Page 12 of Craving Venom

Very naked.

My mouth drops open, but no sound comes out. My brain blanks. Not a single thought. Just the vague realization that I am seeing way too much of both of them. Her back arches. His hand is tangled in her hair. She doesn’t stop. She just turns her head slightly and meets my eyes like I’m a damn fly on the wall.

“Jesus, Faith,” she breathes out before letting out a short, breathy laugh. “You ever heard of knocking, or do you only burst into rooms when people are mid-orgasm?”

My jaw works uselessly, trying to form something resembling human language, but all I manage is a strangled, “I—uh—nope.”

Nope. That’s it. That’s all I say before I yank the door closed so fast it rattles in the frame.

I think I’m going to need more than Tria’s logic after this. Possibly an exorcism.

Or bleach. For my eyes.

CHAPTER FOUR

THE MONSTER

“This,” I say, spreading my arms wide as we step into the yard, “is where all the magic happens, Mario. Fights, deals, alliances. Everything worth a damn in here starts or ends right here.”

Mark stiffens beside me. “It’s Mark.”

I glance at him. “I give a shit?”

His jaw clenches, but he doesn’t press it. Smart move.

Mark’s eyes scan the clusters of inmates scattered across the yard. He stays close, though, as though he’s afraid someone might jump at him the second he strays too far.

“Over there,” I nod toward a group by the weights, “that’s where the meatheads hang out. You want to get big and scary but lose all your brain cells in the process, that’s your spot.”

One of the guys catches him staring and grins, flashing a row of teeth that look like they’ve bitten through more than just food. His eyes linger on Mark like he’s fresh meat. I make a point of staring him down, and he looks away.

“Don’t stare,” I smirk. “Unless you’re looking to get introduced to their fists.”

“Right.”

We keep walking, passing a group huddled near the corner of the yard. They stop talking as we approach.

“And that,” I point out, “is where you go if you need something. Drugs, a shiv, information. You name it, they’ve got it. Just be ready to pay up, because nothing’s free in here.”

Mark glances at them, then quickly averts his eyes when one of the guys raises an eyebrow.

I chuckle. “Relax, Matty. No one’s going to fuck with you while you’re with me.”

“Comforting,” he bites out, but there’s a trace of sarcasm in his tone.

We round the corner, and I let the silence stretch just long enough to make him squirm. Finally, I glance sideways at him. “Are you going to ask, or are you just going to keep pretending you don’t want to?”

“Ask what?”

I stop walking, and turn to face him. He halts, his face tight, like he knows exactly where this is going but doesn’t want to play his cards just yet.

“You’ve been eyeing me as if I’m some kind of ticking time bomb ever since Trent opened his big fucking mouth,” I say. “So go ahead. Spit it out.”

Mark shifts uncomfortably, his jaw working. Finally, he mutters, “You killed him, didn’t you? Jared.”

“Didn’t you hear? Poor bastard died of sickness.”

“Bullshit. Nobody just drops dead like that in here.”

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