“All right?” With a laugh that sounded more like a groan, he slid to his knees in front of her. “Sugar, if this is your first try I may not survive your second or third attempts.”
Giggling, she wound her arms around his shoulders. “Maybe next time you should be seated or in bed. I thought you were going to fall on me at the end. I didn’t know how the heck I was going to climb out from under you.”
“Good point,” he conceded. “Next time we’ll move it into the bedroom.”
He captured her reddened lips in a long, steamy kiss that left her shuddering in his arms. Grasping her hair, he tugged her head back and exposed her neck to his nibbling mouth. She moaned when he grazed his teeth across her sensitive flesh.
He glided his hand down her naked front and dipped it between her thighs. Just as suspected, she was soaking wet for him. Concerned she might be sore after their earlier lovemaking, he concentrated his fingertips on the stiff nub hidden there instead of penetrating her.
Her fingernails bit into his shoulders. “Venom.”
“One good turns deserves another,” he murmured. Loving the way she responded to his intense kisses, Venom rubbed her clit until she shattered in front of him. She came hard and fast but he knew she had so much more passion just waiting to be released.
Without a word of warning, he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her out of the playroom. She squealed with excitement and shock as he dropped her on the bed and crawled over her.
“Venom! What are you doing?” Fits of laughter followed her question as he gave in to the urge to tickle her sides and sensually torment her breasts with his mouth. “Oh! No! No!”
“Yes.” He loved the silliness they shared together.
“Venom, we can’t keep doing this all day.” Even as she protested his sexy intentions, she bucked her hips in the most wanton way.
“Sure we can.” His kisses meandered down her body in a zigzagging path that finally ended right on her clit. Holding her thighs open, he gazed longingly at her pink, dewy center. “In fact I might not ever let you out of this bed again.”
Chapter Thirteen
Seated in a quiet corner of the busy food court aboard the Valiant,Venom checked his watch for the twentieth time but saw that it wasn’t time to pick up Dizzy from her first meeting of the wives’ club. He still had half an hour and had already finished all the errands he had planned to tackle.
After draining the last of the icy juice he had ordered, he chucked the cup in the closest receptacle and decided he would head by the uniform shop now rather than waiting to take Dizzy with him. He doubted she would find the endless racks of uniforms very interesting anyway.
As he crossed the bustling marketplace, he noticed a number of other newly mated men sitting at tables or kicked back in benches in the plaza there. Most of them were drumming their fingers against their thighs or anxiously bouncing their feet. No doubt they all missed their new mates as much as he did.
They were all likely sharing his same fear that some asshole who didn’t have enough points would stake out the entrance of the wives’ club to make a play for an unescorted woman. The two policemen hanging out there would deter any man crazy enough to think he could snatch a woman leaving the support group. Venom would have preferred to have an SRU team guarding the door but it would have been overkill.
Ducking inside the uniform shop, Venom was instantly greeted by one of the staff members of the military-run store. Like every other male working in the retail sector of the Valiant, the young soldier who came over to help him had suffered a brutal injury in battle. There were many things their advanced technology and medicine could fix—but growing back limbs wasn’t among them.
The young man had two of the newest bionic arms but he had chosen not to wear the skin-like covering that many were favoring these days. He bared the metallic limbs with pride and Venom respected him all the more for it. Many men who were medically disabled by the military left the service for civilian life but some chose to remain in the corps in support positions. Mayhem’s recent lawsuit would hopefully increase the opportunities for wounded soldiers but Venom had a feeling it would be a long, slow slog for these men.
As he waited for the soldier to return with the right-size boots, Venom wandered over to a display of tactical pants. He kept hoping they would do a redesign of their most popular line but it didn’t seem to be a top priority. Venom would have given anything to have the oversized pocket on the right thigh replaced with two or three thinner, longer ones.
A soft whistle caught his attention. The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on edge as the warbling sound dragged him right back to Sendaria.
Suddenly Venom was hunkered down along a cliff overlooking the only road into the mining camp where their force was besieged. Covered in improvised camouflage—brush and mud and debris—he controlled his breaths and remained perfectly still while watching the slow-moving column of Splinters. He had been cut off from any support for days and fully expected that he would die before nightfall. The insurgents heading for the gates had to be taken out—but it would mean revealing his position.
And then he had heard that odd little whistle. It had taken him nearly a minute to finally spot Terror flattened against one of the large boulders overlooking the road. Somehow the tenacious Shadow Force operative had made it to Venom’s forward location from the bogged-down base of operations within the mining camp. That one whistle had filled Venom with the sweetest sense of relief. If he was going to die, it wouldn’t be alone.
But they hadn’t died that night. They had fought—valiantly—and survived to fight another day.
A blur of movement near the dressing room tore Venom from the flashback. Without looking to see if they were the right size, he snatched a pair of pants from the shelf and crossed the store to the dressing rooms. The space was eerily silent. To know that Terror was so quiet and motionless that even Venom’s heightened senses couldn’t pick him out sent an icy ripple down his spine.
