At least that’s what I thought. No, not thought, felt, I’d felt the connection between us sing down to my bones.
Rebecca glanced at me, a smug smirk on her lips and she said something to him. I couldn’t hear her, but the way she was looking at me, I knew it was something about me. Karson responded with a smile, and she tipped her head back and laughed.
An urge for violence sparked in my veins. I wanted to rip her smiling lips straight off her face. I wanted break something. I wanted to scream. But all I could do was stare at them, pain and disgust tearing through me like a fatal storm.
Ethan grabbed my hand in his soft, warm one. I startled at the sparks that shot up my fingers into my arm, sending fluttery warmth through my body. But that’s the power vampires have, every touch was like brushing the tip of a bursting star. He subtly uncurled my fingers that I didn’t even realise were clenched into a fist.
“Just breathe, Amy, I’m here for you,” he said, softly. “We can go somewhere else.”
I took a breath, then another. Everyone warned me, but I’d been a fool to allow myself to fall for him. I wanted to remove myself from the pain. But I couldn’t let Karson know how much he mattered to me. Not when I obviously meant so little.
I put up my armor, blanked every emotion, sealed the pain in.
I lifted my chin. “No, why would we?” My legs felt shaky as I forced myself to step inside. Outside, I appeared calm, but inside a knife slammed into my heart and wouldn’t stop bleeding.
Georgie, Jodie, and BJ were already seated at a table at the opposite end of the bar, their usual spot when they could get it. I positioned myself at the edge of the bench seat beside Darcy, so I had my back to Karson. Removing any temptations to peek at him. Ethan let go of my hand and went sit with Karson.
“Things are a little rocky in paradise, I assume?” Jodie said, her eyes moving to where Karson sat.
I cradled my empty hand between my legs. “You could say that,” I managed weakly.
“Well,” Georgie said, her black hair cascading like silk over her shoulders. She was wearing a white V neck blouse that enhanced her olive complexion. “What happened, do we need to go over there and smack him one?”
Yes, hard, and Rebecca while you’re at it. I shook my head. I was acutely aware he could hear every word. They had no such luxury, and no filter.
“Drinks, ladies and gentlemen,” Clint said, full drink tray in hands. “Compliments of Ethan.” He’d ordered vodka and soda water for the girls, beers for BJ and Darcy. Darcy’s grin widened. I noticed Clint gave Jodie a wide smile as he handed one to her, which Jodie returned. She knew how to engage the boys, that was for certain.
Clint sat one in front of Georgie. Her nose wrinkled and she stared at the drink like it was made of vinegar. I thought for a moment she wasn’t going to take it, but then she shrugged and picked it up.
Jodie leaned forward. “What did he do to you, did you have a fight?”
“Nothing, and no.”
She sat back, swirling the straw in her drink. “Something happened, you don’t go from being all loved up like a couple of dove birds to completely ignoring each other for no reason.”
I never thought we’d looked ‘loved up’ to anyone else. We didn’t hold hands in public places. He rarely even placed his arm over my shoulder. She waited for an answer. I knew she wasn’t going to give in without a response.
I sighed. “We went out, it ended awkwardly, and we haven’t spoken since.” I ditched the straw and downed half the glass. It tasted like cordial. I wondered If Ethan had ordered half-strength for me.
“Ended awkwardly, how?” Jodie said, leaning forward again, engaged in the drama.
“It doesn’t matter.” It’s not like I could say ‘well he kills people and I don’t like it, and he doesn’t like that I don’t like it.’
Jodie accepted what little I had to say. She sat back on her chair, shifting her gaze to Karson. I’m not sure what she saw, but she frowned. I resisted the urge to look to see the cause of her displeasure.
“You need move on sex,” she said knowingly.
“Jodie, really, I don’t think that’s the best idea,” BJ said, glancing anxiously in Karson’s direction.
“What?”
“When you get dumped the best revenge is to find the next hottest guy you can and take him home and bonk his brains out,” she said with a wicked little smile.
“Oh, I know,” Georgie said, clapping her hands together like an excited seal. “We have a new doctor in town. He’s super-hot, all the nurses have been chasing him. He’s single and, as luck would have it, he’s coming here tonight.”
“She can’t, she’s got her period,” Darcy said.
I turned to him and muttered with a hot flush sitting on my cheeks. “Darcy, I do not have my period.”
