Saved by Venom 3 (Grabbed)(17)

First they would need to deal with that bossy streak of his. She felt conflicted when he gave her orders. She naturally rebelled at the idea of being told what to do by anyone…but she would be lying if she denied there wasn’t some tiny part of her that found Venom’s commanding nature rather exciting. There was something about that gruff voice of his that made her shiver inside.

The bathroom door opened and Venom exited in a small cloud of steam. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight of his half-naked body. She had to clamp her teeth together to keep her jaw from dropping. It was rude to stare but she just couldn’t help herself.

Oblivious to the way he affected her Venom strode into the hospital room and dropped his neatly folded uniform onto an empty chair. He wore only black shorts and when he bent down to adjust the boots he’d left under the chair she got a rather enticing view of his taut backside. The sight inspired some rather naughty visions of this gorgeous man between her thighs, thrusting into her and showing her all the secret delights of a marriage bed.

A wicked thrill raced through as she ogled his massive and muscular body. He straightened up and walked to the end of her bed. She took in his broad chest and toned arms. Tattoos marked the right side of his body, swirling around his arm right down to his knuckles and arcing up the side of his neck. His left side remained bare. She had heard they reserved the left side, the side closest to their hearts, for telling the stories of their families while the right side told of their military history.

“Do they bother you?” As if self-conscious, he ran his hand over the dark ink.

She was surprised to see such a tense set to his square jaw. “No. Why would they?”

“Some of your women don’t like them.”

“I think they’re beautiful.” At his funny face, she added, “You know, in a manly sort of way.”

Laughing, he walked over to the side of the bed. She took advantage of his closer position to reach out and touch one of the tattoos. He inhaled a sharp breath and she instinctively pulled back her hand, worrying she’d crossed some line. Grabbing her wrist, he dragged her hand back to his arm. “I want you to touch me. It surprised me. That’s all.”

With his fingers wrapped loosely around her wrist, Dizzy traced the symbols on his skin. How long had it been since a woman had touched him like this? Too long if his heavier breaths were any indication.

Her finger moved to a series of squares with slash marks through them. He had them rolling up his biceps and onto his back. “What do these symbols mean?”

Venom didn’t answer her immediately. Seeming reluctant, he explained, “They mark my confirmed kills as a sniper. Every box equals five.”

“Five?” Her astounded reply escaped her lips before she could stop it. There were just so many of them on his skin. She didn’t have the stomach to add them up.

“Yes.” The harsh, pained whisper of his voice cut her to the bone. She could feel the cold waves of regret and discomfort radiating from him. Venom dropped her wrist and took a step back. “I’ll put on a shirt.”

“Stop.” She reached for him, clasping his hand and tugging him down onto the bed. He watched her with a mistrusting eye, almost as if he feared what she would say next. Fully aware this was a chink in his emotional armor, she wanted to tread carefully. “I can’t even pretend to understand what war is like.”

“You probably understand better than most brides.” His thick finger moved aside the thin collar circling her neck to touch the gnarly scars dotting her skin.

“Maybe,” she said uncertainly. “Venom, I don’t know you that well—but I don’t think you’re a monster. I think you’re a highly talented soldier who did his duty. I won’t judge you for carrying out orders.”

“Maybe not,” he said quietly, “but these tattoos will be a constant reminder of the things I’ve done and of the lives I’ve taken.”

Searching for the right words, she swept her palm over the markings on his hard biceps. “This is your past, Venom.” Her hand moved to his left arm where the skin remained pristine. “This is your future. That’s all that matters to me.”

He swallowed hard, his throat moving, before taking her hand and dragging it down to the space above his heart. “You are my future. This is our future.”

