“Oh.” That didn’t sound so bad.
Venom carefully peeled the small silver squares from her upper arm and chest. “It will be quick and painless. We’ll be out of here before you know it.”
The idea of being alone with Venom made her heart race. When she had queued up to run in the Grab that morning she’d dreaded the idea of being alone with one of these scary Harcos males. Now she couldn’t wait for Venom to take her away to his home.
Risk headed to the large window looking out toward a central station where medics and doctors congregated. When he tapped the glass it changed from transparent to opaque to provide them privacy. “That’s amazing.”
Venom chuckled. “I can’t wait to show you around our quarters. You’re going to love the technology.”
Risk watched them with interest. Whatever he saw made him smile. “I’m off shift soon but I’ll see you two in the morning.” Pausing in the doorway, he pointed at Venom. “She’s still my patient, so behave yourself, Captain.”
Venom held up his hands. “I’ll keep my big paws above the sheet.”
Risk snorted and shook his head. “It’s not your hands I’m worried about, Ven.”
Venom balled up the stickers he’d peeled from her skin and tossed them at Risk. The surgeon displayed his whip-fast reflexes by catching them midair before they pelted his head. Still laughing, Risk chucked the small ball into refuse bin on his way out the door. “Have fun, kids.”
“But not too much,” Venom grumbled and slid off the bed. “Do you sleep with the lights on or off?”
“On,” she admitted. “Ever since…”
“The bombing,” he said with an understanding smile. “That’s all right. It won’t bother me to keep them dimmed.” He adjusted the lights to their lowest setting before returning to the bed and moving the sharp incline to its flattest setting. When he put his knee on the mattress to join her for the night she looked at him as though he was crazy. “What is it?”
She pointed out the obvious. “We’re not going to fit.”
“Sure we are,” he replied, undaunted. “We’re going to have to get very close—but we’ll make it work.”
He seemed rather excited about getting very close. Dizzy wasn’t so sure getting that close was such a good idea tonight. Deciding a buffer between their bodies was the best option, she scooted all the way to the other edge of the mattress and rolled onto her side, presenting him with her back. She tried to ignore the way his body heat called to her, urging her to snuggle against his naked chest and inhale the now-familiar scent of him.
“I don’t think so, sugar.” Venom’s huge hand cupped her hip. With one good tug he dragged her onto her back. “I didn’t get my foot caught in a damn trap only to spend the night staring at your hair.”
When his head dipped toward hers she put her hands against his chest. The futile gesture made him grin. They both knew there was no way she could stop him from kissing her right now. Not that she really wanted to stop him.
“Relax.” His husky voice soothed her. “I’m not about to make love to my mate for the first time in a hospital bed.”
The anxious ball of nerves in her belly stopped bouncing. “No?”
“No.” He brushed his mouth against hers. “But I have a few ideas of how we might enjoy ourselves.”
She gulped at his wickedly inspiring words. “Oh?”
“Mmmhmm,” he hummed his reply while skimming his lips down her throat.
She nervously bit her lower lip as she remembered the doctor’s orders. “You promised to keep your hands above the sheet.”
Venom lifted his head. Those pale-blue eyes of his sparkled with mischief. “Is that a dare?”
His devilishly sexy grin made her toes curl. “No.”
His deep, rumbling laughter echoed in the stillness of their room. “It sure sounded like one.”
“You don’t strike me as the kind of man I should be egging on with dares.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” He ran his fingertip along the rounded neck of the hospital gown. “Maybe you could dare me to put a big smile on your face.”
She squeezed her thighs together as heat pulsed between them. “I really don’t think I’m brave enough to do that.”
“Lucky for you I have enough bravery for the two of us.”
Oh, she didn’t doubt that.
Venom claimed her mouth in a slow, sensual kiss. He didn’t seem to be in any rush as he traced the seam of her lips with his tongue before flicking between them. With gentle pressure, he coaxed her to accept his invasion. Eyes closed, she relished the way his big, hard body curled around hers.
