Page 87 of Snake

“I’m a bartender.” I wave at him dismissively. “At this club in the city.”

“Got it all figured out, don’t you?” Knox says, advancing another step. This time I retreat, the heat of the fire more than just a comforting stroke now. “But why go to all that trouble when you’ve got a full ride here already?”

“Yeah, baby girl.” Mason looks concerned, but it’s all fake. I know it is. “You’re overcomplicating things.”

“A student loan will beggar you for years,” Silas says, coming closer too. “It’s a risky move, especially if you don’t have a more stable source of income. Why do you want to do that yourself?”

“Because I hate it here!” I yell.

They’ve been caging me in, stepping closer and closer. I can’t retreat anymore—the lick of heat on my legs is nearing pain. I feel trapped, frustrated, angry. They just keep pushing and pushing and fucking pushing.

Mason looks at Knox, then at Silas, then back at me. “Then let us help you.”

“Help me what?” I wrap my arms around my chest, shivering despite the heat broiling my back.

“There’s a lot to love about Cinderhart, if you know where to look.” Knox lays a hand on my arm, drawing me a step forward. The scorching heat dissipates a little, and for that I’m grateful, but now there’s no escaping the cage they’ve formed with their bodies.

“Like Tipple Fields,” Silas says. “It’s beautiful there, especially at dawn.”

“Liberation Diner.” Mason looks at Silas. “They make the best fucking cheeseburger in town.”

“No. That’s Whole Latte Love,” Knox says.

“Okay, but then there’re their milkshakes, and you have to have a milkshake when you—”

“I don’t want to stay here,” I manage in a thick voice. “I don’t want to see the sun rising over Tipple Fields. I don’t want to eat burgers at the diner.”

“Whole Latte Love,” Knox says. “Really, they’re ten times better than the diner’s.”

“I don’t want any of it!” I stare at them with big eyes, shoving hair out of my face with a swipe of my hand. “I’m done.”

I’m not prepared for the smile Mason gives me. When he slides a hand behind my neck and draws me closer, I go willingly. “Oh, baby girl. You’re not done. Not with Cinderhart...not with us.”

“I am,” I whisper, my hands jamming against his pecs in self-defense, trying to stop him from pulling me against him. “I am!”

“I think the lady doth protest too much,” he says, a laugh in his voice. He cups my face in his hands. “There’s so much we can show you. And I’m not just talking about Cinderhart.”

Knox trails a hand down my arm and then slips his fingers between mine. When I turn startled eyes on him, I swear he’s smiling. Not with this mouth, but with his eyes. But it has to be the firelight casting illusions on his face, because I’ve never seen him like this before. “We’ve been bad,” he says quietly. “Why wouldn’t you hate us? But give us a chance to show you how good we can be.”

He steps forward, his arm sliding under mine, then around my back. Mason’s hands slip away from my face, and instead Knox lightly grabs my chin. He turns my head toward him and then ducks down and kisses me.

I’ve never been kissed like this before. Not by him...not by anyone. My toes curl against the tiles, and I lift to deepen the press of our lips. But just as I’m losing myself in the taste of him, the feel of his firm mouth against mine, he pulls away.

I let out a little huff of protest, but before more than a hint of anger can swell inside me, Mason grabs my chin and guides my head toward him. His kiss is gentle and sensuous at first, growing hungrier and more passionate as the heat between us builds.

There’s a soft growl to my right, and suddenly I’m wrenched from Mason’s kiss and straight into another’s. Silas grabs a fistful of my short hair and pulls back my head, perfectly angling my mouth for his taller form. There’s nothing gentle in his kiss. It’s brutal and overpowering...and it soaks my panties through by the time he draws back to inspect me.

“I won’t beg you to stay,” he says, sounding pissed off that he has to explain himself to the likes of me. “But before you go, there’s something I haven’t had yet that both my friends have.”

My core aches at his words. I know exactly what he wants from me. But I’m not sure if I’m willing to give it to him. Not right now, not like this. Althoughfuck knows if I have a choice in the matter. Judging from the look in his eyes, he’s going to take what he wants, regardless of who gets in his way.

My body has a different idea entirely, of course. I’m shivering with a sudden need, and I know it’s going to be useless trying to convince him I don’t want him as much as he wants me.

“Can we...can we go into the room?” I manage, desperate for even an ounce of control over this situation.

Mason chuckles. “Baby girl, I thought you’d never ask.”

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