Page 83 of The Safest Place She Knows

She smiled.“You are welcome to do so.”

He took herhand and pulled her to him. “I request the honour of a night withyou.”

“After dinner?I mean, I am planning to pig out. Could be awkward.”

He grinned. “Ican wait.”

“Tomorrow,Tamara goes to school, but I will be by myself here.” Shesmiled.

“I will be herewith you.”

“So, does ithave to be an evening?”

He laughed andhugged her. “Noh works from home a lot.”

“I standwarned.”

“You might havemore than me to contend with.” He stroked her back.

She chuckledand whispered, “Do you bite?”

His lidsfluttered, and he swallowed. “I haven’t, but I can. Why?”

“Howvenomous?”

“Extremely.”

She shiveredand pressed into him. “Good.”

“Noh will haveto be there.”

“Why?”

“He canneutralize my venom if necessary.”

“Oh.Handy.”

Noh’s voicerumbled. “I am not necessary. Venka latched on and stayed on forfifteen minutes. What were you feeling with that, Lya?”

“Oh, uh, alot.” She felt her cheeks pink. “It was like I was dunked in hothoney from the inside out.”

Noh muttered,“I can attest to the honey.”

Lya blinked andremembered how slick she had been. “Oh. Right.”

Allor smiled.“I look forward to experimenting with you.”

There wasanticipation in his gaze, and she glanced over her shoulder. “Oh,cool. This is where I fall off a cliff.”

Their headswhipped toward the screen in the living room, and she was liftedand settled in Allor’s lap. Tamara barely glanced over. She wasbusy staring at Lya clawing her way up a rock face on thescreen.

The videofocused on her arm slamming down on solid ground, covered with cutsand gouges, but her grin was triumphant as she hauled herself backonto solid ground.

Noh cleared histhroat. “How did you learn to climb like that?”

“I improvised.There weren’t a lot of options. The alpha drove at me, and Idropped off the cliff, and then I came back up and got towork.”

Noh hissed. “IfI catch that bastard, I am going to let him know about closecalls.”

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