The Carrero Contract - Selling Your Soul (Mafia Romance)

‘You don’t look well and this place is hardly the Hilton.’ He nudges my shoulder with his and I smile softly, fully aware of how things are. Amazed by how quickly my insides are returning to normal and the effects of one smouldering Carrero in the corner are wearing off now I am over the worst of the shock. I’m still not repentant over throwing things at him; I’m just sorry I only hit him once. I’m still smarting, but it’s hard to stay enraged and high octane when your body is giving up on you.

I think I am in dazed shock at his presence though, it doesn’t really feel like he is here. This is a weird dream after months of sleeping.

‘You don’t have to tell me that,’ I respond quietly, fully aware that this is barely better than sleeping under a bridge right now and freeze when I catch Alexi’s feet moving towards me across the floor. I won’t show him that his proximity gets to me, so even when he walks over and sits on the arm of the chair at the other side of me, a few feet away, I try to ignore him completely.

Easier said than done when your body decides to go into over the top high alert the second he’s within five feet. I blank him out as though he isn’t there.

Alexi has fallen silent and seems to be staring at me as though something intensely alluring is on the side of my face. It’s distracting but I continue to look at the door in front of us as the man working on it opens it slightly and starts messing with the edge, Mico looks up too.

Alexi, I’m assuming, is trying to dig through my skull and extract information on who would dare bruise something he clearly still considers his possession and has no interest in anything much else right now except my head. Maybe he is just fantasising about tying me up and punishing me to his heart’s content. He’ll never fucking change.

His intense gaze on me is uncomfortable and I really cannot decipher the weird sombre vibe I am getting from him when he’s this close. Or his odd silence now we are no longer physically fighting.

Four months of him eating my brain every night and in one tiny little twenty-minute meeting with him again I remember every reason I left the hospital and never looked back.

He’s an arsehole.

I sigh as the tension hits peak level and turn to Mico in complete bewilderment.

‘I don’t want him here. I don’t need him here, so why is he here?’ I say it softly, completely exhausted and I don’t care that he is right beside me. I don’t want to talk to him or look, or smell, or feel him close to me anymore. I can barely breathe with him in my room. Alexi is the last person in the world I ever want to be around again.

This isn’t what I need.

‘He’s only here as long as I am. The door is almost done, and then he won’t be much longer on other things. Look, Camilla, I think you should let me put you in a hotel for tonight and I can come see you again in the morning; alone, to talk properly.’ He gives Alexi a look over my head, sort of serious and yet apologetic now my back is on him, and I shake my head in irritation at this show of command when really there is no hierarchy in this situation. This is between Mico and me!

It’s got fuck all to do with Alexi so he can stop seeking permission from him and let me deal with my own shit.

‘I don’t need a hotel. Look, I’m sorry if I seem ungrateful when you came down here to help me. I’m just … I just don’t want to do this. Not with him. I’m sorry but that ship sailed and we have nothing to say to one another.’

‘He came here to talk, make sure you were okay. Things have changed in your absence … if you just …’ Mico looks perplexed, but I don’t want to hear it.

too tired for this.’ Mentally

to offer than this?’ He gestures around the room but I burst out laughing and stand up, no longer able to deal with the way my body is goose bumping all over with his proximity, or how hemmed in he has me feeling. I feel claustrophobic, restless

his head on a platter.’ I avoid looking his way,

tells me nothing of his seriousness, and this time I spin on his face angrily. Annoyed he is trying to make light of things in this way, and just eternally

throw a pointed snarl his way.

us is capable of being in one room without wanting to rip each other’s faces off. Mico should never have brought him and I don’t care

was? I am just amazed you even attempted something you clearly have no aptitude

up on us and Alexi gets up to tower over me once more. Imposing and intimidating, but I am not about to back down for him ever again. I bristle as he takes up a position right

have to grit my teeth instead of

right inside my head and twist, twist,

Wanker!

for sure … it’s not beneath you at all. I am so out of your league you’re practically non-existent from my viewpoint.’ I toss back my hair and give him my best Camilla

look … Baby! I’m so gutted that I don’t meet your standards.’ He picks up a strand of my lank, mousy brown hair and tugs it, that smarmy look that makes me want to punch him in the throat and reminds me how crappy I actually look. I may feel like

much depth as a puddle.’ I raise a sarky brow, biting

up and walks to my kitchen and starts looking for a kettle, or something to do while we have ourselves an immature squabble over here. I think he’s resigned himself to the fact

and the use of that not cute, ever fucking irritating pet name he likes to use on me when he is being a prick. Temper that has been brimming inside

and go fuck yourself??’ I scream at him, losing my cool and letting

hard,’ he spits back, an evil glimmer of that sadistic controlling prick who uses punishment as a method

and choke, you complete fucking wanker!’ I squawk like

good test subject.’ He just sounds sinister as fuck and I quake deep inside, no longer in control of

cut your fucking balls off with something blunt!’ I’m seething with rage, making threats and taking no heed of the

as tempers reach sky-high and my urge to start chucking shit at Alexi’s head starts all over again. He pushes us apart forcefully and gives Alexi an extra shoulder punch as though somehow, he is more at fault than me, and Alexi just continues to glare past him right

fuck out of my apartment, you complete tosser.’ I yell in rage at him and throw my hands in the air, done with all of this and eager to finally put my head down somewhere soft and

back at me, tone full of

mind fucking leaving it then, WILL

and shut the door on both of them with a massive slam that makes the thin walls vibrate and a poorly hung picture falls off inside my room with a bump. Luckily it has no glass and I turn and pace around angrily, seething with the nerve

way my body is shaking, both with adrenaline, anger and fever and all the mess going off inside of me