Page 63 of Secrets

"This might be the last time I see you, Hannah. Please?"

The tears roll down his cheeks, and she nods, seemingly understanding how much he needs this. "Okay."

His arms wrap around her, and he tries to hold back his sobs. "I love you, Hannah. No matter what you decide, I love you. And I choose you even though I've given you no reason to believe that. God, I fucking love you so much it hurts right now."

"I want to say it back to you, but I don't want to say it without knowing that I truly mean it. I know I do underneath it all, but I don't know if it outweighs the rest of it. I'm sorry."

He pulls back and kisses her, not asking for permission. He needs one last kiss, and she grants it without resistance.

"Goodbye, Rocky."

"See you later, baby," he says, his body frozen in place as she picks up her black suitcase and walks out the front door.

As soon as the door shuts, he falls to his knees, gasping for air. What the hell does he do now?

Chapter Twenty-Four

Summerville

Venom

Nothing happened after the wedding because Marnie had a little too much fun, and the last thing Venom wanted was to take advantage of a drunk woman. Besides, their first time together should be remembered by both parties. Call him old-fashioned like that.

After tasting Marnie, he can't think of anything else. He hasn't seen her in almost a week, and he feels like he might explode from the inside out. But tonight, when he walks into the clubhouse, he sees her sitting at the bar by herself drinking water.

He wants to go up and talk to her, but he stays back. Things have now changed between them, and he's not sure how toapproach her. Approachthis. Because all he wants is her. All of her. To hear her gasping as he makes love to her before her cries of passion fill his ears as he makes her come. It stirs something deep inside of him.

Knowing this will go nowhere right, especially with the bulge growing in his jeans, he opts to walk past the bar without looking at her and heads for the back entrance. Maybe some air will help clear his head. Calm his heart. Cool his temperature.

He walks around the side of the building and looks surprised to see Marnie as she meets him. "Come for another round, love? Can't get enough of my mouth, can you?"

Marnie wears a flowy black skirt that stops just above her knees, and her top shows off the impressive cleavage she has. She looks delicious in every way.

"I need to know something," she says.

"What's that, love?"

"Don't call me that," she says. "What happened to Chuck?"

The memory of that asshole makes him grimace. "He's gone."

"I know that," she says, her eyes casting down to the ground. "But..."

"He won't be turning up anywhere. No part of him will."

"What did you do?"

Venom's eyes narrow. "Why?"

"Because I feel like it's my fault you had to do that."

"Nothing that happened was your fault, love."

Her tongue licks her lips absentmindedly, and she shakes her head. "I... please?"

"How much do you want to know?" he asks as she leans against the wall in the shadows while he leans against the part of the brick building that juts out.

"I don't need the gory details, like how much he bled, but walk me through the events."

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