Nero (Alliance, #1)

by S.J. Tilly

“What’s his name?” His voice is still quiet, but it’s also different. A little menacing. “Wh-whose name?” His head tilts, and it reminds me of the nature channel when they show a wild animal stalking its prey. “The man who laid his hands on you. Tell me his name.”

“I bet you’ve never told anyone. I bet you did as you were told.” I can feel his exhale against my lips. “Break the rules for me, Sweet Girl. Put yourself first and give me a name.”

I sit up and watch, eyes wide, as he bends down and picks up a pair of my underwear from the top of the pile. “Those are dirty,” I choke out. The man smirks at me over his shoulder, as he shoves them into his pocket.

“This is your one chance, Payton.” His voice is rougher than I remember. The deepness of it filling the room. “Your one chance to make the right choice. The only time I’ll let you tell me no.”

“The time to run is over, Baby. Now it’s time to give.”

“It’s cold,” I hiss. He gently passes the cloth over me once more. “I know, Baby.”

“I’m not staying,” he mutters it this time. He sounds so resigned, even as he does the opposite of what he just said, and I almost laugh. Nero drops onto his back, shifting the pillow, lifting his head and smacking it back down against the lumpy cotton, trying to get comfortable. With one final sigh, he stretches his arm out in my direction. “Come fucking cuddle with me.”

“You’re gonna go fuck that old guy up, aren’t you?” I flip on my blinker. “Yep.” “Well hot diggity damn, count me in.”

“You know we’re going there to kill a guy, right?” He snorts, running a hand down the front of his perfectly cut suit. “Giving the man a good view before he dies seems like a kindness.”

“Who are you?” “Ah, finally the right question.” I lean down, invading his space. “I’m Payton’s wrath. And you’re about to die.”

“Uh, you forgetting something?” King raises his brows, like maybe I didn’t know I was standing in just socks and shoes with my dick out. “Yeah, give me your pants.” All the humor leaves his face. “You’re joking.” “Even if this prick had clean clothes, they wouldn’t fit me.” I gesture to his lower half. “So, give me your pants. Unless you’d prefer to stare at my junk, for the next several hours, until we land back in Minneapolis.” I watch King’s fists clench as he strides toward Arthur’s body and administers his own set of kicks. “You stupid bastard.” King unzips his fly, then steps up and kicks the corpse one more time. “Fuck you, man.” Grumbling, King braces a shoulder against the wall as he steps in and out of his shoes, pulling his pant legs off, then putting his feet back into his shoes, without ever touching his socks to the floor. Finished, King throws the pants at me, and I make sure not to say anything about his red silk boxers. Because as much as I want to laugh, there’s a good chance King would get pissy enough to take his pants back and make me fly home with my balls stuck to the pilot’s seat.

After a while, I tilt my head back. “Nero?” His chin slides against my hair, and he looks down into my eyes. “Yeah, Baby?” “Can I have my underwear back?” The second his lips start to pull up into a smile, I know what answer he’s gonna give me. “No.”

Squeezing a small amount out, he rubs his fingertips together. “Close your eyes, Baby.” My body complies and I tip my head back as I do so, giving him a better view of my face from his taller height. And when his touch glides over my cheeks, I feel another traitorous tear roll down from my eye to meet his touch. “Shh.” His thumb brushes the tear away. “I’ve got you.”

“You’re crazy,” I breathe. His hands dart out, gripping my ankles, and he yanks me down the bed. Again. Nero bends over me, putting our faces an inch apart. “For you, I’m fucking certifiable.”

“And we’ll never talk about you asking if I was going to kill you.” His hands slip around my neck, and he pulls me into a hug. “I would dig my own heart out of my chest before I’d hurt you.”

“And I’ll give you anything you want. Anything at all. But it’ll still be nothing compared to what you’ll give me.” “What will I give you?” she whispers. “Peace.”

“I don’t know why it’s funny. I just wouldn’t’ve pictured you eating here.” I hit the button to roll down my window. “If I decide I’m too good for Taco Bell, put a bullet in my brain and end my misery.”

“You know,” he says, when he sees where I’m looking. “Cinderella only left one shoe behind.” I fight my embarrassment by rolling my eyes. “Yeah, and Prince Charming didn’t break into her home to find her.” Nero grins. “The villains always have more fun.”

“You purposefully hurt the woman I love. If you were a man, I’d slit your throat where you sit. But instead, you’re going to become invisible.”

“I don’t love you because you’re gentle.” I pull back to look at her. “Why do you love me?” “Because you’re mine.”

Nero: I love you. Payton: Good. Nero: Payton… Payton: I love you, more. Nero: Payton… Payton: Geez, fine, I love you exactly the same.

“Payton, you’re my everything. My love. My Sweet Girl. My best friend.” I melt at his words. “And when I get home, if you want to have more people around, we can make some friends.” That makes me laugh. “How?” “No fucking clue. Take out an ad or something.”

“We all gotta go somehow. I’d rather go down swinging than rotting away in a nursing home until all the dumb shit I’ve done to my body over the years finally catches up to me,”

“You’re okay.” Nero kisses my forehead. “You’re okay, Baby.” He hugs me tighter. “I see you’re wearing my sweatshirt. Just couldn’t stay away from my things, could you.” He kisses me again. “If I could fit in your clothes, I’d wear them too. Wouldn’t care if it was covered in yellow flowers, I’d sleep in it every night I was away from you.”

“You think a blow job at one of the seven wonders of the world will make this my favorite vacation too?”