The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers)

Chapter 128

“I need to get up.” Arrick makes a move to get out of bed and I cling on desperately.

“Nooooo… five more minutes.” I stick to him irrationally, hating that he needs to go get a flight and leave me for a week. The last twenty-four hours we have not left this bed except to eat and use the bathroom and I don’t want to uncurl from his naked body now. Especially not after the amount of times he has shown me exactly what that body is capable of doing to me. Shattered beyond belief, glad it’s Sunday so I can finally sleep as we haven’t done much of that and my body is tingling with every memory.

“I don’t want to leave either, but if I am not on that flight in forty-five minutes Nate and James will kill me. I have to go, Sophs, I’ve delayed getting up twice already.” He laughs at me, trying to uncurl my grip on him gently and sliding nearer the edge of the bed.

“I hate you.” I murmur as he pulls out from under me, kissing me on the head as he lets me go, leaving me lonesome so suddenly.

“I love you enough for both of us.” He winks and walks to the bathroom, switching on the shower and coming back to poke his head around the door as I lay here looking at him longingly.

“You could always come in with me.” He grins at me in the devilish way of his and I zoom out of bed automatically, zero resistance when that body is the reward. Heart doing a little merry dance and lady parts limbering up in anticipation.

All it took was several times of letting him loose on me, although actual sex only happened twice… The rest was definitely him showcasing his skills, and I have a feeling things are going to be looking up after this. I didn’t freak out once, didn’t go back into memory or fight him off, didn’t have bad dreams or any anxiety attacks, and didn’t feel any after effects; except a seriously bad craving for more of his attentions and he has decidedly created a monster.

I saunter across towards him, completely unashamed about being naked as his eyes scan me unapologetically, reaching out to grab my wrist he hauls me into the bathroom as I squeal at the speed, he yanks me to him.

***

I miss you like crazy xx

I stare at the text and sigh; he’s only been gone since yesterday and already it feels like an agony worse than hell. I stayed at his apartment last night and slept in the bed alone and hated every second of it. I hate him not being there and after school today I am going back to mine, to at least try and get through the next six days with only texts, calls and skype to get me through not seeing him.

“Earth calling Sopheee.” Christian nudges me and I “shhhh” him as people in the auditorium turn to look our way. We are in a lecture on the history of denim jeans and completely bored with the onscreen ‘jeans through the ages’ bullcrap we have been subjected to for the last hour. Christian rolls his eyes at me and then pokes Jenny in the back of the head. She is sat in front and throws him back a haughty glare and slaps her notebook on his leg.

I miss you too. I hated staying there last night without you xxx

I text him back then push Christian’s face away as I catch him reading over my shoulder.

“You two are so cute it’s actually sickening.” He prods me in the cheek and I sigh at him, pushing my phone under my notebook on my lap and go back to sketching the dress I have been doodling while listening to the video drone on about the denim industry. The auditorium is in semi darkness and packed with a couple of hundred students, none of whom seem to be watching this darn thing.

“Jealous much darling?” I smirk at him and he narrows his eyes my way. Jumping as my phone vibrates on my lap and I fish for it with an instant smile, unable to think about anything much in the last

day except Arrick, his very fit, naked body, and those hours of knowing exactly what sex could be like. I literally dreamed about that tongue and what it did to me. I think I have a serious addiction and am counting the minutes until he gets home and does it all again. I squeeze my knees together just even thinking about it and my cheeks heat with the realization I am getting crazily horny.

New for me.

I will be back in bed with you soon enough beautiful. Keep it warm for me. X

I grin at his message, running my finger over his name and sigh a little heavily.

“Text back with something kinky if you really want his head on you for the rest of the week.” Christian interjects, pushing his face between me and my phone and I resist the urge to punch him in the head.

“Shut up and stop reading my messages.” I push his face away again and this time he grabs the phone from me, scanning back over all this morning and last night’s texts and smiling at me.

“He really is one smitten puppy isn’t he…Yet seems he is too gentlemanly to start with the sexting, clearly wants it though.” He raises a brow and turns further away as I attempt to snatch it back. He has no right to be reading all our messages, even if there is now a few hundred.

“Fuck off, you have no idea what he wants.” I haul my phone back and glare at him, but he only grins harder.

“I am a man…Gay or not, we all have pretty similar minds when it comes to sex. Arry dear is no different and would probably like you a whole lot more if you added a little sexual tension to your messages. Imagine the reunion if all he thinks about for the next week is fucking you.” He winks at me and this time I stare at him deadpan.

