Page 25 of Atlas
“I wanted to surprise you, only you beat me to it,” he says dryly.
“About that,” I mutter, avoiding his eye. “Atlas is a friend. He was just messing around.”
“Atlas?” he repeats. “A curious name.”
“It’s not his real name,” I say absentmindedly.
“Have you slept with this friend?”
I bite my lower lip, the lie almost choking me. “No.”
“Ever?”
“He called by to check my car. It’s been making crazy noises,” I say with a slight laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
“So. he’s your mechanic?”
I nod. “Sort of.”
“Well. which is it, Anita, a friend or your mechanic?” he snaps.
“He’s both. His boss is my client,” I say, wincing at how complicated I’m making this, “and sometimes they fix my car for me as a favour.”
“Is that the only favours they give out complimentary?”
I nod, feeling my cheeks colour slightly. “He was just messing around, I’m really sorry.”
He steps closer and I try not to stiffen as he reaches a hand to my face and gently tucks some hair behind my ear. “To make it up to me, I think you should have dinner with me,” he says, placing a gentle kiss on the tip of my nose. “And I can show you holiday destinations.” I find myself nodding. “Can you cook?” he asks, and I laugh, waiting for him to follow. When he doesn’t, I clear my throat to hide my surprise. “Erm, sort of.”
“Great. There’s some chicken in the fridge, also some noodles and vegetables. Whip up a stir-fry and I’ll quickly go shower.”
I glance towards the fridge. “You want me to cook dinner?”
He nods, cupping my cheeks a little too hard and pressing a firm kiss to my lips. “Then we’ll call it quits on the entire embarrassing situation.”
I force a smile as he steps back. “Oh, and I’ll have your car looked at tomorrow, the garage I use is reputable.” And he heads off, leaving me to cook.
Chapter Six
Atlas
I’ve spent the last two days elbow-deep in oil, noise, and distraction.
I haven’t checked my phone once. Haven’t walked past her street. Haven’t replayed the look on her face when she shoved me off the pedestal I never even asked to stand on.
She ran.
Not just from me but from the truth.
She ran back to the guy with the flowers.
So, yeah . . .fuck her.
I’m underneath a van when Fury calls my name.
“Someone’s here for Kasey,” he grunts. “Sister. Thought you’d wanna handle it cos Axel ain’t around.”
I slide out from under the car, wipe the grease off my hands, and shove the wrench into the toolbox. “On it.”
