Page 17 of The Bitterness of Venom

I was never close with my dad. All my memories come back to one person. Her, my mom. So it hurts. She wasn’t the best, but she wasmine. And I fucking miss her. Even if I didn’t truly know her.

Grief is… weird. Her picture in my mind is like a blur of colors. Barely recognizable, but I still hurt from it. What I don’t think people who have never experienced grief understand is that grief doesn’t simply dissolve like salt in water. It doesn’t lessen over time. It’s like a scar you got when you were a child, it stays with you as you grow around it. But it’s still present.

I’m completely lost in my mind, doing turns with my eyes closed, which is why I don’t see him, or feel him, until it’s too late. A strong arm grips me by my waist, a hand sliding over my mouth as I’m lifted off the floor, my skates hitting his legs. “Simmer down, Freckles, we’re going to have some fun.”

I hate that I came in the middle of the day when no one is here. With it being a college town, most places during the day are desolate due to everyone being in classes. That was a dumb decision on my part, truly.

“At least get my boots,” I grumble, and he bends down with me still in his arms and grabs them.

I glare up at Desmond as he throws me into his fuckingtrunk. Grabbing zip ties—he must just keep them on him at all times—and snapping my wrists together. He grabs a tie from somewhere in the backseat and wraps it around my eyes, effectively blocking my vision.

The last thing I hear is the click of the trunk door.

My body doesn’t evenjostle as he picks me up, placing my now free hands around his neck with one hand on my ass. Being this close to Desmond is dangerous. His scent, his muscles that ripple against me with each step he takes. He makes me feel as small as a child in his arms.

There are a few things—alarming, might I add—that I’ve noticed since Desmond has come back into my life.

One, I want to fuck him. Plain and simple.

Two, I apparently have a humiliation kink.

Three, being called a slut makes me wetter than I’ve ever been in my whole life.

So, yeah. I’m apparently into walking red flags.

My jean skirt and thighs scrape against something rough as he sits me down. My hands slide on the surface until it abruptly ends, and I freeze. My hands curling tightly around what feels like brick. My stomach dips, my mouth going dry as a gust of wind settles over me. The tie slips from my eyes, and I blink at the giant bell behind Desmond. My eyes widen and I refuse to look behind me. I’m terrified of heights.

Desmond drops to his knees in front of me, his hands skating up my thighs before slapping them apart. “Once upon a time, my doll held on tight, so she didn’t fall to her death.”

“Wh—” But I’m cut off as he rips my tights, the fishnet cutting into my skin as he stretches the holes enough to push my panties aside. “Stop.” But it falls on deaf ears as he divesbetween my pussy with his tongue, flattening it against my clit. My hands white-knuckle the brick, my head falling back as a moan breaks through.

“Fuck,” he groans, running his nose between my folds. “You taste so fucking sweet.” He licks again, pushing his fingers inside me—three—and they fill me to the brink. His fingers are demanding, and I take them as I stretch around his digits. Everything he does isdemanding.

His tongue replaces his fingers, then he digs them into my thighs as he pushes my feet over his shoulders. My hand slips and I fall backward a bit before I catch myself, screaming in fear and ecstasy. The thought of falling does something to me. Heightens my senses, and I swear I can feel him everywhere.

I grip the brick, allowing it to imprint into my fingers as I hold on for dear life. My head tips back as he works me, his fingers buried inside me once again, his tongue circling my clit before he lays his whole mouth on me. His hot breath, the flick of his tongue, sending me over. My body shakes and shivers, my head swimming as my hands grow lax, and that's my mistake. One should never let their guard down around Desmond Rickman.

I scream, my body toppling backward, back scraping against the brick as the town becomes upside down. I helplessly scratch at the building, but my hands can't find purchase as I topple off the edge. It's fucked up. My body is still on a high, my brain trying to dissolve the fuzzy haze of lust so it can register the danger. When I think it's all over, that this is how it ends for me, Desmond grabs my thighs, pulling me back until I'm falling into his chest. I latch onto his shirt, shaking. I'm not sure if it's from fear or my orgasm, but either way, I need him to keep my knees from buckling.

"You think I would let you fall to your death?" he asks against my temple. It probably is supposed to be sweet. But I see it for what it is. A threat.

"Yes," I breathe out.

"Smart girl," he purrs, "but I'm not done with you just yet." He tips my chin so I'm looking at him. "In fact, I'm just getting started."

"Hey."I glare at the unwanted voice. But the glare is quickly replaced by curiosity as I take in Destiny.

"Hi," I manage.

Listen, I'm fucking awkward and not in the cute, quirky way the heroines in my books are. I'm awkward in a way that not only makes me feel uncomfortable but those around me as well. If you want to chat, you better start the convo—otherwise I will just stare at you. Luckily, Destiney catches on quickly after casting me a funny look.

"So," she begins, taking a seat across from me at the coffee shop. An iced coffee in hand that has so much caramel it should be considered a dessert. "You live with the hockey team."

"I do?"

She nods as if there is something wrong with me. Of course, I know Desmond used to play hockey back home, but I haven't exactly kept up with his life. I was kind of trying to run from my past the last few years, but it makes sense that he’s still playing. Jasper and Elisha look like they could be hockey players, now that I think about it. I should have pieced that together. "Yeah. You really didn't know?"

I shrug my shoulder. "Not to be that person who is caught up in themselves, but that's exactly who I am. I don't have time for those around me."

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