Chapter 9
My eyes popped open, and I expected it all to have been a dream. An amazingly epic dream with vivid detail. But my hand curled into the warmth of Nero, his familiar scent tickling my nose. He was still here, and we were both still naked.
The fear that had seeped in dissipated. I had nothing to worry about.
He stayed. I wasn’t just another one-night stand in his book.
I sighed. Nero was here, and he was still as perfect as ever. I trailed my finger through the dark hairs on his chest. As a teen, I thought chest hair was gross, but now I appreciated it. It was manly and sexy as hell.
His grip on me tightened, pulling me closer. I angled up and kissed his neck.
“Mmm,” he groaned, his hand traveling down my side and squeezing my ass. “Perfect,” he mumbled before turning his head and kissing me. His cock pressed into my thigh, and he shifted, flipping me beneath him.
A giggle slipped from my lips, and he kissed me harder. His hand found my center, his finger thrusting deep. I cried out, but he wouldn’t let my mouth pull away from his. He swallowed my cries, his tongue moving in sync with his finger.
“Condom.” His breath brushed my ear. “I need inside you.”
I flung my arm out, searching the bed for his wallet. My fingertips grazed the leather, and I wiggled to get closer. I snatched it up, fumbling with the black rectangle as I flipped it open and fished out the square package.
Nero’s thumb brushed my clit, and my body arched against the mattress.
“Do you need me to stop?” he asked with a wicked grin on his adorable face.
“No,” I muttered, ripping the packet open with my teeth.
I reached between us, rolling the condom over his length and positioning him right beside his finger. He pulled out and shoved in with his cock.
My cry mixed with his groan, our mouths finding each other like two attracting magnets that refused to be apart. Couldn’t even if they tried.
Pleasure erupted in my core, spreading through my entire body and consuming me as he rocked into me with long, hard strokes.
Earlier, it was tender and loving. Now it was animalistic and sultry. Both very different, but equally thrilling. His hands gripped my hips, and he flipped us, putting me on top.
My eyes widened in shock. “I’ll crush you.”
“Fuck me,” he demanded.
“I thought I was more than a fuck, Mister?” His fingers tickled my sides, and I let out a squeak. My hips rocked, and his hands dug into my flesh, moving me back and forth, setting a pace I could keep.
Nero’s gaze landed on mine, making me feel beautiful in a way I’d never felt before. Any insecurities I had were lost to the desire filling his dark blue irises.
“That’s right, baby. Just like that.” His breath grew heavier, his eyes squeezed shut as his face contorted in obvious pleasure.
My teeth slid over my lip, a new sense of empowerment flooding through me. I rolled my hips, taking him deeper. His jaw clenched, and I leaned back, putting myself on display.
“Fuck,” Nero muttered.
I slid my hand up my stomach, cradling my breasts and pushing them together. My thumbs pinched my nipples, making the pebbled beads even tighter.
“Okay!” Nero exclaimed as he shot up, his hand snaking around my neck and bringing our lips together. He kissed me like a desperate man, his lips and tongue frantic. I continued to rock against him, taking him in and out. His head dipped, sucking my nipple into his mouth. Wet, heated slashes of his tongue sent a new wave of desire spiraling through me.
He moved us to the edge of the bed, our bodies moving as one, racing toward our release. His forehead rested on mine, our breaths mixing until I wasn’t sure whose was whose. Friction built, we created our own inferno, sweat coated our skin, and I should have felt gross, but all I felt was beautiful.
Nero gripped the back of my head, holding me close. I felt the slightest of tremors run through him, and our pace picked up. My eyes closed, reveling in the sensations sparking alive in my body.
“Look at me.” His words were more of a plea than a demand. I obeyed, staring directly into the dark storm, wanting to be swallowed whole and taken under with him. Only him.
His grip tightened, jaw clenched, nose crinkled as his eyes looked as if they were fighting to shut, but he held strong. He held my gaze as the room spun away, our surroundings becoming insignificant to this moment. Sparks ignited beneath my skin, spreading out like lightning and striking with explosive precision.
