Page 30 of Paved in Venom

“No, the last time I looked on here, your photo hadn’t been added yet, but I can guess what they’re going to say, and nothing good is going to come from reading them, Simona. Please don’t do that to yourself.”

“I want to know.”

“If you read them, then I read them, and I’m not sure I can handle it.” I rest my forehead against her shoulder, breathing in the scent of her. “I already want to kill them all. I’m not sure how much rage one person can handle before they just completely lose it.” I kiss her shoulder. “I feel like I’m very close to finding out, though.”

“Why do you care so much?”

Her eyes stay on her photo when she asks it, and I follow her gaze, seeing the face that first caught my attention, the pain and terror in her blue eyes, but also the defiance that still shines through, the boldness that they couldn’t completely take from her.

“I just do,” I tell her. “I feel very protective of you. I can’t really explain why.”

When she turns back to look at me, I add, “I knew the second I saw you that I couldn’t leave that building without you. I would’ve killed them all to get you.”

“This is going to sound all kinds of fucked up, but I’m really glad you bought me.”

I can’t help but laugh, even though there’s really nothing funny about any of this.

“I’m fully aware of what would be happening to me right now if anyone else had won the bid for me.”

I close my eyes at the image, because she has an idea of what would’ve happened to her. I have months of photos floating around my head that let me know exactly what would’ve happened. The men who win auctions will often post videos and photos from the day after. They like to brag about how bruised the girls are, how torn, and how terrified. The very idea of it has me tightening my grip on her.

“Try not to think about it,” I tell her, but really it’s for both of us.

“We’re going to that party tomorrow night, right?”

“I would like you to go with me, yes, but I’m not going to force you.”

“Thank you for saying that, but I’ll go as long as you promise to not leave my side for even a second.”

“Never,” I tell her. I kiss her shoulder again. “Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

“Okay, give me just a few minutes, and we can get some breakfast.”

She stands up, and I grab my laptop, pulling up the site I want. Making sure I’m signed in, I put it on the bed next to where she’s sat down.

“Pick out anything you need, okay? All my information is saved, so just go ahead and order whatever you want.”

“Wow, aren’t you worried that I’ll snoop around or do something to mess up your nice system?”

I laugh. “What kind of hacker would I be if I couldn’t even protect my own computer?”

She smiles and lays on her stomach with the laptop in front of her, legs bent behind her, feet in the air and ankles crossed. I’d give just about anything to see this exact position but with her naked.

Forcing myself away, I grab some clothes and head into the bathroom. I quickly get in the shower. With the image fresh in my mind of her on my bed with her ankles crossed and her ass looking fucking phenomenal, I grip my cock as soon as I step under the hot spray. Bracing one hand against the tiled wall, I stroke myself in a rhythm that quickly has me gritting my teeth. I remember how goddamn good it had felt to have her ass wiggling against my cock this morning, the sweet scent of her when I bury my nose in her neck, and the heat in her blue eyes when she’d looked at me.

My muscles tense right before I come, and when the orgasm hits me, I growl her name and slam the side of my fist against the tiles. “Fuck!” I growl, shooting my seed and wishing like hell it was all going inside her. I lazily fist my cock while my body comes down, and when I’m thinking straight again, I start to question just how loud I was. I strain to hear anything beyond the sound of the water, but there’s nothing, it’s a deafening silence that makes me think she most definitely heard me growl out that last fuck or maybe even her name.

Goddammit.

I hurry and wash myself up before toweling off and getting dressed. The silence feels even heavier as I replay the groan I’d given. It seems loud as fuck in my memory, but I still cling to the hope that it’s getting exaggerated in my mind.

Bracing myself for the worst, I open the bathroom door to find her in the same position. Her cheeks are flushed, and when she meets my eyes, she immediately looks away.

Yeah, she definitely heard me jerking off.

I debate the best way to handle this, and finally just laugh. Surprised, she turns to face me, and when I see her lips quirk up, I laugh even harder.

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