Chapter 30

Carlos blinks at her in confusion, sure he misheard.

"What?"

She stares directly at him with utter seriousness and in a clear, convictive voice states again, "I love you."

Yeah, that's what he'd thought she said before too. Only it seemed so ludicrous she was sure he'd misheard-guess not. Frankly he's not sure whether to laugh, cry or lie down and pretend he didn't hear. What the hell does she even know about love? About loving him? She barely knows him. She's only scratched the bare surface of the darkness that's in him.

"No."

Lola frowns, "what do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean you don't love me because you don't know me. You think you love me-you've convinced yourself you do-but sweetheart that's just a side effect of the extenuating circumstances you've been subjected to ever since our first encounter."

Lola bristles at that. How dare he accuse her of not knowing him?! It's simply insulting how low his opinion of her is to think that she would simply fall for him just because he's available. Or he's some...rescuer. She knows him. She knows that he's not a white knight. She knows he's made his fair share of mistakes and he will live in regret of those. Everyone has things they regret though and he cannot be so conceited to believe she doesn't have her own fair share of them.

"That's total BS and you know it. When I said I'm sticking by you. I did that with my eyes wide open, Carlos. We may only know each for a little while and during that time things have admittedly been a little crazy but I've seen you. I've seen side of you I'm betting no-one else has. I know about the ruthless, cold fearless Carlos, the fragile emotional one, the dreamer, the self-pity Carlos that holds back the dreamer and there's a hell of a lot more let to discover, I know.-"

"Lola...piccola," he gently interrupts, on hand to her jaw before carrying on, "there is a lot I hope you never discover about me. A lot that you do not want to."
Despite being only in a towel, Lola's temper is not dampened. She plants her hands on her hips and shakes off his hand.

 "All-I bet-that was before me. All in the past that you probably were coerced into doing and that you have nightmares about now. I met that Carlos remember? The one who was pushed around by his parents and run ragged with worry. So no, your past is not a good enough reason. I don't know that man you think was so vile but I do know the one before me and I like him-I love him-so come on, what else have you got?"

She is definitely the complete opposite of Valentina. When he changed his type he didn't think it would be the utter and complete contradiction to his dead fiancé.

"This...this is insane. I'm turning you insane," he exasperates spinning in is own circle and running a hand through his hair.
Lola looks on in curiosity. She's never seen him this flustered before and in a perverse sort of way, it is entertaining. He should know by now that she can most certainly be just as stubborn as him-even more so, actually. And this is one case she's not backing down from.

"Stockholm syndrome. It has to be a form of Stockholm. I've been holding you captive-"

"Nope. I chose to stay and I choose to stay now too. And before you say I have no other choice that's false. Joseph actually offered to help me out and I turned him down."

He stops at that, turning to her with a small frown.
"Joseph did what?"
Lola opens her mouth to answer when he cuts in.
"Never mind, it doesn't matter."

The confusion and frustration is still plainly painted on his face and that gentles Lola. She makes her way over to him, hands running over his chest with a smooth caress.

"Baby, why are you so wound up over this? It's not like this changes anything."

"It...it doesn't?"
Gosh, he looks so cute standing there with that adorably lost expression on his handsome dark features. Not that she'd ever admit this to him.

"No way are you getting rid of me that easily Carlos Castellano. Now you just focus on keeping us alive and leave me to carry on loving you."

His head drops to tuck between her neck and shoulder, lips pecking at the delicately sensitive skin there.

"Glad to see you're feeling yourself again, piccola."

A shudder sweeps through her as she inhales sharply in remembrance to the scene before.
"Shit, too soon," he mumbles against her.
"No, no, I'm okay. Besides..." Lola smirks, "I have a big, bad Italian stud to protect little ol' me don't I?"

He tips his head back in laughter. Definitely not how he thought this would be going. After their attack, he predicted she'd break down, some of him hoped she'd beg to get away, so he could finally send her to safety. Another, larger, selfish part of him wanted her to stay at least until they got out of this, one way or the other and then she'd get restless of course, wanting to live her life but at least they'd-he'd-have until then. Not one scenario he'd thought up included her declaring she loves him in just a towel. And while he's weary about the confession, he hasn't missed the almost naked part.