My walls tightened. Nero’s gaze darkened, and the world imploded. Nero stood, lifting me with him, not even giving me time to question his strength. My arms locked around his neck, my legs attempted to wrap around him.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Don’t drop me.”
“Never.” He surged into me, bouncing me up and down before barking out a guttural cry.
He held me, breathing deeply into my neck. “Fucking perfect,” he said before sitting down on the edge of the bed. He didn’t let me go. Only held me tighter.
At some point, he shifted, removing the condom and tucking us into bed. He spooned me, making me feel comforted and loved. I sighed, savoring this moment.
Sunlight trickled in through a gap in the curtains, and I moaned in satisfaction as I rolled over to Nero. Confusion rolled through me as I touched the spot he was in only hours before to find it not only empty, but cold. I opened my eyes and sat up at the empty bed beside me.
A piece of paper sat folded and propped up on the end table. He probably went downstairs to use the gym or find us breakfast. But then again, he could have just called room service.
I unfolded the paper, taking in his sloppy handwriting. My heart stuttered, and I slammed a hand against my mouth as a cry tried to escape.
I had to head back. Everything is paid for, room and car. You’re good in the room until eleven. The car will be ready by then.
He left me…
And not only did he leave me, he paid for everything as if I was some sort of hooker. My hand shook, the pain becoming almost unbearable.
Beneath the writing was a scribble, and I held it up to the light, trying to make out the words beneath, but the scribble was too dark, too hard.
Tears pricked my eyes, and I pulled the blanket up over my naked body, feeling more exposed than ever.
I crumpled the stupid note and tossed it across the room. Pain and anger rushed through me like a freight train. Disappointment consumed me. I thought I knew him better than that. I thought he differed from what everyone else believed him to be. I thought I was different.
I swiped at the tears on my cheeks, refusing to cry.
A knock at the door startled me, and I jumped off the bed, wrapping the sheet around me. My heart pounded in my chest. Maybe he realized he made a mistake. He came back to me.
I flung the door open, my joy immediately melting away.
“Have you been crying?” Sherry demanded. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”
I grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the room before she caused a scene.
“I should have known when he texted me early this morning saying you needed clothes. He could have just bought you clothes. But to do that he would have had to stick around.”
Anger twisted her usually pretty features.
“Can we not do this right now?” I asked, knowing how pathetic I probably looked.
Sherry’s anger slipped into concern… possibly pity. “Of course.” She pulled me into a hug, but as comforting as it was, it wasn’t the arms I wanted to be in. Nero was gone. He got what he wanted—twice— and left me alone in a hotel room two hours from home, yet I still wanted him.
Sherry held up a bag. “Why don’t you go shower and put some clothes on? I brought your ‘Baking because murder is wrong’ t-shirt. Seems very fitting right now.”
“Thanks.” I took the bag from her and let it fall against my legs. I headed for the bathroom and stopped. “Did he say why he left?”
This time I could see the pity in Sherry’s eyes. It was as clear as a summer’s day. “No.”
I nodded and, without another word, headed into the bathroom.
After I showered Nero off me—though, I couldn’t wash away the memory of his touch—Sherry brought me to get my car. She offered to get us brunch, but I declined. I felt bad. She drove the two hours here just to give me clothes. Nero, the bastard, probably knew I’d fall apart and would need her.
But all I wanted was to get home, crawl into bed, and try to forget that this night ever happened.
Forget that I was now another notch on Nero Grasso’s bedpost.
I picked up my phone from the table and noticed the pad of paper that Nero had written his note on. The paper beneath was blank, but indents from what he wrote were visible. I peered at the blank page and realized he must have crossed out the words after he pulled it off the pad.
Staring up at me, indented in the pages like scratches to my heart, were the words, I’m sorry.
The words should have helped. Should have made me feel better. But if anything, they made me feel worse. So much worse.