Nero(103)

Elle darted her face to look at him. “How did you know that?”

“Do you really think I would let you go to work alone after what happened to you?”

“You’ve been following me this entire time?” Elle whispered.

“Every fucking day,” Nero gritted out.

Oh, my God. Elle blinked, remaining in shock at Nero’s actions. If Elle hadn’t been such a zombie these past few months, she would have noticed and maybe…

Elle watched Nero drive past the road to go to her house. “You missed the turn.”

“No, I didn’t,” Nero said matter-of-factly.

“Well, then where are we going?” Elle didn’t understand. She wasn’t in good shape to go anywhere.

“Home.”

What is he thinking? “Nero, I’m not going anywhere with you. Especially not your house where you fucked countless girls only to fuck me right there, too. And there’s no telling the girls you’ve fucked these past few months.”

Nero flexed his jaw and gripped the steering wheel without saying a word.

Elle felt bad as soon as she said it, even if it was the truth. She could feel his anger beside her, his pain. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the door, wishing her off switch would come back. She also wished her heart hadn’t been stolen from her. Elle suffered from a big wound right in her chest, and no matter how sore her body was, none of it hurt as much as that.

When Nero didn’t go in the direction of his house, Elle asked him over and over where he was going, but he never said a word. Elle really began to worry when Nero parked out front of the Kansas City Casino Hotel, right next to her work. That was where Nero’s family had come from when they’d killed the man.

She watched Nero walk to her door and open it. Elle didn’t want to go in, but Nero leaned over, swooped her out of the car and slowly put her to her feet.

“N-Nero, why are we here?” Elle tried to get out.

Nero grabbed her around her waist to hold her up. “It’s okay, Elle. You know I’m not going to hurt you.”

Elle took a deep breath and put her weight into Nero, letting him walk her inside. When he opened the door, her head felt like it was going to explode from all the noise of the machines and the change swishing around. She had to close her eyes and let Nero guide her. Nero walked her to an escalator and held her to him to steady her. She couldn’t take the pain anymore; therefore, she put her head into Nero’s chest, wanting it to go away.

Nero leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I’m sorry, baby. I should have brought you in the back.”

At the top, Nero quickly swept her off the escalator. Up here, it wasn’t so loud, and she was able to open her eyes. She saw a security guard wave Nero past the crowd, and then they headed toward some elevators. Nero led her onto an elevator and went to press a button when a crowd of people joined on. He pulled her toward him again.

Elle put her face back in Nero’s chest, not wanting to see the looks people were giving her. She thought the elevator ride was the longest one of her life as it kept stopping and starting, making her sick.

She felt one of Nero’s hands leave her for a moment before it returned and started soothing her.

This time, when the elevator went up, it didn’t stop for quite a bit. When she heard the elevator door open, Nero moved for her to walk again. That’s when Elle noticed the button lit, indicating they were on the top floor.

Nero took a right and led her down a long hallway until he reached the last door on the left. He pulled out a key and slid it through the slot like a credit card before opening the door.

Elle walked through the door Nero held open for her and her mouth dropped open. It was a loft. The downstairs had a big, flat-screen TV, a leather sofa, and a huge kitchen and dining room all connected. Everything was black and white, and everything was brand new and modern. Elle still couldn’t pick her mouth off the floor when she saw the view. It was a corner suite with floor-to-ceiling views.

Nero took her hand and led her up the steps where she saw a huge black and white bed low to the floor. The windows had carried up behind the bed, making the city the backdrop.

“Where are we?” She was in complete awe, never having seen anything like this even in a magazine.

Nero couldn’t take his eyes off Elle’s amazed face. “Home.”

Elle, shocked, turned to look at him. “You live here now? How?”

“My father owns the hotel, and he’s been saving this room for me since I could remember. I got to design it a few months ago, and it was just finished last week. Do you like it?”

“Yes, it’s beautiful.” Elle looked down at the black, hardwood floors. “Was he waiting to give it to you when you joined the family business?”