3.
Clark mounted his bike, closing his eyes as he revved the engine. A sudden and powerful vibration ripped through the machine between his legs and he grinned. There was nothing better than listening to his baby purr.
Except…
He furrowed his brow and turned the engine off abruptly, cursing himself for the image of Carmen’s sweet smile. It was seared into his head now.
“Dad! Come eat something, you old fart!”
Clark scowled. Leave it to Rachel to remind him that he was less than the spring chicken he used to be. But that wasn’t the issue. The women claimed he was the rare type who simply got better with age. The issue was that the woman who was plaguing his thoughts wasn’t a woman at all. She was just a kid. No older than his daughter. There was no way he could let himself stoop that low.
“Wow,” Clark said with a low whistle once he came inside. “I haven’t seen the table set since before you left for school.”
Rachel beamed, and Clark’s heart constricted. She looked just like her mother when she did that. Abby had been a radiant woman. One of a kind. Nobody else had ever been able to fill the hole in his heart left by her.
“Sit down and eat,” Rachel said. “Carmen and I will serve you.”
Clark sat rigidly, instantly uncomfortable by the thought of Carmen serving him. It was hard for him to keep it together with that girl around. But maybe it was just because it had been a while since he’d fucked around with a woman. They had all gotten pretty boring and predictable. Besides that, he had been far too consumed with the drama going on in the clan. There were rumors that the leader of the clan, King Lobos, had been shaken by one of the outsiders recently. It made sense considering how awful things were getting around there. He was going to have to be careful.
“Hope you like it,” Carmen’s gentle voice said, breaking into Clark’s thoughts. She bent over in front of him to set down his plate, and he caught a whiff of her scent. She smelled unbelievable; innocent, but with a twinge of something else. Could it be…?
“Thank you,” Clark said gruffly, grabbing the plate from her and sliding it toward himself. No. He wouldn’t even allow himself to entertain the thought that Carmen might be interested in him as well. That would take his mind down dark roads that were better left untraveled.
Carmen’s face fell, almost imperceptibly, and she returned to the kitchen. A few moments later, Carmen and Rachel were seated across from each other at the table, and all of them began to eat. Carmen stayed silent and stared down at her plate, refusing to look up even when Rachel was speaking.
Clark sulked and poked at his food. He hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings or anything. But wasn’t it just better if they didn’t speak to each other at all? At least until he figured out how to get a handle on whatever it was that he was feeling toward her. It couldn’t be healthy.
Clark sighed inwardly and glanced up at Rachel. He couldn’t bear the pointed silence any longer.
“So how’s school been?” he asked. The most generic dad thing he could think to say. He knew it was bland, but he was grasping at straws here.
“Good,” Rachel said cheerfully.
“Good,” Clark said.
Well that didn’t give him a whole hell of a lot to go on.
“Has Missy been living here again?” Rachel asked suddenly. Carmen’s eyes suddenly locked on him in interest.
Clark reddened.
“No, honey. Why?”
“I just thought I smelled her a little while ago. It was weird…”
“No,” Clark said, his mind racing with possibilities. That woman had been a horribly needy little thing. She seemed to want him constantly. In fact, her scent while she was in his house was one of pure lust. He never should have brought her over. In fact, he hadn’t seen her in almost six months. Not since she got that new boyfriend. Why would Rachel think he smelled her?
“Huh,” Rachel said, shrugging dismissively. She looked down at her plate and resumed eating. But Clark could feel Carmen’s eyes on him from across the table. He could only guess what question might be burning on her mind. Who was Missy?
Clark groaned out loud and stood up, putting his hand on his head. Why was he letting himself see things that weren’t there? Maybe he really did need to get laid. But he couldn’t do it here, not with the girls at the house.
“Thanks, girls,” he said, carrying his half-eaten plate to the kitchen. “It was delicious.”
“Good!” Rachel replied.
“Thank you,” Carmen said quietly.
Her voice was just as hypnotic as the rest of her body. Clark had to stop himself from growling out loud as he stuck his unfinished food in the fridge. He couldn’t keep living like this. It was time to make a phone call.