Page 102 of Craving Carla

I motion with my fingers for her to come over, and she practically leaps across the small hill separating us. Carla’s face lights up at Tofi’s enthusiasm, and the sight tugs at something deep inside me. The relationship developing between us—between all of us—means everything to me.

Last night was even more beautiful than our first night together. We didn’t have sex; we just held each other. The way she kept her hand on my beating heart, using it as an anchor to help her fall asleep, was everything to me. She felt safe in my arms. Genuinely safe. There’s so much I want to show her, so much I want to give her, but King Amir’s words still linger in my mind.

“Sometimes, a gilded cage can be someone’s Garden of Eden.”

This is Carla’s Eden. I cannot take this from her, nor from her children.

I start typing on the projected screen, inputting lines of code that look foreign to both Tofi and Carla. Tofi taps one of her legs against the ground curiously, multiple eyes fixed on my movements. Finally, Carla stands and approaches the screen, marveling at the technology.

“Wow, you really are a smart asshole,” she says, squinting at the code.

I laugh, pointing at a specific section of the program. “This segment here communicates with the drones’ central processing units. It tells them what to look for, how to interpret the data they collect.” I trace my finger along a particularly complex algorithm. “This part determines the difference between a radical human and a normal one.”

“How long did it take you to learn all this?” she asks, her fingers hovering near the projection, afraid to touch it.

“Centuries of different practices, working to perfect my craft,” I answer honestly. “And there’s still more to learn. Always more to learn.”

“I know how to build a fort and start my own fires,” she says with a small shrug.

I look down at her, my expression serious. “What I know versus what you know doesn’t compare to the other.” I point to the projected screen. “I’ve had a life of privilege while you struggled in the shadows. You’ve lived in survival mode for centuries. I’ve enjoyed the pleasures of immortality. It is not the same, and I will not allow you to put yourself down.”

She shrugs, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. “I guess I’m just envious. You’ve found your calling, always known the kind of man you were going to be.”

I stare at her strangely. “You couldn’t be more wrong.” I pull out my phone and hold it out to her. “I’ve been just as lost as you have.”

Her eyes drop to the device, confusion written across her features.

“It was wrong of me to try to hide my past from you,” I continue. “Kemnebi has always judged me for trying to fill a void that only you could fill.” I push the phone toward her. “Take it. You have the right to know.”

Carla takes the phone and just stares at the screen, making no move to unlock it or scroll through its contents. After a long moment, she looks up at me.

“You haven’t given me a reason not to trust you, not once,” she says softly. “Your actions have always been genuine with me.” She holds the phone out to me. “I don’t want to see your past. I want to know your future.”

I don’t take the phone back, my gaze steady on hers. “Throw it in the water, then. The only thing I want is you.”

“But Bobby?—”

I shrug. “We live in a digital age. There are many ways to contact me.”

“Verde and Petra?—”

“You have my word,” I cut her off. “I will bring them back to you.”

A smile blooms across her face, radiant and pure. I close my laptop, the projected screen disappearing, and watch as she turns and tosses the phone into the lake with a decisive flick of her wrist. The small splash it makes seems insignificant compared to the weight lifting from my shoulders.

I move behind her, pulling her back against me and burying my face in her neck. She moans at the sensation, the sound stirring something deep inside me.

“Can I have my date with you now?” I murmur against her skin.

She turns in my arms to face me, eyebrows raised. “You’re serious?”

“Absolutely.” I brush a curl from her face. “I have a gift for you back at the cabin.”

I pull her fully into my arms, hands sliding down to grip her ass. Tofi immediately stomps her feet in protest and takes off into the forest. I pull back and pout my lips.

“I think Tofi’s jealous,” I say. “I’ll spend some daddy-daughter time with her later.”

Carla looks after Tofi’s retreating form. “I’ve never seen her like this. She really likes you.”

---