Chapter 132

I yawn for the millionth time in the aquarium and blink at the bright light of a flash nearby, body heavy and achy from too much today. Arrick is walking behind me with his arms around my waist, pushing my tired body around like a child.

“Maybe you need a nap before we get dinner.” He nuzzles his nose against my ear from behind, pushing his knees into my legs so he can keep me walking, and holding me up bodily. To anyone watching I am behaving like a stroppy kid who doesn’t want to walk around anymore, and I don’t care. He has walked my legs off, after keeping me up half the night with his undying libido, after a week’s separation. Taken a million selfies at various tanks and ponds and tired me out on some pedal boats for an hour. I am beyond shattered and never ever good when I am tired; I resort to being a five year old kid in a temper tantrum when I can’t be bothered anymore. Completely flaked out and unable to enjoy anymore of this day without some shut eye.

“Maybe you should leave me in bed and go without me.” I yawn again and this time he stops, let’s go to walk in front of me, turns his back to me and encourages me to hop on. Which I do, wrapping legs around him and arms around his neck while I cuddle in. Glad to be off my feet as nearby onlookers throw us disapproving looks. A woman with two children glares at us when her kid asks why she can’t get a piggy ride, but Arrick throws her a winning smile, pats my ass with the hand he slides back and then goes back to holding my thighs up and keeps walking with me. I’m an effortless weight to him it seems, doesn’t even break his stride.

“Not a chance. I have seen the dress you brought over with you and I am not missing seeing you in that tonight.” He squeezes my thighs and starts walking faster, skirting people as he maneuvers towards the nearest exit, having to watch my feet sticking out and saving poor children’s passing faces from impalement.

“I’ll wear it to bed, so you can ogle me when you come home.” I yawn and rest my head against his, closing my eyes to snuggle up and sigh heavily. So much fatigue in one little body is so not good.

“I want you with me. I hate going out without you, baby.” He bumps me higher on his back for a comfier grip and walks on at speed, heading towards the neon signs to leave finally.

“You’re a horrid boyfriend. Forcing me to socialize and go clubbing when I am wasting away with tiredness.” I whine to no one in particular and Arrick answers with a “Hmmmm” of disinterest.

“I’m pretty sure I don’t care right now.” I can almost feel his smirk as he carries me out of the metal gates that lead to the carpark area, still bouncing me along and getting cute looks from other couples we pass. We obviously look so adorable to non-moany people.

“Why am I even with you?” I mock huff at him, poking his cheek with my finger and sighing loudly as if he is being the cruelest person alive.

“Because you love me to death, and no other man alive would put up with your stroppy ass the way I do. Or piggy back you home, because you’re too diva to keep walking.” Arrick gets us out into the crowded car park and drops me on my own feet when he finds his car, holding me up as he manages to locate his keys in his jacket pocket and beep opens the locks.

“I only love you sometimes, like when you let me go to bed and stay there. I’m tired, Arry.” I huff, whine up at him with soft sleepy eyes and flop around dejectedly when he positions me in the car and lifts my feet into the footwell.

“Do I need to buckle you up too or are you capable of that?” He sighs, leaning in to kiss me on the mouth and ruffle my hair. Obviously used to this side of me, patient and indulgent. I lift my hands pathetically and he sighs, leaning in and pulls my belt over me, clicking it in place with a kiss on the cheek.

“You suck. I don’t like you anymore.” I flop sideways so my head rests against the door frame, gazing up at him like a puppy and give a dramatic exhale; he shuts it and comes around to his own side, getting in and pulls his own shut. Arrick buckles his own belt, starts the car, and revs the engine, adjusting his mirrors before he notices I am still scowling at him.

“Sure you’ll love me again when I let you nap. You can crash on the couch while I cook dinner. Might make you smile again… Sleep and food, your two most favorite things in the entire world.” He mocks flatly, completely un-phased with my overly dramatic teen behavior. He’s seen me this way a million times on a million different days and has oddly never gotten annoyed with it.

“I have a third now…. And nope. You’re making me get up to dress up and spend a night with your friends in a noisy bar, when I really could just have a long bubble bath and a smoochy movie in your bed. School holidays could be put to better use than lying dead with a hangover.” I try for Bambi eyes and serious wounded animal behavior, but he tweaks my cheek with a cute look and winks at me, infuriatingly so.

“The party animal in you really did die, didn’t it, baby?” He smiles my way, again with a ruffling of my hair before maneuvering the car out of the parking space carefully, avoiding milling pedestrians.

“She retired, happily.” I retort.

