Page 43 of Atlas

“I’d love whatever you do to your hair, Willa. Your body isyours. It’s not for me to tell you what to do with it. Your style, your hair, whether you want piercing or tattoos—it’s all your choice and I’ll happily support you in whatever you want, one hundred percent.”

Wow. He has no idea how monumental that is. How freaking earthshattering and how… how damnkind. I’ve met so many guys who all they want to do is dictate terms and set controls.

I kiss him unhurriedly, wishing I had the whole night to do this with him, but I have to be responsible. He knows whyI’m pulling away, and I think he knows too, all the emotion that I poured into that kiss in place of all the words blocked in my throat.

“We can’t leave Agatha alone for too long.”

“She wasn’t asleep when I snuck out. I thought she was, but when I got to the door, she told me to take as much time as I needed. She promised she’d behave and not sneak out to find the weapons cache for a bit of midnight fun. She did ask me to bring her a piece of leftover pie when I came back.”

“I’ll come to the kitchen with you then. I might get one for myself.”

“I noticed you didn’t have any at dinner.”

“I was too preoccupied to eat much of anything. I’m feeling a little bit better now.”

“Try the wonton soup. It was incredible. I don’t know who placed the order at the Vietnamese takeout, but there’s still enough to feed an army.”

“I’d rather have you spread out on the table, naked, covered in—”

“Noodles and shrimp?” I laugh, then gasp when he nuzzles my neck, rubbing his rough stubble along the tender skin.

“After this bastard comes to get his cash, I’m taking you back to your place, tying you up—as you requested—and covering you in something that I’m going to lick off you.”

“Something? That’s ominous.”

He grins, tickling me right beneath my ribs, which makes jerk in his arms. I have to clamp my hand over my mouth to smother a squeal. “Not ominous. I just haven’t decided what I’m going to use yet. It’s a surprise.”

“I love surprises.”

Sometimes.

Money chest not included.

He kisses me quickly again before walking me to the door of his room. “I know.” He makes that sound so dark and mysterious that now I’mextraexcited to get back to our lives.

Chapter 13

Atlas

Rain drums off the roof of the truck in a steady beat. It washes down the windshield in a torrent and rivers vertically down the side windows. The sun is setting, and with the rainstorm, it’s washed the sky in pinks and reds that are magnified on every surface.

“He’s ten minutes late,” Wizard remarks, checking a stopwatch. “If I had that much money on the line, I think I’d make an effort to be on time.”

“Maybe he got lost.” I recline in the passenger seat of Wizard’s cage.

It’s not an old classic like Raiden’s, or a big jacked up monstrosity like the twins ride around in. It’s just a regular old nineties pickup, beat up and battered because it spent most of its life on a farm as a workhorse.

Raiden and Tyrant are parked together in his truck, though there was a mighty amount of groaning about bringing the classic out in the rain. It’s already thoroughly rusty, so not sure what Raiden’s point was there. I’d shit myself if I had to take the Mustang out, but that car isflawless. Raiden’s truck is so old that’s it’s more rattletrap than working vehicle. The doors barely close. It’s not going to get worse from a little sprinkling.

We’re arranged in a semicircle, blocking off a backroad ten minutes east of Hart. I’m glad I wasn’t in the truck with Grave and Decay to hear the whining that would have gone on when they turned onto gravel. Grave will probably be under histruck later, examining it for road rash, in a foul, cursing mood for days.

Raven and Odin complete the semi-circle of vehicles.

“We are kind of in the middle of nowhere.”

Wizard rolls his eyes. “Any asshat could use technology. An old fashioned GPS would still find this place with the right coordinates if cell signal was lacking.” He pops his phone out of his black fatigues. “Which it’s fucking not.”

Wizard slides down a few inches in the seat to get his phone situated back in. One of many, probably. His fatigues have a ton of pockets and no doubt each and every one is stuffed full.

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