Page 133 of Beautiful Venom
“Then I’ll find a substitute,” he murmurs back in a dark tone. “Someone with less drama.”
“In that case, you can forget about fucking me altogether. Oh, I’ll also send you pictures of the latest dick I’ll be riding.”
“Watchit,” he growls into my ear.
“You know I’m stubborn as hell, so either you give in to a harmless afternoon tea or risk an all-out war.”
His brows pull together and I think he’ll drag me out, judging by how his hand flexes, but then he reluctantly sits down.
Helena watches us and a genuine soft smile paints her lips. She falls over herself asking the staff to prepare some dishes and to bring more of this and that.
“There’s no need,” Kane says in the same dispassionate tone. “We’re not staying for long.”
“We are.” I sling my arm through his and stroke it as I smile innocently. “Thewholeafternoon.”
His icy eyes bore into me, filled with disdain, but he says nothing.
He also doesn’t throw away my arm—probably because we’re in front of his mom—so I take advantage of the situation and continue caressing him.
Maybe I’m kind of obsessed with how muscular his bicep is, or I probably missed him.
Though he’d never hear me say that.
Helena smiles as she pours him some tea that he barely touches. I can tell he’s stiff, judging from his tightened muscles. He also doesn’t talk much.
So I fill the gap, trying to not leave his mom hanging—something he has no problem doing.
Including him in the conversation is an uphill battle, but at least Helena seems less sad and her smiles are more natural.
She asks about school and training, which Kane responds to mechanically, but I add more punch to my replies.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were on a scholarship,” she says with awe.“That’s impressive, Dahlia. It must’ve been a lot of work. And here I am taking from your precious time and asking you to entertain me.”
“If you know that, don’t invite her again,” Kane says point-blank.
I elbow him hard and smile at his mom. “It’s my pleasure. This peaceful garden is a nice change from the town’s hustle and bustle. I’m truly grateful. Don’t listen to Kane. His delivery sucks ninety percent of the time.”
“Does it?” He smiles as he wraps a palm around my nape, tightening his grip.
“Duh. You can be so boring.” I brush his hand away. “Anyway, we can totally meet whenever you wish.”
Helena smiles and shakes her head.
Soon after, Kane has had enough of playing house and insists on leaving. His mom hugs him, but he pats her back in a detached manner. So when it’s my turn, I give her the warmest hug, promising we’ll meet again soon.
And I’m not even a hugger.
As Kane escorts me out of the garden and into the house with a hand on the small of my back, I stare up at him. “Maybe you should be kinder to your mom.”
“Maybe you need to be less nosy.” He halts in the middle of the long hallway and faces me, his shoulders tightening. “Why the fuck can’t you stop making things difficult for one fucking day?”
“If you want easy, go search for easy.”
“Dahlia…” He wraps a hand around my throat, his voice echoing in a low, dark timbre. “You need to learn how to stay the fuck out of my business.”
I sink my fingers into his hair and pull, then get on my tiptoes and whisper against his mouth, “How about no?”
His hot, heavy breaths skim over my lips. God. Why do I want to kiss him? We’re not even having sex, so I shouldn’t need a connection.
