surfaced for air and dove again.
He had hit the water without thought the second he knew Danny was in here. No cares that he was maybe too drunk for this and was endlessly searching despite his muscles aching and being so heavy that he could barely move anymore.
It felt like it had been hours instead of minutes, and he still hadnât found him. He wouldnât give up on him. He wouldnât lose his best friend this way.
Surfacing for air quicker this time, he took a moment to drag more into his burning lungs and wipe the water from his eyes. He could hear yelling from the deck, crying from Leila, and other voices, but he was fully zoned in on the surface of the water, looking for any signs of him.
âHeâs here, Mr. Carrero,â yelled out one of the crew from the speedboat nearby, and he felt his body lose all fatigue and started swimming their way frantically. He could see them hauling a lifeless body into the boat under the moonlight, and a sickness swept through him, a fear that maybe they had been too late, which only made him swim faster to his friendâs side.
***
The hospital had given Jake some dry clothes to wear. He hadnât thought about anything when he had jumped into the air rescue chopper holding Hunterâs hand, only that he had to be with him at all costs.
It had all passed in a blur of drama and chaos. Danielâs lifeless, pale face lying still and closed up on the stretcher below him, he felt like he had barely breathed in that entire journey to the mainland hospital.
Hunter had been breathing on his own but still wasnât conscious, and the paramedics had been messing with tubes and ventilators while Jake curbed his panic the best he could. He had lost a friend this way once before, saved them from drowning, only to have them die later from too much fluid intake.
It had felt like an eternity sitting in that hall waiting for word, his stomach churning itself in knots and his hands trembling and cold when they had gotten here. The shipâs captain had been sent back to the boat as daylight had broken. He wanted him to take care of Emma in his absence.
It was the only rational thought he could formulate, focusing on her to give him some peace. He hadnât given himself much chance to think about what had been happening with her when Daniel had fallen overboard.
He had been focused on him and what was going on, the fear and agony of searching for Hunter. Anytime she had come into his head, he had pushed her back down, wanting to analyze it later, not tarnish the happiest moment of his life with possibly the worst.
Until he knew Hunter would be okay, all thoughts were on him. Losing Danny would be like losing Arrick. He was as close as a brother and would never forgive himself if he died. âMr. Carrero? Mr. Hunter is asking for you.â
A female voice drew his attention. Looking up at a young nurse in blue scrubs beckoning him to follow, he did so without hesitation. She smiled his way warmly. âHeâs okay? Heâs going to be okay, I mean?â He tripped over his words, half relief and half exhaustion.
Walking behind her and trying to drag his heavy weight with him, he felt about a hundred years older suddenly. âYes, he will be kept in for observation, of course, but heâs fine. His father has been notified and is on his way.â
Jake sighed, relief washing over him, and a sudden ache to wrap his arms around Emma shocked him. He didnât have his cell with him to call her. Heâd gotten here in soaked clothes, a shirt, and chinos, not even wearing shoes.
Jake was ushered into a side room that resembled every hospital he had ever been in, much like when he had gone with Emma to Chicago. A single bed that was tilted into a comfier position, surrounded by white curtains and a bunch of machines, and Hunter sitting grinning at him from the middle of it all like a fucking asshole.
Dressed in a hospital gown and tucked in like a goddamn child under blue sheets and a blanket. âDickhead,â Jake grunted at him but still moved in for a shoulder-to-shoulder man-hug and patted his best friend on the back with sheer relief.
âYouâre my hero, baby. Hear you swam your little lungs out like Aqua Man trying to find me.â Daniel winked at him, but he had the urge to punch him in the face for being so fucking normal.
âRight now, youâre making me want to hurt you, and I wouldnât feel any guilt at all.â Jake flicked Hunter in the forehead in agitation, then hauled a seat over and slumped down ungraciously.
âCharming! You look like crap⦠Tired and definitely not like a guy who got laid.â Hunter eyed him warily, and Jake only stuck the V up at him. âYeah, well, whose fault is that?â he growled at him grumpily, rubbing his face and feeling several layers of fatigue hitting him all at once.
