Page 10 of Cream and Punishment
I hesitated. When he put it like that, it was a bit of a tall order. Plus, what if the snake moved somewhere incriminating?
The reminder of my drawer of ratty underthings I’d dumped out of the clear tub came to mind. Had I closed that drawer, or was it still open from the clothes sorting I’d been doing? What if itwasclosed, but the snake climbed into the drawer somehow? If so, was I more scared of the snake, or Max seeing my granny panties and leopard-print bra again?
Or—worse—my high school yearbook, which I was pretty sure was in that room somewhere.
It was a close call. Ultimately, I decided he didn’t want my death on his conscience and would thus keep me safe from any venomous bites his little pet wanted to take.
“Okay, fine. I’ll show you.” I glared in his direction as I skittered off the couch. “But you better have antivenom or my ghost will come back to haunt you.”
He chuckled, unfazed by my threat. “There’s only one venomous snake in Michigan, and it’s incredibly rare and lives in swamps.”
I skirted around a particularly menacing stack of books. “Okay, well, nonvenomous snakes can do a lot of damage, too. Pythons, anacondas, boa constrictors, you name it.”
“You seem to know your snakes.”
That list, plus a rattlesnake and cobra, actually exhausted all my snake knowledge. But, I wasn’t about to let him know that.
“I know enough to be wary,” I evaded. And technically, it was true. I knew some snakes were venomous, some weren’t, and they should all be avoided in threat of death. That was good enough for me.
“I see.” He dodged around the box of camping gear I’ve used exactly once in my life. “So, what kind of snake do you think it is?”
“A, uh” —golly dang Dillybar, I didn’t know enough about snakes for this— “a Great Lakes Cobra, if I had to guess.”
Sounded legit to me, so I was going with it.
“Hmm, I’ve heard of those. They’re particularly nasty.”
I froze outside my bedroom doorway, my stomach dropping like a brick. Those actually existed? “Nasty how?”
“Well, for one, they steal your socks.”
I put my hands on my hips, pivoting to glare daggers at him. “This is serious, Max.”
He nodded, expression grave. “Deadly so, I’m afraid.”
The blood drained from my face, leaving my cheeks cool. Deadly? What did he meandeadly? Snakes didn’t really steal socks, right? That was crazy. Then again, unhinging a jaw to fit a whole carcass in your mouth was crazy, too, but snakes did that. Theyarecoldblooded, so maybe the socks were like the perfect little snake jacket?
“I don’t want to lose my socks,” I murmured, all my bravado fading as my blood pressure skyrocketed all over again. I wiggled my toes in my donut socks, a gift from Lex a few years ago.
His lips pressed together as he nodded. “That’s why it’s a good thing I got here when I did. Now, where did you see the snake?”
I lingered outside the door as he entered the bedroom. Being in the same hemisphere as a snake set my teeth on edge. Being within ten feet of where I saw one minutes ago made my skin crawl like ants were performing a marching band drill all over my body. He could get as close to his slithering accomplice as he wanted, but if it attacked, I was leaving him behind.
I leaned into the room and pointed toward the fallen sundress, my phone playing Queen’sAnother One Bites the Duston the bed. Mocking me. Or prophesying. “Over there. Under the dress.”
Was that…?Holy lamb chops and sugar cane,I could still see part of its body sticking out from under the fabric.
“It’s still there,” I hissed, backing away to the end of the hall.
Max could have a go at my yearbook and holey undies if he wanted. I’d officially decided the snake was scarier. I paced back and forth, wringing my hands and watching for either the snake or Max to exit the room, whichever won.
I didn’t have to wait long. Max reappeared, his broad shoulders taking up most of the doorway. He kept his mouth in a tight line, the dimple in his cheek visible from down the hall. “It’s dead. You should come take a look at it.”
I blanched. “Why in the name of all that is sweet and holy would I want to do that?”
He shrugged. “I’ve never bagged a Great Lakes Cobra before. Figured you’d want to get a better look at such a rare snake.” When I didn’t move, he offered a smile. “It can’t hurt you. I promise.”
I don’t know why my feet moved toward him. Maybe because he’d killed his own snake for me? Or maybe it was because I couldn’t help but trust him. Stupid, I know, considering he caused this and probably still hated my guts, but I wasn’t exactly known for my clear thinking when fear was involved.
