Danny’s face changed in a heartbeat. He rushed over, catching Krystina just as she stumbled, and helped her sit on a big rock nearby.
“What happened? Did something bite you?”
Krystina looked pale, pain tightening her features as she pointed shakily toward the thick grass ahead.
“A snake. I think it was a snake.”
“I was so focused on the trees, I didn’t even look at the ground. I must've stepped right on it…”
Danny followed her gaze and spotted a slender, brightly colored shape twisting quickly across the mossy path before vanishing into the shadows of the grass.
“Shit.”
He cursed under his breath, dropping to his knees to check her leg. He tugged up her pant leg and saw two deep puncture marks just above her ankle, blood trickling down from the wounds.
“This is going to hurt. Hold on.”
Before she could protest, he bent down.
Krystina let out a muffled cry, eyes wide as she stared at Danny, his head bent over her leg.
“Danny, what are you doing?”
She tried to pull her leg away, but his grip was unbreakable, pinning her in place.
Danny sucked hard at the bite, spat onto the grass, wiped his mouth, and went in for another round.
Panic rose in Krystina’s voice. “Are you out of your mind? That could be a venomous snake! If the venom is strong, you’ll get poisoned too!”
“Stop it, Danny! Please, just stop! You could die…”
She shoved at his shoulders, desperate to get him off her.
But Danny wouldn’t budge. He barely even looked up, snapping at her, “Then we’ll both die here, how about that?”
“Why did you have to come in here? I told you it was off-limits, but you just had to ignore me.”
He was furious, and it burned in every word. She’d always put her work before everything else—her safety, her health, even her life. First, she’d worked herself sick, ignoring the ulcers and the warnings. Now, she’d marched straight into the wilderness for the sake of a report. Did she think she was invincible?

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO