Page 54 of Sweet Venom

I lean into him and fall onto his lap to kiss his perfect mouth. He is mine, and I am his. They are mine, and I am theirs.

* * *

When we exit the pool house, Mace and Charlie have moved to the hot tub, where Ellis sits with his legs draped over the ledge. Tate and I are holding hands as we exit, and I don't miss the way Mace stares hard at the connection before taking a long pull of his beer. Mace knows I haven't been in a monogamous relationship ever, but he's never seen me with anyone either. Hearing that I partake in polyamorous relationships and seeing me in one are very different things, and I'm sure the fact that one of my partners happens to be his brother-in-law doesn't exactly sit well. If things don't work out, it would only further strain his relationship with Charlie's family.

Tate must sense my unease because he squeezes my hand and says, "Solid foundation and all that shit…" He drags out, and it makes me smile. He's paraphrasing my grandmother's words, and it brings me comfort because I know he more than listened. Tate took them to heart, and I now know he's confident in what we share.

When we reach the hot tub, I sit on the ledge across from Ellis, simply because it's closest to Charlie, and I want to talk to her, but the moment Tate sits down right beside me, Mason is standing and extending his hand out to Tate.

"Mason Croft. I don't think we've formally met, but Vivi and I go way back."

"Tatum Carroway," Tate says as he gives him a firm shake.

"And you are what, exactly?" Mason asks as Charlie hisses out his name in warning.

But Tate doesn't miss a beat and confidently replies, "I'm Vi's boyfriend."

Mason turns and points his beer toward Ellis and says, "So that makes you?"

"Fuck off, Croft. We don't answer to you."

Mason throws his hands up in mock defense. "Hey, no judgment. I'm just making sure I understand the dynamic, so I know which asshole to come after if one of you fucks around and breaks her heart."

Nico and Indie appearing on the path steal my attention away from Mason and his antics. I study their body language and try to gauge what they could have been discussing. Their arms are still linked and they smile and talk like old friends merely catching up. Hell, maybe they are. My grandmother's appearance here is perplexing. I have unresolved feelings about our relationship. We've yet to have whatever talk she said we needed to have, so maybe it's then that I'll find resolve and clarity on what I want from my past and if it has a place in my future.

That reminds me I wanted to scold Ellis about springing her on me today. I told her I would meet up with her for lunch on Sunday after I got her settled into her room at The Ritz in Half Moon Bay. "Ellis, you could have given me a heads up that my grandmother would be accompanying us to the Estate today," I say with a hint of annoyance.

"Yeah, well, I gave you the same heads up I got. I was opening my door to pick you up just as she was about to knock. She is a very persuasive woman, if you haven't noticed, not to mention I wasn't going to be rude to the first family member of yours I've actually met. I told her we had dinner plans, and the next thing I know, she was inviting herself, and here we are."

Mason and Tate are still carrying on with small talk. It sounds like they found common ground in their ink. Both men have full back and chest tats with sleeves to match. I briefly overhear Tate telling him that most of his came from a friend who needed to get his hours in before he could get licensed and open a shop.

Charlie nudges my arm and asks, "Hey, how old is she? I mean, she looks a little young to be your grandmother."

"Umm, she's about sixty. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." She shrugs.

However, Ellis must have been listening to her hushed inquiry intently because he says, "Charlie, don't start. Not everyone needs somebody." My eyebrows rise, and he adds, "Charlie's been trying to set him up for months to no avail. I think that's half the reason why he left to Italy for a month."

She splashes water at him and says, "It is not, Ellis."

"Get dressed. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes." Nico calls from the back patio before he and my grandmother go inside.

* * *

"Hey, do you have Ibuprofen? I'm starting to get a headache." I nudge Charlie as we sit down for dinner.

"Yeah, I should have some in my room. Are you getting sick? Do you want me to come with you?"

I shake my head. "No, I'm fine. I've just been getting headaches recently. It's probably from all the stress opening Blush."

"Do you remember where my room is?"

I place my napkin on the table and say, "Yeah, the right-wing from the front entrance."

"Yep, that's it."

As I stand, Ellis's hand brushes mine from where he's seated on my right. "Where are you going?"

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