CHAPTER543
Can reduce big tough Carreros to tears.
Arrick does the same, wipes his face and clears his throat, then starts wiping my face with fingertips, pandering to me once more, guiding me back to his circle of proximity and litters my skin with small kisses as he goes. He seems completely lost and focusing on tasks and touching, while he pulls himself together.
“You okay, Kiddo?” Jake frowns at me and I nod, feeling surreal, like I’m no longer awake or here, and I guess it’s shock catching up on me.
“They didn’t really hurt me, just scared me, but then the name Carrero popped up and I wasn’t scared anymore. Seems you lot are a force to be reckoned with.” I sigh and shrug and am recaptured by Arrick pulling me into every inch of his body, so his face is against my cheek and wraps himself like an octopus around me. Returning to death by forced hugs and pretty sure he’s going to crack ribs this time. Jake smiles at him in a very endearing ‘my brother is clearly overwhelmed’ way and ruffles his hair affectionately.
“What’s this?” Arrick catches sight of my hand and lifts it up with deadly scrutiny as he lifts his cheek from mine, eyes scanning it and face scowling to that age old Carrero glare. Anger spiking that someone dared to hurt me. Instant fire and rage hitting his expression hard and I pull it free quickly and caress his face softly to tame him.
“I punched Camilla in the face…Thanks for ever telling me that it hurts like a MOFO by the way!” I giggle, through tears, somewhere in relief and disbelief that this has even been my day so far. No pain from my hand anymore and I guess because I am still high on adrenalin and know I will crash later. I’m dreading the later if I’m being honest, this day is going to catch up on me big style.
“Jesus Sophie. One night out on your own and you’re beating women and taking on drug lords.” Jake shakes his head, joking to cover the seriousness of the last few hours and both stare at me with so many mixed emotions. Jake is a little more relaxed while Arrick still looks like he might beat someone to death. Poised and stiff like he can’t calm down.
“Camilla?” Arrick questions me, homed in on that one little point. I realize I have never really told him about any of that; after the night in the club, we never really talked about how it came to be, and we never brought it up after we found each other again. I guess two of us have some explaining to do and maybe I am being harsh on the Miami thing. Now I’m sober and clear headed I can see why he didn’t want to tell me. It still hurts that he kept a secret, but now I can understand why, I guess.
I am a jealous irrational psycho after all.
“Long story…. Another time.” I curl myself into his throat and sink into his body around me once more, completely attached to me and unwilling to let me loose. He keeps squeezing me and kissing any part of my face or head he gets near. Repeatedly checking that I’m okay by smoothing his hands and eyes over me, assessing, checking obsessively. It feels good. Safe. Needed. Like I’m in the one place I belong, and I finally believe that he really will never survive without me.
“I’ll give you two kids space… I need to go call my wife and tell her where I am before she freaks out. She was still asleep when I left. No one knows, Sophs … I don’t think this is a tale that anyone besides a very few Carrero men should know.” Jake eyes me warily, patting both of us on the shoulders, moving away a little and I nod in agreement.
“My parents would ship me back home and mark the city as a far too dangerous place to live alone.” I agree, gasping softly as I get another squeeze of death to the ribs and he picks me off my feet, obviously another wave of emotion’s hit him and he’s reacting internally. On the surface he looks relieved, but his green eyes and little tensing muscles in his jaw tells me he’s overthinking, over analyzing and summarizing how close he came to never seeing me again.
My over thinking weirdo. I love you.
I must admit, shock might be wearing off and now I’m feeling fragile as the realization hits me that this could have ended so badly. Fatigue washing over me coupled with nausea because I haven’t eaten in hours.
“You’re not going to be living alone anymore. You’re living here, and we’re moving your stuff today. No argument, Sophs. I don’t want you going back to that apartment or anywhere alone ever again, anywhere without me. Ever.” Arrick has found the strength in his voice again and frowns at me bossily, endearingly serious and I shrug at him, placating him while he is still so obviously emotional and fragile. Looking so very stern.
“Was going to happen anyway. Just not today… I need sleep, food, definitely a shower and some time to get my head around this.” Right now, nothing sounds better than making sure I never leave here again. He’s back to gripping onto me like he wants to melt our bodies into one and I have to accept the fact he may be a little needy for a while, not that I’m complaining. All I need is to be wrapped up in him too.
“If you two are getting to the cohabiting stage, then maybe it’s time you properly told the families that this thing is serious, Arry? Maybe in a few days you could both come home and make mom happy?” Jake gives him the affectionately bossy tone and the slight furrowed brow look that means, ‘I am saying it as a suggestion, but what I really mean is you will do as you’re told.’ I giggle at his lack of subtlety and Arrick finally breaks a smile too. Both obviously thinking the same thing.
“Give her time to get over this…. Me too. I think I’ve aged like fifty years in the past few hours.” Arry sighs and pulls my cheek back to his face, littering more kisses across my eyebrow and temple. Unable to stop touching and showering me with his affections.
“That’s what love does to you buddy. God Knows Emma knows how to make me fall to shit sometimes. I’m heading home, but dad insists you keep the security team, at least until all this dies down, and Alexi does whatever he is going to do.” Jake is in serious mode, fatherly and CEO toned. A hint that the dark side of the family is something he knows more about than he lets on. He ruffles my hair and then his brothers, pulling his head over roughly and plants a kiss on Arrick’s temple. Arry throws him a weak half smile, shell-shocked, exhausted, and somehow completely out of his depth in this moment.
“Thanks, Jake… I love you.” Arrick lets go of me and gives Jake a proper hug. It’s a weird moment, something I don’t see very often, and they pat each other’s backs in a very manly way. I can’t deny the close bond between them when I see them this way with each other.
“Love you too, asshole. Stop upsetting my goddaughter or you’ll have me to deal with. You know better than this shit, Arry. Make better choices.” He pushes him in the shoulder, catching him by the back of the neck to plant another kiss on his baby brother’s forehead and turns to go. He throws another kiss on my cheek as he passes.
“I know…. Trust me… I know.” Arrick eyes me warily and hauls me back in for another round of squeezing and kissing, only this time he lassoes my head with his arm and pulls my mouth against his to stay that way. Not really kissing, just face planting us together and breathing me in with closed eyes. Clearly no intention of giving me any breathing space anytime soon, despite the fact I suddenly need to pee, and I want to get these grubby clothes off my skin. I slide my arms around his upper body and hold on tight.
We don’t see them leave; first I know when he lets me go is that we’re alone and I guess, like his bodyguard of old, they have gone elsewhere to guard this apartment from a distance, discreetly, non-evasive. I know all it will take is a call or even stepping outside to be flanked by men in suits. I remember this from the first years I knew him. When Giovanni was paranoid that his sons were going to be targets for kidnapping or harm and now it makes sense why he would even assume anyone would want to hurt them. There’s so much about this family I don’t want to know about at all.
I’m glad knowing that they are out there now, keeping me safe. I need safe right now, I need to be here and cocooned in normal."
