Page 45 of Venomous as a Snake

I smile at him. “You didn’t see a murder. That was a very unconventional hug between two old foes. Cliff is sleeping.”

“You’re fine, Collin,” Walker tells him. “You’ve seen us kill people. Kody knows what she’s doing.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Collin says with a sigh.

“One might say Kody taught Walker what he knows,” I sass.

My mate smirks again, the dirty thought clear in his expression. And I open the closest drawer, grab a wooden spoon, and chuck it at him. He goes to block his face, but I aim for his throat.

He coughs as he rubs the red mark. “How are you going to get rid of that body? Call Drew and Ali?”

“Did you come into my house to insult me again?” I pop back. “Or did you need something?”

Collin suddenly grins ear-to-ear, like our back-and-forth trumps the dead guy lying on my floor.

“Yeah, Lawless,” he drawls. “Did you need something?”

Walker drags his hand through his dark hair, mussing the longer locks on top. “I wanted to invite you over for dinner with us.”

I narrow my eyes. “Are you cooking?”

“Yeah.”

“Fine,” I begrudgingly agree… too quickly. “What time?”

He shrugs. “I’ll text you.”

“Don’t. I’ll be there at seven.”

He smiles as if he’s won something.

What, though? That’s throwing me for a loop.

If it’s more of my time, then we have a problem.

I’m not ready to be nice after the way he left the other day.

My heart still aches when I think about the divide Clay has caused between us. But Walker has to stop worrying about him…

Or Drew is right.

And this won’t work.

Dinner feels like an ambush before I even make it to the front door.

I hate being backed into a corner, but I suspect the intervention is coming as soon as I see Drew’s dark green Jeep parked in Walker’s driveway. Not that the honey badger has any complaints about my extra-curricular activities… However, the surly saltwater crocodile will.

He doesn’t have a leg to stand on right now.

I have plenty of complaints about him too.

But I won’t start shit in front of his roommates. Our relationship issues aren’t their business.

The awkward part of this evening is deciding if I should knock or barge in like I own the place. Granted, their front door isn’t wide open the same way mine was, but I still contemplate my actions.

I opt to ring the doorbell.

Only once, because I’m not feeling childish.