“What good is it having a sexy as sin girlfriend if she makes you go out solo, I want a trophy wife that men can hate me for.” He raises a brow my way with that devilish wink before turning back to the road and so very handsome with full on concentration.

“I may have to hurt you.” I warn with a low tone and steady deadpan gaze on his face. Not impressed with pretty much telling me he wants bimbo arm candy for a girlfriend, only as an ego boost.

“Well, we both know I like that, so feel free, not sure you’ll get your nap though.” He grins cheekily, and I slap his shoulder with a flat palm.

“You’re an asshole sometimes, I forget what I ever liked about you.” I sulk now, grumpy from being overly tired. Now I am hungry too and that just serves to make me ‘hangry’.

“Jesus, you’re a stroppy one this afternoon. You’re lucky I am probably the most chilled and tolerant male on the planet and don’t carry out my desire to suffocate you.” Arrick wriggles in his seat and fishes in his back pocket, one handed revealing his phone buzzing crazily as he pulls it out.

He glances at the screen and red buttons it before dropping it in the center console of the car. I catch sight of the illuminated name before it blanks out again and see it’s Natasha; biting my lip, I turn away and stare out the window before he sees that I noticed.

“Sleep for you, cooking for me, and then we’ll see how you feel, okay?” Arrick looks my way seriously, catching my eye for a second so that I look at him, a flat tone and no hint of anything other than continuing a conversation. I push down the tidal wave inside of me and try to not turn into a crazy bitch.

“Yeah, whatever.” I shrug airily. Still pretending to be absorbed in the view outside now I have turned back to it and jump when his hand comes to rest on my knee.

“I love you, beautiful.” Arrick is watching me and the road simultaneously as I let out a long sigh of defeat, faced with adoring and cute, I really can’t be pissed at him.

“Fine! Okay! Stop giving my puppy eyes, I’ll come to your stupid whatever it is.” I am dying to get home and lay down, I hate feeling this wiped out and blame it half on a bad night’s sleep and half on the fuzzy head and runny nose I feel coming, that I’m sure Christian has inflicted on me. Diseased freak he is with his damn cold. As if to prove the point I sniff again and wipe my nose with my sleeve.

“Are you getting sick? If you are, then maybe we should stay home after all. I don’t want you getting sicker.” His eyes scan my face, looking concerned and instantly paternal and it soothes my ruffled feathers a little.

“I’m fine, I just need sleep. I feel out of whack and touchy. If I had periods, then I would probably be having one.” I point out blatantly; my contraception injection means I never get them at all, but do occasionally get symptoms of having them and I wonder if this is part of why I feel so tense today. Emotionally overwhelmed when Arry has been nothing but sweet all day; taking me out for one on one time, holding my hand and kissing me endlessly. There’s a stuffed sea lion in a bag in the trunk from earlier and about three bags worth of tourist crap, that I just had to have.

The aquarium is one of my favorite places in the world to visit, but as it’s a bit of a long drive and a place that takes an entire day to get around, then we only come occasionally, and I felt the need to splurge. Not that it cost me anything. Mr, old fashioned. wouldn’t allow me to use my card for anything.

“I love the fact you don’t, it means you’re never off limits… Maybe need to set my watch for this time every month though, so you get a free keep out of jail card for being a pain in the ass.” He flicks his eyebrows upwards in a cheeky gesture and I roll my eyes at him again, instantly back to irritable.

“Ha ha. I can never tell when you’re being serious or being an ass.” I slump back down in my seat and lift my feet to his dash, so I am practically curled up; he frowns at me but never says anything about the way I use his dash as a foot rest. He never has, even though Jake practically rips my legs off for doing it in his car.

“Usually I’m being an ass, because you’re easy to wind up and I enjoy it. Part of being my girl, so get used to it.” He reaches out and pinches my cheek to be met with a hand slap.

“I want a massage.” I pout, petulant mood, being demanding when really, I should be giving him one for the tough time I always give him. I am getting too used to Arry indulging me in every way, pandering to me. Not that I can blame myself, he has done this for so long that I really blame him for the spoiled baby I have become. He always encouraged me to behave like a little madam around him.

“Not sure… If it gets you to go to sleep fine, but lately they all end up in sex. I think I’ve tainted you.” He winks, and I shake my head at him.

“Well either would make me sleep so, you know, I’m easy.” a naughty smile creeps across my face and instead of pouting, I find myself sliding my hand over the console to curl over his thigh. Solid, muscular thighs that make me think about climbing on his lap.

