Page 60 of Rawest Venom

Taking a bite of the pastry, my moans vibrate myteeth as I taste the sugar, flour, and butter deliciousness. It’s just as good, if not better, than Monet’s, though I’d never tell her. Trying to swallow my bite slowly, I choke out, “So Monet was always making those cakes for me.”

Wiping his mouth with his napkin, he tosses it onto his plate filled with flaky crusts from his vegan croissant. “Yep.”

Each time I take a bite, my throat wants to shudder with pleasure, but when the sound escapes, Cal’s eyelids droop lower and lower as I chew. A heavy swallow causes his throat to bob before he licks his bottom lip. “You’re enjoying it, huh?”

“Yes.”

“I’m thoroughly enjoying watching you.” With the husky sound of his voice, my clit pulses twice. I feel full on food, but hungry in other ways. “You’re done already?”

I give him a little nod. “Where are we off to next?” Silently, I’m hoping he’ll just take me back to the hotel room and fuck me again, but this time, I want to be awake.

“There’s a bookstore nearby. I thought we may go there. Do you want to?”

My brow furrows with consternation. During my studies, I learned that Cal loves reading and finishes 500-page books in hours. Part of my education was to consume all the literature he had, but secretly I skimmed everything because it was all so tedious. My mouth could always talk my way out of a book report, so Dot never caught on.

The thought of going into a big store with boringbooks makes my lips flatten into a grimace for just a moment. Not to mention, flashbacks to my time trying to pick a book in the store in Gnarled Pine Hollow. What if Ican’tchoose?

“We don’t have to, but I thought you may want to choose something you would like to read. Maybe on the plane ride back or in the tub you seemed to enjoy.”

“Let’s go!” Faking bravado, I stand and put on a smile.

This time, it’s Cal who pulls my hand into his and then tugs me into his body, putting his arm around my shoulders. He snaps his fingers as if wanting mine back, and I lace them through his as we walk together to the next store.

When he opens the narrow painted wooden door, the musty old paper smell fills my nostrils, giving me a sense of calm despite the overstuffed chaos inside. Placing his lips against the top of my head, he hums, “Get whatever you want. If you need people to carry the things you buy, I’ll hire them to do so. Just enjoy yourself.”

Before he lets me loose, I grip his wrist. “No. Cal? Will you—Will you stay with me this time? I want to wander with you.”

The worried look on his face fades as he squints his eyes, the corners of his lips twitching. “Yeah. You want me to come with you?”

“Yes.”

With a nod, a brown curl falls across his face, which he pushes back with a quick shove of his hand. “I’m notgoing to help you, though. You’re on your own there. You have to pick.”

“I know. I just want to show you what I pick.”

For a rare moment, I see his white, straight teeth as he almost laughs in a wide grin. “Okay, let’s go.”

The place is old and cavernous, spanning multiple buildings piecemealed together and connected by squeaking wooden archways. Books are stuffed wherever it is possible to stick a shelf. It’s like every book ever made is in this square block of town. I have no idea what to choose, but start off in one direction without any aim. My mind can’t even focus on the myriad of visions in front of me. It’s overwhelming, but Cal is right there with me, rubbing my arm with his warm palm repeatedly in soft, gentle strokes, that goofy bright smile I’ve only seen these last few days still plastered on his face.

It may have been there during Skee-ball and during Mario Kart, but this is like a reverent smile. Like he’s done something he’s very proud of.

After several minutes of just drifting, getting lost in stacks, and doubling back on myself several times, I pick up books based on how I imagine they would feel and flip through the soft pages. Cal stands next to me patiently, never asking a question, just observing.

Then, I see it. A room filled with pink, purple, blue, orange, yellow, black, gold, bold colors. Paperbacks and some hardcovers, too. The titles are catchy and clever.

“Really?” Glancing up at Cal, he laughs. Like a genuine one.

I smirk at him and ask, “What?”

“I see the way you lit up just now. Romance, huh?”

Shrugging, I wander toward a pile on a table. “I’m a girl. And these seem very educational.” To demonstrate, my hands raise a black shiny-covered one with a half-naked man on the cover titled,Conquering Her Kitty.

Within two steps, his lips press to my temple as he grabs my waist. “Get it. But I can give you a bettereducationthan him.” He pauses, then quirks his eyebrow. “On second thought, get all these here.” Gathering all the books with risqué covers on the table, he collects the lot in his full arms. “Then you can read them to me before we act them out.”

Just as I am about to take some from him, he nods toward another table and says, “Grab the rest of those there. Let’s go.”

Laughing like I haven’t since my video game victory, I hurriedly grab handfuls of romance books. Whatever is flashy and pretty, with flowers and cartoons and naked people on the covers, I hold on to as we head to the nearest counter to pay.

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