The Carrero Contract - Selling Your Soul (Mafia Romance)

Suspicious of this behaviour, I keep one eye on him as I look around for my discarded items, but he stays put and watches me in that silent predator way of his. Seeming more like the man of the last few months than the sadist of pre-shooting myself in the face days.

I know it’s been there all along and I was oblivious to how far it went. The little niggles that something had changed were all dismissed, and now looking at him silently observing me, I can see the uncertainty in his demeanour is very real.

If he isn’t lying, if he means what he says, it explains a lot from the past few weeks—about the change in him. I just don’t understand why though.

Nothing happened that made him suddenly grow feelings for me. I left, he found me; we carried on. Nothing at all to sway how he saw me.

“I’m not good at this.” He blurts it out in an almost painful rush of words as I glance at him again. That broad set of shoulders on that powerfully large body sagging slightly, the drop of his chin as he looks at the floor hesitantly again. He seems so much tamer than how he normally is.

“Good at what? Losing games? I’m not playing so there’s no win or lose about it.” I blanch at him sarcastically, pushing my thoughts aside as nonsense and go in search of one of my shoes, bewildered that it’s vanished from sight and venture further into the apartment to find it. I didn’t think I threw it this far. Then again, I threw with venom and probably much harder than I realised. It’s not lost on me that I’m fast regaining my composure and feeling a little light-headed and not quite here. I guess it’s the adrenaline wearing off, and I’m beginning to calm down.

“Feelings … talking about this shit.” He follows me, gaining distance fast and a little too close to where I am, sounding exasperated with me. He hems me in with his looming presence, a little too close in my danger zone behind me and I spin on him. Still prickly enough to react when threatened by his closeness.

“That’s not what this is. It’s you annoyed because you can no longer manipulate me. And stop coming so close to me from behind, you know I can’t stand it!” I throw a raised eyebrow and ‘fuck you’ look at him and turn back to head off, but he catches my hand in his and pulls me back sharply. That warm searing touch of his skin on mine a little too familiar, and it triggers my fear response.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” I yelp in reaction and slap his hand away. Hating myself that his skin on mine stirs so many unwanted feelings and hopes. Too familiar, too inviting. I bloody hate that amid all this my body yearns for him the second he lays a finger on me. He’s the devil incarnate with his stupid charms and devious spells.

“Then stop being a pig-headed, stubborn diva and listen to what I’m fucking telling you, woman!” He barks right back with the infamous Alexi temper. Still in there after all. I literally gawp at the angry, definitely Alexi Carrero devil tone that just threw those words in my face. It’s almost laughable.

“Charming. Haven’t completely changed then have you?” I cross my arms over my chest and scowl at him with a shake of the head. Simmering with a temper on the verge of breaking loose once again. “From love to whatever that was.” I point out blatantly, waving a finger at his face, nodding my head as though to point out his tone.

Alexi looks like he might actually strangle me. There is no other way to describe his erratic expression and heavy exhale.

“Frustration! Because you are one of the hardest women to communicate with, I have ever met. Camilla, I … Love … You. No games, no motives, no fucking anything. No manipulation, or underhanded ulterior motives. I love you. And that’s it. Now stop storming around and listen to me. Believe me when I say I want you in my life. Not for money, nor sex, nor this club, but because I want you and I want to be with you!”

It’s semi-yelled at me in a harsh tone that is more befitting of him telling off one of his minions than any remorseful sweet nothing, but in that, I can tell it’s not a practised play or a mouthful of horse shit. He isn’t acting. He’s pissed that his confessions are being treated as lies, and he is trying like crazy to keep his cool while that hot Italian temper kicks off.

This is probably the most honest response I have seen in him yet. One I actually believe in.

Maybe.

I don’t know how that makes me feel. Faced with what might be the truth.

My head and heart are in chaos, and I’m so consumed with anger and pain right now as a flood of conflicting thoughts and feelings fight with one another. When it comes to this man, it’s no wonder I’m in a hell of a mess. Nothing with him is straightforward or ever has been. Staring at his face in a suspended sort of mood. Unsure what to say to that. I sigh and let my mouth run loose. It’s always been its biggest flaw.

“You had me. I stood right there … and you let me believe I was nothing.” I croak as tears return at my words, raking up memories I should leave in the past where they belong. I point to the blank part of the wall by the kitchen, with a backwards glance over my shoulder, to where I stood on that drunken fateful night. The wall marked with a tiny little indent to where my skull met it and shudder at seeing it, even though I have passed it for weeks on end without a second thought.

He really is under my skin tonight.

