Page 139 of Making Choices

“What?” Face burning, I lift my gaze from Cherub’s to see that Venom is watching us with an intensity that makes me glad he isn’t within stabbing distance. “Who’s second choice?”

“Bebe’s.”

Since I’ve managed to push thoughts of the vengeful redhead out of my head for the past few hours, it takes me a moment to remember that Cherub has zero idea what went down after I nudged her out of my car and sped off. My mumbled excuse about Bebe catching an Uber home was just me grasping the first straw that came my way.

Now I realise it makes me look like a lovelorn bastard.

Before I can work out how to correct my duchess’ assumption, Apollo bursts into the VIP box. As everyone greets him, and we settle down to watch his co-headliners wind down the show, I slip away into the darkness. Nadia manages to capture everyone’s attention with her antics, all but whipping out her tit to show Apollo where his bass player signed it. They’re so caught up in her outrageousness that they don’t notice Venom grab hold of the front of my cut and drag me out into the brightly lit corridor.

He shoves my back against the wall. “Why’s she so sad?”

I scowl. “Why do you think?”

“Because of… me?”

“Drum roll, please.” Fire in my eyes, I pull free of his grip. “Even though you posed it like a bloody question, I know you ain’t that damn stupid. Of course, you’re the reason.”

“You’re ’sposed to be lookin’ after her.”

It takes every ounce of control I possess to stop from driving my knuckles into his face. After tilting my head back, I glare up at the ceiling. Hands fisted, I return my focus to Venom. His leg is bouncing, despair etched in his expression like pressure cracks in marble, and it’s abundantly clear that he’s on the verge of losing it.

A vague tendril of sympathy snakes up my spine.

I know how hard it is to be around Cherub when you can’t have her.

Can’t imagine how he’s feeling being this close after losing her.

Reminding myself that his pain is self-inflicted, I lay out the truth as plainly as I can manage. “She’s not a fuckin’ treasured knick-knack. She’s a human bein’ with needs and feelings and dreams… you can’t just leave her on my doorstep, order me to look after her, then dip in and out of her life whenever the urge to see her gets too much for you to ignore.”

“That’s not what I’m doin’.”

“Yeah, it is—” Dragging in a deep breath, I decide to lay it out even plainer. “Look, you left her… I want—”

The door to the VIP box is pulled open and our group traipses out.

“Lo said we can head over to his penthouse,” Nadia tells us. “He’s even got a limo for us.”

Cherub cautiously approaches us.

She shoots me a tight smile and the lazy haze in her eyes tells me that she’s tipsy as fuck.

After a heartbeat, my duchess holds her hand out to Venom.

He stares like he’s never seen fingers before.

I gawk at the pair of them.

“We need to go, or they’ll leave us behind.”

My ex-best friend links fingers with my woman and she gently tugs him forward.

As they walk off, I can’t believe my eyes.

Fucking Venom.

He always comes out on top.

Then I remember what Cherub told me earlier.

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