That One Addicted Guy

Chapter 8

Night stretched across the city like a quiet fever and Nero moved through it with the same silent authority that always wrapped around him. Every door he passed swung open for him. Every man lowered his gaze when he walked by. His presence held a weight that felt carved from shadow and heat yet tonight something inside him felt restless. Something sharp. Something that carried the scent of Hyla on it.

He had spent the entire day trying to ignore the way her memory flooded him. The sound of her voice. The trembling breath she released whenever he stepped too close. The way she looked at him like she was confused by her own desire yet still unable to run. That small pull between them tugged inside his ribs again now. It wounded him in a sweet way that he could not fully understand and could not fully control.

He was in his private office at the top of the abandoned hotel that served as one of his safe zones. The room was large and silent with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city. The wind pushed against the glass and the lights on the street below flickered with the soft pulse of movement. Nero stood with his hands on the glass watching the world with a stillness that could frighten a stronger man but inside he was far from calm.

Hyla had been gone for two hours. He had followed her from a distance earlier and seen something that kept replaying in his mind again and again. She had smiled at someone. Smiled. Not a soft innocent smile. It was small and hesitant and still it felt like claws dragging across his spine. She had spoken to a guy from her class. Just ordinary conversation. Just a few minutes. But those few minutes were enough to turn Nero into something dangerous.

He had already dealt with that boy. Quietly. Efficiently. The boy would never go near Hyla again and he would never forget the warning that Nero left behind. But none of that cooled the ache inside his chest. Because what disturbed Nero most was not the boy. It was the way Hyla had looked that day. A little curious. A little flustered. Like she was learning the power she had now that her eyes had fallen into his world.

He turned away from the glass and poured himself water. His throat felt dry. His mind was not letting go of her image. He hated how she got under his skin so quickly. How she made him this restless. This hungry. This unwilling to share even a moment of her attention with anyone else.

His men entered the room with quiet steps. They gave him the update he demanded.

Hyla was home. She had showered. She was now sitting on her balcony with a blanket around her shoulders and a notebook in her lap. She looked thoughtful. Lost in her own mind. Vulnerable in a way that made Nero’s pulse slow down and then sharpen all over again.

He dismissed the men and grabbed his coat. If he stayed here any longer he would go insane with the thought of her being alone out there in the open night. He headed out of the building and slid into his car. The engine started with a soft growl and soon he was driving through the dark roads toward her apartment.

He reached the building and climbed the stairs instead of using the elevator. His footsteps echoed down the quiet hallway. When he reached her door he did not knock. He stood still outside and listened. His heart hit against his ribs with a strange powerful rhythm.

He could hear her humming softly. Something delicate. Something that sounded like she was calming herself after thinking too much. He closed his eyes for a moment letting the sound travel through him. Then he lifted his hand and knocked once.

Inside he heard her freeze. Then a moment later the door opened and she stood there. Hyla. Barefoot. Hair slightly wet from her shower. Eyes wide and soft in the warm yellow light behind her. She held her blanket tightly around her chest and looked at him like she had expected him even before he knocked.

Nero did not step forward. Instead he let his eyes travel over her slowly. Not touching but consuming every inch of her presence. The room behind her smelled like soap and warm skin and something gentle that made his body tighten.

Hyla swallowed quietly. Her voice came out low.

Nero

What are you doing here

His eyes locked with hers. He could see the flicker of uncertainty inside her. And beneath that flicker there was something else. Something warm. Something that made him lean closer without realizing he was moving at all.

I needed to see you Hyla

His voice was calm yet there was a weight in it that made her breathing change.

She stepped back letting him in. She closed the door behind him with a soft click. Her hands shook slightly but she kept her chin lifted. She walked to the balcony and sat down again with her notebook. Nero leaned against the doorframe watching her.

She looked at him with a shy tilt in her eyes.

You just show up whenever you want

Is that normal for you

He stepped closer. The balcony light fell over his face making his eyes look darker.

Only with you

Her breath caught. She looked away staring down at her notebook. The wind moved her hair and one strand fell across her lips. Nero watched her mouth for a moment longer than necessary.

She tried to sound unaffected.

I was just writing

Nothing important

Nero came closer and took the notebook from her hands. Not roughly. Not gently. With the same authority he always carried. He flipped through a few pages and paused when he saw his own name scribbled at the corner of one page. Just small. Almost hidden. But it was enough.

Hyla reached to take the notebook back and he did not let her. He leaned down slightly so his face was close to hers.

You think about me more than you admit

His voice was quiet yet it felt like it filled the entire space.

Hyla tried to look away but he lifted her chin with two fingers and forced her eyes to meet his. She felt trapped yet not in a way she feared. More like she was sinking into something she did not want to escape.

He studied her face for a long moment. The line of her jaw. The quick rise and fall of her chest. The uncertainty that made her even more irresistible.

You smiled at someone today Hyla

He said it without blinking.

Her eyes widened a little. She looked confused.

What

It was nothing

Just normal

Nero stepped closer. The air between them thickened. He spoke softly. Too softly for the darkness around them.

Nothing feels normal when it comes to you

And I do not like seeing you smile at anyone else

She felt the words sink deep into her skin. She whispered back.

You are jealous

He leaned even closer. His breath touched her cheek.

Very

Her heart thudded against her ribs. She wanted to deny how deeply those words affected her. But she could not. Her fingers curled around the edge of her blanket and she whispered

Why me

Nero let out a slow breath. His eyes burned into hers.

Because you make me lose control

Because I want you in ways I should not

Because every time you breathe I feel it

Hyla felt warmth crawl through her body. She looked at him helplessly as if trying to understand the gravity of what he said. The city behind them looked like it had melted into silence.

She whispered again.

I do not know what to do with you

He moved his hand to her cheek letting his thumb trail across her skin with a slow possessive touch.

You do not have to know

Just do not pull away

Hyla felt her breath tremble. She did not pull away. She leaned into his touch without thinking and Nero felt something inside him snap quietly. Something that made him step even closer until their faces were separated by nothing but heat and intent.

He did not kiss her. He held the moment suspended between them because the tension was stronger than any touch. It was addictive in a way that made her knees feel weak.

Nero looked at her like she belonged to him already.

This story is only getting darker Hyla

And you are not allowed to walk away now

She whispered back without thinking.

I am not walking away

Nero smiled

slow

dangerous

satisfied

And the night wrapped them both inside something they could not undo anymore.