Page 4 of Loving Amari

As she rummages through her drawers, I head to the closet for one of my suits. Black today. Underwear first, then the perfectly pressed pants.

“Do you have any plans today?” I ask, buttoning my shirt.

“Nope.” She pulls on a dress that makes my fingers itch to take it right back off. The fabric clings to her still-damp skin, outlining every curve. “Just you.”

My smile returns full force at her simple declaration.

“While you’re catering to Tofi,” she adds with a mischievous grin, “I’ll be catering to you.”

I cross the room in two strides, pulling her against me. The dress is thin, and I can feel every inch of her through it. “And I couldn’t be happier.”

Her lips part for another kiss when Tofi’s demands crash through our minds again. There’s desperation in the images now, a need that goes beyond simple attention-seeking.

I rest my forehead against Carla’s. “Our daughter is relentless.”

“Like her father,” Carla whispers, and the pride in her voice makes my heart swell.

“Wait for me downstairs, Tofi baby,” I call out. “Daddy’s just getting dressed.”

Through the door, I feel her embarrassment at my endearment. Even as a spider, I manage to make her blush. She scurries away, her excitement radiating through our bond.

I finish dressing, adjusting my tie in the mirror while Carla watches from the bed. She’s sprawled across the sheets like a goddess, and the sight makes me reconsider leaving. But Tofi’s pull pulses through our bond, and I know I can’t disappoint her again.

“You’re a good father,” Carla says softly.

I turn from the mirror to look at her. “I’m trying to be.”

“No,” she sits up, her expression serious. “You are. Our spider children adore you, Amari. Not just because you’re with me, but because you love them. You’ve given them something they never had before—a father who chooses them every day.”

The words hit something deep inside me. I cross to the bed and cup her face in my hands, kissing her with all the emotion her words evoke. When we part, we’re both breathing hard.

“Tonight,” I promise. “After the children are settled. You and me.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she says, her smile wicked.

Another impatient pulse from Tofi makes me step back. I smooth down my suit, checking my appearance one last time. This is my life now: interrupted moments, stolen kisses, a daughter who demands attention, and a mate who disappears into other realms. It’s chaotic and frustrating and nothing like the orderly existence I maintained before.

It’s perfect.

2

CARLA

Amari holds my hand as we walk down the stairs of the castle, and I beam at the guards who bow before us as they head to their posts. The castle still feels surreal sometimes, this massive home he built for us, for our family. His thumb traces circles on my palm,.

The morning sun streams through the windows. The vast space isn’t empty or cold like I’d imagined castles would be. Amari made sure of that. Every corner holds warmth. Fresh flowers in crystal vases. Photographs of our life together lining the walls.

“What’s going on in limbo?” His voice cuts through my wandering thoughts.

“The usual.” I squeeze his hand, feeling the strength there, the careful control he always maintains around me. “Vertro making sure he gets my approval whenever he secures another human soul.”

We turn down the long hallway toward the kitchen. The scent of fresh flowers fills the air from the arrangements Amari insists on having delivered weekly. Roses, always roses, in every colorimaginable. He says they remind him of that first night he tried to win me over, covering my porch in bouquets.

“But there’s something bothering me,” I add.

He pulls my hand to his lips, kissing the back of it while his eyes appreciate my purple dress. The silk flows around my curves, and his gaze traveling over me makes heat rise in my belly. To him, I am the most precious thing in his world.

“What is it?” The kiss lingers against my skin, his lips cool but somehow burning.