The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers) Chapter 125

My hands turn to claws without meaning to, raking my nails down his back as he repeats the move that
has us both moaning out, breathing labored. Getting lost as he comes in for another kiss, but like some
demon inside of me has been unleashed with what he is doing to me, I cling to him with every thrust,
every groan and moan, hands roaming his entire back and shoulders, even gripping his ass when he
starts to move with more purpose.

He rocks in against me, hands cupping my face and bodies completely in sync, locking eyes on me,
making me crazy with how much my body wants to explode from the one million overwhelmingly
amazing sensations ripping through my core with every confident thrust from him. He looks lost in what
we’re doing too, unable to keep his eyes on me as they get heavier and shut, tipping his jaw into my
neck and breathing against me hard when he ups the tempo and I lose control.

What starts as slow, romantic sex, easy movements and eyes locked, turns hot and hard and
completely out of either of our control in what feels like seconds, because I simply turn into some crazy
wanton devil who wants more than romantic soft sex.

Like a power of frustration being unleashed in a tidal wave and try as he might to keep what we’re
doing on the low key, we are soon grinding, panting and ravaging each another until the bed rocks and
the headboard starts thudding off the wall in quick succession. He pulls my knee up on one side to
angle into me harder, to help him gain momentum and soon has me pounded to the bed, the springs
creaking, biting his lip while he frowns sexily, clawing at his chest and nibbling any part of him I can
reach.

Caught up in a frenzy of hard thrusts, groaning, moaning, as my body erupts in a million explosions
around him, an orgasm ripping through me so fast, like before, and it completely takes my breath away.
I pant, cry out, spasm and arch below him, but do not let go when he tries to give me time to recover. I
hold him, urge him not to stop and find the desire returning equally fast to keep going, gripping on tight.



“Don’t stop. Not until we both get there.” I gasp between moans, his mouth against my face as he rocks
back into me at speed once more, finding a natural rhythm between us. Arrick pushes my hands to the
bed, to control the way I’m spearing him with my nails, fingers entangled, head buried in my neck as he
thrusts into me with the pent-up tension that has been building between us for weeks. Grinding into me,
making me gasp with every thrust.

He’s still trying to be gentle; I can feel the way he’s holding back, trying to stay in control and I am
willing him to unleash himself. I trust him, I want him to be able to be who he is with me too. I don’t
believe for one second that my passionate, fight loving Carrero is a tame lover, I can feel so much more
bristling within him and I’m urging it to come out and face me. I want that side to him, to be the one who
he lets it loose on and shows me what he’s really like.

I wriggle and squirm as the intensity builds again, body on fire, aching, growing in heat and sensation
for the second time and feeling like I am about to be torn apart with the summit of this climax. I tighten
my legs around his waist in a bid to control how hard he is pounding into me, his hands letting me go
as he instead grabs my thighs and sits up to his knees, pulling my body with him so he can lever me,
lifting my butt off the bed without changing rhythm. I arch against him, moaning so loudly and reach to
claw at him, completely set free and uncaring about how much noise I am making. I find my own
natural motion, grinding with his body moving my hips to match the waves of pleasure.

Arrick seems to be starting to let go too, less gentle as he grips me, thrusts harder and looks a lot less
serene and calm than the Arry I know. This Arry looks capable of pushing me up against a wall and
blowing my mind with hard sex, and yet it doesn’t scare me or take me any place except right here. I
want it, I want more.

I push my shoulders into the bed as the first waves sweep up from my toes, heat and tingles engulfing
me as I arch so far back that my whole spine lifts up and my pelvis is pushed more into his, making me
cum spectacularly. I can’t contain the wracking explosion that hits me, or the way my body convulses
for the second time, or literally how crazy wild I go, lost in my ecstasy and release, completely oblivious



to anything else. Arrick lifts me up so I’m catapulted against him mid-orgasm, and I end up straddling
him as he slumps back onto his ass. He grabs my hips and grinds me down onto his lap so the
intensity doubles and I literally cry out in his face, mouth gaping, hard thrusts through every wave until
my body can’t take anymore. Gasping in surrender and completely reliant on him to hold me up when
my body releases the tidal wave and I stab him with my claws as I grip on through the ultimate climax
that wracks me from inside out.

