“Really?” she whispered.
I nodded, doing my best to set my face into my most serious expression. Just in case there was a mirror in the room somewhere I didn’t know about. “Yeah.”
Her voice grew quieter. “Aren’t you talking too loud? You should whisper.”
“I’m a guy. Vocal register is too low to bother snakes.” Totally making shit up, but it sounded scientific enough. And how was she going to know? She had no access to Google. She had to rely on Killianpedia.
“Damn sexist snakes.” Emily shifted, still clinging to me. I could feel all of her—the lean, strong muscles of her legs, the softness of her breasts crushed against my back. She seemed solid and real, and I appreciated that after being surrounded by women who were mostly stick figures with some silicone chest stuffing. The spots where Emily’s tits were pressed seemed to tingle, making my blood rush to my dick. Jesus. Was the back an erogenous zone for men?
I could feel her swiveling her head as she looked around. “Can you do something about the snake if you find it?” She was so close that her lips brushed my neck as she whispered, her breath ticklish.
I almost didn’t want to move, just so she would continue to say stuff. I didn’t care what came out of her mouth as long as she stayed in this position.
But I wouldn’t be much of a hero if I didn’t eventually get rid of the snake. So I said, “Of course,” trying to infuse my voice with as much casual, manly confidence as possible.
With Emily still clinging to my back like a koala, I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a pair of barbecue tongs. Then I went back to the dining room, squatted down and grabbed the snake with them. The snake wasn’t quick enough to escape. Emily let out a small squeak and buried her face in my neck. I almost groaned as she tightened her hold on me because my mind went to sex…and I wondered if she’d cling like this when she came.
I put the snake down out in the backyard. It fled immediately, parting the grass as it moved away. I watched it go, then went back inside. Emily stayed glued to my back the whole time.
“Is it dead?” she asked in a small voice, probably to avoid attracting the snake’s attention.
I made a vague noise in my throat, enjoying the feel of her. “It’s been dealt with.”
“But it’s alive?” she whispered against my neck. Jesus, this was erotic.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Won’t it come back?”
“I doubt it.” The weather was too warm for it to want to hide inside a house.
“You’re not sure? I can’t have it come back.”
“The problem isn’t it coming back,” I said, not wanting Emily to climb down my back.
“It isn’t?”
“No. You know how snakes are cold-blooded?”
“Yeah…”
“That means they need a way to keep warm.” I let it sink in.
“Okay. So it’s going to be back.”
“Not it. They.”
“They?” Emily squealed.
“Not so loud.”
“Oh my God! What do you mean, they?”
“Snakes live in dens. With other snakes. They ball up to help stay warm. People do it, too. You know, in the wild when you’re stuck in a blizzard or something. You huddle together, and it helps you survive.”
“So…what? You think there are more in here?”
“Could be. You never know.”