Nero (Alliance #1)

“Both of us.”

He’s reaching for the handle when he pauses, and I follow his gaze down to the basket of laundry I left by the door.

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.

My mouth pops open, as is becoming my habit. I don’t know what to say.

He unlocks the deadbolt and pulls the door open, the light from the hallway spilling in, lighting up his features as he turns just enough to look at me.

“Keep your doors closed, Payton. Leaving them open could be seen as an invitation.”

Then, just as silently as he arrived, he leaves.

CHAPTER5

Payton

The clickof the door closing snaps me out of the trance I’ve been stuck in since he showed up in my living room.

Scrambling off the couch, I stumble my way to the door. My legs rubber beneath me.

I press my hands against the cheap wood, steadying myself.

My whole body is trembling, like the adrenaline that should’ve been coursing through me all night finally hit, all at once.

Breathe.

He’s gone, just breathe.

Slowly, I lift my head until my eye is lined up with the peephole.

Taking another breath, I lean closer and look through.

A startled gasp clogs my throat.

Standing in the hallway, the man is staring back at me. Like he knew I’d look out.

He lifts a hand and points to the door handle.

Jerking my head away, I have to try twice before I flip the deadbolt into place.

My chest hurts from how frantic my heart is beating.

It’s locked.

He can’t get in now.

A voice in the corner of my mind whispers that something as simple as a lock wouldn’t be able to keep that man out.

That man.Whoever he is.

Knowing I won’t be able to walk away without checking, I put my eye back to the peephole, just in time to see him stride out of view.

I stay like that, watching the hallway, for too long. The sight of him pointing at my door burned into my memory.