Page 35 of Carnival Obsession

I chuckle, pulling her close so that our bodies are pressed together. “No, baby. You impressed me out there. And I can’t wait to see what else you can do.”

She shivers, her hands resting on my chest. “You mean—with the riding lessons?”

I nod, my hands sliding down to cup her ass. “Among other things,” I say. “But right now, we should continue our lesson inside.”

My cell dings then and I curse under my breath when I see the text from Ty.

Lars. Get the fuck back here now. Where the fuck are you?

“What’s wrong?” Alice asks.

I shake my head. “The boss has noticed my absence and wants me back at the carnival immediately.” I give her a quick kiss. “Rain check?”

She nods. “Okay, but as long as I see you tomorrow.”

I smirk. “You’ve changed your tune, haven’t you, princess?”

Her lips purse together, and she flushes a pretty pink. “I guess so.”

“Good. I “’ll see you tomorrow.” Giving her a long and deep kiss, I tear myself away from her without another look back and mount my bike, heading for the carnival. This better be good. As Ty has just fucking cockblocked me, even though I’ve fucked my girl twice tonight, it’s not enough. I always need more.

Once I get back to the carnival, I head toward his office and storm inside, anger coursing through my veins. “What the hell is it?” I demand, not bothering to hide my frustration.

Ty leans back in his chair, his expression grim. “The Blackwoods wanted the product to expand into Carlo’s territory on the outskirts of Ravenwood. Basically, Carlo’s pissed that we got Xavier so much product.”

I curse under my breath. “Fuck. I thought we had an agreement with Carlo. What the hell are the Blackwoods thinking?”

Ty shakes his head, his eyes narrowing. “They’re getting greedy, Lars. Xavier Blackwood sees an opportunity to expand, and he’s taking it, regardless of the consequences.”

I pace the room, my mind racing with the implications of this new development. “So, what now?”

Ty sighs, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk. “We have to pick a side, but it could bring some shit down for us.”

I nod firmly, my jaw set in determination. “It’s a no-brainer, Ty. We go with the Blackwoods. They’re paying much more per kilo than Carlo ever did, and they’re our biggest buyers by far.”

Ty exhales slowly, running a hand over his face. “I know, I know. It’s just...this shit is getting bigger than I ever expected, man. I’m worried we’ll get pulled into an all-out war between the Blackwoods and Carlo’s crew.”

I shake my head. “We’ve got this under control. The Blackwoods pay better, plain and simple. As long as we keep things tight and don’t get sloppy, there’s no reason Carlo should even know we’re involved in their supply.”

I can see the doubt flickering in Ty’s eyes, but I press on. “Listen, we’re professionals, yeah? We’ve been doing this for years without any major issues. The Blackwoods are our meal ticket right now. We cut them off, and our whole operation could go to shit.”

Ty nods reluctantly. “Alright, alright. We go with the Blackwoods for now. But we gotta be extra careful from here on out. Any sign of heat from Carlo’s side, and we pull the plug, got it?”

I nod in agreement. “You got it, boss. We’ll keep a tight leash on this whole thing. The last thing we need is some turf war fucking up our carnival.”

Something tells me we’ve got a shitstorm heading our way. I should have known the Blackwoods were up to something, doubling their order. But all of us were blinded by the cash.

19

ALICE

The buzz of my phone wakes me. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I reach for my phone and see a message from Lars.

There’s a surprise on your doorstep, princess.

Curious, I slip out of bed and go to the front door.

Opening the door, I’m greeted by a stunning bouquet of flowers. The vibrant colors and sweet fragrances bring a smile to my face. I pick up the bouquet and find a card tucked between the stems. My heart flutters as I read Lars’s typed note.

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