Eleven forty-five? Elle hadn’t even realized how late it was, though she had known it was late when she had come over. Yeah, but dang, time flew.
Elle looked around Maria’s bedroom, wondering how long she was going to take. She tried waiting right where she’d told her to, but she spun around the room, bored, until she heard the bedroom door fly open.
Elle turned back around to face the door. “Final—” Her mouth stopped forming the words when she saw Nero standing in the doorway. She thought he looked just as stunned to see her as she did him.
Nero slowly started covering the distance between them, and Elle tried to move back. She thought Nero looked too much like a wolf trying to stalk his prey right now, and she started to feel uncomfortable with the way she was dressed.
I’m going to kill Maria. “Uh-uh, what are you doing here?”
Nero stood right in front of her. “I live here, remember?”
Right. Elle wondered where Nero had gone to tonight. He looked a bit sexier than he usually did with his buttoned up shirt that was a dark gray this time. It made his emerald eyes dance and gave him a more deadly and sexy appearance. Elle licked her lips from them suddenly starting to feel dry.
Nero reached out and took her hand, pulling her toward him. “You look fucking beautiful.”
Elle’s heart started beating as Nero leaned down to kiss her lightly on the lips. When he pulled away, he started pulling her out of the bedroom.
“Um, where’s Maria?”
“She left. Remind me later to thank her and kill her for that dress.”
Left? Elle’s heart began to race as he headed toward his bedroom. She suddenly felt like this whole thing might have been planned.
Nero smiled as he opened his bedroom door for her.
Elle looked into his room and saw a small table and two chairs had been placed by his balcony door. He did this for me?
Nero’s hand came to the small of her back and he gently pushed her into the bedroom before shutting the door. Then he guided her toward the table and pulled out a seat for her. Elle stared at the pink cupcake and strawberries on the plate in front of her as Nero sat down beside her.
He reached into his pocket and grabbed the two items he had been hiding. He placed a white candle on top of the cupcake and lit the end with a lighter.
“Happy Birthday, Elle.”
Elle looked over at Nero, shocked. “How did you know?”
Nero shrugged. “Josh told me.”
Should have known. The two had spent some time together and Nero had started rubbing off on Josh, who hadn’t been picked on since Nero had scared those bullies that day at the bus stop.
Elle smiled as she gave Nero a quick kiss on the lips. “Thank you.”
Nero smiled back at her. “You’re welcome, baby.”
Elle looked back at the burning candle and quickly blew it out.
“Did you make a wish?”
Elle thought about how drastically her life had changed in a matter of a month. “Yes, but I’m not going to tell, or it won’t come true.”
Nero picked up a strawberry off the plate. “I plan on making all your wishes come true.”
“I have a lot of wishes,” Elle teased.
“I think you’re worth it.” His expression was serious.
Elle’s heart melted. She never would have thought Nero could have been the sweet type.
As she watched him put the strawberry up to his mouth and take a bite, Elle went to pick up her own strawberry, but Nero swatted her hand away. He then picked another strawberry up and put it to Elle’s lips.
Elle slowly opened her mouth and took a bite. The taste was sweet and slightly sour, and she didn’t know if it was the best strawberry she had ever eaten because of the taste or because Nero was feeding it to her.
He then pinched off a piece of the cupcake and put it up to her lips. Elle started to get butterflies as she opened her mouth and placed her lips over the cupcake and the tips of his fingers as she slid the morsel into her mouth.
“How does it taste, baby?”
Elle saw the heat start to rise in his body, as well. She licked her lips. “Delicious.”
While Nero pinched off another piece and brought it to her, Elle looked him in his eyes as she opened her mouth for the cake. This time, she slid her lips farther down his fingers and sucked the tasty cupcake off. She watched Nero pull his fingers out and then suck a tiny piece of icing off that she hadn’t caught. Elle wanted to return the favor.
“May I feed you?”
Nero smiled, pleased with her question. “Yes.”
Elle’s heart started to race as she pinched off her own piece. She put it to Nero’s mouth, her body waiting in anticipation. She watched him grab her hand and take her whole fingers into his mouth and suck. She got chills at the sensation of his mouth over her fingers.
“How does it taste?” she asked breathlessly.