“There’s no risk with me.” His rough, husky voice washed over her like sunshine, warming her right to her very core.
Gazing up into those pale eyes of his, she gulped. “I’m not so sure about that.”
His mouth slanted in a dangerously sexy smile. “I’m not half as scary as I look.”
She considered how frightening he was. “That’s still pretty scary.”
His low, rumbling chuckle spilled over her. Running his gloved fingers under her chin, he tilted her head back so she couldn’t avoid his intense gaze. “We aren’t in any rush. When I think it’s the right time I’ll take you nice and easy.”
When he thought it was the right time? She started to remind him who made decisions about her body but he took her by surprise by capturing her mouth.
As if to prove he could be gentle when it mattered, Venom claimed her mouth with the most tender of kisses. Her eyelids fluttered as his skilled lips moved against hers. Gripping the sleeves of his uniform shirt, she held on for dear life as he deepened the kiss. His tongue swiped hers just briefly before retreating and leaving her desperate for more.
Vibrating with excitement and need, Dizzy tried to catch her breath. Had she ever been kissed like that? That was a resounding no.
Deciding she needed to kiss him again for comparison—you know, just to be sure—she found the courage to place her hands against his broad chest. She wasn’t nearly tall enough to reach him, not even kneeling as they were, so she gripped the front of his shirt and gave him a little tug.
His lips twitched with laughter but he lowered his face, dipping down to meet her seeking mouth. She tried to take control of this kiss but the moment her tongue flicked out to touch the seam of his lips, Venom growled and wrapped his brawny arms around her. He swallowed her gasp of surprise as he darted his tongue against hers and cupped the back of her head.
The commanding strength of him left her shaking inside. She grew very aware of how easily he could overpower and hurt her—but something about the way he held her convinced Dizzy that he would never harm her. He cradled her so gently in his strong arms, almost as if he feared breaking her.
Though his needful, insistent kiss stole her breath away it wasn’t rough. He took his time tasting her mouth and seemed to relish the experience. She began to wonder how long it had been since he had kissed a woman. As harsh as their society was reputed to be, she doubted there was much time for romance or sweetness up there in those big sky ships.
Almost reluctantly, Venom eased off the kiss. He pulled back just enough to stare down into her eyes. “I’ll be a good mate to you.” He sensually nibbled her lower lip, biting down just enough to make her throb in all the right places. “I’ll show you pleasure unlike any you’ve ever imagined, Dizzy.”
She didn’t doubt that for a second. He had only kissed her and already she tingled with such incredible arousal.
“Give me your answer. Right now. Right here. Will you take my collar?”
“Yes,” she answered instantly. There was nothing for her in The City but a nasty loan shark and a debt waiting to be collected. After a kiss like that and a glimpse into a sensual world she had always wanted to experience, she wanted to know all the secrets he promised.
Venom produced a thin white leather collar from the front pocket on his uniform shirt. He pushed aside his jacket and swept her hair out of the way. She knew the moment he spotted the scars on her neck. His brow furrowed. “What’s this, sugar?”
Self-conscious, she touched the bumpy patches that had been hidden from view. “I was wounded in the embassy bombing.”
Shock tightened his features. He slid his gloved fingertip along one of the scarred ridges. “You’re lucky to be alive.”
“That’s what they tell me.”
He slipped the collar around her neck and buckled it. “Too tight?”
She shook her head. “Do I have to wear this all the time?”
“You can take it off when you shower.”
He said it as if that was a big concession. Not wanting to argue with him right now, she decided she would bring up the issue later and try to find a better compromise. Wearing this thing around the clock was a no-go for her. Already the stiff edge of the collar rubbed against her scars in the most irritating way.
Venom rose to his full height. Mouth agape, she tipped her head back and stared up at him. Holy shit but he was tall! When he turned his back on her and crouched down, she frowned with confusion. A second later, he instructed, “Hop on my back. I’m carrying you to the processing station.”
