by JB Salsbury
Her hand freezes at the sound of my voice.
I blink open my eyes and find the room isn’t as dark as it once was. In the corner of the small room there’s a light—no, a glass box of some kind that is lit up. An aquarium? Terrarium. I don’t remember Riley having any pets.
I attempt to sit up.
“Don’t. Move.”
The authoritative voice that is laced with warning freezes me in place.
“Be very, very still,” the voice says, a little calmer now but still carrying a heavy sense of danger. “He won’t hurt you if you don’t scare him.”
I look toward the voice, but she’s hiding in the shadows. “Him?” I feel the lukewarm shape on my thigh and realize my mistake. It’s not a woman’s hand. “What is it?”
“Shhh, don’t even talk. I think…” She swallows thickly. “You’ll be okay. He’s hunting.”
“What for?”
“Food.”
A wheeking sound of terror escapes my lips.
“Don’t do that,” she hisses. “You sound like a wounded mouse. Now listen to me very carefully.”
I nod ever so slightly holding each and every muscle in my body perfectly still.
“He hasn’t been fed in ten days. He’s very hungry and probably willing to sink his fangs into anything with a pulse.”
I feel whatever it is moving again, sliding further up my thigh to the space between my hip and dick. My brain makes a quick assessment—terrarium, no legs, no fur…oh God. “S-s-snake,” I squeak.
“What did I tell you about making those noises,” she whisper-yells. “Listen to me. Snakes have bad eyesight, they hunt by scenting the air with their tongues. You do not want to give off the scent of panic and a racing pulse or he might confuse you for a dying animal. Keep your heart rate steady.”
I blow out what is meant to be a calming breath, but sounds more like an audible shiver.
“Focus on my voice…”
I nod and close my eyes, my hands fist the bedding at my sides, and the thing starts to move again. “Get it off me,” I whisper.
“I can’t. If I try to grab him, he might lash out fangs first. You’re totally safe…I think. I mean, snakes don’t eat humans. Oh wow, he’s headed toward your…um…”
I lock my throat closed to keep down a high-pitched shriek of fear.
“It’ll be alright. They eat baby rats so as long as you don’t have anything that resembles a nest of warm, baby, hairless rats in your underwear, you should technically be okay.”
I manscaped in anticipation for my night with Riley—my eyes pop wide open.
“They’re ambush predators so if he was going to attack, he’d clamp down hard with his fangs and then—”
“Please stop,” I whisper as quietly as I can. My dick is about to die and get eaten by a fucking snake. I may never use him again. Why didn’t I appreciate the last good time we had together? All the good times we’ve had together? A tear escapes my eye and rolls down my temple.
A flick of a switch and the room is revealed under fluorescent light…not Riley’s room. And that’s not Riley glaring down at me through thick, smudged up glasses. “You mind telling me what you’re doing in my bed, jock?” There’s no more kindness or caution in her voice, no panic or concern. Just straight up annoyance.
I try my best to look down my body without any sudden movements, and see the massive bump of snake coiled right next to my dick and balls…well, to be fair, my ball sac. It’s inhabitants retreated into my stomach minutes ago.
Her eyes narrow. “I know you.”
“What?” I mouth, mostly silently, nothing more than a puff of shallow air.
“You’re Rowan and Emery’s roommate, you play football.”
“Yes, yeah, that’s me….” Please save me, I implore with my eyes. “I’m sorry, okay?”
She pulls a chair from across the room, the scrape of it’s metal legs against the tile sends my pulse through the top of my head. She flips the chair around, and straddles the back like a man. “You’re sorry for what? Trespassing? Getting naked in my room?” Her big eyes squint into slivers behind her thick glasses. “Are you some kind of sick pervert?” She eyes the bed and frowns. “You didn’t rub one off in my bed, did you? Because I swear to God, if you did—”
“No. No. No.” I am trying my best to stay calm but there’s still a hungry fucking snake with fangs cuddling my cock. “I thought it was Riley’s room.”
“What?” she says way too fucking loudly making the animal twitch and my stomach cave in on itself.
“Shhh, please.” The thing slithers along my groin. “Oh God, it’s moving.”
“You thought you were in Riley’s room? The three snake habitats didn’t give that away?” She tilts her head, her massive crown of messy curls looking a lot like that rats nest she mentioned earlier. “Are you blind?”