Only one of the dressing room doors was unlocked. Venom stepped inside and caught the slightest hint of Terror’s antiperspirant. As Venom shut the door, Terror stepped out from behind it and into the light. The harsh brightness of the dressing room illuminated the crags and puckers of the scars marking Terror’s face.
Terror’s lips slanted. “You up for a quickie or has that pretty new mate of yours worn you out yet?”
Venom snorted. “No and no.”
“Pity,” Terror replied and leaned back against the wall. “I’m surprised you didn’t get roped into babysitting at family day aboard the Arctis.”
“Technically I’m on call.” He tapped his watch screen. The timekeeping device doubled as a communication unit. “The SRU teams on the Arctis were already scheduled for an escort mission, so Raze has our team on standby in case the police have any problems.”
“It’s highly unlikely anything will kick off. It’s a bunch of farmers visiting their daughters. Unless someone sneaked a pitchfork by the ground team…”
Venom chuckled softly. “I’ve seen weirder shit happen.”
Terror hummed in agreement. “How is the new bride?”
“She’s perfect.”
“Perfect, huh? That’s not what I heard.” He gestured toward his head.
“It was a mild medical issue that was easily fixed. She’s fine now.”
Terror studied him. “You look about as smitten as Vee was when he took Hallie. What’s it been? Five days?”
Venom nodded. “Five amazing days. Clawing my way through the Sendarian Siege was worth it, Terror.”
Terror’s eyebrow lifted. “She’s that good in the sack?”
Venom punched Terror in the arm. “That’s my mate you’re talking about so watch your step.”
Terror rubbed the spot he’d hit. “Torment said you were touchy when it came to the girl.”
“Yeah, well, Torment has a good whack upside the head waiting for him. He had no right to drop that bomb about
Dizzy’s biological father on her like that. It was wrong. It hurt her.”
“I know it did.” Terror actually sounded as if he regretted causing Dizzy pain. “It should have been handled more delicately.”
Venom’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Man, it sounds as if Menace kicking your ass and your exile to the Arctis is making you soft.”
Terror didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead he offered up a bit of advice. “This thing with your mate’s biological father? Let it go, Venom.”
He frowned. “What? Why? She has the right to know who her father is.”
“I’m not arguing that fact. But if her father wanted her to know he existed he would have done something about it by now.”
Venom took a step forward. “You know who he is.”
“I do.” Terror exhaled slowly. “But I can’t tell you. His files are classified and the only reason I know his identity is because there are no private DNA profiles when it comes to my clearance.” Terror squeezed his shoulder. “Tell her to let it go. You don’t want this man interfering in your life, Venom.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s not my decision to make.”
“The hell it isn’t.” Terror’s hand dropped to his side. “She belongs to you. She follows the orders you give her. Just tell her that her father’s profile is classified and there’s nothing more that can be done.”
Venom decided not to get into an argument with Terror about his assumptions about how a man should treat his mate. “But that’s a lie. She could file a grievance. One of the doctors onboard could petition to reveal the records because she needs to know her medical history.”
Terror shook his head. “This is a box you don’t want to open, Venom. If you follow this path you might be the one who gets hurt.”
“I trust that Dizzy will make the right decision for us.”
“I think you’re playing with fire.” With a wave of his hand, Terror ended the discussion about Dizzy’s parentage. “Talk to me about Devious.”
“Oh, so that’s what this rendezvous is all about,” Venom said as he rested his shoulder against the wall. “I didn’t think you would risk sneaking back onto the Valiant over a DNA test.”
Terror chortled. “What risk? Orion likes to bark loudly but there were no teeth behind his threat to vent me into space.”
“You hope.”
Terror shrugged. “I’ve gotten out of worse spots unscathed.”
Venom didn’t doubt that. “What do you want to know about Devious?”
“How did he look?” True concern darkened Terror’s expression.
“Tired,” Venom answered. “Haggard. I suspect being undercover for that fucking long wears on a man.”
“Yes, it does.” A far-off look crossed his face. “Believe me when I say that there are men undercover in far worse places.”
Venom shuddered to think of the backwater shitholes where the Shadow Force had stashed their operatives. “What’s he doing down there?”
“He’s climbing the ranks of the Splinter force. After we framed him and drove him out of the corps, he was taken right in by them. He’s been building rapport with them for over a decade. He’s a well-liked and very highly respected member of their organization.”
“It has to be tough to play both sides.” Venom worried that Devious might be in too deep. Of course, Terror probably worried the same thing.
“I’ve never doubted him. Not once.” Terror reached into the pocket of his uniform shirt and retrieved the small chip Devious had slipped to Venom that morning of the Grab. “Thank you for bringing this to us. It’s loaded with invaluable information.”
“I’m always happy to help, Terror.”
Terror clapped him on the shoulder. “I know you are.”
Venom considered the tiny chip Terror had tucked back into his shirt. “Should I be worried?”
“Not any more than usual,” Terror calmly replied. “The Splinters are planning a big move but we will make sure it fails.”
“And if you don’t?”
Terror’s lone eye narrowed. “We won’t—but just in case you might want to hurry up and get that beautiful new mate of yours pregnant.”
