The Black Tangled Heart

The New Rules

"You're sweaty and smelly" Camila told Shawn as he slipped into her car wearing just his black gym shorts, black tank top, black sneakers and a hairband to hold back his damp curls

"It's androstadienone"

"Excuse you?" Camila said in surprise as she looked to Shawn and then back
to the road as she pulled her car out into the traffic and then took the turn off towards her family home

"The chemical in my sweat. Apparently it's a huge turn on for women here get a good smell of me and I bet I'll have you out of those panties in seconds" He raised an arm and Camila squealed, wriggling to move away from him as possible but finding nowhere to go as they were sat close together in the front of her car

"We're going to see my mom Shawn, couldn't you have showered first?"

"I could have but I look more intimidating when I'm all sweaty wearing very little, look at my arms. Intimidating right?"

"What if your sweaty chemicals get to my mom and she tries to jump you?"

Shawns face immediately crumpled in disgust "You have a very, very sick mind Cabello" he said whilst faking a shudder

"She's a good looking women, even I can admit that"

"Yeah well she's not the women he..." Shawn nodded towards his groin "wants so good looking or not she's out of luck"

"Oh really?" Camila asked, drawing out the last word and following his gaze "And who is the women he wants?"

"Well first of all you should know he has a very, very peculiar taste in women"

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, I mean he could have anyone he wanted any tall, blond, hot, supermodel, actress but instead the only one he seems to want is this tiny little thing with an attitude the size of Canada and more baggage than even someone as strong as me could carry" he flexed his biceps as though to prove how strong he was

"And how's that working out for him?"

"Shit. She's a pain in the ass that insists on keeping things 'platonic' and refuses to put out"

"Maybe she's just waiting for the right guy to 'put out' for"

"And maybe she found him already but wants more than either of them can give right now"

"Maybe she doesn't want what he thinks she does, maybe she's just trying to be better than she has been in the past"

"And maybe what she has been was and is good enough"

The rest of the drive to the Cabello house was silent, the conversation they had without having a real conversation hanging heavy between them.

Even the wall to the front door was silent, Shawn staying close enough that their arms brushed every now and then causing goosebumps to break out over their skin but neither of them so much as glancing up at the other to admit it

"Camila!" The front door of the house suddenly flew open as Maria Cabello ran down the steps with her arms held out, reaching for her daughter but before she could make contact, Shawn was between them, his spine straight and his eyes narrowed, daring the woman to try and get past him, warning her that he was in no mood to play

"We're here to let you know how things are going to be with Camila from now on"Said Shawn, his voice low and cold as his hand wrapped around Camilas wrist

"Camila honey, come inside, we're so worried this guy is brainwashing you"

"Me?!" Shawn almost choked on the absurdity of her statement

"Come inside, papa is home, he wants to speak to you..."

"Good, because I want to speak to him too" announced Shawn as he began walking up the steps to the house, Camila moving with him and not against him for once

"No! Camila no! Papa hates confrontation, you know what this... hooligan coming inside and upsetting him will do to his blood pressure. He's not a well man Camila!"

"I couldn't give a fuck if he's at deaths door, I have something to say and that means he has no choice but to listen, unless he thinks he can punch me in the mouth to keep me quiet and believe me, he can't"

"Camila!" Maria's eyes bore into her daughters and Shawn watched on in interest trying to decipher the message that was passing between them but in the end all he could decipher was that the look was a threat and he was so over Camila being threatened by anyone so he just pushed through the door, pleased when the first person he saw was the tired looking man he'd seen only once before but that bore enough of a resemblance to Camila for Shawn to know he was her father

"You and I need to talk" he announced and he watched the mans eyes flit between him and Camila and then to a very unhappy looking Maria Cabello

"Let go of my daughter and leave and I won't call the cops" he said but Shawn could hear the lack of commitment in his voice like he was putting on a show for his wife's benefit

"Call the cops" Shawn countered "Go right ahead, I'm sure they would love to hear what I have to say. Camila honey, make me a coffee whilst we wait won't you?" Shawn walked past the man, into the large kitchen and dropped down onto a bar stool that stood at the kitchen island before pulling Camila onto his lap "Go with this" he whispered against her neck and then grinned when he saw the hairs on the back of neck stand up "For the record, you do the same to me" he said whilst running a finger from her hairline to her shoulder blade

"You should know the police are on their way so you have about 5 minutes tops" Said Maria as she walked into the room with a swagger and then wrapped an arm around her husbands waist

"Great!" Shawn said with fake enthusiasm "I'm sure they will be way more interested in a mother using her daughter to rob men to clear her debts than a guy her daughter brought home to help her to collect her things"

"You have no idea what your talking about! Camila tell him he's talking garbage"

"He was there that night with with Rocco and Carlo mom, he knows what was going on"

"That was just some networking, you and Maya getting to know some nice., well to do guys,nothing like this guy!"

"Until they went to sleep right? And how exactly did they tire themselves out?" Shawns gaze bore into Maria, the thought of her putting Camila in a situation like that, with expectations like that pushing him closer to losing his temper with a woman than he had ever been before

"Maria, What is he talking about?" Asked Mr. Cabello through a large yawn

"Nothing, he knows nothing" she snapped, tearing her arm from her husband and then planting both of her hands on her hips

"So here's how it is, the new rules, Camila is no longer currency. You get yourself into a mess you get yourself out of the mess because Camila is off the table" Shawns grip tightened on her wrist as he noticed a thin smile pull at the girls lips "You come near her or my house and you lose the right to claim you're female, I will treat you just like every other fucker that tries to hurt someone I care about"

"Ale do something,  DO something"

"Papa don't do anything" Camilas voice finally broke free of her throat as she twisted her wrist so Shawns hand was no longer around it and instead his hand was firmly in hers "I know this won't make sense to you because you don't know the truth and I don't want you to know it but... I want to be with Shawn"

"Camila!" Her father exclaimed

"There's too much here I can't deal with papa. Mama, you and Maria, Maya, the arguments the lies the..." her eyes suddenly lifted and met with Maria's the older woman's gaze daring her to push this any further "I want to be with Shawn" she stated resolutely as her arm snuck around his waist "I'm moving out and I'm not coming back"

"He's using you Camila" said the older Cabello woman

"He's protecting me" Camila stated as she gazed up and saw Shawn staring down at her, his eyes soft and his lips pulled into a half smile "For the first time since mama died, someone is protecting me"

*please check out my new book The Black Butterfly x