Glancing back down at her, she's still wearing a playful expression and that simply solidifies his decision to indulge themselves. They have after all earned it. After everything bad today and more to come, they deserve a little memory of good.

"And what exactly is my compensation for that?" he grins wickedly.

The vixen glances up from under her impossibly long lashes, cooing, "what exactly would you like?"

He doesn't bother to answer her, instead hoists her to his hips with two hands wrapped firmly around the tops of her thighs. Lola grins down, her smile fading as she winds her arms around him and joins her lips for a heated kiss.

She has him so befuddled for a moment he hardly remembers where they are, but when he remembers, the bed is the first thing on his mind. A wall would have done too but he doesn't have long and he wants the beautiful image of his angel laid bare in the throes of passion imprinted into his mind as he faces whatever's to come later in the day.

Lola feels herself toppling onto the mattress, only laughter erupting from her lips at the sensation of falling. The towel barely holds up as she recovers and gazes up to her man. He tugs off his t-shirt in quick succession, his jeans worn enough to hang low and loose at his hips where the band of his boxers peak out from. Lola's heart tightens as her nípples pebble. His body is fine as hell but apart from the one sweep across his gorgeous chest, she's more focused on the predatory heat in his eyes. Her bottom lip catches under her teeth as she tries to suppress the faint whimper of excitement. Ohh, she's definitely going to like this. As much as she loves his love-making, it's usually caring and gentle but this...this is not going to be one of those sessions. Not with that look in his eyes.

Carlos grasps her slender ankle, dragging her down the bed-sheets towards the edge of the bed by it. He sinks to his knees as her feet instantly place themselves on his broad shoulders. It may not be an 'I love you' but getting head this way feels pretty darn special in itself.

 "On your elbows, cara. I want you to watch."

Oh God. Lola feels her stomach drop, heat instantly pooling in the lower regions of her body as nerves tingle with excitement. Nothing with Carlos is ever mundane and although they may have vanilla sex, it's far from plain. It's thick, creamy vanilla, rich and sweet. It's mind numbing and toe-curling. It's far from boring. And in that soft vanilla are these dispersed hints of dark, sensual chocolate.

"Perfect, perfect piccola. I don't even have to touch you and you're already wet for me," he whispers with a quick glance up to catch her gaze.
Another instant belly drop. Those handsome features are contorted into an expression of utter seriousness and...hunger.

His thumb strokes her slit, briefly swiping her clít and causing her muscles to briefly tense.
"Just relax, sweetheart. I've got you," he states before that mouth becomes otherwise occupied.

And he does have her. He has her every way to Sunday. Even those her eyes try to stay on him as much as she can, she still couldn't figure out his little tongue trick that has her knees trembling. And by the time he's suckling and twirling all that talent over her, her eyes really can't stay focused anymore. Her mind is lost as is the control of her mouth.

 "Oh God! Right there! Baby."
The moans, groans and babbling words pleading for more echo throughout the room as he finally concedes and brings her to the finish line.
But it didn't stop there even with Lola's fingers practically rip all that silky, dark hair from the roots of his head.

She stopped counting. She had to. All her energy was shooting straight to between her legs and that meant a short supply for her brain currently vacationing in Orgasm World. A place it's quite happy to stay on if only her body would cooperate.

"Carlos, no more," she mumbles feeling his kisses at her stomach.
"You've got one more in you, cara. I know my feisty girl's got it in her and she's going to give me everything. Isn't she?" he mutters back, half out of his own mind.
The only thing he can remember is to slip on the condom, before he's consumed by her.

"Baby."
"That's it, just hold onto me, piccola."

Her legs clamp tight around his hips and as he bends down for a kiss to which she meets him half-way. The hot steel melts her into molten as it enters. And as the molten hardens Lola's infused with a burst of newfound energy.

