Page 85 of Snake

Everyone turns, the dark shape resolving into Silas as he comes to stand beside Mason. He crosses his arms over his chest, giving us each a long, frustrated look. “Go on.”

“They think we shouldn’t bother getting back at Eliza,” Mason says.

Silas shrugs. “That witch deserves to be burned at the stake.”

I sniff, but say nothing. I don’t like it, but I’m not about to stop them if they want to take revenge on Jackson.

Silas steps forward, sniffing the air. “That hot chocolate you’re making?”

Knox gives him one of those looks that obviously means so much to them—and only them—because he turns his back to me and carries on heating the milk, silent as he empties the carton into the pot.

My eyes are drawn from Knox’s back when Mason walks up to me and lays his hands on my knees. “Take it off the stove,” Mason says, amber eyes locked on me, but his words meant for Knox.

“It’s not ready yet.”

“It’ll burn.”

Knox’s voice is tinged with irritation. “No, it won’t—”

“We’ll have it after.”

That word, after, rings in the air like a fucking bell. Mason is blocking my view, but I hear the click of the burner’s knob as Knox turns it off. The faint hiss of the flames disappearing, replaced with a thick, warm silence.

“After what?” My heart is in my throat.

Mason squeezes my knees and then slides his hands up my thighs.“Enough talk about revenge. Eliza isn’t going anywhere. But tonight, we’re young, and we’re free, and we have this whole fucking house to ourselves.”

He leans in a little, dropping his voice to a husky whisper. “There’s something you’ve given both of them that I haven’t had yet. It’s time you began treating us more fairly.”

I keep forgetting how big he actually is, especially when he gets in close like this. I can’t imagine how intimidated other football players must get when he heads in their direction, his body getting larger and larger the closer he gets.

“What...what are you talking about?”

It’s sex, isn’t it? This has something to do with sex. But as quickly as I rack my brain for the thing Knox and Silas have had from me, which I’m translating as “done to me”, there’s nothing I can think of. If anything, Silas should be—

Mason steps back smoothly and holds out his hand. “May I have this dance?”

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