Page 34 of It's In His Hiss

Gordy shakes his head and chuckles. “Survivalist.”

“No time like the present,” I say, taking a deep breath to calm my throbbing heart.

I step closer, slowly and carefully, and remove his cap. This seems odd, considering we’ve already had mind-blowing sex, but caution is key right now.

Gordy’s snakes hiss, but not in alarm—more like gossiping teenagers discussing something scandalous.

“You all good?” I murmur to his serpents. “No sudden urges to turn me into a sexy garden statue?”

One snake flicks its tongue and bobs its head.

I narrow my eyes.“Was that a yes or sass?”

“That was the ‘she’s growing on us’ head bob,” Gordy translates.

I nod. “Good. Because I plan to spend a lot of time dangerously close to you.”

I press my body to his, hips first. His breath catches. The snakes freeze like they’re watching an episode of their favorite show.

“They’re... calm,” Gordy says hoarsely.

My breath quivers out with a sigh, and I smile. “They love me.”

Gordy’s gaze drops to my lips. “They might not be the only ones.”

I tilt my head, brushing my nose along his jaw, then murmur, “So what happens if I kiss you right now?”

“I guess we find out if the snakes are truly Team Alice,” Gordy growls, “or just voyeurs.”

I kiss him—slow, deep, completely unhurried. The snakes stay still, only one curling around to rest lightly on Gordy’s shoulder like it’s watching approvingly.

When we finally break apart, breathless and smiling, I say, “I think I passed the test.”

Gordy brushes a thumb over my cheek. “You aced it. And for the record, they didn’t even flinch when your hand slippedunder my shirt.”

I smirk.“Oh, honey. That was just phase one.”

“You know, maybe there’s a spell out there for snake taming,” he says wryly.

“Or we could always buy a huge shower cap,” I shoot back with a laugh, the tension easing from my shoulders.

“Exactly.” The corner of his mouth quirks up. “A monstrous-sized one.”

“Monstrous-sized everything,” I murmur, letting the words hang suggestively between us.

“Everything,” he agrees, and the heat in his eyes tells me he’s no longer talking about shower caps.

“Slowly,” I remind him and myself as he moves in for another kiss.

“Slowly,” he echoes, but his lips are inching toward mine with an urgency that suggests slow is relative.

“Very slowly,” I whisper, our breaths mingling, the word becoming a silent vow as we lean into a kiss so powerful that my toes curl on the floor and my fingers tighten against hisribs.

He pulls back, and I laugh like a valve has been released, all the pressure of our fears hissing out into nothingness.

“We’re ridiculous,” I say, but my voice is warm, my arms around his neck to pull him closer.

“Ridiculously in love,” Gordy counters, his eyes alive with mischief.

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