Carlos's hands tilt her at an angle that has him penetrating even deeper and with that she discovers he'd been right about her. She does have one more in her. One more that may just destroy her but hey, what better way to go.
"God, Lola. That's it, squeeze me tight sweetheart," he murmurs in her ear as she subconsciously does just that.

"Carlos I can't-I-....Oh God!"

 Dear Lord, if she thought she was boneless before then she's simply a puddle now. The pleasure so intense small spasms of it still buzz through her.
It's those small spasms and that velvety grip that spins Carlos straight out of control. Though with it being inside his woman, that's the best kind of wild.

With a growling cry of her name, he collapses onto his forearms.

"I think...I think we have set a new standard," she whispers causing him to smile against her neck.
"Oh we're not finished, piccola. I may need a few minutes but you....Well...Shuffle over into the centre and I'll be right back," he wickedly smirks.

 It's that devious smile of his full of mischief and joy that she loves so much and while her mind vehemently protests the idea, her body is rearing to go again.
She does exactly as he asks though and drags herself further along, closing her eyes momentarily and collecting herself while he tosses away the used condom.

It's been a rollercoaster of a day so far and it's not even over yet. However, looking at Lola with her softness complimenting his harshness just makes it all the better. Sex is fun and great and all but he never considered it as anything more. He never cared about it as much as some men do. And he never cared that one day he may have sex with only one woman. Now, looking at Lola he knows he only wants sex with one woman and to have that woman for the rest of the foreseeable future would make him very satisfied indeed.

Oh yeah...very satisfied.

It's straight to that satisfaction he wants to dive into when there's a buzzing from the denim pile on the floor.

No. Not now, not back to reality just yet.

With an exasperated groan, Carlos digs through his jeans to find the buzzing phone. Thank God, he didn't crack it in his haste to get his pants off.

Seeing the caller, he reluctantly starts tugging on his clothes.
"What's going on?"

The dazed, soft voice nearly makes him come undone but remembering that some bastards tried to kill her just a few hours ago, Carlos remains strong.
"Got to go, sweetheart. There's some...cleanup to take care of and I have a meeting that's going to have to be pushed up which-"
"It's okay. Go. I guess I'll just...hang out here?"

"Yes, stay here. If I get back late, I'll get some take-away but in the meantime if you get hungry just get room service. But don't leave this hotel okay? And if for any reason you do need to leave the room the .380 semi, you know the one from before, here."

 He riffles through his bags, grabbing the right gun and placing it on the dresser table before commandeering his own weapons. With that done, he plants a kiss to the side of Lola's head as she breathes an 'okay'.

"Carlos wait!"

 He spins his torso to glance over at her.
She wears an expression of apprehension and says, "be safe."

There's no honest answer he can give for that so he gives her none.

*************************

"Has he talked?"
The beefy guy shakes his head.
"Conscious yet?"
A nod.
"Tied?"
Another nod.
"Good. Give him muscle relaxants. He's trained, best not to underestimate him."
With Lola's life on the line, Carlos isn't taking any risk he doesn't have to.

Stripped off his mask, Carlos can see his prisoner is a dark skinned man, probably Hispanic as his companion had been. And from one look at him, Carlos can also tell that he'll do anything for the mission.
Strapped to a pillar, he's only a few inches shorter than Carlos.

"You're not from around here," muses Carlos as he strides up to the man.

Killer simply gazes blankly at him. The Castellano name be big around the town but not around the country. Despite all the unmentionable things his family has done it's all been relatively small scale. Though keeping that operation small has meant tighter control over the town, the ranks, everything. In this case small scale gave Carlos an advantage of being underestimated.

"What was your mission?"
No answer.
"Won't ask again, 'friend'. I know you understood me before," he tries again in Spanish. 

Killer raises an eyebrow, again making no move to answer.
With a warm, generously curved woman waiting for him in a bed, Carlos is in no mood for these games, despite the pleasure he'd feel at breaking someone who'd dared to taint his home and hurt his girl.

"It was a simple question. If you're not willing to talk yet then maybe my man, Ray can help with that. I must say, Ray has a lot more patience than me and definitely a steel stomach."
Simply known as Ray, he's a quiet man Carlos's father hired after bailing him out from jail. In return Ray was given free region on all things 'information extraction' and it's a job he thoroughly enjoys not that it shows on his stone like face.

