Page 143 of Any Second Now
“Just don’t be too depressed without me.” Atticus gives me a crooked smile.
I huff. “I’ll keep busy enough.”
After Atticus and I officially reconciled, I called my boss at the pharmacy the next day. It was only a week before I was supposed to come back from my sabbatical.
I was really going off-spreadsheet, but I had a plan.
While I’ve got enough money saved to sustain me while I take some time to figure out what I want to be doing with my life, I need health insurance and some other kind of stability. Staceymade a call—okay, a lot of calls—and connected me with the regional office of our pharmacy.
One of the Fort Collins’s locations happens to need a part time pharmacist.
I’m going back to work twenty hours a week at the pharmacy.
That’ll give me time to fulfill the influx of orders I’ve received after the latest video Atticus and I made went viral. In this one, he first showed up shirtless. I made him go grab a shirt, but left the footage in the video.
I’m not surprised a million people—and counting—watched it.
“Do you remember what you said to me on New Year’s Eve? When you were still resisting me?” Atticus slips his fingers under my shirt and onto the skin of my waist. A shudder vibrates through me.
“Hmm, not exactly, but we can reenact the situation.”
I squeal as he lifts me up and carries me over to the wall in my small kitchen, gently leaning my back against it as I slide my feet to the ground.
“I definitely had you pressed up against the wall,” he says, looking down at me.
“I think one of your hands was here.” I push his hand up until it’s above my head and my body immediately heats at being in this position with him.
“Is this right?” Atticus practically whispers, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. He’s so close I can feel the warmth of his body. I let out a little sigh.
“Once and never again. That’s what I said.” I run my hands up his hard chest, so glad that I was wrong.First and foreverwould’ve been a better phrase for what that kiss started.
“You did say that, huh.” Atticus leans down and presses a kiss on my neck.
“And you agreed.” I can’t stop the ragged breath that escapes my mouth.
“Then you called me a chicken, which, in hindsight, is hilarious.”
I huff out a laugh that gets cut short when he kisses my neck again, this time with his mouth open. Atticus can’t keep his hands off me, and I can’t keep my hands off him. I know we’re in the honeymoon period of our relationship, but I’m loving every single second of being his girlfriend.
There’s a knock on my door and it opens immediately.
“Hello!” Lucy calls out. “We’re all here to help!”
“Hey Lucy,” I call, trying to regulate my voice. “Guess this is to be continued,” I whisper to the gorgeous man who has me trapped, pushing against his chest.
“Fuck that, let’s tell them to leave.” Atticus hasn’t move his mouth from my neck.
“Gross,” Lucy says as she rounds the corner. “I love that you two are together, but I don’t need to see my little brother making out with my best friend.”
I push Atticus away and laugh. Kellen appears behind Lucy and lays his arm around her shoulders.
“I’ve got a dozen eggs. They’re warm, which is kind of gross.” Kellen glances behind him. “Couldn’t get Barrett or Lach to come help, but we did bring the grumpiest man on earth. He’s parking the car.”
“Harley,” Atticus states. I grab the eggs from Kellen and slide them into the refrigerator.
“Yep.” Kellen looks over his shoulder again, as if Harley will secretly appear behind him. “Between the breakup and moving down to second line, he’s a disaster. Not that he’ll talk about any of it.”
Harley is such a nice guy, I feel awful he’s going through so much right now.
