Page 7 of Loving Amari

I see the pride radiating off him, the happiness in every movement. His shoulders are relaxed now, the tension from earlier completely gone. My beautiful, charming, asshole vampire king. It takes so little to make him happy. Just the taste of me on his tongue, the knowledge that I’m here, that I’m his.

He continues whistling while flipping pancakes, the domestic scene so at odds with what just happened on this very counter. The batter sizzles on the griddle, filling the air with the sweet scent of vanilla. Soon he’s stacking them on a plate, arranging them just so because my vampire has a thing about presentation.He provides syrup. The expensive maple syrup he special orders from Vermont. He sets down utensils, then pours me a glass of milk.

The care in every gesture overwhelms me. This is the same vampire who terrifies his enemies, who rules his business empire with an iron fist, who once painted a bar red with blood for me. And here he is, making sure my pancakes are perfectly golden and my milk is exactly the right temperature.

I stare at him in awe as he sets everything before me.

“I have to multitask for a moment. Tofi and Bobby.” He leans close, his breath brushing my ear. “Then it’s all you. I’m not finished with you.”

I bite my lip as he steals another kiss, and I taste myself on his mouth. The flavor should embarrass me, but instead it sends another pulse of arousal through me.

“Mmm, fuel up.” His grin promises delicious trouble. “Because you’ve got a busy day ahead of you. Another bear fuck.”

My mouth falls open. Bear fuck is what he calls it when he fucks me until I’m begging him to stop, until I’m so oversensitive that even his breath on my skin makes me come. “Oh no, Amari. Bear fuck? No, baby?—”

But he’s already gone, flashed out of the kitchen before I can protest. His laughter rings down the hallway, rich and satisfied.

I sigh and start stabbing into my stack of pancakes. The first bite melts on my tongue. Perfectly fluffy with just a hint of vanilla. Even distracted by lust, he makes perfect pancakes. Better fuel up indeed. When he’s done with business, he’s going to fuck me until I can’t walk, until I forget my own name, until the only word I remember is his.

And despite my protests, I can’t wait.

3

AMARI

The taste of Carla lingers on my tongue, her scent still in my beard as I unroll my sleeves. Bobby stands in my office looking like he wants to vanish through the floor. His vampire ears caught every moan, every breathless plea. Good. Let him know who this castle belongs to.

Something’s bothering him. I can smell it in his scent.

I walk around to my desk and sink into my chair. Tofi peeks inside the door, all eight eyes fixed on me. I gesture for her to join me. She skitters in with excitement, moving around the desk to stand beside me. I run my fingers over her bristly hairs, the texture familiar and comforting.

“There, there, Tofi.” I keep my voice gentle. “I’ll take you hunting tonight after I put your mommy to bed.”

The images flood my mind. Joy. Excitement. Finally spending time with me. I massage her head gently while I focus on Bobby.

He looks different. The pristine afro he usually carries from his past time of the seventies is gone. He still has an afro, but it’s messy now, the curls wild and untamed. I frown. I don’t like it.

“Are you going through a lifestyle change?”

Bobby adjusts his tie and clears his throat. “Actually, I’m trying to blend in more with the times. The men don’t appreciate the black beret anymore.”

“You look like a misfit.”

He laughs at that. “As my sire, you reminded me that I should make sure I blend in well with the generation I mingle with. In my meetings I was having a difficult time resonating with the gentlemen. But once I assimilated, work became easier.”

I grin. “Very good, but make sure you don’t lose yourself in the process.” I lean back in my chair. “What brings you here? And what the hell would make you walk in on me pleasuring my mate?”

Bobby sighs, his shoulders dropping. “My daydreams got the best of me.”

I fall quiet at that. I know what he means. I constantly have daydreams of losing my people in 1492. The screams. The smoke. The smell of burning flesh. Vampires don’t dream in our slumber, but we daydream, and those daydreams can be nightmarish. Bobby was most likely remembering his human life before he turned.

“Understood. You don’t need to go into further detail about that.” I keep my hand on Tofi’s head, the repetitive motion soothing. “But you’ve traumatized my mate. Now, it’s going to be terribly difficult getting her to get kinky with me around the castle.”

Bobby laughs and bows his head in recognition of me as his sire. Then he looks over to the doorway where Carla is blushing, peeking in.

Carla waves shyly. “Hi, Tofi baby.”

I frown when Tofi doesn’t acknowledge her. Carla takes in a sharp breath, sadness filling her eyes. Tofi tends to cling to me more, but that doesn’t mean she has any authority to be rude toher mother. I move my hand from Tofi’s head. She immediately gets sad, noticing my displeasure.