“Jesus, Sophie.” Arrick’s voice brings me around and I realize he’s back on top of me, I’m flat on the
bed once more and uncurling my grip from his shoulders, definite puncture wounds from where I
grabbed onto him but at least he’s smiling. He rolls off me and flops back on the bed with a massive
exhale that makes him sound exhausted so suddenly, raising a shoulder and looking behind him as he
does so. “Baby … I did not take you for a scratcher. Holy shit, I look like I’ve been at it with a wildcat.
Fuck, that was better than good. I don’t think I expected that turnaround. Are you okay though?” He
grins and rolls back to me, kissing me on the mouth as I lie panting and reveling in the left-over tingles
still consuming my body. I can barely breathe, let alone smile or react to the fact I have probably
scarred him for life. Permanent disfigurement while having sex is surely not normal.

“I’m better than okay, that felt really … really good! And, I’m sorry.” I pant breathlessly, unsure how to
feel about the fact that I definitely want to do that again, as soon as I recover my breathing and maybe I
should cut my nails off. My body has just met complete satisfaction in a way I never knew it could, and
although he did make me cum after Leila’s party, it never felt anywhere near as mind-blowing as these
two did. I’m floating on cloud nine and I feel like he should maybe live between my thighs permanently
now.

To think I have had him for the last few weeks and haven’t been making use of this all that time.

Pretty sure if I had known what was coming I wouldn’t have let him out of bed for the last few weeks. At
all.



“Don’t be. I always did like a little bit of rough. Guess you really are the perfect girl after all. I’m happy
that it felt good, that’s kind of the point.” He winks at me and I shake my head at him, sated, exhausted
suddenly and completely relaxed in every way as though I have just had ten full-body massages in one
go. He looks over his shoulder and then under his arm, feeling with his fingers at his back and upper
shoulder for the raised marks that are probably glowing viciously.

“How bad is it?” I ask, regaining a little control and struggle to sit up and see, suddenly feeling majorly
guilty that I did get a little wild and maybe I really have hurt him. I wasn’t even aware that I was doing it,
so caught up in passion and mind-blowing sex that I had no idea I was marking him like a feral beast.

“Bad? I’m being serious. Nothing is more of a turn-on than your girlfriend clawing shit out of you
because what you’re doing obviously works for her.” He winks at me; a completely unashamed
Casanova move with a twinkle in his eye that makes me eye roll.

“There’s clearly something wrong with you.” I giggle and flop back down, a little smug that I’m realizing
we did it. We had sex, from start to finish and are lying here laughing about it and it doesn’t feel weird
or wrong at all. I did it. I got through it. I don’t feel anything that I thought I would feel, and not once,
while he was inside of me did I compare it in any way or think about the past. I really did it. I’m so
happy inside that I cannot even explain the immense wave of emotion it’s causing me.

“You think so? Maybe I’m just man enough to handle you in all your untamed wildness; you look crazily
sexy right now.” Arrick smiles and swoops in at me, kissing me on the mouth a little passionately and I
seriously wonder how soon he can be ready for round two. Already my little tingly body is limbering up
for another go at my hot stallion.

His fingers trace my cheeks and he smiles at me adoringly; for the first time in so long, there’s a
complete relaxed look on his face, every part of him satisfied and I wonder how long it’s been since he
actually had sex. I don’t want to know. I want to tell myself that since we kissed so long ago, she hasn’t
touched him, even though I know that’s probably wrong.



It doesn’t matter. None of that matters anymore.

“Orgasm glow definitely works for you … I really want to do that again.” He grins and lets me go to
reach across to the bedside to grab a bottle of water. He takes a drink and offers it to me, but I only
shake my head and watch him deposit it back where he got it. Eyes glued to that stunning profile and
sexy half-smile he can’t seem to wipe off his face and love him so much more than I ever thought
possible.