“When it comes to me you are.” He casually picks up my hand and replaces it on my own lap, grinning at the furious look I give him, and knowing fine well he is as bad. All I have to do is say his name in that pleading husky way, with big eyes, and he’s on me like a dog in heat.

Not that I’m complaining.

“I wouldn’t get so cocky, might just go to bed alone and not bother coming at all with that smug ass attitude.” I prod his shoulder, so not impressed with him rebuffing my advances.

“You know you want me, you have very little control when it comes to that.” He looks a little too sure about that as he moves himself down in his seat to adjust his jeans, I get a little smug when I realize why. He can hide so much but never the start of an arousal.

Easy!

“Stop being smug, asshole. It’s not endearing.” I raise a haughty eyebrow his way, half smiling at him, because I can’t help but like him, even when he’s being his confident cocky self.

“I have every right to be smug, you can’t keep your hands off me lately. Not that I’m complaining, Sophs, but all I need to do is look at you nowadays and the panties drop.” That one gets another Casanova wink and that inner stubborn me uncurls to stand up to him, she doesn’t like when he gets too big for his boots…or err pants.

“Maybe I’ll implement a sex ban, seeing as your so overworked and so sure of yourself.” I sit up, cross my arms across my chest and cross my legs for good measure, sizing him up as though he means nothing to me anymore. So petty, sometimes I surprise myself.

“Try it… See how long you can last, before I get you naked and moaning for me. Begging me to fuck you.” He smiles, the hot shot of smiles, that ‘I know you better than you think’, glance and the infuriating way he rests his hand casually on top of the wheel like he knows he’s got this. I narrow my brows at his use of that vulgar term again, hating how crass it is.

“Okay I will. From this second until further notice. I’m not giving you sex. You can try all you like, but I am not yielding to you.” I pout, sticking my chin in the air and smirking like a diva.

“Wrong thing to say to me. Never challenge a Carrero, baby.” Arrick pulls the car into a turning, looking away before his attention is back on me and I realize he’s heading off course to home, heading into an underpass off the freeway and turns down into a tunnel at a faster speed until we slot into dimness. He stops the car suddenly, in a darkened tunnel, unclips his belt and gets out. Like a flash of decision, so fast I don’t even have a moment to think about it or what he’s doing.

Coming to my door seconds later he opens it, leans in, unclips my belt and pulls me with him, moving me forward to close the door and then moves me back to lean against the car. Standing close but not touching, he tilts in so his mouth hovers over mine. Runs a single finger from my knee, up along my inner thigh slowly. I’m wearing a knee length comfy dress with boots, so he has fully naked skin on show to torture with caresses. Tingles erupt as he comes to the short hem of my dress and gradually teases upwards slowly. An instant bodily reaction I have to him, knees tensing, lips parting as I really ache to kiss him suddenly. He stays still, eyes locked on me, still not inching this any further.

“What are you doing?” I blink, whispering softly, inching towards his mouth so he can kiss me, but he tilts back and smiles.

“Trying all I like.” He says smartly that husky seductive tone giving me goosebumps, his lips parting, and pupils dilating. It’s clear he wants sex, but he’s playing with me. Proving a point.

“I said no sex, I didn’t say no to kissing.” I frown huffily pushing his chest away, so I can cross my arms again, glaring steadily at him.

“I think all it will take is a kiss, so I’m giving you a sporting chance at not breaking your ban.” He is far too sure that he is going to make me cave, I will so not break with a kiss. I have way more resolve than that when it comes to him.

“Smug… Cocky. Fine! … Here.” I lean in and kiss him, softly at first, meeting no resistance and then slide my hands around his face and kiss him more passionately, his body comes to mine and presses me to the car as he gets lost in kissing me back. It takes only a second to ignite the fire that’s been growing between us in the last weeks, instantly aching to have him inside me, even though we’re out in God knows where, in an underpass while heavy traffic flies overhead and rumbles deafeningly. Arrick breaks away, his eyes heavy with lust and rubs his nose to mine.

“I don’t think I can handle a sex ban. You’ve ruined me with explosive fucking.” The defeat is in his tone, his eyes and the way his hands are roaming me already, sliding my dress up enough to make me tremble in anticipation, hands already skimming my hips under my dress.

“Fuck it! Neither can I.” I yank him back to me and bring our mouths back together, immediately pulling his jean buttons open and shoving my hands inside his pants feverishly, overcome with lust. I search him out and then groan as his hands find me, lifting me up to pin me to the car as he pushes a hand into my underwear. I bite on his bottom lip, suck hard as he pulls my underwear off to one side and seems to lose all control.