The heat radiating from his huge body enticed her. Though she felt a bit ridiculous, she did as she was told. There was no way she could walk in the makeshift shoes he had crafted out of socks and plastic bags.
When he reached up and tugged her hands away from his shoulders, she followed his lead and loosely looped them around his neck. She wound her short legs around his trim waist. He slipped his hand back and gave her bottom a reassuring pat. “I won’t drop you.”
“I trust you.”
His lips brushed her hand. “That’s a good start.”
Though Venom was intimidating and little more than a stranger to her, Dizzy had made her choice. She had entered the Grab to escape her fate as Fat Pete’s plaything and fallen into this sky warrior’s welcoming hands. All she could do now was hold on tight and try to make the best of it.
Chapter Three
The moment they cleared the processing station and had Dizzy’s passport and documents in order, Venom grabbed her small suitcase from the luggage area and carted her to the waiting transport ship. There were already a handful of couples finding their seats in the rows lining the sides of the ship. He found a spot in the corner and lowered her to the floor. Her slight weight had been easy to bear and in truth he rather liked having her pressed so tightly to his body.
A medic hurried over with a heated blanket. Venom quickly removed the slightly damp jacket and wrapped the hot blanket around her petite body before pushing her into an empty seat. Pointing to her feet, he told the medic, “Check those. I’m worried she may have injured herself running through the snow barefoot.”
Frowning with concern, the medic hastily cut off the bags and socks with trauma shears he ripped free from a loop on his pants. He scrutinized her pink feet, pushing her toes apart and pinching them to check her capillary refill. Dizzy’s teeth had finally stopped chattering so she had no trouble answering the medic’s questions.
Another medic brought Venom a protein bar, two bottles of water and a pair of socks. “I cannot believe how poorly prepared these women were for the Grab.” The second medic’s disgust was evident on his taut face. “Their council should be ashamed for sending them out there like that. We’re just damn lucky I was able to scrounge up enough extra socks between you men and the pilots.”
“I appreciate it.” Venom had the utmost respect for the medics. Though they were far from frontline combat now these men had all proven themselves in battle, often risking their own lives to reach wounded soldiers. It didn’t surprise him in the least that the medics had gone through every gear bag and pocket on the ship in search of clean, dry socks for these women.
When Dizzy was given a thumbs-up, Venom pushed a bottle of water and the energy bar into her hands. He dropped his bottle of water on the seat next to her and knelt down in front of her to put the new pair of socks on her cold feet.
“I can do that.”
“I’m sure you can.” He pointed to the food and water. “Eat. Now.”
Her pouty lips settled into an irritated line. “Are you always so bossy?”
“Yes.”
Even though she narrowed her eyes at him, she couldn’t stop the little smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. With a dramatic sigh of annoyance, she opened her bottle of water and took a long, slow drink. She didn’t try to stop him from rolling the new socks onto her feet. He fought the urge to caress her soft skin or stroke his hands up her bare calves. This wasn’t the place to explore her body—the body that now belonged to him.
Settling into the seat next to her, Venom tried to gain control over his skyrocketing lust. When she had admitted to never having a lover he had been deeply and shockingly affected. He had never been the kind of man who cared about that sort of thing. There were some men who would only accept a so-called pure wife but he wasn’t one of them. It hadn’t ever made sense to him that a man was expected to be skilled in the arts of lovemaking but a woman was expected to come to her husband as pure as snow.
He sneaked a glance at Dizzy. She was just so damn beautiful! Wisps of pale-blonde hair curved around her jaw and neck. Warm and cozy inside the heated blanket, she’d gotten some color back into her face. The pink shade highlighted the apples of her cheeks. Those full lips and her honey-brown eyes enthralled him.
Soon, he would have her small body pinned beneath his in their bed. He’d stare down into those big brown eyes before claiming her mouth, before claiming her. Faced with the knowledge that he would be the first man to know her body, Venom would be a liar if he said he wasn't excited by the prospect of sharing something special with her.
But the fear of frightening or hurting her struck him cold.