Free Chosen by the Vampire (Paranormal,Fantasy,Midnight) Book 1 by Kelly London Page A

in.
     
    As she stared at the rainbow-colored swirls on one of her cupcakes, her mind drifted to the only potential ‘something’ she’d found in Orchard Cove – Carter Dennis. Even though the townsfolk had pulled her aside on the day her moving truck had rolled into town and warned her away from him and his sprawling estate along the northern border and his fleet of eccentric vehicles, Amy hadn’t been able to rein in her curiosity. She recalled her first encounter with him, and with a small smile, she realized that it was a good thing that she’d given in to her impulses.
     
    Amy had been at the local grocery mart, picking up supplies for opening week at the bakery, and when she’d been loading her purchases into her car, she’d heard a scuffle coming from one of the alleyways. Her need to snoop had overridden her good sense, and she’d tiptoed into the mouth of the alley, completely unprepared for the sight that had beheld her.
     
    A tall, rather pale man with spiky black hair had a woman wrapped in his arms, and his lips had been fused to her neck; Amy wouldn’t have given them a second thought if she hadn’t seen the trail of blood extending downwards from the man’s open mouth. Since she hadn’t immediately run away – or possibly, because she hadn’t screamed her head off – the man had let the woman out of his embrace, sending her on her way.
     
    Then, moving with a grace that Amy still envied, he’d wiped his mouth clean with a paper towel, and extending his arm towards her, he’d introduced himself as Carter Dennis, Orchard Cove’s very own vampire.
     
    Although she’d been tempted to, Amy hadn’t laughed or even cracked a smile – it hadn’t seemed like a joke, especially considering she had still been able to see a faint ring of red around his lips. Instead, she’d nodded, and after handing over her business card, she’d invited him to the bakery’s opening day, where every second item purchased was free; he’d looked immensely surprised, but he’d shown up.
     
    The two had been friends ever since.
     
    Over the years, Amy had refrained from asking about his eating habits, choosing to focus on idle speculation and meaningless chitchat instead – she had been certain that the townspeople knew his secret since they’d warned her away from him, and he’d been insistent that there was no such thing as too much frosting. In return, he hadn’t pried into the sordid details of her divorce, but he had listened without judgment whenever she’d brought the topic up.
     
    She hadn’t been able to keep from noticing how his usually brown eyes sparked whenever their conversations landed on a subject Carter felt passionately about; when she’d realized that his irises occasionally turned pure silver, Amy had been done for. His clothes were always impeccable and he had an unusual lilt to his accent that made her heart beat just a little faster, and before she knew what was happening, Amy found herself eagerly anticipating his visits to the bakery.
     
    Her peppy, Carter-infused bubble burst as she recalled her theory as to why Carter came around to the shop so often. Her sigh sounded despondent to her own ears when she thought about how perfectly he timed his trips to coincide with Lisa’s imminent departure, so that he’d always have a reasonable excuse to walk her back to her house. Amy couldn’t blame him for his attraction to her best friend – Lisa was far more attractive than Amy was, and she was definitely the more outgoing of the two. She had gotten accustomed to living under Lisa’s large shadow, but this time, Amy wished she didn’t have to.
     
    In no mood to stick around and watch more customers buy nothing and leave, Amy began packing up for the evening; maybe once she’d had a ton of frosting, she would feel better about the fact that the vampire she liked was in love with her best friend.
     
    ***
     
    Carter Dennis walked up the road to The Cupcake Queen, ignoring the