“He’s not like that.” I murmur, refusing to believe he would turn into a basic slut and only be consumed by sex above all, even though it’s what I have been fantasizing about since he left.

“We are all like that… You will thank me for it; wind him up…flirt with your boyfriend. If he doesn’t play, then stop with the sexy chat and go back to the lovey dovey yawn stuff………Trust me.” Christian waves an airy hand my way, pretending he no longer cares.

I stare at my phone pondering it for a moment, in two minds about whether I should ever listen to Christian or not. I feel Jenny’s eyes on me and lower my phone to see her looking back at me.

“He’s right you know… Sexting your man makes him crazy horny for you and when he gets back he will literally bang you in the doorway.” She giggles and turns away with a knowing nod to take notes on the in-depth way to double seam denim.

“Talking of men, what happened with Nate on Saturday night?” I lean forward whispering to her and she waves a hand at me. I haven’t seen her until she walked in here late this morning and we haven’t had a minute alone to even find out. I was obviously a little preoccupied ever since that night.

“I’ll tell you later.” She turns back to watch the video, no real emotion to her tone, so I sit back to stare at my phone again, taking a deep breath. Thinking through what I should say before I send him another. I know he’s at some media promo crap to do with his fight in five days, some live stream interview thing that has him waiting around for a couple of hours and will reply.

I’ll be waiting for you naked and keeping every part of me, and the bed, very warm. X

I have never sexted anyone before, I have no clue how to even talk dirty, let alone type it and send it off to him; hoping he doesn’t think I’m being weird. We haven’t really gotten to teasing each other overly sexually either, so this is all new to me.

I stare at the phone for what feels like an eternity before looking up to see the tutor has changed the video to another dreary fashion through the years piece of nonsense that serves no real educational purpose; my phone vibrates, and I almost drop it in fright.

“Jumpy…Someone’s feeling guilty.” Christian smirks my way and I toss him a frown and open my message.

I like picturing you naked and warm, definitely in a bed…. Pretty sure you have just made my day a lot harder to get through. X

“He’s being safe and lame… trying not to get too dirty and push you into anything X-rated. Give me your phone.” Christian pokes his head over my shoulder and snatches the phone before I can protest, I scramble to try and get it back, slapping at his shoulder and leg as he furiously types and ignores me completely. He shoves his palm in my face holding me away and meeting my fury before I finally get it back. Looking down in sheer horror at what he has sent him.

I’m so wet thinking about what you do to me, can barely keep my hands to myself.

“Oh, my God, Christian!” I turn and slap him hard on the leg and about a dozen heads turn angrily our way and “Shhh” us. Christian flips them off with a defiant head flick. This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.

I am completely livid and start typing out a retraction to explain it wasn’t me when my phone buzzes and I pale instead.

Shit.

Tell Christian, Nice try! Sophie…If you want to try sexting, then wait till he’s not around, and I am all for that. X

I giggle at his response and wave my phone at Christian with a smug look. Jenny is giggling, obviously hearing everything and shakes her head at us. I show her the text and she laughs loudly before clamping her hand over her mouth to quieten herself.

“Busted. He clearly knows when it’s not me.” I smirk, giving him my sassy head sway and clicky fingers that I adopted from him. I reply to Arrick before sliding my phone in my bag out of the way from itchy fingers.

He’s an asshole, and maybe…. I think you need to initiate it though, not me. This is out of my comfort zone. xxx

I kick my bag under my chair, so I don’t look at it again and concentrate on class, thinking maybe I should start taking notes if I am going to get anything done this week. My heads clearly not on school and it really should be. I have three dresses to sew up this week, two tops to draft and fit to a mannequin.

***

“So, spill.” I eye up Jenny across the table of the lunch hall, trying to pin her down to this topic finally, now we are alone. Christian has gone to meet his beloved up in the common hall and we are having some girl time in the lunchroom.

“What’s there to say…. I went home with him and somehow ended up staying with him until he left for Miami. We had sex before I left and then when I was in the cab on the way home, he texts me and tells me we need to stop seeing each other. Beat me to it I guess.” Jenny’s eyes mist over, and she looks completely devastated for a second, before reeling it back in, wiping one eye and biting on her lip.

“Shit Jen, I’m so sorry.” I reach out and pat her hand, completely devastated for her. I’m going to fucking maim Nate.

“The weird thing is… I felt relieved, because I have been waiting for it since the first time we had sex, knowing it was coming and knowing I wouldn’t do it. I would keep letting him use me over and over until he broke me.” She lets go and wipes her eyes again, only this time a tear escapes and I want to shake Nate to hell, knocking his brain around that dense skull. Over a month now he has been stringing her alone and using her for frequent hook ups. Broken his own code and used the same girl until she fell for him.

