Page 169 of Awakened by Sin

“After Gavin comes back, I’m taking Marcus to see the ocean whether he wants to or not.”

“Sounds like something a couple would do.”

She shoved Lyla, who laughed delightedly. She hid her smile. Lyla teased her mercilessly about Marcus, and she denied the allegations just to be contrary. Everything with Marcus was going great. Better than great, actually. He had become her rock. It had been a challenging but rewarding three months. She cleaned up and sold their family home. Saying goodbye to her childhood and her father who was embedded into every room of that house was emotionally taxing. Mom was relieved it was taken care of and had officially moved in with Marv. She had dinner at Marv’s house every other Sunday. Maddie and Levi came as well, and it was something she had come to look forward to. Marcus even made it to one of the dinners. Marv approved of him but no surprise there. There was nothing objectionable about Marcus. Mom was over the moon about her and Marcus even though she cautioned her that they were casually seeing each other. Of course, Mom didn’t listen.

Marcus was a busy man, but he always seemed genuinely happy to see her. He never made her feel as if she was interrupting or being too clingy. They led separate lives that intersected here and there. They were amazingly compatible in and out of bed. Three months into their affair, and he was as sweet and affable as ever. He was so fucking cute. She kept doing things to rile him—provoking him sexually usually backfired because he wasn’t submissive in the bedroom, and she loved it.

Besides selling her family home, she reconnected with old friends, went back to pole dancing workouts, coaxed Lyla out of the house, trained with Blade, checked on her business ventures, and fucked Marcus’s brains out. With no action from the Black Vipers, she was down to one guard a day. Mickey didn’t mind and had become an enjoyable companion. Frederick was a grump and ignored her as much as possible. She forced him to do fast food runs just to irritate him.

Carmen paused in front of a glass case that held a necklace fit for a royal. The necklace glittered like a fallen star and silently begged to be worn. Diamond encrusted leaves gave way to a pear-shaped drop diamond that was extra as fuck. She stared at it long enough to get the sales woman’s attention.

“You have excellent taste, ma’am,” she said eagerly.

“I know,” Carmen said with a wink. “May I see it?”

“Of course.”

The saleswoman set the necklace on the counter. It sparkled like a living, breathing thing on black velvet.

“This is a three-carat diamond.” The sales clerk gestured to the massive pendant.

Carmen lifted the heavy necklace and put it on. She posed in a massive mirror. Her off the shoulder rock band top and ripped jeans clashed with the elegant piece, but she didn’t care. She took a breath, which made the necklace sparkle and shine. Her updo showed off the necklace to perfection.

“It’s amazing,” she said reverently.

“It sure is. Are you attending something special?”

“Always.” Diamonds made every day special. Just the other night, she decked herself out in almost every piece of jewelry she had while she soaked in the tub. This necklace would be her crowning glory. It had been years since she’d added a new piece to her collection.

She pulled out her phone and took a selfie. She sent the picture to Marcus and bounced on her tiptoes as she waited for a response.

“Of course, you had to pick the most expensive thing in the shop,” Lyla said as she joined her. She shook her head ruefully. “You look amazing.”

“Of course, I do. Diamonds love me, and I love them.” She fiddled with her phone. “Do you know if Marcus and Gavin are in a meeting?”

“I have no idea. Why?”

“I just sent Marcus a picture.”

Lyla frowned. “Okay …?”

“I want to see if he likes it.”

Her face lit up. “You send him pictures of what you want, and he buys it for you like Vinny?”

She froze. In her excitement, she reverted to an old game she used to play with her husband. She would go shopping and send him pictures of things she wanted. He would send his assistant to buy the items and present them to her gift wrapped. She would gush about his excellent taste and thank him for being so thoughtful. It was a habit, one she fell back on without even realizing it.

“Carmen?” Lyla touched her arm. “What is it?”

“Help me take it off,” she whispered.

“Okay.” Lyla unclasped it and held both ends of the beautiful necklace. “Are you going to get it?”

“Thank you for letting me try it on,” she said to the confused and disappointed clerk.

Lyla surrendered it and took her hand as they walked out of the shop.

“What was that about?” Lyla asked.

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