Page 68 of Lovely Venom

My amusement fades. He knows who I am. “Connor sent me. For my weapons.”

“Oh. Right. You tried to kill him.” He kicks his door open. “Come in.”

I forget to breathe, wondering if I’ve been set up somehow. But I step inside anyway.

“Let me have that.” I scoop the plant from him, worrying he’ll toss the thing in the trash.

But when I turn into his kitchen, I squeak a laugh. Next to the window is a plant stand filled with treasures like the one I’m holding. They all sit in identical blue and white fire-glazed ceramic pots.

“More gifts from your girlfriend?” I put the coriander plant on the stand.

“She’snotmy girlfriend.” Rhys leans against the doorframe, a picture of power and beauty. “But aye, these are all from her.”

“It was smart to get a stand.”

“I didn’t. She did.” His nostrils flare, the muscle in his jaw ticking.

“It was smart to set it up here.” From this angle, the plants get plenty of sunlight.

“I didn’t. She set it up.”

“That was nice of her.”

“She broke in to do it.”

“Oh.” I rock on my heels and look at the others on the stand. “Um. These need water.”

“They do?” The concern in his voice is a 180 from the annoyed tone two seconds ago.

“Can I have a cup? I’ll do it.”

He rolls his eyes. “I have a watering can.”

“Let me guess. Another gift from your—” I stop when he glares at me.

While Rhys is deftly filling an adorable green plastic watering can with a long spout, I gaze out the window and am shocked to see Fallon watching me from her kitchen.

“Do you lock your windows?”

“Not anymore.” Rhys shakes his head. “She nearly fell to her death trying to get in.”

I spot the six-inch ledge around the building, and I cringe that she’s taking her life into her hands to get inside this man’s apartment.

“So, you leave the windows unlocked?” I clutch my heart. “That’s sweet. Are you sure you don’t want her to be your girlfriend? Looks like you’re halfway there.”

He hands me the watering can. “You know who I am and what I do. I can’t have a girlfriend. Especially one who crawls through windows.”

I don’t tell him she sounds like the perfect woman for him.

I finish watering the plants and turn around, shocked to see Rhys pointing a gun at me.My9mm.

Gasping, I nearly drop the watering can.

Rhys laughs. “It’s not loaded. I took your ammo.”

“I can hit you over the head with it.” If I can reach that high.

“Try it. Fallon will murder you herself.” His good humor about the woman is a relief.