Fucking asshole.

“I don’t know why he let it go on as long. It’s really not his MO. He’s usually a screw them and forget them next day kind of guy, Jen. I really don’t know what to say.” I regard her painfully watching her cry and feeling like I should be ringing Nate and calling him a fucking asshole right about now. I know I will be venting to Arry and he better say something to his so-called best mate, or I will.

“He told me I was amazing in bed…. I don’t get what he thought was so hot, Mark used to say I was crap with sex and made me give him oral more than actually screwing me. Nate was the one who did all the work. I felt majorly inexperienced next to him.” She wipes her face again and sighs heavily. I don’t have the heart to point out that this is going to make things a little tough for a while. We have all gotten into a routine of meeting up with all Arry’s friends and mine and doing things as a whole group in the last weeks. Anything we do will include both Nathan and Jenny and I don’t think she will be able to handle it, especially when Nate does what he always does, and starts bringing other women on scene.

“You obviously just had the right chemistry or something. You told me he was abnormally good, maybe you work that way with him.” I know I must work with Arry, or maybe he really is skilled, as so far everything he has done has been mind-blowing. I am the inexperienced one who has no clue how to return the favors, although I am starting to find a little confidence after the second time; right on the scratching thing though, it’s impulsive and I have filed all my acrylic tips to rounded edges in his absence to save him from more injury. Even though he seems to like it more than he should.

Weird boy.

“We had something……. Made me realize I wasn’t really in love with Mark anymore. Just going through the motions and being a doormat. You know he asked me to get back together?” Jenny shakes her head as though this is the most unbelievable thing ever.

“What did you say to him?” I watch her carefully, seeing a whole host of emotion run across her face as she pushes at her pasta absentmindedly.

“I told him I needed to think about it. I just didn’t want any drama if I straight out said no.” She sighs and sits back in her chair.

“Isn’t he the one who ended things?” I pick up my mug of hot chocolate and take a sip. Watching her, admiring how composed she seems for a girl who has had her heart majorly stamped on twice in a month.

“Yeah, seems something him and Nathan have in common… Dumping me via text. Guess I’m an easy girl to discard that way, that or I am drawn to cowardly assholes.” She throws her fork down and sighs again, wiping her eyes and pushing her hair back in agitation, a break to the façade and slight crack in the shell to how she really feels.

“They are both fucking idiots Jen, you’re probably the nicest and most loyal girl I have ever known. You’re so pretty too, you deserve a guy who sweeps you off your feet.” I’m outraged on her behalf, aching to shake Nate half to death and see what is right in front of him. Jenny is quiet and reserved, definitely a good girl and loyal to a fault when you deserve her to be. She doesn’t really draw attention to herself, ever and hates drama. I have no doubt she has been the absolute dream fuck buddy for him the past month as she won’t voice anything to rock the boat and he probably assumed they were cool.

“Maybe direct one of the infamous Carrero men my way, they seem to have the savvy to treat their women a little better.” She frowns at me defeatedly.

“Hmmmm, not always. Both Arry and Jake were both male sluts in the past and their cousins are just as bad. The downside to being a hot Italian with great DNA, is knowing you’re a hot Italian with great DNA and using it on many a woman before one pins you down. Trust me, all men are capable of being dogs when they get it effortlessly. They start to think it’s owed to them.” I frown, pushing my mug away in irritation.

“I’m so sick of being everyone’s doormat. I hate all these stupid games and rules and the way men think we are so easy to fuck and discard, like it means nothing. How can he sleep with me for over a month and then feel nothing over dumping me in a text?” Jenny starts to cry, and I my rage ignites. She never cries so openly, especially not in the school canteen in front of a ton of bitchy seniors at another table. I hand her a tissue and scowl.

“You know what? I am about to find out.” I yank my phone out and scroll until I find Nathans number impulsively, hitting call and shove it to my ear before sense can smack me in the face, fueled by anger on her behalf.

Jenny’s eyes widen in alarm, she shakes her head and then slides up and disappears to the ladies” room unable to witness this call. Yet she obviously wants to know too, as she hasn’t stopped me, not that she could. I guess she even knows that about me.

I watch her go, listening to the long drawn out rings and knowing fine that Nathan is with Arry in Miami. It seems to take endless seconds before he picks up and the noise of a busy atmosphere hits me before Nate’s voice does.

