Page 215
Chapter 215 of "Tempting Venom" begins with intriguing events: My throat is so clogged with emotions, I feel like Iāll start wheezing.āIām going to... Donāt miss it!
My throat is so clogged with emotions, I feel like Iāll start wheezing.
āIām going to need you to promise,ā he says in a nonnegotiable tone.
āF-fine.ā I bite my tongue and try to push him away, because why the fuck am I stuttering?
āCome here.ā Marcus wraps an arm around me tighter, pulling me down with him, dragging me into the warmth of his chest.
I donāt argue, donāt fight, just let him place my head on his shoulder as his muscular arms envelop me.
This time, heās hugging me from the front, his chin resting on the top of my head. āSleep. Iāll be right here.ā
Maybe itās because Iām tired or just need to crash properly after days of insomnia, maybe itās the feel of Marcusās embrace or his smell or his breaths.
Maybe itās everything.
But I slide my arms tightly around his middle, and for the first time in my life, I close my eyes, burrowing my head against someoneās heartbeat instead of my own demons.
This will end badly.
But just for now, I donātgive a fuck.
30
MARCUS
When I was young, Mom and the grown-ups always marveled at how intelligent and mature I was.
Collected. Drama-free. An adult in a childās body.
Those are some of the terms they used.
Not sure how it started or why. Mom once mentioned that I was like my father in a sense. She said āsmartā so as not to say ācold.ā
But I guessI ammy fatherās son in that way.
I like my ability to find solutions to problems by spotting patterns and dealing with the source of the issue. Itās how I function, fix cars, and play hockey.
Itās what makesmewho I am.
However, Iām having a slight hiccup with this lethal man whoās draped all over me.
Itās morning now, and Prestonās arms are still wrapped around my waist in a prison-like grip, his head buried in the slope of my neck, and his leg thrown over mine.
He had a nightmare a couple of hours ago, shaking uncontrollably and mumbling words like,Donātā¦, Mommyā¦,andDaddyā¦
His voice was stripped and raw and slightly choked as ifhe couldnāt breathe. Moisture clung to his lashes, and his lips quivered as he kept calling for his parents.
My chest felt like it was being split in half.
Iāve never heard Preston speak in that completely broken tone before, and the fact that I couldnāt put an end to his misery left me shaken in a deep, harrowing way.
For the first time, I couldnāt find a solution to the source of the issue. Couldnāt reach into his dreams and murder whatever demons lurked there.
All I could do was stroke his hair and his shoulder, being careful not to wake him up, since that seems to tick him off.
This time, I patted his back through it, whispering, āIām here.ā
Even if he didnāt hear me, even if heād been taken by another force, I wanted him to know I was there for him.