Page 104 of The Venom We Bleed

I take a seat on Nolan’s bed and kick off my shoes. The tequila bottle meets the TV tray nightstand and the shot glasses settle right next to it. I close my eyes and lean my head back against the wall, the soreness of my limbs from the effort of the game slipping deeper into my bones.

For once, it’s not Lex or Nolan with her. But me. Alone. With Juliet Donovan.

Fifteen minutes later, the door to the bedroom creaks open. “What are you still doing here?” Juliet asks.

I open my eyes to find her dressed in a pair of sweats and a tanktop with her hands toweling off the extra moisture from her hair as it cascades around her shoulders.

“Can’t leave you alone, now, can I?” I shoot back.

She snorts but comes in and marches over to her duffle. Dropping what I assume were the clothes she’d been wearing earlier on top, Juliet turns to me and lets the towel just hang from her shoulders. “Are you staying the night then?” Her tone is resigned when I expected a fight.

Frowning, I reach for the tequila. “You impressed me with how well you took that first shot,” I say instead of answering her question. “I thought I’d find out how well you can take another.”

She hums in the back of her throat, one brow arching up over those glittering blue eyes of hers. I’m like a starving man dragging himself, inch by inch, towards an oasis. She’s the water I so desperately need. Without it, I might die.

“Come on,” I wheedle, shaking the bottle at her. “How about a game of truth or dare?”

Her eyes sharpen on me and she edges closer. I can tell what she’s thinking as if it were written on her face. She wants answers—answers none of us have bothered to give her yet, and if she plays with me, she might just get them. I can’t contain my smile.

Oh, poor little Prep Girl. I’ve got you now, don’t I?Even an ex-queen can’t help but fall for the illusion of control.

“You’re not afraid to lose?” she taunts, reaching for the bottle.

I watch her as she twists off the cap and then sets it on the TV tray. “Not at all.”

She’s so close I can see the outline of her nipples through the thin fabric of her tanktop. They’re pebbled against the surface, just begging for someone to lick them, suck them. Nolan and Lex both had their time with her. Now, it’s my turn.

Juliet pours two shots before setting the tequila down and picking one up. The next thing I know, she’s shoving my legs to the side and crawling past me until she’s resting with her back against the only other wall that touches the mattress. A low chuckle rumbles up my throat.

“Alright, Gio,” she says, a challenge in her tone. “Truth? Or Dare?”

41

JULIET

There are two types of tequila. The kind that I grew up drinking—smooth, easy, and fuck all expensive. Then there'sthiskind.

"Truth."

I roll my eyes. "Pussy," I say before launching into my first question. The only reason I even agreed to this game. "Where are Nolan and Lex going?"

Gio's whiskey-brown eyes linger on my face right before he lifts the shot glass and downs a mouthful of tequila. I gape at him. "That was an easy question!"

He shakes his head and grabs the bottle to refill it. "Your turn," he says. "Truth or Dare?"

I narrow my eyes on him. "Truth."

The smirk he sends my way lets me know he's thinking the same thing I said when he chose the same answer. "What did Morpheus Calloway talk to you about at the game?"

I blink, surprised by his question. Tilting my head to the side, I contemplate my shot. Do I take it or answer? Saliva collects on the back of my tongue, the after taste of the shot I've already had reminding me how fucked I'm going to be in the morning if I have much more of this shit. With a sigh, I lowerthe shot and balance it on my thigh before answering him. "He was checking on me," I say. "Wanted to make sure I'm doing alright."

Gio snorts. "Try again, Prep Girl," he replies. "That's not a real answer."

I glare at him. "You didn't ask for specifics," I snap back. "Your turn. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Ugh." My fingertip finds the rim of my shot glass and I stare at the clear firewater. "Why won't you talk about where Nolan and Lex are going?" I ask, then before he can respond, my eyes shoot up to his face. "Be specific."

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