Fury of Obsession (Dragonfury Series Book 5) (38 page)

Her heart stalled mid-beat.

Fighting for breath, Evelyn gasped in shock.

Venom groaned in delight. The pressure increased, making her head spin.

“Fuck,” someone said.

“Concentrate. Control it, Evelyn. Slow him down.”

Edged by command, the deep voice reached through the mind-fog. Evelyn blinked, understanding now.
Control the flow.
She felt the burn. The hard rush of a rising current. The overwhelming stream as energy flowed from her into Venom. He was feeding, taking from her in order to sustain himsel
f . . .
renewing his strength by stealing hers. The idea should’ve alarmed her. It intrigued her instead. Despite the pressure, she liked him like this—out of control, needy, completely focused on her. Evelyn swallowed a moan. The intensity was incredible. Beautiful. Addictive. Pleasure-pain in the burn of physical chaos. Mind-numbing arousal and the promise of sexual release.

But only if she controlled it.

Rikar was right. She needed to tame Venom and control the flow. He was too hungry. Being too greedy, losing himself in the taste and feel of her.
Concentrate.
The word whiplashed inside her head, waking neural pathways. Clarity poured like water from a pitcher, filling her full, giving her strength, allowing her to turn inward. Closing her eyes, she tapped into the current and grabbed it by the tail. She bent it end over end, turned the tap, slowed the flow, making him jerk against her.

Fighting the slower pace, he snarled against her skin.

Fisting her hands in his hair, she locked him down, feeding him small sips instead of frantic swallows. He shook his head. With a gentle tug, she pulled him away from her throat. He fought the separation. Tightening her grip, she insisted. His chin came up. She invaded his mouth, licking between his teeth, kissing him deep to calm him down. Little by little, he obeyed and opened his mouth wider, welcoming each caress, respecting her pace as she gave him what he needed. High-voltage current downgraded, moving from dangerous to delicious.

She gentled the kiss.

He sighed against her mouth. “Thought you weren’t going to kiss me anymore.”

“I lied,” she whispered between kisses, continuing to feed him.

“Thank God,” he murmured, swaying on his feet.

She caught him mid-wobble. His friends did the rest, helping her walk Venom across the room. He stumbled over his feet. Rikar and Bastian steadied him. She continued to kiss and caress him, never breaking contact, enticing him with her taste, making him follow her retreat. Out of the living room. Past the kitchen island. One left turn and a length of corridor later, she stood with him inside a bedroom.

Rikar closed the door, leaving her alone with Venom.

Running her hands over his shoulders, she walked him across the room. The back of his legs bumped the side of the mattress.

His eyes drifted closed. He sagged in her arms. “I’m so tired, Evie.”

“I know.” Kissing him one last time, Evelyn laid him down and stripped him bare, leaving his damp clothes in a heap on the floor. “You need to sleep now.”

“You’ll stay?”

“Yes.”

“Kiss me again?” he asked with a sleepy murmur.

Ditching her pajamas, she slid in next to him. The mattress sighed beneath her. Cool cotton brushed against her side as she settled next to him. Bliss whispered her name. Evelyn hummed. Oh, boy. Total body contact—skin on skin, all of her pressed up against all of him—the absolute best. On the verge of slumber, Venom curled his arm around her, tucked her closer, and turned his face into her hair. Her heart hitched, kicking the inside of her breastbone as she did as he asked and leaned in to kiss him again.

A soft touch. A small taste. A hint of explosive passion.

“I love you, Evie.” Muscles lax, eyes closed, he sighed. The sleepy sound drifted through the quiet, hanging like a promise in warm air. “I love you.”

Her chest went tight. She blinked in astonishment and glanced at his face. Fast asleep now, he remained oblivious to her reaction.
I love you, Evie.
The words slammed into her temples, then resonated, finding a place in her heart so fast Evelyn flinched. Good lord, she hadn’t expected him to say that. Staring at his gorgeous face, she frowned. Had she heard that right? Did he even know what he’d said? Or was it jus
t . . .
jus
t . . .

A lie.

