Page 132 of Lovely Venom

Believing I was an Albanian mafia princess hit me differently when I was supposedly the daughter of a man I had never met. And would never meet.

But Valdrin? A man who’s been gentle and kind to me has me wanting a father for the first time in my life. And that maybe I wouldn’t be so flawed and broken if I’d had a lovingdad.

Like Connor.

Okay, he’s flawed and broken in a different way. But the man can love while I’m still figuring out how the hell to work this useless heart in my chest.

I’m about to choke and give in, say more that will get me in trouble, when Valdrin speaks softly, “Where?”

A FEW DAYS LATER, CONNORfastens a listening device to my sternum with fingers that now know every single one of my curves.

His mouth kisses up the center of my torso, lingering over my ribs. “I trust you, Venom, but this has me in knots.”

My eyes slip closed, loving how his mouth feels on my skin. “He won’t hurt me. And I trust you to keep me safe.”

“Fuck, yeah.” He clips the mic into the thin strap of my new lace bra and then trails his mouth up my throat.

I lay my arms across his shoulders. We’ve been making love like some doom is waiting for us on the horizon. Like we’re running out of time. Maybe we are.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“I already told you, you’re mine.” He gazes down at me. “Protecting you and making sure you get everything you deserve is part of what makes me the man I am.”

The heartfelt confession drives my pulse even crazier.

“The smoking,” I hedge.

He grips my chin. “I told you, you’re more important than a damn cigarette. And even more so if your health is at risk.”

“You quitting cold turkey still means more to me than you can imagine. All these things you say to me are words. I took all the bravado, the possession, the visceral way you look at me with a grain of salt. Thinking that wasjust who you are. It’s that you made this sacrifice that so many people can’t make that shows me you’re serious.”

“I’m more than serious.”

“Can I just ask? How can you be so sure aboutme?” I withdraw and cover my body, feeling insecure all of a sudden. “I’m the risk, the complication, the mess.”

“That’s simple.” Connor kneels to wrap the knife sheath around my naked thigh, pressing a kiss just above it. “You know the expression, there’s plenty of fish in the sea?”

I laugh, wondering what the contemporary expression is for a generation that meets on hook-up apps as a first stop on the dating train.

“One of my favorites that I hear from men is: Women are like buses. Keep waiting. Another one will show up,” I say.

He grips my jaw. “That doesn’t apply to a man like me. I can’t date just anyone. I can’t see a woman I find attractive and assume, yeah, she’ll date a crime boss. She’ll be okay with a murderer. My dating pool was very shallow. And at worst, I was going to be forced to marry someone who knew exactly what I was and hated me.”

I frown. “Are you settling for me?”

He laughs. “That’s what you got from all that? You’re perfect for me. You get me. You’re not afraid of me. You saw me torturing someone, and you didn’t run away. You saved me. You put everything on the line for me. How can I not—?” He stops as a blush spreads across his cheeks. “How can I not love you?”

The air escapes my lungs. “Connor.”

Shaking his head, he says, “Relax, Venom. I don’t expect you to feel the same way. I pulled you out of your world. You need time to adjust. I’m going to give you that. On one condition.”

“And that is?”

“You don’t give in to your doubts and adjust to me. To my kiss. To my cock.” He grips my ass. “Everywhere, Venom. I want to swim in your bloodstream and take you over better than white thunder.”

If a woman said this to a man, he’d light the sidewalk on fire speeding away. But Connor is so sincere. After meeting his brothers, their wives, and his mother, I believe him. Everything in his life led to this moment for him. The moment when it’s his turn to love and be loved.

“Back to Valdrin.” He tests the mic. “You’ll be safe. There will be eyes on you at all times and from every angle.”