Page 41 of Paved in Venom

Feeling bold, I peel off my panties and toss them in the hamper. I’m guessing he’ll never know about that either. I want to feel his shirt against me, and I don’t want to wear anything else. My little secret.

Crawling into bed, I grab the phone and send him another text. I can’t stay up any longer, but wake me when you get back. Please be careful.

Night, baby. I’ll be home soon.

I smile and snuggle in deeper, surrounding myself with his scent. I have no idea how to work his fancy blackout curtains, so the moonlight streams in along with the soft glow from the bustling city beneath us. No matter how hard I try to stay awake and wait up for him, I can’t do. I fall asleep with the phone clutched in my hand and my arms wrapped around his pillow.

Chapter 7

Danil

When I walk in my room, the first thing I see is Simona’s splayed-out body. She’s thrown off all the covers and is lying on her back, arms and legs stretched out, and the T-shirt she’s wearing has ridden up to the tops of her thighs. Her dark hair is a mess around her, her lips slightly parted as she lets out a soft snore, and the sight makes my heart feel tight in my chest. She’s so goddamn beautiful.

I’ve been gone way longer than I’d planned, but Roman and Matvey both texted me updates earlier, letting me know how she was doing and what was going on. Despite her abysmal gaming skills, I can tell they both like her, and that means a lot to me.

Being careful to not wake her, I set my bag down and go into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Once I’m done, I strip down to my boxer briefs and climb in beside her. She doesn’t wake when I gently roll her onto her side and wrap an arm around her, pulling her body in close against mine. I bury my face in her neck, breathing in the scent that I’ve been craving all day, but at first all I can smell is my cologne.

What the fuck?

I lift my head, and there’s enough moonlight streaming in for me to see the black T-shirt she’s wearing. It’s not the same one she wore last night, though. I let out a soft laugh when I realize she’s taken one of the dirty ones from the hamper. God, she’s just as crazy as I am. Brushing her hair aside, I pull the collar of the shirt aside, so I can press my nose against her bare skin, smiling when I’m able to get her scent instead of mine. Much better. I kiss her soft skin and breathe her in, feeling my whole body relax for the first time since I left her.

Before I fall asleep, I shut the curtains so the rising sun won’t wake us at some ungodly hour. I can no longer see her in the pitch-black room, but I can feel her. I rest my hand against her heart, and count the steady beats as I drift off to sleep. At some point in the night, her scared whimpers wake me up, but when I kiss her neck and murmur against her skin that she’s safe, that I’ve got her and I’ll never let anyone hurt her again, she calms down and doesn’t even wake up. I wait until her breathing evens out and her heart rate slows down before I allow myself to fall asleep again.

When I open my eyes several hours later, the first thing I see is a pair of blue eyes watching me. I laugh and scrub a hand over my face as I stretch my arms up in a yawn. She’s opened the curtains, so the sunlight is streaming in, lighting up the entire room.

“Watching me sleep, sladkaya?” I ask her with a grin. “Wearing my dirty shirts and spying on me while I sleep, better be careful, baby, you’re getting dangerously close to stalker territory.”

She gives me a big smile and laughs. “How’d you know it was dirty? It’s the same exact kind of shirt I wore the first time.”

“Because when I buried my face in your neck last night, all I could smell was myself.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“Because you needed your sleep.” I reach out and run my finger along the soft skin of her cheek. “I’m sorry I was gone so long yesterday. Vitaly ended up needing help with several things at the club. He wants everything perfect for opening night, and we can’t do any of it tonight because of that damn party we have to go to.”

“Is that all you were doing?”

“We also needed to talk to some of our men, and I wanted to drive by the address we’re going to tonight and do a little research on the guy.”

“Find anything interesting?”

“He’s having the party while his wife is out of town visiting their four grandkids.”

“Oh my god, are you serious?”

“Yes, unfortunately.” I run my eyes over her, not wanting to think about the perverted jackass. Her blue eyes heat up, and when she runs her fingers up one of my arms, my body instantly responds to her touch.

“I really like your tattoos, Danil,” she whispers, and I can’t help but laugh at the awe in her voice. It’s adorable and just makes me all the more hungry for her.

“I’m glad you do.”

Using every ounce of willpower I possess, I keep my body still as her fingers run over me, exploring my arms and chest with featherlight touches that threaten to turn me downright feral at any second. When her fingers dip lower, nails trailing over my abs, I grip her wrist and force her to be still. My cock is rock-fucking-hard, straining against my boxers and tenting the sheet that covers me.

“Easy, sladkaya. I’m only human, baby.”

“But I want to make you feel better,” she whispers, leaning closer so her body is partially draped over mine. She pulls her hand free and drags her nails lightly down my chest before running them over my abs again. When she dips a finger into my boxers, I groan and grab her hand again.

“I’m fine, Simona. You don’t have to do this.”

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