An easy out brought on by fatigue. And the fact she’d fed him.

Good question.

Ruinous results—a pox upon her heart, a threat to her future, devastation times a thousand—if he didn’t mean it. An outcome firmly entrenched in the realm of possibility. Which meant she should probably leave now. Make a break for it and save her pride. But as dawn arrived, she held him close instead of turning away. Damned herself by nestling in and closing her eyes. Wrecked all chance of escape—and a clean getaway—by settling into sleep with Venom in her arms, all while praying she wasn’t making a huge mistake. One that would force her to leave in the morning. Run hard, hide fast, and never look back.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Holed up in bed, surrounded by quiet and the stillness of his room, Venom lay on his side, watching Evelyn sleep. Gaze locked on her, he roamed her face, memorizing every facet, refusing to miss even the tiniest detail. The thickness of her eyelashes. The fullness of her mouth. The gorgeous hue of her skin. The beauty of the loose inky curls falling to her bare shoulder. All things he’d taken note of before. Hard to miss given that his attention remained riveted on her whenever she was in the same room.

Today, though, brought a multitude of new surprises.

With her eyes closed, he noticed others things. Details he’d missed with her smart mouth and saucy attitude distracting him. The small freckle sitting beneath the curve of her bottom lip. The tiny scar marring the underside of her chin. The way one of her eyebrows curved up a little more than the other in the center. Insignificant details on their own; all Evelyn when put together to create a whole.

God. She was precious.

Beautiful in slumber. So warm and sweet next to him. So trusting and soft in his arms. Gratefulness made a home inside his heart, rousing thick emotion. His throat went tight. Venom battled a moment, fighting to stay even, forcing himself to remain on track. But it was hard. He’d dreamed of this day. Of waking up next to his mate. Of having a female to call his own. Now, the promise of it sat within reach. Just inches away. One question from becoming a reality. All he needed now was for Evelyn to agree.

By no means an easy feat. Or a done deal.

Particularly since he couldn’t remember what had happened last night.

He frowned. Well, at least, not all of it. Which amounted to a big problem. No way he wanted to wake Evelyn—never mind ask her the all-important question—without knowing what the hell he’d done to her last night. She wasn’t hurt. He could see that, but, wel
l . . .
he needed a baseline. A jumping-off point to guide him when he started the conversation.

Forcing his brain out of neutral, he stared at the wall above her head. Recall murmured, pointing him in the right direction. He remembered the water tank and the explosion, Bastian flying him home as well. After that? His brow furrowed. Shit. He didn’t know. Digging deep, he pushed harder, reaching for the memory. An image of Evelyn dressed in flannel pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt rose in his mind’s eye.

His gaze strayed to her mouth.

Yes. Definitely. He remembered kissing her. Or rather, Evelyn invading his mouth, tasting him deep, taking control. Wonder washed in on a wave of surprise. He drew a soft breath. Thank God. She wasn’t angry, which mean
t . . .
time to wake her up. He ran his gaze over her face again. Man, he almost hated to do it. She looked so peaceful in slumber. Like a content kitten curled up next to him. Venom debated a second, then shook his head. Stalling wouldn’t solve the problem. Or elevate his growing tension. He needed to talk. He wanted to know. And the only one who could tell him what he longed to hear was fast asleep beside him.

Raising his hand, he pushed a stray curl away from her temple. She stirred. He continued to caress her. Gentle touches. Soft strokes. A quiet murmur. Enthralled by the feel of her, he brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, traced the tiny freckle, then turned his hand and cupped her cheek. “Evi
e . . .
mazleiha
, wake up.”

She sighed, the sound more hum than exhale. Her eyelashes flickered, then rose. Sleepy brown eyes met his. Her mouth curved, making his heart jack-rabbit inside his chest. As the thump-thump-boom got going, she stretched, undulating beneath the sheet, making another part of his anatomy throb. Rock hard for her now, Venom clung to self-restraint and issued a mental order, telling his prick to hold-the-hell-on and get-the-hell-in-line.

“Hi,” she said, with a husky murmur.

“Hey back.”

