Page 103 of Venomous Kiss
“He should blame him. He wouldn’t be where he is if it weren’t for Reon.”
“No, Reon followed orders, and that’s why he was involved. Your father took a life, and he deserved to pay the price, so he is. Don’t go blaming that man. If you can’t forgive, then it’s best you tell him, then leave all of this behind.” She nods to Reon, who still hasn’t seen us. My stomach feels empty at the thought of not seeing him ever again.
I spoke to my father and told him about Reon. At first, he was silent. Would he hate me for seeing the man who put him where he is? Just as we started to grow our own relationship?
I would hate that.
I have family now, and I’m growing as a person—more so than I ever did when I was married to Deven.
Deven said that when I married him, he was my life.
He said many things.
Many things that turned out to be lies.
But Reon tries to give me things, do things for me, not fill me with lies.
There is a big difference between the two, and I shouldn’t be comparing them. But it’s really damn hard not to.
“It looks like he pulled those roses from my bushes,” Linda comments, looking at her garden. “Oh, gosh, I think he did. Please, get him out of here before he picks more.” She gives me a pleading look. “I love you, but get rid of him.”
I sigh and reach for the door handle, but my hand feels unsteady as I turn it. The door creaks when I open it, and his head turns toward the sound. I step out and down the porch stairs, my bare feet hitting the cold grass as I tentatively walk toward him.
“Caterpillar,” he breathes out, and I just stare at him, not acknowledging his pet name for me. “I went and saw your father today. I wanted to apologize to him for what I did, ask for forgiveness, and explain to the man I would do everything in my power to protect and love you for the rest of my godforsaken life.” My heart skips a beat at his words. “I’m sorry I took that life away from you. I’m sorry I took him away from you.”
“I…” I shake my head. He steps forward, offering me the roses. When I don’t take them, he lifts is other hand. In it is a dead butterfly encased in a square of glass.
“I want to keep you, Caterpillar. I want to keep you so badly my head hurts, but I won’t keep you if you don’t want to be kept.”
The roses fall from his hand as he lifts the butterfly higher. I see blood on his palms from the thorns, but it does nothing to stop him.
“I want to give you something.” He looks up from the butterfly and reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a simple gold ring, then just stares at it, not handing it to me. “The stone is a ruby… It’s red, your favorite color,” he says quietly.
“Reon—” I start, but he shakes his head, silencing me.
“I want to spend my life on the Hunt with you. I want you to want me, Caterpillar.” He drops down to one knee. In one hand, he holds the butterfly, and in the other, the ring. All I can do is hug myself and stare at him.
“I fucked up, majorly. And I want to mate with you for our entire life, like butterflies.” He pauses, then adds, “If you tell anyone I did this, I’ll kill them.”
“Don’t you mean you’ll kill me?” I ask, and then he stands and lifts my chin with a gentle finger.
“No, never,” he insists. Then he spins in a circle, faces me once again, and grabs my hand, spinning me away from him and then back. I feel the ring between our palms.
“What are you doing?” I ask as he pulls me to him, holding the butterfly now at my back in his other hand.
“Female butterflies require the male to do a dance before they let him near them,” he explains, reminding me of what I told him.
“You’ve been inside of me, Reon.”
He rocks our hips as he leans forward. “And I plan to be again, but I’m making sure we do it right this time.”
“You think we can make things right?” I ask.
He drops to one knee again, leaving me standing here, not sure what to do. “Yes. You may already be my wife, but I would like to see you in a red dress as you walk down the aisle to me.”
“Red?” I lift a questioning brow.
“Yes, red. And I plan to let you fly with me, sit on my lap in the cockpit, and fuck me however you like it. I plan to pull your hair, smack your ass, and tell you what a good girl you are if that’s what you need. Caterpillar, tell me you want the same thing.”
