Page 16 of Reclaiming Venom

The leather cut still draped over the chair caught my eye as I pulled back just enough to rest my forehead against hers, my chest rising and falling in tandem with hers. I grazed her swollen bottom lip with my thumb. “Burning’s dangerous. Uncontrolled fire tears everything apart.”

Ridley cupped my jaw, her fingers brushing through the silver streaks in my beard as if anchoring me to this moment. “Not all fire destroys,” she said softly. “Some of it purifies. Some of it builds something stronger from the ashes.”

Her words twisted something deep inside me -- both a comfort and a challenge I hadn’t realized I needed. Her hands trailed down my arms, over skin and muscle that jumped under her touch, until she reached the tattoos marking my forearms: reminders of loyalty, brotherhood, and scars that would never fade.

“I used to think you’d burn me alive,” she murmured against my throat, pressing a kiss there that had me clenching my fists to keep control. “But instead, you gave me warmth in a world that was so damn cold.”

I sucked in a breath and tilted her chin up with one hand so I could see all of her -- the flushed cheeks, those captivating eyes glowing like embers under their own firelight. “You talk like I’m some kind of savior. I know myself well enough to realize I’ve fucked up more times than either of us could probably count.”

Ridley arched into me slightly, pinning me with a look equal parts fierce and tender. “Yeah, you’ve screwed up,” she said boldly, tracing a finger along the edges of one of my scars before dragging it up to rest on my chest over my hammering heart. “And so have I. It’s not about perfection -- it’s about fighting for what we are.”

Something inside me cracked wide open at her words -- a floodgate releasing emotions I couldn’t begin to name but wanted to drown in anyway. I crushed her against me again in a kiss that spoke more than my words ever could.

But even as desire coiled tighter between us -- a hot blur of hands and lips -- there was an ache beneath it all. The pieces of myself still missing gnawed at me like shadows whispering just out of reach.

I stood and quickly stripped off my clothes, not giving myself a chance to second-guess my decision. We were married, even if I didn’t remember making her mine. If Ridley wanted me, then she’d have me. Maybe she was right and being together like this would jog my memory.

She held her hand out to me. “I won’t break. You’ve never hurt me, and I know you won’t start now.”

I covered her body with mine, and she parted her thighs, welcoming me. My cock brushed against her pussy, and I felt how wet and ready she was. My heart thundered in my chest, and I held her gaze, as I slowly sank into her. The feel of her wrapped around my cock had me closing my eyes and fighting to hold back a groan.Fuck me.

“Yes! Don’t stop,” she said, clawing at my back. “It’s been far too long. I’ve missed you so much.”

“Then I’m all yours,” I said, claiming her lips once more as I pounded into her. Every stroke felt like pure bliss as I sank into her heat. The soft sounds she made only spurred me on. I couldn’t have held back if I wanted to.

It was going to end all too soon, but I felt her tighten around me, and she was coming. Her release coated my cock and I took her harder, deeper. I felt my balls draw up and then I was coming, filling her up. She cried out as she came again, and I realized that even if I didn’t remember her, this felt incredibly familiar. Some part of me recognized her.

I collapsed beside Ridley, pulling her close as our heartbeats slowly returned to normal.

Ridley curled into me, her head resting on my chest. “I love you,” she murmured, her voice thick with emotion. “I’ve always loved you, Venom. No matter what.”

I tightened my arms around her, a lump forming in my throat. I might not remember anything, but in that moment, I knew with absolute certainty that this woman was my whole world.

I traced idle patterns on Ridley’s skin as the afterglow settled over us. The fading light cast long shadows across the room, giving everything a dreamlike quality. I inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of her hair mingled with the lingering musk of our lovemaking. And I knew that’s what it had been.

As we lay there, bodies entwined and hearts beating in sync, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. The future might be uncertain, but with Ridley by my side, I knew we could face anything. Together, we would rediscover our love, one memory at a time.

Chapter Five

Venom

The Dixie Reapers clubhouse, a place I once knew like the back of my hand, felt strangely alien. When I’d first walked through the door, the changes had been drastic enough to slap me in the face. And yet, a lot remained the same. I scanned the room, my eyes adjusting to the shadows. Faces I once knew intimately were now strangers, their expressions unreadable in the dim light. The low hum of conversation and clinking of bottles, a soundtrack that had been the backdrop of my life for decades, was now a foreign melody.

I ran a hand over the worn leather of my cut, the weight of it both comforting and unsettling. Like an old coat I hadn’t worn in years, it felt both familiar and ill-fitting. My gaze landed on a group of officers gathered around the bar, their patches gleaming dully in the low light. Most of them I didn’t recognize. A few seemed vaguely familiar.

“Torch,” I muttered, my voice rough from disuse. I scanned the area and spotted him a little farther down the bar.

He looked up, a bottle of whiskey raised in a crooked salute. A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Well, look what the cat dragged in. You got home from the hospital and then vanished on us. Glad to see you found your way here.”

As I moved closer, I noticed the new faces among the officers. Younger, with fire in their eyes and a swagger in their step. Their youthful energy was a stark contrast to my own weathered presence.

Damn, when did I become the old man in the room? I ran a hand through my silver-streaked beard. That was hard to get used to seeing in the mirror.

One of the new officers straightened as I approached. “Glad to see you again, Venom. You had us all worried.”

I grunted, unsure how to respond. I’d been in the hospital for months, but for me, more than thirty years had passed.

I felt a twinge of something -- nostalgia, perhaps, or regret -- as I looked around at the changed faces of my brothers. The clubhouse itself hadn’t changed much, still reeking of spilled beer and decades of hard living, but the men within it… that was a different story. And I didn’t see a damn club whore anywhere. Ridley had mentioned they were no longer allowed here, even though I hadn’t gotten the full story behind why something like that had changed.

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