She blinked, trying to wake up. “What time is it?”

Her tone made him shiver. His body hit the gas, roaring at full speed into dangerous I-want-her territory. Venom swallowed a curse. Holy God. She had the sexiest bedroom voice he’d ever heard. “Late. Mid-afternoon.”

“Oh. Wow. Guess I’ve been sleeping awhile.” Less than a foot away, she stretched beneath the sheet one more time. Muscles across his abdomen twitched, tugging at his hip bones. She settled quick, curling on her side to face him. “How long have you been up?”

“Awhile,” he said, wondering how to start the conversation. Ease into the subject? Blurt it out and hope for the best? Excellent questions. Both valid approaches, although—Venom swallowed—despite his nervousness, leaping in and getting it over with sounded like a better strategy. At least, right now. With Evelyn less than an arm’s length away, the most direct route held more promise. Was way more expedient considering Evelyn didn’t have a stitch on. Naked, soft, and warm beneath the covers—his favorite combo when it came to his female. Holding her gaze, he shoved uncertainty away, took a fortifying breath, and jumped in with both feet. “Did I scare you last night?”

“No.” Evelyn frowned. “Not really, bu
t . . .
”

“But?”

Straight white teeth flashed against her lower lip. She chewed on it a moment, as though trying to decide, then broke eye contact. The loss made his stomach clench. Trying to read her, he searched her expression. Not much to go on. Even less to reassure him.

A pucker between her brows, she shifted beneath the sheet.

Cotton sighed as she retreated, moving away from him. Venom swallowed his protest. The urge to reach out and stop her jabbed him. He shut down that inclination too. Crowding her wouldn’t get him what he wanted. Neither would holding her prisoner. Then again, allowing her to put more distance between them didn’t seem like the way to go either, but, wel
l . . .
hell. He didn’t know what else to do. Or what to say as she reached the edge of the bed, grabbed something off the floor, and stood. He caught a flash of lithe curves—a gorgeous length of her thigh, the taut lushness of her backside, the graceful sweep of her spine—a second before she covered up, wrapping the quilt around her.

His internal alarm system came online.

The warning shrieked inside his head, Venom sat up, but forced himself to stay put. She didn’t want him close right now. He could tell by the look in her eyes. Guarded. Unsure. Maybe even a touch afraid. Swallowing past the knot in his throat, he scanned her face, searching for the reason behind her unease an
d . . .
oh, so not good. Evelyn had the best poker face around. Now he couldn’t get an accurate read on her. Her bio-energy, a perfect match for his, locked him out. Which left him adrift, at sea, unable to read her mind or hook in to her emotion
s . . .
unless she permitted him to. But one thing for sure? Something was wrong.

Really,
really
wrong.

Her posture—the rigid way she stood—gave him another clue. Her uncertainty, the jumbled tumble of her energy, did the rest, telling him to talk fast and be honest too. Screw his nervousness. Forget his pride. Evelyn needed him to tell her the truth. Lay it all on the line. Otherwise, she’d retreat some more, and he’d lose her for good.

“Evi
e . . .
” Unable to stay still a moment longer, he slid across the mattress. She took a step back. And then another, breaking his heart as the distance between them grew. Not wanting her to feel threatened, each of his movements slow, he sat on the edge of the bed. Sheet bunched at his hips, feet planted on the floor, he leaned forward and, planting his elbows on his knees, laced his fingers together. “Talk to me,
mazleiha
. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Clinging to the quilt, she tucked her hair behind her ears. “What are we doing, Venom?”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is—what’s happening here? Between you and me?” Bare feet brushing over hardwood, she retreated some more, then stopped to adjust the quilt. Securing it beneath her arms, she waved her hand, gesturing to him, then pointing to herself. The move hinted at vulnerability. Of raging insecurity and the helpless need to know. “Are you just playing? Is this all a game to you? Am I just a bit of fun to pass the time before you go back to your world?”

Venom’s chest seized.
A bit of fun?
Nothing but a
game
? The thought sent him sideways inside his own head. Temper bled through, making him want to kick his own ass. God. How could she think that? How could she possibly believe that he would—

“Because I’ve got to tell you, if that’s what you’re doing, it’s pretty crappy.”