“I’m not stopping you.” I smile saucily and maneuver myself to his body, curling up against him in a bid
to move things along once more; high on happy adrenaline for doing this. More than a little confident he
could do that to me again with zero bad reactions, as many times as he wanted, every second of every
day. I think I just found my new addiction and I may even love it more than clothes, or even shoes!

“Maybe once is enough for now. I don’t want to push it … we still need to see how you go and we also
have a hot jacuzzi waiting for us. Then food, and you know how much you love your food. This was a
big deal, Sophie, we need to let your emotions catch up and take time to process. Don’t think I don’t
know how huge this is. I do.” He ponders my face seriously, hand cupping my cheek and thumb
caressing my skin lightly. He looks so protective that I hug him tighter.

“I know. I don’t want to ruin it by talking about it though. Don’t make it a thing.” I frown and then feel
stupid that I even said it out loud, but he nods understandably and strokes my face.

“Come on then, distraction is always better.” Arrick rolls away from me and gets up, holding a hand out
to me, obviously in no way shy about being completely butt naked and for a second I honestly don’t
know where to look. Seeing him completely starker’s is completely different to letting him have his way
with me naked. Now the lust fueled haze has dispersed, it does seem weirdly awkward. I blush and
look anywhere but at him.



“Really? I can do all that to you and yet you get shy now?” He laughs and pulls me to him by the ankle
when he gets fed up waiting. I squeal as he picks me up and pulls me into his arms to carry like a bride
to be, at least up here I don’t have to avert my eyes.

“It’s not like I’ve seen you undressed a whole lot okay? It takes some getting used to.” I am still trying
not to look at anything but his face, but he rolls his eyes at me and grins.

“I am pretty much imprinting you naked to memory and insist we both walk around like this every day.
In fact, I need pictures, where’s your phone, you are sending me naked selfies.” He jokes and turns as
though he really is going to go find it. Looking decidedly wicked and thoroughly serious.

“Not a chance. You think I don’t know Nate uses your phone when you’re in the ring? He has called me
on it before to tell me when you’re winning.” I hold a palm in front of his face. I’ll never let him get a
single naked shot of me when his phone is passed around his promo team so easily. I would never face
any of them again and I don’t want anyone but him to ever see me this way.

“Baby?” He looks wounded, seriously disappointed that I’m laying down the law on this. Obviously had
his mind set on some saucy nude shots of me, for real.

“Men!! Have sex one time and they turn weird on you.” I giggle at his juvenile expression, the way he
narrows his frown at me and then puts me down on my feet when we get to the bathtub.

“Get in, it’s time for some clean fun, as opposed to the dirty fun we just had.” He pretends to sulk, and I
lean in and splash some bubbles at him with a giggle. I obediently step in the tub and sit down, then
shimmy forward when he gets in behind me, the temp is still hot, and the water jets are crazily good on
my body. I keep expecting this to turn weird or different, like a looming mood to suddenly jump up and
ruin it all for me, but despite what we just did, it still feels the same, sort of. I don’t feel weird around
him, or that we did anything worse than cuddling up or kissing. He isn’t acting like it’s a big deal, and I



guess it’s making me relax too. Suddenly, instead of this being a huge thing it feels right like we haven’t
even done anything major at all.

“Ahh, stings!” Arrick cringes against me and lifts his arm out of the water to look at the nail marks I left
on him, inching forward against me, and looking back over his shoulder.”

“Stop being a baby. You said you liked it.” I pout petulantly, feeling guiltier now about leaving him with
scratch marks, clawing the shit out of him was not exactly something I imagined doing during our
romantic first time. The first pangs of something inside me, close to shame, sidle up and I push it back
down with a heavy sigh.

“I do … it just hurts when submerged in girly infused bubble water. I need to man up living with you, or
next time avoid climbing in a tub that was meant for you. I’m going to smell like a woman after this.”
Arrick slides me between his legs as he inches down in the tub, resting his head in the back and
leaning me against his chest, holding me against him.

“Technically, I don’t live with you. But manning up might be a good idea if all you can worry about is
smelling like a girl and some minor stings from little girl scratches. Jeeze, here I thought you were a big
manly MMA pro.” I smirk and close my eyes, leaning my head against his muscled pecs and closing my
eyes as hot water soothes every inch of my aching body. I needed this and feel exhausted so suddenly.
I guess having two orgasmic explosions one after the other really takes it out of you.

