If Only...

Chapter 14

Bright.

Loud.

Fuzzy.

These thoughts registered in Carly's head as she struggled to consciousness. She opened her eyes a fraction of an inch and groaned at the blinding light that filtered in from her window.

"Jesus."

The sound of her voice rang in her ears. She forced her head under the covers, shutting her eyes tightly. Her body protested at the sudden movement and rebelled with a wave of dizziness. "Oh man." Once under the safety of darkness, she allowed her mind to begin working. She searched the images in her head, desperately trying to remember why she felt like crap.

She thought there'd been a bar. Maybe Luke's. Carly brought a shaky hand to her head. She knew there'd been drinks.

Okay. Think Benson, think.

Wrestling with the blanket, she pulled her head out from under it, half covering her eyes with her hand. She looked around the room.

She was in her room. That was good. She dared a glance to the to other side of the bed.

"Thank you, God." She sighed in relief to see it empty. She closed her eyes again. Someone had carried her into the penthouse. She remembered warm hands, a deep voice calling her name.

A pair of dark beautiful eyes flashed into her mind. Sonny.

Her eyes popped open. "Oh God. What the hell did I do?" She threw back the covers, standing. Forcing the nauseous turn in her stomach away, she braced herself with a hand to the wall, slowly making her way to the door. Stopping for a moment, she opened her nightstand, foraging intently.

Where the hell did she put her sunglasses? She shook her head slightly, ignoring the sharp stabbing at her temples. Probably in her purse that was sitting on the table. Downstairs.

"Damn it." She slammed it shut and swallowed a groan. "That was stupid, Benson." Holding on to the wall, she again moved towards the door. Once she reached it, she leaned her forehead against the cool wood, taking in a few deep breaths. Her hand twisted the doorknob repeatedly. It wouldn't budge, and she grunted, pulling hard. She cringed at the pain the effort caused her.

Finally, the door swung open and she clung to the side, taking a moment to recover her balance. She moved slowly down the hall and to the stairs. Her head was pounding as she reached the top. She could hear movement and she cursed whoever was making the noise. Bastards.

Gripping the railing, she gingerly descended the stairs. When her feet were planted firmly on the first landing, she raised her eyes to the room.

Leticia glanced up as she walked out of the kitchen and stopped short at the sight before her. "Good God, Carly."

Carly pointed at her. "Don't say a word."

"Other than you look like hell, I wasn't going to say a thing."

Carly glared at her through squinting eyes. She had a few choice words of her own for her dear friend. She made her way to the table, rummaging through her purse, ignoring Leticia's gaze. She found her glasses and shoved them over her eyes. Much better.

She lowered her aching body onto the couch, leaning her head against its back. "What the hell did I drink?"

"Well, hello Sleeping Beauty."

"Shouldn't it be more like drunken beauty?" Leticia joked.

"Very true. Woman, you can pack in the booze, let me tell you."

Carly covered her ears, falling onto the cushions in the fetal position. "Could you two please not yell."

Sonny grinned at Leticia and silently nodded to the stairs. She grinned back and headed up to check on Michael.

"Is Michael up yet?" Her voice muffled by the cushions.

Sonny reached her side, setting the tray he'd been taking up to her on the table. Bending down, he brushed her hair away from her face. "He's been up for a while. He asked for you and I told him you weren't feeling too well today."

Carly shook her head. "I should go see him, but I'd probably scare him with the way I must look."

Sonny laughed softly. "It's not that bad."

Carly pulled her head up to stare at him. Though he couldn't really see with her sunglasses on, he was sure she was looking at him in that will-you-get-real Carly way.

"Okay. Maybe a little scary." He conceded, his eyes going to her sleep-ruffled hair. He smoothed it down on her scalp. She muttered something about never drinking again.

"Come here." He pulled her to a sitting position and took the seat next to her. Placing a pillow on his lap, he motioned for her to lie down. She hesitated for a second, but her spinning head forced her to take the offer. She snuggled against it, sighing as Sonny's hand caressed her hair softly.

Sonny leaned over her slightly, reaching for the cloth on the tray. He pulled the glasses off her face, ignoring her muttered curse, and gently patted her skin with the cloth.

"It's warm." Carly purred, enjoying the heat on her throbbing head.

"Yeah. I kept it on the warmer." Sonny concentrated on the task at hand. He shifted, ignoring his very painful need, and hoped to God Carly wouldn't notice it. He heard her snort and paused on her cheek. "What?"

Carly opened her eyes. "You're the only person I know who has a towel warmer."

He blinked at her. "You gonna to let me do this or you going to make fun of me?"

"Both." Carly's gaze fell to the tray. "Is that for me?"

"Yep." Sonny reached the crook of her neck, concentrating on her jawline, wiping her skin slowly.

Carly's skin tingled under Sonny's touch and she lifted her chin, allowing him better access to her. Hot. His skin was so hot. Callused fingers rough against her skin. She could feel the heat coursing through her. Sensations everywhere. She watched him from under her eyelashes. He seemed determined in his chore.

Sonny's fingers skimmed her skin, feeling her chest rise and fall under them. He heard her breath hitch and he stopped, looking into her eyes.

Breathing had become difficult. Almost impossible.

Carly's eyes widened as Sonny leaned over her and she licked her dry lips, her mouth parting-

"Do want the tea or the orange juice?"

"Huh?" She stared at him in confusion.

