Page 45 of Craving Carla

“I’m not offering you a pity date, Carla. I’m taking you out because I want to get to know you better.”

I look to Damon, and he just grins at me. I know he put this radical bullshit in Amari’s head. I gasp when Amari clasps my face, the movement so quick I can’t even process what’s happening. The way he looks into my eyes, I can’t move, I can’t speak. There’s this desire in them that I don’t understand. It reminds me of the way he looked at me last night, how badly I wanted him to kiss me. But there’s also a darkness in his eyes that scares me.

“Carla, if you get hurt...” He pauses, looking away for a moment, then his eyes lock back on mine. A shadow passes over his face, something ancient and dangerous that reminds me that beneath his designer suit and charming smile, Amari is a predator. “And I mean so much as a scratch on these beautiful cheeks of yours,” he gently brushes his thumb over my skin, the contact sending electricity through my entire body, “a lot of people are going to die, and I fucking mean it.”

“Amari...” His name comes out breathy, almost reverent. I’ve never had anyone threaten violence on my behalf before. I’ve always been the protector, the one who keeps others safe. The way he says it—like he’d tear apart the world if someone hurt me—it’s terrifying and thrilling all at once.

With that, he releases me, and I know he means it—I could see it in his eyes. The darkness there wasn’t for show. It was a promise, a vow written in blood. He grabs my tote bag from my shoulder, placing it in his other hand, then gently takes my wrist and lifts my hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of it. His lips are cool against my skin, but they leave a burning trail that lingers long after he pulls away.

“We will escort you to the employee apartments and leave you to your date,” Damon explains, taking the coin and placing it in his pocket. “Then we’ll back off. But we won’t be far. This isn’t what you want to hear, Carla, and I understand that, but there’s something off about Ackley.”

I start to scoff, but Damon holds his hand up to stop me.

“Hold on, Carla, let me finish. We’ve been watching him, and he’s made us question some things.” I pause and narrow my eyes at him. I can’t believe he’s been following Ackley around. The nerve! “We will be respectful to you, Carla.”

Damon looks over at Amari with a hard glare, but Amari just keeps pulling me toward the sleek black SUV parked right at the border. It’s running, and someone’s sitting in the driver’sseat. Amari opens the back passenger door for me and tosses my bag inside, then grips my hips and lifts me into the van. I yelp, scooting over immediately as he climbs in after me, pulling the door shut.

I brush my curls from my face, glaring at him, but he simply adjusts his suit, looking ahead. I can’t make out the driver’s face, but he’s wearing a black suit similar to Amari’s. He’s got a large afro that seems to overshadow him, chocolate-toned skin, and a very neatly trimmed beard. Even his fro is neatly put together. He’s wearing sunglasses, which is strange because it’s sundown, but when he smiles at me from the rearview mirror, I catch sight of his fangs and wince.

“This is Bobby, my lieutenant. He’s a good man and serves my coven well.” I look to Amari nervously, but he doesn’t look back at me, his eyes focused ahead. Is he mad at me for going on this date? There’s a tension in his jaw, a tightness in his shoulders that wasn’t there before. The heavy atmosphere in the car is broken only by the sound of tires on the bridge.

My attention shifts when I see Damon opening the front passenger door and climbing in, shutting it behind him. Bobby puts the SUV in drive, and slowly pulls onto the bridge, taking me off the island.

“Ackley isn’t bad...” I start to argue, but I gasp when Amari finally looks at me with a hard glare. The intensity in his eyes makes my breath catch. Gone is the playful teasing from before, replaced by something fierce and protective that makes my stomach clench.

“I hope you’re right, Carla. Because there’s a lot at stake if someone decides to get stupid with you. It won’t just be me coming after whoever harms you—you need to remember your children.” I look up at him, nodding nervously.

“It’s just a date, Amari, nothing else,” I say.

He feigns a smile in response, and I can tell it’s forced. He places his hand on my thigh, and the coolness of his touch, the gentleness of it, makes my body heat up. He looks at me.

“I want you to have a good time. Your happiness is important to me, Carla.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “You barely even know me,” I snap, then his thumb brushes gently over my thigh. I should slap it away, but I don’t. The contact sends a jolt through me, leaving heat in its wake and making my skin tingle. I’ve never been touched like this before—with tenderness, with reverence. It’s unsettling and exhilarating all at once.

“That’s about to change. And soon,” Amari quickly comes back at me, this time grinning smugly. There’s a promise in those words; in the way his eyes hold mine. Not a threat, but a certainty. As if he’s already decided that getting to know me is inevitable, that whatever is happening between us has already been set in motion and neither of us can stop it.

I look away from him and stare ahead as Bobby continues to take us over the bridge. The lights of the mainland grow closer, the employees’ community visible in the distance. The weight of Amari’s hand on my thigh, the scent of him filling the car, the intensity of his gaze when he looks at me—it’s all too much. I start to wonder if they’re right. Even my children are worried for me when it comes to Ackley, and they’ve been suspicious of him from the beginning. I can’t back down on this date now, but the way Amari’s acting too, maybe I am being desperate—desperate to feel wanted, to feel loved.

And I hope this desperation isn’t going to be the end of me.

16

Amari

The asshole is doing everything right. Opening doors for her, helping her to her seat, paying for her meal, making her laugh. And Carla is enjoying herself.

Goddamnit!

I’m pacing the roof of this small auto repair shop that sits right across from the restaurant she’s in, driving myself insane. I want to rip Ackley’s head clean off his shoulders right now. He’s a radical—I know it to be true. I’ve watched him for the past two days, and he’s in fact been in that radical bar at the border twice. I don’t know what he’s got up his sleeve, but I know Carla’s a part of it. I wanted to search his apartment for answers, but Kade and Damon denied me. This is frustrating because I know there are answers in that apartment. But Kade says she’s already snuck in a few times and has found nothing other than his arachnids. I think there are answers in that apartment—she just doesn’t know what she’s looking for.

“Calm down, Amari,” Damon says, and I glare at him. Calm down? We just let her go on a date with a radical. No, I’m not going to fucking calm down right now.

“She’s on a date with a radical,” I hiss at him, still pacing. Damon grins at me.

“You seem highly invested in Carla, especially after I told you to stay away from her,” he says, raising an eyebrow at me.

“I’m not under your command anymore, Damon. You’ve reminded me of that twice since I’ve been here. Don’t tell me who I can or cannot see.” I snap and Damon approaches me, his green eyes cold. He could take me down if he wanted. He’s older, more powerful. I sigh and stop pacing, facing him as I adjust my suit.

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