Page 29 of Caught By Menace

“Wh-what?” She could barely form the word.

“You are worth fighting for,” he repeated just as firmly. “Those people? Your blood? They abandoned you, but I never will.”

He seemed so honest and sincere. She had never wanted to believe a man so much in her entire life. She opened her mouth, but he shook his head and pressed his fingers to her lips.

“I know what you’re going to say, but I’m not those men.” He seemed to be struggling for the right words. “Do you have any idea what you mean to me? What I went through to get you?”

Menace gripped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up and over to display the right side of his body. Those tattoos she’d studied earlier were in clear view now. “Every mark I carry on my body is a reminder of the hell I’ve survived. These tell the story of my history as a soldier.” He touched his left side, the bare side. “But here? This is where I’ll tell the story of us. Someday soon, your mark will be right here.”

Menace touched the space just above his heart. The implication hit her hard. He would wear her mark on his heart because she meant more to him than anything in this world.

“When we have children, their marks will join yours. I will carry you on me forever because you are mine.Thatis what you mean to me.” Menace caressed her cheek. “Do you understand now?”

“Yes.” The depth of his devotion both terrified and warmed her. No one had ever spoken to her in this way. If any man in creation had the audacity to be everything he promised, it was probably Menace.

He stroked her jaw and smiled sadly. “I know you don’t believe me. Not completely, at least.” He kissed her tenderly. “That’s all right, sweetheart. I know what I’m up against and I’m willing to take on the challenge of convincing you.”

Naya didn’t know what to say to that. Menace reached for the orange he’d peeled and popped off one segment of juicy fruit. He teased it across her lips. “Eat your dessert so I can have mine.”

His sexy, playful meaning didn’t escape her. She happily allowed him to slip the citrusy flesh between her teeth. She munched on the delicious orange and felt the first tendrils of anticipation unfold in her core. Only one thought circled round and round in her head.I could get used to this.

Chapter Seven

Menace enjoyed watchingNaya sleep. Her relaxed face showed the slightest hint of a smile. Considering the way he’d ravished her after she’d finished that orange, he wasn’t surprised. Hell, he’d had a smile on his face when he’d finally drifted off with her secure in his arms.

He studied her full lips and dark hair. The first soft rays of faux sunlight spilled out of the recessed lights above the bed. His people had long since mastered the art of longterm space living by fooling the body with specially filtered UV lights set on timers that mimicked a daily solar cycle. By eating a specialized diet high in vitamins and exercising regularly, the Harcos lived in space for years without suffering negative side effects.

Menace wondered how well Naya would take to her new lifestyle. Hallie had struggled with living in full-time orbit. Vicious sent her to see her sister in the colonies whenever possible so she could have a few days with her feet on solid ground. If Naya needed that, he’d find a way to make it work. There were years of vacation days banked in his account waiting to be used.

He trailed his fingertip along her collarbone to the very tip of her throat and then lower to the valley between her breasts. Their discussion from last night still troubled him. That she had a criminal past as a juvenile delinquent was the least of his worries. The women of Calyx were faced with ugly choices. To survive, Naya had made the choices she felt necessary. He would never hold those against her.

No, what troubled him most was the way the people who should have protected her had treated her so abominably. A mother who ran out on her and a brother who left her behind to struggle for survival? It was an absolute disgrace.

He now understood what he faced in earning her trust. It wasn’t going to be easy, but then none of the things in life worth having ever were. Naya was worth it. He had to make her see that she was truly a person who deserved happiness and love and security. If it took his last breath, he’d show her that.

Remembering a promise he’d made about giving her time before they took a step toward parenthood, Menace carefully slipped out of bed. To his amusement, she reached for him in her sleep. He patted her seeking hand until she settled back down. Smiling, he headed into the bathroom and went through his usual morning routine. Before returning to bed, he opened up the med kit in one of the cabinets and found the thermometer.

He slid back in bed and activated the thermometer. Before she’d gone to sleep, Naya had explained that her temperature had to be taken at roughly the same time every morning and after at least four hours of sleep. Considering the routine he kept, she would likely wake near this time every day.

Menace pressed the flat, circular tip of the thermometer to her temple. A split second later, Naya’s eyes flew open in sheer terror. She grabbed his wrist hard enough to leave bruises. “Get that off of me!”

The thermometer beeped and he carefully tugged it away from her head. “Easy, Naya. It’s just a thermometer.”

Wild-eyed, she smacked at his hand and sat up. “The hell it is!” She rubbed the spot where he had taken her temp. “What did you do to me? Did you inject me with some kind of drug?”

Her misunderstanding would have been humorous if she wasn’t so clearly gripped by paranoia. “Look,” he said and thrust the thermometer into her hands. “It’s just a temperature-takingdevice. You hold it to the forehead or temple and it takes a temperature in three seconds.”

She took the device with trembling fingers and studied it. Her fingertip traced the flat probe and then the digital display. She swallowed hard as color crept into her cheeks. Obviously embarrassed, she refused to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” he said softly and tipped her chin. “It’s all right. I should have woken you first. I can’t imagine how scared I would have been if some woman I’d only known for a day was jamming something strange against my head while I was in a dead sleep.”

“I guess.”

“Let’s start this day over, okay?” Menace leaned forward and captured her lips. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

Happiness filtered across her beautiful face. “Good morning, Menace.”

“Smile for me,” he murmured and brushed his knuckles across her cheek.

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