Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

I don’t know if I’m relieved that she hasn’t caught my scent yet or
disappointed. She thinks I’m sleeping with Callum. I wish I could tell her the
truth. I want to tell someone about this excitement I feel every time I look at
Liv. I want to share it with someone.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she broaches all of a sudden.
I squeeze my eyes shut behind my glasses, almost breaking into a laugh
because the words are on the tip of my tongue.
When I don’t respond, she slows the car, and I turn, watching her pull
over to the curb on quiet Levinson Lane, under the canopy of some Spanish
moss.
God, just go. Please.
She puts the car in Park, and I feel her twist her body toward me to speak.
“Sex is a big deal,” she says, “no matter all the images you see on TV and in
movies that try to prove otherwise.”
Yes, yes. We’ve had this talk. Years ago. Just go.
“Sex isn’t just two people being physical, Clay. Young women,
especially, can get attached and emotionally invested very quickly. It’s
important we feel connected to the people we’re physical with.”
Mm-hmm. I nod.
“And it’s very easy to be hurt when we believe they feel the same and we
find out they don’t,” she continues.
“You don’t need to worry,” I tell her, gesturing to the road ahead. “Can
we go now?”
I don’t look at her, but I can tell she’s studying me. “I want to know
things, okay? If you’re excited and falling in love, I want you to know you
can talk to me and share it with me.”
My jaw flexes, my throat swelling.
“Is he making you happy?” she asks.
I draw in a breath. Jesus.
“Is he gentle? Does he make it special?”
I bite the corner of my mouth. I want to tell her how good Olivia Jaeger
feels. Yes, Mom. She’s gentle. And I love it when she’s not gentle, too. She
makes it special. I don’t want to be anywhere else when I’m with her.
She threads a lock of my hair through her fingers. “You’re stunning, you
know? Anyone would be lucky to have you.”
As long as it’s a young man, right?
I open my mouth to say it. To tell her it’s a girl and not a boy, and maybe