He kept questioning that look, trying to dissect in seconds why she would look at him like he had been looking at himself in the mirror for weeks. His head skimmed through memories and conversations of the last weeks with her, tidbits of clues and puzzle pieces.
He remembered the last song she sent him and reached into his jacket for his phone, looking up to see if she was still close enough to catch and realizing she was completely gone. ~Fuck, fuck, fuck.~ Jake was glued to the spot, uncertainty keeping him here despite every part of his being screaming at him to go after her.
It was then that it hit him, like a sudden lightning bolt moment. He had to know if he just imagined it or if she could feel the same for him that he did for her. If thatâs what he just saw in her eyes.
Looking at the phone in his hand, he knew how to ask. Hands shaking, he skimmed songs quickly until he found one that had been plaguing the radio for the last week. Sending it out into the network and to her phone without hesitation and hoping to God she had her cell with her. He had nothing else to lose.
He had lost everything when she had walked out of his office, and standing there watching her leave was only a harsh reminder that he would never love anyone the way he loved her. He needed to be sure. ~Jake Carrero has sent an iTunes gift to Emma Anderson.~
The email notice popped up on his phone, and his stomach churned with nerves. ~Jake Carrero, you sent Jessie WareâsââSay You Love Me.â~
He knew there was no backing out of it now, she could only take that song one way, and he would finally know for sure if he had ever stood a chance with her. The world seemed to stop around him, music dulling to nothing as the rush of blood ran through his ears.
He was sure his heart might explode close to his first-ever real panic attack. ~Come on, Emma, any sort of answer, please.~
He was staring at his phone, motionless in a sea of dancing bodies and completely unaware of anything except the blank screen in front of him. It seemed like an eternity before an email notification pinged on his screen, his heart lurching and his stomach dropping with fear.
With trembling hands, he hit the screen and opened the email. ~Emma Anderson has gifted you an iTunes song.~
~Emma Anderson has sent youâPaloma FaithââOnly Love Can Hurt Like This.â~ Jakeâs world stopped.
A moment of pause as he took this in, and it slowly dawned on him what her response meant. He read it twice to be sure before impulse took over, and he was moving fast in the direction she left. Body alive with energy and tingling.
He was on hyper-drive and determined that his only goal now was finding the girl who was about to be kissed within an inch of her life. He was soaring, desperate to push through the crowds and see her. ~Emma loved him.~ ~His Emma really loved him the way he loved her.~
His eyes were scanning the floor, and people getting in his way were moved with a little force, ignoring people trying to stop him and talk. He just had one thing on his mind, and he was damned if anyone was going to get in his way. He needed to find her and see her, talk to her.
Every blonde head and red dress was being assessed as he moved quickly, shrugging off hands and hellos, sliding through groups of people with determination. Not giving a shit at how ignorant he was being. And then, there she was.
Stopping him dead in his tracks, her eyes focused on him at the edge of the dance floor as though she had been waiting for him to find her. Looking like everything in the world that mattered to him, standing stock still only feet away. His entire being halted.
Jake didnât hesitate a moment longer. The look on her face said everything he needed to act. She was wide-eyed and distraught, heartbroken and almost begging him to come to her.
Who was he to refuse when all he had ever wanted was for her to want him this way? His feet had him marching her way, long, fast strides to get to his end goal as soon as humanly possible.
He didnât stop when he got to her, just intent on his purpose, aching to do what he had planned when he found her. His hands automatically cupped her face and pulled her to him, cupped her jaw, and met her mouth with unleashed force and passion that sent his head spiraling and his heart soaring.
Finally, complete. He kissed her as though his life depended on it, reveling in how she sagged into him and kissed him back with matched fever.
Jake was flying, his heart erratic, and he knew this was all he would ever needâjust her and him and the ability to be this way with her. She was his soul.
She clung to him as much as he held her, matching his passion and movement and neither breaking away from the intensity of the meeting for long minutes. They were breathing hard, oblivious to the room around them, and only focused on each other.
He couldnât stop kissing her, but he knew he had to do more. He had to tell her how he felt. He had to let her talk and confirm that this was something more than sex or lust.
He needed her to know that he was serious about her, that for him, she was his forever. He needed to say the words he had been holding back for months. Jake needed to tell her that he was hopelessly in love with her.
Breaking away finally, only enough to rest his forehead against hers and breathe her in, he stared into the depths of those cool blue eyes that seemed to see right down into his very soul. Neither seemed to have words, just matched shallow breathing, oblivious to the room and people around them.
