Page 75 of Hexed
SEVENTEEN
ENZO
Fisher’s Chevelleisn’t really the kind of car that blends in, and I knew they were following me the second it pulled behind us on the interstate. I should have known better than to use Trent as an excuse in front of Venesa, but part of me wanted to see what she would do because I couldn’t figure out whether she was there of her own volition or if she’s been spending time around me for other reasons—orders passed down to her from Trent.
After our conversation just now, I’m confident it’s not truly because she’s desperate to be here.
I size her up again.Is she lying to me? Hiding something?
The thought of her trying to deceive me makes my chest pinch.
Truth is, I’m tired of being on edge all the goddamn time, and she’s one of the few people whose company I actually enjoy. Though, apparently, I’m an idiot who spouts off things without thought because what the fuck was I thinking telling her all those things like they could ever happen?
She’s right—I’mnota cheat.
It’s just…when I’m around Venesa, it’s hard to remember any of that. She makes me forget who I am, who I’m supposed to be, and makes me feel like all Iwantto be is hers.
I slip my hands in my pockets again and glance around the pier, the orangey hue of the setting sun a gorgeous backdrop as Venesa spins around and smiles at me. She’s let down her hair, and the white-blond strands whip in the wind, as wild and untamable as her.
“I saw you watching that family earlier,” she says.
My chest twinges.
I was watching them, green with envy over a fucking kid and the way his life seemed so simple and carefree. I hadn’t realized I was being so obvious, though.
“You want to talk about it?” She stares up at me from under her lashes. “You know, friend to friend?”
Shrugging, I walk down to the shore, and she follows. “Just wondering what it would feel like, I guess.”
“Having a kid?”
“Being one.”
Venesa pins me with a heavy stare, her footsteps halting. “Take off your shoes,” she demands.
I look at her incredulously and then to the water that’s lapping dangerously close to our feet. “No.”
She tilts her head, her eyes scanning me from head to toe, like she’s trying to strip away every single shield I’ve built up over the years to uncover the little boy underneath. The one who was smothered too soon because of the weight of expectation and the reality of what it means to be in a Mafia family.
She reaches into her cleavage, and my eyes follow the movement, wishing I could be those hands. Touch her skin. Cup her tits and feel the weight of them in my palm.
“It wasn’t a request.” She pulls out a knife, and my stomach somersaults.
“What else do you keep in there?” I peer down with a lascivious grin.
When she steps into me and puts the blade up to my jugular, a laugh pours out of my throat.
She’s fucking wild.And I’m not 100 percent sure she won’t actually kill me.
“Take off your shoes, or I’ll slit your throat,” she threatens in a joking tone.
I press into the metal, adrenaline suddenly pumping through me like a wildfire. “Do it.”
Usually, I can anticipate people’s actions, but with Venesa…I have no idea what she’s capable of or what she’s going to do, and it’s attractive as fuck.
Her breasts brush my torso as she looks up at me, pushing the knife harder against my neck. Her gorgeous red lips part, and visions of me sucking the bottom one into my mouth fill my mind.
“Come on, Lover Boy. Live a little. I promise I won’t tell.”