Venom opened his mouth to respond.

Evelyn cut him off. “And you know what else? I haven’t been playing. Not for a second. From the moment I saw you in that hotel room, I knew something was up. That you were different and, wel
l . . .
” Squaring her shoulders, she leveled her chin and stared him down. The look was all about being tough. Acting strong. Telling him off, giving as good as she got. The sheen of tears in her eyes, however, belied her show of strength. Right no
w . . .
in this momen
t . . .
Evelyn wasn’t tough. She was hurting, mired heart-deep in insecurity. “I know the dragon stuff should freak me out. I
know
it should, but it doesn’t. Nothing about you scares me, Venom, and now, I don’t think I can go back to my life. To the status quo, to normal—whatever that is. I jus
t . . .
I don’t think—”

“Jesus, Evie. I would never send you back.
Never
. I want you with me.” Shoving the covers aside, Venom vaulted off the bed. His feet hit the floor in front of her. He reached out, needing to hold her, wanting to soothe her, desperate to chase her fears away. Raising her hand, she kept him at bay. His chest went tight. Goddamn it. He was losing her.
Losing her
without knowing why. “What happened last night? What did I do to upset you?”

Tears pooled in her eyes. Looking everywhere but at him, she blinked them away. “You said something.”

“What?”

“That you love me.”

Venom blinked. Well, shit. So much for easing into the whole love-match, mated-for-life thing. “I did?”

“You don’t remember?”

He shook his head.

Her throat worked as she swallowed. “Yeah, wel
l . . .
you were pretty out of it.”

No kidding. He’d been a mess. Ravenous with hunger. Weak from energy overload. Impatient as hell too. But obviously not far gone enough to shy away from the truth.

Gaze riveted to her face, he held out his hand, palm up in invitation. “Come here, Evelyn. I want to tell you something.”

Releasing a shaky breath, she hesitated a second, then complied, bridging the distance to slip her hand into his much larger one. He reeled her in, craving the connection, needing the closeness, and raised his free hand. He traced the curve of her cheek. She turned in to the gentle touch, giving him what he longed for—instant connection, stunning acceptance, the incredible gift of her trust. Sighing in relief, he traced the fine arch of her eyebrow with his fingertip. “Wanna know a secret?”

“Yes,” she whispered, the uncertainty in her eyes breaking his heart.

“I wasn’t lying. I meant it. Every word, Evie,” he said with conviction—with everything he felt for her—in his voice. “I love you.”

Her breath hitched. “God, I was so worried you didn’
t . . .
that you wouldn’
t . . .
”

“Wouldn’t what—want you to stay with me?”

She nodded. “We haven’t talked about it, and you haven’t asked me, but I love you too and really want to try, Venom.” A tear escaped, rolling down her cheek. Heart so full of her he could hardly breathe, he caught the droplet. He brushed it away, caressing her soft skin as she pressed her palm to his chest. Right over his heart, claiming it by unspoken agreement. “I’d really like to—”

“Stay.”
Please stay.
He wanted her so badly. Had waited so long to find her. Had loved her an entire lifetime without knowing it. And she loved him back. Now, no matter what happened, he’d never let her go. He needed her in his life—in his bed each morning, in his arms every day, waiting for him to come home at the end of a long night. “
Stay
with me, Evie.”

“I want to, Venom, bu
t . . .
” She smiled through her tears. “You know my life is a mess, right?”

“It doesn’t matter. Not anymore.” Hooking his arm around her waist, he tugged her closer. She nestled in, her heat and sweet scent a gift as he breathed her in. “In my world, you get a fresh start.”

“With you.”

He nodded. “With me.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For finding me,” she said, a hiccup interrupting the words. “For coming after me. For loving m
e . . .
and everything else in between.”

“Sweet love, you were mine from the moment I saw you. And now, I’m yours.” Dipping his head, he brushed a kiss to the curve of her bare shoulder. “I love you, Evelyn. Come home to Black Diamond with me.”