The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers)

Arrick pulls me with him to a nearby row of seats in the corner by the corridor doors; we have been going easy on alcohol tonight, but we are probably both a lot more drunk than we intended to be. Caught up in the night and his friends, it’s easy to lose track of what you consume until it hits you hard in one fell swoop. I’m feeling beyond tipsy, everything swaying softly and that ultra-merry, ‘I am so drunk’, dream quality has me all giggly.

I’ve danced my legs off with Claire, seen Jenny for all of ten minutes when Nate swept in and dragged her away and haven’t seen her since. I don’t doubt it’s all kisses and roses, seeing as he literally picked her up over his shoulder, hand on her ass and took her off in the direction of the private VIP rooms. Neither has come back in hours, so I am going to assume they left together. No doubt I will get a text sometime tomorrow with explanations at her disappearance and his. Christian sent me a dozen selfies from his own little party for two, it seems they are drunk, in a hotel, and making effective use of an empty swimming pool.

I slump down on the seats and lean back, tired and fuzzy, glowing with the warm sensation of alcohol consumption and feeling better down here away from the VIP lounge. We have not strayed back upstairs in almost three hours, and I get the distinct impression he’s keeping us away from her, even though he hasn’t mentioned her.

I saw him check his cell a couple times when we were at the bar, I guess she has text him and I am trying not to let it get to me. I know he didn’t respond to her, if it was even her at all, but I’m bit pissed that even here, seeing me with him, she still tries to get between us. That I am letting her.

Let it go, for one night.

“We should think about heading home soon.” Arrick slides in beside me, leaning across me so he can get nose to nose and angles in for a kiss. Far too appealing with that soft hazy drunk look on him, eyes heavy and lips ripe for smooching.

“Really? Are you tired, Mr. Carrero?” I smile sweetly, rubbing my nose against his as he teases me with an almost kiss, his fingers coming to trace my lips gently. His eyes are focused on my mouth and the last half hour he hasn’t been able to keep his hands off me. Most definitely getting the vibe he’s thinking about going home to get naked. I’m on board with that, he has my body tingling with his attentions; gyrating and grinding into me on the dancefloor, fueling me with alcohol and letting me hang around his neck, making out to slower songs has me more than eager. I’m completely relaxed, ready to take all my clothes off and climb on top of him.

“Not tired, baby… Crazily horny for you, and thinking how good you look out of that dress.” He leans in the last millimeters and kisses me seductively. Lips meeting mine perfectly, parting and easing his tongue against mine. Cradling my jaw in his hand and pulling my body to him so he can run his free hand up my thigh and under the edge of my dress to cup under my butt. I moan against him as his hot hand warms my skin on the cool seat, edging my body to his so that I mold against him, smiling when his other hand skims my throat and across the curve of my breast teasingly and he squeezes.

“Get a fucking room!” The nasty bitchy tone makes us snap apart, and Arrick looks up over his shoulder to glare at the female voice behind us. It isn’t a voice I know, and I’m surprised to see a random girl, I vaguely recognize, standing right beside us; hands on hips and glaring at me icily. I try to place her face and can’t. Tall, slim with jet black hair and soulless grey eyes.

“Back off Miranda. Go back to wherever you came from and keep out of it!” Arrick snaps, still holding me close, hand back on my throat gently, body still caging mine protectively.

“Your heartbroken ex-girlfriend doesn’t need you flaunting your hussy in her face, it’s fucking cruel, Arrick!” She sneers directly at me, looks me up and down and snorts before dragging her eyes back to his face.

“Miranda, we stayed down here knowing she would stay up there… What else do you want me to do? We broke up… I moved on with my life. I’m sorry that we move in the same circles, and I am not trying to hurt her, but I moved on.” Arrick stands up and offers me his hand to move, obviously intending to avoid this kind of drama, but Miranda stands her ground. I can tell by his posture that she’s getting to him on major levels but he’s trying to ignore her, keep the cool he’s famed for.

is wrong with you?” She has a serious attitude when it comes to me, even though I don’t even know her; death glare and nasty vile scowls from behind his back, aimed right at me with such clear hatred. My temper rises, but I know he won’t want me to react. He will want to deal with this and keep things from escalating, so I bite my tongue and try to avoid looking at her. Trying to control that inner demon in me as best as I can

so how about you back off and go console her, instead of starting shit here?” Arrick yells at her, losing his temper faster than I even anticipated and I blink at him as he turns on her. Seeing really, the first tell-tale signs that he’s a lot drunker

her pants on a whim.” She storms forward to face him off, so close facially and spitting venom. I glare at her hatefully, so consumed with the urge to yell something back and fighting every inch of myself. I sense the shift in his mood, the vibes of aggression building and stand

across the room aggressively. He turns on her and lets her go and I can tell immediately, even from here, that he’s having a major go at her. He looks angry as hell; his mannerisms are that of one very pissed Carrero and she seems to be yelling back at him, stupidly. My insides crumble and know that this is the worst possible scenario for us, last thing we need is his mood

on them in the shadowy corner with absolutely no look of surprise. I’m relieved that

out of curiosity and watch as Claire downs her

a bit of a poisonous one and I never got the relationship between her and Tash to be honest. Chalk and cheese.

he doesn’t look like him, frowning, scowling, animated in whatever he’s saying, and she seems to be pushing all his anger buttons. I recoil internally, a pit of unease at his being drunk

make Arry jealous. Sad that she took the unclassy route to break-upsville.” Claire twists her glass

looking from her then to Arry across the room; he’s still arguing, and then back at Claire. He hasn’t mentioned anything about that, only

about making Arry jealous and shit. Natasha was never that girl. I think her dad being sick has sent her over the edge.” She shrugs and throws me a supportive grimace but pauses when she catches what I assume is an ashen expression on my

feel like someone has punched me in the stomach. I stare back across the room at him and suddenly feel sick with the fact he hasn’t told me she was in Miami with him. A thousand things running through my head as tears sting my eyes, and I want to physically wail. That he would even keep this from me, and that day in my apartment, when I felt like he was lying, or being evasive. This is why! He was with her, there, without me! …. And he never said a single

Why?

to Miami?” my voice breaks as I stare at him, anger and betrayal ripping across my heart, a deep aching heaviness that hurts

and now here I am finding out he spent all that time in Miami, with her. His ex-girlfriend,

thought he would have told you. I’m sorry. Nate mentioned it to Jase, and I assumed you knew.” Claire looks distraught and stands up quickly. Suddenly uneasy, looking incredibly guilty and sheepish. “Fuck…. I’m going to go away before I put anymore foot in my mouth and Arry strangles me. I’m sorry, Sophie.” Claire takes

I did back when he chose Natasha over me, once more. I want to lash out at him, shake him. So consumed by devastation and trying so hard to not

his hands on my waist and pull away from him instinctively, agony slicing through me as he tries to turn

arms defensively; not wanting his hands on me and refusing to look him in the face. If I let loose, I may self-implode. It’s all bubbling up inside of me like a torrent of anger. So much going on inside me, burning explosively and I shake my head at him, barely containing my outward calm. “Baby? ... What is it? Is it what she said? Because you know that doesn’t mean any……” His face, looking so

at him, yanking my hand free as he tries to lasso my wrist. Shoving him away when he tries to catch me and feeling only