She Keeps Me Warm

Gio was the head of the Romano family. He did not want for anything. He had safe houses all over the country and even more abroad, in case he ever needed to vacate the country and lay low in a foreign land.

All he had to do was snap his fingers and Elle would be whisked away to one of them. She would be safe there, away from all the danger…away from him…and that was where Gio's problem began.

He could take her to all those places, but he did not want to.

It was a selfish thing for him to do. Her safety should come first…and it did. Gio just could not imagine anyone doing a better job of keeping her safe than him. He would throw himself in front of a bullet for ( he had fully intended to do so had the last assassin he had taken out fired before Gio could ). 

Gio's people were skilled, the best of the best. Trained until they were at their peak and were constantly evolving. He trusted them with his life…just not with hers. 

Were he a lesser man Gio would have clung to being better able to protect her as the reason he wanted Elle close, but even at his lowest Gio had never been able to lie to himself.

The reason he was not having Elle shipped to a safe house, or handing her over to his guards for protection was simple…he was scared.

Gio had been scared ever since the moment when he had seen Elle watching him get beat up back in the club. He had been terrified when she had rushed in, her jaw set in determination as she tased the living daylights out of the man who had been hitting Gio. 

But that type of fear had turned out to be childsplay. At least then he had been able to see her. He had known she was in danger, but he had been able to gauge the threat level and know that she was at least alright. 

But the call that had come after he had sent her away.

That scream… that scream… he would not be forgetting it anytime soon. It would definitely be center stage in his nightmares for a long while. He did not want to go through that again.

So Gio was determined to keep her close for as long as possible. Taking his eyes off the road for a bit, he glanced over at where she was curled up, her head against the window, her hands clenched into fists on her lap. Rather than just spring things on her, Gio decided the best cause of action was to tell her upfront. His Elle could be stubborn when she felt cornered.

"You can't go home, it is not safe," He told her and she nodded. Clearly she had been thinking along the same lines as him. But just when he was about relax, thinking the issue was settled, she spoke up.

"Drop me off at some motel, I'll make sure to keep a low profile make sure no one even knows that I am there, " Gio nearly hit a fire hydrant, but he was able to get the car under control at the last minute…but Elle barely noticed.

Her gaze far away, she was probably thinking of how she was going to survive. To fend for herself. It broke Gio's heart a little. She had just been through something awful, she had been terrified when he had found her. Most likely, she was still scared, but her walls were coming up as she prepared to face the situation alone.

Protectiveness burst from Gio in waves… but even so, he was careful to phrase his offer as something optional, and not as something he was forcing her to do.

"If you want, you can come home with me. It is a million times safer than any motel. Plus, if anything happens you and I can protect each other," 

It was much better than 'Please come stay with me. I'm terrified that if I don't have you in sight, something horrible might happen to you'. Gio had even managed to make the request sound light-hearted, like he would be absolutely fine if she chose to go her own way. Not at all like a piece of his soul would shrivel up and die if she turned him down.

He really hoped she did not choose to go to a motel. Gio wanted her to consider him safe enough for her to run to when she was in danger (he very carefully did not think about how she was probably in danger because of him). Gripping the steering wheel tight, Gio waited for her reply, letting her think it over instead of trying to rush her.

In truth, he had nearly invited her over many times in the past, but he had always stopped himself. Scared that she might catch on to his feelings for her and bolt. The number of times he'd had to stop himself from crossing her very clear boundary were so many it was not even funny. It had taken him five years and her having a near death experience for him to work up the courage to ask her. Waiting a few more minutes for her answer should be nothing.

It was not nothing.

In fact, it felt like hell, it felt like torture. Gio almost wanted to be back in the club, getting beaten up again rather than in the car waiting for Elle's answer.

When she shifted in her seat, Gio kept his eyes on the road "Ok, I will come with you," Outwardly he gave no reaction other than to nod, but internally, Gio's heart was singing.

Elle was coming home with him… at long last. Holding the wheel with one hand, he reached out with the other. His hand ended up on her shoulder, offering silent comfort, when her smaller landed on top of it, threading their fingers together, Gio felt some of the tension in him ease.

Just having her close made everything seem clearer.