The huskiness to his voice made her chest tighten. Since surviving the bombing Dizzy hadn’t really allowed herself to think too far ahead. In the back of her mind, she secretly doubted there was a future. Terrorists like the Splinters wouldn’t stop with one bomb. No, they were biding their time and waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

She had allowed herself to plan as far ahead as next month. Thinking in short-term bursts—tomorrow or next week—didn’t make her nervous. After all, she had design and production deadlines that had to be met—but daydreaming about five years down the road? Never.

Sitting there with Venom, Dizzy allowed herself to imagine for the briefest of moments what her life could be like in a year or two. She remembered all the things he’d talked about wanting with her, especially a family, and liked the possibilities that flashed before her eyes.

“Have I gone too far?” Her hulking sky warrior stared at her so intently. “Is it too soon to talk about our future?”

She shot him a bemused glance. “Venom, you snatched me out of a forest and put your collar on me. Moving too fast happened around five minutes after I left that cold, muddy pen.”

“Fair enough,” he said with a short laugh. He brushed his fingers through her loose hair. “When you think about the future, what do you think about?”

“Security.” The answer came swiftly. “I’m so tired of being afraid.”

Compassion softened his expression. “I’ll protect you.”

She figured if any man in the universe could pull off that promise it was Venom. “Yes, I think you will.”

Feeling braver than ever, she leaned forward and planted a kiss right on his mouth. He reacted with some surprise at her aggressive move. In the short time they had been together she had been too shy or uncertain of him to let down her guard. Not anymore.

When she looped her arms around his shoulders, Venom relaxed and slid his hand to her nape. Cupping the back of her head, he took control of the kiss she’d initiated. With any other man it would have annoyed her to lose power but there was just something so damn intoxicating about the way Venom naturally assumed the dominant role.

And the man could kiss!

As he had back in the forest when he’d left her shivering with desire, he quickly wowed her with his skill. His tongue flirted with hers before delving deeper. She had never allowed the few men she’d dated to get very far with such passionate kisses. Considering she had sworn off sex before marriage to protect herself, she tried not to cross that line. Too many steps on the wrong side and it might prove too difficult to stop.

But all those old worries and roadblocks fled. Held in Venom’s strong arms she was powerless to deny him the erotic kisses he seemed intent on sharing with her. Nor did she want to deny him. God, she wanted it all.

When he sucked just the tip of her tongue she nearly died. Her heart fluttered wildly and she whimpered with need. He nibbled her bottom lip until her face flushed and she throbbed all over. Overheated and panting, she clung to him and wished he’d keep going.

A man cleared his throat very loudly from the doorway of the hospital room. Dizzy tore away from Venom in shock but he didn’t seem the least bit fazed. He forced her to meet his calm, assured gaze. His playful wink lessened her embarrassment at being caught making out like teenagers.

“Venom,” Risk said with teasing censure in his voice, “if you can’t let her rest, I’ll have to banish you to the waiting room.”

Venom grunted and sent the surgeon a daring look. “I’d like to see you try.”

Laughing, Risk walked toward the bed. “The dozens of sedatives at my fingertips might even the odds.”

Venom cracked a smile. “You always did like to play dirty.”

“I prefer to think of it as playing smarter.” Risk reached toward the neck of her hospital gown. In a movement so fast it startled her, Venom gripped the surgeon’s wrist. Instead of looking annoyed, Risk rolled his eyes. “Would you calm the hell down? I’m removing her life-sign patches so you two won’t be setting off alarms all night. The medics have other patients who need their attention.”

Venom released the doctor’s wrist. “I’ll do it.”

“Fine.” Risk shrugged and reached up to tap away at the screen mounted on the wall next to her bed. “I’m stopping your vital signs checks. You’ve been stable since surgery so there’s no point. We’ll get another read during your discharge exam. We also need to complete your intake exam in the morning.”

“What does that entail?” Her belly lurched as the possibility of painful procedures awaited her.

“Nothing scary,” Risk replied. “We were able to take samples for all of the necessary tests while we prepped you for surgery. We need to go over your medical history to make sure we haven’t missed anything small. That’s all.”