Page 22 of My Soul for Sale

Rip shakes his head. “No, you won her. And I think you have some talking to do. I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast.” He stands and heads up the stairs.

When we hear a door shut, I look back at Atlas.

“Why? Why couldn’t anyone else buy me?”

He doesn’t answer me right away, instead he grabs me, pulling me onto his lap.

“I’ve missed you, Sloane.”

“That’s a lie. You didn’t even look for me. Seven years, Atlas. I know we didn’t know each other long, but our relationship meant something to me. Then Ali rips me from your house and I don’t hear from you again. Why? Why wasn’t I good enough for you?”

I'm aware that I might sound needy, even whiny, but the truth is, I've harbored feelings for him for far longer than I care to admit. Every shared moment, every lingering touch, led me to believe that there was something more between us, something beyond mere friendship.

Because I lov—valued him, it felt right, even if it was deemed wrong by society's standards.

But now, almost a decade later, he's treating me as though I'm the one that’s wrong.

His body responds to my presence, his heartbeat quickening beneath my touch.

A shiver runs down my spine as his arms encircle me, drawing me closer to him. I feel his desire, his lengthy cock hardening beneath my ass. And despite everything, I can't help but revel in it, knowing that I’m the one who’s doing this to him.

“We did look for you. Your mom served Dad a restraining order and our hands were tied.” As the words leave his lips, my eyes widen.

"A restraining order?" I repeat, my voice barely above a whisper.

My expression shifts from shock to defeat. “I spent so long feeling inadequate when I didn't hear from you.”

Without a second thought, Atlas gently cups my face in his hands, locking eyes with me. "Don’t ever question if you’re good enough, Sloane. You’ve always been far above that," he whispers, his voice laced with sincerity and conviction.

I stare into his eyes as he speaks and they show nothing but sincerity.

“Honestly, we thought you knew. It expired when you turned eighteen. But we didn’t hear from you, so we assumed the same thing you did. That you didn’t want anything to do with us. I’ve searched, though. I had to know. You’ve been a hard woman to find. You have zero public records. Do you know how weird that is?”

I giggle. “I rent my place and pay cash to the landlord with no lease. Most of the utilities are in his name and I just pay him. I only have a Tiktok but my username is still like guest34872384 or some shit. No one on there I want to catch up with. Plus, I’m trying to keep Ali out of my life, so it’s easier if she can’t track me down.”

“I’ve had good leads, but everything was a dead end. I was close to hiring a PI.”

“Why?” I’ve asked that question a thousand times tonight and I’m not done yet.

He tips my chin so our eyes meet and he stares at me. “You know why.”

A tear escapes my eye as his words wash over me like a gentle wave, yet they stir up a ton of emotions within me. He looked for me. He still feels the same way. He missed me. The weight of his confession is overwhelming, flooding my mind with memories and feelings I thought had been buried.

They consume me, like a stormy sea inside of me. I sniffle, trying to contain the flood of emotions threatening to spill over.

"Still?" I manage to whisper, my voice trembling as I search his eyes for confirmation. And then he does the unexpected—he leans in and kisses my lips softly, sending a shiver through my body.

I whimper, a bittersweet ache coursing through me.

"Always," he murmurs against them.

Chapter Thirteen

Atlas

My lips move against hers and I groan at the taste. I’ve waited years for this moment and I’m not letting it pass me by.

I push my tongue against the seam of her lips and she opens, letting me slide inside, twirling it with hers. Breathless, she pulls back, but not before nipping my bottom lip and smiling at me.

---