“Sophie… Aren’t you calling the wrong cell, Arry is being interviewed right now so can’t answer.” He sounds like he always does, upbeat and confident, and in no way concerned that he just smashed a

poor girls heart to smithereens yesterday.

“No, I’m calling you to call you a dickhead and ask you why you think it’s acceptable to fuck Jenny and then dump her via text after she leaves your apartment. That was the most douche baggest move of the century Nate, even for you.” I snap at him angrily and get silence in response. The noise around him seems to change rapidly as though he has moved somewhere quiet. “Not going to say anything?” I snap again, temper rising at his lack of conversation. Hating men who feel they do not have to give a response to angry females on their phone. Nate knows me better than to blank me.

“What can I say? Yep, dickhead move…. I didn’t have the nerve to say it to her face, I didn’t want to see her cry.” He sounds a lot less cocky suddenly, more closed off, the way Arry can get when he doesn’t want to talk about something. It grinds on my nerves.

“You’re an asshole. Maybe she was already thinking of moving on and you just beat her to it. Jenny can do a hell of a lot better than being your fuck buddy and she deserved a little more respect than you showed her. Even her idiot Ex realizes what he lost and has come groveling to win her back, so maybe in future stick to one-night stands and stay clear of girls who deserve more! She isn’t one of THOSE types and she deserves better!” I’m properly yelling now, so pissed at his attitude that I really want to hang up on him and scream.

“Sophie?” He tries to butt in.

“No, Nate, listen to me; you know I adore you. Maybe not today. I have always got on with you, but with this I am so fucking pissed at you. Text dumping her after using her for sex one last time? You don’t deserve her tears. Why didn’t you just leave her alone after the first time, huh? Isn’t that more your style?” I grind my teeth, tap my nails on the table and see Jenny appear sheepishly, seeing me still on my cell she turns and heads to the vending machine.

“I…. uhhh…. Don’t tell me she’s crying, Sophs.” He sounds feeble as hell for a moment and I soften at him, still majorly angry but a hint of the good guy he can occasionally be stands out like a sore thumb. Then I remember he bailed on seeing her cry and dumped her via text and fury returns.

“Like you care. Yes, she’s crying, what did you think would happen? She’s not someone who sleeps around, Nate, even though she tried to convince you she was. All you have done is make her think she would be better going back to that dickhead ex who treated her like shit. I guess because you showed her that all men treat her like shit no matter who she dates.” I know that’s not exactly true, but he is making me severely pissed and I want him to feel like the shithead that he’s been to her. I watch her in the distance, fumbling with her coins, trying to look normal and clearly not okay.

There’s a long silence on the line, only the background noise and then he finally speaks.

“I need to go Sophie. I’m sorry. Tell her …… tell her I’m sorry I turned out to be an asshole. It’s not like I didn’t warn her we weren’t going anywhere.” He hangs up before I get a chance to say anything and I stare at my phone completely dumbstruck. I shouldn’t even be surprised, this is who Nate is, always has been. He is the biggest commitment-phobe going and I should have known Jenny would only get hurt.

“Asshole, fucking goddamn, douche bag dickhead, of a rodent’s ass.” I swear venomously at my phone.

I slam my phone down on the table, scowling into mid-air and gritting my teeth. Nate is one of those infuriating men who never talk about anything, except maybe to Arry, but even then, I have no clue how their conversations go as Arry isn’t the type to repeat anything a friend tells him. I know the entire time he was with Natasha she never knew anything about my past, only that I was adopted and had a crap start in life.

Arry is one of those types of people who never really tells anyone anything that other people confide to him, well maybe sometimes Jake or Emma. Only because he knows that we both confide in them; they know everything about us both and well… Jake is his brother.

I once asked Emma what Arry told her about my sessions and things I told him, and she only ever said “the bare minimum”, so I am guessing he has some sort of code about harboring people’s secrets or confidentialities.

He’d better realize that I don’t count and should be told everything from here on in!

He better open up to me about Nathan or there will be hell to pay, I am fuming right now. I don’t care about any best mate or guy code in this, I am his fucking girlfriend and he better be straight with me or he can go to the doghouse and keep Nate company.

“What did he say?” Jenny looks coyly at me as she slides back down, carrying about ten assorted brands of chocolate and three packets of Cheetos. I steal one and yank it open a little aggressively.

“Not much… Gave him a piece of my mind and got the lame male response. I’m an asshole, tell her I am sorry. No explanations, nothing. Fuck him, Jen.” She slumps down, looking desolate and gives me the universal eyebrow rise of ‘What else can I do?’ Taking the bar of chocolate from her pile of goodies and digging in with a very somber expression.