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Chapter Nineteen
After dinner they had dessert and coffee. Noah didn’t need someone to tell him Skye was stalling. She clearly wasn’t comfortable with him knowing the complete truth. The time for the check came, and he paid for their meal. There was no way he’d let her pay for anything. He’d made Arthur feel like shit for the cut in salary she’d taken because of his fucking company. It pissed him off to think of her struggling for anything.
Back in the car, he didn’t even ask for her address. He knew it, like he knew everything else about her and Martin. He knew her ex was happily married again with kids. He wondered if she was sad about that.
There was a lot he still didn’t know about Skye, but that would all come when she finally let him in. When she allowed him to see her, the real her, not the face she put on for the rest of the world.
“You really don’t have to come up,” she said.
He was already out of the car, hand at her back, entering her low security building. No buzzer on the door meant everyone on the street could enter. He already hated this building. The elevator had a warning sign posted on the doors to not enter. A second reason to hate it. They took the stairs, and the stench of piss was overwhelming. He liked to think that people didn’t just go down and squat, but there was a lot of bad stuff he’d seen in the world.
On Skye’s floor, there was a couple making out. The woman was pretty much naked, and working open the guy’s belt on his jeans. Skye didn’t even look their way. She grabbed her key, opening the door.
The first thing he noticed when she flicked on the light was her apartment had a singular bulb hanging from the cracked ceiling.
Her apartment was spotless. Minimum furniture, but everything was clean and had a place. There were scents placed all over the room, and he wondered if she was hiding a smell. He noticed the walls were covered in artwork, and even some quotes on the wall. Books lined walls and shelves, but everything was neat. There was a personal touch mixed in with all the neatness.
He heard moaning coming from outside, a television from a neighbor, and yelling.
Noah shook his head. “Pack a bag.”
“I like living here.”
“No one likes living here, Skye. Stop being a martyr. You’re coming with me.” She folded her arms, showing him she was about to put up a fight. One quick turn of the apartment and he already located where her bedroom was. She had one single bed, not even enough room to get comfortable. They were the kind of rooms kids had. Shaking his head, he opened her closet drawer and began to gather the few items of her clothing.
Humming to himself, he listened to her beg him to let it go. To leave her things alone. He wasn’t going to do that.
She grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Will you listen to me?”
“You’re coming to live with me.”
“That’s not appropriate.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck what is appropriate or not. You’re coming with me.”
“Why are you doing this? I hate this. You don’t have to save me. My salary will be back up.”
“And until then, I’m going to take care of you.” He cupped her face, holding her close. “Let me do this.”
“Noah, you don’t owe me anything.”
“Oh, Skye, you have no idea what I owe you.” He finished packing her clothes and lingerie, taking hold of her hand. “What else do you want to take?”
There was so much personality surrounding him. Quotes, pictures, lots of things that reminded him of love and life. It screamed Skye in every single way.
“Nothing.”
“Then let’s go.”
Leaving her apartment, he held her close. The couple in the hallway were still there, only now the woman was on her knees, deep throating the guy’s cock.
Skye didn’t look toward them. Locking her door, he took her hand, leading her out to his car. Part of him wasn’t sure if it would be stolen. It wouldn’t have been hard to find. His car was still parked and in perfect condition.
Dumping her suitcase in his car, he walked around to the passenger side, letting her into the car before getting behind the wheel once again.
Neither of them spoke on the drive back to his apartment. He lived in luxury, and his apartment had its own secure underground parking.
Once out of the car, he grabbed her cases, refusing to let her help. He saw he was pissing her off, but again, he didn’t give a fuck. No one had taken care of her, and now he was going to be the one to do it. He knew she cared about Arthur, but she’d done so at her own expense. Arthur sure as shit wasn’t doing without. Sure, his stress levels were through the roof, but Noah had been to the guy’s mansion out in the suburbs. It had been purchased long before his company started to falter. He’d been set for life. It was only because his love of technology he’d not sold the damn thing.
