Page 63 of Darling Venom
I took a seat next to Charlie without asking permission. We’d said goodbye on good terms, but I still didn’t trust her. Something about that chocolate hair, big green eyes, sexy reading glasses, and freckles that made me want to connect the dots between them didn’t scream platonic friend.
And I really didn’t want to think about a scenario where she’d broken my brother’s heart and hadn’t even bothered showing up on my doorstep to apologize for it.
I banged my smoothie on the white table. “You lied to me.”
She looked up from her book, her cheeks flaming when she noticed me. I peered down to see what she was reading and realized it was The Imperfections by Terry Marchetti. My already sour mood took a further nosedive.
Charlie’s mouth hung open.
“Tate,” she whispered throatily.
“In the flesh.” I picked up the icing-coated Saran Wrap that once held her carrot cake as evidence, hooding my eyes. “You said Kellan was just your friend. But he saw you on Valentine’s Day and brought you a cake.”
I could tell she hadn’t expected to be confronted. Her body jerked backward like I’d slapped her, and her red face turned pale. Whatever happened that Valentine’s Day, she remembered it clearly.
And now I remembered something, too.
Kellan had never made it home that night. I’d found him lying in his own puke not too far from the school grounds the next morning.
I crumpled the plastic wrap and bounced it in my hand like it was a ball.
“Time to come clean, Charlie.”
“There’s nothing to come clean about.” She slammed the book shut with a huff. “We always hung out on Valentine’s Day. It was my birthday. Big deal.”
I raised a skeptical brow. “You were born on Valentine’s Day?”
A bitter smile slashed her face like a scar.
“That’s the first question you’ve ever asked about me. Yeah, I was.”
Why would I be asking her personal questions? I had no romantic or platonic interest in her. The only thing tying us together was the fact that she knew my late brother.
I studied her carefully. “You failed to mention that.”
“Why would I? How does it relate to Kellan?”
“He killed hims
elf on Valentine’s Day.”
“He was not heartbroken. Not romantically, anyway.” She looked like she was about to say something more, but then thought better of it.
I put on my invisible Captain Obvious cape and told her what she already knew. “He brought you a carrot cake for your birthday.”
“Yeah.” She rose from her seat, scooping up her things and shoving them into her bag. Her body tensed. “As I said, it was my birthday.”
“Did you fuck him?”
The question tore out of my mouth before I could stop it.
It was quiet in the smoothie bar, just the two of us, and in the glass window, I could see the reflection of the guy who’d served us. He choked on his bagel, as outraged as Charlie about my prodding question.
Charlie glared at me for a second. Rather than answering me with words, she raised her hand and whirled it in my direction to slap me in the face. I snatched her wrist an inch before her palm hit my cheek.
What can I say? Killer reflexes.
Came with the territory of a steady-hand profession.
