Page 19 of Of Venom & Vengeance

Elijah insisted on putting the food away and cleaning the kitchen. Thank goodness for that because I’m way too down in these dumps to do it now. I brush my teeth, put on my prettiest pajamas, and climb into bed. A pretty set of PJs always makes me feel better, but even that isn’t lifting my spirits as much as I had hoped. My phone lights up when I plug it into the charger, and I see I have a text message. The number isn’t saved in my contacts, and it was sent half an hour ago. That’s right after Elijah left.

(512)555-1661

How do you take your coffee?

It’s him.I know it the moment I read the text.How did he get my number? The Tweedle Twins. I love those twins so much. They’re kicking ass at this proxy thing. I decide to play it cool with my response.

Vaughn

Who is this?

(512)555-1661

You’re supposed to be asleep. I sent that half an hour ago. Go to sleep, V.

(512)555-1661

And you know damn well who this is. You don’t have permission to talk to anyone else. Don’t make me report you.

Damn it. He apologizes AND he’s funny. It’s a good thing there’s no one else in the race for my heart because this thing would be a blowout.

Vaughn

Iced Caramel Macchiato.

Elijah

Sweet dreams, V.

Vaughn

V? What happened to the rest of my name?

Elijah

You do have a kick ass name. V just feels a little more like you.

Vaughn

Good night, Eli.

Eli

Sleep tight, V.

Chapter 10

Vaughn

KNOCK, knock!

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

Someone is viciously assaulting my door. A squinty eyed glance at my phone reveals the unholy hour. Someone is beating on my door at 9:00 a.m. Someone who doesn’t know how much beauty sleep I require is knocking on my door at 9:00 in the damn morning.

Heaving myself out of bed, I drag my feet all the way to the door. The view through my peephole immediately perks me up. It’s Eli, and he has coffee. My heart races, and there’s no time to think before I disengage the locks and whip open the door. His huge smile signals that he’s just as happy to see me as I am to see him until...he isn’t.His entire face falls. He looks...stricken. What happened?

He’s looking down, so I look down. My pajamas. He’s looking at my pajamas. My pajamas are cute as hell. I don’t see the problem here. Swiftly, he drops the coffees to just below his belt line. He clears his throat before speaking. “Ah good morning. I can wait out here while you change, if you want.”