Page 99 of Venom Sweeter than Honey
“What can I do to fix it?”
VIOLETTE
What can I do to fix it?Levi doesn’t ask me what’s wrong, or demand that I tell him what I can’t reasonably explain: that all it took was an ounce of his tenderness to trigger an all-consuming fear that it would one day be ripped away from me.
The fact that he doesn’t make me explain myself, but instead simply asks how to fix it, only further disintegrates the barrier encompassing my heart.
A heart that I once thought dead, but now realize is far too alive.
Too soft.
Too vulnerable.
Somnus’s voice is so loud in my head I can practically hear it reverberate against the walls of my bathroom.
Let go.
The reminder has my body sinking further into Levi’s arms.
The hardened, warrior-honed muscle of his body feels like heaven against the softness of mine—like all the protection I’ve ever needed and desired, cocooning me in safety.
Memories of my father and mother—of all the loathsome men I’ve spent almost two decades pleasing—creep in, but Ishove them away, refusing to sacrifice this comfort to the ghosts of my past.
At my silence, Levi’s nose nudges my neck, and despite my still being nude, his touch seeks only to offer comfort. “Hm? What can I do? I’m sorry if I overwhelmed you, or did something wrong..."
This sweet, sweet man.
My eyes flick up to his, an apology in them as my hands unconsciously begin to roam over the broad, muscled expanse of his chest.
“Youdidn’t overwhelm me. I just... I haven’t experienced anything like this before, and it made me emotional.” My gaze drops. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
A small smile tilts his lips as his brows pinch with pity—the kind of expression one makes when seeing a tiny, helpless, albeit adorable, animal.
“Like what, princess? Perfect? Beautiful? Vulnerable?”
Princess?
My brows knit together as wariness creeps in.
Surely, he doesn’t know who I am.
There’s no way my father found mysoulboundbefore...
I shake my head, trying to dispel the thought.
Impossible.
Emotion rises in my throat. “Do not say such things.”
“What? The truth?”
“No... Sweet things that... that are just words. Things you don’t mean. You hardly know me. I just kidnapped you for Akash’ssake. You should be plotting my murder. Planning your escape.”
Levi smirks, tapping the collar on his throat.
“Is that what this is for?”
My lips twitch with amusement as I admire the many pearls and jewels I adorned it with—a complete contrast to his over-the-top masculinity.
