Chapter 212 Deserve Each Other

At that question, Venus grinned up at her.

“I knew you had a thing for snakes. I just didn’t know how to prove it until now.”

Brittney’s face went hot. “You—” She never got to finish.

One second Brittney was straddling Venus with the very satisfying belief that she’d finally gotten the better of him; the next, the world tilted. Her back hit the grass, her phone slipped from her hand, and Venus was suddenly above her, having flipped their positions so quickly she barely registered how he’d done it.

Brittney sucked in a breath as he settled between her thighs, one hand planted beside her head while the other held her firmly at the waist. She immediately tried to squirm out from beneath him, only for the movement to press her directly against the hard length beneath his joggers.

She froze, and their eyes met. Oh, that fucking— His mouth slowly curved.

Brittney hated that smile. Mostly because her body decided it liked their new position.

“Who’s getting sautéed now?” he murmured.

“Don’t get cocky.”

“A little late for that, don’t you think?”

Her eyes widened. The bastard.

Venus laughed under his breath and lowered his head toward hers, but the moment Brittney realized he intended to kiss her, her fingers buried in his black hair and yanked his head back. Hard.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Surprise flashed across Venus’s face, and for the first time since she’d found him tonight, the amusement disappeared. He went still above her, and although Brittney couldn’t read everything that crossed his face, she caught the sudden uncertainty there.

She arched her neck instead and reached for the small cluster of rhinestones she’d carefully arranged over the marks.

Venus’s gaze followed her fingers.

“I know love bites are common,” she said, peeling the rhinestones away one after another, “but I don’t remember asking for fucking acupuncture, Mr. Crotalus.”

The last stone came free. Beneath them sat two puncture marks, unmistakably shaped by a serpent’s fangs.

The swelling had gone down and the angry redness had faded considerably since she’d first discovered them, but the marks remained small and distinct against her skin, like someone had pressed the shapes into her flesh and left them there.

She glared up at him. “Care to explain?”

Venus didn’t look surprised. That was all Brittney needed.

“You knew.”

His jaw hardened.

“You fucking knew?” Her anger immediately returned. “Did you do this on purpose?”

The look Venus gave her stopped the next accusation on her tongue.

“Really?” His voice had lost every trace of teasing. “Do you genuinely think I would deliberately hurt you like this, my lady?”

Brittney’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. And annoyingly enough, that sensible little voice in the back of her mind chose that exact moment to remind her that perhaps she shouldn’t dismiss the possibility entirely.

She barely knew this guy.

Yes, he was fun to be with and she’d trusted him enough to spend the night with him. But Venus was still a serpent. She didn’t know how he truly felt about humans, what he wanted from her, or whether this thing between them was anything more than two people making very questionable decisions because they found each other attractive.

And if there was one thing Brittney had plenty of experience with, it was choosing the wrong men.

Venus watched the doubt creep across her face.

“Neither of us was exactly thinking clearly that day,” he said. “I was caught up in you, and you were caught up in me. I didn’t even realize I’d nicked you with my fang until afterward.”

“Really?” Brittney scoffed. “You call this a nick?”

“Fine. I’m sorry.” Venus paused, then reached for the collar of his turtleneck. “Although I suppose we’re both animals when it comes to sex.”

“What is that supposed to—”

Venus tugged the collar down, and Brittney fell silent. There, against the side of his neck, was the unmistakable imprint of human teeth.

Her teeth.

Wait a fucking minute. She did that?

Brittney stared at the mark, trying very hard to remember exactly when she’d bitten him hard enough to leave such brutal evidence behind. Unfortunately, several moments from that night came rushing back at once, none of which helped her case.

For once in her life, Brittney couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

When she finally looked at Venus again, one of his brows was raised, amusement dancing openly in his eyes as he waited to hear how she intended to defend herself.

Brittney cleared her throat.

“I suppose we deserve each other.”

Laughter burst from Venus’s chest, so genuine that Brittney couldn’t help joining him. They laughed at the ridiculousness of it all until their laughter gradually died and their eyes met again.

Neither looked away.

Venus was still above her, his body nestled between her thighs, and without their laughter filling the space between them, Brittney became painfully aware of their position again.

His gaze dropped to her mouth.

“So…” His voice lowered. “Can I kiss you now?”

Brittney smirked. “You don’t need to ask.”

She caught his face between her hands and pulled him down. Their mouths collided.

Venus kissed exactly the way he played his games—like he couldn’t resist pushing her just to see what she would do about it. His mouth moved against hers slowly at first, almost tauntingly, refusing to give Brittney the urgency she wanted.

She wasn’t having that. So Brittney slid one hand into his hair and deepened the kiss herself. A low sound left Venus, swallowed between their mouths, and his teasing disappeared. His hand closed around her waist as he kissed her back with enough force to press her deeper into the grass.

Much better.

Venus kissed her hard. His hand slid from her waist to the back of her neck, holding her exactly where he wanted her as his tongue swept across her lower lip before slipping between them. She welcomed him with equal enthusiasm.

There was something incredibly annoying about kissing Venus because even this felt like a competition. Every time she thought she’d taken control, he changed the angle of his head and stole it right back. When she tugged his hair, he answered by catching her lower lip between his teeth. When she tightened her thighs around his waist, his fingers flexed against the back of her neck. Neither seemed willing to surrender.

And Brittney fucking loved it.

Then his lips left her mouth, traveling along her jaw instead, and Brittney’s breath caught when he reached her neck.

“Careful,” she warned immediately.

Venus stopped, and for half a second, neither moved. Then his lips brushed deliberately over the place where his fangs had marked her.

A violent shiver raced through Brittney. She gasped and arched into him before she could stop herself, blindsided by the sensation that shot through her from that one touch.

Lord in heaven. Since when had that part of her neck become so damn sensitive?

Venus noticed, and his mouth returned to the marks, this time closing over them with a slow pull that made Brittney’s fingers dig into him. A cry escaped her before she could swallow it, and she felt the curve of his smile against her skin.

The bastard was enjoying this. Worse, so was she.

Every pass of his mouth over the marks sent another wave of heat through her body. Brittney’s thighs tightened around him instinctively as the ache between them grew almost unbearable.

What the hell was this serpent turning her into?

Oh, right. A fucking mess.

Venus sucked at the sensitive skin again, and Brittney’s head fell back against the grass with another helpless sound.

That was it. She couldn’t take it anymore.

Brittney yanked his hair, pulling his mouth away from her neck before staring him dead in the eye.

“I want you inside me. Right now.”

The playfulness in Venus’s expression disappeared. His eyes darkened as they searched hers, the desire in them so blatant that a shiver ran through Brittney.

“As you wish, my lady.”

Before Brittney could respond, Venus hooked an arm beneath her and lifted her from the ground. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her across the clearing toward the enormous oak.

Her back met the rough trunk of the tree. For a moment, neither of them moved. They simply stared at each other, breathing heavily, their faces only inches apart. Brittney could still feel his arousal pressed against her, and from the look in Venus’s eyes, he was waiting to see whether she would change her mind.

She didn’t.

Venus’s hand moved to her denim skirt and pushed it higher, clearing the fabric out of his way. Brittney was equally impatient. She slipped her fingers beneath the waistband of his joggers and tugged them lower, her hand wandering shamelessly over the firm curve of his ass.

Venus’s mouth twitched while Brittney smiled sweetly at him.

Then she smacked his ass. Hard.