Page 117 of A Love Like Venom

“Good girl,” he says and my cheeks redden.

I wait for what he will do next when I then feel myself being lifted off the bike.

Letting go of my hand he wraps his arms underneath of me to where he is carrying me.

Reed Carter is carrying me!

With one of his arms hooked under my legs and the other supporting my back I’m cradled against his chest.

My eyes are still closed as I feel us moving.

I can hear the gravel crunch underneath his steel toed boots as he walks along. Then soon the grating sound disappears to his feet meeting the soft grass.

Burrowing myself closer to him I don’t miss the sigh of content that leaves his lips.

When I feel his luscious lips press a kiss to the top of my head I let out a gasp.

He chuckles lightly before nuzzling his nose against mine.

And I swear the butterflies in my stomach that were there earlier come back with a vengeance.

Feeling safe in his arms, happily content, I almost fall asleep to the cadence of his steps until we come to a stop.

“Open your eyes, Alice,” he whispers to me and it sends shivers down my spine.

I finally peel my eyes open completely stunned by what I see.

Rays of light from the afternoon sun cast upon the brightest blue of waters. The water mirrors the sky above. Bright blue skies with hardly any clouds. Tall full green trees surround the border of the water with rocks and boulders creeping in.

There’s a slight movement in the bright blue depths. A ripple effect that is not chaotic or troubling but a steady wave that keeps the water constantly flowing.

A deep sense of serenity washes over me as I breathe in the clean fresh air.

Watching the water, seeing how alive it is, is beautiful.

There is nothing like this back in Hollows Point.

The only thing that was beautiful there was the night sky with a sea of twinkling stars. And even then I don’t think I would’ve found the beauty in them if it wasn’t for him.

My eyes greedily take it all in. “This is . . .”

Wrapping his arms from behind me he says in my ear, “Beautiful.” But when I turn my head I find him not looking at the lake ahead of us but at me.

My entire body flushes from the compliment but it’s his eyes that has my breath faltering. “Why did you bring me here?”

He looks out to the bright blue lake and then back at me. “Because you brought beauty back into my life. The least I could do was show you something beautiful in return.”

My heart constricts as he pulls each string. Turning in his hold I his face dearly in my hands. “You’re beautiful to me. And your heart, your heart is the most beautiful thing about you.”

Taking my hand from his face he lays it right above his heart. With eyes that are sincere and a voice that is vulnerable he confesses, “It’s yours, you know. It always has been even when it shouldn’t have been. My heart is yours, Alice Hall.”

“Reed,” I breathlessly say his name. Emotions rise inside of me and it’s difficult to keep them all at bay. This is the moment that I have always wanted. For him to choose me. For him to want me. For him to feel what I have felt since the moment I met him.

I have wanted this moment more than anything.

Mirroring his actions I take his hand and lay it above my heart. I can’t even control my erratic heart beat. He can probably feel it under his palm. “My heart is yours, Reed Carter.”

And it’s by far the most vulnerable we have been with each other. Handing over our hearts and trusting the other person not to break it. To not destroy the one thing that many people have already tried to shatter.

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