Page 226 of Beautiful Venom

The wind ruffles his hair back, and he looks a bit worn-out.

But he’s right here. His tall, imposing figure is a dark silhouette against the soft glow of lantern lights and the gentle sway of the trees.

His jaw is clenched, the faintest tension creasing his brow, but his arm around my waist is firm, warm, grounding me as the world spins in disbelief.

The scent of damp earth fills the air, snowflakes drifting down around us like fragile confetti, but all I can focus on is the hard planes of his chest against me.

The heat of his body encompassing mine.

All of him. Here. Alive.

But it still feels unreal.

Maybe this is a figment of my imagination.

“K-Kane? You’re here.”

“I’m the one who’s supposed to say that.” He strokes my waist, his fingers gentle and possessive at the same time. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Megan said there was an accident with Preston, and you were there and…and…”

“And you were worried about me?” There’s a small light in his eyes, a flash of careful hope, maybe.

“Of course I was!” I hit his chest, tears streaming down my cheeks. “I thought you jumped off the cliff to save Preston or something. I would’ve never forgiven you if you’d done that.”

“Good thing I didn’t, then.” A light smirk tilts his lips. “I’d hate it if you didn’t forgive me. My worst nightmare.”

“Are you joking around right now?”

“I’m dead serious. I hate it when you give me the cold shoulder. I hate it when I can’t touch you. But most of all—” His right hand strokes my cheek, wiping away the tears. “—I hate when you cry because of me.”

“Says the man who gets hard at the sight of my tears.”

“Different tears. The ones you release because you love it when I fuck you. These, however, I loathe.”

“Then you shouldn’t get into dangerous situations. For Preston or anyone else.”

“I will try not to. For these beautiful eyes.”

My nails sink into his shirt. “So you won’t abandon it completely?”

“I can’t. Preston and Jude are my family. They’re the only family I’ve ever had. You can’t ask me to abandon my family, just like I can’t ask you to abandon Violet.”

“Is that why you got Jude off her case? Even if it meant sacrificing your leverage over him?”

“Yes.”

“Why? So she’d be on your side?”

“Soyou’d be on my side. Everything I did, I did for you, Dahlia. Not anyone else. Justyou.” He drops his forehead to mine, his hot breaths skimming my skin as he closes his eyes. “I can’t live without you. I don’twantto live without you or your warmth, your nosiness, or your spirit that overflows into mine. The few days where I couldn’t find you were hell on earth. You were everywhere, but I couldn’t see you. It turned me into a fucking madman.”

“Kane…” The lump in my throat is so big, I can’t properly form any words.

“It’s okay if you can’t forgive me now. I’ll wait for months or years if that’s what it’ll take. Just let me be close by. Let me see you. Let me protect you. Let me breathe you in.” His hand wraps around my jaw and he inhales me. “My obsession with you might have started as a form of limerence, a need to possess and dominate. An urge to prove that you’re a phase and mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. But you have slithered between my heart and rib cage and I’m unable to breathe without you. You’ve conquered me, heart and soul, Dahlia. I don’t know what love is and whether or not it’s real, but if it exists, you’re its definition for me.”

He opens his eyes again and they’re darker and the clearest I’ve ever seen. “Why are you crying again?”

“Because you’re not supposed to say shit like that when I’m so jaded.” I sink my fingers into his hair. “Asshole.”

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