Grabbing her pillow, she stormed out of their bedroom and shoved by Venom who stood just outside the doorway. He clasped her wrist to stop her from getting away from him. Even though he was upset with her his touch was surprisingly gentle—and that just infuriated her even more!
They glared at each other for a few seconds before his gaze drifted to the pillow. “Are you throwing me out of my own bedroom?”
“No.” She jerked her wrist free. “I’m sleeping on the couch tonight.”
“You’re not serious.” He seemed shocked. “You’re going to throw a fit over something so ridiculous?”
“Ridiculous, huh?” Dizzy threw her pillow on the couch. “Would it be ridiculous if I said that I was going to go to a party without you and let a man who wasn’t you put his hands all over my naked body? That I was going to let him wrap ropes around my breasts and pull them between my thighs?”
“That isn’t even remotely the same thing. You’re talking about infidelity. I’m talking about teaching with a paid volunteer.”
“You’re talking out of your ass,” Dizzy snapped. “And I’m so over it.”
Venom crossed his arms. “Come to bed, Dizzy.”
“No.” She moved to the couch and fluffed her pillow. “I would love to…but I just don’t think you’re ready for the intensity of it. Maybe I’ll see if I can hire a gigolo from the Low Side to come up here and snuggle me tonight.”
“Suit yourself.” Venom spun on his heel and headed toward the main household control console. He turned off all the lights except the one in the entryway that he dimmed to its lowest setting. At their bedroom door, he paused and turned back to her. “When you’re ready to be reasonable—”
“When I’m ready to be reasonable?” Infuriated with him, she flopped down on the couch and lifted her hand in his direction. She gave him a bold one-finger salute.
His sharp intake of breath told her that he had seen her flip him off so crudely. “Yeah—that’s real ladylike, Dizzy.”
“Ladylike this,” she grumbled and punched her pillow into submission. Hot tears burned her eyes as she listened to Venom get ready for bed. Her lower lip wobbled but she gulped down the warring emotions and refused to cry.
Dizzy couldn’t reconcile Venom’s unyielding position on the officers’ club with the sweet and loving gesture he had made earlier that day. He had gone out of his way to make her happy. Why in the world was he being so obstinate about this?
Why didn’t he understand how it clawed at her heart to think of him touching another woman? Even if it was simply a demonstration of technique it wasn’t right. He loved to remind her that she belonged to him. Hell—she wore a collar for him! Shouldn’t that road go both ways? Didn’t he belong to her? If he could make up rules for her shouldn’t she have the chance to set hard limits for him?
She was still trying to untangle the jumbled mess of thoughts when Venom appeared next to the couch. She stiffened defensively, unsure what he wanted or planned to do. If he saw her rigid body he didn’t comment on it.
“Come to bed, Dizzy.”
“No.”
“You won’t get any sleep here. This couch isn’t comfortable.”
“I’ll deal.”
He sighed loudly. “Will you please come to bed, Dizzy?”
Refusing to budge, she asked, “Will you take me to the club with you?”
“You’re not ready.”
“Well, then, I guess I’m not ready to come to bed.”
“Fine.”
After delivering his clipped response, he stepped closer to the couch. For a second, she thought he was going to scoop her up and force her back into the bedroom. Instead he snapped his arms and unfurled one of the heavy extra blankets he kept in the closet. Holding her breath, Dizzy warily watched him. He shocked her by covering her with the blanket and tucking it tightly under her body, almost cocooning her in place.
“It’s not your weighted blanket but it will do.” He hesitated before brushing his lips across her forehead. “Good night.”
Bewildered by his compassion, Dizzy watched him leave. Alone on the couch, she hadn’t expected to get any sleep tonight. Since Venom had Grabbed her she had grown accustomed to the feel of his strong, heavy arms cradling her to sleep.
Lying there alone in the dark but embraced by the blanket, Dizzy wondered at Venom’s gentleness toward her, even when they were fighting. His desire to take care of her never wavered. So why couldn’t he see how much it hurt her to be left behind while he went to the club?
You’re not ready.