Sonny cleared his throat. "With your aspirin. Orange juice or tea?" He lifted his hand, showing her the tablets he held in them and motioning to the tray.

"Oh," Carly responded, breathless. She moved off his lap, stopping when the room began to spin again.

"Whoa." Sonny held her arm, steadying her. "You all right?"

Carly nodded slightly, her head falling into her hands. "I will be." She glanced sideways when Sonny nudged her arm. Taking the aspirin, she chose the juice, gulping it down carefully. Her stomach protested momentarily, then eased with the coolness of the drink.

Sonny took the time to steady his breathing, calm his nerves. He needed to get under control. Carly shifted next to him, her bare shoulder brushing against his, and he jumped slightly. She gave him a funny look, but he pointed at her glass and she took another sip.

"You feeling a little better?"

Carly shook her head. "Not really, but at least I don't feel that my head is going to completely fall off."

"That's good."

Setting the glass on the table, she turned to him, picking at her nails. "What…I mean, I didn't…" She glanced at his face, seeing the intent look on his face. "What did I do?"

Sonny frowned. "Nothing. What made you think you did something?"

"Well, it's obvious I got drunk."

Sonny brushed her hair off her shoulder, and Carly noticed that one of his hands was covered with a bandage. She grabbed it firmly. "What happened?"

Sonny tried to pull to it out of her grasp but Carly held steady. "I'm fine, Carly."

"How'd that happen?"

Sonny sighed. "I bruised it against AJ's face."

Carly froze. "What?"

"Honey, listen, it's all right."

Carly shook her head. "No. It was because of me, wasn't it?" She lightly skimmed her fingers over the bandage. "I'm sorry."

"Hey." Sonny lifted her chin, bending to meet her eyes. "It wasn't your fault. I kicked AJ's ass because he deserved it. Period."

"But if it wasn't…"

"No. Shhh. Come here." Sonny leaned back, pulling her head to his shoulder, his hand playing with the strands of her hair. "AJ insulted you and that made me angry. I did this, not you. Okay?"

Carly's vision became hazy, tears forming. "Why?"

Sonny's chin rested on her head. "What do you mean?"

Carly pulled back, her eyes going past his shoulder, afraid to look into his. "Why did you defend me? Why would you do that?"

Sonny waited a heartbeat. It would be so easy to say it. To let her know how he felt. His gaze fell on her hand that played with her necklace and then to her eyes. They held that frightened look she kept hidden from most people, and he knew she wasn't ready to hear what he wanted to say. He reached for her hand and squeezed it firmly. "Because you're one of the people I care about most. I never want to see you hurt."

Carly met his eyes and smiled brightly. "Thank you, Sonny." She touched his hand once more. "I never want to see you hurt either, you know? I care about you too much to let anyone hurt you." She hugged him quickly, barely giving him time to enjoy her in his arms before pulling away. She touched his cheek then frowned, pulling it away. "Sonny…"

Sonny studied her as she bit her lip, nervously rubbing her hands. "What?"

"We…I didn't do anything embarrassing, did I? Like throw myself at anyone?" Or you.

Sonny touched her face, locking her gaze in his.

Sonny felt his back hit something hard. Carly fumbled with his shirt, licking, sucking all the while. His lips nipped at her lips, her neck, her ear. She found that sensitive spot in his neck and he jumped, his breath hitching. Carly pulled back, a wicked grin on her face. Sonny stomach trembled, desire mingling with fear. "Carly..."

"Shh." She pressed her fingers to his lips, focusing on them as she did. "Kiss me."

He smiled, reassuring her quietly. "Trust me. You didn't throw yourself at anyone."

Carly grinned, sighing. Grateful she hadn't done anything to screw up her relationship with Sonny, she leaned her head against his shoulder again, her hand rubbing his chest sweetly. "That's cause my hero was there." She looked up at him, catching his eye. " You'd never let anything happen to me, right?" Her arms laced through his and she closed her eyes.

Sonny kissed her head gently. "I'll always take care of you, Caroline. Always."

Somewhere on Cortland St.

"I'm telling you, it's harder than we thought to get to him. " Larkin paced the small room he occupied. The hand that held his cellphone shook visibly. "Corinthos isn't as easy as you think he is to take down."

"Are you telling me you can't do this, Agent Larkin?" The man who sat in his plush office thousands of miles away held his hand up, studying his hands carefully. Well-trimmed, clean hands. No one could guess how much blood they had spilled. He liked it that way. "Because if that's the case I can find someone else to do it."

Larkin swallowed nervously. "No, sir. I can do this. Just give me a little more time. The plan was working perfectly, but there was an unexpected glitch."

Crossing his legs, the man frowned. "You know I don't like excuses."

"It's not. He's become distracted by a woman."

"Woman?" He paused, glancing at his associate across the room. "What woman?"

"Her name is Caroline Benson, but don't worry sir, we're taking care of her." Larkin tapped his fingers against the table, waiting for a response.

The man motioned to his associate, beckoning him to sit. "Well, you make sure you do. And the next time I hear from you, make sure you have some good news for me." He disconnected, looking across the desk to his enforcer. "Marco, I need you to find out everything you can about a Caroline Benson. Where she came from, who she sees, her schedule, what she eats. What she means to Corinthos. Everything. "

Marco nodded at his boss. "And then what, sir?"

He folded his hands under his chin. " Well, Marco, if she's of any importance to Corinthos, I want you to make sure you get rid of her. Permanently."