Dizzy’s playful reply set him at ease. Maybe they weren’t so far apart when it came to that issue. “If they’re as pretty as their mother I’ll be a very proud father.”
She waved her fork at him. “There’s that flattery again.”
“Is it working?”
“Maybe.” She rolled her top lip under to squash a grin. Turning her attention to the food, she asked, “What do you want?”
“You go first.”
“Um…” She poked at a few dishes before choosing a green salad loaded with fresh vegetables, a serving of steamed veggies in a tart sauce and some of the fruit. She gestured to the salad. “I can share this.”
He shook his head. “I had one with lunch.” Eyeing her choices, he pushed some of the grilled steak her way. “You should have some protein.”
She pointed out the bright-red beans on her salad. “These are protein.”
“I meant meat.” He remembered Vicious telling him that Hallie had been hesitant to eat what she wanted. Food insecurity was a real issue on Calyx and women tended to be underfed and malnourished. He gave Dizzy a scrutinizing glance. “You should probably have more protein in your diet.”
She made a face and shoved the dish back toward him. “I don’t eat meat.”
He gawked at her. “What do you mean? How can you not eat meat? It’s delicious.”
“I’m sure it is but it’s not for me.”
Venom couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of any person choosing to forego a juicy steak. “Why not?”
She wrinkled her dainty nose. “That’s not a story you want me to tell over dinner.” When he sat there waiting patiently for her to continue, she rolled her eyes and said, “When I was a kid my dad sent me to spend a week with his sister on her husband’s sprawling farm. It was the fall, during the annual hog slaughter. Let’s just say that seven days of watching that cured me of any meat cravings.”
He had never witnessed such a thing but had always assumed the process from pasture to table wasn’t particularly nice. Even though it didn’t bother him to consume meat, he didn’t want to upset Dizzy so he started to set aside the steak he loved so much.
Her warm fingers clasped his wrist to stop him. “It doesn’t bother me to watch other people enjoy meat.”
He cast a skeptical glance her way. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. My best friend chows down on slabs of meat in front of me all the time. It’s not a big deal.”
Though it was selfish he experienced a wave of relief. The idea of having to sneak his favorite foods wasn’t one he relished but he would have done it for her. “We’ll have to make sure there are other protein sources in our kitchen for you.”
“Can you get fish up here?”
“Sure.”
“I don’t mind eating fish occasionally, especially the fresh stuff they catch down in Blue Shores. We used to go down there every summer for vacation. It was a beautiful place. So much cleaner and prettier than The City.”
The peek into her past left him with so many questions. From what he knew of the society down on Calyx there weren’t many people who could afford a summer getaway. Had she come from a wealthy family? Why was she living in a tiny apartment if her family had money?
And then there was the issue of her father. Did she realize the man she called Dad wasn’t her biological parent?
Tucking into his meal, he made pleasant conversation and hoped not to rouse her suspicions. “Your father enjoyed the sea?”
She shook her head and swallowed her tiny bite. “He couldn’t stand it so he spent most of his time at the casino there. My mother loved the ocean and the beach so we would have girls-only days on the sand. She said being at that seaside hotel reminded her of the happiest summer of her life.”
“And what summer was that?”
“The one where she and my dad made me,” Dizzy said with a sweet smile.
His gut clenched. She clearly had no idea what her mother had truly meant and he wasn’t about to be the one who burst her happy little bubble. Not yet at least. The truth would come out soon but he had to find an easier way to deliver it.
Speaking to Risk as soon as possible jumped to the top of his list of priorities. He didn’t want the surgeon to reveal the information about her DNA before he had a chance to prepare her. Dizzy needed a little time to get used to being his mate and living in this new society before he started tearing into the wall of secrets between her and her parents.
“Can we visit Blue Shores?”
He didn’t miss the hopefulness in her voice. “Sure. It will have to wait a few months. We can’t possibly get the travel clearance while I’m on honeymoon leave but I’ll file the permits and work it into my schedule.”