The warning came through loud and clear. Whatever the Splinters had in the works could bring the front lines of the battle to Calyx. It would mean months—maybe even years—away from Dizzy. The very thought of being separated from her and forced back into the thick of the bloody, brutal war made his stomach churn.
“Speaking of your little mate,” Terror glanced at his watch, “I think it’s time to queue up to collect her. You wouldn’t want one of those skinny flyboys to sneak in and snatch her right under your nose.” Then, just to goad him, Terror added, “I heard Risk was quite taken with her. I saw that he was on the list of speakers for their meeting today. Maybe he’s hoping to privately examine her.”
“I’ll break every damn finger on both of his hands,” Venom grumbled and reached for the door.
Terror laughed but stopped him from leaving. “Hey, are those Series 7 pants?”
“Yeah.” Venom slapped them against Terror’s chest. “But they still have that janky fucking pocket on the right side.”
“What? Still? Damn.” Terror took the pants and shook them out to study them. “Fuck it. I’m taking them.” With a lopsided grin, he remarked, “Looks like I found a way to get into your pants after all.”
Venom groaned at the corny comment and smacked Terror’s arm. “I’ll see you around, man.”
“For your sake, I hope not. I’m rarely the bringer of good news.”
They shook hands and Venom exited the dressing room. He found the soldier with his boots searching the store for him. After a quick apology, he purchased the boots and headed out to pick up Dizzy.
Terror’s parting words rattled round in his brain. He hoped like hell his run-in with the Shadow Force operative wasn’t a portent of things to come.
*
Finally getting the hang of the tablet Venom had given her, Dizzy took notes as the different speakers took to the small stage. Every now and then she stopped tapping at the screen to rub the irritated spot on her neck where her collar chafed her scars.
She hadn’t been very excited about coming to the meeting. Venom had practically dragged her through the door to get her here but now she understood why he was so adamant that she attend. The brief chance to interact with other women from her planet who had gone through the strange experience of being Grabbed was priceless.
After finding a seat, she had glanced through the pamphlets in her welcoming packet. Not long after, the program had started. So far the segments had been interesting.
First, General Vicious, a frighteningly huge and harsh-faced man, and Admiral Orion, an equally as tall and intimidating officer, had taken the stage to welcome them. Vicious certainly embodied his name. He had a loud, booming voice that made everyone pay attention, but there was an unexpected gentleness and kindness about him. From the looks of utter adoration he shot his wife Hallie, it was clear the man loved her like crazy.
He was quick to remind them they had rights aboard the ship and encouraged them to report any sort of abusive behavior immediately. The admiral reiterated that point as he talked about designated safe havens around the vessel. Dizzy got the feeling something terrible might have happened in an earlier batch of new brides. She sensed the general and admiral wanted to do everything possible to make sure the women living aboard the ship were protected.
After the discussions about their legal statuses as new wives concluded there were presentations about shopping and entertainment and even the education programs available. Risk gave a quick talk about the various medical services, including couples counseling, offered in the medical bay.
Dizzy tried to imagine the look on Venom’s face if she suggested they seek counseling. He wouldn’t like it but he would go. They might have only been together for five days but Dizzy knew there was nothing he wouldn’t do to make her ha
ppy—even if it meant going through the discomfort of discussing his shortcomings with a third party.
Not that he had displayed any so far…
“It’s Dizzy, right?”
A woman of similar age with dark skin and jet-black hair slipped into the seat next to Dizzy as the meeting reached its end. Women were milling around them, talking and enjoying the refreshments offered.
“Yes.” Dizzy noticed the brilliant-blue color of the other woman’s collar and the gorgeously stamped letters adorning it.
“I’m Naya.” She held out her hand. “I’m mated to Menace. He’s a friend of Venom.”
“Oh!” Dizzy couldn’t believe her luck. “He told me about you.”
“Good things, I hope,” she said with a laugh.
“Yes.”
“This is going to sound weird,” Naya began, “but we have a friend in common. She actually got a message to me through a man named Dankirk.”
“Ella?”
Naya grinned. “Yes! I hadn’t talked to her in years but I guess she was asking Danny if he knew any of the women aboard the Valiant. She’s worried about you. I promised her I would look after you until you get used to it here.” She hesitated. “If you plan to stay, I mean. If you’re not happy I can help you extricate yourself from the bond you’re in…”
“Thanks but I don’t have any plans to leave the ship or Venom.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Venom always struck me as a really nice guy.” Her mouth quirked with a playfully frustrated smile. “He seems much more open to compromise than the big lug who Grabbed me.”
“Big lug? Are we talking about Menace?” Hallie plopped down on the empty seat on the other side of Dizzy. “I’m Hallie.”
“Nice to meet you,” Dizzy said while shaking her hand.
“How are you feeling?” Hallie asked. “Vicious said you were sick and needed surgery. I thought about popping into the hospital to visit and welcome you onboard but they discharged you pretty quickly.”
“I feel great. Better than ever actually,” she admitted.
“That’s good.” Hallie smiled genuinely. “You’ll find that the medical teams here are amazing.” She glanced at Naya. “They brought her back from the brink of death.”
Saved by Venom: 3 (Grabbed) Page 18