The night I held a gun to my head and pulled the trigger. I wanted to die because of this man, this one right here, trying to play off all of that as nothing because he now wants what I offered him back then.

My heart lets loose, pent-up tears and wracking agony as the memory of his rejection and my failed attempt to end it all floods through me, sobbing returning with a vengeance as it hits home that he isn’t lying. Alexi is telling the truth.

he did to

He cares about me.

have cared before he destroyed

again losing all that hostility, guilt seeping through so that even I can recognise it, as weird as it is to see

there, on show and seems very real. Alexi has regrets. The king of cruel has a conscience after all, but all it does is twist the knife deeper in my

all just is too

the gulping tears and emotional blubbering that are pulling me apart so quickly. The hopelessness of

empty. After all this, to finally see something genuine from him, when we

or cocky. He looks hurt, sorrowful and intent on gazing into my tear-filled eyes. A softness

let you close, do you decide I’m worthy of something more?” It’s desperation for answers and a broken heart torn in

kind of tragedy,

I step back. A clear signal I don’t want him near me, and he relents. Stopping himself and moves away instead, to give me space, the flicker of pain evident as his eyes dip to avoid

of real emotion. Who knew he was capable of

out to every limb and even my

just screwed everything up. I was scared, I was torn, I was

Like he knows that this is pointless, and the past is more

my sadness, and I curl my arms around myself and try to give self-comfort

desperation to stop you. That night changed everything. You can’t keep lying to yourself when your heart is lying in a hospital bed

does. Choking me with a lump in my throat so I have to swallow hard and breathe through another sob. His

looking ashen and pale for his normally tanned self, and I start to go numb as my body takes over to

tell me to go then try to pay me to leave you alone? Why didn’t you come for me, or tell me then?” My head is scrambling back in time, for the questions that

be okay. Then I did what I thought was best, to protect you. Get you the hell away from me so I could never hurt you again or push you to hurt yourself. I didn’t know what else to do to make sure you wouldn’t try a second attempt after recovery. I never wanted you to die, or get hurt like that, and I wasn’t sure you wouldn’t do it again if I didn’t let you go.” Alexi's voice softens hugely, as do his eyes on me, and the anger that was firing between us simmers to something gentler. He moves closer

believe you.” Another tear trickles down my face, words uttered softly and this time he reaches out and brushes it away. His touch, so unwanted yet so longed for makes me flinch at his caress, but I still don’t move away. Rooted to the spot as my heart aches for answers from him, stopping myself from closing my eyes to savour the gentle way he wipes my tears. For so long I wanted him to feel something for me. So many nights

give me a new perspective on recent times with him. A reminder of the man

was in there, but I failed

emotions already waning from fatigue as though I just cannot take any more for one night. Confusion taking over,

I told you a million times I would never let anything happen to you. Even if that meant letting you go. I mean it—I will never let anything happen to you. I promised I would always protect you.

tingles down my spine. His voice soft and low as he stands only inches from me, bodies apart and mirroring poses. The only touch between us is his hand lingering on my cheek and the way his breath fans my forehead and nose from his taller height. The intensity of this moment has me trawling

My memories jumbled and foggy from that night, and yet I hear his voice and those words as I struggled in the darkness. As clear as day, they run through my blank head as though confirming the truth. I hear them as though he is uttering

never let

gun, and in that hospital when I awoke to darkness and voices. I thought it was Mico. The stranger in the shadows who calmed me and told me they were there. That strange power they held over my racing mind and drew me to a quiet, peaceful place so I

There were two shadows, and the one who calmed me, as he is doing

was by my side when he thought I might die. It was him who asked if I knew he was there. I can remember it all now. My head bursting with new information

a new angle can

with me. He took me to get help. He

in my hazy state of a concussion, I was dying from a wounded heart. If I had known it was him, maybe I wouldn’t have run. Maybe I would have given him a chance to fix things. Maybe I wouldn’t have continued to cry myself to sleep over him

if that was nowhere near me. I knew I had completely destroyed any hope of taking it all back.” Alexi leans a tiny inch nearer so I can feel his words on my skin,

up without you.” I utter softly. Clinging to

me and kicked my ass back in touch. I was a mess, Cam. I couldn’t handle anything anymore, and all I did was drink myself into oblivion so I wouldn’t keep seeing you inside my head. By the time he sobered me up they had discharged you and it was too late.” Alexi steps in so much closer, bodies a hair width apart so we are breathing the same air, and I can feel his heat radiating through me. We are almost physically touching. His hand drops from my cheek and we both stand