Was he afraid she would embarrass him? Is that why he didn’t want to use her in his class? She didn’t have nearly as much experience as he did—or as the poppies, obviously—but how the hell was she supposed to gain that experience if he locked her away in their quarters? Learning to love the way these Harcos men did—with their collars, spanking, ropes and discipline—took some serious hands-on training. She needed to be in his element to learn how to please him.
Dizzy stared at the dark ceiling and tried to decide what to do. Deep down, she didn’t believe Venom was purposely trying to hurt her. He was simply caught in that alpha-male mindset of knowing that his way was the best way—even if he was dead wrong.
It had to have been two hours from the time Venom tucked the blanket around her when Dizzy finally dug deep and found enough bravery to twist and wiggle free from her cocoon. She sat up slowly and listened to their quiet apartment. She didn’t hear any sounds coming from their bedroom. Was Venom already asleep?
The thought of him drifting off peacefully while she was alone and on the verge of tears angered and hurt her. She feared setting a bad precedent if she capitulated first but what was the alternative? Morning would come and they would still be upset with each other. Staying in here was only delaying the inevitable.
Rubbing her face, Dizzy was reminded of the last few fights she had overheard between her parents. The one that had sent her mother flying out of the house the morning of the bombing had been a doozy. It was the first and only time she had ever seen her dad lose his cool. That vase smashing against the wall had been a symbol of their imploding marriage.
She remembered the nasty words her parents had traded as her father practically chased her mother to the front door. It had been so very ugly. So much of that day she had blocked out but the pain inspired by Venom’s refusal to include her in every part of his life seemed to be dredging everything back up.
Glancing at the open doorway of their bedroom, Dizzy decided she didn’t want any regrets when it came to her marriage. It was so early in their relationship and they were still building the foundation for years to come. One badly placed brick and the whole damn thing would come crumbling down.
Shoving off the couch, Dizzy silently padded across the living room. She had taken exactly one step into the pitch-black bedroom before the light built into the wall above the bed switched on. She raised a hand to shield her eyes as Venom adjusted the brightness to a setting easier on their eyes.
When she could see clearly, she found him sitting up against his pillow. The sheet sat low enough around his hips that she could tell he was totally naked. Her gaze moved from his trim waist across his chiseled chest to his handsome but concerned face.
“I was waiting for you to fall asleep,” he admitted finally. “I planned to come in and get you.”
That didn’t surprise her at all. Wringing her hands, she took a cautious step forward. Slowly and still trying to decide what to say, she made her way to the bed. Venom held out his hands, opening his arms in a silent gesture of welcome. If he thought she was going to forgive and forget that easily, he had another think coming.
But she couldn’t deny that she craved his body heat. Climbing onto the bed, she slid one leg over his and straddled his thighs. The sheet trapped between their bodies kept them from touching too intimately. Knowing Venom, he probably planned to use those masterful hands and his skilled mouth to make her forget about their spat.
Venom cupped the tops of her knees and glided his hands along her bare thighs until they disappeared under her nightgown. The fabric bunched around her waist as his fingers spanned her hips. “Talk to me.”
She braced her hands on his broad shoulders. It would be so easy to make a threat to deny him her body or her affection if he didn’t take her with him but she refused to start down that petty path. It wasn’t going to solve anything.
Deciding that this was one time when she needed to be brave and bold, she stated very clearly, “I’m going with you and you’re going to use me to help teach this class.”
His sigh of frustration buffeted her neck. “Dizzy, I don’t—”
She touched his lips. “I’m not done yet.”
His eyebrow quirked but he didn’t try to speak over her again. She traced the outline of his mouth and then let her finger trail down a long, thin scar running along the edge of his jaw. “I’m coming with you because I want to learn everything you have to teach me. I’m coming with you because I am your mate, your wife, and I belong with you.”
She gulped but found the courage to be totally honest. Taking one of his hands, she dragged it out from under her nightgown and brought it up to her chest. He palmed her small breast and she covered his hand with hers. “I’m going because I won’t be able to breathe if I have to sit here and imagine these hands that I love so much running along another woman’s naked skin.”