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His words send a wave of emotion through my soul.
If only.
Sadness settles on my shoulders, and I turn my head back toward the stage, away from Nero.
His free arm circles around my chest, resting his forearm along the top of my breasts. “You shouldn’t turn your back on me, Sweet Girl.” Nero’s cheek presses against the side of my head, his voice ruffling my hair.
“Why are you even talking to me? I thought I was supposed to be your secret.” My voice cracks over the last few words, and I hope that the volume of the concert is enough to keep Nero from hearing it.
He tips his head down until his lips are against my ear. “You are my secret.”
Those four words pierce through the warmth his body is giving me.
His arms tighten like he knows I’m going to try to jerk away. “You’re my secret because being mine puts you in danger.”
What?
Nero’s fingers curl into my sides as he hugs me from behind. “I have enemies that would love to hurt me by hurting you.”
“Enemies?” I repeat the word like I’ve never heard it before because normal people don’t have enemies.
I suppose I’m not normal either, because Arthur… my mom… they’re as much of an enemy as anyone could ever be to me.
“I’m not a good man, Payton. Don’t ever forget that. I’m trying to keep my distancefor you. Because I don’t want to be the one to ruin you.” The hand on my stomach slides lower, and I’m startled by the sudden touch of skin on skin.
I automatically reach up and grab hold of his forearm to stop him. But the feel of his fingers sliding beneath the waistband of my skirt is divine. So, I don’t try to stop him, I just cling to him.
“If what you’re saying is true, why are you even here?” My words are quiet, but Nero wraps himself around me even more, lowering his ear.
“Because dangerous doesn’t stop me.” His fingers travel lower, slipping into my underwear. “And you’ve earned a punishment.”
Every nerve in my body is on fire. “Punishment?”
“Yeah, Baby, punishment.” Nero’s fingertips brush against the curls between my legs.
“Is it not punishment enough that you keep stealing my panties?”
He huffs out a breath, the hand around my chest dropping away. “You mean these?” His hand reappears in front of me, a pair of my crumpled-up panties in his palm.
I try to ignore his fingers, sliding ever closer to where I want them. “Give those back.”
“I’ll give you them back if you give me the ones you have on now.”
My mouth drops open. “You can’t be serious.”
His teeth scrape against the side of my neck. “Deadly.”
“I’m not taking my underwear off in public.”
“Yeah, Baby, you are.” He slides his hand higher, away from my center. “And hurry up, before I’m forced to remove them for you. Which would draw a lot more attention.”
My cheeks are flaming hot. But my core is throbbing.
None of this should turn me on. His shitty attitude. His threatening to punish me for something he has no say over. But I can’t help how my body responds to Nero. And, if I’m being honest with myself, I don’t want to. I want to hand him control.
“Take them off, Payton. Now.”
Instead of forcing me, Nero unwinds his body from mine. Cool air rushing in to fill the space where he just was, and I feel his loss on an even deeper level.
