Page 13 of October's Ride with Atlas

I stare at him, processing what he just said.

“You can’t prove it,” I tell him, almost in shock.

“No. But you know in your heart it’s true. We can look up how many times he renewed his contract, normally every four to six years. He wasn’t held in the military against his will. Something kept him there,” he says softly.

There is a lump in my throat, and I won’t be able to finish my food even if I try.

“Excuse me,” I say, barely above a whisper, as I get up and run back to the bedroom I napped in earlier and lock the door behind me.

I listen, but he doesn’t follow me. So, I sit on the bed with my mind racing. I remember hearing Mom talk with one of her boyfriends about my dad’s contract renewing, but I thought they were talking about deployments.

I always wondered, but the letters and emails from my dad made it seem like he didn’t have a choice being there. Or is that what I wanted to believe? Because if he had a choice and he chose to leave me with Mom knowing everything I told him, then he was no better than her.

If my father was the kind of man who left me with my irresponsible and lazy mother, he was capable of doing everything for which he was arrested. All of this makes me question everything. Why did we have to move to a new location every few weeks if we weren’t doing anything wrong? The Mustang Mountain Riders have been in the same place for decades. Why can’t my dad talk to Atlas and have it out? Why does he have to endanger a whole club, including women and children?

The more I think about everything I’ve learned in the last few days, the more I realize my dad isn’t the good guy in this story.

And Atlas isn’t the bad guy.

CHAPTER 7

ATLAS

Fuck,I never meant to info dump on her like that. This isn’t the right time. The last thing I need is for her to bescared of me while I’m trying to protect her. I heard the lock turn on the bedroom door, which is fine. I’ll give her the time she needs to process it all.

It’s not like she can escape out of the bedroom window. The bedroom looks out over the back of the house, and there’s a steep, almost three-story drop off the side of the mountain.

As I clean up after dinner, I make sure I save her a plate because I know she will be hungry later when her mind stops racing. Once everything is clean and put away, I sit on the couch.

My plans had been to stick to safe topics and learn more about her. Things like her favorite foods. What music does she like? What is her favoritecolor? Is she allergic to anything? I want to know everything about her, so I can take care of her better. To anticipate her needs.

I was on track until I heard how she had been on her own, making sure everyone had their needs met. But what about her? Then to hear how she was idolizing her father, the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

Laying my head on the back of the couch, I stare up at the ceiling. I probably set us back, and I’m going to have to earn her trust all over again. Just to start an apology, I should have a thousand flowers filling the cabin when she wakes up tomorrow.

Unfortunately, most of the flowers have died off thanks to the cold weather, and there is no way I’m getting flowers from a florist up here, not when her safety is on the line. If I hadn’t blown it, I’d know her favorite food and I could make it for her tomorrow as an apology.

I’m so lost in my head I almost don’t hear her opening the bedroom door. I look up and there she is standing in the doorway. Her hair is slightly a mess, and I want nothing more than to pull her into my arms and beg for her forgiveness. When she hesitates at the door, I don’t dare breathe because I don’t want to scare her off.

She takes a hesitant step toward me and then another before she rushes to my side and sits beside me on the couch. I push my luck and pull her into my lap. Thankfully, she allows me, wrapping her arms around my neck and burying her head against my shoulder.

Neither of us says anything, but I can tell there is much on her mind.

“Princess, I never meant for all of that to come out the way it did.” I say, needing to fill the silence.

“I know, but I’m glad you did. I think I was looking at it all with rose-colored glasses on, as Mom used to say. I twisted things to be what I wanted, but after what you said, I couldn’t do that anymore. I just needed to process it,” she whispers without lifting her head.

“What did you decide?” I ask, almost afraid of knowing the answer.

It’s then she slowly lifts her head and looks at me. Her deep brown eyes stare into mine. I’m so lost in her eyes and trying toread them that I don’t realize she is moving toward me until her eyes close and her lips land on mine.

It takes a minute for my brain to yell at me that the girl of my dreams is kissing me.

When she starts to pull away, I follow her, never letting my lips leave hers as I deepen the kiss.

She holds on to me tighter as I pull her into me. Then, she shocks the hell out of me and takes control of the situation. Changing positions, she turns and straddles my lap.

As soon as her core settles on top of my cock, I moan because nothing has ever felt better. She is so close and my dick wants nothing more than to be inside her, but I don’t want to push her into anything if she isn’t ready. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I pull her flush against my chest.

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