Page 28 of Venomous as a Snake

“What do you want me to do?” I ask, tension climbing up my spine.

“I don’t want you to do anything,” he explains. “You’re asking me that because you know what you need to do, but you’re too scared to take the first step.”

“You’re manipulating me,” I point out.

“I’m calling you out,” my brother corrects. “See how long it takes for her to come to you again? I bet she doesn’t. She’s probably mad at me, too.”

I let the back of my head fall to rest against my shoulders. “You didn’t tell her I was here?”

“Never said a word. I gave her some housing options in the neighborhood, and she chose that one because it already had white tile.” He scoffs to himself. “I don’t know. She bought it herself and moved in without help from Ali or me. You forget how independent she is.”

“I don’t.”

“She could be like Tucker and his golden retriever of a mate,” he teases, bringing up our older brother. “We really dodged a bullet.”

I frown into my cell phone. “Bella is… nice?”

“Fuck you,” he jabs, chuckling. “She’s annoying, and she’s the reason both of us hate family holidays.”

I nod and sigh. “What about Clay?”

“If I had to guess?” Drew clicks his tongue. “Kody is waiting for his next move. Won’t be long now. You should stop worrying about him so much and put some effort into your failing relationship before your low maintenance girlfriend dumps you.”

“You’re a dick.”

“Yeah…” he coos. “I am, but I’m a dick who belongs to someone.”

I hang up on him, though his chuckle still rings in my ears.

When I turn around, Forrest and Collin are sitting on the stools at the kitchen island, watching me like hawks.

“You smell odd,” Collin tells me, his nose wrinkling as he sniffs the air.

“He smells like sex,” Forrest whispers so loudly it reverberates around the bottom floor of our house.

I set my phone on the counter and pull a bottle of water from the fridge. If I’m lucky, they’ll bicker at each other and forget about me.

But I’m not.

“Where’s your shirt?” Collin inquires, a brow raised as he points to my bare chest.

Forrest snorts as he tries to hold his laughter at bay. “He didn’t come back with it.”

“What the fuck?” I whisper to myself.

“So, did you know her?” the kangaroo asks, fighting a grin.

“No, I don't know her.” I turn away from them, but under my breath I mutter, “Not anymore.”

“Why?” the rhino challenges, hearing everything.

Collin sighs in exasperation. “You looked like you knew her. Smell like it, too.”

I run my fingers through my hair, scratching at my scalp. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Not without an explanation,” Collin acknowledges, his territorial kangaroo pressing to the surface, ready to fight.

“We need to know if we should field her attempts to talk to you or not,” Forrest clarifies, though the thought of the rhino—who is terrified of snakes—standing up to my mate is laughable.