“I think you’ll like it there.” She stabbed her fork through some of the leafy greens. “I want you to see it the way it is now, just a sleepy, easy place, before they build that monstrosity of a base down there.”
Venom heard the distaste in her voice. “We need a land-based center of operations for this sector. From what I understand, the Blue Shores community welcomed the possibility of a base there and the financial incentives that come with it.”
Her shoulders bounced. “They’re not like the rest of our settlements on Calyx. They’re a fairly autonomous group out there. They were the first to break away when our ancestors were given the planet by your people. Long before the settlers who founded Connor’s Run,” she added. “You’ll understand more about them when we visit. They’re just…different.”
A thrill of excitement rippled through him at the thought of going on vacation with Dizzy. He’d never really had a true vacation. Oh, he took mandatory leave like every other soldier, but he generally coordinated with Raze or Menace or some of his other SRU buddies to hit up one of the pleasure ports. Sex, gambling, sports, films—it started off fun enough but by the third or fourth day he started to dread getting out of his bed. It was so…empty.
Of course, going on vacation with Dizzy meant he would have a much better reason for not wanting to get out of bed. Technically they were in bed now and Venom didn’t want to budge. He eyed the reclining chair where visitors were supposed to sleep.
Not a chance in hell…
Chapter Six
A short time later, Dizzy anxiously eyed the closed bathroom door. Any second Venom would step out of there freshly showered…and then what?
She twirled some of her hair around her finger and thought about the dinner. In some ways it had been very much like a first date. Except that it had taken place in a hospital bed while she was half-dressed and looking like a hot mess.
As she played with her hair, the scent of the shampoo provided by the hospital wafted toward her nose. It wasn’t unpleasant but it was a bit too stringent and manly for her tastes. Surely they had stores that sold feminine soaps and shampoos? She hoped so—otherwise Venom was going to have to get used to snuggling up to a girl who smelled like one of his comrades.
Thoughts of snuggling with her giant sky warrior left her feeling a bit lightheaded. It wasn’t the sickness that made her feel that way. No, it was the memory of Venom’s thick, corded arms wrapped around her in the bathroom while she washed her hands. Even though he had shifted away from her she’d still felt the very hard—and very big—evidence of his attraction toward her nudging her backside.
When he had dropped those ticklish kisses on her neck she’d nearly fallen into the sink. Her knees had gone all wobbly and her tummy had trembled wildly. If a couple of kisses and a hug did that to her, how the hell was she going to survive Venom making love to her?
And he wanted to make love to her so badly. There was no doubt in her mind about that.
When he had accompanied her into the bathroom for her shower she’d been sure he would try to finagle his way into the stall with her. He had surprised her by giving her some privacy and space. Though he wouldn’t leave the room he’d turned his back and kept his arms crossed. A few times she’d caught him sneaking peeks in the mirror but she couldn’t fault him for that. Had the tables been turned she would have wanted to get a glimpse of his naked body too.
Even though he was obviously trying to be respectful of her need to recuperate he couldn’t hide the burning lust darkening his blue eyes every time he looked at her. Considering how long he’d waited for the chance to have a wife she couldn’t really blame him for being so hot. That he’d shown this much restraint proved his self-control.
Her experience as a young woman living alone in The City taught her to be wary of men who were so kind and gentle. Usually they had ulterior motives. But she didn’t think Venom was one of those men.
Talking with Risk had given her some insight into the man who had snatched her from the planet’s surface. He had survived so much to earn the points needed to enter a Grab. He seemed to want nothing more than to take care of and love her. After being emotionally and physically abandoned by her father after her mother’s traumatic death, the idea of having someone to lean on for support was incredibly enticing.
She wasn’t silly enough to think that it was going to be smooth sailing between them—they’d only just met, after all—but she had a growing hope that life with Venom could be very good.