He didnât care if reporters were taking pictures or if people were staring. All he cared about was her and what she was thinking. âCome with me?â Jake finally managed a whisper, physically tearing himself from being so close to her and aching to get her alone.
Despite the noise of the orchestra and the hustle and bustle around them, she seemed to hear him loud and clear, never tearing her eyes from his and nodding. Jake couldnât help the surge of happiness running through him and couldnât resist brushing his mouth against hers once more.
Emma always tasted sweet, like cakes and candy, and herâa heady combination that was addictive to him. He didnât even care if her lipstick was all over him right now.
He let go of her and slid her small dainty hand in his, interlocking fingers possessively and leading the way toward the main entrance fast. He couldnât stop the dizzying euphoria coursing through him or the sense of urgency in getting her alone.
He felt like this was all surreal after what felt like a lifetime of not being able to have her. He was walking on clouds.
Winding through the crowded room, Jakeâs impatience was rising with every person who got in his way. Familiar faces stopped them, and even though he tried to deflect the attention, he had to stop when flanked by a client who was a little more forceful in getting his attention.
The stocky man seemed oblivious to the young, beautiful girl he was obviously trying to usher out of the room with him. Jake could feel himself almost growling with frustration as he launched into a speech about some funding nonsense for a new venture.
Jake glanced down at Emma to check that she was okay and that she was real and this wasnât some weird hallucination. That face looking trustingly up at him only tore at him more and made him more determined to get her alone. ~God, I love you so fucking much, bambina.~
Jakeâs attention was pulled back by the gray-haired suit extending a hand, some feeble attempt at agreeing to a lunch date for a business chat. Jake hadnât even been listening, so overly aware of the warm, soft hand in his and the way Emma was curling gently around his side.
He wanted to have more contact with her than this. He wanted to wrap himself up in her. Pulling her in closer, Jake tucked her slender arm under his and grasped her hand a little firmer, closer but still not close enough to be able to deal with these idiots holding them up.
Right now, he would agree to pitch a million at any stupid idea as long as they shut the fuck up and got out of his way. Finally, the suit moved, and Jake made a move to get them going once more.
They didnât get far before another one slid in front, blocking their passage. Jake almost yelled at him in sheer frustration. ~For fuckâs sake.~
Impatience and complete frustration had him nodding eagerly, trying to slide past and pulling Emma into him a little forcefully. He was trying to palm the suit off with a hand wave, but he was having none of it.
âSo, Mr. Carrero, we could meet upâ¦â Jake zoned out, focusing only on her, sliding her hand free, and instead putting an arm around her waist and bodily molding them side by side. She impulsively rested her head against his chest, and he almost melted into a mushy puddle on the floor.
She had no idea what she could do to him with minimal effort. Jake kissed her temple. He just wanted to be done here and to be able to get this all out. To look her in the eye and ask her straight out if she wanted to be with him from now until eternity. Thatâs all he could think about.
âYeah, sure, just call my office to make a lunch appointment. Anytime.â Jake almost waved the guy out of his face, missing his handshake a little prematurely and moving to get past quickly, oblivious to the awkwardness he had just caused when the man left flailing hands in mid-air.
Jake pulled Emma with him fast, seeing an opening within the standing people and aiming for it before anyone else snagged him to a standstill. Emma stumbled on her shoes, and he almost cursed at knowing he was practically dragging her, guilt hitting him hard and knocking him for six.
âIâm sorry ⦠I just need to get you out of here quickly ⦠I need us to be aloneâto talk.â He sounded nervous as hell, and maybe he was. All he knew was that this place was starting to piss him off, and looking for escape proved to be more difficult than he had planned.
Getting them to the main hall, he looked around for privacy, spying a little door marked staff that was ajar and showing a dark unused entrance. ~Perfect.~ Leading the way once more, he slowed down as Emma lifted her dress and seriously thought about scooping her up to carry her for a moment.
Looking around at the volume of milling guests, he thought better of it and slowed his pace to let her keep up. Looking at her in that dress, her sexy-as-hell shoes peeking out in all their tall stiletto beauty, his body went into immediate hunger overdrive.
God, he wanted more than to kiss her. He wanted her naked and under him. Her shoe choices had always made him horny, she had perfect legs, and he loved nothing more than seeing them slid into shoes like this. If he got her home in this dress, or even out of that dress, those shoes would be staying on.
Checking around, he opened the door further into a dim abandoned hall and pulled her inside with him, turning her so he could push her back against the wall behind the cover of the door and unleashing every urge he had been fighting out there to kiss her again. This time the force of all the pent-up lust hit out harder, flooring her with a kiss that sent him into lust overdrive.