It seemed wicked to let this man she had known for less than a day kiss her like this but she couldn’t find any reason to stop him. The idea that she belonged to Venom freed her from all the pressure to deny herself any pleasure. The rules were very different up here in Venom’s world.
All those carnal delights she’d yearned to experience were no longer off-limits. As long as he’d waited for his chance to have a mate Venom wasn’t going to abandon her after he had his first taste. After everything he had shown her today she believed she could trust him.
With a soft sigh she wound her arms around his wide shoulders. Her fingertips ghosted over his shaved head and encountered the rough stubble. Cupping her face, Venom plundered her mouth, leaving her breathless and aching all over. Her breasts became so incredibly sensitive that the thin fabric of the hospital gown sliding against her nipples forced them into tight, throbbing peaks.
As his searing kisses grew more intense she tightened her hold on him. His hand left her face to follow a slow trail down her neck, over her collar and toward her breasts. He palmed her flesh through the gown and she hissed with need.
“I can’t wait to get you home.” He growled the words as he dragged the sheet down to her knees. “Tonight I’ll make do with my hands but tomorrow I intend to discover every single inch of your body with my tongue.”
Was that a promise or a threat? She couldn’t tell but it did wild things to her already overheated body. His hands felt so good gliding over her curves. She couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like to have his tongue circling the stiff point of her nipple instead of the fingertip currently tormenting her.
When he tugged down the front of her hospital gown and bared her breasts, she inhaled a shuddery breath. Her belly clenched as white-hot arcs of desire sizzled through her body. Venom made a hungry sound before sucking her nipple between his lips. She arched into the unexpected and deliciously naughty sensation of his tongue fluttering over the sensitive peak. “Oh!”
He noisily released her breast and dragged his mouth across her chest. He flicked her nipple with the tip of his tongue before suckling her long and hard. “Do you like this?”
“Yes.” She breathed the word as fire raced through her core. Feeling a bit lightheaded, she wondered if her old sickness was returning. When Venom pinched her nipple she experienced another wave of it and realized that it was all him. He was making her feel that good. “Please don’t stop.”
His gruff laughter vibrated through her chest. “Be careful what you ask for, sweetheart.”
Holding her gaze, he ran his hand along the curve of her hip down to her knee before sliding his hand along her inner thigh. Eyes wide, she clamped her legs together, trapping his hand there. This playful kissing and petting was one thing but she was worried where opening the door to naughtier play might lead. “I don’t think we should—”
“Hush,” he admonished gently. “When we’re in bed together, I’m in charge. I decide what we should and shouldn’t do.”
Her eyebrows shot to her hairline. He wanted to be in charge of sex? “I don’t know about that.”
“I do.” He regarded her carefully. “I realize you’ve only known me for a short time but do you think I would do anything to harm you?”
“No.” There was no doubt in her mind that Venom would rather suffer excruciating pain than to ever see her harmed.
“Then what’s so wrong about trusting your mate—your husband—to control this?” When she didn’t answer immediately, he asked, “Are you afraid?”
Was she? After taking a moment to consider, she answered honestly. “Yes.”
“Of me?”
“A little,” she admitted with a nervous swallow. “You’re right. I don’t know you. I think you’re a good, honest man—but I’ve known women who were fooled and hurt. I don’t want to be one of them.”
“Believe what I show you, Dizzy.” Venom nuzzled their mouths together. “You are the most precious thing in the universe to me. If we were attacked right now I’d lay down my life to save yours.”
He spoke as if delivering a vow. Peering into his handsome face, Dizzy felt her inhibitions fading. She wanted this. She wanted him.
Grasping his wrist, she eased the tension from her thighs and let them fall apart. His breath caught in his throat as she slowly moved his hand along her skin. When their hands disappeared under the gown, she whispered, “Show me, Venom.”