"Kill the girl. The brunette, that was it."
"How much?"
"Half a mil."
"Who?"
Silence.
Carlos feels his thread of patience wearing thin, "who the fuck ordered the hit? Who hired you?!"

"Blackjacks."

No way in hell did the Blackjacks send these lot of clowns for a hit on a small town girl without so much as a parking ticket. No way, they have bigger fish to fry. As hired missionaries they're more than just a bunch of jacked up goons.
The owner and leader Jacob 'Jac' Weaver an ex-SEAL is also one of the smartest men around especially pertaining to military strategies. Rumour has it the CIA has very close tabs on the Blackjacks, which isn't surprising because even just one of them running rouge could be a national disaster not that it's likely, since Jac is said to run a tight ship.
Despite this, the organisation is allowed to last because not only are there favours owed to them by some people in high up places, but because they're a set of fall guys. They have the training and skills to go on dangerous, almost-impossible missions and the best part is that with it being a private organisation, should there be a fuck-up the government's not liable at all.

 So with all of that there is no way that these guys are from the Blackjacks.

"Sure," Carlos snorts, "and why the fuck would you-the Blackjacks-be at all interested in Lola Beaumont?"
"Fuck you. What's it matter if that bitch dies anyway?"

At that point the thread of patience just snapped. Within the blink of an eye, Carlos's curled fist slams into the hard face of the man before him. Killer's head snaps back clipping against the pillar roughly and causing him to cry lowly in pain.

 Checking himself Carlos turns to Ray who at the moment has much more patience to deal with the bastard than Carlos does. One more moment with the asshole and there would none of him left to tell him any useful information.

"Ray, I want this canary singing. Don't care how, just get it done," he comments, not bothering to wait around long enough to see the glimmer of sadistic delight in Ray's hardened eyes.

Frankly for this man, Carlos doesn't care. So maybe Lola's not driven all that darkness out of him, but surprisingly he's glad. Because those residuals, they mean that he has no remorse fucking with anyone trying to hurt him or the ones under his care.

*********************************

Later that afternoon, Carlos has one more important meeting before he can finally be done for the day and crawl back into bed with Lola.


In the shabby diner, he sips a cup of coffee, gazing at the tired, worn artwork and chipping paint of the walls. The place is shockingly bustling with activity, yet it's the quiet kind where patrons know to mind their own business even at 5 in the afternoon. The radio blankets over the quiet murmurings of the customers, while every so often some clanging or banging noises can be heard from the kitchen through the thin, swinging door. A middle aged waitress tops up his coffee as he signals her over with a chin jerk before she shuffles her way back to gossiping with her equally worn-out friend.

One sip later and a man strides in through the front door. He may be wearing a polo t-shirt and dark jeans but there's no mistaking that like Carlos this man doesn't belong in the diner either.

His eyes land on Carlos and with purpose he strides towards him, graciously taking a seat in the booth opposite.

"Lift the shirt," immediately states Carlos.

The man doesn't so much as flinch as he does as Carlos commands. Safe in that knowledge, Carlos tips his chin at him. 

Then greets him simply with the word, "Agent."
A small tilt of the man's lips form as he retorts with, "Castellano." 

A/n Short, sorry but hopefully exciting. :) Have a great weekend guys and if you're interested 2 thing: 

1) I did this awesome interview by @CourtneyWendleton: 

https://charliesangel0069.wordpress.com/2016/04/01/asi-laura-ag-wattpad-author/

And if you have time I'd love for you to check it out! Also she's also looking for some awesomesauce authors for more interviews so if you're interested definitely hit her up! 

2) I also did a short guest star post on 'The Slut Pack' on here: 

https://www.wattpad.com/241560749-the-slut-pack-guest-post-3-cherrypop12

Again, if you have time, please do check it out. The girls are awesome and hilarious and I was honoured they asked me for a post :) 

That's all guys, have a great weekend :D x