Page 23 of Venom and Velvet

Damn, was he about to confess and I didn’t even have my wire hooked up? “OK.” I nodded and leaned forward. “I’m listening.”

“There’s a constant target on my back because of my wealth. I hired extra security for the wedding so that we could enjoy our special day.” He gripped my hands tight in his. “Everyone was in the barn when the doors shut. The guests assumed it was part of the processional, except when the doors opened again, Fidora, the wedding planner, came rushing in and straight to my security guards. My team was alerted that there was a breach, and they contained the situation.”

My mouth was dry as I listened, waiting for him to drop any clues that he knew it was Kaviathin’s men. I nodded, obsessively bouncing my leg on the bar of the stool I was sitting in. “What do you mean contained the situation?”

“They took care of it, but it was too late. You had already been taken and those men were gone.” He rubbed his thumb across my cheek. “You’ll never know how terrified I was at the thought of something bad happening to you.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in. It wasn’t adding up. I’d known he was going to lie, but something wasn’t right with his story. “But I don’t understand why nobody looked for me. My parents, the police.”

He sighed, his jaw clenching, as if irritated by my questions. “The guests knew there was a commotion, but they didn’t know what. We told them you had gotten ill, and the wedding was postponed. I assume they believed you had gotten cold feet, so I let them think that. And of course I looked for you.” His shoulders stiffened and he slammed his hand on the table, making me jump. “I contacted the police that I work with on a regular basis, and they searched right away for you.”

Work with, as in cops you pay to turn their heads the other way and protect you. Got it.“What about Fidora? She saw the men with guns, just like I did.”

“With the right amount of money, people learn to forget things rather quickly, dear.” He scoffed and picked his fork back up as if we were done with the conversation.

My hands were shaking as I took another bite of my pancake. It was dry and tasted like cardboard and I glared at him briefly, willing the universe to make him choke on his. “What about the warehouse, Ryzen? It’s gone. It’s all gone.” Tears welled up in my eyes and he stopped chewing, his face expressionless.

“I know. I believe the men who kidnapped you also destroyed your warehouse to get back at me. Insurance will cover everything. I’ll handle it. I promise you that.” He squeezed my forearm, searching for something in my eyes.

He sure did have a quick answer for everything, didn’t he? It was convenient. How many days had he been practicing his lies? The fact that he could say all this with a straight face was making my blood boil. He was good at this, and it was frightening. The answers, his mannerisms, all screamed “I’m here to help you because I care about you,” but I knew it was all an act. That was what was so terrifying—how easy it was for him to lie, and so easy for people to believe him.

I am an actress playing a part. If I can channel the way he lies, the way he acts, maybe I can pull this off without any trouble.

“Thank you,” I whispered and wrapped my arms around his neck. He froze for a moment, then gripped me to him. “And Covington? Is the whole deal over now? Oh, God, I hope all your hard work wasn’t ruined.” My voice shook, and I hoped he was buying what I was selling.

“Don’t worry, I’m taking care of Covington.” He hugged me tighter. “I’m going to take care of everything, Nova.”

No shit. That was what I was worried about.

I leaned back and looked him in the eyes. “Being taken like that made me realize how short life is. And how I’ve been too scared to be myself around you.” My heart was beating so fast, I was certain he could hear it. “I feel embarrassed saying this, but I’ve been trying to control these feelings I have for you. Real feelings.”Murderous, crazy feelings.“And when I saw you last night at the hospital, it made me realize that I don’t want to be away from you.” I bit my bottom lip, mostly to keep myself from throwing up.

His chest puffed out and a devilish look flashed across his face. “I have feelings for you too, Nova.” He stood and stepped between my legs.

Heat rushed through my body, my heart feeling like it was going to stop beating as he lowered his head, pressing his lips to mine. I froze and squeezed my eyes shut.

Oh, my God, he’s kissing me. No, no, no.

He pulled back. “You’re trembling, poor thing. Maybe you need more rest.” His body was warm as he lifted me up and cradled me in his arms, repulsion coursing through my veins as he took me back to my room.

I slid out of his arms, tightening my robe around me. “I think I’ll shower and head home. There are a lot of things I need to take care of.”

“Shall I join you?” He towered over me, grinning. A comment like that coming from him was not surprising. Hell, he had been trying to get into my pants for a long time. The difference was back then I had been stupid enough to fall for a line like that, but now? If he tried anything I would cut off his most prized possession and happily rot in prison for the rest of my life.

I chuckled, and shook my head. “Raincheck.”

He seemed satisfied with that answer and let me be. I turned the water to the hottest setting and scrubbed my skin in every place he had touched until it was red. He’d actually kissed me. I would have to keep that little piece of information to myself and not let Cian know. If I had learned anything that past few days, it was that Cian was possessive. My face burned at the memory of us in the woods. That was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I would have to work quickly to get evidence on Ryzen so that I could go back to my life. Back to Cian.

When I got out of the shower, there was a cream-colored blouse and slacks laid out nicely on the bed, a pair of black heels next to them. Of course nothing comfy and casual, what a stupid idea that would have been. Had he bought these for me? Or were they Iva’s? I tried them on and realized they fit like a glove and clung to my curves, so they weren’t hers. She and I were complete opposites in almost every way. Her being tall, slender, and blonde with tanned skin. Oh, and a raging bitch. While I was shorter, more curvy with dark hair and pale skin.

I found him in the living room scrolling through his phone. He had showered and changed into a suit.

“You look beautiful.” He walked over and handed me his phone. No. Not his phone.Myphone. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he had been looking through it. How the hell had he gotten it unlocked without the code? I bet he’d put some type of tracking device on there. He also gave me back my purse, which had my wallet and keys.

“I want you to have this.” He handed me a black keycard. “It’s to my penthouse in our building. You’ll feel safer there. I know we said we weren’t going to move in together before the wedding, but I think we should revisit that conversation.” He grinned that devilish grin that showed off his dimples, and I nodded.

“Of course we’ll talk about that. Thanks, Ryzen, I… um, I appreciate it more than you know.” I offered a small smile.

Appreciate that now I don’t need to try to figure out a way to break into your apartment and snoop.

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