Page 146 of Tempting Venom
At least he’s not a ghost of himself like when I found him at the top of that cliff. High, disoriented, broken.
I’d rather see him bursting with his usual entitlement and anger than drowning in a sea of pain.
Not that I should give a damn about any of his moods, but apparently, I do—no matter how much I’ve attempted to deny it. At this point, it’s a complication I need to deal with.
Prestonis a complication of epic proportions.
Someone I’m not sure how to stop from invading my thoughts non-consensually. Atalltimes.
Like a fucking incurable chronic illness.
As he marches into the shop, it’s hard not to see just how much he doesn’t belong here.
He’s dressed in expensive jeans, an off-white sweater, and a knee-length camel-colored cashmere coat that could be smudged by the very air in the shop.
The town, even.
He should look like an eyesore in this place, but he’s just…majestic. Elegant without trying, beautiful to the point that it’s dazzling.
Some passersby on the street are glancing his way, probably without realizing it. He’sthatirresistible.
The floppy golden hair parted to the side, the inquisitive green eyes, the defined set of his jaw, and the pure masculine energy he exudes are just effortlessly attention-grabbing.
I’ve always found Preston’s beauty mesmerizing. Since the time he dangled his feet while sitting on that branch in Dad’s garden.
It’s been fifteen years, but as he approaches me, I still think he’s the most beautiful specimen that ever walked the earth.
Fairy princes aren’t a mere figment of the imagination; they’re real, and Preston is the personification of those mythical beings.
Now, he’s more masculine and violent, but he still looks ethereal, possessing physical perfection. Tall, but not a giant, muscular, but not bulky, beautiful, but not soft. Looks approachable, but is actually headstrong, heartless, and sadistic.
Sometimes, like now, I feel like he’s not real. Just like that time when I mistook him for a fairy. It’s like he was supposed to belong to another universe but somehow slipped between the cracks and ended up here.
Right in front of me.
Like my untold birthday wish.
I find myself fantasizing about blinding each and every person who looks at him, plucking their eyes out, and bashing their heads in.
Excessive, maybe. But I’m at that point of no return, where I choose to fully embrace the complication.
There’s no point in fighting this pull I have toward Preston anyway, so I might as well soak it in, mold him into exactly whatIwant.
I slide my gaze from him to Jenna, pretending to erase him, though that’s impossible when his presence invades all my senses.
“It should be good to go,” I say. “If you hear the noise again, bring it back up and I’ll have a look to see if we need to change the wheel bearing.”
I can see Preston’s expression darkening in my peripheral vision.
Jenna, however, doesn’t seem to notice as she twirls her hair. “You can have another look now if you want. I have time to spare.”
“He doesn’t.” Preston slides to my side, so smoothly, I might add, and stops a step ahead of me, his shoulder slightly blocking me. “He said your car is good. Off you go.”
“Excuseme?” Jenna gawks at him, standing taller. “And who are you?”
He smiles, those dimples creasing his cheeks even as he wears an expression so fake, it’s dramatic. “A customer.”
She searches our surroundings, then glares. “I don’t see your car.”