Relief was a funny thing. It let loose everything he had been holding back for hours, and suddenly, he was drained in the worst ways. ~Goddammit, he was beyond tired and no longer anywhere near drunk at all.~
âSorry, bud⦠So, how far did you get with little miss icy pants?â Hunter grinned, but Jake only glared at him coldly. âHow the fuck did you fall off the boat? There are safety rails for that specific reason, and even a drunk asshole like you couldnât just tumble over them.â
Jake shifted in his chair, trying to find a comfier spot, but he couldnât. His body was aching and desperately in need of sleep. âMisdirection! Interesting ⦠So maybe I started something but didnât finish it, huh?â Daniel smirked his way and got another finger aimed his way.
âHow?â Jake repeated. âOkay, Iâll go first if you go second ⦠no bullshit from either of us ⦠deal?â Hunter looked sheepish and piqued Jakeâs attention.
He had something juicy he was hiding. He sighed and nodded, knowing Hunter wouldnât give this topic up. âI donât think they were even looking my way, so everyone thought Iâd just jumped up, and Superman dove into the ocean.â
Hunter shrugged, a little color rising on his cheeks with embarrassment, and Jake couldnât do anything but burst out laughing. He leaned into his knees and gave in to the worst kind of hysterics. Relief, pent-up emotional trauma. Who knew?
But he laughed so much his sides started to ache, and tears poured down his face. When he stopped, he realized Hunter was laughing too. Just how ridiculously close he had been to death trying to save Leila from an orgy he had started. The whole thing was completely crazy.
âJesus, Danny ⦠for the love of God, please tell the fucking girl you love her, for fuckâs sake!â Jake hauled his arms around his ribs to stop the ache, but Hunter just raised a knowing eyebrow at him. They knew it wasnât that simple. âTouche!â He winked at Jake but was met with another heavy sigh. âYeah, whatever.â
Jake shrugged and once again pushed thoughts of Emma away. He didnât want to think about this right now. âSo?â Hunter pushed at him with a finger, and Jake glared back. Telling him was inevitable, and some of him wanted to talk about it.
Let it out of his head. âWe kissed ⦠for a while ⦠would have been more if some idiot hadnât nosedived off the fucking boat.â Jake shrugged and tried to relax, but talking about this had him tense and edgy. He couldnât pinpoint why.
It had been everything he had thought it could be, but now in harsh daylight and sober as hell, he was worried about what would happen now, how Emma would feel. Maybe not getting to sex had been a saving grace instead of a calamity.
âYou donât think she wants more, do you?â Hunter was eyeing him intensely, reading his best mate effortlessly as he always did. âNo.â Jake hated to admit it.
Saying it out loud hurt like hell, but something deep down told him he was crazy to think someone like her would even want more with someone like him. His past, his lifestyle, and all the shit he had done even while she was his PA.
He had fucked it all up by not realizing he should have been showing her he could be a guy worth more from day oneânot a playboy asshole with a string of fuck buddies and a long history of wild parties and reckless acts.
It was no wonder Emma never looked beyond friendship; the chemistry was there for both of them, but he was an asshole to let her see into all that he had been so easily. Last night had been drunken fun for her. He was stupid not to realize that.
~How could he win over a girl like her, a pure and sweet angelic girl, when he had done nothing to deserve her?~ âLook, man, you know how I feel about this ⦠If you think thereâs no future in it, you need to be the one to cut ties.â
Hunter was frowning at him, and he knew what he meant. Firing Emma, so they didnât work together anymore, was the last thing he would ever do.
He couldnât imagine not having her in his life. âI canât ⦠I wonât,â he said firmly, his no-nonsense tone that even Hunter knew not to argue with.
âThen you need to cut ties emotionally. If she wants to be just friends and coworkers, then you need to get up and go back to who you were until she doesnât mean anything anymore.â
Hunter was watching him, lying back on the cushions a little helplessly. âHas that worked for you?â He regarded him thoughtfully.
âIt helps. Over time, I hope I feel nothing for her, but over the last couple of years, Iâve found it easier to put her out of my head.â
Hunter shrugged again, and they both looked at the ceiling to contemplate the craziness of Hunterâs love for Leila.
Jake tried to imagine doing the same thing and couldnât. He was far worse than Hunter regarding how he felt, and his relationship with Emma wasnât exactly something he could drop and run off to the other side of the world from.
He was her boss, and love aside, he did actually need her at work. She was amazing at what she did, and he didnât have the heart to look for another PA. He didnât want another PA.