Or does he still want to try to keep me out of his sister's life? To hurt me enough to make me want to say screw it and leave town?
“A firefighter, huh?” he says, and I shrug and admit, “It helped me feel closer to my dad, as silly as it sounds.”
Venom replies, “It isn’t silly, kitten,” then asks, “Does Ivy know?” and I nod, because, of course, she knows. I keep nothing from my friend, which is why I’ve blocked her out. “Ivy misses you, kitten,” he says, and I break eye contact.
I miss her too, and I miss Hudson and Tate, the girls, heck, I’ve barely seen Luna’s twins.
I can’t risk them. The more Hayden tries to follow me and gather information about me, the more I need to keep everyone at arm’s length. If I could get away with pushing Mama and Gregory out, I would.
Venom sighs when I don’t say anything in return before he cups my cheek and forces me to look at him, his thumb gently rubbing against my jaw.
“I wish you’d talk to me, kitten,” he whispers, his eyes racing between mine, a small frown marring his face before he admits, “Angel isn’t pregnant,” confusing me.
Okay, I didn’t expect him to go this route.
This time, I frown as he explains, “She’s trying to get knocked up and claim the child as mine, but because she’s already shouted she’s pregnant with my child even though she isn’t, I can’t fire her without a lawsuit.”
I swallow hard, surprisingly not shocked that someone would do that, and I lie, “It has nothing to do with me.”
He tilts his head, a look I can’t decipher etching his features. I have to look away at the intensity, but I still, as my eyes lock on his neck, the large tattoo that wasn’t there a few months ago glaring at me.
Raya
My name, he tattooed my name on his skin.
My pulse races, my stomach tightening with the reality. A brother doesn’t brand himself with a woman’s name unless he sees them as their forever.
Breathing becomes difficult, my eyes unable to move from the large tattoo, shock consuming me.
“Kitten,” he says, but I don’t look up from the tattoo, and he sighs before he forces my head up so our eyes lock again. His race between mine before he asks, “Why did you never mention your feelings for me growing up?”
My eyes tear up, the tattoo still taking my focus as well as resentment because of how long it has taken him to figure out the feelings I held, and I choke, “Because I’m a patch chaser trying to piss off my daddy, remember?”
“Kitten,” he whispers, “I was blinded and an idiot, and whether you want to believe it or not, you are my girl, you have been for a very long time. I just didn’t want to believe it.”
Words I longed to hear echo, and I breathe deeper as my eyes widen in shock, not really believing him.
Years he’s tried to get me out of his sisters life and when I do finally cut ties with her, he suddenly wants me?
It has to be a trap.
“It isn’t a trap, Raya,” he says, like he can read minds or did I say it out loud?
He whispers a truth, “You and I are meant to be,” before he leans down and quickly presses his lips against mine, taking away all my senses. Instantly, I melt into him, but as soon as our tongues touch, I realize this cannot happen. His words are just words. I quickly break away, turn out of his hold, open my car door, and climb inside.
He doesn’t say or do anything. He lets me shut my door, start my car, and drive away.
See, it has to be a trap, otherwise, he would have stopped me from leaving. Right?
Chapter 19
Venom
“Alright, Venom, the next club run, what’s the plan since being pulled over? Are we still on the cops' radar?” Blade asks as he leans back in his chair, and I blink, trying to come out of the haze from the way Raya fled yesterday in the hospital parking lot.
I should have gone after her, but my gut was telling me to give her one night, just one night, before I finally claim her, to make her mine. Something I should have done when Dad sat me down and told me about my own feelings when she was fifteen.
Years I have wasted being blinded, adamant she was a patch chaser, wanting the thrill to piss off her daddy.
