Page 81 of Awakened by Sin

“I’ll see you later.” Carmen hung up and dropped her head on the steering wheel. Her harsh breaths filled the silent interior of the Aston. Her legs were shaking, and her underwear was soaked. “Fucking Angel.”

11

Tires screechedas Carmen pulled up to the Pyre fortress. She stepped out of the Aston and tossed the keys to the nearest guard before she ran up the steps and slammed the front doors.

It had been three days of house hunting, one of her favorite pastimes and none of the properties they visited piqued her interest one bit. She was a fucking millionaire, so money wasn’t an issue. All she had to do was pick a place, and it was hers, but she hated every place they visited. The massive estates were ridiculous since she had no one to share it with, not even a goldfish. She didn’t want an apartment because it was too small, and she didn’t want any rules. She sounded like fucking Goldilocks—too big, too small, not enough light, not enough space, too much space … Charisse was beyond frustrated, and so was she. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard! Years ago, she knew exactly what she wanted. Now, she had no idea, and it was driving her crazy. She decided they needed a break. Charisse couldn’t hide her relief. Carmen went on a short shopping spree, which made her feel marginally better. She was in love with her new black and white snakeskin stilettos, which paired well with her black leather wrap skirt and thin black sweater.

“Lyla!” she yelled.

Gavin would have to take one for the team if they were fucking. She was restless and manic and needed girl time.

Blade appeared at the top of the stairs. “What’s going on?”

“I need Lyla. Where is she?”

“Backyard.”

She marched in that direction and saw Lyla sitting in the sunken cabana in the middle of the pool with Nora on her lap. She relaxed a little as she watched Lyla bounce Nora on the cushions with Beau nearby.

“What’s your problem?” Blade asked.

She turned to the fridge. “What do we have to eat?”

She was hungry as fuck. She stopped at two fast food joints and a Greek place she used to love, but nothing was hitting the spot. She fumbled through Lyla’s fridge and sniffed some of the meals. Rosemary chicken, enchiladas, and ravioli. She scooped a little of each on a plate and tossed it in the microwave before she located her stash of marshmallows in the cupboard. She popped a few into her mouth, grimaced, and spotted a jar of peanut butter. She scooped out a spoonful, swallowed, and then grabbed chocolate syrup and squeezed a dollop on. She grabbed honey and put an amber drop on the peanut butter. Better, but still not what she was looking for. The microwave dinged, and she grabbed the plate, took a forkful of ravioli, and blew on it before she put it in her mouth. She burned her mouth, but that didn’t stop her from trying the chicken and enchiladas as well. After one bite, she knew it wasn’t going to do it for her. She just couldn’t think of a food that would satisfy her craving.

“What drugs are you on?”

She turned and found Blade watching her suspiciously. She held the steaming plate out to him. “You want this? I just took a bite.”

“I saw what you did. What are you on?”

“I’m not on anything. I’m just hungry.” She tossed the spoon in the sink and poured herself a glass of root beer.

His lip curled in disgust. “You have to be on something to mix those foods together.”

She waved her hands dismissively. Her taste buds were just alive and clamoring for flavor. Was she acting a bit crazy? Maybe. So what if she ordered thirty dollars’ worth of food off the Burger King menu and took one bite of everything? At least she gave it to some homeless teenagers on the side of the road and gave them a ride to the nearest shelter. She could be psycho and helpful at the same time. She was having a manic episode. No big deal. She had never been diagnosed with bipolar disorder; it was just what Mom always called it when she got like this. She hadn’t had an episode since she had been imitating the walking dead, but now she was awake and with that came her endless episodes of restless cravings. Her thoughts raced a million miles a minute, and she obsessed over strange, inconsequential things like painting her tiny bedroom in her parents’ house gold or redecorating the RV with a leopard theme. Neither of those things were relevant or helpful at all, but she couldn’t stop thinking about them. Sleep had been nearly impossible the past couple of days, and her frustration increased with every property fail. Her mind couldn’t articulate why the homes weren’t right, but she knew they wouldn’t do. Once she found the right place, she could settle … She just had to figure out what she wanted.

She poured herself a glass of grapefruit juice and swished the bitter drink in her mouth and rolled her eyes when she saw Blade hadn’t moved. She decided to give him a show and arched her back to elongate her body and licked her lips after she swallowed. Blade’s gaze didn’t waver. He was too much of a pro to be distracted by sex, which intrigued her.

“When’s the last time you had sex?”

He didn’t react to her question.

She pursed her lips. “Like, you’re always here. Do you ever take a day off?”

“No.”

“So you haven’t had sex in months.” She cast her eyes over his rockin’ body. “Years? Is that why you work out so much?”

“I like to be in control.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I heard you were dancing at the Red Diamond the other night. You want to explain that to me?”

She gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Just visiting my roots.”

“You’re asking for trouble.”

---