“Umm, womanly claw gauges, actually! Maybe you should?” Arrick stiffens a little, his head lifting, and I
guess he’s looking at me. I pause too, realizing what he’s saying, as it sucker punches me in the gut. I
sit up suddenly, turn and glance back at him over my shoulder warily. Stomach flipping over with
nerves.

“What?” I eye him up suspiciously unsure if he just asked me to move in, or if he is making some weird
and vague joke while I’m almost falling asleep.



“Move in with me.” He repeats it confidently with a shrug, like it’s a nothing suggestion and I hesitate.
So much colliding in my head that I don’t know what to say. So much we are still trying to figure out
between us, everything so new. I mean we only just mastered proper sex for the first time and he’s
talking about cohabiting.

Shit.

“I … It’s a bit sudden, isn’t it?” I frown at him and then turn to look at anything but him, so I don’t fall into
complete panic or guilt over being unable to say yes. I lie back against him as he pulls me to him,
giving me no choice really, arms circling me and tightening around me. He shrugs behind me.

“Only if you count us from a month ago, but I don’t. I realized somewhere along the way that I have
been head over heels for you for a long time. I can’t even tell you when it started, but I know it was
probably before I even came out to live here. Not seeing you for weeks put my head into perspective
and that I guess I’ve loved you for a lot longer than I wanted to admit. I couldn’t deny it anymore.
Sophie, you’re the reason I never let anyone else even come close to getting in, not even Tasha. You
always had the part of me they wanted.” He slides his arms around my shoulders, kisses the back of
my head and then lets me go as he reaches for a sponge, dipping it in the water and starts squeezing
water over my upper body. That lurch in my stomach at what he’s saying nearly kills me, so much love,
so much I want to hear, and yet I’m floundering over him wanting more from me and I don’t even know
why.

“I don’t know … I need time to think about it … I mean we only just …” I sigh and let out a gust of air in
complete deflation, feeling cornered and confused, upset by his confession even though at the same
time it makes me want to squeeze him tight. I know I want him; I need him. But there is still that part of
me that is afraid to take the last step off the ledge and give all into this. So much still turning and
twisting in my heart from the past.



Natasha still a constant headache even though he keeps reassuring me, proving to me that she doesn’t
matter, and I know I am fixating on her when I shouldn’t be. I thought I would feel more sure than this,
that being with him would feel like I was secure. Not always hiding my worries and niggles from him in
fear that he will get pissed at my jealousy and constant need for reassurance. I hate that it’s how I feel.
I always thought I was stronger than this, but he has a way of getting underneath all of that and making
me feel vulnerable. It’s not that easy to let someone see you stripped bare and trust them not to wound
you again when you’re struggling to forgive them for the first time. It’s complex.

As levelheaded as he can be, he can be a complete ass when it comes to irrational jealousy. I
remember a girl about three years ago, who called him in a rage after they had been on a few dates
because he was snapped with another girl at a premiere with Jake. He pretty much hung up on her icily
after telling her he was done. It plays over in my head all the time lately, knowing how much he hates
feeling suffocated.

He’s not the jealous type really, I mean that night in the club he attacked that sleaze, but it was
provoked. Generally, he doesn’t seem to care if some guy is smiling my way. The last month so many
men have approached me when we are out together, and he shakes his head and kisses me to stake
his claim smugly; he finds it amusing. Tells me the highest compliment a guy can get is other men
trying to hook their woman, so I don’t think he can understand how it feels.

“Take as much time as you need. It’s an open-ended request. I want you with me, always.” He goes on
with running the sponge over my shoulders and down my hair delicately. Seemingly unfazed with my
sort of rejection and I relax a little, knowing he isn’t the type to ever pressure me. Hoping he still
understands that maybe I need a little more time.

“I’ll think about it.” I sigh and close my eyes, head back to being filled with so many contradicting
thoughts that I had been sure sex would fix. Maybe he was right, after all, sex isn’t the cure to
everything.




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