Page 105 of Venomous Throne

It made sense. As much as I hated what he’d done, I had to admit it was a genius plan.

“If I stay away—” I gripped him tighter “—they’ll think I’m weak.”

Jaxon shook his head. “I can fix that. I’ve been thinking about how to make it up to you. Let me go to work for you.”

“I don’t even know what youdofor work. Are you still in that program?” There were many more questions I was going to need answered. Someday, when the present problems were extinguished.

“No, I’m not. But as for work? I problem solve.” Jaxon’s voice held a bit of a shake. “I can put my skills to work for you, if you let me.”

I considered that. “And if I do that, I can go back home? To my community, I mean.”

My home was gone.

A fact that I was oddly okay with. There were plenty of other nice houses in the neighborhoods. Ones that weren’t tainted with the memory of my loveless marriage.

“Yes,” Jaxon said after a pause. “If that’s what you want.”

I nodded rapidly. “It is.”

And I would like to bring you home, my beautiful, deadly stray.

“Then I’ll make it happen,” he said and pushed himself off the floor. Going to the door of the second room, he opened it with a screech. There was a shuffling and bumping.

My brows knit together. From the noises inside, I wondered what could possibly be happening. Rising on shaking feet, I ventured forward.

Jaxon was zipping a very full duffle bag on the bed.

“Are you leavingrightnow?” I hedged, rubbing my arms against the sudden chill.

His gaze swept across my body. Blisters from the contact seemed to form.

“I can stay until the rain lets up.”

I snorted. I had no clue how long that was.

But I should make the most of it.

Yet…I wasn’t ready to be intimate with him. We needed time. The disastrous mistake he made, coupled with the horror story, needed time to settle. It would have been all too easy to cross the room, jump into his arms, and let our bodies say what our mouths couldn’t. In this place, in this surreal situation, time seemed to stand still and the world outside seemed to cease existing.

There was only a man and a woman.

A freaking hot man, whom I had yet to experience at his full potential.

The timing just wasn’t right.

“What is there to do for fun around here?” I teased, rolling my shoulders. The right was aching something fierce.

Jaxon scrunched up his face. “There’s a bar down the road next to the gas station. Otherwise, there isn’t anything for miles.”

Deciding to delay gratification, I chose that. “Let’s go. And…Jaxon?”

“Hmm?” He studied me with a look that said he wanted to pounce, but was holding himself back.

“I forgive you.” I stepped into his body and gave him a small hug. “Just don’t do it again.”

“I swear to you, it won’t happen again.” He bent and inhaled my hair. “But I also swear I’ll never be sorry for protecting you.”

A buzz of warmth shot through me. It wasn’t perfect.