Page 199 of King of Ruin

It was afternoon by the time Xavier finally drove the car back down the hill. They had been driving in comfortable silence for several minutes when Elise looked out the window. As the familiar streets came into view, a small frown crossed her face.

She turned to him in confusion.

"Where are we going? That's not the way to my apartment."

The moment the words left her mouth, a worried expression crossed Xavier's face. He glanced at her before looking back at the road.

"You want to go back to your apartment? I thought we were—"

He couldn't even finish the sentence.

His expression tightened instantly. Without a second's hesitation, he swerved the car to the side of the road and brought it to an abrupt stop. The tires scraped lightly against the pavement before the car came to a halt. Xavier immediately turned toward her, his jaw tense, his brows knitted together, an uneasy look settling across his face as he searched her eyes.

"You don't want to come back home now?" he asked, his voice rough with urgency. "I thought we were back together." His gaze stayed locked on hers. "You're my girlfriend again, right? We're going to get married soon."

Elise looked at him with wide eyes. Then, a small laugh escaped her.

"I need to get my things back," she explained patiently. "Everything is still in my apartment. I can't go back to your house right now. Give me a few days. I think it's better that I go back to my apartment first, pack everything, and then come back to your house."

The next second, Xavier's hand shot to the back of her head, his fingers threading into her hair as he pulled her closer. Before she could say another word, his mouth captured hers. He kissed her until she was left breathless, only pulling away when she finally broke the kiss.

He rested his forehead briefly against hers before looking into her eyes.

"I'll take care of everything," he stated, his tone brooking no argument. "For now, we're going back home. I'm not letting you go back to your apartment again."

The very suggestion seemed to offend him. His brows drew together, his jaw tightening as though he couldn't believe she had even considered spending another night away from him.

Before Elise could argue, Xavier shifted the car back into gear and drove straight toward the Chen mansion.

A while later, the car rolled through the mansion gates before coming to a stop in the driveway.

Xavier stepped out first.

The moment Elise got out of the car, he jogged around the front of the vehicle toward her. Before she had even closed the door, his hand found hers again, lacing their fingers together. A smile spread across his face, making him look as though this was the happiest day of his life.

Without letting go of her hand, he led her toward the mansion, pulling her inside with him. Elise couldn't help smiling back at him as she watched the excitement written all over his face.

The moment they stepped into the foyer, Xavier turned to her.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked. "You must be hungry. I'll ask Layla to prepare something for us."

Elise nodded.

"What do you want?" he asked again, clearly determined to make whatever she wanted.

"Risotto?"

Xavier's smile deepened.

"Of course. What else?"

She shrugged lightly.

"I don't really care. Anything is fine."

Still holding her hand, Xavier gave it a gentle tug, pulling her closer until only a breath separated them. His free hand slipped around her waist, drawing her flush against his body as he looked down at her with unmistakable affection.

"I want to eat you," he murmured with a teasing smile before leaning down to steal a quick kiss from her lips.