The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers)

I walk out of my room sassily when I’m dolled up in the figure-hugging cocktail dress. It’s knee length, has a tight pencil skirt and a bust popping upper bodice that has off the shoulder straps and a serious amount of boning to give me a vampy tailored body. I think I’m even more in love with it now than I was the first time I tried it on and it’s one of those dresses that look bland on the hanger, but stunning on a body. It’s definitely not something I would have worn in the past months, to go to some seedy bar with seedy friends, but Arrick’s friends hang out in upmarket, classier clubs, and this dress will totally fit in.

“Wow! You look stunning.” He’s on his feet in a flash, his eyes devouring me in a way that is not Arry at all, and I get that he suddenly feels uncomfortable when his eyes drop away with a slight tense of his jawline. He picks up his jacket and slides it on while avoiding looking at me, then I hand him mine to help me with it. The dress may look amazing, but it’s not easy to do much in the way of maneuvering my body without a little help and getting my arms into my jacket by myself impossible. He comes behind me and pauses before helping slide it on, and I have to wonder if he just checked out my ass; the dress certainly molds to it back there and perks everything up.

“Don’t look too bad yourself. Totally make Batman and Robin jealous.” I grin, pushing aside the fact that I think he’s checking me out, ignoring that rosy glow that develops deep down within my feminine parts.

“Yeah, I think we are way hotter than those two, and look a hell of a lot better arm in arm than I think they could ever pull off. Maybe we are Batman and Catwoman after all.” Arrick slides my jacket the rest of the way over my shoulders and turns me, to help button it up. Reverting to taking care of me, as Jake does to Mia. I watch that focused set of hazels on my buttons and sigh at just how ridiculously flawless that face really is and how sweet Arry can be.

“Oooh, I like that, she’s sexy and phraaar.” I make a cat claw motion at his face and meet an amused frown.

“You’re definitely that alright. You’ve always have been a little ‘phraaaar’. Ferocious kitty cat!” He gazes at me with no expression, and I can’t tell if he’s being funny or just odd, wondering why he’s pulling his guard up.

like I’m a rabid stray.” I answer him flatly,

moment as I really did think he was pulling me in for something a little less platonic, with the ferocity of

eyes at him, torn between reading more into this than I should and letting it go. I’m definitely getting a flirty vibe, and I have no idea if I’m imagining it. If this dress has triggered some sort of horny Arrick tonight, then I’m all for

and

me to face the door with him. It closes in front of us as he swipes his

dude in control once more, and knocking my head out of whack, wondering if I’m reading into things too much. I blink at him with a ‘Really?’ expression, as though he surely can’t have forgotten how many bars he collected me from in the past eighteen months of my life. I’m only twenty, and before the new haircut, I never looked like I was even hitting eighteen. It’s amazing though, how a

the reflection the two of us make. We look right together, I guess we always have, except I agree with him on the dark hair thing. It’s the only part of us

you got that.” He shakes his head, another furrowed brow overtaking his paternal expression. “I doubt you’ll get pulled

Don’t try and tell me you never had a fake, as I know for a fact you and that brother of yours were hitting it hard when you were only seventeen.” I raise my eyebrows knowingly at him, throwing him a serious look, completely