Page 36 of Deception
Even though he wishes she’d back down, she refuses. “Call Lex and ask her. She’s your best friend, right? If she says you should do this, I won’t try to stop you.”
Lex will tell him not to go. That it’s a stupid idea, and it’s another arrow to his heart. Another woman he’ll disappoint. “No.”
“Then you have a decision to make.”
“What are you talking about?”
Swallowing, Marnie lets out a shaky breath. “If you walk out that door to risk your freedom, I can’t stay. You don’t owe her anything, William. Please don’t do this to me.”
All he can do is gape as she remains on her knees, hands praying in front of her, as tears stream down her cheeks. She looks him directly in the eyes, and he expects her to break eyecontact. To dip her head and break into sobs. Instead, she stares at him with glossy eyes.
“You’d leave me?”
“If you’re willing to risk being taken from me for the rest of our lives, then I don’t have a choice. I love you too much, and I need you to stay here with me. Please, baby, I’m begging you. Pick me. Don’t go. Pick me.”
Picking her up, Venom holds her tightly in his arms, hating her pain as she sobs into his neck. “I pick you. I won’t go. Risking you for her isn’t worth it to me.”
Her lips are on his in a flash, her salty tears touching his tongue. She runs her fingers through his hair before she pulls back and looks into his eyes. “Thank you.”
He carries her into the bedroom, and she unties her robe as he sets her on the bed. Her naked form captivates him, and he hates the weakness he hears in his own voice after he strips down to match her. “You’d really leave me?”
“If you’re willing to risk being taken from me for something you don’t have to do, I don’t have a choice.”
“I owe her—”
“Stop.” Sitting up, Marnie reaches out to touch the jagged scar on his side. She doesn’t even have to look at his skin to know where they are. She’s memorized every scar on his body. “This tells me you don’t owe her a damn thing.”
Closing his eyes, he lets her reach out and touch all the others. The ones she kisses as she makes love to him, as though trying to erase them all. “Those weren’t her.”
“She didn’t stop the men from doing this to you,” she whispers and pulls him to the bed. “I’m grateful she had you, but she never protected you. Instead, she uses your birth as a way to exploit you.”
Venom’s never been great at feeling worthy. In fact, he’s pretty sure he doesn’t deserve anything good in his life, but Marnie found a way to slowly change that.
“You gave me an ultimatum.”
She nods when he opens his eyes to look at her. “I did.”
“You know I’d choose you.”
“I hoped,” she says and climbs onto her knees to wrap her arms around his neck and press her chest against his. “Someone has to protect you. What we have is so important to me, and I need to do whatever it takes to protect it. You. Us.”
She promised she would do everything in her power to protect him in all the ways no one else ever has, but he never really let himself believe there was truth behind the words. No one has ever cared enough before.
“You did this for me.”
“I’ll do anything for you,” she says and kisses his neck. “Whatever it takes to keep you safe, I’ll do it. And if that means forcing you to choose between me or something that can hurt you, I will.”
Holding her close, he focuses on her breathing as his heartbeat thumps loudly in his ears. This feels like one of the most important moments in his life, and he’s scared it’s nothing but a dream. Something he’ll wake up from and realize it was never even close to real.
“I’ll always pray you choose me over anything, William,” Marnie whispers. “And I promise to always choose you, too.”
Not only does she want to protect him, she just promised to choose him. Her father. The opinions of others. It’s the two of them. Forever.
“Thank you,” he whispers.
“Always.” Pulling back, she cups his face and gazes into his eyes with such love that it takes his breath away. “I love you.”
“I fucking love you.”