My chest bounces with short, quick breaths. “Drunk.”
“You’re drunk.”
“Was.” The one word sounds like the air release from a balloon valve.
She seems to think that over for a bit. Take your fucking time, sweetheart. Her gaze drops to my chest, my abdomen, and then my boxer shorts where she sighs heavily. “Alright, I believe you.” She slips her hands into my boxers and I gasp and nearly pass out as I anticipate the sharp sting of fangs in my softest of soft spots. “He’s innocent, Monty.” The serpent she pulls from my underwear is white and yellow and looks as long as my arm. I nearly black out but adrenaline has me in flight mode and I scramble to sit up. I cup my junk protectively while watching as the thing coils around her forearm and she kisses the slimy beasts head.
Stomach bile surges in my throat bathing the back of my tongue in day-old whiskey, but I’m helpless to look away from the horror movie going on in front of me.
“Who’s a good boy? You’re a good boy, that’s right,” she says in baby talk. “You’re the goodest boy.” She kisses the thing one last time then returns it to its home and then whirls around to face me.
“You’re disgusting.”
Her expression falls and I catch a glint of pain in her eyes before her spine snaps straight and she points firmly to the door. “Get the fuck out.”
Okay, so maybe I should’ve reconsidered my first words a little more carefully, but come on! I just survived a near dick-death experience. Show a guy a little fucking mercy.
“Gladly.” I hurl myself off the bed with a little too much force, adrenaline still fueling my muscles, I gather my jeans and shoes and throw open the door only to have it slam so hard behind me that I have to jump forward to keep it from hitting my ass. “Fucking psycho,” I mutter under my breath as I drop my shoes and slide on my jeans. I must’ve forgotten my shirt in the grab and go, but screw it. Small price to pay for the safety of my testicles.
“Oh my God,” a female voice says from behind me.
I turn around, jeans open and barefoot to find one of Riley’s sorority sister’s poking her head into the hallway.
Her eyes are huge and her lips parted in shock. “Lyla, get out here.” The two roommates emerge from their room. The second one’s eyes are tight slits as she swings her gaze between me and the door I’m closest too. “You and Bex?”
“What? No—”
“Rylie is going to shit,” the first one says.
Another room opens and a girl steps into the hallway rubbing her eyes. “What’s going on?”
“We just caught Loren McCallister sneaking out of Bex’s room naked.”
“I’m not naked.” I button up the fly of my jeans as quickly as I can with fading adrenaline and the hangover shakes. I’m never drinking again! “I didn’t touch that girl.” I slip my shoes on as best I can while scurrying to the stairway.
“Good for Bex,” one girl says.
“Riley is going to kill her,” another says.
I race down the stairs and out into the night pissed that I have to walk home because my stupid cell phone is dead. My feet freeze on the sidewalk a
nd I pat my pocket. No phone.
“Oh, come on!” I turn around and look back at the Eta Pi house questioning the pros vs cons of going back in to retrieve the device and decide against it.
Not worth it.
I’d planned on waking up in Rylie’s bed this morning, not doing the walk of shame after being in bed with a snake.
Worst. Night. Ever.
Also by JB Salsbury
The Fighting Series
Fighting for Flight
Fighting to Forgive
Fighting to Forget
Fighting the Fall
A Father’s Fight
Fighting for Forever
Fighting Fate
Fighting for Honor
The Final Fight
Uncaged: A Fighting for Flight Short
Jack & Sadie
The Mercy Series
Ghostgirl
Saint
Standalone Novels
Split
Wrecked
Love, Hate, & Rock-n-Roll Series
Playing by Heart
Skipped a Beat
BSU Football Series
Breaking Defenses
Hail Mary
On the Sideline
About the Author
JB Salsbury is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, two sassy daughters, and her boxer dogs.
Her love of good storytelling led her to earn a degree in Media Communications. With her journalistic background, writing has always been at the forefront, and her love of romance propelled her career as an author.
She spends the majority of her day behind the computer where a world of battling alphas, budding romance, and impossible obstacles claws away at her subconscious and begs to be released to the page.
For more information on
her books, or just to say hello, visit JB on her website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
http://www.jbsalsbury.com/
