Nero(51)

“Means you’ll run.”

Elle had been going to. Shit! Elle screamed and smacked his back as hard as she could. She wanted him to at least feel some pain.

Slap.

“Ugh!” Elle rolled her eyes and gave up. We’re already almost there anyway.

When Nero reached the car, he unlocked his doors and opened the passenger door before putting her in. Elle heard the sound of the lock again and watched Nero lean against her passenger door as he talked to Amo and Vincent.

Elle weighed her options. Clearly, running doesn’t work, screaming for my life doesn’t work, and telling him why I’m upset, again, doesn’t work. She was out of options.

No matter what, Nero was driving her home. She didn’t want Nero to completely win, so she looked around the car. When she looked at the backseat, Elle knew exactly what to do.

She climbed into the backseat, smiling at herself. She knew why Nero wanted her in his car. Because he is going to sweet-talk his way out of this and hold my hand, making me give in.

Elle knew that, after what had occurred in the locker room, she would most likely give in because that was exactly what she had done. Not this time.

Nero slid into the driver’s seat and Elle enjoyed the look on his face when he realized she wasn’t there. She enjoyed it even more when he looked in the rearview mirror and she was there smiling at him.

Like I said, fuck you! Elle had learned to say that kind of stuff in her head.

Elle heard Nero take a deep breath and watched him run his hands through his hair. She was kind of shocked when he didn’t say anything and started the car.

He put the car in reverse, pulled out of his spot, and then drove off the lot.

Elle sunk into the backseat of Nero’s car and slammed her eyes shut. She leaned her head against the window, the glass feeling cold against her head. Elle thought about today’s events. She didn’t know how she had gone from being whacked with a milk carton to Nero hotly slamming her against the lockers and all the way to being practically kidnapped by him because she was upset girls had been touching him. She had gone through so many emotions today, and now they were starting to wear on her.

A part of her was still needy, wanting Nero to finish what he had started, while the other part of her wanted to cry. She wanted to cry for herself being picked on by having things thrown at her and being publically humiliated. Then she wanted to cry because something inside of her had really started to like Nero, and Elle ultimately knew it would never work between them.

She started to feel crushed by her emotions as a tear slipped down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away, wishing her problems would wipe away just as easily. The whole car ride, she suffered from her thoughts, and the ride to her house was quite a bit of distance.

Elle opened her eyes as the car pulled over; she wasn’t in front of her house like she’d expected, but they were close. She didn’t know why Nero would stop. However, Nero got out of the car, and a moment later, Elle watched the backseat door open on the other side. He slid in and positioned his body toward her as he draped his arm over the backseat.

“Baby, come here.” Nero’s voice sounded like he was commanding her. The part still needy and the sliver inside of her that liked Nero wanted to do as he asked, yet Elle wanted to fight the feeling.

She laid her head back on the window and shut her eyes with her thoughts.

“Now,” his voice rang through her head, his command much stronger.

Elle picked her head back up and looked at Nero’s body, opened for her. The two sides of Elle were fighting against each other, and when one finally won out, she scooted her body toward him. She didn’t know why she had given in, but Elle hadn’t realized yet that more than half of her wanted Nero and it would never be much of a fight.

When Elle’s hips touched his leg, Nero’s arms circled and pulled her into his body. Her head was no longer resting on the window but on Nero’s chest. The hand that had been on the backseat now was in her hair as he soothed her head, and the other went under her jacket to do the same to her back.

Elle eased into him and let him soothe her. She figured he had seen her cry and that was why he was doing this. No one had ever taken care of her all those nights she had cried silently in her bed. Only Chloe knew her torture, and she had much worse to cry about.

She didn’t know how much time had passed as she lay in his arms. Elle had closed her eyes and thought she might have dozed off until Nero’s voice broke the silence of the car.

“It wasn’t what it looked like. Yes, maybe from their point of view, but I promise, I didn’t want it to happen.” Nero spun a piece of her hair and continued, “I’m sorry you had to see it, and I am asking you to trust me. I don’t want anyone else, and I’m not going to have anyone else, Elle.”