The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers)

“I can call us a pizza or something. What do you fancy?” He completely blanks my suggestion about leaving me here, and I wonder if it’s because he doesn’t want to go or if he thinks I can’t be trusted, and the second he leaves I will hightail it back to a nightclub. I watch his face for a second to analyze which it may be and see only the calm relaxed response of a dude who is happy where he is.

“Pizza sounds good, pepperoni, and no anchovies.” I lift my foot and try to nudge him with my toe, but he just catches my ankle and lifts my leg a little too high to be comfortable and pokes me in the back of my knee, so I flinch. It has the same effect as a full-on tickle, and I yank my leg back in reaction with a jerk and an impulse to hit at him with the cushion I’m holding.

“Pizza it is. Any other requests before I call for a delivery?” He pulls my legs off his lap and pushes them to the floor in an easy movement, so I have no choice but to sit up. He slides forward and pulls his phone from somewhere down beside his butt, maybe his pocket, and seems intent on scrolling his contacts. Knowing him, he has every fast food joint within a twenty-mile radius saved. When he’s not on a super tight eating regime, Arrick likes to pig out as much as me. We could be crowned queen and king of takeout, much to Natasha’s annoyance. She is always so freaking picky about his health regime and often calls me a bad influence on his lack of self-discipline when he should be cutting pounds to stay in his weight class of competing.

“Only that it’s supersized and hurries up.” I smile, lean in so my shoulder is against him and lay my head on his shoulder, defeated. I feel like closing my eyes and drifting off, but I know he’s serious about continuing the conversation from the car, and right now I don’t want to put him back in a closed off and distant mood over this. We hadn’t said much on the last leg of the journey here, as he left me alone with my thoughts to fully compose myself on that few minutes’ drive back here.

Arrick calls and places an order for a supersize pepperoni and cheese, side of coke and some fries, leaves his address and puts the phone on the table in front of him when he’s done. He stays leaning forward though, so I can stay how I am, sliding an arm through his and around that muscular upper mass and cuddling in more. He leans in towards me too and kisses me on top of my head affectionately, staying a moment as though pondering something and just breathing slowly.

“So, guess we should get to the point and work this out.” He sighs heavily, keeping his chin against my forehead, and I move it a little to rub against the slight stubble coming through. An automatic reaction to a familiar embrace. He likes the clean-shaven look and being fair-haired means, he never really gets that dark shadow of stubble, but I can feel it under the surface, and I like how it grazes against my skin.

“You said you want to take me back home. I said yes. What else is there to talk about?” I sigh. I feel like there is nothing more I can add to what was said before. I can’t explain why I feel the way I do, and right now, sitting here with him, I don’t even feel that way. I feel calm and tired and unusually okay for once. I catch the tiny tensing of his muscle under my arms, a hint that he is trying to pick the right words before saying something and ruining this.

down to mine so he can look me in the

have a drinking problem. You can calm your worry pants on that front. And I have never … ever done drugs. You know how I feel about them.” I say it

often you drink, or if partly you do because you can’t stop. I need you to be honest with me.” There is no anger in his voice, his soft almost normal tone urging me to open up and I shake my head

twitches at the corner of his mouth. A neon sign that he believes me. It’s not like I’m lying, I know I can walk away from a bottle of vodka and not touch it again if I want to. Alcohol isn’t the issue, it’s my own head and heart that is,

where that whole mess is concerned. Sometimes I think my past still affects him more than it affects me. He hates bringing it up, hates knowing that I lived through fourteen years of it and the look of pain on his face tells me it’s still as raw for him to process, even now. I couldn’t love him more if I tried, and the heartwarming ache seeing him this

and between them, holding my hand. He pulls it up so he can splay my palm and kisses me in the center of it gently. Pushing my hand down onto his leg, still encircled

to stop all of it, you know that, right? If this is going to change, then going home, sobering up and staying that way for a while is what you need to do. This won’t work unless you can get your head screwed back on. None of this will help you.” He’s in paternal mode, looking at me in that understanding yet bossy way, and I start nodding in agreement, knowing that everything he is saying is true. A conclusion I

I want to be anymore; I’m done.” I state it with fervor, locking him dead in the eye. Arrick leans in so we’re closer, nose to nose, and focuses those calm hazel eyes on my blue

headstrong and sometimes stupidly impulsive, but when you make a decision, Sophie, it is pretty hard to sway you at all. If you’re telling me that this ends here, tonight, that you want to go home and sort yourself out, then I’m with you. I believe you. I know you would never tell me just what I want to hear.” He glances across my face, letting go of my hand so he can brush my hair back and

it all go. Let the pieces start falling into place tomorrow.” I sigh pleadingly, fully fatigued as waves of exhaustion flow over me to remind me