The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers)

My chest heaves with the ferocity of it and then the sudden pang of absolute fear that I just made a stupid impulsive mistake and notch this up to a code red. My body caught in a wave of icy coldness, sweeping over every limb and calming my jets. I know I pretty much just triggered a violent reaction in a guy who clearly has no issue with victimizing women.

“You little …” He jumps to his feet, a hand rising aggressively as a storm rages in his eyes, scowling furiously, and I can tell I’m about to be slapped back with pissed male aggression that will render me useless. His face is twisted in seething hatred, moving fast, and I’m suddenly powerless to do anything, paralyzed in what feels like a time pause. It’s like my body is too stunned to react and even though I see it coming, I freeze. Bracing for impact and knowing I have no chance to get out of this. I have no idea what the hell is wrong with me and it’s like I see it all happening in slow motion.

His hand is blocked with lightning speed by a muscular black-sleeved arm, appearing in front of my face in such an instant that I’m still recoiling in slow reaction. The tall, muscular body of a leather-jacketed male slides between us fully, shielding me behind him, and my whole inner self sweeps coolly with utmost relief.

Arrick’s aftershave surrounds me like a sudden familiar haven, a solid shield of pure muscle and a beacon in the dark. That wave of cold turns to tingles and internal shakes of sheer relief, my body instantly slumping and falling forwards to lean into him as the adrenaline turns me into a mess of jellified uselessness.

“I swear if you don’t turn around and walk off right now, then you’ll be taking all meals from a tube, Dickhead.” Arrick snarls in that husky Carrero tone of the most perfect male voice I’ve ever known. My boy! Like familiar soothing music that just makes you whole. Bristling with aggression and dwarfing the other man with his sheer build of alpha intimidation in all his glory.

Arrick is hitting the six-foot-one mark, maybe more nowadays, and his build has gotten a lot wider and stronger since he matured and started professional fighting. He’s a vision of physical perfection that goes so well with the face of male gorgeousness I could never find a fault in. Arrick has always been the poster boy for my idea of the perfect man. I don’t see flaws or fault in any single tiny inch of him.

to breathe deeply. Resting my cheek against him, the warm soft leather and body heat, that is as welcome as his smell, seeps into me and calms me down, relaxing me fully. Secure

back. I snap up my chin and glare through Arrick’s body, even though he can’t see me behind him, and I don’t want him too. Arry tenses at the insult, willing himself not to react, to keep his cool. I know without seeing his face he’ll be a picture of

back! Says it all, buddy!” Arrick leans away from me and I know it’s to glare into the guy’s face and threaten him, all icy cool composure sweeping off him in droves. One thing he mastered young in life was how to assert authority and dominate when he needs to, and it never fails him. He has that same Carrero aggression as his father and brother, but rarely has to go beyond a threat. A look is usually enough.

still for a moment as that tremor of nerves surges through me.

hand behind him and pulling it so I’m drawn to face him, that mask of indifference firmly in place and eyes zoning in on mine intensely. Even though it’s dark, I know those hazel eyes will have more than a few flecks of green, sparkling in the depths. They become obvious and intense when he’s pissed. My stomach flickers again, nerves making me uneasy. My lip finds its way between my teeth nervously as the hammering of my heart returns. His eyes go to the childish gesture and he knits his

silky deep depths of that smooth voice. Arrick never really lets much out publicly, he’s a guy who hates drama and making a scene, hates being overly emotional, and has only gotten so much worse since

trying to pass it off and not hint at how terrified or angry I was seconds before. I still have this inability

eye he seems fine. He’s mad at me. Entangling fingers snugly with mine to secure me to him. Despite the nerves inside of me, I still get that warm tug of euphoria I always get with

we are again enveloped by the worst of the body thumping noise around us when we near the source of it, making my heart thump in time to the beat and worsens the nausea that’s still lingering. I force myself to take long, deep,