Page 45 of Claiming Atlas

I made him think of something he doesn’t want to think about.

Someone?

I close my eyes as shame pushes lust aside and grips my body with a different ache entirely. I turn my head to the side. The moment between us was lost, and I’m feeling used. Which is quite fitting because it’s exactly the way I thought I’d feel if I left the club with Atlas tonight.

He pauses his thrusting and gently grabs my chin, turning my head back to face him. “Hey, what happened?”

My chest tightens. What do I tell him? It’s not like we were making love before, seeing as how I don’t even know this guy, but somehow it feels different now all the same.

He runs his hand over my cheek. “Kayla, what happened just now?” He looks back and forth between my eyes. “It’s okay. I can stop. We don’t have to go again so soon. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just...”

My brazenness has left the building, folks. “Sorry. It’s not you...”

He laughs and pulls out, then pushes off the bed. “You’re giving me the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech while I’m balls deep inside of you?” He runs his hand over his hair. “That’s... that’s a fucking first.”

“No, no, oh my gosh.” I jump off the bed and walk toward him, then grab his wrist as he runs his hand through his hair for the fifteenth time in the last few seconds. “Atlas.” My lips twitch, but I don’t want to laugh when he’s feeling so jilted. This is awkward as hell. There’s nothing funny about it, but my nerves are threatening to bubble up my throat. “I’m sorry. That’s not what I was saying.”

He looks me in the eyes, trying to figure something out, but I’m not sure what, then he steps away from me. “I’ll be out in a minute.” He walks into the bathroom and shuts the door.

I plop down on the bed. What did I just do? It’s one thing to have a one-night stand, then never talk to Atlas again, but it’s a completely different story tooffendhim in the middle of our one-night stand and never talk to him again.

Well, at least he’ll never forget me, right?

I groan and lay down on the bed, throwing my arm over my eyes. Should I just leave now? Quietly get dressed and split while he’s in the bathroom? Wham, bam, thank you ma’am... I mean, thank you, Atlas?

“Kayla? Can you come in here for a second?”

I sit up and look at the closed bathroom door. What could he possibly need my help with? “Um, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just come in here real quick?” He pauses. “Please?”

Narrowing my eyes, I push off the bed and step toward the bathroom. I’m feeling too exposed now that things cooled off so quickly, so I grab my sweater off the floor and slide it back on. I stop in front of the bathroom door. Should I knock? Everything just got so weird between us. From hot to cold in a matter of minutes and now I don’t know what to do with myself.

So I just open the door.

Atlas is in the bathtub of champagne. He smiles when I step inside the bathroom, but his teeth are chattering. I laugh, then throw my hand over my mouth.

“This was such a better idea in my head.”

I shake my head, but don’t take my hand away from my mouth because this is the cutest thing ever, and I’m either going to laugh at him or fall in love with him, and either way, I should probably just go.

“Well, are you going to join me?”

I laugh out loud and drop my hands to my hips. “Not likely.”

“You’re going to make me waste all this champagne?”

I roll my eyes and step closer to the tub. “I don’t think anyone’s made you do anything you didn’t want to do in a very long time.”

He narrows his eyes playfully. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I stop beside the tub and look down at him. “It means I think you’re pretty used to getting what you want.” I run my hand through his hair, pulling those dark bangs out of his eyes.

His lips twitch as he holds my gaze, then he slowly stands, and my gaze falls to his hard body. Champagne drips from his skin, tiny droplets of golden bubbles rolling over the hard lines of his chest, his abs, dripping down to the V muscles of his stomach. His shaft shimmers in the bathroom light. My belly tightens as it hardens before my eyes, making me want to—

“Kayla.” Atlas says my name quietly, the sudden change in his tone drawing my eyes back up to his. “You’re right. I always get what I want.” He pauses, then drops his gaze to my legs. “And right now I want to lick champagne from your pussy.”

My lips part on a gasp.

---