Page 49 of Truths

“I heard from Mac that Dani can't stand to be touched. All Dax wants to do is hold her and have her in his arms, but she can't let him,” Colt whispers in her ear.

Venom walks into the clubhouse, and the two of them make eye contact before he finds his spot along the dark wall. Lex knows he's been keeping an eye on things and being near Dax as needed.

“Has she talked about what happened to her?” she asks, her eyes going back to Dani.

His head shakes as his chin sits on her shoulder. “Not that I'm aware of.”

“He's pushing her, and she's not ready. He's going to push her away.”

“I don't know what I'd do in his shoes. I mean, I understand his feelings. All I wanted when we got you out of there was to hold you and never let you go. It would make me crazy if you wouldn't have let me touch you.”

Turning in his lap, she gives him a knowing look. He shakes his head, but she says, “I can't do nothing.”

“I can't talk you out of it, can I?”

“Do you really want to?”

“Depends. Is what you're going to do going to piss off Dax?”

She gives him a small smile but doesn't answer.

“I guess if he's too mad, we'll just move back to Griffin's Beach,” he says, and she knows he's been asked by multiple people since the wedding if they're staying. It's the first time he brought anything up, though.

Standing, she walks over to the President and his wife. Dani looks up at her with fear in her eyes before recognition calms her, and Lex is rewarded with a shaky smile.

“Hey, Lex,” Dax says.

“Hey,” she says, sitting in the chair next to Dani. “How are things going?”

“Fine,” he says and tries to reach out to Dani, but she flinches away from his touch. He forces a smile. “We're fine.”

Dani looks at the table and sighs. “I guess we're fine.”

“Can I make a suggestion?” Lex asks.

Letting out a chuckle, Dax shrugs. “I don't think we have much of a choice, huh?”

“No, not really,” she says with a smirk, butterflies kicking up in her stomach. This may go very, very badly. “I think maybe you two could benefit from some space.”

Dani's head shoots up, and for the first time, she looks hopeful. “Really?”

“I think having some time away from each other, giving you both some breathing room, might be beneficial.”

“No,” Dax says, his head shaking as he crosses his arms over his chest. “No way.”

Her heart goes out to the man, but she knows exactly what he's doing. He's trying to get his wife back, but the wife he knew likely has gone... and she may very well never come back. “Dax, you can't give her what she needs right now. Not when you're pushing her to give you what you need. You're both on two different pages, and she needs somewhere without pressure.”

“You think I'm pressuring her?”

“Not intentionally, but you want something she can't give you right now. And she needs some space to process everything that's happened to her.”

“And where the fuck do you suggest she go?” he asks. “Your house?”

Shrugging, Lex says, “I have an extra room.”

Dax jumps up and leans over the table just inches from her face. Colt and Venom both move forward, but she holds a hand out to stop them. She's okay. Only slightly terrified, but she's perfected her poker face after all these years.

“Fuck you, Lex!” he shouts, spitting on her face.

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